Faye (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
said_scarlett) wrote2006-07-11 02:36 pm
said_scarlett) wrote2006-07-11 02:36 pm
Not That Kind of Girl - Maria Ross
Title: Not That Kind of Girl
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
theladyfeylene
Fandom: FMA
Character: Maria Ross
Prompt: 039, conceal
Pairing: N/A
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1036
Summary: Was the idea that a woman didn't want a husband and children really that difficult a concept to grasp?
“Why is it so hard to find a girl to go out with?”
Jean Havoc threw himself down into a chair, and Maria Ross glanced up with a small smile. She spoke without thinking.
“Tell me about it,” she said, with a wry shake of her head. Havoc’s eyebrows quirked and Maria realized, suddenly, what she had said. She worked quickly, used to working quickly to cover small slips. That sort of thing wasn’t talked about, after all. “Well, finding a man,” she said, as smoothly as she could manage. It was really just for appearances sake. Maria didn’t honestly believe that people couldn’t see through her façade. But this was the military.
“You’ve got trouble getting dates?” Havoc clearly didn’t believe her. Maria just shrugged, wondering why he was even pushing the subject.
Of course I have trouble getting dates! she wanted to snap. At least you’ve got the right parts to ask women out. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me? I’m expected to fall over my feet for the first pretty-boy that shows an interest, and when I don’t, people talk. And it’s not good having people talk like that. So we all play this nice little game and we pretend I‘m just like any other woman and everyone‘s happy, now please leave me alone!
But she didn’t say any of it.
“You know how it is,” she finally offered, vaguely. “The job and everything.”
Which was, she admitted, quite true. It would have been bad enough if she wasn’t in the military, but there were standards to be upheld. Appearances to be kept. And she kept them the best that she could, going out now and again on dates and never answering the phone afterwards. But she assumed that people would suspect, and keep their mouths shut. That was generally how it was done, wasn’t it?
“I thought uh, you know. Brosch, he’s interested, isn’t he?”
Maria pursed her lips and counted to ten. Of course Denny was interested! She’d have to be blind and stupid not to see that. And he was blind and stupid if he hadn’t realized that she wasn’t interested in return. And why! They’d been partners for years now.
“He’s not my type,” Maria said. Why did Havoc even want to talk about this? Couldn’t he just whine about his own lack of a love life and leave hers alone?
“So… what is your type?”
Tall, blue eyed and with a great pair of breasts. It was easy to snap and be clever in your own mind.
“Not Denny,” she said, grasping quickly for whatever paperwork she could find lying around. Maybe if she looked busy, he’d leave her alone. She knew people had to know. But it was something that just Wasn’t Talked About. She’d always assumed that if she kept her private life private, went out with a guy now and again, everyone would turn a blind eye.
But now she was realizing that men just didn’t figure it out. Women did, but men didn’t. It was the strangest thing. Even Denny, who’d been her partner for as long as she could remember, didn’t seem to figure things out.
“That narrows it down, huh?”
Havoc winked at her. Maria stared at him blankly. Was he… hitting on her? Or planning on hitting on her? He was. Maria could see it in his eyes. She buried her face in her hands and groaned.
“Geeze, women usually don’t do that until after I‘ve actually asked them out…” Havoc ventured, with a nervous chuckle.
“You’re not my type, either,” Maria said, through gritted teeth. Men! Stupid, ridiculous men!
“Ah, I get it.” Havoc leaned back in his chair, cigarette dangling from his lips. “You go for the Mustang type, huh?”
“No!” Maria snapped, losing her temper. “Colonel Mustang isn’t my type either! None of you are my type!”
Havoc blinked, slowly. He stared. Maria was panting and heaving and red in the face, but at this point she’d had it. Why did it have to be so difficult? If it wasn’t men asking her out it was men asking her when she was going to settle down! She didn’t want a man and she didn’t want to settle down! Was the idea of a woman who was perfectly happy never getting married and having a family that difficult to understand? Was the idea that maybe, just maybe, not all women were waiting for Mr Right that tough of a concept? Apparently so!
“You’re all so… so egotistical!” Maria snapped, at the end of her rope. Havoc’s cigarette had burned down to a cylinder of ash now, and Maria smoothed down her short hair. She was good and wound up now.
“…I’m sorry?” Havoc offered, clearly very much lost and struggling to figure out where the conversation had gone wrong. Maria threw up her hands and stood.
“I’m going to… I don’t know. I’m going for a walk!”
Havoc didn’t respond. Maria didn’t blame him. She knew she’d bite his head off, no matter what he said. It wasn’t personal, he just happened to be there when she finally blew her fuse. And it was good and blown.
One of these days, Maria decided. One of these days she was going to say to hell with it all and show up at the yearly military dinner with a woman on her arm. And it’d be a gorgeous and intelligent woman, and every damn man would be jealous and….
Maria sighed as she got out into the open air. She slumped against the wall and her steam quickly drained away. Maybe someday she would say to hell with it, but it wouldn’t be anytime soon. It may have been a time for changes, but there could only be so much change at once. And there were more important things that needed her attention right now. Someday would come, and when it did it would be good, but for now she just had to make do with what she could.
Pushing herself off from the wall, Maria clasped her hands behind her back and decided to go find Denny and see if he wanted a late lunch.
Author:
theladyfeyleneFandom: FMA
Character: Maria Ross
Prompt: 039, conceal
Pairing: N/A
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1036
Summary: Was the idea that a woman didn't want a husband and children really that difficult a concept to grasp?
“Why is it so hard to find a girl to go out with?”
Jean Havoc threw himself down into a chair, and Maria Ross glanced up with a small smile. She spoke without thinking.
“Tell me about it,” she said, with a wry shake of her head. Havoc’s eyebrows quirked and Maria realized, suddenly, what she had said. She worked quickly, used to working quickly to cover small slips. That sort of thing wasn’t talked about, after all. “Well, finding a man,” she said, as smoothly as she could manage. It was really just for appearances sake. Maria didn’t honestly believe that people couldn’t see through her façade. But this was the military.
“You’ve got trouble getting dates?” Havoc clearly didn’t believe her. Maria just shrugged, wondering why he was even pushing the subject.
Of course I have trouble getting dates! she wanted to snap. At least you’ve got the right parts to ask women out. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me? I’m expected to fall over my feet for the first pretty-boy that shows an interest, and when I don’t, people talk. And it’s not good having people talk like that. So we all play this nice little game and we pretend I‘m just like any other woman and everyone‘s happy, now please leave me alone!
But she didn’t say any of it.
“You know how it is,” she finally offered, vaguely. “The job and everything.”
Which was, she admitted, quite true. It would have been bad enough if she wasn’t in the military, but there were standards to be upheld. Appearances to be kept. And she kept them the best that she could, going out now and again on dates and never answering the phone afterwards. But she assumed that people would suspect, and keep their mouths shut. That was generally how it was done, wasn’t it?
“I thought uh, you know. Brosch, he’s interested, isn’t he?”
Maria pursed her lips and counted to ten. Of course Denny was interested! She’d have to be blind and stupid not to see that. And he was blind and stupid if he hadn’t realized that she wasn’t interested in return. And why! They’d been partners for years now.
“He’s not my type,” Maria said. Why did Havoc even want to talk about this? Couldn’t he just whine about his own lack of a love life and leave hers alone?
“So… what is your type?”
Tall, blue eyed and with a great pair of breasts. It was easy to snap and be clever in your own mind.
“Not Denny,” she said, grasping quickly for whatever paperwork she could find lying around. Maybe if she looked busy, he’d leave her alone. She knew people had to know. But it was something that just Wasn’t Talked About. She’d always assumed that if she kept her private life private, went out with a guy now and again, everyone would turn a blind eye.
But now she was realizing that men just didn’t figure it out. Women did, but men didn’t. It was the strangest thing. Even Denny, who’d been her partner for as long as she could remember, didn’t seem to figure things out.
“That narrows it down, huh?”
Havoc winked at her. Maria stared at him blankly. Was he… hitting on her? Or planning on hitting on her? He was. Maria could see it in his eyes. She buried her face in her hands and groaned.
“Geeze, women usually don’t do that until after I‘ve actually asked them out…” Havoc ventured, with a nervous chuckle.
“You’re not my type, either,” Maria said, through gritted teeth. Men! Stupid, ridiculous men!
“Ah, I get it.” Havoc leaned back in his chair, cigarette dangling from his lips. “You go for the Mustang type, huh?”
“No!” Maria snapped, losing her temper. “Colonel Mustang isn’t my type either! None of you are my type!”
Havoc blinked, slowly. He stared. Maria was panting and heaving and red in the face, but at this point she’d had it. Why did it have to be so difficult? If it wasn’t men asking her out it was men asking her when she was going to settle down! She didn’t want a man and she didn’t want to settle down! Was the idea of a woman who was perfectly happy never getting married and having a family that difficult to understand? Was the idea that maybe, just maybe, not all women were waiting for Mr Right that tough of a concept? Apparently so!
“You’re all so… so egotistical!” Maria snapped, at the end of her rope. Havoc’s cigarette had burned down to a cylinder of ash now, and Maria smoothed down her short hair. She was good and wound up now.
“…I’m sorry?” Havoc offered, clearly very much lost and struggling to figure out where the conversation had gone wrong. Maria threw up her hands and stood.
“I’m going to… I don’t know. I’m going for a walk!”
Havoc didn’t respond. Maria didn’t blame him. She knew she’d bite his head off, no matter what he said. It wasn’t personal, he just happened to be there when she finally blew her fuse. And it was good and blown.
One of these days, Maria decided. One of these days she was going to say to hell with it all and show up at the yearly military dinner with a woman on her arm. And it’d be a gorgeous and intelligent woman, and every damn man would be jealous and….
Maria sighed as she got out into the open air. She slumped against the wall and her steam quickly drained away. Maybe someday she would say to hell with it, but it wouldn’t be anytime soon. It may have been a time for changes, but there could only be so much change at once. And there were more important things that needed her attention right now. Someday would come, and when it did it would be good, but for now she just had to make do with what she could.
Pushing herself off from the wall, Maria clasped her hands behind her back and decided to go find Denny and see if he wanted a late lunch.