Colonel Roy Mustang always started his day the same way. He'd wake up at four-thirty, work out, and enjoy a cup of coffee as he read the newspaper. He would make his lunch (soup and a salad) and start off for work, which he was to be at seven-thirty.

It took Roy many months to get himself into this routine. He tried pathetically for a while, not able to get himself out of bed so early, but eventually, he found he didn't even need an alarm as he was trying to get into the routine. Starting out, Roy would get up at four-thirty and simply drink coffee as he got ready to get used to being up early, even though he would sit around before leaving with all the extra time. Then, when he got used to waking at four-thirty, he made a work-out routine for himself and he would make his lunch with his extra time before work.

When Roy arrived at work, he would place his lunch in the mini-fridge in the office (courtesy of Havoc), grab a cup of coffee, and get started on the paperwork. Hawkeye was usually in the office before him, sometimes Havoc was too. Today was one of the days they both were there. Before he sat down at his desk though, he made his normal rounds to Hawkeye and Havoc.

"Good morning, Colonel," Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye said. "Remember you have a meeting at 10 o'clock alongside Private Zell with Fuhrer Bradley about the Lior case."

"Yes, I know."

"Morning, sir," Havoc mumbled when Roy looked his way.

"Morning, Havoc." Mustang loomed over Havoc's desk. "Got that file I asked for?"

"Yep." Havoc looked up with his charming, slanted smile, his cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He lifted up a manila folder for Roy. "Here it is."

"Perfect, thank you."

"Not a problem, sir."

Roy finally sat down at his own desk. It was time to wait for Hughes to barge in and shove photographs of his family in Roy's face. For now, though, Roy sank his teeth into the piles of paperwork he had to do.

Now is usually when Roy's hunger would make itself apparent from not eating breakfast. He typically would feel alright at home with coffee in his stomach, but at the office, the coffee didn't seem to do the job. Roy learned how to ignore his hunger pangs. In fact, they were almost comforting.

Luckily, Hughes came in before Roy could focus too much on how hungry he was.

Or maybe he wasn't so lucky...

"I've got breakfast," he announced, as Fuery came in behind him.

Roy only allowed himself a quick glance at the Lt. Colonel.

Havoc jumped from his seat, "For real? You're the best, Lt. Colonel Hughes."

"Sure I am." Hughes dropped the bag of bagels, as Roy saw when Havoc pulled one out, on Havoc's desk. He walked over to Roy. "Hawkeye? Would you like anything?"

"No, thank you, sir," she replied with a small smile. "I already had breakfast at home."

"Roy?"

Roy flicked his gaze up to Hughes. He leaned over his desk, smiling down at Roy. The colonel made to respond but Hughes beat him to it.

"I know you always only have a cup of coffee in the morning, you want one?"

"I'm busy," Roy mumbled. "Let me alone."

"I could leave one for you?"

"Hughes, I said I'm busy."

There was a brief, awkward pause between the two. Roy again looked up to Hughes to see his eyes wide.

"Okay," he said. "I'll let you be."

Hughes spun on his heels and went back to Havoc. Roy almost wanted to apologize for his cold tone, but when Breda and Falman came in, he decided against it.

Roy allowed his mind to wander about the Lior case his meeting was about. He didn't know much about what happened in Lior, or what Ed did in Lior. Perhaps he could call Edward in for a quick meeting. Most likely not, Roy thought, the kid is never up before noon.

He could feel himself getting anxious for his upcoming meeting. Roy didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of the Fuhrer, or General Haruko if he was attending. He didn't usually get anxious about meetings, but something was off-putting about this meeting and Roy couldn't put his finger on it.

Before Hughes left, he went to Roy's desk.

"I thought I told you—"

"To leave you alone, I know," Hughes finished. "But I wanted to let you know we're getting measured for the new uniforms today at eleven instead of ten-thirty."

Roy sucked in a breath. He swallowed and looked to Hughes calmly. "Why are we getting new uniforms?"

"I don't know. Fuhrer Bradley sent out a memo, didn't you get it?"

The colonel looked to his lieutenant, who had her head bowed in her paperwork. He shot her a look, although she wasn't looking. Why hadn't she told him that? It would be odd if it simply slipped her mind. Why didn't she let him know?"

"No," Roy said, still looking at Hawkeye. "I did not."

Hughes glanced at Hawkeye, who finally looked up. She cocked her head in confusion, but Roy made a motion for her to go back to her work.

"Well, I told everyone to leave a bagel for you in case you change your mind."

Roy opened his mouth to spit out a reply but shut it suddenly. It wasn't Hughes he was upset at. "Thank you, Hughes," he said instead.

Hughes gave a smile before turning away from Roy. Roy watched as Hughes left before directing his attention again to Hawkeye. Leaning forward on his desk, he felt warm anger bloom in his breast. Hawkeye was surely aware that he would want to know if he was being measured for a new uniform. Roy didn't make her privy to all of his consciousness of his weight and his body, but she wasn't stupid. She had to know that Roy was overly conscious of his weight, so why didn't she tell him? Didn't she think it was something he would want to know?

"Lieutenant Hawkeye," Roy said and Hawkeye was on her feet instantly. "Come speak to me for a moment."

"Yes, sir," she said and came to his desk. "What do you need to speak with me about?"

"I would like to know why it is that you didn't tell me about the measurements for the new uniforms," Roy said. "You must know that it would be something I'd like to know."

"I realize that, sir, but I also know that you are nervous about your meeting coming up. I didn't think you needed to think about the new uniforms."

"That isn't for you to decide."

"I was only—" Hawkeye cut herself off. She quickly glanced behind her, then leaned down and spoke quietly. "Sir, may we speak outside?"

"No, we may not."

"Sir?"

"That'll be all for now. Next time there's something scheduled, please don't take it upon yourself whether or not to inform me."

"Understood, sir, and I apologize."

Roy nodded, dismissing her. She went back to her desk and Roy averted his eyes, still a little irritated with her. He wished she hadn't avoided telling him, because Roy didn't like being annoyed with her. Moreover, getting measured for a new uniform wasn't something Roy would take lightly. Hawkeye was most certainly aware of that. It was incredibly infuriating that Roy couldn't fully express to her why he was perturbed she hadn't mentioned the measurements.

It was because he knew what he was doing wasn't normal.

Of course, being in the military, Roy was surrounded by men and women who were conscious of their bodies. He found it was more so for their health, rather than being thin. In fact, most men he worked with scrunched their noses at a thin physique. Roy couldn't exactly be sure how the women felt about thinness versus health, but certainly, as women who exerted themselves and needed strength, he could guess how they felt.

Roy had told himself in the beginning that his health was his top priority. Maybe it had been, but it wasn't now. Keeping his weight down was his utmost priority, even if the ways were unhealthy and he could stand to add a few pounds to his frame.

Hawkeye wanting to speak with him outside, privately, made Roy uneasy. It was a confrontation he wasn't ready for yet. She had tried previously, but Roy shot her down. Hawkeye tip-toed around the issue in a very uncharacteristic fashion and Roy managed to make some kind of excuse he knew she didn't believe. That pseudo confrontation was more than he could handle, he couldn't imagine truly getting confronted about his eating habits. He knew it had to come soon, but this was too soon.

Subconsciously, Roy put his hand to his stomach, feeling another small pang of hunger. Other than that small motion, it went ignored. He wanted to at least get his paperwork done before he started panicking about the upcoming meeting or measurements.

Being measured for a new uniform was nerve-wracking, to say at the least. Roy weighed himself every three days, or earlier if he was especially anxious about what it would say. That being true, Roy didn't measure himself frequently. Even the idea of doing so made him incredibly antsy. He knew he was already too wrapped up in the number the scale said, he didn't need the added problem of being hyper-aware of the size of his waist. That was something he preferred to live in ignorance of.

Realistically, Roy knew that no matter the size of his waist he was going to be disappointed. He knew that they would also measure the size of his shoulders, his wingspan, and his height, probably. He desperately didn't need to know those numbers, but at the same time, he found himself overly curious.

Roy's height had always been something he was self-conscious of. He always wished he could be just a tad taller, but there was no fixing that. His other measurements were something he could fix, though, and that's why he didn't want to be conscious of those too. He was already too deep in this.

Perhaps Hawkeye had been correct in not telling Roy about his measurements. He needed to be thinking about Lior, not about his body.

When it was time for Roy's meeting, his lieutenant came to his desk and offered to escort him there. Roy accepted and the two left the office together.

"I wanted to apologize again, sir, for not telling you about being measured for the new uniforms. It wasn't my place to decide whether or not to allow you to know."

"That's right, Lieutenant."

"Although..." Hawkeye started and Roy glanced swiftly towards her. "I do think this is a reasonable time as any to discuss things."

Roy stopped walking, as did Hawkeye after him. "What things?"

"Well, I've been meaning to speak to you about it for a while now. I believe you are..." She trailed off and then said tactfully. "A little too worried about your weight."

"That's not true," Roy said. "Where did you get that from?"

"I only say that because your eating habits worry me, Colonel. You seem overly rigid with what you eat."

"Aren't you?"

Hawkeye seemed surprised by his reply, her eyes widened briefly as her lips parted slightly. Roy looked at her with an opposite expression, his eyes narrowed and his lips in a tight line.

"No. I don't think I am. I allow myself to relax once in a while."

Roy scoffed and began to walk again. "I don't need this, Lieutenant. I have a meeting."

Hawkeye didn't move. "And I make sure to eat enough."

Roy froze. He gave a quick glance back to Hawkeye. "I told you, I have a meeting."

"We'll speak later," Hawkeye said.

"We won't."

The colonel continued to make his way to his meeting as his Lieutenant stood in the hallway. He desperately wanted to look back at her, but he kept his gaze forward and kept walking.

Roy knew he should've conversed with her calmly. By being getting defensive and evasive, he did nothing but raise Hawkeye's suspicions.

That comment had made Roy uneasy. He also didn't like the idea of Hawkeye thinking about his eating habits, much less her being worried about them. He felt bad about making Hawkeye worried and made a note to apologize for his tone, after finding an excuse for his eating habits.

Private Zell was waiting outside the Fuhrer's office for Roy. He checked his watch and then looked up at Roy. Private Zell saluted Roy almost as soon as he saw him, and Roy told him to stand at ease. They spoke quietly about what they figured the meeting was pertaining to before they went in.

"Ready, Private Zell?"

"Yessir."

The two went into the Fuhrer's office and as expected, General Haruko was also present. Unexpected though, was Lieutenant General Grumman, who smiled at Roy and took away a bit of his anxiety. Roy was thankful that there was someone at the meeting he was comfortable with.

Colonel Mustang and Private Zell both saluted before being invited to sit down. Fuhrer sat back, folded his hands together, and sat back.

"Well, men, I'm sure the two of you aren't ignorant of what is happening in Lior."

"The uprisings?"

"Yes, the uprisings." The Fuhrer leaned forward. "Something needs to be done about them. They need to be smothered."

"Colonel Mustang," General Haruko said. "We want to send you and Private Zell, along with 50 men to Lior."

Roy blinked stupidly. "To stop the uprisings? But what do they have to do with us? I don't think Lior's uprisings are our issue."

"That isn't for you to ask, or for you to decide," the Fuhrer said.

"Mustang, we need you to quell the uprisings because Lior doesn't have a military or even MP stationed there," Lt. General Grumman explained. "That's all. We need someone to lead the MP who is going to go there to calm things down. I thought you and Private Zell would be a good fit."

Roy nodded. He glanced sideways at Private Zell who nodded also. He kept his face stoic like Roy himself did, but Roy knew he must be at least a little panicked. This would be his first important mission.

"However," Grumman continued. "we will be conducting physicals to make sure you're healthy enough to go."

"Certainly that's not necessary, sir."

"Again, not for you to decide," Fuhrer Bradley said. He narrowed his eyes at Roy. "Watch yourself, Colonel."

If Roy wasn't uncomfortable before, he sure as hell was now. He sat up straight and tried to keep his face straight; he didn't want to give any reason for Fuhrer Bradley to know that he was nervous. He nodded again.

"We'll conduct the physicals tomorrow," Lt. General Grumman continued. "First thing in the morning report to the medic's office. Once that's finished, we'll have another meeting and discuss Lior further. Understood?"

"Yes," Roy said, then added: "Sir."

Everyone but Roy turned their attention to Private Zell. "Yessir," he said loudly, "you're understood."

"Understand that this will be a big step for you," General Haruko said to Zell. "Be sure to remember that as you carry out this mission with Colonel Mustang."

"Of course, sir."

Fuhrer Bradley took one last look at the two men. "Okay," he said. "That will be all. You two are dismissed."

The pair stood up and saluted their superiors before leaving. Roy allowed Private Zell to exit the room before himself and softly closed the door behind him. Roy let out the breath he was holding and he saw the private do the same.

Roy looked to Private Zell but he didn't return the eye-contact. He was looking everywhere but at Roy.

"Private Zell," Roy said quietly. "Are you alright?"

"Yessir," he murmured. "Of course."

"You can tell me if there's something wrong. In fact, I think you should if we're to be working closely together."

Zell gave Roy a look of uncertainty. He kept his mouth tight shut like a good soldier, which Roy inwardly commended him for. Though, Roy nodded him along, encouraging him to explain what was wrong.

"I'm just unsure if I'm prepared for something like this, sir. I don't know if the Fuhrer was correct in choosing me."

"The Fuhrer?" Roy rose a brow. "He didn't choose you."

"He didn't? I thought that he—"

"I did."

Private Zell's eyes went wide. "You did? Sir, I don't understand why."

Roy smiled. "I heard great things about you," he reached out an arm and put it on Zell's shoulder. "I was only told to pick someone I trust that wasn't directly under me and you came to mind."

"I appreciate that Colonel, but I'm not sure I'm apt."

"I can assure you that you are."

Again, Zell gave that look of uncertainty and Roy gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"We'll talk more tomorrow, okay? Relax and get a good night's sleep."

"Yessir!"

The two parted and Roy began to walk back to his office. Before Roy could even think about his feelings towards the uprising in Lior, the physical he would be doing rolled into his mind. That was almost worse than being measured, but Roy couldn't place why. Roy already knew his weight (140 lbs) so there would be no surprise or disappointment like there would be with measurements.

Roy knew that his weight was low, even if he wasn't underweight because he tried his best to keep it that way. It worried Roy that maybe the doctor conducting the physical would encourage him to put on weight. Roy could almost faint from how irrational he was being; he wanted to keep his weight low and knew there could be a possibility he would be told to get it up and yet he couldn't get it in his head that he needn't this obsession with keeping his weight low.

The office door whined as Roy slowly and awkwardly opened it, almost floating in as his mind was preoccupied. Havoc and Hughes were in the office, talking quietly as Havoc ignored his paperwork.

"Roy?" Hughes looked up at Roy and Havoc turned around to look at him. "You okay?"

"Huh? Yes. I was just thinking about my meeting."

"What about it, Colonel?" Havoc asked. "It was about Lior, right? It was just a briefing about what Fullmetal did over there, wasn't it?"

"That's what I thought it was going to be about," Roy said as he checked his watch. Ten-forty-five. "But there's an uprising there—"

"Which we already knew about," Hughes interrupted.

"I know, but I have to smother it. I tried asking why it was our business, but Bradley got on me about it." Roy fell into the chair at his desk. He put his head in his hands. "Better yet, right after the meeting Zell goes and tells me he doesn't think he's a good fit."

Hughes looked towards Havoc. "Why don't you go take a cigarette break, Havoc?"

Understanding the message, Havoc reached into his drawer and grabbed his lighter and cigarettes. Hughes waited until he left the room to reply to Roy. Quietly, he went to Roy's desk and sat on the edge.

"Roy? Are you up to this?"

"Does it matter if I am?"

"Well—"

"It doesn't! Don't be stupid."

The pair stayed silent as Roy kept his head down. Hughes simply sat with him as Roy sat with his thoughts.

Roy wasn't sure if he wanted to go to Lior, but it didn't matter if he wanted to or not. He wanted to be fuhrer so badly that he couldn't risk questioning the fuhrer (any further than he already had). He had to ask himself if going to Lior to squash the uprisings and riots was the right thing to do, and if it wasn't, was being fuhrer worth doing it?

"We have to get measured," Hughes said suddenly. "Let's go."

Roy looked up to Hughes, grimacing. His measurements weren't something he needed to be worried about; it wasn't something that he needed to add to his routine.

"Yeah. Let's go."