A/N: Here. Enjoy some fluff. I blame KyosBeads13 for this. XD NO, I do not own FMA, Mustang, or Hughes. :D

~*~*~*~

Such A Silly Promise

Roy Mustang walked along the dusty, vacant terrain of the battlefield; it was too quiet for so late in the morning. He glanced around cautiously, only spotting blue clad soldiers from Amestris and sighed with relief. "Looks good so far," he said quietly to himself.

"Ah, morning Roy," the tired, yet familiar voice said from behind the young alchemist. With a hand planted firmly on Mustang's shoulder, Maes Hughes yawned into his companion's ear.

Mustang shivered, brushing Hughes off his shoulder with an annoyed grunt and a faint blush of pink on his cheeks. "Really, Hughes, must you?"

Hughes groaned, rubbing his stubble laden chin, a large pout on his face. "Come on, Roy. Give me a break, I got a late start this morning! Look…I didn't even get to shave…"

Chuckling, Mustang studied Hughes' face, from the dark-rimmed eyes to that pesky morning stubble. "Maybe you'd look better with a beard, Hughes. It'd match that dumb smile of yours," he said, beginning his walk towards the main camps.

Then there was a sudden pause. Hughes remained unnaturally silent before that dumb smile returned to its favorite spot. "Okay, sure! I'll do it!"

Mustang glanced back quickly, unsure of what to make of Hughes' sudden decision. "Excuse me?" His voice was soft, as if to mask the flattery it held.

Hughes chuckled lightly and wrapped his arm around the young man's shoulder. "I'll grow out my beard. After the war, that is…and I'll do it just for you," he said with a friendly wink, guiding the young man to their destination.

Mustang took in a feverish breath, replaying Hughes' words in his head. Hughes doing something just for him; the light fluttering in Roy's stomach wouldn't fade until nightfall.

The train ride to Central was always so long and boring, so Mustang knew he could get some good rest before the night's ceremony. Just last week he received an invitation from the Fuhrer himself to attend an award ceremony for triumphs in Ishbal.

He held the invite in his hands, studying the contents of the message:

Major Roy Mustang,

Fuhrer King Bradley and the citizens of Amestris wish to commend you for your courageous acts and achievements on the Ishbal Front…

"Courageous acts and achievements, huh? What a joke," he whispered to himself, resting his forehead against the glass of the train's window. Nearly three months had passed since the end of the civil war, not nearly enough time for the pain of memories to slip away.

He sighed, spotting the Central Train Station in the distance and began to gather his luggage. Stepping off the train, he noticed the many soldiers in uniform, more than what should be in Central. He smirked and shook his head, eyeing some of the familiar faces from three months back "Is everyone getting an award tonight," he joked quietly. Continuing his study of comrades from the field, one face stood out among the crowd, and the alchemist met his eyes with a gasp.

Maes Hughes had kept his word with Roy Mustang; that light trail of stubble was now a full-fledged beard, darkening the man's jaw line. Mustang couldn't help but feel that twinge of embarrassment, remembering the day Hughes had promised to grow the beard…just for him. Covering his face, he hurried towards the station's exit, but his attempts to hide his identity were futile.

"Roy? Hey, Roy!!!"

He turned around, facing his old war buddy with a rather awkward smile. "Hughes, what a surprise!" Poor choice of words, Roy thought.

Hughes chuckled, unknowingly agreeing with Mustang's thoughts. "Is it really? You know I'm stationed in Central. And of course, with a gathering of the military this large, you're bound to run into me," he said, laughing joyously between words.

Rolling his eyes, Mustang nodded. He couldn't take his eyes off that beard, or his mind off the thought of why it was even there. He cleared his throat, preparing for idle chit-chat. "So…how have things been, Hughes?"

A gentle smile spread across the other man's face as he started digging through his pockets for tangible proof of his glorious life. "I popped the question, Roy," he said, a picture of Hughes besides a woman with dirty blonde hair, snug between his fingers. "You're looking at the future Mr. and Mrs. Maes Hughes, my friend."

Roy smiled, noticing the beard still in its beginning stages. He chuckled and glanced up at Hughes, smiling gently. "Congrats."

A jolly laughter reverberating from his lungs, Hughes pocketed the picture and started towards the station exit with Roy. "Thanks, thanks. What about you? Any new ladies in your life?"

Mustang laughed and shook his head, waving his hand in front of him, like swatting away a fly. "No, no, none worth mentioning," he said, taking one last glance at Hughes' facial hair with a heartfelt smile. "Nice beard, by the way…"

Hughes' eyes widened, his cheeks tinted with a light pink, and chuckled softly. "Thanks," he said, under his breath, and wrapped his arm around his young comrade.

Such a silly thing to promise, but the three-month long gesture stuck with Mustang the entire night.

~*~*~*~

Thanks for reading! :D

~erbby