Smile Like You Mean It

by Dailenna

Royai 100 Themes. Anything and everything from childhood, to alchemy, to Ishbal, to the coup, to parenthood. Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, and the faithful comrades with them will stick together through it all.

81. Footsteps

Disclaimer: FMA belongs to Arakawa Hiromu

Notes: Spoilers for . . . well, I'm not totally certain where the first mention is, but it's all nicely summarised a little later at ch 56, p8

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Eighty-one: Footsteps

When Mustang's staff were reassigned by the Fuhrer, the office felt bigger. He couldn't help but look over the room and wonder why it hadn't seemed so large when it was filled with his allies. Small differences stood out until they made his head ache, and he just wanted to see everyone again, to be sure they were safe.

Even the hallways of Central Headquarters seemed to have grown. It wasn't until a week after his staff had been replaced by a few officers very loyal to the Fuhrer that he realised what he missed most was the sound of footsteps always at his back. Without those, he stood alone before the whole military.