Ducky Backpacks Don't Mean Love

Author: MoonStarDutchess

Chapter 1: The Party

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do own my kid characters.

AN: Pure fluff at the request of a reader. This is dedicated to Geissbock.

Another Note: The incorrect grammar in the kid's speech and thoughts is intentional.

Maes leaned his head against his hand after he propped his arm upon his desk. He watched as the teacher wrote, Valentine's Day party, on the chalkboard, followed by the date. Maes saw a classmate passing out papers but paid no mind to it when one was placed on his desk. He zoned out as the other kids spoke with excited lilts, only hearing the occasional mention of candy and valentines.

He never bothered asking much about Valentine's Day, and this was the first time one of his classes was going to have a party for it. All he knew was that it was for people who liked each other and wanted to play. His mommy and daddy always went out and then had adult playtime at home while he and Maeve stayed with their Great Gramps Grumman. The next day always left him and his sister confused. When they came home, there were never any messes anywhere. Either the playtime wasn't very fun or mommy and daddy cleaned just as they told him to do when he put his toys on the floor.

His brow furrowed. Did grownups play with toys during playtime, or was it more like playing the card games his daddy played with his uncles Havoc, Breda, and Fuery? No, that couldn't be it. They never joined mommy and daddy during grown up playtime, so the card game couldn't be that grownup. Besides, his uncles were more childish than anyone he knew. Perhaps the adult playtime would always and forever be a mystery.

"Just like the socks the closet bunny took," Maes whispered.

"Bunny?"

He jumped and looked to his right. Panic rushed through him when he saw his friend standing next to his desk. "Ivy, you'd better go sit or teacher will be mad. You don't want her to...scold...you." He'd been scolded by Miss Miyabi before and it was so scary.

She laughed and then held up her panda backpack. "It's time to go home. Were you thinking about the taste of clouds again?"

He shook his head and stood. "No, I asked Maeve about it. Despite that song my mommy likes, clouds don't taste like coffee." Grabbing his notebook and ducky pencil from the top of his desk, he walked over to the snuggeries with Ivy. He got out his coat and put it on. "I was thinking about the Valentine's Day stuff." After putting his notebook and pencil in his backpack, he slung it over his shoulders.

"Are you happy about the party? Everyone is so excited," Ivy said as they walked out into the schoolyard where the mommies and daddies came to pick them up.

"Nope. I'm not excited. It means loud. I hate when things get loud."

"When the teacher told her about it yesterday, my mommy said she'd make cupcakes for the class."

Maes stopped as if something was blocking his way, turned his head, and looked at her with wide eyes. "The cool ones?"

"Yep."

"With the sprinkles?"

Ivy rapidly nodded her head and smiled her toothy grin. "Yeah! The yummy chocolate ones with the creamy filling stuff. She said she might even do different extra special colors!"

"Wow! That makes me really really happy now! You're mommy makes the bestest cupcakes in the whole wide world." He held up his hand in a diagonal from his body and waved it as if waving at the clouds. "And the stars and the other much planet places out there!"

"Maeve said the same thing once," Ivy said and giggled.

Maes folded his arms and raised his chin in the air. "That's because we're twins, and we both know yummy cupcakes when we eat them."

Ivy nodded again, her curls bouncing against her shoulders with the motion. "Yeah!"

"Hi, Maes," a sharp voice said. He and Ivy turned and saw their classmate walking toward them. With every step she took, her black ponytail swung back and forth just like he thought they were supposed to do. It was perfect.

A red tint spread across the apples of his cheeks. "Hi, Claudia," he said softly. She wrinkled her nose at him playfully and giggled as she walked past him. He watched her and decided to say what he'd wanted to say for a while. "I . . . I like your ducky book bag!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he cringed and pictured Maeve slapping him for saying that. He remembered when he saw a man get slapped by a woman because he said she had a huge backpack. Or was that backside?

She turned around, her mouth wide with a smile. "Thank you, Mister Maes!" she said and scurried away with her friends toward the limo waiting for her.

Maes signed. "You hear that? She called me Mister Maes!"

Ivy pursed her lips. "Yeah, yeah, I heard."

"I really like her."

"Everyone likes Claudia," Ivy muttered and kicked a gravel.

"Hey! There's my daddy and he's talking to your mommy." Maes grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the two adults. "Come on, let's go!"

"Slow down, Maes. My legs are shorter than yours," Ivy yelled as she struggled to keep up. He stopped and let go of her wrist. "Sorry, I was just happy to see my dad here."

They rushed over to their parents, Maes skidding to a stop before he ran into Roy. "Hi Dad!" he said. Usually one of his uncles or his aunts, Becca or Maria, came to get Maeve and him because his daddy and mommy had meetings. He was sad sometimes that they couldn't be there like other parents, but they were important people and protected everyone so it was okay.

Roy picked him up and hugged him. "Hi there, Little Man? How was your day?"

"It was good." He looked at the woman beside his dad, smiled, and waved at her. She looked just like Ivy only bigger. "Hi, Missus Ivy's Mom!"

"Good afternoon, Maes," she said. Ivy took her hand and pulled it. "Mommy, you're going to make cupcakes for our Valentine's Day party at school, aren't you?"

"Of course, I told you yesterday that I would."

"Missus Ivy's Mom, you make the bestest cupcakes in the entire of everything."

The woman laughed. "Thank you, Maes." She smiled at Roy. "He gets the complimenting from you, right?"

"That's what Riza tells everyone," Roy said.

Maes would've been mad at the woman for being so friendly with his daddy, but Missus Ivy's Mom liked Mister Ivy's Dad, and his daddy and mommy had known both of them for a long time. He said she used to be military too and went to academy with mommy.

Ivy's mother looked down at her and placed her hand on her head. She ran it gently across the top before resting it there once more. "Time to go home. On the way we'll go to the store and get some ingredients for the cupcakes."

"Okay," Ivy said. She looked up at Maes and waved. "See you tomorrow, Maes."

"Bye, Ivy," he said and returned the wave.

"We should get going too." Roy put Maes down and took his hand. "You're going to come back to headquarters with me today."

Roy took a step, but Maes didn't follow. "We can't yet! Maeve hasn't come out."

"Your mom took Maeve to the doctor today to get her vaccines. She picked her up a few hours ago so she's not here," he said,

"Oh," Maes said. "I forgot she was going to do that. Mommy told me yesterday."

They were halfway to headquarters when Roy said, "Your class is having a Valentine's Day party, huh. You happy about that?"

"I like that Ivy's mom is bringing cupcakes. That's all." Maes stopped and took a paper out of his backpack. He handed it to his dad and Roy read over it. "So the parents are asked to bring something."

"They don't musta have to."

He looked down at his son and handed back the paper. Maes shoved it in his backpack and zipped the bag up. "We'll think of something," Roy said.

"It says we have to give out Valentines," Maes said. Claudia came to his mind along with an idea. His daddy could help him with her.

"You're mom will help you after—"

"No! She can't," he blurted then shirked away a bit. It wouldn't work at all if his mommy went. She was a girl and bought things for boys. He needed his daddy since he bought things for girls. Daddy was a big boy, which meant he was a little boy like him and knew about little girls.

"You always want to go shopping with your mom. Why don't you want to this time?"

"Um..." Maes looked down and to the side while scuffing the toe of his blue sneakers against a dusty crack in the sidewalk. "You buy pretty things for mommy. Mommy is a woman that used to be a girl and umm..."

"Go on..."

"Well, you would know best on how to help me with what to get a little girl that will grow up to be a woman like mommy."

"You want to buy something special for a girl? Other than the Valentine?"

Maes nodded. "I'd give it to her after school so no one else would feel bad for not getting something extra."

When his daddy grinned at him, Maes knew he'd help. But that shouldn't have surprised him since his daddy would do anything for him and Maeve." Okay then, let's go right now. I need a little break before I dive back into all that paperwork."

"Okay!" Maes hugged his leg. "Thank you, Daddy!"