Desperation
Second Lieutenant John Havoc was angry. And it wasn't just normal, every day, run-of-the-mill anger either. It was a frustrated, annoyed, indignant, anger. In his mind, there was a very good reason for it; to anyone else, he was grossly overreacting.
Second Lieutenant John Havoc was angry because his superior (only in rank mind you) officer, Roy Mustang, was humming as he sat behind his desk, signing without complaint everything First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye put in front of him (it was only slightly worrying when he tried to scrawl his name across the wooden surface of his desk, this was Colonel Roy Mustang after all).
The reason Havoc was so enraged by the humming was rather straight forward. He just couldn't believe that the Colonel had the audacity to hum cheerfully under his breath even as he caused his subordinates such agony and distress (which wasn't any different from any other day; the humming was just the icing on top of the cake).
What made it even worse was that there wasn't any obvious reason for him to be so cheerful. It wasn't like it was his birthday, he wasn't being promoted, Hawkeye hadn't called in sick… The only good thing about today was that the Elric brothers (more importantly, Fullmetal) were away on a mission. But they had been away yesterday, and the day before, and every day for the past month as well, and Mustang hadn't been singing a jaunty little tune then.
Havoc gritted his teeth as the humming got steadily louder. If Lieutenant Hawkeye hadn't taken away his last pack of cigarettes, he would have been cramming one in between his lips ever as his eardrums were ruptured by a particularly tone deaf Colonel. He briefly considered jamming a pencil into either ear in an attempt to drown out the tune, but he discarded that idea rather quickly; it was just more pain than it was worth.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, he made a mental note to have it checked; there was just no way it could be right, he had been here for much longer than a mere three hours. Havoc sighed, according to that clock, he couldn't even escape under the guise of a lunch break for another hour, at least, and even that would be pushing it.
Havoc resigned himself to another seven hours of this hell, and tried to get down to work. The only thing that could make this day worse was not making it out alive because Hawkeye had decided that execution by firing squad was a suitable, if slightly lenient, punishment for late paperwork. Then again, it was entirely possible that the Colonel's off-key humming had killed her off hours ago.
Four very painful hours later, the humming got louder again. Actually, considering just how loud it had been moments ago, it was probably more accurate to say the Colonel was getting closer. Which meant one of two things. A, Mustang had to use the washroom, and was going to hunt Havoc down for not replacing the toilet paper, or B, he was finally leaving. Personally, Havoc was holding out for the second.
It wasn't until a door slammed shut and the humming got fainter again that Havoc realized this was his chance to find out just what the Flame Alchemist was so happy about. Preferably from a distance. Of course, he would require a little assistance, preferably in the form of a humane society on legs. Havoc grabbed his coat and headed for the door to the outer office.
"Oh Fury…"
Sergeant Major Cain Fury's head snapped up, eyes wide with terror. He knew that tone all too well. "Sir?" He replied nervously, pen poised a few inches above his desk, and what was presumably a pile of paperwork.
Havoc sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you Fury? My name is Havoc. John Havoc. Use it. But aside from that-" He paused just long enough to glance in the direction of the Colonel's office, the door, thankfully, closed. He didn't even want to think about how long he would be on washroom duty if Hawkeye heard what he was suggesting. "You and I are going to go for a little stroll. With the Taisa." Okay, so it wasn't the complete truth, but Fury was a smart kid, and besides, the Colonel would be in their sight at all times if things went well. And then he would know why Mustang had subjected his ears to eight hours of incessant humming. It was a wonder the man hadn't lost his voice around noon.
As Fury got to his feet, Havoc couldn't help but wonder what the punishment for maiming a superior officer was.
Havoc and Fury had followed Colonel Mustang all the way to the train station, in the rain no less. Havoc duly added the weather to the list of things his commanding officer couldn't be happy for. He had the feeling it would be much easier for him if he just stuck to listing the reasons the Colonel could be happy, where were few. Actually, they were nonexistent.
"What's he doing?" Fury hissed, shifting from his position behind a concrete pole so that he could see more clearly. In the fifteen minutes since they had arrived at the station, Mustang had moved once, and that was to give his seat to an old lady.
"If I knew that, would I be following him?!"
Fury cringed, shrinking away from the Second Lieutenant.
Havoc sighed, running a hand through his short blond hair. "Look, I'm sorry Fury. It's just that that humming has been getting on my nerves since eight o'clock this morning. There's only so much you can take before you start considering offering up your own life in return for a little peace and quiet, y'know?"
Nodding, but his body not relaxing in the slightest, Cain Fury glanced at the train station's clock. It was four forty-five, and they had left the office at five minutes to four, which meant he had actually survived fifty consecutive minutes with Havoc. Alone. That had to be a world record or something.
In the twenty minutes since they had realized just where the Colonel was headed, Fury and Havoc had come, or rather, jumped, to the conclusion that Roy was meeting someone arriving on one of the trains into town today. It wasn't exactly rocket science, but it was start.
The minutes ticked by.
One by one, Havoc and Fury, or rather, Havoc, as Fury appeared to have nodded off on his shoulder about ten minutes ago, and the Second Lieutenant made no move to wake him, eliminated train after train from the list of possibilities. It was five fifteen, and they had been here, hiding behind a pole, spying on their commanding officer, for almost an hour now.
Havoc considered the possibility that the Colonel knew they were following him, and had decided to mess with them just one more time before the day ended. He discarded it, as cruel as the bastard was, he was far too self centered to waste hours of his precious time sitting in a train station for hours on end just to annoy a few of his subordinates.
An announcement blared over the loud speakers; Havoc ignored it, his eyes trained on the Colonel, who had since regained a seat on a bench. When Mustang sat up a little straighter, ears perked to listen to the voice, Havoc wished he had paid it a little more attention. Especially when, as the announcement ended, Mustang glanced at the clock, got to his feet, and set his umbrella on the bench where he had been sitting just seconds ago.
"Who's he been waiting for that's so important he needed to be an hour early?" Havoc muttered, nudging Fury. "Wake up Fury, I think the train's almost here."
As a train came rolling into the station, Fury opened one bleary eye. "What time is it?" He asked groggily. "Can I go home yet?"
Havoc, tense with anticipation, rolled his eyes. "We're just about to get to the best part Fury, the train's here! It's about time." He added darkly, noting the time, five thirty on the dot.
The doors opened and Havoc edged forward for a better view, Fury leaning over his shoulder. He just wished there was a way they could get closer, he didn't want to miss this after an hour and thirty-five minutes of waiting, and people kept crossing in between the two soldiers and their superior officer.
The first wave of passengers came surging out, and Havoc almost lost sight of the Colonel. Almost.
"Roy!"
He heard the shout, and tried to trace it to its owner. Mustang apparently had no trouble pinpointing it, if the grin on his face was anything to judge by. Havoc wasn't sure if he had ever seen an expression even similar to that on the Colonel's face.
Havoc heard rather than saw Fury's jaw go slack. Glancing at the shorter man, he followed his eyes to the middle of the crowd, where someone with bright blond hair was moving in the Colonel's direction quite rapidly. Havoc shook his head. "Leaving work early to meet women. Tsk, tsk Tai-"
The words died in his mouth as the blond launched herself at the Colonel. And the Colonel caught her. Correction. Caught him.
Even as his lips met Mustang's with desperation clear to Havoc from fifty-odd yards away, there was no mistaking Edward Elric for anyone else.
End
