Lose Some, Gain Some (RoyxMaes and RoyxEd)
He sat against the back of the grave with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. The man had been there all night and he looked terrible. His black hair was messier than usual and his dark charcoal eyes were bloodshot. There were dark violets under his eyes from loss of sleep and his face was red and puffy from crying.
It was only a half a year ago when his best friend, and first love, had died a horrible and unjust death. There was one day every month for the past six months that Colonel Roy Mustang would never be seen on. Just one day. No one could ever find him. Mainly because they had no idea where to look.
And that place, was the grave of Brigadier General Maes Hughes. The bastard had made a promise to Roy. He promised he would push Roy to the top. Past the rest and to the rank of Fuhrer. And then he went and died on him, breaking the promise and surpassing him in ranks.
His death also caused something else for Roy. Since that funeral, that terribly painful funeral, Roy had felt a black hole growing inside him, killing him on the inside. He’d soon be dead in his own way. But, for right now, he had a enough life inside of him to lead a normal-looking life. As if he didn’t think of Maes every minute of every day and that he wasn’t depressed.
Now, sitting in the grass, staring off into the distance, he let all of his tears out. All of his pain and sorrow. They were silent tears, they didn’t disturb his thinking at all, but they came like a storm. They flooded his eyes and drowned his cheeks in salty water.
The whole time he stared into the distance not daring to make a noise, afraid it would disturb his resting friend. Not even a single sniffle came from him. He was silent. It was as if he wasn’t there at all.
About halfway through the day, at noon, he heard some sort of a shuffling noise. He would’ve looked to see what it was, but he didn’t want to know. He was afraid of anyone he knew seeing him like this.
He had just begun to believe that he was hearing things when a unforgettable voice cut through the silence like a knife to butter.
“Found you, Colonel,” The voice was being very soft and quiet compared to how Roy usually heard it speak. In seconds he found a slender, golden haired boy sitting to the right of him in the grass. “So this is where you’ve been hiding.”
Roy didn’t say anything in fear of his voice cracking. He just aimed his eyes at the ground and hoped that the kid wouldn’t notice the oh-so-obvious crying he had been doing.
Much to Roy’s despair, he did notice. A mixture of both curiosity and worry filled the boy’s sun colored eyes as he did, too. “Hey, are you alright? I didn’t mean to disturb anything.”
“I’m fine, Edward,” Roy said very quietly. He knew that the answer wouldn’t be good enough for the Elric, but it was worth trying. “Just-”
“-visiting an old friend?” Ed finished for him. He knew exactly what was happening. His good friend, the colonel, was dwelling in the past. Just like Ed had done when his mother died. “I’m sure it’s pretty painful for you. You and Hughes seemed to be close.”
Roy sighed, making sure that he avoided all eye contact with Edward. “Close is good word for it.”
“What do you mean?” Was what Ed wanted to ask, but he decided that if Roy wanted to tell him, he would. In the state he was in, Edward didn’t want to pressure him at all. But his curiosity was a bit overwhelming, so he tried to find a less blunt way to word his question. He just used what he inferred would be the answer to say, “You know, I miss him too but, you seem to really miss him. Like as much as Gracia does.”
Roy, feeling like he could talk to Ed, smiled a tiny bit through his drying tears. “I do miss him that much. Maybe even more than that. It’s sort of hard to explain.”
That’s all Ed needed to hear. He had figured out what Roy meant in seconds after that statement. “So you loved him, right?”
Roy’s eyes widened and he looked directly at the pipsqueak. He had gotten it spot on. “How did you-?”
“It’s obvious.” Ed laughed a bit. He knew Roy like Maes more than he would admit a long time ago. Ed could just tell. “You are sitting here at his grave in the middle of a work day. Of course you loved him.”
The kid read him like a book. Roy was shocked, more than shocked. Nobody else seemed to know what was up with him, but Edward. He knew exactly what was wrong and he didn’t seem to be judging him for it. “You seem alright with that.”
“I’m perfectly fine with it,” Ed smiled as he talked, trying to lighten the mood, and he reached up and place his gloved hand on Roy’s shoulder to comfort him. “Yeah, he had a daughter and everything, but you two were still real close.”
Roy would have usually moved away from the touch. He had always been like that. He didn’t like to be comforted when he was like this. It made him feel weak. But... this time, he didn’t stray away. Edward was making him feel better. “I didn’t know you could be so comforting, Fullmetal.”
“You obviously doubt me,” Ed laughed. Then he stood up, stretching as he did so. He was standing in front of Roy when he put his hand out to help him up. “Come on, Mustang. Let’s go get some ice-cream or something. I’ll buy.”
Roy chuckled and took the kid’s hand, letting him -partially- help him up. “I’m not a kid like you. How about we get some lunch. And I’ll pay.”
“Hey! Don’t call me a kid!” Edward yelled, turning back to his usual defensive self. “I’m fifteen!”
“And that so makes you not a kid,” Roy said sarcastically as he began to walk away from the gravesite. He didn’t even notice he forgot to say goodbye.
“It does! And I’m in the military, too!” Ed was trying to win this argument, but also was trying to cheer up his boss by letting the colonel tease him.
To be honest, Ed had no idea he was going to find Roy. It was just a guess. And his guess was right. He didn’t know that Roy would be in tears and he didn’t know he’d have to comfort him.
It was all because of one wild guess.
(I felt I should share this with you guys. It turned out a bit long, but it's my newest one shot. )
