Today was Sunday, one of the few days Riza was able to get off of work. She wasn't religious, but knew plenty of coworkers that were, and instead of most of the military calling in for a sick day, the higher-ups decided to make it a holiday unless the day was needed. Glancing over to her clock on the bedside table, the minute hand indicated it was around 8 o'clock. She wasn't surprised. Riza was an early bird regardless of the schedule she was put on.
She got out from her bed, trying to keep from tripping over the ball of fur that kept running around and in between her legs. He was especially hyper this morning.
"Black Hayate," commanded Riza. "stay." She could tell all he wanted to do was run around, but he stayed still, quivering with anticipation of when he got to jump around again. She got down his food bowl and gave him his breakfast. Not before the usual "sit, shake, lie down" commands, of course. He dug into his food when she gave him permission.
Riza herself got undressed and took a morning shower. It was nice to not have to rush it. She could practically smell the steam and watch as it snaked around her body and the room. The mirror became moist and unclear after a few minutes. Riza took her time in bathing, making sure all the knots were out in her golden hair. Stepping out of the steamy haven disappointed Riza, but she didn't want to hike up her water bill, and, her fingers had turned to prunes. Goosebumps formed on her skin and she turned the water off and cold air hit her naked body, and she quickly wrapped a towel around her torso.
Making sure she was dry, she put on a simple blouse and pants, and started to brush her hair, a hand towel around her shoulders so water wouldn't drip onto her clothes. She was about halfway done when she heard her doorbell ring. Wondering who it could be, she set down her comb and went toward the front, her four-legged companion trotting at her heels after seeing her walk into the room he had been laying in. Riza opened the door and was surprised to see the two Elric brothers. Edward was glancing in every direction but hers, and a red tint common to the coat he was wearing was obvious on his cheeks. Alphonse, if not a suit of emotionless armor, would be most likely doing the same. Edward was also clearly holding something behind his back.
"Edward? Alphonse?" Riza tucked a wet blonde strand behind her ear. "Why are you here?"
Edward took a moment to look at her, just for a split second. "Well… you take care of us, Miss Hawkeye."
Alphonse nodded, agreeing with his brother. "And we appreciate it."
"I know that you do," said Riza. She was certainly surprised. "I don't think you'd have to do anything for it."
"But we want to," Edward protested. He revealed what was behind him—a bouquet of flowers. Some were pink and some were red and some orange and yellow and all the colors of the rainbow. She could tell the boys had just bought them; she could see small droplets of water on the stems reflecting light.
"Boys…" Speechless, Riza tried to gather the thousands of thoughts buzzing through her head to form the words she was trying to say. "You really didn't have to…"
"Do you know what today is, Miss Hawkeye?" Alphonse questioned.
"I don't think I do…" An eyebrow slid up in question.
"It's Mother's Day," informed Edward. "I mean, I know you're not our mom. My brother can prove that by just standing beside me. And as much as Al and I both love our mom, we love you, too. You're really nice to us and understand if we need our personal space, and can also comfort us when we're sad. So, maybe it's not exactly 'Mother's Day', but… Happy Like A Mother's Day!" He thrust the flowers in Riza's direction, looking at his boots.
Riza took the bundle of blossoms gingerly, holding them in her hand for just a second. Even from the distance she was holding them, she could smell the freshness of the flowers. What was she to say? She had been too scared to admit she loved these boys like sons, but they weren't afraid to say they thought of her as a mother. Any word she could possibly think of could never describe the gratitude and shock she felt in the situation.
"Umm… if it helps, I kinda had to ask the Colonel where you lived, since we didn't really know your address…" Edward was drawing with the toe of his boot in random swirls, embarrassed.
"That makes it even better, Edward. Thank you." Riza brought the teen into her arms, hugging him carefully, not wanting to harm the gift she had just received. Ed's body was rigid at first, from being startled at the sudden movement, but slowly melted into Riza's showing of affection, hugging her back. Riza then brought Al into her arms, as much as she could. Her arms didn't exactly meet while hugging the suit of armor, but Riza felt like Alphonse deserved it, and he hugged her too, emotion maybe not showing through his face, but his actions and vibes she got from him.
"Thank you, you two. I hope you have a wonderful day." Riza let go and held her flowers in her hands. Black Hayate made a crisp bark, trying to say he was still in the scene. Alphonse knelt down and rubbed his head a few quick times.
"It's nothing at all, Miss Hawkeye," voiced Alphonse. Edward nodded in agreement.
"See you at the office tomorrow!" Edward waved.
"You too!" And with that, Riza closed the door, the lock clicking shut. Riza went into the kitchen where she kept a vase. It had clearly never been used, and she poured some water in the vase, tenderly putting the flowers in.
Riza looked at Black Hayate. "Guess the boys beat the Colonel to using my vase, huh boy?"
*0*0*
Author's Note: Hooray, my first story on this account! I just really enjoy Parental!Riza with Ed and Al, so I was excited to write this. Also, seeing as this is supposed to be 3rd person but still from Riza's perspective, I've used "Edward" and "Alphonse" since that's what Riza calls them.
A bit disappointed that this is a day late (almost two), but Sunday was a busy day for me, and I was also at a ceremony this evening, so I've worked with what I have. I hope you like reading it as much as I did writing it!