Disclaimer: The following is based of characters as developed by Hiromu Arkawa. By no means do I take credit for their creation and/or character development.
Author's notes: Been in a bit of a one shot mood lately. This is a scene I've been thinking of for a little while with a pairing I'm crazy about (Maes X Roy). It's set a little after Roy tells Hughes he wishes to become Fuhrer. Let me know what you think!
Phoenix
"Shhh….Wait for it…wait for it…" Maes Hughes kept his voice low. Dusk was starting to set in and the evening air had grown still and quiet. The sinking sun made their shadows long and stained the rolling hills around them a warm orange color. The light warmed Hughes' face. He closed his eyes, breathing calmly, sighing softly as if to concentrate on every blade of sweet grass beneath his bare feet.
Suddenly, there was a gentle swell of air around them. Maes snapped his eyes open, "Now, Elysia!" He shouted as a gust of autumn wind swept across the meadow. Quickly, he threw his arms up into the air and released the massive kite. "Hold on tight!"
"Yay!" Elysia squealed with delight as the wings of the phoenix shaped kite puffed up with air and took flight, "Look at me, Mommy!"
"I see you!" On the picnic blanket not too far off Gracia shaded her eyes and peered up at the large kite swooping in gentle paths against the vibrant sun. Its long, ribbon tails danced in the wind, "Hold on tight, Honey! Don't let it get away!"
The light beneath the phoenix's billowing wings, like the wavering light of fire, flickered in a sleepy rhythm as the kite criss crossed the sky. Was it odd that for a brief moment Maes wished that Roy was there beside him?
Hughes' smile widened as he watched Elysia scamper back and forth, struggling to tame the kite to her will. Was it possible with only a spool of thin string?
"Oh no! Maes, I told you that kite was too big for her," Gracia sprang up next to her husband, "Don't just stand there! Go help her! It's going to start dragging your daughter if you don't do something!"
Hughes didn't move. "She's fine, Gracia, look! She loves it," he said as Elysia caught herself from a trip that would have face planted her into the ground. Nevertheless she never let go of the large spool of string in her hands, "She's a big girl. She's so athletic for her age don't you think?"
"Oh, Maes! Sometimes I think you're…" he didn't hear the rest of her sentence as she ran further away to where their daughter was pulling at the kite. Hughes' smile deepened as he watched his wife's slender figure sprint to their daughter's aid while holding her large weaved hat to her head with one hand. How he wished he hadn't forgot the camera back at the house.
A rustling to his right brought Hughes to break his gaze from his wife and child.
"Roy?"
He was standing just beyond the large maple tree, beneath the dancing shadow of the phoenix kite near the picnic blanket. Another gentle breeze sent a cascade of bright orange and red leaves around him and across the meadow. Despite the pleasant weather, he was wearing a dark suit. His crisp white collar was unbuttoned and upturned and his black tie was unknotted and hung loosely around his neck. With his black jacket slung over his shoulder he turned and walked closer to Maes.
"I thought you weren't coming," Hughes smiled again, "Didn't you have a date?"
Roy stared off distantly at Gracia and Elysia wrestling with the giant bird kite, "I did."
"What? And it's over already?" Hughes teased. He scratched the back of his head, "If you keep this habit up you'll never find yourself a wife."
"Yeah," Roy squinted up at the bright kite flapping overhead, "I know. But I think a wife is the last thing I need right now."
Slowly Maes' giddiness subsided as silence settled between them. Elysia's squeals echoed throughout the rolling hills of the down.
"Where did Hawkeye and the others go anyway?" Roy finally spoke up, but continued to keep his gaze on the horizon in front of him, "Weren't they coming?"
"Oh," Hughes placed his hands in his pockets and glanced over at his friend, "They just left. It was getting late and Black Hayate was getting sick because we think Havoc was feeding him too many sausages behind his back." Hughes gestured to the picnic basket behind them, "But we still have plenty of food left if you want some."
"No thanks," Roy shrugged, "I'm not hungry."
"How about a beer?"
The fire alchemist shook his head.
After another extended silence Roy spoke up, "You have a nice family, Maes." Somberly, he waved back to Gracia who had just caught sight of him.
Hughes smiled fondly, "I know. I'm telling you. Once you find a lovely woman like Gracia you can have one too."
"No. It's not the thing I want right now. And somehow, Maes, I don't think I'll ever…" Roy dropped his gaze to his feet, "…ever be as happy as you." His hand subconsciously thumbed the bandage on his opposite wrist.
Hughes' eyes widened, "You bastard, Mustang," he swore quietly, pulling Roy in close, "You tried again didn't you?"
"Relax, Maes," Roy said, still avoiding eye contact, "It's not what you think. Besides, it didn't work anyways. I just ended up burning myself…my cowardly hands were just shaking too much."
"You fool. You know it's forbidden for a reason," Maes whispered harshly, trying to hide anger from Elysia and Gracia still occupied with the kite, "I told you I'd help you become Fuhrer! Didn't my words mean anything to you?!"
Roy kept his eyes locked on the ground not saying a word. A light wind tousled the dark hair that had fallen into his eyes. More auburn leaves swirled down around them.
"Look," Hughes let go of Roy's arm and turned his back on him, "I know you can never forget what you saw over there. I can only imagine what they made you do. I know that it's going to be hard to move on but if you truly want to become Fuhrer you're going to have to. I'll help you but—"
"They mean everything, Maes," Roy interrupted, "You're words, that is."
Perplexed, Hughes turned around. The dimming orange sunlight danced violently across the fire alchemist's face. "This," Mustang tapped the bandage on his wrist, "Had nothing to do what happened over there."
"Then what?"
"Heh," Roy lowered his head again, his dark bangs hiding his eyes, "It's not them that I think about all the time. It used to be…but not so much anymore," his fingertips played across the ridges and hillocks of the white gauze, "These different thoughts actually started while I was overseas…and it's funny, because as I get over what happened over there…these other thoughts are becoming stronger." Gently, his fingers began to stroke the smooth white cloth around his arm, "You see, Maes, it's not them that I can't stop thinking about…Maes… it's y—"
As the fire alchemist spoke the shadow of the phoenix kite fell away abruptly. Elysia's screams washed out Roy's last few words.
Unexpectedly, Hughes hesitated, glancing at his family and then back at Roy as if he wished for Roy to repeat himself.
"Maes!" Gracia's shouted over and over again as she cradled Elysia next to the heap of the shattered kite.
In a flash, Hughes ran to his daughter and scooped her up in his arms. Running back towards the car not far off he spoke to Roy quickly, "Roy, I'm sorry but we'll have to continue our talk later. We think Elysia broke her arm. We have to take her to Dr. Marcoh right now. Can you gather our things? "
Roy's initially wide eyes saddened slightly, "Sure thing." He nodded, "I can bring the items to the office on Monday." He nodded several more times.
Again, counter to what was expected, Maes hesitated, his eyes searching Roy's face, perhaps struggling to decipher the rest of what was on Roy's mind.
"Just go," Roy finally said firmly, "I'll see you Monday."
Roy stood motionless as he watched the car speed off into the distance. Long after the car had disappeared, he continued to gaze at the horizon, which was now nothing but a thin fiery red line as formed by the last sliver of sun.
Slowly, the fire alchemist gathered the picnic items. When he came to the tattered phoenix kite, he stopped. The thing was obviously beyond repair. It was funny that while it was in the sky, Roy hadn't been able to make out the intricate design of the brightly painted feathers; and now even when it was right in front of him as a mangled heap he still couldn't tell what it had looked like before.
Without further hesitation, Roy slipped on his alchemy glove and snapped his fingers.
"How disappointing," Roy whispered to the growing pyre, "Burning so brightly when no one cares..."
Author's notes: And yet again…another drama fic! I seem to be on this drama kick lately (as opposed to the usual action paced stories). Please note that this one shot was done kinda quick so there isn't as much development as I would have liked. But I had a lot of fun with subtle symbolism. Though I'm still wondering if it's too subtle.
What do you think? Let me know because I like to hear from people and even if it's criticism since those usually help me improve.