The Seed of the Fire- Chapter 20: "To Be a Family" (Mustang x Hughes)
Title: To Be a Family (The Seed of the Fire- Chapter 20)
Author: SeaweedOtter
Pairing: Roy Mustang x Maes Hughes
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: AU, Set before the anime started, while Maes and Roy were roommates at
the military academy.
Author Note: The story will mostly follow the manga, but it may have a bit of both.
Summary: What is the definition of family, anyways?
I have the awesome johns_elizabeth as my advisor.
Also guest beta for this chapter was clinicly8insane
Read all of the chapters so far HERE!
It was a beautiful day in Central City. A few small, puffy clouds ambled lazily across the sky. That day was unusually warm, but the slight wind kept it very comfortable. It was about as close to a perfect day as the town had seen in a while.
But Maes didn't care about any of it. His mind wandered while he slowly walked towards Gracia's house. He had no idea what he was going to tell her, but he knew he had to go. He had planned to propose to her today when they met for lunch, after she got back into town. But all of a sudden, it didn't seem like such a good idea. He stared down at the sidewalk, focusing his eyes on his feet. He just didn't feel like looking at anyone at the moment.
When he finally got to her house, he stopped outside the front door. For a few minutes, all he did was stand, and stare at the house. He knew she was home. He saw the light on in her bedroom, even though it was daytime. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. It was never going to get done by just standing here, he knew. he put his hand in his pocket and rubbed the edge of his thumb against something smooth and round. He sighed again and pulled his hand out, without the item. He walked up to the front door and knocked.
Gracia opened the door a few moments later. Her face brightened immediately when she saw that it was her boyfriend. "Maes!" she yelled, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him fully on the lips. Her momentum made him have to take a step back, and balance against her weight. He managed a small smile, kissing her back. "Gracia. I am so glad to see you. You have no idea."
She let go of his neck, a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay, Maes?"
He nodded his head. "Yeah. It has just been a long day." He stepped past her and went into the house. She followed right behind. "I am sorry to ask this at the last minute. I know we were going to go out for lunch, but could we just stay here? I.. just want to be close to you for a while."
"Yes, sure. That is fine." She smiled softly and brushed a stay hair away from his face. Gracia gave him a little kiss on the end of his nose. "Just as long as you are going to be alright." She closed the door behind her and took Maes' hand leading him to a comfortably overstuffed chair. He slumped down, and she went into the kitchen to make them some drinks.
She came back a few minutes later with a couple of glasses of tea. She sat the tray down and served the drinks, then sat down next to Maes, softly putting her hand on top of his. "So, are you going to tell me why you have such a sad face?"
Maes sighed. He opened his mouth, and was actually going to tell her, but his stomach felt like it was in his feet. He just couldn't do it. He closed his eyes and his mouth. and looked down at the glass of tea, swirling it around in the glass and watching the liquid dance under his movements. "It is nothing. Please. Just don't worry about it now. Let's just enjoy being together." he managed a tiny smile. She smiled back and started to drink her tea, but he knew that she wouldn't let it go so easily.
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A short time later, Gracia made sandwiches. and they munched mostly silently. Gracia couldn't keep her eyes off of Maes, but Maes mostly just looked down, glancing at whatever he could use as an excuse not to look at her. When they were done, he excused himself to lie down for a short time. As much as it was a decent excuse to not have to deal directly with her, the last few days between him and Roy had left him mentally and physically exhausted, and even the night he had spent with Roy had done little to quench his exhaustion.
His head had hardly hit the pillow before he was asleep.
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"Hey Roy, You want one of these cookies?" Maes asked through a half filled mouth, spilling crumbs out of the sides of his lips. He shook the already half emptied box of cookies that Gracia has sent him towards the alchemist.
Roy shook his head and rolled over on his cot, facing away from his tent mate. Maes sighed, took one more bite, and put the box on his cot and got up. He walked over to Roy and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. Please talk to me."
To his relief, Roy rolled over. His eyes were dull and tired, and he hadn't bothered to try to wipe the dirt and dust and soot from his face or his wrinkled uniform. It looked like he had hardly slept since they had arrived almost a month ago. "What in the world is there to talk about? We are stuck here in this hell hole, killing people with the same face as ours, and you are happy because you have a sweet snack?"
Maes' face dulled. "Well, any little comfort of home that I can get here, I enjoy." He took his glasses off and laid them to the footlocker at the side of his cot, then sat down on the edge, next to Roy. He trailed a finger down the side of the alchemist's jacket sleeve. Roy was quiet, but he heard the soft exhale- his eyes thinned just a little.
His hand trailed down to Roy's wrist, over the back of his hand, and to the end of his still gloved index finger. Gently, he took Roy's glove off, and put it next to his glasses. He did the same to the other hand, bringing the alchemist's hand to his
mouth. He licked gently on the tip of his calloused thumb. Roy groaned softly and closed his eyes for just a second, before opening them again and pulling his hand away.
"Maes.. we can't. You have a girlfriend. And people can walk in this tent any time." Maes hesitated for a second, but moved his hand back to Roy, playing with the golden buttons on the front of his uniform, tracing a finger around the edge of the sides. He didn't try to undo them, but he was sure that he wouldn't have been too upset if they had.
Roy knew that he should protest, but he couldn't. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out- just the softest of moans- barely comprehensible, fell past his slightly parted lips. Maes smiled and leaned in, kissing Roy lightly on the base of his neck, where his uniform ended and his skin began. He shivered lightly. The cool moisture from Maes' kisses felt wonderful in the stifling heat of the desert. But it was more than that.
It was Maes. Kissing him. He knew he should push him away, but he couldn't. He was afraid that someone would walk into their tent and find them. If they did, their military careers were over before they really started. That is, if they even survived.
But even with all of that, he didn't stop Maes. He leaned his head back giving the taller man better access to the sensitive skin on his neck. Maes didn't hesitate for one second before starting to nibble and lick on his goose bumping flesh. "Maes..." He whispered. He rolled a bit to the side, so the older man wouldn't have as odd of an angle to get to him.
The next time that Maes touched the buttons on Roy's jacket, he was unbuttoning them. The alchemist's breath shallowed, and his eyes thinned. He watched as the man opened his jacket and tugged it back and off. He went directly towards the buttons on his blue undershirt, working from the top down. Maes seemed to feels Roy's nervousness and sped his ministrations up, though he did stop after each button and kiss the area that the shirt now exposed.
Roy shook his shoulders and nudged the shirt off of his back, landing on top of his jacket behind him. Maes leaned in and licked at the tip of one of Roy's nipples, making him hiss in pleasure. He heard some ruckus going on in the camp from outside the tent, but he tried to ignore it and focus on the here and now.
Unfortunately, Maes had heard it as well, and he stopped. "What is that?" He asked.
"I don’t know." Roy sighed. "Do we have to see what it is?"
"Yeah. Get your shirt on, just in case. I will go check."
Roy started to button up his blue undershirt while Maes stood up and walked out of the tent, just in time to see a solider come up and salute him. "Hughes."
"Maes." Why was he using his first name?
"Maes..."
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"Maes, wake up, please. It is already late afternoon. I didn't want you to sleep too much before bedtime." He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. As they finally focused- as much as they would without his glasses- he saw Gracia sitting on the bed beside him, gently shaking him awake.
He yawned and stretched, and reached for his glasses on the nightstand. He blinked, getting his eyes adjusted to being able to see everything normally again, and leaned in and kissed Gracia as she was getting up from the bed. She smiled, blushed, and giggled at him, then got up and walked towards the kitchen, calling over her shoulder "I am going to start dinner soon. Come out when you are ready."
"Okay." He went to the bathroom, took care of business, and followed Gracia to the kitchen. He looked out the window. It was still light, but the sun was starting to dip low in the sky. He knew it would be dark in a couple of hours. He walked behind Gracia, who was starting to cut some vegetables. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in to kiss the side of her neck, startling her.
"Maes Hughes, you better be careful when I have this knife, or else you are going be removing it from your hand!" She smiled, no malice held in her voice. He backed up and raised his hands, palms facing her.
"Okay, okay. I was just going to tell you that I have some.. business to attend to tomorrow morning. I have to leave early, but I should be home at my normal time."
"Alright dear." He caught the slighted bit of something- hesitation? Unassuredness? He wasn't sure what it was. Did she know where he was planning to go? He was pretty sure she had a guess. But she turned back to her vegetables and started to cut again, humming a soft tune under her breath.
He sat down at her kitchen table and just watched her with a soft grin on his face. There were no words to say how much he loved her. He loved to watch her do the most mundane things. She made them look effortless, like she always enjoyed what she was doing, no matter what it was.
A soft sigh escaped his lips. He imagined them a few years down the line. Maybe he would have a few gray hairs, and perhaps she would try to hide a couple of age lines that crept into the creases of her eyes with makeup. They would have a boy and a girl, and probably a dog to round out the family.
Family.
As much as he cared for- no- *loved* Roy, they could never be a family, in any sense of the word. They would never be accepted, and of course they could never have children.
And he did want children. He wanted a boy who he could teach throwing knives to when he was old enough, and a girl that he could watch while she and Gracia baked those pies that everyone loved.
He sighed softly and got up from the table and ambled slowly into the living room. Her living room was full of pictures. That was one of the things that had endeared her to him. They both loved being in front of and behind the camera. The main pictures were on the mantle- mostly pictures of her family and a few friends. She already had quite a few pictures of Maes, and there were a couple that he had taken of her.
What surprised him is the picture that she had off to the side. It was a copy of a photo that he had given her when he left for Ishbal- the picture that was taken the day he and Roy graduated from the Academy. Maes with a goofy smile, his arm around the shoulder of a steel faced Mustang. He had intended to give it to her for safe keeping until he returned from Ishbal, and he had forgotten to get it back. But it looked so at home there.
"Maybe she can keep it a little while." He smiled.
"Maes, get your hands washed, dear. It is almost ready." He heard her call from the kitchen. 'Where had the time gone?' He thought to himself. It seemed like he had just walked in a few moments ago, and here it was, dinner time.
He washed his hands and went back into the kitchen to help Gracia get the table set. The food was laid out, and they had a nice dinner, albeit a bit quiet. Gracia noticed that Maes seemed to be feeling a little better, and Maes was glad that Gracia hadn't asked about his previous mood.
When it was over, they washed the dishes and sat down in the living room with a cup of tea.
"Are you okay, dear? You seem a bit.. distracted. I hope that everything is okay with your friend."
Maes took a sip of his tea and put the glass down, hoping it would hide his slightly shaking hand. "Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about him. He has been a bit rough for a while. He has his good days and bad days." He smiled softly at her.
"But tonight it is you and I." He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "I am a bit tired. I think I am going to head to bed. Care to join me?" He smiled and winked, then drank the last bit of tea and stood up, heading towards the kitchen.
She followed, and washed their cups, then she headed into the bedroom first.
"Coming?" She called from down the hall.
"One second, dear.
Maes' hand wandered down to the ring that was still in his right pocket. He fingered the band, felt the gem set in the top, and the light etching on the inside of the ring with the pad of his finger.
He sighed and frowned for just a moment. "Not tonight, dear. But soon. Soon I will ask you to be my wife." He dropped the ring back to the bottom of the pocket and walked towards the bedroom, taking his jacket off while on the way.
Author: SeaweedOtter
Pairing: Roy Mustang x Maes Hughes
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: AU, Set before the anime started, while Maes and Roy were roommates at
the military academy.
Author Note: The story will mostly follow the manga, but it may have a bit of both.
Summary: What is the definition of family, anyways?
I have the awesome johns_elizabeth as my advisor.
Also guest beta for this chapter was clinicly8insane
Read all of the chapters so far HERE!
It was a beautiful day in Central City. A few small, puffy clouds ambled lazily across the sky. That day was unusually warm, but the slight wind kept it very comfortable. It was about as close to a perfect day as the town had seen in a while.
But Maes didn't care about any of it. His mind wandered while he slowly walked towards Gracia's house. He had no idea what he was going to tell her, but he knew he had to go. He had planned to propose to her today when they met for lunch, after she got back into town. But all of a sudden, it didn't seem like such a good idea. He stared down at the sidewalk, focusing his eyes on his feet. He just didn't feel like looking at anyone at the moment.
When he finally got to her house, he stopped outside the front door. For a few minutes, all he did was stand, and stare at the house. He knew she was home. He saw the light on in her bedroom, even though it was daytime. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. It was never going to get done by just standing here, he knew. he put his hand in his pocket and rubbed the edge of his thumb against something smooth and round. He sighed again and pulled his hand out, without the item. He walked up to the front door and knocked.
Gracia opened the door a few moments later. Her face brightened immediately when she saw that it was her boyfriend. "Maes!" she yelled, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him fully on the lips. Her momentum made him have to take a step back, and balance against her weight. He managed a small smile, kissing her back. "Gracia. I am so glad to see you. You have no idea."
She let go of his neck, a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay, Maes?"
He nodded his head. "Yeah. It has just been a long day." He stepped past her and went into the house. She followed right behind. "I am sorry to ask this at the last minute. I know we were going to go out for lunch, but could we just stay here? I.. just want to be close to you for a while."
"Yes, sure. That is fine." She smiled softly and brushed a stay hair away from his face. Gracia gave him a little kiss on the end of his nose. "Just as long as you are going to be alright." She closed the door behind her and took Maes' hand leading him to a comfortably overstuffed chair. He slumped down, and she went into the kitchen to make them some drinks.
She came back a few minutes later with a couple of glasses of tea. She sat the tray down and served the drinks, then sat down next to Maes, softly putting her hand on top of his. "So, are you going to tell me why you have such a sad face?"
Maes sighed. He opened his mouth, and was actually going to tell her, but his stomach felt like it was in his feet. He just couldn't do it. He closed his eyes and his mouth. and looked down at the glass of tea, swirling it around in the glass and watching the liquid dance under his movements. "It is nothing. Please. Just don't worry about it now. Let's just enjoy being together." he managed a tiny smile. She smiled back and started to drink her tea, but he knew that she wouldn't let it go so easily.
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A short time later, Gracia made sandwiches. and they munched mostly silently. Gracia couldn't keep her eyes off of Maes, but Maes mostly just looked down, glancing at whatever he could use as an excuse not to look at her. When they were done, he excused himself to lie down for a short time. As much as it was a decent excuse to not have to deal directly with her, the last few days between him and Roy had left him mentally and physically exhausted, and even the night he had spent with Roy had done little to quench his exhaustion.
His head had hardly hit the pillow before he was asleep.
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"Hey Roy, You want one of these cookies?" Maes asked through a half filled mouth, spilling crumbs out of the sides of his lips. He shook the already half emptied box of cookies that Gracia has sent him towards the alchemist.
Roy shook his head and rolled over on his cot, facing away from his tent mate. Maes sighed, took one more bite, and put the box on his cot and got up. He walked over to Roy and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. Please talk to me."
To his relief, Roy rolled over. His eyes were dull and tired, and he hadn't bothered to try to wipe the dirt and dust and soot from his face or his wrinkled uniform. It looked like he had hardly slept since they had arrived almost a month ago. "What in the world is there to talk about? We are stuck here in this hell hole, killing people with the same face as ours, and you are happy because you have a sweet snack?"
Maes' face dulled. "Well, any little comfort of home that I can get here, I enjoy." He took his glasses off and laid them to the footlocker at the side of his cot, then sat down on the edge, next to Roy. He trailed a finger down the side of the alchemist's jacket sleeve. Roy was quiet, but he heard the soft exhale- his eyes thinned just a little.
His hand trailed down to Roy's wrist, over the back of his hand, and to the end of his still gloved index finger. Gently, he took Roy's glove off, and put it next to his glasses. He did the same to the other hand, bringing the alchemist's hand to his
mouth. He licked gently on the tip of his calloused thumb. Roy groaned softly and closed his eyes for just a second, before opening them again and pulling his hand away.
"Maes.. we can't. You have a girlfriend. And people can walk in this tent any time." Maes hesitated for a second, but moved his hand back to Roy, playing with the golden buttons on the front of his uniform, tracing a finger around the edge of the sides. He didn't try to undo them, but he was sure that he wouldn't have been too upset if they had.
Roy knew that he should protest, but he couldn't. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out- just the softest of moans- barely comprehensible, fell past his slightly parted lips. Maes smiled and leaned in, kissing Roy lightly on the base of his neck, where his uniform ended and his skin began. He shivered lightly. The cool moisture from Maes' kisses felt wonderful in the stifling heat of the desert. But it was more than that.
It was Maes. Kissing him. He knew he should push him away, but he couldn't. He was afraid that someone would walk into their tent and find them. If they did, their military careers were over before they really started. That is, if they even survived.
But even with all of that, he didn't stop Maes. He leaned his head back giving the taller man better access to the sensitive skin on his neck. Maes didn't hesitate for one second before starting to nibble and lick on his goose bumping flesh. "Maes..." He whispered. He rolled a bit to the side, so the older man wouldn't have as odd of an angle to get to him.
The next time that Maes touched the buttons on Roy's jacket, he was unbuttoning them. The alchemist's breath shallowed, and his eyes thinned. He watched as the man opened his jacket and tugged it back and off. He went directly towards the buttons on his blue undershirt, working from the top down. Maes seemed to feels Roy's nervousness and sped his ministrations up, though he did stop after each button and kiss the area that the shirt now exposed.
Roy shook his shoulders and nudged the shirt off of his back, landing on top of his jacket behind him. Maes leaned in and licked at the tip of one of Roy's nipples, making him hiss in pleasure. He heard some ruckus going on in the camp from outside the tent, but he tried to ignore it and focus on the here and now.
Unfortunately, Maes had heard it as well, and he stopped. "What is that?" He asked.
"I don’t know." Roy sighed. "Do we have to see what it is?"
"Yeah. Get your shirt on, just in case. I will go check."
Roy started to button up his blue undershirt while Maes stood up and walked out of the tent, just in time to see a solider come up and salute him. "Hughes."
"Maes." Why was he using his first name?
"Maes..."
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"Maes, wake up, please. It is already late afternoon. I didn't want you to sleep too much before bedtime." He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. As they finally focused- as much as they would without his glasses- he saw Gracia sitting on the bed beside him, gently shaking him awake.
He yawned and stretched, and reached for his glasses on the nightstand. He blinked, getting his eyes adjusted to being able to see everything normally again, and leaned in and kissed Gracia as she was getting up from the bed. She smiled, blushed, and giggled at him, then got up and walked towards the kitchen, calling over her shoulder "I am going to start dinner soon. Come out when you are ready."
"Okay." He went to the bathroom, took care of business, and followed Gracia to the kitchen. He looked out the window. It was still light, but the sun was starting to dip low in the sky. He knew it would be dark in a couple of hours. He walked behind Gracia, who was starting to cut some vegetables. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in to kiss the side of her neck, startling her.
"Maes Hughes, you better be careful when I have this knife, or else you are going be removing it from your hand!" She smiled, no malice held in her voice. He backed up and raised his hands, palms facing her.
"Okay, okay. I was just going to tell you that I have some.. business to attend to tomorrow morning. I have to leave early, but I should be home at my normal time."
"Alright dear." He caught the slighted bit of something- hesitation? Unassuredness? He wasn't sure what it was. Did she know where he was planning to go? He was pretty sure she had a guess. But she turned back to her vegetables and started to cut again, humming a soft tune under her breath.
He sat down at her kitchen table and just watched her with a soft grin on his face. There were no words to say how much he loved her. He loved to watch her do the most mundane things. She made them look effortless, like she always enjoyed what she was doing, no matter what it was.
A soft sigh escaped his lips. He imagined them a few years down the line. Maybe he would have a few gray hairs, and perhaps she would try to hide a couple of age lines that crept into the creases of her eyes with makeup. They would have a boy and a girl, and probably a dog to round out the family.
Family.
As much as he cared for- no- *loved* Roy, they could never be a family, in any sense of the word. They would never be accepted, and of course they could never have children.
And he did want children. He wanted a boy who he could teach throwing knives to when he was old enough, and a girl that he could watch while she and Gracia baked those pies that everyone loved.
He sighed softly and got up from the table and ambled slowly into the living room. Her living room was full of pictures. That was one of the things that had endeared her to him. They both loved being in front of and behind the camera. The main pictures were on the mantle- mostly pictures of her family and a few friends. She already had quite a few pictures of Maes, and there were a couple that he had taken of her.
What surprised him is the picture that she had off to the side. It was a copy of a photo that he had given her when he left for Ishbal- the picture that was taken the day he and Roy graduated from the Academy. Maes with a goofy smile, his arm around the shoulder of a steel faced Mustang. He had intended to give it to her for safe keeping until he returned from Ishbal, and he had forgotten to get it back. But it looked so at home there.
"Maybe she can keep it a little while." He smiled.
"Maes, get your hands washed, dear. It is almost ready." He heard her call from the kitchen. 'Where had the time gone?' He thought to himself. It seemed like he had just walked in a few moments ago, and here it was, dinner time.
He washed his hands and went back into the kitchen to help Gracia get the table set. The food was laid out, and they had a nice dinner, albeit a bit quiet. Gracia noticed that Maes seemed to be feeling a little better, and Maes was glad that Gracia hadn't asked about his previous mood.
When it was over, they washed the dishes and sat down in the living room with a cup of tea.
"Are you okay, dear? You seem a bit.. distracted. I hope that everything is okay with your friend."
Maes took a sip of his tea and put the glass down, hoping it would hide his slightly shaking hand. "Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about him. He has been a bit rough for a while. He has his good days and bad days." He smiled softly at her.
"But tonight it is you and I." He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "I am a bit tired. I think I am going to head to bed. Care to join me?" He smiled and winked, then drank the last bit of tea and stood up, heading towards the kitchen.
She followed, and washed their cups, then she headed into the bedroom first.
"Coming?" She called from down the hall.
"One second, dear.
Maes' hand wandered down to the ring that was still in his right pocket. He fingered the band, felt the gem set in the top, and the light etching on the inside of the ring with the pad of his finger.
He sighed and frowned for just a moment. "Not tonight, dear. But soon. Soon I will ask you to be my wife." He dropped the ring back to the bottom of the pocket and walked towards the bedroom, taking his jacket off while on the way.