It was the greatest secret of the military. Two men in love with each other… Devoted to each other… But there were things that even love could not over come. The war came and went, and the man that he had loved faded, faded into something he had never wanted to see… Even before then, before the war, things had been strained. He had kept a girlfriend, to keep up appearances, and he had been a womanizer, just to keep face.

But the war changed the obsidian eyed womanizer, and golden-emerald eyed man married his girlfriend. They began to walk very different paths; they began to lose each other. Even as this happened they kept true to the dreams and promises they had made as young lovers late beneath the stars.

The obsidian eyed womanizer was Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist.

The golden-emerald eyed family man was Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, of the Investigations Department.

Roy was ambitious working his way up the ranks, doing his best to become the leader of the military, for reasons unknown.

Maes were perfectly fine doing everything within his power to make sure that Roy's dreams came true.

There was love in both of their eyes, in both of their tasks, but bitterness… Resentment, at each other, that they weren't strong enough to forsake everything for each other, to give in, to let go of everyone else in the world… At the world that deemed circumstances to keep them apart. They understood their roles and why they must be that way, but it was still painful every single moment.

Maes found comfort in his wife; he truly did love her, though not as much as he loved Roy… But there was still that, that to keep him sane, he was still able to hide his pain.

The Flame Alchemist didn't have that luxury.
As time wore on he turned to one of his dearest friends, Riza Hawkeye, but it was just too little too late. Riza loved him, she loved Roy with everything that was in her, but she knew of Maes, and that she would never be able to take his place.

Until the night Maes died, she was content with that…

After that moment everything fell apart.
Roy fell apart.

"There are some things that are taboo, you know that, right Riza?" He asked her late one evening. "Like human transmutation… Or the love between two men…"

"I know, Sir." She replied.

They were still at the office; she was making sure that all of the paper work he had to do was completed.

He was daydreaming of a time and a place far away.

"Maes used to joke what we were doing was human transmutation…" He laughed, cynically. "But what were we trading? I know what we were trading…"

"What is that, Sir?" She questioned dutifully.

He smiled his real, gentle smile at her.

"Don't think about it, First Lieutenant." He said.
She watched as he crossed to her desk. Her heart pounded as he kissed her. They had spent nights in each others' arms talking, but that romantic connection…

"Roy…" She murmured.

"Good-bye Riza." He whispered to her.

She was in a daze it took her minutes upon minutes to realize what had just happened. She closed her eyes.

He was calm, he was completely calm. Trembling fingers ran over the words on the headstone.
"Why?" He breathed.

Red streaks showed on the cold white marble. An old voice called to him.

"Human transmutation…" It seemed to sooth him.

The wind gently embraced him. A touch so gentle, so familiar it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

"Wait I'm coming for you." Roy sighed.

The moon illuminated Roy, making him shine god-like in the graveyard, it was proper for the act, for the sin, he was about to commit. He placed his blood-stained hands on the grass that he had caked with blood.

A bright light rose. The world turned to winter; stark gleaming whiteness around him, a large ornate door loomed before him. It creaked open.

"The Gate." He muttered, almost in awe.

"I thought I told you to get married." A voice spoke behind him.

It was teasing, it was caring, it was Maes.

"How do you know I didn't?" His reply was slow, he mouth seemed horribly dry.

"If you had, you wouldn't be here; you'd be with your wife, because you aren't that much of an ass." Maes said, matter-of-factly.

Roy had no quick reply. He threw his arms around the man. Maes embraced the smaller man.

"You left your family… For my sake…" He nearly sobbed. "To raise me to the status I don't deserve."

"Roy…" Maes sighed.

He tilted his chin up, staring into his eyes. There was silence… Silence…

"Why?"
"Because I love you… Because I promised… Why are you here?"

"To bring you back…"

"I can't go back… It's impossible…"

"If human transmutation is impossible… Then explain…"

Roy was cut off by a soft, much missed kiss.

"Love isn't alchemy."

Riza ran through the graveyard, was she too late?
"Roy!" She screamed. "Colonel! Roy!"

The sight of his body rigid, standing in the center of the circle, scared her. She was… She was too late.

They both heard the voice.

"It's time you went back." Maes said. "It's time I went…"

"Take me with you…" Almost pleading, almost begging, it was a Roy Maes hadn't seen in years.

The lost childishness of his voice made him smile.

"Make it to the top Roy… I'll be there, pushing you to the top…" He promised, with a kiss on the Flame Alchemist's forehead.

She sprinted forward, catching Roy as he fell. She held him gently while he sobbed.

"Please… Roy… Let me get you out of the rain…" She murmured.

He nodded, mutely, and she held him tighter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist.