I now present to you the story of Maes Hughes, something that has been in the works since I wrote the first word of this story. Enjoy!
Chapter 11
Let me tell you a story. The story of Maes Hughes.
"Cadet, state your name!"
"Mustang, Roy, sir!" shouted a proud, if still only twenty-year old, Roy Mustang. His gaze was steely in the face of his Police Academy instructor. The instructor stared him up and down, as if sniffing for any source of weakness.
"Well then, Cadet Mustang, if an assailant flees from you into a crowd of moving people, should you fire a warning shot, push people away to get to him, or let him escape?" Mustang's eyes flashed and he forced himself to stand a little taller.
"Does it have to be multiple choice, sir? Because it seems to me that none of those are the right action to take." A small smirk snaked across the instructor's face, which encouraged the young cadet to go on. "Since most officers work as partners, it would be more efficient and far less hazardous to keep an eye on the assailant and radio your partner who can position themselves to take the offender down."
There was a small, uncomfortable silence and Mustang felt that although none of the other cadets' eyes were on him, each of them were angry that he seemed to have spoken out of turn. Moments later, the instructor laughed. "Well, cadets, you should consider yourselves lucky. Cadet Mustang answered my question correctly, which means that I can let all of you go to lunch. You have half an hour."
The cadets relaxed and most of them scurried off to the academy cafeteria, a relieved sweat breaking across each of their faces. None of them talked to one another, each of them just trying to get out of the room. Roy shook his head with a smile. Clearly, they were all missing the point of the lesson: "Trust your partner." He didn't like it, but he understood. He felt a sharp jerk on his shoulder and a brusque "show off" next to his ear, earning the other cadet a scowl.
"Yeah, well maybe if you actually knew the answer to the question, Dora, he wouldn't have to," snapped one of he remaining cadets in the room, and it was no surprise to Roy that the man named Dora quickly gave him the middle finger. "Well, at least he's a lively one."
"That's one way of looking at it." Roy turned to look at the man, who was in the middle of cleaning his glasses. As he placed his glasses back on, he noticed the man did look rather bookish, his thick black bangs framing his somewhat square-ish face. Not wanting to be caught staring, Roy turned away and started his own procession to the cafeteria. The sound of clattered steps told him that the young man had caught up to him.
"Honestly, I thought he would chew you out for being so cheeky, but I guess he was impressed."
"Are you trying to say something?" Roy nipped out, and his unwanted companion held out his hands in defense. "If you're so good, why don't you answer his questions?"
"I'd be glad to, if he asked me."
"You knew what the answer was, then?" The man shrugged his shoulders as the two entered the cafeteria.
"I guessed the answer wouldn't be in the question before he even finished asking it." Roy grunted as the two of them picked up their trays. "What I'm more interested in is you. You didn't even flinch, and you rattled off your answer without a beat."
"It wasn't that hard of a question."
"I agree, but the other cadets were ready to piss their pants." The woman in the cafeteria loaded a pile of mashed potatoes on his tray before the man continued on. "In other words, they don't know the police bylaws like they know themselves, but you know things that we should know at the end of the year. It's impressive…in a scary way."
"Who asked you?" Roy growled, and the man laughed a rather contagious laugh, making Roy turn away to hide his reluctant smile.
"Hey, I didn't mean any offense. Maes Hughes." The man held his hand out and Roy took it gladly. The man might've been insistently annoying, but he was sincere in his gesture.
"Roy Mustang," he said, looking into the man's spectacled eyes with a smile. The two pulled away from the servers and went to find a table.
"I think I got who you were when you announced it," Hughes said, tapping his fork to his head as they sat down and looked at their lunch trays. "Although, I'm not really sure what this is."
"The Grey Ooze of the PAC. It's why I usually don't eat the food here," Roy told him with a quiet laugh. "So, Hughes, what are you here for? I mean, everyone's got a reason for becoming a cop. What's yours?"
"Mostly family. My dad's a fireman and my mom runs the shop back home. I'm not cut out for that fiery stuff, but I did want to serve my country in a way. What about you?"
"Oh…just a promise I want to keep." Roy didn't care to elaborate, but he was still interested in the man sitting in front of him. "Planning to make detective, then?"
"That's the plan. I like using my brain, you know."
"Seems simple enough."
"The reasons are always simple. Mine is just that I don't want to die some fiery death!" Hughes laughed again, as though he found the thought rather funny. "Are you going for detective as well?"
"Would it surprise you if I said I wanted to be commissioner?" Roy thought he'd be surprised, but Hughes instead seemed to be observing him, contemplating the words he had spoken.
"Change this country, huh? Idealistic, but not very realistic, don't you think?"
"You think I'm a fool, don't you?"
"Not at all," Hughes admitted, leaning back in his chair. "I think this country needs more idealists like you. Bradley's a pragmatist. Sure, he's efficient, but ultimately, you have to wonder if the people under him think of it as a job or a calling."
"I take it you don't care for the man."
"He's been commissioner for ten years. We need new blood." Roy tapped his fork against his plate, thinking about what he was saying when Hughes suddenly leaned forward, a gleam in his eyes. "But if you're shooting for the top, I'd put myself behind you."
"But you just met me." Roy's hurried words revealed his eagerness to get an ally.
"And I already feel like I'm your partner. Don't forget, Roy, trust your partner." Hughes smirked and Roy repeated the actions. Something about Hughes said he was trustworthy, and as Roy extended his hand, he was more than grateful to have found a partner.
"Well then, Maes Hughes, I think this is the start of a wonderful partnership."
"I prefer friendship, but the feeling's mutual, Roy Mustang."
Hughes and I had plans, and the both of us strove to make the top of our class at the academy. We graduated soon after, and started making roads with the new cadets and the higher-ups. We had a fifty percent chance to be stationed at Ishval, and in the end, we did.
"Roy, you won't believe it! She's the most remarkable girl!" Hughes said exultantly and Roy was more than prepared to claw his face off. It was bad enough that his best friend never shut up about his parents back home, but now it appeared that he had found a girlfriend.
"Yes, I know…you've only told me fifteen times in the last five minutes," Roy grumbled, but as usual, Hughes was completely oblivious. Rubbing his eyes from exhaustion, the two stepped into the police station. It had been another long night in Ishval, and Roy's throat was dry. The desert wind and desert nights were definitely not good for the health of anybody, but he and Hughes had drawn the proverbial short stick and were shifted for night duty.
It had been more than disgusting. If he had known, he would've petitioned for a transfer out of Ishval. But he was stuck in the middle of it now, and if he ran then, how could he ever be a commissioner? No, this was great training, and a great motivator for the future. Ishval was hell and Roy Mustang would make it his solemn vow to improve it once he became commissioner. That way, night officers wouldn't have to stop ten rapes per night or prevent criminals from burning down Ishvalan churches.
"Roy, are you even listening to me?" called Hughes and Roy removed his hand from his face. "Honestly, here I am trying to tell you something and you're just-"
"Yeah, it's not like I haven't heard it all before. Hughes, I even know what kind of shampoo this girl uses."
"She's not just this girl!" Hughes sounded offended, and Roy could hardly stop himself from snorting. "The nerve! Her name is Gracia, and she uses cherry blossom, I'll have you know."
"Yes, I already know all this, and that's the point." Roy signed himself in before turning back to his friend with his eyes prepared to roll. "Hughes, I should not know what shampoo your girlfriend uses. No one should know, but by now, I'm sure the entirety of the station knows."
"Oh, don't exaggerate," he responded, signing his name down onto the sheet. Roy cleared his throat and turned to the black-haired man who was getting coffee with his bald partner.
"Hey, Charlie, what kind of shampoo does Hughes' girlfriend use?" Roy called to him and he turned his head to answer him.
"Gracia…cherry blossoms, I thought," Charlie answered and Hughes' mouth seemed to simply fall open in shock. "I also know that she's a Capricorn, and loves making quiche and apple pie." Roy and the bald man laughed at Hughes' open-faced surprise.
"You're not trying to make a move on her, are you?"
"Hughes, I've never even met the chick! I just know that stuff because you never shut up about her."
"Yeah…well, where's your girlfriend?" The question seemed to certainly sober Charlie up, but Roy's chuckles turned to full-on guffawing as he turned back to the bulk of the station. His laughter petered out immediately as he caught sight of the short, blonde hair, and the woman sitting alone. "What're you looking at Roy?"
"Nothing." He realized all too late that he had spoken too quickly, and Hughes' eyes narrowed in speculation. It took only a moment for him to figure out the object of Roy's attention and make it known to him.
"Hey, she's kind of cute! You should go for it, Roy!" Roy twitched in agitation but decided that it would indeed be better for him to strip the man of any delusions of double-dating. Flipping his bangs, Roy headed into the main station for some food.
"Not happening, Hughes. I was just surprised to see her is all."
"You know her?" Roy immediately grabbed a muffin off a tray and started munching on it while the black-haired and bespectacled officer surveyed him. "Oh, so she's like a childhood sweetheart?"
"Will you can it, Hughes? Not everything's about love!" Tossing the muffin wrapper in the trash can, Roy stepped away from the table and found himself subconsciously heading for the younger woman. "Riza, it's been a while."
"O-officer Mustang!" Riza instantly stood at attention and Roy looked her over. She had changed; changed since those long nights spent together, wondering if her father would ever come home from the office. Changed from the time he had kissed her at her father's funeral and uttered words of apologies. "I didn't know you were at Ishval, sir." Sir? That was a new one. He had been called any number of nicknames from pissant to cadet to officer, but never sir. And he had certainly never heard it from her.
"I've been here a while…though I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were going into law."
"I believed my services would be best used as an officer of the law."
"Riza, is this becau-"
"I make this choice of my own volition, nothing else." Riza's face became stone cold in this moment, and he knew instantly that Riza Hawkeye was buried; buried beneath the sadness, guilt and shame of her father's death. Now she was Officer Hawkeye, and it pained him to see her so. Pained him to see the woman he had grown to love become so cold. "My father may have wished for me to become a lawyer, like him, to carry on the family name and help you when you reached the top…but those were my father's wishes, not mine. I have found a better way to support your dream."
How could he respond to such an honest display? Roy lowered his head in thought, but was spared the need to answer by a laugh that filled the station. Roy's lips twitched in displeasure and he noticed Riza shudder slightly next to him. He scoffed. It was no surprise, considering everyone but the recent cadets (like her) knew who was about to enter the room.
"Oh, doctor, your words wound me!" cried the voice, forcing Roy to grimace in expectation.
"Officer Kimblee, I really wish you would take our sessions together seriously. Threatening civilians is a sign of mental disorder and the department needs to make sure you won't go shooting people off just because you didn't catch a crook." The doctor who had said these words stepped out and pushed his glasses up. Like any number of officers or other officials in the area, the department psychologist was Ishvalan and had the distinct appearance of having had many years of education.
"While your words are humbling, doctor, they're hardly necessary," Kimblee insisted and the psychologist had a shadow of annoyance cross over his face. "I'm a working man like everyone here. Shouldn't you praise my work ethic instead of acting like I'm the first to do these potential crimes of heresy."
"Ugh, fine. I'll see you next week Kimblee," the psychologist muttered and Kimblee's only response was his usual laugh. Roy couldn't stand that laugh. Of course, he couldn't stand Kimblee; most of the man's partners even couldn't. From his glance over at Riza, he could tell she was already repulsed by him as well.
"Kimblee's a real nut job, huh?" came Hughes' voice from next to him and Roy simply nodded without thinking. "I swear, one day, he's going to get this entire department killed. Oh, and who's this little lady? I'm Maes Hughes!"
"Officer Riza Hawkeye."
"She your girlfriend, Roy? Not too shabby." Roy could faintly hear Riza denying the claims to a steadfast Hughes, but for the most part, his mind and eyes were elsewhere, focused on the black-haired and equally black-hearted officer that was Solf J. Kimblee. He was unsure how a man like that had passed his preliminary psych evaluation, but he did know at least one thing: he never wanted to be like him.
"Explain to me, Hughes, why I'm spending my first day off in months meeting your girlfriend?" Roy asked, an eyebrow quirked towards his friend.
"I told you that you could bring Riza along and make it a double date. You're the one who refused to ask her."
"How many times do I have to tell you: she's not my girlfriend!" Sometimes, Roy just couldn't stand how Hughes would hear one thing but then interpret it as something totally different. "Besides that, she's working today. I can't exactly pull her from her traffic duty to meet your girlfriend."
"Oh, c'mon, Roy, you know you love her." Roy grit his teeth and flexed his fingers, as though he wanted to strangle the man. Hughes, completely oblivious, merely bounded up the porch of the white East City house and rang the doorbell. It was moments later that the door swung open to reveal a mousy haired woman with a petite figure and a bright smile. "A bunch of roses for a woman who is far prettier than them."
"Maes, you flatter me far too much," the woman said, taking the roses from him and retreating into the house for a minute. Roy found his eyelids closing in boredom until the sound of the house door snapping shut quickly made him alert. "Is this your friend?"
"Yup, this is Roy." Practically against his wishes, Roy felt his entire body being moved to face the woman that he more than suspected was Hughes' girlfriend. "Roy, this is Gracia Mullins. Isn't she just the most beautiful woman?"
Roy suppressed a snort as he shook Gracia's hand, uttering a simple, "Pleasure."
"Likewise. Maes mentions you quite often," she remarked as the trio headed back to Hughes' car, "something about a dream of yours. He rarely expands on it."
"I'm not surprised, given that 99% of the time, all he does is talk about how great you are." The two shared a laugh, though Hughes happened to remain completely unmindful of it. "I guess you could call him a dutiful boyfriend."
"I suppose. What about yourself, Roy? Any girlfriends?"
"No, he just likes to make people think that," Hughes uttered, causing Roy to shoot him a nasty look from the backseat of the car. "Anyone who really knows him knows that those dates are just a façade to cover his pining over Riza."
"So you can admit that the two of us aren't dating?"
"I never said you weren't dating," Hughes stated as though it were sheer fact. "I only said that you love her, which I'll note you have yet to contradict me." Roy allowed himself to be reduced to a mass of grumbling as Gracia tittered lightly.
"Well, I'm sure things will work out," she responded as encouragement.
"Yeah, sure, once the anti-fraternization policy is repealed." That seemed to close the subject for the entire outing; an outing which Roy had to admit was quite pleasant. Gracia truly was as sweet as Maes had elaborated upon, constantly drawing Roy into conversation and even laughing when Roy and he got involved in a spoon war that the broody officer would never admit to starting. Sure, he had to deal with his best friend's occasional outbursts of love, but by the time the two were on their way from the Mullins household and back to Ishval, Roy only had one question remaining.
"So, when's the wedding?"
"You approve of her, then?" Hughes asked, a bright smile on his face which even Roy emulated.
"I think next time we should bring Riza along." Roy knew there was something in his voice that made Hughes clap his back and thank him for coming along. The man could only respond in one way: "I've always got your back, Hughes. Trust your partner, remember."
He could tell those words meant the world to Hughes.
The next few months were most certainly the happiest that Roy could remember having in Ishval. Captain Fesler of the Ishval PD had finally moved Mustang and Hughes off of night duty and the two of them were finally first-rate responders, with the mayor of Ishval, Logue Lowe, actually giving them a commendation. In that same amount of time, Riza had been moved off traffic duty and both she and Roy were at last in a comfortable rhythm with one another, which also extended to their interactions with Maes and Gracia. On that side of things, it also appeared that the two lovebirds were thinking about moving in with each other, so they were looking for apartments near to both East City and Ishval.
"Hey, Roy, do you know if Riza's in today? I think Gracia left something at her apartment the other night, but it kept slipping my mind," Hughes asked him as the two grabbed a cup of coffee before preparing to go on their patrol.
"No, she had a late shift last night, so I'd imagine she's catching up on sleep," he answered and Hughes hummed thoughtfully. "Did you hear, by the way?"
"Hear what?"
"It was all over this morning's paper, and the detectives are panicking about it," Roy prefaced his information with, and his partner looked at him expectantly. "Apparently, the department psychologist was found murdered last night."
"The psychologist? Who would want to kill him?" It took barely a second of thought before Hughes seemed to answer his own question. "Other than Kimblee, of course. How many times had he been referred to the psychologist in the last few weeks, let alone since we graduated from the academy?" Roy shook his head, still wondering how Kimblee had managed to become an officer. Finishing his drink, Roy quickly tossed it into the trash can and dusted his hands off.
BOOM! ! !
All at once, it was like a blast of hot air tunneled down the hallway. Roy felt himself thrown backward and slammed against a window pane. He fell to the floor and immediately sought to cover his body from the glass and debris raining overhead. Even with his preventative measure, his back ached something fierce and he could feel the blood trickling from the cuts on his arms. Thanks to the falling debris, dust was scattered across the entire station and he choked on it, hacking and wheezing as the aftereffects of the blast finally settled.
Slowly, the young officer stood, coughing as he did so and called out, "Hughes!"
"I'm here, Roy. I'm fine, though I can't say that for the rest of the station. Damn…" Roy had finally made it over to his partner, whose only injury seemed to be a bruise on his arm where the trash can had been flung into him. "Who the heck would bomb a police station?"
As if in an answer, a wicked laugh rose up from the flames that were now engulfing the front part of the station. From within the embers, Roy could see the form of a uniformed officer, his black hair tied in a ponytail that was swaying with the fire itself. "Oh, did you hear that sound? ! What a joyous, cacophonous sound! The smell of an explosion reeking in the air, a veritable chorus of cries. This is what Ishval is all about: a symphony of destruction!"
"Kimblee!" Mustang roared at him and, forgetting his status as an officer for a moment (and perhaps even himself), the young man pinned Kimblee against a wall. "What the hell did you do?"
"I didn't do anything, Mustang. I was just reveling in the joyous-"
"Don't you dare try to pull that crap on me! What the fuck did you do?"
"Roy!" Hughes warning passed briefly and ignored. Kimblee only scoffed.
"Don't give me that holier than thou, Roy Mustang!" Kimblee's eyes intensified and for a moment, even Mustang was scared of him. Amidst the dancing flames, Kimblee's gleaming mouth and widened eyes only served to reinforce the image of a demon laughing in glee. "As an officer, you should understand that sometimes sacrifices need to be made for a noble cause. I'm sure whoever did this felt the same way. Sure, it's a shame some officers had to die, but it was just collateral, to reach that ultimate goal. Come on, Mustang, surely you must agree."
"I'm not a nut job like you!" Mustang seethed, but Kimblee cackled madly, causing Mustang to slam him against the wall. "We are police officers. We protect the people, not use them as sacrifices for our own gain!"
"That's enough, Mustang! Kimblee!" A hand suddenly pushed on his chest and away from Kimblee. Looking to his side he saw Captain Fesler. "I don't need infighting right now, you hear me? Each one of you is gonna help with the relief efforts. Kimblee, your head is bleeding; get to a hospital."
"Yes, sir…" Mustang felt his hands clench as Kimblee skipped off. He knew Kimblee was involved in this, but he just couldn't figure out how.
"Mustang, Hughes, I need the two of you to get people into the ambulances and recover the bodies." The two officers quickly saluted and turned towards the now somewhat dimming flames. "Oh, and Mustang, I suggest you get yourself looked at. You're bleeding all over."
"With all due respect, sir, I think my talents are best utilized here." Fesler contemplated his decision for a moment before nodding in acceptance and heading back into the bulk of the station.
So it was that Mustang and Hughes practically spearheaded the search and rescue of survivors amidst the rubble. It certainly helped that most of the officers and detectives knew who they were and easily trusted them. It was back-breaking work, and there was little break time for water or food. When it finally got too dark to see clearly, and the firemen were put in charge, Roy and Hughes headed for the hospital, the former barely able to walk from the damage he received in the blast. The hospital they went to was in utter chaos.
"Are the Rockbells available?"
"They need more anesthesia in the burn victims ward!"
"Get a nurse over to surgery, now!"
"No, I'm afraid the Rockbells are treating some minor patients from that bombing earlier today."
"But I wanna see my mom and dad!" Roy passed the girl who said this as he went to check in, barely paying attention to his surroundings at all.
"Stop whining, Winry, we all do."
"You're so mean, Ed."
"Heh heh, come on Winry, let's play another game!" The three children ran past Hughes as Roy finished checking in, and he saw a smaller, older woman and a much younger one go chasing after them. Only a few minutes later, Roy was called in. More horrific sounds pervaded the hallways as he was walked to his room.
"Where's my daddy? It hurts…" cried a little girl in a nearby room and Roy frowned. He was extremely grateful that all the doctor had to do for him was patch his arms and tell him to get plenty of rest. Roy was more than happy to oblige.
A few days later, there was a bombing at the hospital. Ten doctors, forty civilians, and five more officers of the law had been killed in the explosion.
What happened next could only be described as an exodus of officers from the Ishval PD. The bombings had whipped the entire department into a frenzy and most of the police requested transfers out of the hellhole that was now Ishval. Unfortunately for those who remained, most of them were granted, and on top of that, Commissioner Bradley himself had put a bottleneck on officers and trainees going into Ishval. That was why, over the next few months, Roy saw Ishval PD quickly becoming a ghost station. It didn't help that the now ashen faced detectives, who were searching for the man now dubbed "The Ishvalan Bomber", were about as close to catching him as Hughes was to cheating on Gracia.
Life became very difficult for Hughes and himself, especially since there were so few officers their age. In fact, only Charlie and his partner, Kimblee, and Hawkeye had stuck around. Otherwise, it was older officers who were kept there (mostly because their transfers were denied). Of course, security had intensified at the station and Mustang was starting to feel as though soon he wouldn't even be able to wipe his nose without the entire station knowing. A few more months after the bombings, things changed once again when he and the other cops their age (excluding Kimblee) were called into Fesler's office, coming face to face with Chief Grumman of the East PD.
"I want the five of you to transfer to East," Grumman said, stroking his moustache idly. "From what Fesler tells me, the five of you are the best cops this side of middle age, and each one of you has commendations. So, what do you say?"
"Didn't many of our past colleagues transfer to East, sir?" Mustang asked brashly and Grumman took his glasses off for a moment, cleaning them deliberately.
"I suppose…but none of them had the potential." Grumman walked up and down the line, his eyes lingering on Hawkeye for a mite longer than necessary. "I've had the paperwork written up should any of you choose to accept my offer…Oh, and I should note, due to your tenacity, I'll have you all cleared to take the DET…when you're ready that is." Roy took the following silence to observe his other officers' faces. When he was confident in what he saw, he turned back toward Grumman and stood at attention.
"Sir, I think we'd all be honored to accept the transfer." Grumman nodded at him before dismissing them all. Charlie gave a low whistle once they were cleared of the office.
"Did you see Fesler's face? He didn't look too happy."
"Would you be? He's losing his best officers to East PD," Hughes commented before leaning over and fixing his eye on Riza. "Grumman seemed kind of fixated on you, Hawkeye."
"That would be because he's my grandfather." Her answer elicited a jaw drop from Hughes and a raucous laugh from Roy as the female officer stalked off towards her rounds.
"Well, looks like we've got it in with the big wigs. Better watch our backs, huh, Roy?"
"Yeah, wouldn't want to get burned on our way to the throne."
So, that was the end of Ishval for us. A few weeks later we left Ishval and transferred to East. It made things much easier for Hughes and Gracia; that was for sure. About a month after we had transferred, he proposed to Gracia and the wedding was set for the fall.
"Give it up for our newlyweds, Maes and Gracia Hughes!" Roy said loudly to the banquet hall. All of the guests clapped wildly and Roy was even able to catch an elusive smile on Riza's face. Roy quickly handed the microphone back to the hired D.J., who called on the beaming couple for their first dance. The young officer took the opportunity to seat himself next to Riza. "Think this'll make Hughes shut up about Gracia all the time."
"Not a chance," she responded curtly and Roy chuckled in agreement.
"Hey, wanna dance?" The look she gave him easily answered his question. "Oh, come on, we haven't danced together since your senior prom. It would be nice."
"I'd rather not head down that road, sir."
"Riza, it's just a dance."
"Roy, it's more than just a dance and you know it." His eyes softened towards her as he contemplated her answer.
"Fine, you don't have to dance with me." She nodded in satisfaction. "I noticed that you didn't take the DET with Hughes and I. Why not? You're good enough to make detective."
"I think I need to hone my skills more." Riza's answer was simple as she fiddled with her bridesmaid dress, but Roy saw the deeper meaning behind it.
"Why are you always trailing along behind me?"
"I trust you to watch your own front, sir, so I stay behind to watch your back." Roy frowned at that, but gave a simple sigh of acceptance before excusing himself from the table and joining others on the dance floor. After numerous songs with the other bridesmaids, and even one with the flower girl, Roy returned to the table only to find that Hughes was the one who had replaced Riza.
"Tough break on Hawkeye, huh?" he commented, tipping a glass of wine down his throat. "Maybe it was a mistake to make you best man and her, the Maid of Honor."
"Hughes, it would take a lot more than that to destroy what me and Riza have." The married man seemed to consider his words a moment, but came up with nothing to say. "She's just frustrating me right now."
"Women, huh? Consider yourself lucky then."
"How do you mean?" Roy asked him, his eyes now focusing on the flickering flame produced by a candle on the table. Hughes eyed him for a moment as he watched the flame, a source of both comfort and fear for him.
"I mean that you have someone you can rely on," he insisted. "Look at it this way, in a few days time, our results are coming in and more likely than not, the two of us will make detective. You keep moving up like this, you'll get lots of enemies. So why don't you just ask Hawkeye out and get yourself a wife?"
"It's not that-"
"Yeah, you're just gonna toss that silly policy on me." Hughes wagged his finger back and forth, as if scolding his own best man. "Serious Hughes here, however…Look, Roy, you deserve to be just as happy as me and Gracia. And she's the only one who can do that for you."
"I have my own goals to reach, Maes. Life's not all about love."
"Yeah, well life's not all about making commissioner, either!" Hughes had stood as he proclaimed that and Roy finally drew his attention away from the flame to stare at his best friend. "Sometimes, it's about finding people you can trust and letting them make up a part of you that you couldn't otherwise. Just think about that." And those were Hughes' final words as he went back to joining his wife, leaving Roy mulling over the truth in his words.
"Congratulations, men; you two are now officially detectives," Grumman said with a bright smile on his face as he passed both of the black-haired men their new badges and their respective sidearm. "I'm glad, too. I was wondering if I would have to force you to take the DET soon."
"Well, it was your guidance that helped to cement our conviction and improve our talents, sir," Mustang stated with honesty, forcing a laugh from the balding chief.
"Trying to butter up the chief, are we Mustang?" Grumman insinuated. "Oh, don't worry, there's no need. We're all one big family here at East PD…although, I'm afraid I'm going to have to end your partnership."
"Sir?" Hughes sounded concerned, and Roy felt a similar trepidation at Grumman's words.
"Oh, no, it has nothing to do with your partnership, but more to do with logistics. We're a little short-staffed on detectives at the moment, so I'm assigning the two of you to work with some more…established detectives." Grumman rustled around on his desk and pulled out two files. He quickly passed the top one to Hughes. "Detective Hughes, you'll be working with Detective Alex Louis Armstrong. He's a good man, sharp instincts; I'm sure you'll work well together.
"As for yourself, Detective Mustang, our own Head Detective Raven is currently without partner. Once he heard you were making detective, he requested you to be his partner specifically. I guess he was impressed with the way you handled crime scenes as an officer." Mustang glanced over his own file, which contained all the information he needed to know about Head Detective Raven. "Well, I can't afford to have two detectives sit in my office all day. There are cases that need to be solved. Off you go!"
After a brief exchange of looks, the two detectives left the chief's office. "Well, looks like this is it, Roy."
"I don't think so. I'm still relying on you as my partner," Roy told him, causing Hughes to give a small smirk. "So, let's meet up for drinks after work."
"Sounds like a plan, partner." The two shook each other's hands and parted ways. After only a few paces away from the chief's office, Mustang's eyes locked on to the bearded appearance of Head Detective Raven.
"Er…Head Detective Raven, sir?" he said tentatively, in hopes of gaining the older man's attention. Raven looked up from the file folders on his desk and over to Mustang. The new detective tightened his posture a little, until Raven laughed loudly.
"Ah, Mustang, finally made detective, I see!" Mustang let out a breathy laugh as Raven stood and clasped his hand in friendly greeting. "Well, I'm looking forward to seeing you in action, partner."
"Of course, sir." Raven's face dropped a little and Mustang could see all the lines on his face. There wasn't much that the young man knew about the older head detective, only the stories that Riza had relayed to him from her grandfather. To the extent of his knowledge, Raven was a good man who was very kind to all victims and their family members. The only thing that exceeded his compassion was his determination and obstinacy. Once Raven had a case, it was deadlocked to be solved eventually. Mustang figured that it had something to do with his ailing wife, but only knew as much as the rumors presented: Raven's wife had been diagnosed with a difficult to treat disease which led to the older man striving to help those he could so that he wouldn't make life harder for his wife.
"Mustang, I'm your partner now. There's no need to call me sir."
"Uh…I can try." Raven simply chortled again.
"Well, there's one thing we need to work on: your sense of humor." Mustang gave a tiny smile when Raven went to grab his coat. "Anyway, you can set your desk up later. Right now, we've got a murder on the lower docks of East City."
That was how Mustang began his partnership with Head Detective Raven. He quickly learned that Raven was the kind of man who didn't take excuses from anybody, even the uniformed officers. That had turned out to be part of the reason that Raven had requested Mustang as his partner. After all, Mustang had kept his crime scenes very controlled and orderly as an officer. Within those few hours of working with Raven on his first case, Mustang learned not only solid investigative skills, but also good interrogation techniques and ways to comfort witnesses. In addition, he learned about his new partner and came to see the gruff man as kind and jolly. There was no doubt he would work well with him. As their work day came to a close and Mustang submitted evidence to Forensics, he managed to run into Hughes for the first time that day.
"He's kind of annoying, Roy…all he does is talk about the 'investigative skills passed down the Armstrong line for generations' blah blah blah…" Roy only laughed at Hughes' obvious disquiet. There was no wonder Grumman said the two would work well together when they seemed so alike. "On a different note, though, I think he'd be a good ally."
"Ally?" Roy questioned as Hughes started packing the things on his desk.
"In the quest for commissioner," Hughes expressed plainly. "I was thinking today; if you want to make commissioner, you need to support people who will support you, if you get my drift. It's better to start sooner than later." Roy tapped his chin thoughtfully as he considered his friend's words. Hughes certainly had a point, and while the up-and coming detective was already making inroads, it couldn't hurt to add a little gas to the fire.
"I couldn't agree more," he quickly asserted as he strode away from the desk and over to the coffee machine, where two uniformed officers were arguing.
"Look, Hav, women don't like men who smoke. That's just how it is. It's about brain and brawn."
"What about Officer Hawkeye's partner, huh? Catalina doesn't seem to mind it."
"She's loose for any guy, especially if he had the prospect of lots of money."
"Way to spoil the fun, Breda."
"I'd agree with Breda, if you ask me." As soon as Mustang had made his presence known, the two men instantly snapped to attention.
"D-detective Mustang!" Breda stammered out. "Congratulations, sir, on making detective."
"Don't you two plan on going for detective soon?" Mustang asked and Havoc lost himself for a moment, bursting at the seams with laughter.
"Look, chief, you've been a great help to us lower officers…hell, you even helped me back in my academy days, but we still need quite a bit of time before we're ready to make detective." Breda nodded in agreement with his partner. Mustang gave a mock-frown and shrugged his shoulders.
"There's no need to call me chief, Havoc…yet," Mustang mused, and both of the officers looked at him in apparent astonishment. "Although, if I'm going to be chief, I need some good people under me, right? So, if the two of you have any problems, just come and see me. I look forward to seeing you become detectives!" He left them and went back over to Hughes, who was already prepared to go.
"That was a gamble."
"You can't make it big if you don't take risks."
"True…" Hughes muttered, stroking his beard. "You think they'll come through."
"Heh…I know they'll come through."
"Stop pacing, Hughes, you'll wear a hole in the floor!"
"But I can't stop worrying, Roy. What id Gracia doesn't make it out okay? !" Hughes yelled exasperatedly, causing Roy to grab him by his overcoat and drag him down to a chair.
"Your wife is in childbirth, not surgery."
"And what if my baby girl isn't okay?"
"Hughes, shut up." Hughes only glared at him and muttered something along the lines of "baby-killer", after which it took all of Roy's willpower not to strangle him. "Just focus on something else, like a case."
"But I already cleared all my cases…" Roy snorted in annoyance with Hughes' over-efficiency. Three years they had been detectives and not a day went by that Hughes didn't show how good he was at investigative work. "Oh, right…I forgot you've been working cases by yourself now."
"Tch, ever since Raven's wife worsened, he's had to take a leave. According to him, they may have to move his wife to a hospital in Central, and he may go with her." Roy ran his fingers through his hair multiple times. "Grumman's been quite kind, though, teaming me up with Havoc and Breda."
"And how's the new kid working out?"
"Feury…he's a good kid, and his partner Falman's not too bad either. I've got them running a lead for me right now." Hughes hummed thoughtfully. "I can see why Grumman thinks Feury would be good detective material. The kid's a technical wizard and he's got a good head on his shoulders. He's just a little…unpolished."
"Hmm…so it seems like a promotion may be in the future, huh?" Roy looked over to the impending father and smirked, but made no statement on the situation. It was true that Raven had all but abdicated his duties as the head detective of East PD, and his transfer to Central was impending. That being said, the position for head detective was opening up, and despite Roy's young age, he could only hope he would make the cut.
"Mister Hughes…" said a young female voice, and Hughes bolted out of his chair. Roy stood more slowly and put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Congratulations, your wife and baby are in good health. You have a lovely daughter." Hughes breathed out in elation, little tears forming in the corners of his eyes as the nurse walked away.
"Congrats, Hughes. You're a father."
"Yeah…I'm a father…I'm a father!" Hughes quickly straightened up before tearing off down the hallway. "Hold on, honey, Daddy's coming! Come on in and see your goddaughter, Roy!" Roy only sighed.
"And I thought he was annoying as a newlywed."
Fifty-eight…fifty-nine…Five minutes since Roy had been called into the chief's office and not once had Grumman looked up from his stack of paper. A small lump was forming in his throat from the anticipation, but he easily managed to keep his face entirely impassive.
"Quite the case here, Roy…I didn't think it'd turn out this way when I sent you to Heissgart," Grumman finally said, taking the pile of papers and shoving them into a file folder. "Everyone was guilty…"
"Almost everyone, at least. Once Hughes pointed out that everyone in the house had an airtight alibi, I realized they were all covering for one another. Only the people who were with me or Hughes could have been considered innocent."
"So we're rid of murdering conspirators and crime boss Rupert Genz in one fell swoop; hard work for someone without a partner."
"I did have Hughes, sir."
"I'm not talking about this one case. I'm talking about the last nine months since Raven took his leave." Mustang scratched his head, drinking in the praise that Grumman was giving him. "His transfer order recently went through, actually, and I'm out a Head Detective. So, what do you say, Roy? I've spoken with Hughes, and he agrees-"
"You spoke with Hughes? About what?"
"Your promotion, of course. Most of my other detectives agree that you'd be the best choice," Grumman explained delightedly. "I know you're quite young, but I can easily see you as a very competent Head Detective. Will you take it?"
"I'd be honored, sir."
"Splendid. As of today, you're officially Head Detective Mustang. As for your new partner…" Grumman stood up and walked around his desk. "Riza, my office, please." Roy stood quickly, an act which did not go unnoticed by the chief, as Riza Hawkeye stepped in the room. "Roy, Riza, you two are now partners. I trust you'll make me proud."
"Of course, sir." They had both answered simultaneously before taking their leave of the office. "So…partners, sir…"
"It would seem so," Roy observed, glancing at the female detective. He should have realized his new partner would be her, considering that her previous partner had just been transferred to West. "Can you excuse me a moment, Hawkeye? I need to speak to Hughes." She gave him an affirmation as he split off and approached Hughes at his desk.
"Hey, Roy! Congratulations on the promotion!" Hughes called out jubilantly, but Roy merely slammed on his desk, causing Hughes to whip around, the lingering scent of apple pie traveling with him.
"You knew!" he seethed. "You knew and you didn't tell me!"
"I didn't think I needed to," Hughes answered in a hushed, but serious, tone. "You wanna be chief one day, right? It was only inevitable that you'd get the head detective gig."
"So you made it happen." Roy took a step back and Hughes smirked at him.
"Grumman asked my opinion and I took the chance. I thought 'Why don't I push you to the top?'" Hughes' eyes gleamed as he leaned forward. Roy opened his mouth to respond but the other detective quickly cut him off. "I know, I know; you already got someone watching your back, but sometimes you need a push forward, right? And now you've got it."
"So I do…thanks, Hughes." Roy was genuine in his gratitude and Hughes shrugged, as if it were nothing. "I guess I should make my own team now, huh?"
"Guess so…that's your thing. I'm not involved in that."
"Hey!"
"Oh, relax Roy-I've always got you back."
That was our unspoken agreement, and for the next five years, we shaped the department. I made my team that included Hughes, Armstrong, Havoc, and Breda, all while keeping an eye on our star Officer Feury and his partner Falman. Our case closure rate shot through the roof, and it seemed like we could solve every case.
Then came the case that changed everything.
"Roy! I know you're in there, Roy! Damn it!" Hughes' voice sounded so far off, muddled by the alcohol imprisoning his brain. There was a soft clicking noise at the door and a second later, Hughes burst through the entrance way and stood in his apartment, a plastic bag hanging from his arm.
"What are you doing here, Hughes?" Roy asked, draining his glass of whiskey in a single shot. As Hughes closed the door, Roy poured himself another glass. "Aside from breaking into my apartment, that is."
"You weren't picking up your phone," he answered coldly, noticing Roy's disheveled state for the first time. "You look like crap, Roy."
"I feel like crap…" Of course, Roy knew the whiskey wasn't helping, but at this point it was preferable to reality. Reality…the truth hit him like stone blocks and the head detective slammed his glass on the counter, causing some of the drink to spill over. "I had him, Maes…I had him."
"Even the best cops can't stop this kind of stuff when the district attorney gets involved," Hughes reminded him softly, placing the bag he brought in on the counter.
"The district attorney should've never gotten involved! Shou Tucker was a bastard who deserved the death penalty, or at least life in prison." Another drink went down his gullet, causing Hughes to frown at him. "Human experimentation, illegal drug production, sex trafficking…I found the evidence that would have convicted him in any court. Then the DA comes in and he gets a deal. A fucking deal!"
"I think you've had enough to drink tonight," Roy pushed his hand away as he went to pour yet another glass.
"I worked so hard making an iron-clad case, and now he's gonna walk like he was innocent all along."
"So instead of finding something to land him on, you're just going to sit here and drink?"
"Pretty much…Tucker's walking because the powers-that-be demanded it. Nothing I can do about it." Roy reached for his glass, but instead found Hughes' hand sweeping across the counter, knocking both his glass and the bottle of whiskey to the floor with a crash. "I was gonna finish that…"
"This isn't you, Roy. The Roy Mustang I know doesn't give up because he can't get his way. You didn't make it this far by giving up when it looked like a criminal might go free. No, you buckled down and found something that would stick, even if just for a few years. I mean, are you really just going to sit there and drink your life away 'cause of one mistake? Don't be rash, Roy."
"You're really not going to let me off the hook, are you?" Roy asked after a pause, his mind sobering up a little.
"Partners always have each other's backs, and that includes breaking the bottle when you've had enough."
"Sorry…guess I wasn't thinking straight."
"Damn right, you weren't. Now, you just leave the rest to me." Hughes stretched a little as he turned towards the exit from the apartment. "Trust your partner Roy, remember?"
"You never let me forget."
"Oh, which reminds me, I almost forgot." Roy rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on as Hughes dug into his bag. "Hey Mustang, take this. It might help whenever you get agitated."
Roy caught the small object and looked it over. It was a lighter, though the design on the front was a flame. "It's a lighter…I don't smoke, Hughes."
"I know, but don't think I haven't noticed the way looking at flames calms you down. I didn't make detective on my good looks." And after clicking the lighter on and staring into the flame for a moment, he couldn't agree with Hughes' statement more.
"Thanks, Maes."
"No problem. Now, I should go find some iron-clad dirt on Tucker, 'cause you're in no fit state to investigate. Aw, man…another night of not seeing my darling Elicia." Hughes started off towards the door, scratching the back of his head the whole while. "Get some rest, Roy, and make sure you eat some of that apple pie Gracia made for you. It's heavenly!"
Moments later he had left the apartment, Roy still staring into the flame.
Two weeks passed since Hughes had given Roy a sharp slap to reality, and things seemed to be picking up. Cases were being cleared again, criminals were being put behind bars and Hughes was still babbling on to the entire station about his wife and daughter.
"Hey, you hear about that kid who's making a stir over at South?" Havoc asked. "Apparently, it's gotten the attention of a lot of people over at Central."
"And yet, our rising star still isn't man enough to take the DET," Breda laughed out and Feury hung his head in shame.
"Sorry guys…my grandmother just died, my parents are moving, and my sister's getting married…I just don't have the time…" Feury answered sheepishly, but Mustang clapped him on his shoulder comfortingly.
"Don't worry about it. We know things have been hard since Falman got transferred to North," he encouraged the young boy. "By the way, where's Hughes?"
"He's working a lead on the Tucker case," Armstrong informed him and Mustang's brow furrowed.
"I thought the Tucker case was closed a while back."
"The Tucker murder case, sir. Chief Grumman assigned it to Armstrong and Hughes," Hawkeye told him, and Mustang's gaze narrowed. Tucker had been murdered? A loud groan next to him took him out of his reflection.
"Aw man…I was hoping he'd bring by one of those pies tonight!" Havoc complained and Mustang laughed jubilantly.
"I guess we'll have to tell him to stop by." Mustang continued to smile as his phone rang in his pocket. "Head Detective Roy Mustang…Hello?"
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Click
Roy continued to stare at his cell phone strangely, garnering the attention of the other detectives and officer. Recovering from his stupor, Mustang quickly looked up the number from which the call had come. Not recognizing it, he immediately turned towards Feury. "Hey, run a trace on this number."
"Sure thing." Mustang sat on the edge of his seat as Feury went to work at a computer. He couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was pooling in his stomach. Those were gunshots he had heard before the line went dead. But who had called him? "It's a pay phone on First and Elton."
"Hughes was investigating a lead on Elton Street," Armstrong said, and a chill ran down the head detective's spine. Now he knew who had called him: it was Hughes.
"Hawkeye, let's go!" She didn't need to be told again as the two flew from the station.
But by the time they got there, to the phone booth on the corner of First and Elton, Hughes was already dead, shot three times and slumped against the interior of the telephone booth. In his hands were his cell phone and a picture of his wife and child, both stained with blood.
"Blessed Father, as this soul returns to the earth…" The wind whistled through the cemetery as Roy stood at rapt attention. He was blocking the words that were being spoken over Hughes' burial. He felt numb. Shots were fired in deference to the fallen detective.
His cell had been right there…but he didn't use it. What did that mean? That phone had been given to him by the department; did he not trust it? Roy's fists clenched, tightening around the lighter in his pocket. He didn't understand it. What had Hughes done to deserve to die? There was a small tug on Roy's coat.
"Uncle Roy…please don't let them take daddy away! You can bring him back, right?"
"Elicia…come on…"
"Daddy said you and him are partners, and that you have each other's backs. So you won't let them take him away, right? Please, Uncle Roy! Uncle Roy!" Roy had no response for the grieving girl, and it was not until her young voice crying for her father had faded, that he released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. And it was still later, after everybody else had left, that Roy and Riza remained standing before the grave.
"You know," he started after a long silence," I keep thinking about what I could've done to save him. Maybe if I had done anything differently…"
"You couldn't have changed it," Riza responded softly. "And it does no good thinking about things like that…We should get going, sir."
"I'm sorry, Riza, but I'd like to stay in the rain a little longer," Roy told her, tears stinging his eyes as they threatened to fall down.
"But, it's not-"
"Yes…it is…it's been raining since that night." Riza seemed to understand the implication and excused herself as the tears finally spilled down his face. "You promised me you'd always have my back…but you had to go and die on me," Roy whispered, his voice clashing for dominance with the breeze. "Who else is gonna push me to the top?"
I think this country needs more idealists like you.
If you're shooting for the top, I'd put myself behind you.
Sometimes, it's about finding people you can trust and letting them make up a part of you that you couldn't otherwise.
I've always got your back.
Trust your partner, Roy.
"You asked me to trust you, Maes, and I did." His fists clenched again, this time in determination. "Now I'm asking you to trust me. I will catch your killer, and I will destroy him…even if it destroys me too."
That was two years ago…and to this day, I still haven't fulfilled that promise.
But when I do, that is when this story will finally have an ending…the right ending.
Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, but this was a whopper of a chapter. As it stands, this concludes the first half of the story. As of next chapter we are kicking into overdrive with this story and its plot. We're done looking at the past and will now step forward to its future. So give me a bright future and leave me lots of reviews. By the way, there are hints as to the continuance of the plot in this chapter. Also, I'm still looking for people to draw image covers for this story as I've gotten zero submissions thus far. So, please remember to review and Dare to Be Silly.