#the family issues... hm. parents and the emotions surrounding them are so complicated sometimes.

[dragonsongmakhali]

between work ramping up and some family issues, I've got zero time for xiv or tumblr 😭 I miss the wonderful characters (and their lovely creators!) who live in my phone

[setaripendragon]

Learning To Share - Roy - Part 5

Winry :: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 Roy :: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 Wow, okay, so, I actually managed to finish this part. The second bit of this scene was a moment I’ve had in my head since I started this fic, so I’m so glad I finally managed to write it. I think there’s going to be another two parts to Roy’s section, and then I’m going to torture Maes -insert evil cackle here-

The apartment above the Central branch of Rockbell Automail was surprisingly cosy. The shop took up the entirety of the first floor, but the two above it in the tall, square townhouse were fitted out for living in, with a kitchen, a living room, and a library on the bottom floor, and three bedrooms and a study on the second. The main bedroom, which appeared to primarily be Al’s, was, of course, out of bounds to Roy, but Edward had no compunctions with dragging him into the second bedroom, which held scattered evidence of everyone’s presence, after their fifth date, and just about tearing Roy’s clothes off.

It soon became more the norm than not, which Roy was not complaining about in the least. Sometimes they wound up in Roy’s bed, but Ed often complained that Roy’s house felt cold, even with the fire in the living room lit, and Roy found he couldn’t exactly argue, after having spent several long afternoons and evenings and nights in Edward’s apartment. It wasn’t the temperature Ed was complaining about. And Roy was perfectly happy to spend his nights with Edward tangled up together in the second bedroom of the apartment, surrounded by reminders of family, even if sometimes they did have to pause half way through to put Xiao Mei or one of Al’s growing collection of cats outside.

Afterwards, when Roy was lazily trying to pull the shattered pieces of his brain back together, Edward sprawled atop him, he found his lover eyeing him with that intense curiosity that was unique to him. Like he was trying to dissect Roy with his gaze alone. “You haven’t told anyone about us.” He stated, but despite the lack of inflection, it was very clearly a question.

Roy shrugged lazily, sluggishly wondering if it bothered Edward. “The people I’m socially obligated to inform will know whether I tell them or not, so I don’t particularly feel the need to advertise.”

Edward snorted in amusement. “Okay, I hadn’t actually noticed that I wasn’t getting concerned or critical looks from Hughes.” He announced, then shook his head. Roy frowned a little, brushed Edward’s bangs out of his face so that Roy had a better view of his expression. It was less telling than Roy had hoped for. “Havoc’s tried to warn me about your girlfriend stealing ways, or rather, partner stealing ways. With multiple judgemental looks like he actually thinks I’d cheat on Winry. Asshole. While Hawkeye’s been… hovering over you like a mother eagle defending her chick.”

Roy winced. “Please don’t compare Riza to my mother.”

Edward’s eyes sparked and flared with intrigue. “Ah-hah! So you do have a thing for her! Winry owes me a hundred cenz.” He declared, all cat-like smugness. Roy wouldn’t have been surprised if he started purring any second.

Clearing his throat, Roy opened his mouth to deflect, because that’s what he always did. His relationship with Riza was so complicated, so mired in history and mistakes and promises that it often seemed no one really had a hope of understanding, so why bother letting them see anything more than a loyal commander and subordinate.

Then he caught sight of Edward’s raised eyebrows, and the words halted in his throat. Tension he hadn’t realised was there drained out of him, and he sighed through a smile, and reached up to card his fingers through Edward’s mussed bangs, putting them back into order. “I don’t do anything by halves, Edward. An affliction I think you might have some passing familiarity with.”

“Anything worth doing, etcetera.” Edward interjected as a lazy acknowledgement.

Roy hummed an agreement. “Quite. When I love someone, when they’re important to me on a personal level, and I want them in my life always… I don’t know how to stop at ‘best friends’. Attraction, both sexual and sensual, comes on its heels.” He paused, then shrugged. “Not to say I’m pining for her, or anything quite that ridiculous. That attraction is such a small part of what she means to me that I hardly long for it, but… it’s there.”

“Hughes too, huh?” Edward mused knowingly. Roy didn’t feel the need to answer, and it didn’t seem as if Edward needed the confirmation. He stretched up to nuzzle his face into Roy’s neck, squirming his arms more securely around Roy’s middle. Roy was not ashamed to admit that he was a tactile lover – Edward called him a cuddleslut, but Roy thought that term was undignified – and he took great pleasure in the physical comfort. “Anyone else you’re secretly pining over?”

“I’m not pining.” Roy protested, well aware he sounded childish, but unable to quite help himself. Edward grinned up at him, all sharp teeth and wicked eyes. Roy’s offence melted away like it had never been there. “Just you, Edward.”

Edward went pink, dropping his gaze, and kicked Roy lightly with the flesh and blood leg. “It’s not pining when you’ve already got me, idiot.” He protested.

“Exactly.” Roy agreed.

Edward kicked him again. Quiet stretched between them, comfortable and peaceful. Edward took to doodling alchemical formulas and arrays on Roy’s shoulder, because he could never sit still, not even for post-coital cuddles, while Roy just watched him and let his thoughts drift. “So how come you and Hawkeye aren’t a thing?”

“Hm?” Roy blinked, realising he’d been almost asleep when Edward spoke again.

“You and Hawkeye, how come you aren’t a thing? Is it just the whole military fraternisation thing, or is it complicated emotional bullshit?”

“Ah, well, the one and only time I tried to seduce her, she quite literally shot me down and told me in no uncertain terms that she would rather have sexual relations with a slug.” Roy admitted, mostly just to see Edward snort with mirth. Then he paused. “Admittedly, I was seventeen and my technique was crass and unrefined, but then she followed me to Ishval, and, as you said, things got complicated.”

“Huh.” Edward mused. “And does Hughes know?”

“Mm… He certainly knows I find him attractive, but no, I don’t think he knows I’m in love with him.” Roy considered for a long moment, then shrugged. “I suppose he could have figured it out and decided to ignore it for everyone’s sake, but given that my mother hadn’t figured it out, and she knows everything-”

“Wait, your mother?” Edward asked, abruptly lifting himself up onto his elbows to stare down at Roy with intent.

Roy blinked at him, startled by the vehement reaction. “Ah, yes?” He said slowly, and then remembered he had a message to pass on, and grimaced.

“You have a mother?!” Edward yelped.

Roy couldn’t help but laugh. “Everyone has a mother, Edward.” He pointed out, and Edward scowled at him, lifting one hand – the flesh and blood one, thankfully – threateningly. Roy raised his hands in a sign of surrender, even though he was still laughing. “But in this case, that’s perhaps a misleading thing to say. Biologically, she’s my aunt, but she raised me after my parents died.” Roy sighed, still smiling faintly, and shifted his hands to Edward’s lower back. Ed dropped his own to Roy’s chest again.

“Right.” Edward huffed. “I just didn’t realise you had anyone… still around.” He explained, pulling a face that was a bizarre mixture of childish frustration and world-weary age. “Kinda tragic, huh? That ‘orphan’ seems more likely than anything else.” Roy ran through what he knew of Edward’s social circle, and realised that, yes, most of them were, actually, orphans. He winced. After all, he was partially responsible for that state of affairs.

Roy shook the thought off, because wallowing in his guilt didn’t help anything. He searched about for another topic, and wasn’t exactly thrilled with the one he came up with, but it was better than moping. Moping would probably earn him an automail fist to the ribs. “Speaking of my mother…” He began, and Ed hummed to show he was listening. “She’s informed me that she’d like to meet you.”

Edward blinked at him. “Your mum. Wants to meet me.” He repeated.

Roy nodded. “Of course, there’s no rush.” He was quick to add, because he still wasn’t sure he liked the idea of exposing this new relationship to his mother’s scrutiny. “This is still new. But she’s realised I’m quite serious, and, well, Chris Mustang is not one to put off ‘til tomorrow what she can do right this second.” He explained, a little rueful.

“Okay.” Edward said, still a bit wide-eyed. Roy frowned at him. “I’ve just… never done the meet-the-parents thing before?” He offered, and suddenly his pole-axed look of sheer nerves made a bit more sense. “In Xing, it’s a big deal, introducing a partner to your family and your clan. It’s… the first step in their really complicated marriage rituals, actually. And me and Al both knew we weren’t staying, so it never… became an issue?” He explained.

“I won’t lie to you and tell you my mother isn’t scary, because she really, really is, but would it make you feel any better if I said I’m fairly certain she’ll like you?” Roy offered. It was a scary thought, because if she and Edward did get on, which he suspected they would, Roy was doomed.

“No.” Edward retorted. “…maybe.” He amended a moment later.

Roy smiled and tugged Edward in for a light kiss. “It can wait for a while.” He reminded him.

Edward rolled off him to flop face-first onto the mattress beside him with a muffled groan. Roy turned onto his side to watch with faintly baffled amusement. Finally, Edward turned his head to look at Roy with a sigh. “No, better get it over with.” He huffed. “Just lemme know when.”

“Alright.” Roy agreed.

“Okay, I’m going to sleep now before you can drop anything else on me.” Edward announced, squirming around until he was comfortably tucked against Roy’s chest, clutching one of Roy’s arms around himself, both feet tucked between Roy’s shins.

Roy blinked at the top of a golden head, and bit his lip, hard. He shouldn’t say it, he knew he shouldn’t, they’d been having such a lovely conversation, after all, but… he just couldn’t resist. “I had no idea you liked being the little sp-oof!” An automail elbow to the ribs was never fun, but in this instance, it was absolutely worth it. Roy fell asleep with a smile on his face.

He woke up with a scream trapped in his throat.

For several, long, disorienting seconds, he had no idea where he was. Then Edward mumbled something about chemical recombinations in his sleep and Roy was dragged back to the present. Not a tent in the middle of the desert, but Edward’s bed above the automail shop in Central. Or one of Edward’s beds. With the release of tension came the shakes, the belated panic, the irrepressible upswell of guilt so cloying and thick he could barely breathe.

Carefully, he disentangled himself from Edward. At one point, the younger man slitted open golden eyes, and peered up at Roy with a questioning sound. Roy didn’t dare speak, but he ran a soothing hand over Edward’s hair, and he made a contented noise and closed his eyes again, so Roy counted it as a win. It wasn’t like Edward could do anything to help, and Roy would feel better knowing that at least someone was managing a decent night’s sleep.

He tiptoed his way downstairs and into the kitchen for a glass of water, but realised his hands were shaking too badly to hold the glass steady. So he slumped down at the kitchen table and tried to get himself back under control.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, before footsteps on the stairs made him lift his head. He watched the doorway as a figure appeared in it, and for a moment he was convinced he was still asleep and trapped in a nightmare. Then the phantoms resolved themselves into Winry Rockbell as she padded across the room and pawed at the kettle in the dark.

Roy stayed silent and frozen, uncertain what to do, or say, or if he should at all. Then Winry turned, and spotted him. She froze, staring. “What are you doing down here?” She asked abruptly. Even though she was talking quietly, her voice seemed loud in the gloom of the kitchen.

“Couldn’t sleep.” Roy confessed, shrugging.

Winry hummed an acknowledging sound, and fumbled about for a moment, before the lights over the stove came on. For how bright they were, they only offered dim illumination to the rest of the kitchen, and Roy found himself appreciating the consideration for eyes that were currently so used to the dark. And for his psyche, which wasn’t ready to handle sudden flares of bright light in conjunction with Winry Rockbell’s face.

She stared at him for a long moment, then seemed to come to a decision. “Tea?” She offered, waving a vague hand at the kettle.

Roy had to clear his throat before he could speak. “Thank you.”

Winry nodded, and fetched down two very large mugs. Roy felt helpless, hopeless, useles, as she bustled around getting the tea ready. He chose to look down at his hands and study them, rather than watch her, but that was just a different kind of punishment.

A mug of steaming tea appeared in front of him, thumping down onto the table, and he startled in time with the sound. He glanced up, found Winry frowning at him, and looked away before he did something awful, like burst into tears. “Thank you.” He said again, and wrapped his hands around the mug, even though it was almost too hot to touch.

Winry didn’t react, just claimed the chair at the end of the table, and idly swirled a spoon through her own tea. Then she lifted it out, shook off the excess tea, and put it down resolutely. “What did you dream about?” She asked, voice caught somewhere between practical and sympathetic.

Roy stared at her, breath caught in his lungs, and eyes suddenly stinging. For a long moment, he wondered if she had already figured it out, and was trying to punish him. He’d deserve it, of course, but he honestly hadn’t pegged her as quite that viciously cruel. Then her eyes widened, and a small “Oh” of understanding escaped her, and she stared right back, just as caught as he was.

The moment hung there between them, stifling and all-consuming. Roy could feel something building in his chest in response to the tension, but he wasn’t sure what it was until he opened his mouth and what came out was “I’m sorry.” Then it was like a dam had broken, and he felt the tears spill over against his will. “I’m so sorry,” tumbled out of his mouth without his consent, and he abandoned his mug of tea to cover his face with his hands, trying to hide or trying to keep himself from spilling his guilt all over the kitchen, he wasn’t sure.

A small eternity passed while he tried and failed to get a hold of himself. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, to put this on Winry. His guilt was his to bear, and it wasn’t her job to absolve him, or forgive him, or care about his regret. It was pathetic to act like this, as though her parents’ death had hurt him more than it hurt her. But he couldn’t stop himself, too tired and too overwrought, and the self-loathing just extenuated the problem.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he flinched before he could stop himself. It retreated for a heartbeat, then returned, sliding over his back until Winry’s arm was wrapped around his shoulders. She tugged gently, and Roy couldn’t muster up the presence of mind to resist as he tipped over to lean against her side. “I know.” She told him quietly.

Roy shuddered, whispered yet another apology, and promptly froze when he felt Winry’s head knock lightly against his. He could feel the way her breath shook, like she was crying too, and found he had no idea what to do with himself, or the situation, or anything. It was a deeply alien feeling, and left him vaguely frightened.

“It was so much easier to hate you when you were a monster.” Winry muttered on a wry laugh. “I don’t know how to hate you when you’re like this. Like… like you get how much it hurt me. And you’re down here alone because you didn’t want to wake Ed. When you still have nightmares about it when I haven’t in… fuck, years.”

“I don’t mean to-” Roy began.

Winry snorted. “If you meant to, I’d have brained you with a wrench and dumped your body in the river already, Mustang.” She interrupted, and it was almost enough to make Roy smile. He managed to pull himself together some, and straightened a little. Winry only half let go of him. When he caught her eye, he saw that, despite her words, she looked… very lost and uncertain. “I just… Stop, alright?” She asked, and it sounded strangely vulnerable. “I don’t- You don’t need to keep doing this, you know? It’s not okay, and I’m never going to be over it, and I’ll always hate you a little bit, but you’re here, and you’re trying, and you love Ed, and you make him happy, and you’re good, so… so can’t it be… okay? Can’t we be okay?”

Roy swallowed hard, and found a smile with surprisingly little effort. “I can try.” He offered.

Winry hiccuped on a laugh that was half a sob, and nodded. “Good. Okay.”

“Okay.” Roy echoed, feeling more blessed than he had any right to, and aching with it. This time, he was the one who pulled Winry in against his side, and she was the one who cried into his shoulder. If he maybe shed a few tears into her hair, well, he was pretty sure she’d done the same to him earlier, so it was okay. It might actually, really, be okay.

[elbertwalkrbg]

Navigating The Confusing World Of Childhood: Tips, Tricks And Advice For Mothers And Fathers

Simple Advice As Being A Better Parent Today

Mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, cousins and best friends posseses an understanding of how you ought to be a parent. While advice from other parents could be useful, it’s less complicated to digest when you’re not commanded to behave! Read below for many advice from parents who’ve been there, however they are not telling you what to do.

Ensure you’re teaching by example. Your youngster is more apt to learn behaviors if you exhibit these behaviors. It’s been shown that children learn by mimicking those around them. In case you’re telling the kids to never yell inside your home and you’re doing the work, they’re more prone to follow the things  home family love scrabble you do than you say.

Sometimes, unpleasant disciplinary actions should be handed down. “First, feelings then discipline,” is actually a highly effective approach that starts with an optimistic statement that acknowledges the child’s feelings (right or wrong) then explains your reason behind setting the disciplinary consequences. This helps lessen the quantities of resentment pursuing the action.

A fantastic being a parent tip is always to admit when you’re wrong. Don’t think that because you’re older, that you’re smarter and always know what’s right. Admitting when you’re wrong can certainly make your son or daughter respect you more and they’ll be very likely to listen to you in case you have something to say.

Use common household items to help keep your child entertained. Items for example empty paper towel rolls, pans, empty boxes and old clothing, can easily occupy a child’s imagination without plenty of financial investment. As an additional benefit, children inspired to use their imagination in play, tend to be more productive at problem solving as they age.

Get acquainted with each one of the people who are an integral part of your child’s life. You should spend some time to know your child’s teachers, child care workers, doctors and anyone else which may be a factor with their lives. It is going to assist you in several ways but it is going to benefit your child by you knowing they are in good hands.

The Net is a major issue for parents today that failed to really exist merely a decade ago. Youngsters are now capable to use the internet and consider all sorts of sex and violence-related material. The World Wide Web makes this type of material far more offered to children, and parents should be rightfully concerned. The best way to handle this matter is usually to be well aware of what programs the little one is utilizing using the pc, and effectively manage parental controls on these applications.

When you get to the boiling point with your children, take time to try some self-calming techniques to make certain that you don’t a single thing hurtful. There are lots of tools you can utilize, including breathing deeply, removing yourself from your situation for a couple minutes, and redirecting your thinking inside a positive direction.

Play with your children. Not simply will it be fun for the both of you, playing even offers a terrific effect on reducing children’s negative behaviors. By spending time with your young ones in this manner, you will be making them feel as if they may be essential to you. This means they will be not as likely to engage in negative behaviors to get your attention.

If you find out your child is now being bullied at school, it is essential that you remain calm in front of them. Comforting them and allowing them to know how special they can be for you can help ease the embarrassment and emotional pain how the bully is responsible for your youngster.

Make snack time healthy through the elimination of junk-food from your home. It is possible to match your kid’s sweet tooth with additional nutritious fare such as, frozen yogurt and fresh fruits. Make food fun by creating outrageous names for healthy snack as an example, ants with a log is merely celery sticks full of peanut butter and topped with raisins.

If your little one has become a victim of bullying, don’t uphold and allow him or her to cope with it alone. Proceed to the school and talk to the primary or even the child’s teacher for ways to stop the bullying behavior. School personnel can handle the problem discreetly, which means that your child isn’t embarrassed or teased. Ignoring bullying could lead to emotional problems and even, violence.

Along with knowing who your youngster is friends with and realizing activities which are on in school, you need to be familiar with other surroundings that matter. School violence has always been an upward trend, so make sure you recognize anything unexpected that occurs at school. Confer with your child, inquire with the school about how situations are going, and simply have a watchful eye out.

You ought to take the advice above and merge all this into a raising a kid encyclopedia in mind. It’s great to think about situations others have addressed to view what you are able study from them. It forces you to a much better parent just for caring enough to would like to learn!

Source: http://hmexoticbirds.com/navigating-the-confusing-world-of-childhood-tips-tricks-and-advice-for-mothers-and-fathers/

  from Thomas Ohanlon Hm Exotic Birds https://thomasohanlonhmexoticbirds.wordpress.com/2017/03/07/navigating-the-confusing-world-of-childhood-tips-tricks-and-advice-for-mothers-and-fathers/