2 Alphabet Drabbles (Mustang/Hughes, friendship) K and L
Title: K is for Knife
Author: SeaweedOtter
Characters: Roy Mustang, Maes Hughes
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Mmmm.. angsty goodness. (and Episode 25 spoilers!)
Author's Note: I got this idea from clinicly8insane who got the idea from h_mania. So I would like to thank both of them.
Knife.
After the funeral, Gracia had given Roy a box of Maes' belongings. When he got it, he hadn't done any more than quickly skim over the first layer of items, which looked to be mostly photographs and small knick-knacks from when the two of them had roomed together at the military academy. He took is home and promptly put it under his bed. The wounds were just too fresh at the time.
Many months later, he found the box that was under his bed again when he was searching for something that he had dropped. It was dusty and slightly yellowed, but he knew immediately, even without a label, what was inside before he pulled it out and took off the slightly warped lid.
The photographs on the top were mostly candid pictures that Maes had taken while Roy was sleepy, or when Roy was actually sleeping, and unable to stop him from snapping the picture. There were a couple of shots of when Roy first attempted to shave his face and opened a nasty gash on his chin. Roy had threatened to burn the camera and the film in it, but by the time he had stopped the bleeding, the offending instrument was well hidden, and vengeance was eventually forgotten, until the next time Maes tried to snap a photograph.
Under the first layer of pictures were a few girly magazines that the two boys had shared. Roy always had his share of girlfriends, so the somewhat shyer Maes usually hid them under his mattress. There were also a couple of empty packs of the cheap brand of cigarettes that Maes used to smoke. That had come to an abrupt end once Gracia came into the picture. He also found a couple of the papers that Maes had written. That included one on the History of the Amestris Military, where he had gotten a 92, and another on Techniques of Investigation that he received a 95 on. Roy smiled and wondered how many low scoring papers he didn't bother saving.
Beneath that, Roy paused for a moment, before he pulled out one small, rusty push knife. It was very close to the type of knife that Maes always carried on his person, even while out of uniform- not unlike Roy and his ever present alchemic gloves.
He brought the knife up to his face, studying every little crack and crevice, every small imperfection that his best friend had left in it. He knew it was slightly different than the ones he used while he was in Investigations. It still had the black T-shaped handle, and the two sharply serrated edges that went halfway up the length of the blade. It was smaller and lighter, easier to throw. He knew this was Maes' practice knife, the one that he had learned to hone the deadly art of knife throwing.
He hefted it, tossed it up and caught it, testing the edge and the balance. To an unskilled thrower like him, it was a bit awkward, but despite that, and its rustiness, it still had it's edge, as he noticed when he saw the cut that it had left on the pad of his thumb after he ran his finger along it.
Roy suckled the blood away from his finger, then used a rag to clean the tiny streak of blood off the side of the blade. when it was clean again, he took it into his living room and sat it down on his desk, next to the only framed picture that he owned. It was a picture that had been taken the day the two boys graduated from the academy. Roy was serious as always, and Maes had his arm around the shorter man, his hat off and a huge, goofy smile plastered over his face.
The alchemist walked back into the room and put all the rest of the items back into the box and put the top back on. He took the box outside and behind his apartment building, in the alley where the dumpster was kept. With a sad face, he placed the box close to the dumpster, put on his alchemic glove, and snapped his fingers.
With all of the papers and photographs in it, it burnt for quite a while. The bright orange flames reflected in his moist black eyes, and even though the heat and the light stung his eyes and made them water, he didn't turn away until the last ember died, and it was reduced to nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash.
He walked back into his apartment and sunk down into his favorite old, overstuffed chair, poured a glass of scotch, and raised it in a silent toast to his fallen best friend.
Memories can cut worse than the blade of a knife.
Title: L is for Library
Author: SeaweedOtter
Characters: Roy Mustang, Maes Hughes
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Very silly. Academy fic.
Library.
Maes spent much more time in the library than he did in his dorm room, which suited his roommate just fine. Roy could be fairly certain that on most nights, if he brought his girlfriend (of the week) over, they would have plenty of alone until slightly after the library closed at 2200 hours.
Even when Maes did spend a rare night in the dorm room, the library still came through for Roy. There were private study rooms in the back corner of the second floor of the library that could be used by any student. Since they could be locked from the inside, and there were no windows facing out into the outer hallway of the library, it was a well known fact that the privacy that they offered were almost better than the dorms.
Almost.
Those rooms, unfortunately, did have one drawback- a drawback that the upperclassmen who told him about it failed to mention, and a drawback that nearly got Roy kicked out of school in only his second semester.
Paper thin walls do not hide the moans and other assorted noises for two people who are in the throes of passion.
Silence is especially important when you are in those throes of passion with the Brigadeer General's daughter, who also happens to be a student worker at the library.
Only the desperate pleading of his daughter, and the excellent character witnesses from his roommate and several (bribed) friends kept Roy from being expelled that unusually warm and pretty spring semester.
One of the stipulations of him being able to stay in school was that Roy could never again set foot in the study rooms, by himself or with others. He also had to have a male accomplice with him at all times while he was in the library.
He was never so happy to have a bookworm as a roommate and best friend after that incident.
And he never made fun of Maes' library habits, ever again.
Author: SeaweedOtter
Characters: Roy Mustang, Maes Hughes
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Mmmm.. angsty goodness. (and Episode 25 spoilers!)
Author's Note: I got this idea from clinicly8insane who got the idea from h_mania. So I would like to thank both of them.
Knife.
After the funeral, Gracia had given Roy a box of Maes' belongings. When he got it, he hadn't done any more than quickly skim over the first layer of items, which looked to be mostly photographs and small knick-knacks from when the two of them had roomed together at the military academy. He took is home and promptly put it under his bed. The wounds were just too fresh at the time.
Many months later, he found the box that was under his bed again when he was searching for something that he had dropped. It was dusty and slightly yellowed, but he knew immediately, even without a label, what was inside before he pulled it out and took off the slightly warped lid.
The photographs on the top were mostly candid pictures that Maes had taken while Roy was sleepy, or when Roy was actually sleeping, and unable to stop him from snapping the picture. There were a couple of shots of when Roy first attempted to shave his face and opened a nasty gash on his chin. Roy had threatened to burn the camera and the film in it, but by the time he had stopped the bleeding, the offending instrument was well hidden, and vengeance was eventually forgotten, until the next time Maes tried to snap a photograph.
Under the first layer of pictures were a few girly magazines that the two boys had shared. Roy always had his share of girlfriends, so the somewhat shyer Maes usually hid them under his mattress. There were also a couple of empty packs of the cheap brand of cigarettes that Maes used to smoke. That had come to an abrupt end once Gracia came into the picture. He also found a couple of the papers that Maes had written. That included one on the History of the Amestris Military, where he had gotten a 92, and another on Techniques of Investigation that he received a 95 on. Roy smiled and wondered how many low scoring papers he didn't bother saving.
Beneath that, Roy paused for a moment, before he pulled out one small, rusty push knife. It was very close to the type of knife that Maes always carried on his person, even while out of uniform- not unlike Roy and his ever present alchemic gloves.
He brought the knife up to his face, studying every little crack and crevice, every small imperfection that his best friend had left in it. He knew it was slightly different than the ones he used while he was in Investigations. It still had the black T-shaped handle, and the two sharply serrated edges that went halfway up the length of the blade. It was smaller and lighter, easier to throw. He knew this was Maes' practice knife, the one that he had learned to hone the deadly art of knife throwing.
He hefted it, tossed it up and caught it, testing the edge and the balance. To an unskilled thrower like him, it was a bit awkward, but despite that, and its rustiness, it still had it's edge, as he noticed when he saw the cut that it had left on the pad of his thumb after he ran his finger along it.
Roy suckled the blood away from his finger, then used a rag to clean the tiny streak of blood off the side of the blade. when it was clean again, he took it into his living room and sat it down on his desk, next to the only framed picture that he owned. It was a picture that had been taken the day the two boys graduated from the academy. Roy was serious as always, and Maes had his arm around the shorter man, his hat off and a huge, goofy smile plastered over his face.
The alchemist walked back into the room and put all the rest of the items back into the box and put the top back on. He took the box outside and behind his apartment building, in the alley where the dumpster was kept. With a sad face, he placed the box close to the dumpster, put on his alchemic glove, and snapped his fingers.
With all of the papers and photographs in it, it burnt for quite a while. The bright orange flames reflected in his moist black eyes, and even though the heat and the light stung his eyes and made them water, he didn't turn away until the last ember died, and it was reduced to nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash.
He walked back into his apartment and sunk down into his favorite old, overstuffed chair, poured a glass of scotch, and raised it in a silent toast to his fallen best friend.
Memories can cut worse than the blade of a knife.
Title: L is for Library
Author: SeaweedOtter
Characters: Roy Mustang, Maes Hughes
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Very silly. Academy fic.
Library.
Maes spent much more time in the library than he did in his dorm room, which suited his roommate just fine. Roy could be fairly certain that on most nights, if he brought his girlfriend (of the week) over, they would have plenty of alone until slightly after the library closed at 2200 hours.
Even when Maes did spend a rare night in the dorm room, the library still came through for Roy. There were private study rooms in the back corner of the second floor of the library that could be used by any student. Since they could be locked from the inside, and there were no windows facing out into the outer hallway of the library, it was a well known fact that the privacy that they offered were almost better than the dorms.
Almost.
Those rooms, unfortunately, did have one drawback- a drawback that the upperclassmen who told him about it failed to mention, and a drawback that nearly got Roy kicked out of school in only his second semester.
Paper thin walls do not hide the moans and other assorted noises for two people who are in the throes of passion.
Silence is especially important when you are in those throes of passion with the Brigadeer General's daughter, who also happens to be a student worker at the library.
Only the desperate pleading of his daughter, and the excellent character witnesses from his roommate and several (bribed) friends kept Roy from being expelled that unusually warm and pretty spring semester.
One of the stipulations of him being able to stay in school was that Roy could never again set foot in the study rooms, by himself or with others. He also had to have a male accomplice with him at all times while he was in the library.
He was never so happy to have a bookworm as a roommate and best friend after that incident.
And he never made fun of Maes' library habits, ever again.