This was done as a gift for Floranna, with the prompt: Roy and Armstrong, friendship and sparkles.
As much as Roy had always considered Alex Armstrong a friend and trusted him, there seemed to be something just slightly... standoffish about him, like Alex was not quite able to say what he really wanted to.
Roy, unlike most people, could understand the importance of keeping certain things to yourself. But with Alex, it was different, like he didn't have the confidence to say what he wanted to- he was afraid of upsetting the status quo.
After Hughes' death, Roy knew damn well that the status was not quo.
One evening, Roy took Alex out to a bar in Central that he used to go with Maes when they had both been stationed there. It was strange, having someone who was not his best friend sitting next to him, sharing a beer. Roy had brought him here with the intention of getting Alex to talk, but it ended up being Roy who was mostly silent and Alex trying to start the conversation.
"Cenz for you thoughts, sir?"
"I'm sorry, Armstrong. I know I'm not good company tonight. This... is the first time I've been to this bar with someone other than Ma... Hughes."
"I know his death hit us all hard, sir." Roy felt a large hand pressing down slightly on the shoulder of his uniform. "You know that you have my support in finding out who did this to your friend."
All the alchemist could do was stare in to his beer. He couldn't look the man in his eyes. He knew that Alex was being prevented by someone to say more, but that the guilt was weighing those massive shoulders down. He wanted to help, but he couldn't.
Alex stood up, put some cenz down on the bar, and pat Roy on his shoulder one more time. "I have to get back, but we should talk again, perhaps in a quieter location.
"Thank you, Armstrong." Roy doesn't say what for specifically, and Alex doesn't ask. He just saluted and walked out the door.
"Maes, I swear, I will find out who did this, and they will fry." Roy downed the last of his beer, savoring the burn as it rolled down his throat. He wanted to remember the burn, savor it for now. It reminded him of how far he still had to go.