Who: Roy (burning_stacks) & Fay (smiling_false)
What: The much anticipated date...
Where: Shibuya
When: Friday night, 8PM
Rating: PG

Roy shifted his weight on the stone lip of the fountain, the cold stone numbing him. He'd arrived a little early, knowing fully that keeping a woman waiting was about the largest faux pas it was possible to make in first-date etiquette, but now Fay should be arriving at any moment. He cast around for her, the single peach rose he held rustling softly in its wrapping.

Fay smoothed out the wrinkles in his long coat as he approached the fountain where he was supposed to meet Roy. It was a good mood that night. The night air was just the slightest bit chilly, and all around them, couples and groups of friends were meeting up for the weekend. Fay wondered what compelled him to continue with this farce, but it seemed to late to back up now. His blue eyes searched the area, trying to pick out Roy from the crowd of dark hair. He spots the other man seated at the fountain. Taking a deep breath, he approached Roy.

Roy, naturally, gazed straight past him, barely even registering his presence. '...Come on, Fay...' he murmured softly, casting a glance down at the photo he'd been emailed earlier in the week. Pretty. Very pretty indeed. So where was she?

Fay stopped to the side of the other man. Looking down, he sees a photo of himself and a small bouquet. It was sweet and the gesture moved Fay a bit, but he wasn't so sure beyond that. He leaned over, letting the shadow of his tall slender form eclipse Roy. He might as well make the best of the evening.

"Good evening, Roy-kun." He plastered on a small teasing grin. "Ara, are those for me?"

Roy glanced up, wondering precisely how he could have missed Fay. And froze. Confusion chased across his features, followed by disbelief and finally, horror.

"...You... you're-?!"

Fay cocked his head to the side, watching in amusement as a sort of horror flooded Roy's features. He ran a hand through his silky blond hair, "I'm what?"

As Roy continued to gawk, Fay fluttered his eyelashes, "Well? As cute as your flustered expression is, we don't have all evening."

He was so going to hell for this, but he was going to have some fun along the way.

Roy drew himself together, standing swiftly. His mind was racing and he was torn between being wonderfully mature, a little sneaky, and calling Fay's bluff in a spectacular way...

...or screaming.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH."

Fay stuck his fingers in his ears and turned away at the sound of the scream. He had to admit, this was not one of the many probable reactions he had anticipated. Tonight was going to be more interesting than he originally thought.

He waited until Roy was done. Carefully pulling his fingers out of his ears, he said. "At least we know you have a good set of lungs on you."

Roy glared, even angrier for being made to sound like a three-year-old. "Enjoyed the show, much?"

Fay pouted, "I'm really not that bad of a guy. I tried to tell you in the first place. You were just so adorably oblivious about it."

"...adorably?" Roy's face bore an expression of much incredulity and he shook off the first twinges of amusement. His pride was deeply wounded, his reputation in shreds... the least he could do was indulge in a nice, long sulk.

Fay's finger closed the distance between them and poked at Roy's cheek. "Yep, cute. I make it a point not to turn down the cute ones. Besides it's not like I minded." He winked.

"So... you weren't just taking the piss?" Roy sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair. He wasn't really sure if that outcome sat much more comfortably with him.

"If anything colleagues should get to know each other!" Fay declared.

He grabbed Roy's hand and pulled him to his feet. "I wasn't kidding about the bars in this area. I know them all fairly well. Let's at least get a drink if you're so determined to sulk."

...

Roy took a deep breath and... smiled. God damn Fay for being so sunny anyway. There was an irrepressible quality there that Maes seemed to share, and Roy simultaneously liked and hated both men for it.

"Fair enough. But I only pay for the ladies, so I'd say you're out of luck tonight." Roy passed him the rose. "I'm sure you're not too manly to appreciate this, though."

Fay took the flower and twirled it between his fingers, while still keeping a hand on Roy. It was pretty, and he couldn't remember the last time he received flowers before Roy gave them.

He turned and smiled brightly. "Thank you." He held the flower up to his lips as he was thinking. "I guess we should just go there then!"

Without warning, he started dragging the other man through the streets toward their destination.

Roy, quite understandably, looked taken aback. Fot a start, the blonde didn't look as though he had enough strength to pull him and secondly... well. It appeared Roy Mustang was about to embark on what was possibly a date with someone who definitely wasn't a woman. And he wasn't protesting, either.

How odd.

They stopped in front of a non-descript door on a quiet street off the main avenue. There was only a wooden plaque hanging on the door. It read: "East of Eden".

Dropping Roy's hand, Fay pushed open the door with a quiet creak. It was dim and quiet in the bar, despite the groups and couples sitting around the tables near the back. Jazz was playing in the background as always. He strolled in and marched up to the bar to greet the bartender. "Good evening, Akira-san."

The bartender placed the glass he was wiping down, "Fay, I wasn't expecting to see you until next weekend. Are you supposed to be working at that school?"

"It's a special occassion." Fay gestured to Roy, who was still standing in the doorway.

Roy cast a sheepish look sideways, almost certain that the bartender would think they were... but that wasn't really the wrong impression, was it? He cast a half-smile in the bartender's direction before concentrating on the interior of the bar. Definitely tasteful; he liked the soft jazz and the whole place was much cleaner and quieter than some of the dives he'd had to resort to with Maes. Maybe they just didn't care here? It was a strange thought.

Fay's grin widened as he watched Roy step into the bar. He threw himself down on one of the seats and patted on the one next to him. "Sit down," he said to Roy.

Turning back to Akira, he fluttered his eyelashes. "Since it's so rare I'm here with someone, don't you think you should treat me as a present?"

Akira frowned slightly. "I guess one drink wouldn't hurt..."

Fay's hand shot up in the air, "Hurray, I'll have gin and tonic then! What do you want, Roy-kun?"

Roy blinked, surprised for the umpteenth time that night. "You drink gin?" Martini he might have guessed, cream liquor or more likely wine. There was clearly far more to Fay than met the eye, at any rate.

"Uh, whiskey, please," he added, turning to Akira.

"Is there something wrong with gin?" Fay turned in his seat to face Roy as Akira prepared their drinks. "I guess I should have figured you were the whiskey type. That or scotch."

"Scotch is definitely good. And there's nothing wrong with gin; you just don't look the type at all." Roy took his drink from Akira with a nod and a smile of thanks, listening to the ice clink as he swirled it. "So..."

Roy was dreading this. It was by far his least favourite part of dating... or not-dating, or whatever it wasn't. When the conversation ran dry.

Fay could tell Roy was getting comfortable. He took his drink into his hand and thanked Akira-san.

"I really like this place myself. I worked here when I was in college and all through medical school. The school didn't like the idea too much. They thought it was scandalous. But I still come here regularly, some people would say too much."

"Scandalous? Working in a bar- why?" Roy's suspicions were rising in regards to exactly what sort of bar Fay might have chosen.

"You know school administrations. They're always about decorum. Students aren't supposed to work in bars, especially not medical students. It reflected badly on the reputation of their school. The usual stuff, basically. Why? What did you think it was?" Fay winked again, enjoying teasing and making Roy uncomfortable all too much.

"...Oh." Well that wasn't the response Roy had been expecting, certainly. Thank God he didn't blush easily; Fay's teasing tone was making it all too obvious that he'd picked up on exactly what Roy had been thinking.

Then again, Roy realised, Fay didn't hold all the cards. He could be wound up too...

"Well, given the fact that you did happen to know I was male, me being as irrepressably sexy as I am, it's certainly not a possibility to be overlooked..." The corners of his mouth and eyes pulled into an amused, teasing smirk; another of his trademarks.

Fay laughed, "As I said before, I didn't necessarily mind. It's not everyday I get hit on by a handsome man like you. I hope you don't hold the whole misunderstanding against me."

Roy arched an eyebrow smoothly, despite his lingering smile. "Misunderstanding, hmm? But no, I don't. Maybe I'll even have forgiven you enough to pay your way, next week." He flirted smoothly with Fay, only really half-joking and all-charmer.

"Hyuu, are you asking me out again? I thought you were just interested in the ladies. I may be pretty," he flipped his short blond hair back for emphasis. "But as a medical doctor, I can tell you I'm missing a number of anatomical features."

He smothered his laughter. It was rare he met someone that was willing to and could keep up with him this long.

"Well, that all depends on whether I manage to live tonight down first. If I haven't performed hara-kiri by Thursday, I'll get back to you." He did laugh, then. He couldn't say it wasn't strange being around Fay, but he liked his company. And it wasn't as though he had no idea of what he was getting himself into.

Fay raised his glass up, "Roy-kun, I guess I can say I'm officially pleased to meet you. Cheers, to... us..."

"And good luck for the week ahead. Yes, uh... to us, then." He smiled as he clinked glasses and drank.

"You do need to realise, though, Fay," he began, deadpan, "that I won't be letting you off easily if you're late returning any medical books."

Fay pouted, sinking into his seat. "Hyuu~ So you found me out, guess I'll just have to go to plan B. Akira-san, an apple martini please!"

"And I'll have a spiced rum for the road." Roy was in no hurry to go back to the school. For the first time in a while he just wasn't going to worry. About anything. And, well, who knew what would happen with Fay? That, he mused, could be part of the fun of it.

Not that he was... he wasn't... and, well... he still liked girls.

And maybe Fay. And Maes. Just a little.

Current Mood: giddy