Sin

Chapter 6

It had been a long time since Roy had first introduced himself to the miracles and disasters that alcohol could induce. But finding himself in a position like this was, in his opinion, perfectly justifiable. So he indulged himself.

He had just had the most vivid nightmare he could remember. He didn't very often remember his dreams, but the idea of Maes Hughes being alive had criss-crossed Roy's unconcious mind so much that it was a burden for him to sleep at night for a long time after he had died. Eventually, they only came once a night, diminishing to every several until one day when they spread so thin that Roy tended to forget that he had dreampt anything at all until he turned to the picture on his dresser as he got dressed every morning. Some days, the pain was worse than others.

Maes Hughes was dead. He was shot. That was all there was. Back to work.

Sign papers, clean windows, sign papers, clean windows, drink coffee... The Brigandier-General's job was just as exciting as it had ever been. And now, the goal he had strived tirelessly for was gone, revolutionized away.

What was he doing with his life?

He took a generous sip of the powerful rum he was drinking, hunched over in his usual place at the bar where he and Hughes used to go together. Maybe the spectre he had seen was actually an omen, calling him away to the realm of the dead.

Roy shook his head to himself and took another big gulp, letting the liquid burn euphoria down his throat. He would beat that spectre... He hadn't risked sacrificing everything for nothing.

"What are you doing here, Brigandier-General?" Roy turned to see Hawkeye, who was getting eyed by the men who populated the bar - although she pretended not to notice.

"Drinking," he replied.

Hawkeye stared into his face for a long moment, quickly determining with her long knowledge of the man that he was still sober enough to register her report, since she probably wouldn't be reading the written version she had delivered to his office. She straightened and sat down on the stool that she was very well aware had once been claimed by Hughes, and she ignored the dirty looks Roy was giving her.

"Regardless of whether or not you want to hear it, I must report to you, since you are my superior," she said, taking a deep breath before she began. She explained the entire situation the way she understood it, which was very cold and boring, but thorough. She skipped a few things here and there for the sake of Roy's sanity while he sat in silence staring at his glass. "He is now staying with Gracia, and the two seem to be getting along quite well."

"That man is not Maes Hughes." Roy said quietly into his drink, making the statement more to himself than to Hawkeye.

"I know."

It wasn't bad at all.

"Move that one over there... Now turn it a bit... No, this way. There we go! Now, for the bookshelf... Let's get all of the books off of it, first!"

Now that Gracia had a set of strong arms around the house, she had decided to take care of all the things she had wanted to. She asked Sin to lift things for her to vaccuum under. He helped her carry loads of groceries home (she took a moment to sigh over the fact she didn't have enough mouths to feed anymore. When Sin told her he could eat the entire load himself, she laughed and felt better). And, once the groceries were away, she had a sudden compulsion to rearrange the furniture in the living room. So he helped her by doing all the work.

When she finally slowed down to start cooking dinner, Sin was there watching everything she did. He constantly offered to work as another pair of hands, stirring the stew as she chopped things to put in it; taking carrots out of the fridge as she checked on the bread she was baking; setting the table.

They realized together how a fantastic team they made when they took their first bites of their creation.

"It's so nice to have someone else around again," she sighed happily while sipping on the wine she had volunteered to bring out from their collection sitting in the basement. Other than that, there was nothing spectacular about their dinner save for the warmth they both recieved from being in the other's prescence. "Even when Maes was here, he was always working. You might not understand, but although I love Alicia with all my heart, she's a horrible cook. She's clumsy with her feet, so she's always breaking and spilling things when she falls." She sighed happily, smiling. "But I love her anyway, and I miss her. I have complete faith that she will come home."

"Of course she will," Sin said between bites as she shovelled the spectacular stew down his throat.

"Be careful!" She said to him with a small laugh. "Don't choke on it!"

After dinner, they did the dishes together - Sin was washing as Gracia dried, since she knew exactly where everything went in the cupboards, while he was still learning. When they were done, they retreated into the living room where they sipped on drinks while Gracia read books to him. Although he managed to speak and listen just fine, he discovered he could not remember for the life of him how to read. So she sat in the large chair as he half-lay on the couch he had carried around for her sake earlier in the day, staring at the sunset outside their front window as she read to him, the sound of her voice and the colours of the sky filling his senses.

Was this how happy people lived their lives?

The Hughes household had been something Roy was trying to cope with for a very, very long time. He had finally succeeded in settling it in somewhere where it wasn't too close to bother him, and wasn't to far away to jeprodize their friendship. But this was something else, entirely.

It was something he would have to deal with sooner or later; but he would rather it be later than sooner... and by later, he meant never. Roy wanted the whole problem to just go away and never come back. He sighed as he stood in front of the house, staring blankly at the door. His relationship with Gracia and Alicia were hard enough as they were, but now that they had a man identical to Hughes living with them, it just made everything a thousand times more difficult. The lights were on, and he was sure they were there somewhere... He had to do something.

Roy sighed and took a few brave steps toward the door until he stood right in front of it. His fist hovered in the air, poised to knock... but he just stared at his hand.

Could he face seeing Hughes again, now?

He slowly let his hand fall limply to his side and he sighed, leaning his forehead against the door, slowly as to not make a noise. He had come with complete, alcohol-inspired determination to see Gracia and talk to that man. But once again, standing in front of his opprotunity, no matter how much he had consumed, he lost his will.

There was no way...

He stepped back once and hesitated, waiting for his well of courage to summon some up for him to use, but there was nothing. Giving up, he turned on his heel and stopped before he could begin to walk away.

"I heard you lost something," Edward Elric said to him, mouth locked in the same bitter smile that Roy remembered, Alicia Hughes cradled in his arms.