Ah, there it was. Innocence at last. Maes grinned cheerfully still, the smile reaching his eyes as he acknowledged the boy in front of him. A boy offering what he could do in order to help out with a family, with a household. "Oh, my Gracia would absolutely love anything that anyone can do to help out around the house. I'm certain she'll just find you adorable." He got a bit misty eyed as he went on and rambled about Gracia, never shy about sharing details about his wife with strangers. It was usually how Maes learned to read people and those around him and it was quite a good tactic as well. Most never expected that the man gushing about his wife was an intelligence officer.
He chuckled a little to hear the boy talk about fixing his clock. "Oh, I'm sure either of them would be glad to. I've seen Al fix more things than just a clock so it shouldn't be much of a problem for him. Roy's mostly good for blowing stuff up, though he always fails to remember that his fire alchemy doesn't work so well in the rain. Bit of an embarrassment sometimes, really," he teased his friend, knowing that if word ever got back to Roy from this kid that he would know that it really was Maes who had spoken to him. Every action that Maes took had a meaning behind it. In this case, he was giving Roy a sign that he obviously trusted the kid this much and he didn't mind working with him a bit here.
He tilted his head, though, as Twelve described the state of the clock. "I'm not really a man of science myself. I more deal with facts and what I can see in front of me here. But, it definitely sounds like one of them can fix it. Sounds like you've got all the right parts in place for them, at least. So, it's settled then, isn't it?" Maes remarked lightly. "It wouldn't hurt for you to say hello to Roy too. Goodness knows he could use practice talking to children! He's going to be a father soon, you know. Always knew those two would wind up together." He knew this was a common fact by this time around the military. No point in hiding Riza's pregnancy when it was obvious to anyone who saw her, but he didn't indulge Riza's name, either, just for her protection.