A/N: Thank you to my reviewers: winglessfairy25, aqua-eyed mystery520, BlackMorale, sniperalchemist, and MoonStarDutchess.
I have been contemplating this for a while and have taken consideration of your reviews by correcting the misspelled names, splitting up some of the longer paragraphs and breaking the whole thing into chapters. I honestly don't know how you guys read this when I had trouble going through the roughly 30 page printed copy I was making my corrections on.
I hope this makes this story more readable because I really believe it's one people will like. It's based off of the episodes entitled 'The Bachelor Lieutenant" and "Warehouse 13" which are my absolute fav eps ever (on Flame Alchemist disc, of course ). I own nothing FMA but I really wish I could own Roy...(cuddles Roy plushie) That will have to do. Please R&R and enjoy!
Standard FMA disclaimers apply. Background music: Death Cab for Cutie's 'All is Full of Love.'
"All Around You"
By MakoRain
Chapter 1: The Bachelor Lieutenant
The sun was shining and birds were singing in the lovely spring day that was all around but there sat First Lieutenant Havoc under a tree doing what appeared to be moping. That's what it looked like from the colonel's third story Central headquarters office window anyways.
"Does anyone know what's eating Lieutenant Havoc?"
Lieutenant Hawkeye's question broke the silence besides the sound of Colonel Roy Mustang rustling his newspaper at his desk and answered without bothering to turn around.
"Probably got dumped again."
Hawkeye looked at the back of the man's head that said this so calmly and felt required to point out something quite obvious in their situation.
"It's hard balancing this job and a relationship. You have no time and good luck meeting someone worthwhile here."
Of course, the colonel had an explanation to this ready as always.
"Please. A man should be able to handle both his job and his women. I do."
Lieutenant Hawkeye refrained from smacking her superior officer upside the back of his head while he sat there smugly proclaiming how easy a love life and job were to balance, instead settling on a quiet chuckle to herself. He did have the decency to look back at her since his hearing was as good as ever but refrained from commenting when he heard the men babbling about something amongst themselves.
"So, Havoc needs a girl. Well, you'll just have to go find him one."
Mustang pointed at the three men before him, not including Hawkeye since she was needed for more valuable things than playing match maker among the troops as his First Lieutenant. Plus, he liked having her close; it made him feel more at ease whenever she was near, though he couldn't really explain why. He was just used to her having his back… that was it. Even now she was standing behind his chair instead of next to him, comfortable to be helping him behind the scenes; he would always be thankful for that.
"Quit your bickering. Falman, you're a capable man. I'm sure you know some cute smart funny girl with a great personality for Lieutenant Havoc. Go find her and introduce them."
Falman stood with his mouth open, the protest of not even being able to find that kind of girl for himself ready to fall from his lips when Fury added, "She also has to be not likely to cheat on him."
"Good luck with that."
Lieutenant Hawkeye swore she heard some scathing remark from the colonel but no one else noticed so she kept it to herself, storing it away to bring it up at a later time when needed.
"Get to it, Falman, and report back to me once your mission is complete."
With a half hearted 'yes sir' the man went out the door, practically plowing over Sheska in the hallway. After much begging, she turned him down flat to be Havoc's girlfriend to easily get this done, using the excuse of a 'mission' of more important matters.
Soon the rest of the group followed in Falman's steps and left, leaving Mustang and Hawkeye in peace and quiet in the empty office. There was paperwork piled on the desk from earlier that week that she swore was due in the records office soon and couldn't repress an exasperated sigh.
Honestly, the man couldn't get anything work-related done on his own without her hovering and pushing him along. It was her place after all, to watch him and make sure the little things got taken care of but sometimes she just wanted to shake him. She settled for scolding him instead.
"Sir, these papers are due in thirty minutes at the records office with your signature and seal."
"I know, Hawkeye."
Of course he knew, and yet, there they sat, lacking his name scribbled illegibly on the dotted line.
"I know you know, Colonel." She punctuated this with sliding a pen into his hand and leaning on the desk, watching him sign each and every document with his slanted signature.
He usually couldn't stand someone hovering over him like the way Riza-Lieutenant Hawkeye-did but she was once again an exception on an extremely short list of exceptions. Roy robotically scratched his name into each piece of paper until the pile was dwindling to nothing and he slowed down, knowing that he was going to be on time with this, as he always was with his work whenever Hawkeye was watching out for him.
The last few versions of his name became more and more slanted as he looked up to see her looking down at him intently, watching each mark of the pen, nodding her head when each was done and he noticed it made her hair move in its clip until he looked down to see he'd missed the line the last few times, writing through it instead of on it.
Oh well, that's what he got for not paying attention. When had Riza's hair grown so much? All of a sudden he wanted to see her hair out of that clip, to watch it flow down her back in that shimmering blonde wave and to be able to touch it…
Roy didn't even notice he was standing up and facing the lieutenant until her crimson eyes blinked and he snapped out of his daydream, mentally slapping himself for thinking such things. She was his second in command for Christ's sake! A loyal confidant and the closest thing Mustang had to a friend ever since Hughes…he didn't want to lose her, not for something as foolish as a physical attraction. Wasn't it she that said there was no one worthwhile in the military?
Riza looked at the colonel and couldn't place exactly what it was she saw there but it wasn't something she was given the privilege to witness before. His forehead creased lost in thought while his mouth did a faint little curve upwards, the nicest smile Roy…Colonel Mustang had ever shared with her.
It was a welcomed sight coming from this broken man who had lost his best friend and closest companion only months before yet alone with all the burden of keeping track of the Elric brothers on his shoulders. She had the sudden urge to pick up all of this emotional baggage and make it go away, putting it somewhere out of his reach so he could relax for once. But wait a minute, didn't he just say not an hour ago that he had his job and his love life balanced, so why did he need her help?
The finished stack of paperwork weighing down her arms reminded her of why he needed her to keep him on top of things. There would be no slacking off in Mustang's work life while Hawkeye was around and she planned on keeping it that way.
"Sir, I'll just go deliver these to the Records Office."
The question to do so was underlying her words and Mustang nodded in approval, watching her walk with the papers stacked in her arms reaching to her chest and he went and opened the door, rewarded with a smile for his gentlemanly behavior which was all he thought of as she walked down the hallway away from him, the thought of her coming back to him a comforting one indeed.