The rating on this story has gone up because of the end of the chapter. I don't think it's too bad, but I just want to be safe. ^_^
It had been two months since Crystal had moved to Central, and that meant that it had been two months since she had met the Military's heartthrob, Colonel Roy Mustang. The moment that she had laid her eyes on him, she knew he was done for. He was a ladies man, she couldn't help it! Not only had she fallen for his good looks, but also his charming personality, which he had put out to her the minute he met her.
Crystal had tried to be cautious around him, since she didn't know him well and since he was older, but damn, was it hard. She wanted to try and get to know him better before she started any kind of romantic relationship with him. However, after a month of lunch dates and phone conversations with him, she felt like she had known him her whole life. And as it turns out, not long after she realized what she was looking for in Roy, he bought her a bouquet of roses and asked her to be his girlfriend. She, of course, said yes.
Crystal and Roy both decided that is was best to keep their relationship at work strictly professional, as to not cause distraction to the others. And, though Roy had wanted to proudly show off Crystal as his girlfriend, he didn't want to show favoritism. So, to keep things fair, he treated her the same way as he treated his other subordinates. When she would mess up, she would get yelled at, and when she would do something good, she would get praised. Some of the subordinates were a little suspicious of the two, but not enough to ask questions. Mostly, Fuery or Hawkeye would give the two a questioning glance if they lingered around each other for too long.
The two had been dating happily for a month, though they weren't moving too fast. Crystal and Roy clearly had strong feelings for each other, but the two hadn't even shared a first kiss yet. They wanted to be close, but were worried about what Roy's crew would think. Roy had been trying to think of ways to tell his staff, but so far he only had one solution, which he decided to bring up to Crystal on one of their dinner dates.
"So Crystal, I've been thinking about something lately."
"You? Thinking? That's rare," Crystal said with a smirk. Roy rolled his eyes at her. She was always so sassy towards him. Her fiery attitude was one of the things that Roy loved about her, not to mention her drop-dead gorgeous looks.
"Yes, I've been thinking. The Military Ball is coming up, you know, and the Fuhrer requires all non-deported officers to attend."
"Really?" Crystal said, raising her eyebrows in a flirty way. "Who are you planing on taking?"
Roy smirked at her and played along. "They have black hair, green eyes, and a great personality."
Crystal looked at Roy with fake disappointment. "Aw, I knew you were going to take Fuery."
Roy started laughing. "I mean you!" He took her hand in his, and looked into her eyes. "I was thinking that it would be a good time to let my crew know that we're a couple."
"Roy, I'd love to go with you, but are you sure that it would be a good idea to let them know? What if they don't approve of you dating one of your subordinates?"
"I thought about that, and I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not. But I've also thought that if we want this relationship to last, then we need to clear the air. They're going to find out eventually, and I'd rather it be by us telling them than them finding out somehow."
"How would they find out?"
"Havoc and Hawkeye date around. They don't date each other, but they go on dates with other people around Central all the time, and it's likely that we'd run into them. I really think that we should go to the ball together and tell them there."
Crystal looked away from Roy as she considered this. She felt like her coworkers were going to judge her for dating her superior, and that it would make work really tense. But, if Roy wants to tell them, then why shouldn't she let them? "Okay," she finally said, "but you have to tell them. Not me."
"Consider it done, my dear," Roy said, playfully bowing his head.
"Yep," Crystal thought, "I've picked a keeper."
On the night of the Military Ball, Crystal heard a knock at her door. When she opened it, a sharply dressed Roy Mustang was revealed. He was wearing black dress pants and dress shoes, a white button-down shirt with a black tie, and had a red rose pinned to his chest.
"Wow, Roy... You look incredible," Crystal said, dumbfounded. Roy always looked good, but when he dressed up, then damn he looked good.
"I look good? You should see yourself, babe!" Roy responded, motioning at her. She was wearing a floor-length strapless gown that was black, and faded to silver towards the bottom. Her hair was curled into flowing corkscrews, she had smokey eye makeup, and crimson red lips. She did look truly beautiful.
Crystal blushed at Roy's compliment. "Thanks, Roy. Let's say that we both look good."
"Works for me," He said, taking her hand. He pulled a rose corsage out of his pocket, and slid it on her wrist. Then, he linked her arm through his and escorted her to the ball.
On the way to the dance, the couple, especially Crystal, became increasingly nervous. She was so worried about what her coworkers would think of her relationship with Roy. She wanted their approval so badly, and if they didn't accept her, she'd be crushed.
When they arrived at the ballroom where the dance was being held, Crystal was almost shaking with anxiety. "Hey," Roy said to her, "calm down. It'll be okay. What are you so worried about?" He placed his hand on her cheek, and looked into her eyes.
"I just really want your team's approval, Roy. I'm still considered the rookie, and here I am dating my boss. What if they think I'm a slut and shun me?" Crystal asked, averting her eyes.
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen. I can't control what they think, but I'll make it very clear that if they give you any crap, what so ever, that they will be court martialed. Is that okay with you?"
Crystal looked back at Roy. "You don't have to go that far. That seems a bit extreme."
"It may be, but if I tell them that, then they'll leave you alone. But, let's see what happens. Shall we?" Roy took her hand in his, and laced his fingers through hers. He took a deep breath and led her inside.
The ballroom was lit by a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The center of the room was cleared for dancing, but on two of the four sides of the room, there were several tables with candles and flowers on them for people to sit at and socialize. At the very back of the room was a table with assorted champagnes, wines, and foods on it.
Since they had arrived a few minutes after the start of the dance, most of the people attending were already there, including Roy's crew. They were standing in the back of the room sampling the drinks. Roy squeezed Crystal's hand for reassurance, and led her over.
"Hey guys," Roy started, getting the group's attention. They turned to acknowledge him, when they noticed that Crystal was with him. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Crystal."
"Boss, we know Crystal," Havoc said, taking a sip of his wine. Roy found it weird to see him without a cigarette in his mouth. "By the way, Heymans, you owe me twenty bucks."
"Damn," Breda said, fishing out his wallet and handing Havoc a twenty.
"Wait, what?" Roy asked, dumbfounded.
"You really think we didn't know what was going on between the two of you?" Breda asked. "We've seen the way you two look at each other, and how you two linger around each other. Jean and I had a bet. He bet that the two of you would come together tonight. I bet that you wouldn't come and that you would take her to some fancy restaurant instead, but I guess I was wrong."
"Why didn't you tell us you were dating each other?" Hawkeye asked.
"Well," Roy said, running a hand through his hand, "we didn't know how you guys would react."
"React?" Falman said, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah. We didn't know if you'd accept our relationship, or if you didn't accept it, if the atmosphere in the office would get awkward or not. We were definitely going to tell you guys, we were just waiting for the right time," Roy explained.
"And tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity," Crystal added.
Roy's subordinates started to laugh. "Why wouldn't we accept it?" Fuery asked. "You two seem really happy! Colonel, you seem to be in a better mood more often, and Crystal, you aren't nearly as shy as you used to be around us."
"Yeah," Havoc chimed in, "you were pretty quiet when you first came to Central Headquarters. Now that you've come out of your shell, you're a lot of fun to be around."
Hawkeye smiled at her boss and coworker. "We're really happy for you two."
Crystal and Roy smiled and gave their thanks, happy to have that weight off their shoulders.
As the evening progressed, Roy, Crystal, and Roy's team spent the time sampling drinks and food, talking and laughing, and dancing together. After dancing for a while, the group started getting a little tired, and decided to find a table to sit at and take a break. While walking over to a table, Crystal and Roy ran into Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell.
"Ed, I didn't expect to see you here," Roy said. "Then again, I didn't see you over all the tall people dancing."
As if on cue, Ed started one of his short rants. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TINY LITTLE MOUSE?!"
Winry pulled a wrench out of her purse and smacked Ed with it. "Edward, can't you act civil for one night?!"
"Can he not call me short for once?!" Ed retorted.
Crystal laughed nervously. She had no clue what was going on, as she had never met Ed, Al, or Winry before.
"Oh, I should probably introduce you guys. Ed, Winry, this is my girlfriend, Crystal Smith, the Frozen Heart Alchemist." Roy said, motioning towards Crystal.
"So, fire and ice, huh?" Ed asked, taunting Ed.
"Hi, I'm Winry! I absolutely love your dress!" she said, gushing over Crystal.
"Thank you, yours is super pretty, too!" Crystal replied. Winry was wearing a floor-length red dress with a halter strap.
Crystal looked from Winry to Ed, seeing his metal hand sticking out of his red button-down shirt. "You must be the Fullmetal Alchemist that I've heard so much about. I'd love to see you in action sometime."
Ed smiled proudly. "Yep, that's me! I'd be interested in seeing your alchemy sometime, too. Tell you what. Next time I'm in Central, we'll spar."
Roy raised his eyebrows at Ed, seeing as Crystal was a foot taller than him, and was a slightly more skilled alchemist. Crystal just laughed. "You're on!" she said, offering him her hand to shake.
"Well, Ed, I better let you get back to your date," Roy said, winking. After a brief goodbye, he led Crystal over to the table that his crew was sitting at, where they stayed and conversed for a while.
After about ten minutes, a slow song started playing. Roy stood, and offered Crystal his hand. "Will you do me the honors?"
Crystal grinned, and stood, taking his hand. "I'd love to," she replied.
Once on the dance floor, Roy wrapped his arms around the small of her back, and she wrapped hers around his neck, closing the distance between the two. They swayed to the music in silence, looking into each other's eyes. After a few moments, Roy broke the silence.
"Crystal?"
"Hmm?"
Instead of saying something, Roy moved one hand from her back, and placed it gently on the back of her head. He started to close the distance between their faces. He and Crystal both closed their eyes, and their lips met. Through the kiss, Crystal felt herself starting to blush. When the two pulled apart, Crystal opened her eyes to see that Roy was also blushing.
"I've wanted to do that for a long time," Roy said, blushing an even deeper red.
"I have, too."
"Can I say something?" Roy asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.
"Anything."
"I love you."
Crystal was shocked. She loved Roy, and had for a while, but she wasn't expecting him to say anything. "I love you, too," She said, a smile spreading across her face.
At hearing these words, a smile also spread across Roy's face. "You don't know how happy that makes me to hear you say that."
The two held each other close for the remainder of the slow songs, and at the end of the night, kissed again.
Once the dance was over, Roy drove Crystal back to his apartment. Upon arriving, Crystal said, "Since this isn't my apartment, I'm going to assume that it's yours?"
Roy laughed. "That's correct. Come in with me, I'll make coffee."
Crystal followed Roy into his apartment, and sat down at the table while Roy busied himself with the coffee. Once it was ready, Roy brought over two cups and sat down.
"So, I had a really good time tonight," Roy said, sipping at his coffee. "Sugar?"
"I did too, and no thank you."
They both sat in silence, sipping at their coffee. Crystal was looking around the apartment, and Roy was looking at her. A few moments later, he broke the silence.
"Where do you see us going?" he asked, setting down his mug.
Crystal looked at Roy with a taunting look in her eyes. "It can go anywhere you want it to."
"You mean that?" Roy asked, giving her a tauntingly seductive look in return.
"Yeah, I do," Crystal said, setting down her mug also. "Anywhere you want."
Roy stood up, and took Crystal's hand in his. "Then follow me," he said, leading her to the bedroom.
By the time the two had reached the bedroom, Crystal's dress was unzipped, and Roy's shirt was off.
That night, Roy and Crystal experienced one of the best times together that they would have.