Roy Mustang sat at his desk in his warm office, staring out of the window at the snow-covered city. A contemplative look had settled across his face as easily as snow drifting to the ground. The sound of a door being opened and the soft 'click' of boots being struck together alerted him to Lieutenant Hawkeye's presence. He turned to see her standing at the edge of his desk, patiently waiting with a stack of paperwork in her hands. She set down said paperwork, looked at him momentarily, and turned to exit the room.
"Hawkeye." The blonde stopped and looked back at him expectantly.
"I need you to drive me somewhere, Lieutenant. Do you mind?" She had expected this all day, and was only mildly surprised at the length of time it had taken him to ask. She nodded and left to get her keys. She knew where he was headed, so no instructions were needed. As they drove to where they were headed, Hawkeye occasionally looked in the rearview mirror at her commanding officer. She observed that same reflective air about him. She knew what, or rather whom, he was thinking of, and she didn't mind making this yearly outing with him.
They pulled up to their destination and Roy opened the car door, Hawkeye trailing behind him. He walked purposefully towards a particular plot in the Central Cemetery, where a gravestone bore these words:
Edward Elric
"Fullmetal Alchemist"
Roy looked down at the cold words of departure with grief buried deep in his heart. He knew Edward was dead and gone, yet there was still a part of him that hoped dreadfully that he would be working one day and suddenly, unpredictably, he would see the temper-prone blonde come stomping through his door. After he had restored Alphonse, Edward hadn't been seen since. The gravestone was just for show, though no one believed he was dead, not really. It had been three long years, and Roy came here every year. Only Alphonse and Riza knew their relationship went beyond soldier and commanding officer. Roy slipped his left hand into his uniform pocket to finger the cool metal pocket watch that had belonged to the teen. He was supposed to have had it destroyed, but he couldn't bring himself to. For several months after Edward's disappearance, he could swear the watch still carried Edward's scent. He had lost count of the nights he had reached across his bed for the young blonde, and had grasped only air and memories.
In his right hand he held a single red rose, Edward's favorite. He never wanted a dozen at a time, said it took away from the beauty of it. He stood there for a moment, then laid the rose gently on the cruel tombstone. His breath came out in small puffs, the wind lightly tousling his hair like Edward used to do. He smiled softly, his head tilted upwards. Then he turned back to the car to return to the office. Sometimes he wondered why he did this foolish task each year. But, he supposed with a slight smile, sometimes what seemed foolish really wasn't.
-Fin-