#anyway im stuck in bed today cause ofc i am. but im gonna try to get up and moving

[boomerang109]

yesterday the dad i nanny for asked what we do outside

watch the rolly pollies, listen to the birds, wave at the airplanes, dig in the dirt i said

do you want me to buy her more toys? he asked. i don’t want you to be bored.

i didn’t know how to explain

what a privilege it is to slow down. to watch the bugs crawl, to notice the sounds the birds make, think about the people flying by, to consider the texture of the dirt

i spent years as an honors roll student. pushing myself through hours of rehearsal, the maximum amount of classes i was allowed to take. i neglected friendships and parties and joy because i thought that was what success meant. i thought that’s how i earned the right to be loved. if i wasn’t a perfect student i wasn’t good enough

so no. im not bored. i’m so incredibly grateful for the rest my body has yearned for, for a decade. i am so honored to be paid to spend my days playing. i don’t need toys or games to keep things interesting. just your daughter’s smile, her contagious laughter, her boundless wonder. that’ll keep me going for a long time yet

[paybackraid]

Incoming Message

FMA AU Week Day 4 Prompt L: Overused but Well Loved

Words: 1998

This time it’s a modern AU. Based on some lovely art by @ignicule with their permission, ofc. Warnings for strong language from Edward.

It should also be noted that I do not support Roy/Winry in anyway; they are messing with Ed and in this, Roy loves Winry like a daughter.

Please don’t tag as Roywin

“I can’t believe I trusted him with her. I. Cannot. Believe that I trusted him. What was I thinking? I should have called Al home. What was I thinking?”

Riza sighed silently to herself, glancing to her companion who clutched nervously to his phone. She and Ed were away on a mission, too far from Resembool or Central to return quickly should anything arise. She was a little nervous too; Roy had a knack for getting himself into trouble when she wasn’t around, but he was also a grown man who could take care of himself and those around him. Ed had been aware of that when he asked Roy to check on his heavily pregnant wife who was taking up a hotel room in Central. Alphonse was away in Xing with his wife Mei visiting her family, otherwise Winry would have stayed in Resembool with him. Riza wished that Ed would remember why he had trusted Roy to keep her safe and well taken care of in the first place.

Roy absolutely adored Winry, after all, and would do just about anything for her, even more so now that she was with an unborn child. Riza wouldn’t be surprised when she got home if she found out that Winry ended up staying in their guest room, or Roy spent all day in her hotel room.

“He’s going to fuck up. He’s going to fuck up royally, and I’m going to lose my child. And probably her. ...That’s it, I’m call--”

Riza strode over and plucked Ed’s phone right from his hands, where he had been staring at the still phone app for over a quarter of an hour. He protested and flipped onto his back on his bed, just in time to see her pocket it. “Edward. Winry still has two months to go. Winry can take care of herself. Roy is a responsible adult who knows how to take care of a pregnant woman.” His sister had gotten pregnant a little over a year ago, and he had Googled just about everything he had needed to know even though he obviously wasn’t the father, and had stayed with her the last half of her pregnancy. The baby had been born happy and healthy. Not to say that was Roy’s doing at all, but at least his doting hadn’t harmed his new niece in the least. “They’re going to be fine. If you want to ensure that the baby will be fine, then focus on the mission so we can get home as soon as possible. Alright?”

Ed stared at her with wide, stricken eyes like he thought he had been betrayed. “But he’s useless!”

“Only on rainy days, and the forecast called for sun today. At least take a break from your phone. If Roy texts me that anything goes wrong, I’ll tell you immediately. Please take a look at the case files.”

Ed ground his teeth, waited for a second to see if he could wait her out, then deflated. “...Fine. But as soon as they call, you tell me!”

“If they call, I’ll tell you.”

Ed grouched for a moment and stormed over to the table, yanking out the chair and dropping into it like a brooding child. Riza laughed to herself and shook her head; though it had been over five years since Ed had gotten Al’s body back, sometimes she could still see the same sullen child she had come to love. A small part of her hoped that part of him would never grow up. She took a seat on her bed (she and Ed had agreed that sharing a room would be easier and would pose no problem) and tucked into her own case file, hoping for some clues.

After a small amount of time, both phones in her pocket buzzed. Curious, and a little nervous, she pulled out her phone. Roy was a responsible adult, no way he had let something happen to Winry.

She rolled her eyes, a small smile drifting over her face. A group chat, from Winry, sent to her, Roy, and Ed. And the picture, no doubt Ed wouldn’t be terribly pleased with that, the jealous little thing he was.

’Stay safe! We love you! See you when you get home!!’

“Ed.”

Ed shot up like a hunting dog, staring with wide eyes at her, clearly waiting for the moment she called for him. She rolled her eyes again, but pulled out his phone and stretched out the small distance to hand it to him.

“Take a look.”

He took the phone and opened it up without looking at the message. Slowly, his scowl darkened into something unholy, which made her smile. Oh how pleased Roy would be if he knew that he had caused a face like that only by taking a picture with Ed’s wife. After a solid minute of scowling at the picture, Ed started typing back furiously.

The picture that Winry had sent was really just a picture of the two of them smiling, pressed close to one another. The background suggested they were at Gracia’s--the half of the wall painting she could see looked like the one above Gracia’s living room couch. Either Gracia or Elysia had probably taken the picture. Roy was holding Winry to his side, his shoulder behind hers a little, although Winry seemed no less enthusiastic to be with him. Their outer hands were curled together, forming a little heart between them. Winry’s grin was huge, showing off a tongue piercing that she and Roy had nearly had a spat over three years back. Roy’s smile was soft and warm--though he seemed happy to pose for the picture with her, he had likely had to be connived into it. 

It was a cute picture, one that made Riza smile if for no other reason than to see these two she thought of as family to get along so splendidly. She saved the photo and set it as her home screen just in time for Ed to send back, ‘Get away from my wife, you pervert.’

‘Oh Ed,’ Riza thought, but didn’t bother saying aloud. She waited to see what the two on the other end would say.

Their end was silent for five full minutes. Finally, when the chat pinged again, it was another picture. It was a selfie done by Winry, her arm extended forward. The selfie was staged in a bedroom, as the two of them seemed to be seated on a cushy bed, likely Gracia’s. Roy sat behind Winry, his legs drawn around her. His arms swam around her pregnant belly, and his chin was nestled on the crown of her head. He was making the same bedroom eyes he made at Riza when he was messing around. She could tell that he was joking around, and that Winry was as well, but would Ed see that? In a state of heightened agitation, probably not.

Winry was making a delighted face, but also was trying to pull off her best goofy-but-sexy face. She turned her face up to Roy only a little bit that it made her look like she was going to kiss him, her free arm curled up so she could stroke her fingertips on his jawline.

Those two were going to get themselves in huge trouble with Ed when they got home. Riza? She could let it slide this time. Really, Ed was kind of asking for it.

The picture was on their phones for nearly half a minute before Winry finally explained. Ed was silently fuming; Riza could practically see smoke spewing from his ears. She lifted her phone to snap a quick picture to send just to Roy, saying ‘Look at what you two are doing to him.’

Winry’s text was simple and only barely explained the picture. ‘oh yeah didnt you hear? We’re eloping sorry boo ;) xoxo’

Ooohhhhh no. Ed was definitely kicking Roy’s ass when they got home.

Within seconds, Ed answered, ‘I’m kicking your ass if you dont get away from her!!!!’

Riza feared that they’d send another picture, perhaps of them kissing, which she wouldn’t be too happy about. Thankfully they both had the common sense not to respond with that. The text that followed was from Roy: ‘how you feeling, Fullmetal?’

He was stirring the pot. Of course he was.

‘How am i FEELING?!?

Like youre gonna get an ass kicking is how im feeling!!!

And im not an alchemist anymore!!!’

‘With a temper like that, youll ALWAYS be Fullmetal, Fullmetal.’

Ed just about put a hand through the wall, and Riza just about choked trying to suppress a laugh. Ed shot her a look but he must not have seen her laugh, because he immediately turned back to his phone.

‘And you’ll always be a piece of shit, you piece of shit!’ popped up on Riza’s phone seconds later. Riza shook her head and looked down to her forgotten case file. Well. So much for getting closer to going home.

‘:OOOO’ Winry texted immediately after. Roy’s response was a simple, ‘creative, Fullmetal’, just as Winry continued with ‘I’M SO SORRY GENERAL OMFG EDWARD’.

‘Don’t be, I’m not.’

‘That’s no way to speak to your commanding officer.’ Riza informed, then set her phone aside. Ed shot her a look that was half-betrayal, half-surprise, then turned away from her when she looked at her file.

‘...

Yes ma’am’

The phones were silent for probably ten minutes, blessed silence, during which time Ed actually sat down and took a look at his files.

Her phone suddenly chirped with Roy’s newest addition. ‘You know, Ed...’ was all it said, although the indicator said he wasn’t quite done. Riza could feel in the pit of her stomach that whatever he would say, it would spur Ed’s furious rage on further. Not that Roy’s very existence didn’t seem to do so most days.

‘What.’ Ed replied, and Winry’s addition was a nervous little ‘...’.

‘You’re stuck working all week, while I get to care for a beautiful young woman all alone.’

‘General’ Winry cut in, likely in the hopes of quelling her sure-to-be-raging husband.

‘Just me...

And her...’

‘THATS IT IM COMING BACK HOME AND KICKING YOUR ASS MYSELF YOU FUCKIN CREEP’ Ed responded, jerking up out of his bed and toward his suitcase like he intended to pack up and head out.

“Ed!” Riza squawked, hopping out of her seat and to his side. She cut him off from his suitcase and shoved him back, just as Winry replied, ‘OMG Ed it’s fine he’s just joking!!!’

‘Your wife gave me permission to drop kick your ass to next year so be ready for that.’ Ed snarked, crossing his arms. He dropped onto the bed, face souring at his phone.

Riza squeezed the bridge of her nose tiredly and held her hand out to Ed, who stared at her with suspicious, narrowed eyes.

“...What?”

“Give me your phone.”

”What?! Why?!”

“Because you have work to do, now give me your phone, go sit down, and work. You know Roy’s only messing with you.”

Ed stared between her face and her hand, as if unable to believe that he, an adult, was about to be grounded from his own phone. But when Riza wiggled her fingers a little and did not back down, he realized that she was being completely serious. He scowled and slapped his phone into her hand, probably unnecessarily hard, and stormed to his case file. He dropped into the chair like a petulant teen and went about actually doing something useful.

Riza rolled her eyes and pocketed his phone.

‘I most certainly did not,’ she responded on her own phone, taking a seat beside her own case file. ‘But keep it up, Roy Mustang, and I may just change my mind on that.’

To which Roy simply responded, ‘heh... okay okay. ...Love you?’. And Riza, if only to make him sweat a little, did not respond.