–flails– H'okay, so I've been reading way too much. I just have to write a quick RoyxHughes before I go skitzo. Yes. Because Hughes wrawks and should have never died. My favorite characters always die.
And I really wish the manga was in color so I knew what color Hughes' eyes were. Dammit.
"Is there a problem, Roy?" Maes chuckled, watching the colonel with amusement dancing in his eyes.
"There is, Hughes." Roy grumped, glaring irritably. "The problem is that you are taking far too long."
"Can you blame me for taking the time to savor it?" Maes replied, running a finger along Roy's sweat-sheened chest.
"Yes, because your taking your sweet-ass time is about to drive me over the edge. If you don't want me coming without you I suggest moving it along."
Maes shook his head, chuckling as he leaned forward to capture Roy's lips. "You're so impatient, Roy. Didn't anyone ever tell you that patience is a virtue?"
"I don't give a flying fuck! Gerron with it!"
"Such language, Roy!" Maes chuckled, though any reply Mustang was about to make disappeared into a sultry moan.
Colonel Roy Mustang the Flame Alchemist, to give his full title, steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them, staring absently at the desk before him as his mind wandered back in time.
He felt a pang deep in his heart and winced, trying to bury the remorse. Back during the war, he and Hughes had found comfort in each other. As time had gone on, Roy had come to realize that his own feelings went deeper. Whether or not Maes had felt the same, Roy was too afraid to ask. The war had already scarred them both, and the one thing he didn't need was to be rejected by the one he so desperately loved.
But when the war finally ended, Maes had Gracia to return to. So Roy bit back his tears and waved his love good-bye, desperately searching those bespectacled eyes for any hint of what Maes felt for him. All he saw was the relief of finally being able to go home, nothing to hint that Maes had considered Roy anything but someone to drive away the loneliness.
Roy sighed heavily, his breath shuddering slightly. Many of his co-workers thought he was a completely straight womanizer, but Roy really only did that to keep up the pretense. Truthfully Roy was about as straight as a rainbow, and since having to part with Maes in the manner he had he felt almost bad enough to start cutting his wrists every time he had to turn down a hopeful girl.
Really the only ones who knew of his sexuality were Maes of course, and his small group of favored subordinates, Riza inclided. Roy's faithful aide had been at his side for so long, she had ended up developing some feelings for the colonel. Having to explain to her why even though he though of her as one of his closest friends he never liked her that way was very painful; she had taken it well, but he knew that she'd likely grieved on her own time. Luckily Riza was the no-nonsense type of woman, and bounced back quickly.
Not so for me, it looks like. Roy thought with a bitter snort. I act like such a tough guy. Mustang, a hero of the Ishbalan civil war, and look at me now. What a wonder.
"Colonel?" He looked up as Riza's voice pulled him back to reality. "Lt. Colonel Hughes is here, he wants to see you." Her eyes held a mildly sympathetic gleam; she'd nursed him through several hangovers when Roy was getting over the worst of his grief.
Roy grimaced, but pulled himself together with a sigh. "All right."
After a few moments, Maes poked his head in with a grin. "Hey there, Roy. Been a while since we've talked face to face, huh?"
Roy managed to smile back at the older man. Maes entered the office, shutting the door softly behind him; this went unnoticed by the younger colonel. "How have things been going for you?" Maes asked, perching on the arm of one of the chairs facing Roy's desk.
"Oh, not too bad." Roy lied, shrugging nonchalantly. "What about you?" The words were out of his mouth before he could recall them; Roy winced inwardly and gritted his teeth for another long monologue about Hughes' wife and daughter.
A blissful smile spread over Hughes' face, and Roy knew he was in for it. "Heh, things're great. Elicia is just so cute…"
Roy spaced out, knowing it would be a while before Maes would come to the end of his monologue. Instead, he let his eyes rove over the older man, knowing that this was probably the most he would get.
Most of Maes wasn't all that extraordinary, though he'd always had the sort of charm that Roy found more attractive than some of the things other men would try. It was mostly the older man's eyes that drew Roy's gaze. Behind those little rectangular glasses, Maes' eyes would look back at you and seem to pierce to the very soul. Roy had seen those gray eyes hard like a chip of granite, or soft and yielding like a cloud heavy with rain. He could lose himself in the bottomless pools of gray, and actually did as Maes' traditional bragging monologue drew to a close.
"You know, Roy, it's rude to stare." He chuckled.
Roy blinked, bringing himself back to reality. "Oh, sorry." He cleared his throat uncomfortably, hoping that Maes didn't see the light blush that dusted his cheeks. Now the infamous womanizer is drooling like a lovesick puppy. He thought, barely suppressing a scathing snort.
Maes sighed softly, his head tilted so that the light coming in through the window was reflected off the surface of his glasses, making it impossible to see his eyes. "And Roy, I think I need to apologize."
"For what?" Roy asked curiously.
"I know that no matter how much I ramble about Gracia and Elicia, it won't make you give a damn. Sorry for making you listen to it." Maes explained, rubbing the back of his neck with a contrite expression.
Roy bit back a snort. "I've gotten used to it by now, Hughes."
Maes quirked an eyebrow at the younger officer. "The way you were staring suggests not." He commented softly.
Roy averted his face, blushing slightly.
"Oh, Roy." Maes sighed, rubbing the side of his face. "You probably didn't think I noticed the desperate looks you kept giving me on the way back from Ishbal, did you?" He said softly. "Really, I was a selfish prick. I was too eager to be back with Gracia to say a proper farewell to you, after what we had during the fighting."
Roy looked about to say something, but Maes held up a hand to stop him. "Let me finish, all right? I'd figured out pretty quickly that you developed feelings besides a desire to forget for a while about the war. And yet, I just continued to act like I was oblivious, even when we were about to go our separate ways. I was such an ass to you, Roy, I'm really sorry."
"What's past is past, Hughes." Roy managed to keep his tone even, but barely. "No use crying over spilled milk. Maybe it was better that you acted oblivious. We both knew that there was no way that affair could go further once we got back; you had Gracia, and I had my goal to pursue." Roy swallowed hard. "And though I don't deny that I've had a rough time, at least you could lead a happy life."
Maes snorted scathingly. "Happy? Well, it hasn't been horrible, and for the most part it's been a good life, but I won't lie to you, Roy. I realized once I'd been back you weren't alone in your feelings. That's why I keep going on about my family, partly to convince myself that I'm so happy the way things are." He shook his head. "But in truth, I've had a few moments where I miss you dearly, Roy." Maes looked up, a slight smile curving his lips at the obviously dumbstruck younger officer. "Close your mouth, you look like an idiot."
Roy's teeth clicked as he snapped his mouth shut. "Am I to take that last sentence at face value or dare I read between the lines?" He said slowly, warily.
"I'd encourage you to read between the lines." Maes said softly, with a slight smile.
In reply, Roy simply stood and nearly knocked the chair down in his haste to reach Maes' side. The older man wrapped his arms around Roy's waist as the colonel buried his hands in Maes' hair, crushing their lips together.
"I'll take that as an 'I missed you too,'" Maes commented drily as they pulled back for breath.
"Take it however you like," Roy replied, his dark eyes flashing, "but I can't be held responsible for what happens after this. Someone's going home tonight with a sore ass."
Maes grinned wolfishly, his deft fingers unbuttoning Roy's uniform jacket. "That's what I was hoping you'd say." He purred.
Roy shrugged out of the jacket and promptly began working on Maes' own uniform, trying to ignore his lover who was slowly running his hands up Roy's torso, the rough calluses on Maes' hands making it very difficult for Roy to bite back a moan. He finished unbuttoning Maes' jacket and, impatient as always, plunged a hand into the older man's pants.
Maes moaned, shuddering in delight. "Jesus, Roy, you're still so damn impatient." He commented, his back arching into Roy's teasing touch as he bent his head to leave his own marks along Roy's exposed collarbone.
The door, which had been left unlocked, opened up and Edward Elric walked in, looking irritable that he had to report to the colonel. Seeing the extra body there, registering the familiar faces, and noting the rather suggestive positions in which the two men had been caught, Ed's face flushed bright red and he spun around, slamming the door.
"Ed?" Maes muttered, trying not to laugh at the expression on the teenager's face.
"Lock the door next time, Maes." Roy growled, distracting Maes by increasing his hand's activity.
The older man's inhaled breath hissed between clenched teeth, until he managed to push Roy away. "Y'know, that reminded me how bad an idea office sex is."
The younger officer scowled. "What! Well that's too bad for you and for the sensitivities of whoever happens to be listening on the other side of the door," he raised his voice and growled, smirking as a slight yelp and the shuffling of feet moved away from the closed door, "but there is a small problem that needs to be fixed before you can leave." He pointed to the bulge in his pants.
Maes grinned. "So fix it yourself. I've gotta go back to work, once I find a bathroom and fix my problem, which you so generously caused." He picked up his jacket and began pulling it back on, his smile softening at the unhappy expression that crossed Roy's face. "If you've waited this long you can take a few more hours, Roy. I'll come by your place after work, deal?"
"And the sore ass is gonna be yours." Roy growled, sitting on the desk edge with a defeated frown. "I bottomed for you more often over in Ishbal, and you've had a female to satisfy your needs. I've been pretty much celibate since we got back."
"Gasp! That's not really the story I get from your co-workers, but I won't question your sexuality or ask about the 'pretty much.'" Maes chuckled, adjusting the jacket around his shoulders so that it helped to disguise the still-present bulge in his pants, earned from Roy's ministrations. "Later."
As Maes strolled away, he chuckled at the wide-eyed looks one or two of Roy's subordinates gave him, and winced slightly at the stern glare Riza gave him. As he passed, the lieutenant grabbed his arm. "Don't make him unable to walk into work tomorrow morning."
Maes chuckled. "From the borderline-murderous look in Roy's eyes I'll be the one limping around for a while."
Riza released him with a smile. "All right then. Have a nice day, Lt. Colonel."
She is so scary. Maes thought with a slight shudder. It's no wonder how she manages to keep Roy in line.
Riza poked her head in to the colonel's office, biting back a smirk at the disgruntled look on his face. "By the way, Colonel, it was Lt. Havoc listening at the door. Do you need some help?" She added, pointing at his lower regions with a rare smile.
"Remind me to have a word with Lt. Havoc tomorrow." Roy muttered darkly. "And though your offer is kind, I think I can take care of it myself."
Jean shot Riza a plaintive look. "Why'd you snitch on me?!" He whined.
"Because if I didn't he would blame me, and I don't want to have to hurt him. Or make him suddenly discover that he's bisexual." The lieutenant said calmly, a smirk curving her lips at the tail end of the last sentence.
"Below the scary exterior you're more of a perv than anyone would think." Jean muttered, yelping as a pistol's catch clicked next to his ear. "Eep! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!"
Riza put her weapon back in its holster, smiling slightly. "You're forgiven, Lt. Havoc."
Yup. I just had to add the bit at the end, since I think Hawkeye is cool. Anyone who can keep Mustang in line deserves some recognition. Anyhow, it depends on my level of willpower as to whether the next chapter will involve a full-blown lemon or not.