Maes Hughes sighed as he leaned back in his chair and kicked the small desk in front of him. Guard duty seriously sucked, especially when it was on a Friday night. There were so many other things that he could be doing right now, like partying. He could hear the sounds of a party only a hop, skip, and jump away from his current location, and it burned his soul ever so slightly to know that he would not be joining the awesomeness of that party tonight. Until four am it was his solemn duty to check the IDs of all people who went through this checkpoint. That usually turned out to be about five people. Nobody ever came through the checkpoint at this time of night.
Of course, sitting here did have its perks. For one, it was the least bothersome of all the jobs in this region. Sitting at a desk rarely got more exciting than a heated argument. Secondly, it was one of the few jobs where the people on duty could eat. Seven hour shifts tended to feel very long, and being able to eat a snack halfway through was nice. Finally, the company certainly was enjoyable…at that note Maes looked over at his companion and said, "I told you to bring coffee, Roy."
Roy Mustang, the other soldier on guard duty, made a strange grunting noise that Maes took to mean 'you're so right, you wonderful being you!' Currently Roy's head was resting on the desk, looking to the right. Clearly the man was tired. Maes, who was sitting on Roy's left, looked in the direction Roy was looking and said, "See anything interesting?"
Roy grunted again, and Maes frowned. His companion was not being too companion-y today. "You know, you shouldn't fall asleep on duty. The boss'll get mad."
Roy let out a sigh, and then he spoke the first coherent words he had said in a while. "I can't help it. I'm tired. I had to get up at the crack of dawn, and now it's coming back to haunt me. I'm going to need a miracle to stay up until four."
There was a pause, and the wheels in Maes' head turned. With his voice laced with suggestive undertones Maes said, "I know a way to keep you awake."
There was a moment of silence. Then Roy, without moving from his spot on the table, said in a dangerous tone, "Don't touch me."
Maes had to fight to keep from laughing. In a mock-serious voice he said, "I was going to suggest that we play a game of poker. It was your filthy mind that took you where it went."
Roy lifted his head slightly and turned so he could see Maes, then let his head rest on the table again. "I will kill you, Maes."
Maes made a pouting face. He tried to look like his feelings were hurt, but it was hard. Picking on Roy like this was fun. "You don't have to be so mean," he said, trying to sound upset, "I was just trying to cheer you up."
Roy sighed and closed his eyes. He should have known better by now. "I get the point, Maes. Now shut up."
The quiet lasted for all of three minutes. That was as long as Maes could last, though. "So…do you want to play poker?"
"Nnn…"
"Or perhaps you would prefer the hot se-"
"I'm warning you, Maes."
"Poker it is, then."
