In and Out of Uniform


-Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.
A/N: Sorry! This took a really long time to post-- but hey! I said it would be a month, and I pretty much hit the mark. Hopefully this is funny-- we're finally getting somewhere, huh? Heh. Please review; I'd appreciate it ever so much. (chuckle) Anyway, here's chapter two! Enjoy everyone.

Chapter three... yeah. About a month. Sooner if I can manage it.


--Chapter Two--
The Colonel's Mistress

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Hawkeye was a woman who could appreciate routine.

Wake up. Feed Black Hayate. Shower. Dress. Make and eat breakfast. Go to work.

Her days were the pinnacle of planned perfection; rarely was anything not exactly as she had anticipated it would be. It was monotonous, but it was life.

She sighed and took a sip of her cup of tea. Often, she had dreamt of a change, but never had she actually done anything to break her well-worn routine. That was all the idea was, really... a dream. She was the dependable one, the lieutenant that could always be counted on. That was her place, and she didn't intend to break the mold.

She sighed again. "Time to go," she said to herself. "I'll see you when I get home, Hayate; be good."

And after putting her dishes in the sink, she was gone.

She was one of the first people to arrive, as usual. The mornings were her favorite part of the day– bright, quiet, and undisturbed. She got much more work done when she didn't have to worry about keeping the others in line.

But, of course, peace never lasts, and soon she heard the first set of bootsteps tromping in.

"Good morning, lieutenant Hawkeye," Fury said with a shy smile.

"Good morning," she replied. He sat down, and got to work himself.

The rest of the men trickled in over the next hour, looking about as chipper as she could expect. They worked with very little chaos for most of the morning. It wasn't until lunchtime that things got interesting.

Hawkeye was carrying a stack of papers to be filed in the basement, when she saw the two Elric brothers coming down the hallway. Ed was pouting and, unless her eyes were seriously malfunctioning, being dragged along by his younger brother. "Hello Alphonse," she said. "May I help you with something?"

Al nodded determinedly. "I-is Colonel Mustang busy? I... Ed needs to talk to him." Al glared at his brother as Ed scowled and swore under his breath.

She smiled. "If you'll just go in his office, I'm sure he'll be more than happy to grant you an audience, Ed. He won't be doing his paperwork anyway."

"Thank you very much," Al said, dragging a VERY unhappy Ed along behind him.

"Now... I wonder what that was about," Hawkeye said to herself as she watched the two walk off. Shrugging it out of her mind, she continued with her task.

The basement hadn't been cleaned in years, and even though it was often used to store old documents, no one had ever bothered to create a designated system that could be used. Needless to say, it was less than efficient.

Hawkeye put the papers in an empty drawer in one of the many cabinets, making a mental note to go back down there and re-organize a little. Wiping off the layer of dust that had accumulated on her person, she trudged back upstairs.

It was as she was passing Colonel Mustang's office that she heard a very unusual snippet of conversation.

"You want to have sex! And since that's the case, it's good you came to me."

Her eyes widened, and she stopped mid-stride. Was that... That was Mustang's voice, but what in the hell was he doing discussing his personal life when he should be working? She could have sworn that he'd still be busy with Ed– they fought so much that an interview was always twice as long as was really necessary. She barely registered the other voice that yelled out a response.

She shook her head, and started walking again. Until she heard–

"Oh? So the very idea of physical intimacy with a woman repulses you?"

Hawkeye quickened her pace– whatever was going on in that room was something she did not want to be a part of. Mustang had to be talking to Edward, but...

She was sure there was a reasonable explanation for their topic of conversation. There just had to be! It was no secret that Full-Metal and the Colonel didn't get along. She was right by the door, though... She edged closer to the room, hoping to hear some snippet of conversation that would immediately put all her mad notions to rest.

"I-I assure you that my... my... that I'M plenty big enough. So that... that has nothing to do with it."

Her eyes grew wide and she bit back a squeaky sound of disbelief that was trying to escape. Why was... Why the hell was Edward talking about that?

Even more unsettled, she walked briskly down the hallway to try to calm herself down. She quickly thought about what she had heard. Edward was, in his own opinion, packing plenty; according to Mustang, the very idea of physical intimacy with a woman repulsed the young Edward. Hawkeye couldn't help but think of the strange emphasis on woman. And then... Mustang had said that if Edward wanted sex, it was good that he had chosen to talk to the older man about it.

Not liking any of the conclusions she was drawing, Hawkeye just thrust all thought of it out of her head. With a quick, soothing breath once she reached the wall at the end of the hall, she did a determined turn, unwilling to let the situation upset her– and certain that there was some sort of explanation, reasonable or not. She just wouldn't let whatever was said bother her. No, as she passed the door she wouldn't even listen. She wouldn't listen; she wouldn't listen; she wouldn't listen...

"Well Full-Metal, I never imagined you'd be into that, but... Hey! Whatever gets you off is your business, not mine."

She almost groaned. Without a single look back, she stomped off to where the others were working– hoping desperately that she'd just forget all that she had heard.

Unfortunately, she ran into Havoc.

"Hey Lieutenant," he said, smiling flirtatiously. "What are you doing? Hey! You going to see the Colonel? I know he's in a meeting now, but... Eh, well I sure as hell don't want to be the one to interrupt him and Edward." He thrust a small stack of papers into her hand. "You think you could give these to him? Alright; thanks!"

He jogged off as Hawkeye just stood there for a moment, face blank. "Havoc... Havoc! Havoc, come back here!" But either he couldn't hear her or he was pretending he couldn't. Either way, she was quite annoyed. With a tired sigh, she trudged back towards Mustang's office. Secretly dreading it, she raised her hand, poised to knock. But she hesitated... And leaned closer to the door.

"Oh– my poor, sheltered Edward. Well, we'll just have to take it slow then, won't we?"

Hawkeye's upraised hand trembled. "You're a real bastard."

"And yet... You know you love me for it."

Not able to stand it a moment longer, Hawkeye dropped the papers Havoc had given her and strode hurriedly away. Admittedly, she had never really confessed– even to herself– to having feelings for Mustang, but... Maybe... Secretly... She had entertained certain... hopes. She knew he cared for her. She knew he loved her, even if it was only platonically. But she had always imagined that if she waited long enough, that love would blossom into something deeper. That was just what their whole relationship had always been about– waiting, secrets, unspoken musings. And she never had to tell herself she loved him– she had never even thought about loving him. She just did.

It was that simple.

Of course, that was all before she found out that Mustang had already found someone. Someone half his age! Someone who was still a child, for heaven's sake! Hawkeye frowned, angry at Mustang for taking advantage of the boy. She would eventually have to have a talk with him– about the whole big deal, actually.

Such were her thoughts as she rounded the corner... And ran smack into the eldest Elric. "Oh, Hawkeye– I'm sorry. Did I–" He noticed her looking at him strangely– almost as though she were... frightened. "Hey, are you alright? I didn't mean to scare you or anything."

"N-no... It's fine, Edward. I... I'm fine, I assure you. Just fine." She nodded and straightened her uniform. She took a deep breath, and put on a composed expression. She smiled kindly at the boy and said, "I really need to be going. It was nice seeing you again, Edward."

"Yeah, you too. Oh, and I'm done with Mustang if you need him. Bye." Her eyes widened, and she swallowed almost audibly. Edward gave her a look, but didn't say anything– simply went on his way.

Hawkeye touched her forehead nervously, feeling a headache beginning to pound at her temples. Edward didn't even try to hide it! Did he... did he care for Mustang the way she did? Did Edward pretend to hate the man just to hide how he truly felt?

Hawkeye didn't know. She sighed, and began to fervently that the day would just end. She wanted to go home, eat something soothing, and then curl up with Hayate and read a good book. She didn't even want to be there– not at work, not with Mustang, not when her own heart was so clouded.

It seemed her routine had finally changed.


end chapter two