Christmas Eve, it was always such a happy time…for most people. Colonel Roy Mustang couldn't help but sit by his window, staring out over the grounds of Central Command, watching the snow come down in soft waves. How odd, he thought. How something so corrupt and distorted on the inside could look so beautiful on the outside.
In the midst of his reflections over beautiful things, his thoughts turned to the subject on which they usually stayed, a stunning woman whose features he knew all too well. Each day, all day, he found himself thinking about Riza Hawkeye not just sporadically, but all the time. Even when there were other things he had to think about, she was still there in the back of his mind.
A moment into his usual musings about her, the telephone rang, startling him. He sat up like a shot and quickly moved to the phone. He carefully composed himself and answered simply, "Colonel Mustang."
"Good evening, sir," a very familiar, very sweet and yet firm voice said on the other end. He recognized her immediately.
He tried to hide his astonishment as he said, "Lieutenant Hawkeye…Riza." He thought about it for a moment, realizing that he probably shouldn't have called her by her first name. That was sure to make her angry. Oddly enough, she didn't seem at all fazed as she went on.
"Yes, sir," she replied pleasantly and a bit more relaxed than usual. "I was just wondering if you have any plans for Christmas dinner."
He maintained his composure as he laughed it off, pretending to be charming. "The same as usual," he said. "Go to any random restaurant and order the closest thing to turkey." Of course, after he said it, he instantly thought it a dim-witted answer, and upon further reflection, it sounded rather pathetic.
There was a small moment of pause before Hawkeye finally said, "I know this is a bit short-notice, sir, but Black Hayate and I were wondering if you would like to have Christmas dinner with us. You see, ever since Thanksgiving, he's grown to love turkey, so I promised to make him one. The two of us alone could hardly eat all of that. Would you please join us?"
Was she asking him to dinner? Of course she was! What a stupid question! But…why? Why on earth would such a wonderful woman want to spend Christmas evening with him? Surely she had other plans. But, wait. This could be an opportunity arising. What if this was his shot? What if this was his chance to tell her the truth, show her everything he really felt? Maybe…
Finally, he took a deep breath and asked, "What time should I be there?"
He heard a sigh from the other end. Was that a sigh of relief? Exasperation? He had to wonder. She sounded happy, however, when she said, "Seven?" Of course, that, too, could have been an illusion merely created by his own hopes and fantasies.
He had to smile as he said, "I'll be there with bells on." Realizing that she hadn't gotten angry when he used her first name before, he carefully added, "I'll see you then, Riza."
A moment later, the two hung up, and Mustang fell back on his bed with a deep sigh. This would definitely be a night to remember, he was sure. Whether that would be a good thing or bad, he would soon discover, but in the meantime, there was so much to do. He still had to get her a gift, and he'd have to get a suit. After all, the nicest thing he owned was his uniform, and that was hardly suitable for Christmas dinner.
The next evening, he knocked on Hawkeye's door at seven o'clock sharp. He took a few deep breaths before she finally answered the door. He was about to say hello, but he found that the moment he saw her, he was completely tongue-tied.
Tonight was one of the few times he had ever seen her with her hair down, and it looked absolutely beautiful as it hung in soft curls and waves around her face and down her back. She also wore a long, red velvet dress that accentuated the gentle curves of her body with matching shoes.
Fortunately, Mustang soon regained his usual dexterity of tongue and smiled as he said, "Good evening, Riza. I do believe I'm right on time."
She smiled and replied, "Yes, sir. Please come in."
As he stepped inside, he couldn't help but add, "Riza, it's Christmas, and we're friends. Please cut the formalities and just call me Roy, if only for tonight. Oh, and before I forget, I have a little something for you."
He handed her a little box that he had picked up that morning, something he was sure she would love. When he saw it in the store window, he knew she would love it. It fit her personality so well.
Her eyes widened as she took the box from his hands and said, "Sir…Roy, you really didn't have to get me anything for Christmas."
"I thought you more than deserved it," he replied. "After all, you've done more than enough for me over the years. It's time I started paying a little bit of it back to you. This is just a start."
Hawkeye took a deep breath and opened the box to discover a beautiful, brand new, polished silver handgun. She gasped just slightly as she held it in her hands. "It's perfect," she said in astonishment. "Thank you, Roy. It's beautiful."
He had to keep from laughing as he said, "I knew you'd love it."
Dinner went as both of them expected. They continued their charades of pretending not to have secret, deeper feelings for the other, and somehow, neither suspected a thing. But something about the air around them was different that particular night. Perhaps it was the Christmas spirit working its magic, but both of them felt an intense new feeling of fresh possibilities about their relationship. Perhaps, given the right situation, one of them would make the first move.
All through the perfect candlelit dinner, Mustang couldn't stop staring at the beautiful woman sitting opposite him. He had to admit that he had never seen this side of her before. She wasn't the usual commanding lieutenant that showed herself every normal day. Tonight she was a soft-spoken but vivacious woman.
When finally he could eat no more, he noticed that she was about to begin cleaning everything up. He took her hand, however, and said, "Not yet. Don't worry about that just yet. Come with me."
Her eyes grew wide once again as she followed him over to the window, where he pointed outside. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said, unable to stop himself. The atmosphere had taken over his thoughts and emotions. "Snow is so perfect, so appropriate for Christmas. It makes even the darkest, most dreary places look absolutely beautiful."
Hawkeye let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding as she stood beside him. "Beautiful?" she replied. "Yes, I suppose so. It's just that looking out there reminds me that after all this fantasy winter wonderland is over, I'll have to return to reality, the harsh reality that life is."
Mustang couldn't help but turn to her and put an arm around her waist. The two stared out the window silently for several minutes, both of them thinking about how this wonderful night of fancy and ecstasy would have to end the very next day. This beautiful evening, the impossibly breathtaking ambiance, would all be over, and they would have to bring themselves back down to the gloomy, drab world that awaited them back at Central Command.
As they stared down at the deserted streets, they could hear music drifting up into Hawkeye's quarters from some lower-level apartment. The voice of an entire chorus of people rose, "Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…"
Mustang couldn't help but smile, and in the last few moments of their ever fleeting castle in the sky, he put both arms around Hawkeye's waist and whispered gently into her ear, "There may be a cruel world out there waiting for us, but for now…let it snow."
Another short little drabble, I know, but I just had to finish it from Mustang's perspective. Again, I wish everyone a very happy holiday!