Now, when Riza first decided to suggest the skirt deal, she hadn’t exactly been thinking rationally. It was really more out of anger, than anything else. Something just made her go ballistic, knowing that all the colonel thought was that she was some kind of unfeminine, trigger happy subordinate. She just wanted her coworkers to see her as something more than the person that yelled at them.

Maybe that was one of the reasons that she even got up to wear one in the first place. The other reason was because she, Riza Hawkeye, never backed down from a challenge. It was just her way of things. She wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble of saying anything if she wasn’t going to in the first place.

That would be going back on your word.

No, she didn’t do that. So, she wore a skirt—a miniskirt to be precise. And it was just the kind to make any man’s head turn. Still, that morning, she was not having a good day. Not only did Black Hayate insist on coming along again, but she also had to walk, all the way to work in three-inch heels. It didn’t help that she also had many other things to carry. Plus, she was out of bullets. And with the summer heat, it wasn’t exactly a picnic.

Just to say, when arriving, she was a little more than angry. Did that mean everyone had to stare?

With Hayate leading the way, she casually strolled through the crowd of gathering soldiers. She swore that the headquarters were worse than high schools, when it came to gossip anyway. There was nothing to do in the office but fill out forms, and what better way to relax a hand cramp then by drinking a cup of coffee while whispering what your superior was doing stupidly or wrong that day?

People were still staring. Did she look that bad in the skirt? Okay, so she wasn’t wearing the uniform, but she couldn’t very well wear her uniform jacket and duster with her outfit. So she broke out an old military uniform from her school days, that just happened to be the same color. Her badges had been transferred, and of course the other decorations. She couldn’t help that she’d…. grown since then, in more way than one.

She did admit that the skirt was seemingly high, but did that mean that every man had to tilt his head to the side when she walked by? As desired by the colonel, she did wear stockings, as she suggested. She couldn’t very well go without her legs being covered. And… she did wear a garter belt, but she had to hold them up some how!

Still, when some saw her expression, they ran. Others were frozen, and she swore she saw a few fall over from what appeared to be shock. Women hit their partners upside the head, and a few females looked up to her like a goddess among the women of the military.

The shiver down her back could not be helped.

She was praying to get inside without something drastic happening. Maybe, just maybe, she could get into the office and actually get work done.

---

“A bet you say?” Mustang asked, smirking. “To see how long she wears the thing? Honestly Maes, I’d like to see if she actually showed up in one.”

The whole of the office had seemed to turn up for the day’s events. Though no one was really doing any work, the soldiers were sitting around talking. Havoc leaned back in his chair, cigarette in his mouth. Fuery was standing with a handful of papers, and Breda was standing with his arms crossed. Falman wasn’t there that day—it being his day off. With the arrival of the lieutenant colonel, they paused to hear what he had to say.

Hughes smirked, holding up a finger. “Never underestimate Riza, Roy. You can remember where that put us before,” he said, rubbing his chin. “She’ll knock the feet right under you.”

Mustang’s eyes narrowed on his friend, recalling the incident, as one of his subordinates spoke up. “The entire building is in on this thing?” Havoc asked, raising an eyebrow. He was steering back the conversation to the original topic. “It spread that quickly?”

“We all know how well our lieutenant colonel is at spreading information,” Fuery offered innocently as he put the things he carried on the desk.

“I heard Brosh and Ross talking about it,” Breda offered, innocently. “Said the stakes were high both ways.”

“Well, the only people it hasn’t reached are the Elrics, but they’re due back soon,” Hughes pointed out, glancing at the clock. “Aren’t they coming in today?”

Roy held up his hand. “Stakes? What are you talking about?”

The subordinates glanced at each other, none of them speaking. Well, none of them in the room spoke anyway.

“Whether or not you keep the deal, colonel.”

Everyone whipped their heads to the door as it opened, and their first lieutenant appeared in the room. Almost every jaw in the room dropped as she appeared before them, wearing exactly what she said she would—a miniskirt.

On her feet were very high heels, accentuating the fact that her legs already looked too long to be natural. Black mesh stocking covered her legs, topped by the skirt that practically didn’t cover anything. Lace was sworn to be sticking out from underneath, an accent of either the stockings or her underwear. Her gun holster was strapped tightly at her thigh.

The jacket was formfitting, tucked in at the waist to show that she was–indeed—female. The bust was tight, so much that she had to open the first few buttons at the top, showing a very nice view of her neck, as well as some nicely formed cleavage. Her long blond hair was down, brushed out to trail over her collar. Lips were painted red, and lashes highlighted with black.

Riza Hawkeye was, indeed, a knockout.

“Isn’t that right, lieutenant colonel?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Havoc lost his balance and fell over in his chair with a thump. Breda, just fell over completely, looking as though he fainted. Fuery just stood wide-eyed, frozen; you could almost see him shaking. Hughes closed his mouth as he smiled, coming over to her with praise.

“Why, Riza, you look absolutely stunning this morning!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “If I wasn’t married, I just might consider breaking the rules to sweep you off your feet.”

The only one in the room who didn’t react drastically was Mustang, who only smirked through a blank mask.

The blonde only blinked, before she smiled at Hughes. “Thank you.”

Then he looked down to the pup at her feet, wagging his tail at the crowd and tongue lolling out of his mouth. “And if it isn’t Black Hayate!” He bent and picked up to dog. “Yes, you did a very nice job in helping your mommy dress today.”

Riza only shook her head as she casually strolled over to her desk, hips swaying unconsciously as she did so. She bent at the waist only slightly as she placed down her files, and took out something from her desk. With a click, she loaded her gun and placed it back on her thigh, as she took a seat, and crossed her legs nicely.

Looking up, she saw all eyes, wide or normal, on her. “What?”

Fuery instantly gulped, running over to help Havoc up, pulling him more or less. “Nothing lieutenant!” he said, “We were on our way to… take Breda to the infirmary.”

“Yeah!” Havoc agreed, not fixing his chair, lying on its back on the floor. He saluted. “To help Breda.”

She blinked, face still solemnly blank. “Why?”

They went over and helped a still fuzzy Breda up. “He’s…. obviously ill, right?” Havoc offered.

“And that fall could have hit his head,” Fuery offered, pointing to it.

Nodding slowly, she looked to Mustang, still standing unfazed at his office door. “I don’t see a problem with it, sir,” she said to him, asking for permission.

The colonel shook his head. “Neither do I.”

At almost lightning speed, the three were gone, only leaving with a, “Thank you sir!” as they slammed the door shut.

Hughes watched as they left. “They sure moved quickly for carrying an injured person,” he commented, eyebrow raised.

Taking out a stack of papers, Riza began working quietly, not even minding the reaction from her coworkers as Hughes put the puppy on the floor next to her. “Well, I’ll be off,” he said, saluting informally. “See you all later.”

She nodded, and then glanced in her superior’s direction as the door closed behind Hughes. “Don’t you have work to do, sir?”

Mustang only smiled. “Of course, Hawkeye. We did have a bargain. I was just making sure you held up your end of the deal.”

She smirked as she raised an eyebrow at him. “You expected less?”

He shrugged. “You never know.”

---

“Boy, that was close.”

“Too close.”

“Yeah. We’d better be careful.”

“What’s the matter with you three?”

All of Fuery, Breda and Havoc jumped at the voice, turning to find none other than the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. The red-clad teenager only laughed as they all jumped and backed up, only to find him standing there. “Man, you two are jumpier than rabbits,” he said, hand on his hip.

His younger, and yet taller, brother leaned down, the suit of armor clanking. He came down to their level to see them more clearly. “Are you all alright?” Al’s voice echoed from inside.

The three soldiers calmed. “Man, you almost gave me a heart attack, Ed,” Havoc replied, hand to his heart. “We were lucky to make it out of the office alive and with our sanity.”

The brothers looked at each other. “How come?” Al asked innocently.

“Lieutenant Hawkeye… is wearing a miniskirt,” Fuery said as he looked to the ground. “Another moment in there, and we would’ve been done for.”

“Why would you be ‘done for’?” Al continued.

“And Hawkeye’s in a skirt?” Ed laughed. “What, did the colonel finally pass that rule or something—cause we saw a lot of women in regular uniform and…” He trailed off, seeing their horrified faces, and becoming serious again. “Okay, that wasn’t it.”

Breda rolled his eyes. “According to these two,” he started, pointing to the two with him. “While I was on lunch break Friday, the colonel and Hawkeye got into another…”

“Fight?” Ed offered.

“Argument,” Havoc confirmed. “He insisted she didn’t own a skirt, and then she wound up saying how if she wore one all this week, he’d have to do his paperwork.”

Edward full out laughed. “That’s something. I do understand her reasoning.”

“Why would the colonel like seeing her in a miniskirt anyway?” Al asked innocently. “The lieutenant is very pretty in whatever she wears. Certainly a piece of cloth won’t change her appearance.”

All three older men laughed nervously as they looked at each other. Havoc came over and put a hand on the younger Elric’s shoulder. “Alphonse, there comes a time in a man’s life, where women are a full out distraction.” He waved his hand in the air, as if showing him something in the distance. “Any sign of femininity… is scary to men, in the work place—especially when someone like Lieutenant Hawkeye does it.”

Ed raised an eyebrow. “So, meaning that since you’ve always thought of her as something like a pal, seeing her as a woman is…”

“Horrifying,” Breda said. “I fell over.”

“So did I,” Havoc said.

“In other words, you’re sexually attracted to her?” Al asked.

“Yeah—wait a minute, what!” Havoc exclaimed.

The men stared at the armor like it had grown a limb that was a chain saw, and ready to slice them. Ed laughed so hard he held his stomach to stop himself from falling over. “If this is what happens when you get old, I want to stay my age,” he said. “Come on, don’t you think we know about that stuff?”

There was an eerie moment of silence, and then Al spoke up again. “Hughes told us when Elicia was born.”

They all relaxed, as Ed spoke again. “Yeah, Winry, my mechanic, goes around in skimpy stuff all the time. You see me running away?”

“Actually, Brother, you do run away,” Al said, timidly.

Ed huffed and looked at him. “That’s because she’s running after me with a wrench!” he exclaimed. “I don’t know why you insist on buying her so many.”

Breda grumbled, breaking up their argument. “What is she… fifteen?”

They stopped arguing and looked at him. “Yeah, so?” Ed asked, with a blink.

“She’s still….” Havoc’s hand wavered. “Getting there. Wait until she hits her twenties, then she’ll be something.”

“Winry is my age, and I don’t have a problem with her… and yet Hawkeye is clearly all of your ages and you do,” Edward pointed out with a grin.

The three almost fell over. “I don’t think that’s what they meant, Fullmetal, sir,” Fuery said, trying to back up his office mates. “Lieutenant Hawkeye is…”

He looked to the others for support. “Well, uh…” Breda started.

“Older,” Havoc concluded, holding up a finger triumphantly. “She’s older.”

“That just means she’s more sexually mature. So what?” Al asked, shrugging.

Again, the men jumped at the words coming from the armor’s mouth. Apparently, this wasn’t exactly the innocent Alphonse they were accustomed to. He sighed, and even though no one could see it, he rolled his eyes. “I am fourteen, you know.”

“Okay, okay, fine, we give up!” Havoc exclaimed, gesturing down the halls. “Why don’t you see her for yourself, and then speak.”

The Elrics looked to each other with a shrug. “Sure, why not?” Ed asked, as they passed the three, heading to their original destination. “We have to head there anyway. I need to ask for leave.”

“Why?”

He looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “Repairs. Winry is coming into town, and since you haven’t seen her for a bit, maybe you can take back what I said. She’s not that much of jail-bait.”

As the two disappeared, they looked at each other. “We have got to stop thinking of them as little kids,” Havoc stated. “My heart can’t take much more.”

“Ditto,” the other two chorused.

---

Riza looked up with a knock, and smiled as the two Elric brothers came in. For some odd reason, she felt strange that there had been no one in the room with her for the last ten minutes. Seeing some faces was comforting. “Hello you two,” she said, pausing with her papers.

They came over, Edward smiling. “Hey,” he said. “The colonel in?”

She nodded to the door. “As always, in there,” she said, smirking. “Hopefully hard at work.”

Alphonse smiled as he clasped his hands together. “You look awfully nice, Ms. Hawkeye,” he said. “Very pretty.”

At this, the lieutenant smiled at both of them. “Thank you, Alphonse,” she said, nodding. “That’s the first time that someone said that out of pure innocence today.”

He nodded, and then Hayate barked at him. The suit of armor bent over to pick up the pup, as he licked his face. “Hello to you too, Hayate,” he said.

Edward smiled at his brother. “Be right back, ‘kay?”

Riza nodded as he knocked, and then went into the colonel’s door. Al took a seat in front of her desk, holding her dog as he did. “Are you asking for leave time?” she asked, trying to start a nicer conversation.

“Yes, actually,” the younger Elric replied. “Though, we’ll be staying in Central, seeing as that we promised Winry she could visit again, and that we’d buy her more tools. Though, I’m hoping she doesn’t throw them at Brother’s head again.”

The lieutenant blinked, but then seemed to chuckle at his comment. “That just shows she cares.”

He nodded. “I hope they settle things soon. I know they really like each other, but they’re just too stubborn,” he said, cocking his head to the side.

Resting her chin on her hand, she nodded. Alphonse really did have a mature look to the world around him, even if he was so young. “Why else would Winry enjoy tormenting him?” Al asked. She chuckled again, as the iron giant brought up another topic. “Why aren’t any of the other men in here?” he asked curiously, sounding innocent in the least.

She shrugged. “They said they were taking Breda to the infirmary,” she said, as she continued to fill things out. She raised an eyebrow as she glanced up once. “Why? You know anything?”

“Well, Brother and I passed them in the hall,” he said bluntly. “Lieutenant Breda seemed fine.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?” she asked. “Perfectly?”

“Seemed rather jumpy too,” Al added, leaning forward with a whisper. “Between you and me, I think it’s because of your wardrobe change.”

Nodding, she seemed to understand, but smirked deviously all the same. “Al? Do you think you and Ed can do something for me?”

---

“No way we can trust that kid.”

“This is Al we’re talking about, remember.”

“He is a very honorable and remarkable individual,” Fuery commented, as they made it towards their office door.

Havoc sighed as he took out another cigarette. “Fine, fine, don’t trust me,” he said. “Still think he’s trouble.”

“Then why did Ed back him up?” Breda asked, questioningly. “I think we’re over thinking this. Why would they lie about anything?”

Fuery sighed, and shook his head. “We are military personal, right?” he asked, brow wrinkled. “And we can’t face our own coworker.”

“Trigger-happy, miniskirt wearing, knock-out coworker,” Havoc added, raising a finger. “Am I the only one that thinks this is a bad idea?”

His comrades looked at each other, and then nodded. “Yes.”

Sighing, his shoulders slumped down. “I’m outnumbered.”

Fuery reached for the door handle, turning it slowly as he swung the door open. He poked his head inside, and nodded to his companions. Silently, they came back inside. At first, looking around, nothing was that alerting—that was until they heard the voice from the direction of Hawkeye’s desk.

“Feeling better, Breda?”

They all jumped and turned to find her sitting, actually sitting on her desk. She was relaxed, cleaning off her gun with a cloth. Hands bare, she remained calm as she sat there and looked without worry whatsoever, not even looking at them. But what was so shocking was that her legs were crossed.

One beautifully sculpted and muscular leg was flexed as it sat on top of the other. The curve of her knee bent right above the other, her calf flexed as well to make sure that it stayed put. Both feet were beautifully stretched, giving the illusion that they were longer. It was something about the shoes that made her even… sexier?

Instantly, the door closed once again. Hawkeye smirked as she heard a number of yells and curses from outside the door. “Apparently not.”

---

And so ends the first part of Day One. Review and tell me what you all think. Thanks, hope to hear from all of you.