xLacrimosa: Yay, a rereader! Ember does that all the time.

Bursting-Bubbles: Pity the bonus didn't actually happen, isn't it?

kataang816: Yay for making your day.

AnimeAddic5: OMG EMBER LOVES YOU.

nuclearXsquid: COOKIES! Hmm, that's another awkward backstory Ember could employ, but... hmm. That's worth thinking about.

Now, pets, it is time to ignore the bonus. It never actually happened; it was just a nice Christmas present for you all. Don't worry, the UST actually DOES end soon...

Interlude: A Hughes Homecoming

It was a very important night to anyone with a significant other, and Maes Hughes was certainly well-prepared. He had finally gotten Gracia, his infatuation of three years, to go on a date with him, and he was not about to mess anything up.

On the other hand, he had had to force his friend Roy into going at all. He wasn't at all sure why that was the case; normally Roy was more than willing to go to any sort of social function. If Maes had to guess at the reason, though, he was sure it was that Edward probably wasn't going to show. Despite all of Roy's efforts to hide whatever the hell was going on between him and the blond junior, Maes knew that Edward was a strong influencing factor in most of Roy's decisions. And they aren't even dating yet, Maes thought with a sigh. The only thing that had finally convinced Roy to go was his duty to attend as the elected homecoming king.

Turning to his friend, Maes asked, "Is my hair all right?"

Roy chuckled. "You sound like such a girl, Maes. Your hair's fine."

It was definitely time for a few pointed remarks. "Sorry. I can't help that I don't have lovely blond hair that could never look bad at all," he smirked.

For the first time that Hughes had seen in their long friendship, Roy blushed faintly. "No, you don't," he quipped. "Now can we get on with it and get this over with?"

True to form, they were soon on their way. The night progressed very well for Maes; Gracia truly was a wonderful date and he certainly planned to keep her around for as long as possible. He couldn't help but notice, though, that Roy did not seem to be enjoying himself nearly as much as Maes was, despite the girls who surrounded him. He was smiling, to be sure, but he kept scanning the crowds for something--a shock of blond hair, perhaps? Whatever it was, he seemed to be having difficulties in locating it, and whenever he looked his smile faded for just an instant before he threw himself back into conversation.

The night continued much like it had began until suddenly it was time for Roy to dance with the homecoming queen. She was a lovely girl named Olivia, the no-nonsense captain of the girl's soccer team, and her sensibility was evident in the plain but attractive cut of her ice blue dress. Nonetheless, Roy seemed to be completely uninterested in her, even as she seemed mildly interested in him.

Suddenly Roy's eyes widened, and Maes quickly followed his gaze to see Ed looking shocked and wounded. Shortly after Maes noticed him, he turned and ran through the doors he had been standing by.

Looking back at Roy, Maes saw a pleading pair of dark eyes look at him and then at the doors Ed had just used to escape the room. Nodding to indicate that he understood, Maes turned to Gracia. "It's friend drama time," he sighed. "Remember what I told you about Roy and his friend Edward?"

Gracia nodded. "They're in complete denial about what they should be, right?"

"Yeah. Well, Ed just saw Roy dancing with a girl who's all over him. Roy can't really leave to reassure him right now, and I don't think he even knows what's wrong. Hell, I don't think Ed knows what's wrong. But he ran off and Roy wants someone there."

Gracia smiled. "You really know him well, don't you? Come on, let's go."

"Really?" Maes asked. "You don't have to come with me."

"But I want to," Gracia replied. "If I can help out at all, I want to. Remember, we met in a peer mediation class all those years ago for a reason," she smiled.

"Then let's go. There's no telling where Ed ran off to, not when he's like this."

Together they left the gymnasium the dance was taking place in and began to search for Ed. They walked through the main hallway, without success. Maes checked every men's restroom they came across on their way, with similar luck. Finally determining that Ed was not in any of the locations in use for the dance, the two of them ducked under a table and began walking through the academic hallways.

Maes was growing more worried with each footstep that did not lead them to the younger blond. Gracia, picking up on his nervousness, wound an arm gently around his waist. "It'll be all right," she said softly. "We'll find him. Is there a class he particularly enjoys? He may have run there. Maybe there's a place nearby he finds comforting."

Instantly a thought flew through Maes' mind. "Let's walk by the band room," he replied. "I have a feeling he's there."

Sure enough, a small form with blond hair sat by the door of the band room, clutching his knees to his chest and burying his face in his knees.

Instantly Maes felt his heart go out to the younger teen. "Ed?" he said quietly.

Golden eyes reddened by the tears flowing down his cheeks looked up at him silently, waiting for him to continue.

Feeling rather oppressed by the silence, Maes wasn't exactly sure what to do. Gracia, however, had no such qualms, not even caring about the shimmering soft pink material of her dress as she sat on the dusty floor and wrapped an arm around Ed's shoulders. "It hurts, doesn't it?" she asked, her voice soft and empathetic. "You look at him, and somehow you know you can't ever be good enough to deserve that. But it still hurts to see him around someone else, am I right?"

Ed nodded, looking absolutely miserable as Gracia wrapped slim fingers around his chin and turned his head to face her.

"I know how that feels. I know it's not fun, but he's worried sick about you. The only reason he couldn't run out looking for you is he had to keep dancing. It's his duty as homecoming king. Despite what I'm sure it looked like, he really didn't want to dance with her."

"I know," Ed whispered, and Maes started at the first words that Ed had spoken that night. "But why does it still hurt?" he asked with a quiet sob as he clutched at his chest. "I don't understand! I know he didn't really want to be here, but I--" he broke off, helpless.

Realizing it was his turn to reassure the blond, Maes sat down beside him as well. "You want to be the one he's dancing with, Ed. It's that simple. It hurts because you're not the one in his arms, and you wish you were. You want to be the one making him laugh and smile, and you want to be his. Am I right?"

Ed looked up at him, mortified and blushing.

Maes smiled. "You don't have to hide it, you know. I think it's wonderful that someone cares about Roy enough to get him to stop and look at things differently. He really cares about you, did you know that? He was worried sick when you ran off, and I know he's been concerned about something this past week, even though he won't tell me what. Not his place, he said.

"I know things have been pretty awkward between you two for the past month," he continued, "and even more so for this past week. I also know to trust my eyes, and you two are meant for each other. Understand? You don't have to deny anything, not around us."

Ed sat there for a moment, stunned, before he buried his face in his knees once more. Instantly Gracia moved so she could hug him, and soon Ed's arms wrapped around her shoulders, silently grateful for the offered comfort.

A few moments passed, and Ed calmed enough to gently pull away from Gracia's embrace. Maes helped him to stand. "Let's get you cleaned up and having fun, all right? Just leave it to this appearance genius over here. She'll get you straightened out in no time."

Gently the pair led Ed to a water fountain to rinse his face, and Ed's mood had visibly improved. Silently they walked back to the dance and straight into Roy, who was practically running out of the doors.

Obviously concerned, he turned to Ed. "Is everything all right?" he asked.

"He'll be fine," Maes provided when Ed didn't answer. "A little shocked, that's all. This is your first time at one of these, right?" he asked.

Ed nodded, obviously grateful for the cover as they all walked back into the gymnasium.

The night went on, and Maes noticed the increasing level of discomfort and awkwardness radiating from both Roy and Ed. Figuring it would be best to leave the pair alone for a moment, he led Gracia onto the dance floor for a slow dance. "Sorry about that," he muttered as they began to dance. "I wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been for Roy, but he was concerned and Ed's clearly never felt anything like this so he's confused as hell and--"

Gracia smiled. "I said earlier that I don't mind. I think it's great you have a friend like that."

As they continued dancing, Maes looked over to notice that both Ed and Roy looked increasingly uncomfortable and neither appeared to be saying anything. Silently he resolved to do something about their situation. It was past time they hook up, and he knew neither of them was going to do anything about what was going on between them.

He smirked. They wouldn't stand a chance, not with Maes the Matchmaker on their cases.

END INTERLUDE

Told you the UST would end soon. Even Ember's getting tired of it. Not much longer...

EDIT: This story (along with all my other fanfiction) is on hold until further notice (hopefully not too long). See profile for directions to details.