Disclaimer: Most of you know the drill. I don't own FMA or the handsome Roy Mustang, although I really wish I did.
This is a story that someone requested me to write and I hope that they are satisfied with it. I didn't have anything to go on only that they wanted a Roy x Hughes fan fic. Personally I don't even know whoever requested it only that they are a faithful reader and reviewer of my other two stories. I still haven't decided it I want this story to be completed now as it is or if I want to add on to it. If you have any ideas be sure to let me know. Thanks.
Make sure to review! I appreciated it!
Kaida
"I'm telling you Roy she is the most precious little thing! You're going to help keep all those boys away from her when she older aren't you? Of course you are because you're Uncle Roy! I've actually been counting down the hours my friend until I can leave this stuffy office and head home for the evening."
"Maes just shut up and get to the information pertaining to Fullmetal." The raven-haired colonel ground out as he held the phone further away from his ear.
"But Roy I haven't told you about the little tricycle I just bought her for her birthday next week!" Hughes wined, as he was greeted with the all too familiar sound of a line gone dead.
The flame alchemist sat at his desk his gloved hand still holding onto the receiver as it lay in the cradle. His handsome face was sparingly dotted with beads of sweat and his perfect lips were drawn in to a very angry scowl.
"For once Hughes can't you just shut the hell up about your damn family and tell me what I want to know!" Roy yelled as he looked down at the phone still encompassed in his own right hand.
"I take it that the Lieutenant Colonel was no help sir?" Hawkeye asked as she lifted her soft brown gaze from the document in her hand to the frustrated colonel across the room.
"Thank you for that difficult observation Lieutenant." Roy replied sourly as he stood up and walked over to the window where he stood for over half and hour. The flame alchemist looked up into the sky where he slowly watched the many colors of the sunset blend together into the cover of darkness.
'God Maes do you think about anyone else besides your wife and kid?' Roy fumed to himself as the phone's loud and exuberant tone rang throughout the office.
"I'll get it sir." Hawkeye said as she crossed the room and picked up the phone.
"Colonel Mustang's office."
"Oh my god Hawkeye they're gone!" Sobbed a hysterical Maes Hughes, as the gentle man's voice became lost to shock.
"Who's gone sir? Hawkeye asked with a note of tenderness in her voice.
"What's happening Lieutenant? Who's on the phone and who's missing? If it's Fullmetal again I swear that kid's going to do more reports than I have to sign in a week." Mustang said as he walked over from the window to the corner of his desk.
"Hello? Lt. Colonel Hughes, are you still there sir?"
"Give me the phone Hawkeye."
Riza knew. She just knew in her heart that something truly terrible had just happened to Hughes. He never cracked under pressure or grief. It just wasn't his way of doing things. She knew now that it would be best if she handed the colonel the phone. If anyone could help Hughes it was Mustang. Riza extended her hand with the receiver out to Roy and watched as he took it, a serious expression gracing his pale face.
"Hughes is everything alright? Roy asked as he listened intently to the many noises littering the background. A few seconds had passed before he heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line at Eastern Headquarters.
"Colonel?" Ed asked somberly as he sympathetically watched the scene intensify before him.
"Fullmetal? What in the hell is going on?"
"It's Hughes… he just found out that his wife and daughter were on that train that Kimblee blew up a couple of hours ago. According to a family friend they had been on their way to pick up a tricycle that Hughes had bought. I've never seen him act like this colonel. He's just laying in the middle of his office floor crying his eyes out refusing to speak to anyone but you.
"Tell him I'm on my way." Roy said as he guided his shaky hand and hung up the phone. "Lieutenant call the train station and get us on the next train out of here."
"I'm on it sir."
Roy sat impatiently, his forehead resting against the cool and damp smoothness of one of the train's many windows. His onyx eyes stared off into the blackened night as if trapped in a world where all things hurtful were impenetrable to its inhabitants. He nervously shifted his pale clammy hands and focused on the severity of the problem that lied ahead. Roy began to think about how he would comfort the same person that comforted him those many years ago.
Two hours later the train gradually rolled to a stop it's many wheels protesting to the metal track beneath them. A very somber colonel and an equally solemn lieutenant stepped off of the train's first car and onto the station's smooth concrete surface. They were greeted with the bleak looking faces of Lieutenant Ross and Sergeant Brosh. Salutes were exchanged without the need for unnecessary words and the group of four walked in silence to the car.
Edward stood in the corner of Hughes's office watching in mortified silence, as the once jovial Lt. Colonel lay broken on the floor. His rather large frame was curled up into a tight ball and his hand ferociously clutched the picture of his lost family.
'Hurry up you Colonel bastard, Hughes needs your arrogant ass.' Ed thought as he desperately tried to understand why the Lt. Colonel refused to talk to anyone but Mustang. Of all the people that were standing out in the hall who cared about the giving and intelligent man on the floor, why did he have to pick the most egotistical bastard he knew? Was there something between them that Ed didn't know?
Maes watched as the translucent tear that had just rolled off of the tip of his nose splattered to the hardwood floor beneath him. His mind felt as if it was splitting into a million pieces and he felt an ache in his chest that made him wonder if his heart was literally going to split into. 'How could this have happened? How can I ever recover from losing my wife and child? I swear on their lives that Kimblee is going to pay, I will personally see to it that I catch that bastard and rid this world of his miserable existence.' Maes thought as he lifted his trembling body from the floor and walked over to his desk. Once seated in his leather chair he placed their picture back on the top of the desk then removed the keys from his pocket and unlocked the bottom left hand drawer. He then stared long and hard at what lay shinning hidden within the bottom recesses of the desk. Hughes then narrowed his golden eyes and reached into the nearly empty drawer and pulled out something he very rarely used. He then very discreetly brought it up to his waist where he nestled it between his hip and the elastic band of his pants. The Lt. Colonel quickly stood up straightening out his uniform making sure that it completely covered the gleaming metal of his Beretta and made a beeline for the door. His mind had rapidly become clouded with rage and sorrow and not realizing what he was doing he brutally shoved the blonde headed boy in front of him halfway across the room. The golden-eyed officer then left his office and walked briskly passed the blurry faces that were standing in the hallway.
After watching Hughes finally get up off the floor and walk over to his desk, Edward was beginning to think that the man might be pulling himself together. He watched closely as the Lt. Colonel pulled something out of a bottom drawer and tucked it gingerly into the waistband of his pants. If Ed didn't know better he suspected that Hughes turned away from him just to hide whatever it was he took out of the drawer. The blonde then watched as his raven-haired superior got up from the leather chair and began heading for the door. Fullmetal's intuition told him that he shouldn't let the Lt. Colonel leave the safety of his office no telling what the man would do in his weakened state. Ed quickly stepped into his friend's path and looked up into his similar golden eyes. What he saw there rattled him deep down to his core. Hughes's familiar bright eyes that normally shown with love and friendship now blazed with the cold and sinister desire to kill. The blonde was about to speak when he felt two very strong hands on his chest. He looked down and was about to protest when he suddenly felt his body being violently shoved to the side. Ed hit the ground hard causing his body to be thrown into an uncontrollable skid that ran his head sharply into the metal leg of the Lt. Colonel's couch. With his vision blurry and his head pounding the alchemist struggled to get up only to pass out a few seconds later.
Roy stepped out of the car and joined Lieutenant Hawkeye on the front steps of Eastern Headquarters. They were nearing the front doors when the sounds of soldiers yelling from the inside caused them to cease their walking. Seconds later a very pissed looking Hughes stormed through the doors and headed for the street a shinning piece of metal clutched in his right hand. Ignoring the other soldier's shouts from behind he kept on walking until a familiar tenor echoed out into the sticky night air.
"Maes stop." Roy said as he walked the last remaining feet to his best friend.
Hughes locked gazes with the flame alchemist and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Roy…you're here." He stammered as tears began to form in his protesting eyes.
"What do you think you're doing? Why do you have a gun in your hand Maes?" Roy asked concern laced within his words.
"I have to kill him Roy. Kimblee…he…he…killed my family!" Hughes yelled as he fell to his knees the gun clattering against the concrete.
"You're not going after him in this state and you're definitely not going after him alone! Don't act foolish Hughes. What will you accomplish by dieing?" Roy asked bending down in front of the devastated man. Anger now slowly creeping out into the flame alchemist's voice.
"I don't know Roy. Maybe I should give you the same answer you gave me those many years ago." Hughes whispered as he felt Mustang's strong hand tilt his face up to meet his.
"That's enough Maes let's get you out of here. We obviously need to talk…alone."
The Lt. Colonel nodded his head in agreement as his tears unceremoniously splattered into the deep blue fabric of his military uniform.
Hawkeye reached down and freed the Beretta from her colleague's hand placing it within the waistband of her pants. She would give it back to him when he was in a more stable frame of mind.
Edward awoke to the familiar sound of a female's voice and slowly pried his eyes open. After allowing his eyes time to adjust to the bright light he looked around the room and focused his eyes on the owner of the voice.
"Hawkeye what happened?" He asked his head feeling as if it was going to split into any second.
"Don't you remember Edward?"
"…Hughes shoved me…is he ok?"
"The colonel took him to his hotel room as soon as we got here. If anyone can talk some sense into Hughes it's Mustang. Maes also needs a close friend to help him through this hard time. I just can't imagine the amount of pain he's going through." Hawkeye said as she watched Ed rise up to a sitting position on the couch.
"Then why is he with the Colonel if he needs comfort? He's the last person I would ever go to."
"There is a lot you do not know about Mustang Ed. For starters the man cares about those he's around more than he likes to let on. Also the Colonel and Hughes have been friends since their childhood making their bond more than just a military friendship. A long time ago after the Ishbal war, Mustang was traumatized by the things he was ordered to do. It was Hughes that stepped in and gave him the strength to pick himself back up off the floor and to continue down his path of becoming Fuhrer. So you see Ed this is why Hughes only wants to speak with the Colonel and the Colonel alone."
"Oh." The boy replied as he laid back down on the couch rubbing the back of his head.
Roy placed the key into the locking mechanism and turned it until it clicked. He then removed the key, pushed the door open and waited for Maes to enter his room. As soon as his golden-eyed friend brushed past him the flame stepped through the doorway and closed the door behind them. Mustang then placed Maes's suitcase that Lt. Ross had retrieved on the floor next to his and walked over to Hughes who was just standing staring at him blankly.
"I have nothing to live for anymore Roy." Hughes said as he faced his friend with puffy eyes and a tear stained face.
Mustang feeling that he needed this punched Hughes right square in the jaw.
"Don't say such crap Maes. It's not true."
Not really knowing what to say anymore Hughes walked forward and wrapped his arms around Roy's neck and buried his face in his shoulder.
Feeling the weight of the Lt. Colonel's arms around his neck and his head on his shoulder Roy shivered at the intimate connection. He then reached up and wrapped his arms around the broken man, knowing that what Maes really needed now was to be held.
As soon as he felt the alchemists arms surround him, Maes released the torrent of tears he had been holding back. Crying uncontrollably into his best friend's shoulder seemed to alleviate some of the sadness that had been looming over his heart and mind. There was just something about Roy that helped calm his nerves, there always had been.
Mustang stood holding onto Maes tightly as he sobbed against his body. Many words ran rampant throughout his mind although he was finding it rather difficult to piece them together into coherent sentences. What should he say? What do you tell someone who's just lost everything that they held dear? Roy didn't know these answers so he just held on to his friend hoping that his embrace may somehow take away his pain.
Several minutes later Hughes lifted his head off of Roy's shoulder and moved his hands until they rested just behind his neck. He stood staring into his companion's deep onyx eyes as their true deep blue shown back at him.
"What do I do now that I'm all alone?" Hughes asked, his voice shaky with grief.
"Your not alone Maes. I'm here and I always will be." Mustang replied as he moved his hands to the Lt. Colonel's shoulders.
"Do you promise me that Roy?"
"I promise Maes. You helped me get through my hardships and I am bound and determined to help you get through yours."
"Would you do anything to help me?" Hughes asked his golden eyes filled with a foreign emotion.
"You know I would Maes." Roy replied watching as his comrade lowered his nose to where it rested against his.
"Then take the pain away Roy." He said as he tilted his head and pressed his lips against those belonging to the raven-haired alchemist.
Roy was shocked to say the least when he felt Maes's lips come crashing down upon his. He wasn't going to deny that it didn't feel wonderful, it's just this is the last thing that he had ever expected to happen. Throughout their years together Roy had experienced times of sexual attraction to Hughes but always suppressed them down telling himself that it was just because he really cared for his friend. It wasn't until Maes just pressed his lips against his that the Colonel realized what he had been feeling all these years was more than just friendship. 'Is this why out of all the women I have dated I can't seem to remotely care about any of them? Is it because I have been in love with Maes all of this time and not really known it?' He thought as began to participate in the kiss.
The feel of Roy's lips against his own seemed to wipe away all other thoughts from his mind allowing him to only concentrate on the silkiness that was Roy. Hughes lowered his hands to Mustang's back where he pulled the flame alchemist tighter against his body. Reveling in the sensations that the Colonel was bringing to all areas of his body Maes let out a small almost inaudible moan. Since when did he start to desire Roy this way?
Feeling the other man's arms travel to his back Roy instinctively wrapped his arms around him once again making the distance between them smaller still. The sensations that Hughes was bringing to his body excited him in ways he had never felt before, and all from just a simple kiss.
A few moments later Hughes broke the kiss and stared deep into Mustang's eyes.
"What is it about you Roy that draws me to you in this way? Why does when you touch me my pain seems to dissipate along with everything else around us?" He asked as he waited for him to respond.
"I don't know Maes. Maybe it's because we have known each other our whole lives, I mean look at everything we have gone through together."
"Maybe that's the case and maybe it isn't, I don't know. All I'm sure of now is that I want to forget everything and everyone except us. I want the pain to stop Roy." Hughes said as a tear ran down his right cheek.
The flame alchemist reached up and wiped the tear away as he tilted his head and brought his lips to those of his troubled companion.
"Ok Maes I'll take the pain away." He said as he pulled him in tight for another embrace.