A Walk in the Park
Author: MoonStarDutchess
Oneshot
AN: I don't own FMA but I do own my OC's and my idea. Any opinions that may be written in this fic are not necessary the opinions of the author.
Note: Maeve's bad grammar in dialogue, point of view, and thoughts is intentional.
Maeve Mustang cringed as she heard the beginnings of what was going to turn into an argument. If Maes had been there instead of spending the day with Gramps Grumman, he'd be crying.
She kind of missed him when this happened. She didn't like to be the only one sitting on the couch waiting for the mean talk that would come soon. She knew that nothing bad would happen after her parents argued and they'd be back to happy mommy and daddy by the end of the day, but that didn't make their fights easy to hear. She thought they were just having bad days lately or had a booboo, and that's why they were grumpy.
Or maybe they needed a nap. She and Maes always argued and got grumpy when they needed a nap.
She listened to their loud voices, expecting them to turn into yells, but was surprised when they didn't. Instead, her father came into the room and slumped down onto a chair. She waited for him to reassure her they weren't going to leave each other. She only needed to hear it once, not more than ten whole times. She may only be seven years old, but she was much smarter than average and was happy with her brains. Her daddy and mommy loved each other too much to go away from each other.
No reassuring came. He looked around, stood, and grabbed his sunglasses that were sitting on a side table. He slipped them on and started to turn toward the door when he noticed her.
She smiled at him, trying to get him to smile back, and was happy when he returned it. "If your mom asks where I am, tell her that I went for a walk, okay?"
"Can I go?" Her mom wasn't very much fun to be around when she was angry and liked to be alone when she had mad spells. Her daddy didn't like to be alone that much, so she wanted to keep him company.
"Of course, you can. Go put on your sunglasses and hat. It's hot and sunny out today."
She slid down from the couch and rushed to her room. A few minutes later, she returned with her pink sunglasses over her eyes and a white floppy sunhat on her head.
They left the house and made their way down the street, getting smiles from everyone that walked past. Maeve recognized some of the people and waved when they waved at her, but she stuck close to her daddy when greeted by people she didn't know.
"Roy!" someone said. It was the first time she heard someone on the street called her daddy anything other than Vice Fuehrer or Mister Mustang.
Maeve looked in the direction of the voice and saw a brown-haired woman coming toward them. Two other women followed her the way she saw the ducks at the park follow their mommy. They seemed to skip with every step and she wondered if the three busty women were in a contest to see who could bounce their boobies the best. Or maybe who could grow them bigger. They had a contest like that in school once about whose flower grew the biggest. Maybe this was the women version of it.
"Roy, it's been so long since we've seen you!" She jutted out her bottom lip and Maeve rolled her eyes. The lady looked like Maes did when mommy told him he couldn't have an extra cookie.
"Yes, well, I've been busy with my family." He bent down to pick Maeve up. She frowned. Now she was going to be used as her papa's shield, but if that was what it took to help her papa to get rid of the women, she would do it.
"Oh my god! And this is your daughter?"
No, I'm his puppy.
"Yes, this is Maeve."
"I have a twin brother too," she said.
"Oh? Is that so?"
I wouldn't have said it if it weren't true.
"Who'd you marry?" asked one of the black haired women who was behind the brown haired woman.
"He married my mommy," Maeve said. "And you need to leave my daddy alone because my mommy is really tough and pretty and can kick your butt if you touch my papa."
"Awww, she's adorable!" the brown haired woman said.
"I know," Maeve replied and shrugged one shoulder. With that, it was time to get her daddy away from these women. "Daddy, can we go to the park now?"
"Of course. If you excuse me ladies, I'm spending some quality time with my daughter. Have a good day," he said and walked away from them.
Roy walked through the gates to the park and moved Maeve so he was carrying her on his shoulders.
"Um. . . Papa?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you have women come up to you all the time?"
"It's not all the time."
"Yah huh! Every time you go out there's always lots and lots of women that come up unless mommy is with you."
Roy sighed. "Because I dated a lot of them," he said.
"What's dated?"
"It's something done for fun when you're older," he said. "Sometimes you do it so you can find the right person to marry someday. Daddy just did it for fun and a few other reasons."
"But you don't dated anymore, right?"
"I do, but the only person I take out on dates is your mom," he said. "Because I love her very much."
"I know you love Mommy. Mommy loves you too. You two shouldn't fight so much though, Daddy."
"We don't fight, we have discussions."
"Daddy, I'm not stupid. I've seen disgustings before. You and mommy fight."
Roy chuckled. "Yeah, we should stop. Does it scare you?"
"No, it annoys me. It scares Maes though, and I have to keep telling him you aren't going to go away."
"I'll talk with your mom about it. We'll try harder not to argue."
"Okay."
They walked down paved pathway in the park, quietly enjoying the environment until Maeve broke the silence that came between them. "How come mommy doesn't wear clothes like some of the women you dated?
Mommy doesn't show all kinds of skins and stuff."
"Oh," Roy said. "Well that's because mommy thinks it looks slutty."
"What does slutty mean?"
"It's a term used to refer to showing a lot of skin or being untidy and . . . I'd better not go any further. You're too young to know right now."
She hated when her daddy said that but knew arguing wouldn't help get her way. "Oh, okay."
"But there's something you have to remember, Maeve. You should never base how you feel about a person on the way they look. It's the way they treat people that's most important."
"I'll remember, Daddy."
"That's my girl."
"So, now that I learneded something new. When are we going to go get some flowers?"
"Huh?"
"That's why you went for a walk, Daddy. You came to get mommy flowers. Every time you leave the house mad, you always come home with flowers for mommy and then mommy kisses you and stuff. Then you and mommy play games after Maes and me go to bed."
Roy lifted his daughter off his shoulders and settled her in his arms. "Games?"
"Maes don't live across from you. His room is down the hall now, so he don't hear you and mommy giggling sometimes. I close my door when I hear you so I can sleep. It's not nice to play games and keep people awake, Daddy."
A blush spread over his face. "Your mom and I will try to be quieter from now on."
"Kay," she said.
"Let's pick up your mom a present too. This time the argument was my fault."
Maeve giggled. "Let's get her a teddy bear!"
"A teddy bear? Why a teddy bear?"
"Because they make everyone happy." Her daddy still has a lot to learn about girls and teddy bears and flowers. He was lucky she was around to teach him.
-/-/-
Maeve skipped into the house ahead of her daddy. He held two bags in one hand and flowers in the other. Maeve ran into the living room and climbed onto the couch where Riza was sitting.
"Hi, Mommy!"
"Where have you been?" Riza said and put down the book she was reading.
"Walking with Daddy," she said. "Is Maes home yet?"
"He's upstairs packing with your great grandfather."
Maeve's eyes lit up. "Gramps is here?"
Riza nodded. "Maes is going to spend a little bit of time with him during his week off."
"No fair. I wanna go too." She jumped down from the couch and ran to the door. If they left soon, mommy and daddy could make up and have extra playtime so they wouldn't be grumpy anymore.
"Maeve, wait." Maeve skidded to a halt and turned to her mother.
"Where's your dad?"
"In the kitchen." She faced her mom and put her hands on her hips like her mommy did when she was angry.
"Mommy should stop being a donkey and go talk to papa."
"A donkey?"
"You told me not to say the other word that meant donkey when it comes to people." She got a time out for ten whole minutes when she said the other word.
"I did?"
"Yep. Can I go see gramps now?"
When her mommy nodded, she ran out of the room and up the stairs.
-/-/-
A frown weighed down Riza's lips when she realized her daughter had called her a jackass. She stood and headed for the kitchen. Roy was in the process of putting Xingese food onto the counter.
He turned and smiled at her. "I got dinner."
"I'm sorry."
"I said I got—"
"I heard you. I'm apologizing, Roy." She walked over to him. "I shouldn't snap your head off at every little thing."
Roy motioned to the bouquet sitting on the counter. "I bought the last of the daisies." Instead of picking up the flowers, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Roy pulled her closer and hugged her. "We've been fighting a lot."
Riza nodded against his shoulder. It was odd that they'd been so hostile toward each other lately, but the majority of the time, she'd been the one to blame. "I've been crankier than usual. I'm sorry."
She kissed him and pressed her body against his so that there was no space between them. He pushed her against the counter and curved an arm around her waist. After a few seconds, she broke the kiss.
"Grandfather is upstairs. Wait until he's gone with the kids. He's going to take them for a few da—"
The phone rang and she pulled away from Roy's hold.
"Stupid phone," he said.
She laughed. "That must be the doctor. He said he'd have the results from my tests today."
"Doctor?"
"Yes, I haven't been feeling well as of late. At first, I thought it might be a simple cold, but it's been with me too long. I went for a checkup Wednesday. I thought I told you."
Roy shook his head. She walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Yes, this is Mrs. Mustang."
Riza grabbed the table and her eyes widened as the nurse told her the news. The doctor had said he wanted to run some additional test, but she didn't think he meant...It wasn't possible that... "You're kidding?"
Roy rushed over to her. "What's wrong? What is it?"
"Yes, I'd like you to make an appointment with him," she said. "I... Yes, thank you so much. Goodbye." She hung up the phone and slouched against Roy. It took no more than a few seconds to process what the nurse said before she burst into laughter and started crying at the same time.
Roy grabbed her shoulders and pulled her so he could look in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
Riza nodded. "I'm wonderful."
"Then what's going on? Why are you—"
"We're going to have another baby, Roy."
Roy froze. "Bu... But we had such a hard time conceiving Maes and Maeve. The doctor even told us that it was practically impossible for us to have another."
"Apparently he was wrong," she said. He'd been thrilled the first time she got pregnant, so when he didn't react the same way, her smile faded and fear overtook her. "You don't want another?" It never occurred to her when hearing the news that Roy wouldn't be happy.
"What?"
"Another child. You don't want another one?"
He gave her a quick kiss and walked over to a bag sitting on the countertop. He pulled out a teddy bear and walked back over to her. He held it up and smiled.
"So, I guess this is a good start on the nursery."
RW:2014