roy's attempts to distract himself were successful for the most part, and he managed to fall back into the typical daily swing of things after a while. He signed documents, filed papers, and tried to forget about the letter. He argued with lieutenant colonel bale of eastern headquarters over some technical l errors in a report that had been sent to Central in the past week and was threatening bale to correct them. So engrossed in his professional dispute, it took him a moment to realize that someone had entered the office and was making a direct beeline for his desk.

Mustang looked up and nearly dropped the phone as his eyes absorbed the sight of Maes Hughes standing over his desk, trembling with anger.

"roy…"

"We'll have to discuss this later, lieutenant colonel bale." Mustang said into the phone, interrupting bale's defensive tirade sharply before hanging up on him. He turned back to Maes, keeping his face carefully blank and guilt-free.

"you sick son of a bitch! you where going to lied to me! where is the letter?-maes exploded

Mustang fell silent, clenching his jaw as his mind worked to come up with some sort of defense for his lies, but here was nothing that he could say. His actions had been wrong and he knew it.

"whow dod you find out?"

"I was standing outside, now show me the fucking letter you sick fuck! their my family, not yours so give me that damn letter!"-maes shouted as he slamed his hands on mustang's desk.

Roy cleared his throat and tore his eyes from Hughes' fiery glower to look past the taller man's shoulder at Hawkeye. All of his staff had frozen in their seats, cautiously watching the darkly electrified interaction between Roy and Hughes. they took the hint and left the room.

"listen hughes, you don't have to see this, it doen't say anything about us finding them, they just send t in my office to teas me."

"I don't fucking care, just give it to me. you don't have any Wright to hide it from me!"

roy knew he was Wright so he handed maes the envelope where the letter and pictures where.

maes quickly grabbed the envelope and sat down on the couch that was in the middle of mustang's office.

After some long, unbearable stretch of that smothering silence that could have been half an hour or half a lifetime, Roy looked up cautiously.

Maes' eyes were wide, one hand covering his mouth as horrified tears ran slowly down his cheeks. Roy looked away from him again, getting up from his seat to pace agitatedly in front of the wide windows behind his desk. Roy kept his eyes glued to the world outside as he paced, waiting anxiously for Maes to say something.

It seemed an eternity, but finally Hughes' quiet voice crept back into the room.

"how could you try to keep this from me roy? what the fuck where you thinking you soulless shit!"

"maes i'm sorry, I thought you'd be better if you didn't know"

"that's not for you to decide you bastard!"

it only took a second when maes jumped out of his sit and grabbed roy violently on his collar and slammed him in the wall.

"That's not for you to decide you son of a bitch!"Hughes screamed at him, looking ready to kill. "They are my family, mine, and I should know what happened to them! How dare you keep this knowledge from me! How could you not tell me that my little girl was tortured and and me wife raped!"

maes suddenly broke into tears.

"god maes I'm so sorry" roy whispered

but suddenly roy's had snapped back as maes struck him in the face. than he hit him again and this time colonel was already on the floor. blood running from his forehead.

"you sick fuck! you enjoy tormenting people don't you? I hate you! you're a murderer that's what you do best! you're sick! it's all your fault!"

The colonel looked up at his friend in surprise, eyes wide. those words struck him even harder than maes's fist. but still he made no move to get up. Maes towered over him like a god of wrath, trembling with tear-stained fury. hughes threw himself at Roy again, and again, kicking him all over his body. While roy's body was screaming to him to defend himself, he made no such movement, he was just laying there, just slight moans of pain coming out of his mouth.

Roy must have blacked out for a few seconds, for the next thing he knew maes stopped kicking him.

Maes was kneeling a few feet away from him with one bloodied hand over his mouth, clearly sickened by what he had just done.

"Oh, Roy... I..." Maes began, but then stopped.

"m-maes… I- i-m s-sorry…"roy managed to at least say that. Maes scrambled to his feet and backed away from Mustang's beaten form before turning from him entirely and running out the door.

"m-maes… d-don't g-go…" he managed to say before he passed out.

When roy finally woke up, he tried to get up, but failed miserably. he was really dizzy and there was blood all over him. After several attempts he managed to get up. he was leaned on the wall for balance an after several minutes finally managed to leave the office. in about fifteen minutes he was sitting on a bench in a park just outside central HQ. the wind was blowing on his bloodied face and making his injuries even more painful.

roy sighed. you're a murderer, I hate you, its all your fault!-maes's words echoed in his head. then suddenly he coughed up blood.

"damnit…"

"colonel? oh my god colonel what happened?"- Roy heard Hawkeye's voice. the next thing he knew riza hawkeye was sitting right next to him with a concerned look in her eyes.

"hawkeye what are you doing here?"

"I just went out for a walk and saw you sitting here. more importantly did lieutenant hughes do this to you?"

"yeah. god hawkeye I screwed up. i screwed up hates me. he was Wright, I only cause more suffering. I'm such an idiot"

"is that what he said?"

"yeah" roy whiperred. "He trusted me, riza." "he trusted me and I lied to him"

"I'm sure he didn't mean it sir. but first of all we need to get you to a hospital, your bleeding heavily. and you might have a concussion."

"no! absolutely not! I can take care of myself!"

"but sir-"

"that's an order. and you can leave"

"I'm sorry sir that's an order which I will not be able to obey."

"I told you I am not going to the hospital damnit!" roy shouted. but sudden pain stopped him from yelling.

"ok fine, but you will have to stay at my house tonight sir, I'm not sure how you will be able to take care of yourself, I'll ask havoc to pick some stuff from your house. I'm sure hughes wont mind"

roy sighed, but still agreed to the lieutenant. he knew he had no other choice right now.

"can you stand up sir?"

"I can always try" roy said as he tried to get up. but as soon as he did the world started spinning an he had to return to his sit"

"i guess that's a no." hawkeye said as she wraped an arm under roy 's shoulder to help him get up and walk.

when riza and roy finally arrived at riza's house, riza quickly shoved the key into the door and opened it. then she helped roy inside. once they where inside roy heard playful barking from the ground. he looked down and saw black hayate.

riza let roy sit down on the couch then she almost ran into the bathroom to get bandages. than she returned to the room and sat next to roy. neither of them said anything while riza was took care of roy's injuries.

when riza finished she took the remaining bandages back to the bathroom and then sat on the couch opposite to to where roy was siting.

"he hates me riza.." roy whispered while looking down.

"no he doesn't sir. I'm sure he didn't mean what he said."

"drop the sir, I'm really not in the mood of formalities."

"yes s-roy"

"riza... wanted to ask you something-" but suddenly he shook his head and didn't say anything else.

"what is it roy?"

"it's nothing"

"you now you can ask me anything you want, I'll tell ou anything ou want to know."

"well I wanted to ask…if you hate me…whatever the answer is I belive you" roy whispered.

"what? no! what made you think that roy!"-riza almost shouted

"oh... thank you riza" he said with his head bend down "I wish maes didn't hate me to…"

"he doen't hate you roy! your his best friend!"

"you know… when I needed help, after ishval… he was there for me, he helped me move on. but when he needed me I fucked up so bad… i don't deserve him as my friend…"

hawkeyes eyes went wide with the site of roy mustang crying. roy mustang was crying.

"oh roy-" riza whispered as she stood up took a seat next to roy and hugged him. well she was atleast trying to comfort him.

roy hugged her back with tears still rolling down his cheaks…

"i-I could really use a drink right n-now, h-howbout you?"

"yeah me too"

once again it was going to be a long night