AN: let's pretend the Alchemic World celebrates Valentine's Day or has their own version of the day. I doubt they do, but I don't care XP

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Every Valentine's Day, Maes Hughes saw the same thing. A ton of girls would come up to his friend Roy Mustang through out the day and rain upon him boxes of chocolate. And each year Mustang gave the chocolate away, save for one or two boxes.

This was to be expected. Mustang was a ladies man; well loved by the female population of any place he went to live. He also didn't care much for chocolate.

That wasn't anything new or strange to Hughes. No…there was something else that bugged him.

Each year Roy had a box of chocolates HE wanted to give. Only one. For as long as Hughes had known him, Roy always had a box for an unknown recipient.

During the day, Hughes would watch Roy take out the chocolate, think about it, put it away, think about it, take it back out, think about it, start to put it away again, stop, think, get out of his seat, stop, think, sit back down, think yet some more, and finally, throw the chocolates away at the end of the day. It was unlike Roy to waste something, especially something he bought. Who was it Roy wanted to give the chocolates to? Was it someone different every year or the same person? Whenever Hughes asked, Roy would blush uncharacteristically and reply "No one," then consider taking the box out of the trash (which he always decided not to). Whoever it was, it was someone really important to him, someone he cared about enough to make him nervous. Someone serious.

Roy rarely got serious with women. In fact, for as long as Maes had known him, had he ever gotten serious about a woman besides the unknown one he bought chocolates for every year?

Once Hughes asked if he wanted him to deliver it in his place.

"No. Thank you, Maes." Roy replied, his face that unusual red tint rarely seen on him.

Hughes assumed Roy was still going about this tradition while stationed in East Headquarters.

"You ever going to give your secret crush that chocolate?" he asked one Valentine's Day on the phone.

There was a long pause. Hughes could picture Roy's red face.

"No." he finally said.

His friend was honestly fed up. How was Roy going to find a good wife if he went on like this?

"Well, why not? What's the problem? What's stopping you, Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, ladies man extraordinaire, the type of man women will pay good money just to TOUCH, from giving chocolate to some girl?"

There was silence again.

"They're…married." he confessed.

"Oh."

"Someone…beat me to them…I had my chance before…and let it slip through my fingers…"

There was silence again. Hughes let the matter go, feeling somewhat bad.

Hughes never did find out his friend's secret crush. At least, not in his time alive.

-.-.-

The first Valentine's Day after Maes Hughes' murder, Roy Mustang arrived at his grave, a box of chocolates in hand. This was to be his new Valentine's Day tradition.

He stood there a while in complete silence. Eventually he got on his knees before the spot where Maes eternally laid. His gloved fingers began to trace the words engraved on the stone: Brigadier General Maes Hughes…

Finally, he took his chocolates and set the box against the white slab.

"I…I loved-…...I still love you Maes."

It was much easier to admit his feelings to a dead man, but infinitely more painful.

He sat in silence for a long time, looking at the tombstone and the chocolates he was finally able to give.