FicWad

Chapter One:Tallen Greggs
Location: The DoubleShot
Time: 10:45 PM

Her laughter usually set loose the flurry of wild butterflies in his stomach. It was such a rare occurrence to hear that soft, angelic giggle escape those perfectly tinted lips that he couldn't help but lose himself in it every time she allowed herself to drop that stoic military persona for even just a moment. He noticed that she usually laughed only when they were alone together in the office after hours, or when she was pretending to be Elizabeth on one of their famous phone calls. Today was different. This laugh was not just for his ears. This laugh was not giving him a fluttery feeling. Instead, it made something within him cinch up deep in the pit of his stomach. Those once fluttering butterflies had been pelted with stones, making him feel nauseous from the weight. His heart ached watching her fingers touch her slightly parted lips in a half ass attempt to hide the flirtatious giggle escaping her for another man's amusement.

This was not how this was supposed to go. It was supposed to be just a simple Intel mission to dig up more dirt about a popular gang leader named Tallen Greggs: a 34 year old mobster that had been causing a lot of ruckus in Central for years now with little to no leads until recently. One of his former underlings had been arrested for a minor assault charge on a prostitute two months ago and sang like a canary for the Intelligence Department about his boss and their activities to get a lighter sentence. Apparently, Tallen had a thing for ladies; whether that thing was brutally beating and torturing them, sexually assaulting them, or selling them for profit. Over ten bodies had been found with no indication as to who had been doing it until the underling willingly gave up all of that information as well. Naturally, Mustang's team was recruited to bring the man and all of his "friends" to justice due to the high risk this mission possessed and the record of success Team Mustang held from countless similar missions.
He was hesitant about taking the case simply after reading the man's profile and finding out everything they had obtained from the captured gang member. He knew she would volunteer herself to be the one to go undercover. He knew she would be dressed to impress and that she would shed Riza, sliding flawlessly into that tight fitting dress and into Elizabeth's skin. His jaw flexed. He only seemed to have a problem with bruxism when watching her go on these undercover missions. He continued grinding the occlusal surface of his molars together, eyes fixated on the scene before him. Mustang's eyebrow twitched in mild irritation. He finished off his drink, slamming the glass a little harder than he intended to on the bar top behind him. She had to know what this was doing to him. There was no way she believed this wouldn't affect him. His fists were clenched so tightly, his knuckles were turning white and all feeling from the tips of his fingers had numbed.

"Oh stop. You're so bad." Her fingertips brushed the stranger's chest in a playful manor. He felt like he had just been punched; KOed even. One gloved hand ran through his unruly onyx locks just as the creep across the bar reached out and brushed a loose strand of golden hair from his subordinate's cheek, tucking it delicately behind her ear.
"I'm done, that bastard's about to be cremated." Roy hastily rose from the bar stool he had been occupying for the duration of this mission, just to have a rough hand grab his shoulder and pull him back down.

"Whoa, there! I'd say someone is a little jealous, eh?" Havoc flashed his boss a lopsided grin. He was enjoying this far too much. Everyone in this bar probably assumed he was gay with the Colonel considering his amusement for the night had been staring at his commanding officer, watching the Colonel's reaction to their Lieutenant's exchange with their target. Roy glared at the hand on his shoulder, shrugging it off.

"I don't think this was a good idea. This guy is a creep; a rapist, a murderer, a big time gang leader… and clearly a womanizer. Why the hell did we think it was a good idea to send her in? We already know the bastard is guilty, let's book him and end this charade." His arms were now crossed in front of his chest and his bottom lip was puffed out slightly like a small child who was being punished for misbehaving.

Havoc cackled. This was just too entertaining.

"You need to relax. She's just acting."

Mustang simply huffed in response, arms still tightly locked across his chest. "I just don't understand why it had to be her. I don't see why we couldn't have sent in an expert in these operations. Like Veronica." Havoc was trying very hard not to break up into a fit of laughter at his friend's pouting fit. He managed to cough down the laughter rumbling in his stomach, muffling it with his fist. "With all due respect sir, would you not be worried and this on edge if Veronica were the one over there with the perp instead of Hawkeye?" Roy was apparently too caught up in watching the scene before them, cringing as she touched the lapels of the criminal's shirt again. "God, she just keeps touching him! And no, I wouldn't. Veronica can handle herself. She does this for a living." Havoc leaned his forearm against the bar, resting his cheek in his palm. "So you're saying the Lieutenant can't handle herself, sir?"

Roy scoffed. "I'm saying she shouldn't have to. Not like this. Not while I'm forced to sit here and watch, uselessly." He spat the self-insult like it was acid on his tongue. Havoc allowed a sigh to leave his lips. "Sir, Hawkeye volunteered for this because she wants this guy off the streets as badly as you do; as badly as we all do. She is just like you when it comes to taking things into her own hands and not allowing someone else to put themselves in danger where she can do it for herself. She's perfectly capable and clearly very good at these missions. Men love her." He said that last line hoping to elicit a reaction from his friend: it did. A low grumbling sounded deep within Roy's throat. Men love her. Men love her. The sentence kept replaying in his mind. No other man should know her well enough to love her; to be close enough to feel such things for her. He knew his thoughts were possessive and borderline obsessive sounding, but he couldn't help it when forced to witness her flirting so blatantly, so openly with another man when she would never be able to do such things with him because of their ranking.

Roy held up two fingers together, ready to snap. "If he touches her one more time, Havoc, I'm going over there. Screw the mission. I'll burn him where he stands."

Havoc ignored Roy's threats and merely lifted two fingers to the bartender, silently instructing him to pour them two more drinks, before turning his steady gaze back on the woman across the bar. She truly was perfect for a mission like this. Riza's golden hair fell around her face like a goddess, accentuating her high cheek bones. She wore very little, if any make up around the office, so seeing her tonight with her long lashes blacker than night and her lips painted with a tint of red lipstick, she was definitely the envy of any woman in this pathetic place. In the standard frumpy military attire, it was difficult to make out any feminine curves. Tonight, however, The dress she was wearing; short, black, simple yet tight enough to hug every curve with a slit up one side; was enough to make the nose of a priest bleed. Yep. Havoc had to look away and readjust himself by throwing one leg over the other to hide the evidence of what his higher up was doing to him. He knew she had a weapon on her, Riza was not the type of soldier to put herself in a situation like this without some means of protection, but where she was hiding the holster was a mystery to the two men watching her.

The bartender had finished their drinks, a whiskey sour on the rocks for the Colonel and a gin and tonic for Havoc, just as Mustang was about to hop up from his seat once more as the criminal's lips barely brushed against his Lieutenant's ear as he whispered something to her. The blush on her cheeks was enough to piss him off. She let out another delicate laugh at whatever the man was muttering in her ear. Surprisingly, Roy allowed himself to turn away for the first time since he sat down to grab his glass and down the entire thing in one gulp. "Damn, boss. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're a little upset that the Lieutenant is getting attention from another man."

Mustang opened his mouth to reply just as his eye caught site of the criminal's filthy hand resting on the small of his subordinate's back. Red. Blood red was all he could see. Roy vaulted himself from the bar stool yet again, tugging at his glove to make sure it was in place. "I'm going to burn that hand off first." Havoc barely had time to grab his commanding officer before he made a scene. His arms grabbed for him, throwing him off kilter from the stool and knocking them both to the hard, wooden floor. "Dammit, Havoc, get off me!" Mustang had landed in a wet spot on the ground of the disgusting, low-end bar. Please, please be beer. He silently prayed, feeling the liquid soaking his gloves as he pushed himself up. "Now my gloves are soaked. What if I need to assist in Hawkeye's protection?"

Havoc simply shrugged, "Well, I guess you aren't only useless in the rain, Colonel. Who knew dirty floors were your true kryptonite." The higher up shot daggers at the grinning blonde man at that comment, while Havoc was still struggling to get up off his boss. Luckily the music was loud enough that their target had not noticed the commotion, but someone had. "Colonel?" That sweet voice was almost a whisper. He hated hearing her in Elizabeth mode with anyone other than himself, then once chancing to speak to him, her typical stoic military voice was back in place. The man grumbled, rubbing the ache from his shoulder where the blunt of the fall was received.

"Sir, get up before you ruin this mission. Do you need to go on outside watch with Falman and Breda? Or perhaps I should just send you home for the night to cool off?" Her voice had a slight annoyed tone to it, but her eyes held a glint of amusement in them. Roy scoffed, brushing himself off and pushing Havoc off of him. "Or maybe we should abandon this mission. It's getting too dangerous. And how am I ruining the mission when you are over here talking to us? He's going to notice." The thought made the sides of Roy's lips raise slightly in a satisfied smirk at this mission finally coming to an end.

She nodded towards the bathroom to their left. "He went to the restroom and asked me to get us another drink. He hasn't given me much to go on yet, so we aren't quite done here." The woman brushed her hair back over her shoulder, revealing far more cleavage than Roy thought necessary for a low-life like Greggs. "Now, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen. I'm going to get back to work. Havoc, if you can't handle this mess," She placed a hand on her hip and jabbed her thumb in Mustang's direction, "Then you can trade positions with the other, clearly more competent, members of our team."

Havoc rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Being berated at the office or even by the woman in uniform was terrifying. But the way she looked tonight, it was more of a turn on than he cared to admit. He always did enjoy a bossy broad in the bedroom. Oh lord; if Roy could hear the filthy thoughts going through his head while thinking of their Lieutenant, he would be burnt to a crisp along with Greggs. Havoc made sure to avert his gaze from the perfect line of cleavage berating him, muttering. "Yes, ma'am. I'll be sure to use a tighter leash." She nodded.

Roy was finally able to stand back up, with the help of his abandoned stool. His head felt light and airy from the liquor consumption. He didn't realize how quickly he had been downing his drinks, or just how many he had consumed for that matter. He had been far too focused on what his subordinate had been doing and how many drinks she had consumed. She wasn't much of a drinker. She hated having her inhibitions lowered. However, on a mission like this, she knew it would be suspicious to anyone with a brain for her to be in a bar, looking flawless the way she did and single, and not drinking anything but a tea or an ice water. So far she had consumed two rum and sodas, and judging by the soft glaze in her stare, she was beginning to feel a slight effect from the liquor.

Roy's gaze was intense. He sat back up on the stool, straightening out the collar of his white button up, and watched the woman saunter up to the bar with exaggerated slowness in her elegant crimson heels. Those legs, his weakness, were on display as she leaned over the bar, ordering her next drink and another for her date. He cringed at his own thought process. Why must he torture himself? It's not like this is real. It's not like that creep has any real chance with a woman like Riza. Why was he so upset? Maybe it was because she just showed too much interest when they were talking. Her hand grazed his forearm and the front of his shirt too many times. The twinkle in her eye felt too real from where he sat watching, agonizing.
Something shattered causing both Havoc and Riza to jump. She glanced back over to where her team members were with a slight eyebrow cocked curiously. Roy glanced down at the hand that was only moments ago cupped around his glass. He found that it was now in slivers and pieces of broken shards in his fist from squeezing it too tightly. Roy put on a perfectly crafted fake smile, "Oops." He forced out a chuckle, releasing the glass from his hand. The bartender apologized to Riza and told her he would make her drinks in a moment, before grabbing a damp towel from the sink and walking over to the two undercover officers. He rolled his eyes, clearly not in the mood for silly spills, but managed to smile kindly at Roy, "It happens more than you would think. Here, let me clean it for you." Roy held up his hand and shook his head. He held out his palm for the towel, "No I can do it. Can I get another drink, please?" The bartender glanced around the bar, realizing he had too many patrons waiting on drinks to waste his time cleaning up a drunken mess, so he politely held out his hand with the towel in it to the man. "Sure man. Thanks, I appreciate it. I was just about to take an order for that lady over there when"-

Roy cut the man off by grabbing the bartender's wrist and pulled him down to his eye level. "Hey, man! What the hell is wrong with you?! I don't swing like tha"- Roy's sharp glare cut him off. His teeth were tightly clenched together as he whispered in a hushed yet harsh tone. "Listen here, that woman over there is cut off. Got it? No more drinks for her. That's my sister, and she will end up puking her guts out all over this nice bar you have here if you continue to serve her. I doubt you have time to clean that up, considering this little mess of mine had you slightly exasperated."

The bartender's eyebrow rose in confusion before he shot a quick glance back at the woman patiently waiting for his return, "She seemed okay to me. Are you sure she's drunk? I know drunks and she doesn't seem to be one of them." Roy forced a cocky grin. He held out his other hand, discreetly containing 5o,ooo cenz. "Maybe this will help convince you." The man's eyes widened a fraction. He dropped the towel in Roy's palm, and then winked at Roy in understanding, carefully concealing the bribe and tucking it into the front pocket of his slacks. "Well alrighty then. Thank you, sir. And I'll get to making you a fresh drink." Roy nodded a satisfactory nod to the man. He watched the bartender walk right past Riza to the other end of the bar to help the two ladies there, waiting anxiously for another round of martinis. He was too proud of himself for this. He may not be able to burn Greggs face off tonight, but at least his Lieutenant was free from bad judgement from an intoxicated haze.
Roy began sweeping up the glass shards into the towel, dumping them into the bottom part of the broken glass that had somehow managed to stay together during his little fit. He finished wiping up the rest of the sticky mess just as the bartender came by and grabbed up the glass containing the sharps and tossed it in the trash then took the towel and did the same to avoid any leftover shards that may have stuck to it during the cleanup.

The bartender set down a full glass for both men, "be careful with this one now." Roy gave his word with a slight chuckle. The man's onyx eyes met suspicious amber ones down the bar a few paces. She had watched the bartender walk right past her with his head ducked making it all too obvious that he was attempting to ignore her. Her eyes narrowed at the Colonel. He smiled back at her, lifting his drink to cheers to his successful plan and then took a heavy swig of the elixir, never breaking eye contact with his fuming Queen. She turned her attention away from her superior, turning her attention to the bartender whom was now busily flirting with the drunken broads at the far end of the bar. He continued to ignore her while she attempted to flag him down until she finally grew tired of the endeavor and huffed, stalking back over to the tall, fit man that she had been gracing with her presence all evening. Roy's eyebrow twitched.

He had almost forgotten Havoc was sitting right next to him and had witnessed the whole exchange with the bartender. He was shaking his head, that same smug grin plastered on his face. He reached into the pocket at the front of his t-shirt and pulled out his pack of smokes and a lighter. "She's going to shoot you when she finds out you're purposely compromising her mission." Roy merely shrugged, resting his elbows on the bar. "I didn't compromise anything. I'm just looking out for her well-being." Havoc placed the butt of his cigarette between his lips and lit it. "Right, right." He mumbled out between the cigarette before taking a deep inhale. Everyone gave Havoc shit about these things killing him, but he had zero doubt he'd end up dying from something stress related due to his commanding officer and his shenanigans. "You seem a little too smug for someone just looking out for a friend's well-being."

He let out a cloud of smoke before he spoke again, "You realize one of these days she may be going on a real date, right? She's gorgeous, boss. And I doubt she'll be single forever. Maybe you should, uh, make your move." Havoc had leaned in towards Roy as he spoke. Roy crinkled his nose at all the smoke pluming around his friend. He waved a hand in front of his face in a desperate attempt to whisk the smoke in a different direction. The strong scent of Havoc's beverage wafted into Roy's nostrils as well as he held it up in front of him, toasting the air, and then taking a heavy swig. Roy took a quick sip of his one drink. He hated to admit that Havoc was right, but he knew he was. Roy still couldn't believe someone like Riza had remained single all of these years. She was far too perfect to live the rest of her life working for him then going home to a vacant house. Roy grimaced. It was selfish, he knew, but he couldn't stand the idea of Riza going home, unlacing her boots, then throwing her arms around a beloved that wasn't him. Her soft lips tilting up into a smile she reserved only for the man she would give herself to, "How was your day?" No. Fuck that. Roy took another couple of swigs from his drink as a desperate attempt to drown out these horrible, heart-wrenching thoughts. She wouldn't. She couldn't. She was too involved in Roy's goals to become the Fuhrer and change this country. She wouldn't just give all that up, all that they had worked for thus far, at the drop of a hat for some man… would she?

Roy was obviously very lost in thought over what Havoc had said to him. He hated seeing his commanding officer looking so down-heartened but he also hated that he had to spell these things out to the man. After all the women Roy had stolen from him, he kind of wondered why he wanted to help him so badly get this woman. Deep down, he knew the answer: they loved each other. Havoc wasn't naïve. He saw the way their stares would linger even just a fraction of a second longer than necessary when speaking to each other. Even on his bad days, Roy was never harsh to her like he was to the rest of them. The rare smiles Hawkeye would offer Roy when she thought no one else was watching. Hell, they had both proven that they would willingly throw away their own life to protect the other one or even at the thought of living life without the other one. It was ridiculous, really, how blatantly obvious their feelings for each other were but neither could do anything about it due to those damned fraternization laws. Havoc had almost forgotten about that. He was stuck in a chick flick as the "good guy friend" that was attempting to help his buddy figure out his own feelings then ultimately get the girl. However, this wasn't a movie. This wasn't going to end that way for his higher ups, and sadly enough, it sucked.

Havoc took another deep drag from his cigarette, letting the smoke out slowly. He snuck a carefully concealed glance over his shoulder to see if Hawkeye was still standing at the bar, waiting for her drink order to be filled. Instead, he found her last position vacant. His eyes began scanning the dance floor for that familiar blonde beauty amongst the many other patrons swaying and moving to the music. His commanding officer stiffened in his seat next to him, causing him to break away from his eye venture and look at him for any indication as to what was causing him such tension. Mustang's fists were once again balled up tightly. His eyes were cut slits in an angry glare at whatever sight he was observing out on the dance floor. Havoc followed his gaze; he wished he hadn't. His heart dropped. This wasn't good. Riza was dancing close; very close to Tallen with a playful smile on her lips. Tallen's eyes glistened dangerously in the dim lighting of the room, not ever leaving her frame.

The song ended and turned to a slower number with an awkward beat, so Tallen decided they should sit this one out. He held out his hand for hers and led her over to a table in the corner.

"What a fucking gentleman. No really, how considerate of him." Roy mumbled under his breath as he watched Tallen pull out the chair for Riza to sit then proceeded to sit down in the one right next to her; too close to her if you were to ask Mustang. Roy didn't think he could tighten his fists any tighter. The feeling had once against escaped his fingertips and the bruxism had returned as he ground his teeth together. Havoc was also watching them intently. Riza crossed her legs, forcing the already short dress to go farther up her thighs. Tallen scooted closer to her, whispering yet again into the woman's ear. But this time, he placed his palm on her thigh, running his thumb in small circles against her knee. Mustang growled.

Havoc rested a hand on Roy's shoulder. "Do you need to step outside to cool down?" He whispered it in a low enough voice that only Roy could hear. He didn't know what was getting into him. He had witnessed Elizabeth on numerous missions. She would flirt, flip her hair, get the information they were looking for, then pull out her pistol from where ever she had stowed it and ruin the target's day by announcing she was military and not definitely not interested; his favorite part. However, for some reason, this mission made his stomach lurch. There was something about this man and something about the way she acted like Greggs was the only man in this bar tonight. She was acting. He had to keep repeating this to himself, but it didn't seem to help tonight. Roy downed his drink, yet again losing track of the amount he had been consuming, before standing from his stool. "I need some air. Keep an eye on her." Roy wiped at his brow with the back of his arm. This isn't okay. He shouldn't be like this. She wasn't even his. But she is. He thought foolishly. He shook the thought of Tallen's hand on her thigh, her laughing at his comments, her wearing a dress like that for someone else.

Roy threw the door open, stepping out into the deserted Central street. The wind was light, but cool. It was relaxing after suffocating in that crowded bar. The smell of smoke, stale beer, and sweat all seemed to vanish in the wind and was replaced with that delicious autumn scent. He took in a deep breath in a desperate attempt to calm his beating heart. Roy pinched the bridge of his nose, only to be reminded that his gloves were still sopping wet from the filthy floor and probably from busting the cup at the bar. Useless, the word was never a favorite of his. It left an acidic tinge at the tip of his tongue when he even thought it. He yanked each glove off individually, shoving them into his pocket. Roy took a few more breaths before deciding he needed to get back inside and make sure the target wasn't copping a feel on his precious subordinate. Roy turned away from the shadowed buildings around him and headed back for the door to the bar. He could hear the music out here, bumping loudly from the radio. The memory of Riza dancing so closely to that disgusting pervert was suddenly thrust back into his mind. "Dammit!" His fist met the heavy metal door. He huffed, he clearly needed more time to cool off.

"Or another drink." Roy stated aloud to himself. "Yeah, another one of those will do." He muttered once again to the darkness. He forced the door open and proceeded back to his previous seat beside Havoc, lifting a hand to the bartender in a lazy attempt to get his attention for a refill. Havoc eyed his superior, already in the process of lighting another cigarette. "You alright, boss?" Roy ran his gloveless hand down his face. "Fine, fine." He muttered in reply before picking up the fresh glass in front of him and throwing it back. The whiskey stung the back of his throat, but it elicited a warming sensation from his fingertips, branching out to touch every nerve ending in his body. He ordered another for himself and his friend, even offering to pay for them.

"Maybe you should slow it down… I know you are upset, and I know you can drink quite a bit, Roy, but I also know what you are doing." All signs of amusement were gone from Havoc's features. Roy was not paying him any mind, though. Instead He proceeded to chase the first drink with the second.

"And what am I doing exactly, Havoc?" His eyes were focused on the three ice cubes at the bottom of his now empty glass as he spoke. The ice gently swirled around, clinking against the sides of the small glass as Mustang tilted it back and forth. His thoughts were clearly elsewhere, but Havoc responded anyway.

"Liquor courage, right? You think that will save your ass? I just don't see why you can't play the jealous boyfriend role another night. This is too important for you to blow all because of your damn pride."

A humorless chuckle left Roy's lips. "You know me too well, Jean. But I'm thinking tonight is the perfect night for a jealous boyfriend." He set the empty glass back down with a new devious glint in his dark eyes. Havoc hated seeing that look in his superior's eyes, it was always a sign that he was about to do something irrational or reckless. "Roy, what are you thinking?" He ran a hand through his unruly, black hair. "You're relieved, Second Lieutenant. Take the rest of the night off."

Havoc couldn't believe his ears. "Like hell I will!" He threw his fist into his own knee to accentuate his frustration. Roy spun around a little too quickly, searching the room with his eyes. "There she is," He grinned, hopping up from his barstool. "Boss…" Havoc was attempting to sound stern, but sounded more urgent than anything. He couldn't imagine what Hawkeye's reaction would be if he allowed Roy to walk over there while she was undercover and talking to their target. He began climbing down from his perch just as Roy wafted his hand at him in response. "Ah calm down, Havoc. My gloves are soaked so threat neutralized." His hands found the pockets of his pants as he approached the couple across the way. He barely heard Havoc's worried words as he continued walking, "You better know what you are doing. She'll be pissed if you fuck this up." Roy lifted a hand above his head, waving back to his subordinate to show he heard him loud and clear but gave no indication of giving up on this decided endeavor.

She was giggling softly again with those soft, delicate fingers pressed lightly against her lips to give her that innocent appearance. Roy felt his heartbeat quicken as he stopped directly behind her, not even giving Greggs a second of a glance, "Well, well, hello beautiful." Her back stiffened at the sound of his voice over the music. He didn't break his gaze with the back of her head, but he knew Tallen was eyeing him from his position beside Riza, or rather, Elizabeth. She slowly turned around. The look on her face told Roy she was quickly debating on where her first bullet was going to go, but Roy casually glanced down at the shocked woman's empty hand then back up to meet her scolding, amber eyes. Her jaw had slacked slightly in surprise upon his abrupt interruption but she had quickly composed herself. Roy merely plastered that cocky, lopsided grin of his on his lips as he playfully remarked, "You look parched. Can I buy you a drink?"