Well, here's the next chapter of my little story. I'm starting to really like it…even though I'm not sure where it's going. XD Nonetheless, I'm having fun with this.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, and all that.

Rating: PG-13/R in later chapters, eventually coming to M-rated lemony goodness.

WARNING: Male/male, angst, slash, Edward/Hughes

Plot summary: This is a contemplation chapter about Hughes.

Maybe it was his smile. Maybe it was the way he spoke, the way he walked…and maybe it was his height…or lack thereof. Either way, Hughes knew he was in a tough situation. He really did have feelings for the kid. Edward. Fullmetal. But, now that he had that established, what next? To tell or not to tell…Hughes stared up at the ceiling in his bedroom, listening to Gracia's quiet breathing next to him. Listening to the soft tick-tocking of the clock on the small table next to his side of the bed. He rolled over so that he was facing his sleeping wife. Gracia slept peacefully, occasionally sighing in her sleep, and adjusting slightly. She looked so serene, like nothing could disturb her. Hughes soon felt himself staring at her, trying to look into her mind. If only she knew…What would she say? What would she do? He shuddered to imagine her reaction. While Gracia was normally very docile and pleasant, she could be a real monster if need be. And she had always said that she never quite liked…those kinds of people, as she so bluntly had put it once. Maes could remember the occasion in question perfectly. It was four years previously, a couple of months before Elicia's birth…

The happy couple had been shopping at the market for groceries when they had come across a particularly cheerful gay couple who were having a lovely time selecting some fruit.

Hughes hadn't really paid attention to them, and had began to proceed towards the dairy section, when Gracia had gently taken hold of her husband's arm, and said quietly, "Maes, dear, look over there."

Maes complied. He looked down at his wife. "Is something wrong?"

Gracia had frowned slightly, rubbing her protruding belly, and said, "No, not really…it's just…they're that kind of people…".

Hughes had replied, confusedly, "What do you mean?"

Gracia merely laughed lightly, "Oh, dear, I don't mean anything by it. I just have never really liked…well, you know…".

"…no, I don't think I do…?"

"Well…gays. Queers. Homosexuals…?" Gracia bluntly said, glancing over in the direction of the two men who had moved over to the vegetables.

Hughes had stiffened. "Honey, they're regular people like you and me."

Gracia chuckled stiffly. "Well, there is a difference between regular people and…them," she said snidely. At that moment, the two men noticed the Hughes' and Gracia's stomach, and came over.

"Oh!" one of them exclaimed in an effeminate voice, "Isn't that adorable! May I ask when your baby's due?"

Gracia had smiled warmly, despite what she had just said, and said sweetly, "Oh, not for a couple more months. Right, Maes, dear?"

Hughes, still a little lost, had chuckled weakly and replied, "Y-yeah, that's right!"

The other half of the duo chuckled lightly, "Well, congratulations. Let's go, Roger," he directed to the one who had first spoke. "Roger" nodded to his partner, and waved to the Hughes' as they walked away.

Gracia had then giggled, facing her husband. "See what I mean?" she said , "Did you hear the one who talked to us first? He sounded like a woman! I mean, it's just not natural," she finished, then turned her attention to the selection of the right kind of milk. Hughes was left flabbergasted. He had never seen this…judgmental… side to his wife before. That made him wonder if there was even more to his wife that he wasn't aware of. As Gracia was placing her selected brand of milk into their shopping cart, she made eye contact with Maes. She merely smiled innocently and continued on with her shopping.

If he thought Gracia had reacted poorly then, there was no telling how she'd react to the suggestion of her own husband having "queer" feelings for another man. A fifteen-year-old man, to be exact. He'd just have to lay low for a while. Telling the truth would have to wait.

Huh. The truth. Why did it feel like he had to "tell the truth", anyway? Normally, one "tells the truth" when they have…well, not been telling the truth. Which Hughes wasn't guilty of. Yet. I mean, what's there to tell? Mustang's face came to mind, and Hughes recalled his recent conversations with his superior and friend. Hmph. Why would he care now? This time, it doesn't concern him…This time. This time, Maes wouldn't make the same mistake. This time, he would do things differently…

"Nr…Maes?" Gracia mumbled. "You…you're talking to yourself in your sleep, dear. Is everything alright?"

Hughes' heart almost stopped. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't realized he had indeed been talking quietly to himself. He sighed, then said to his wife in the calmest voice he could manage, "Sorry, sorry. It's nothing, honey. Go…go back to sleep." He smiled in the dark.

His wife mumbled incoherently and turned over, sleep preventing her from saying more.

When he was sure that his wife was asleep, Maes rolled over onto his back. Sighing, he lay there, dreading his return to work the next day. It wasn't going to be easy, figuring things out with…him. Hughes closed his eyes. This time will be different. I promise, Roy. You'll see.

So there. I made Gracia a homophobe. :D Evil, yes, but essential to the plotline that I'm developing. Oh yeah. I'm going to have lots of fun with this. *Maniacal laughter* So, what does Hughes mean by "This time will be different"? Could something have happened in the past…? Did it involve Roy? Well, we'll just have to see, won't we? ;)

Until then, my fair readers,

Gyakutengrl 3