Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ I Skip the Little Ones ❯ Theme 8: Store-lined Streets ( Chapter 8 )

Theme 8: Store-lined Streets

Parenthood

 

“Daddy! Wait for me!”

 

Roy paused and turned back to the little blonde girl running down the street towards him. “What took you so long, Lauren? I was about to leave without you!” he joked, knowing full well that he couldn't go anywhere without her.

 

The sound of the little girl's, Lauren's, footsteps stopped just in front of him. Her panting was loud in his ears. “No, Daddy! Don't leave without me!” she wailed.

 

Roy smiled, offering his hand to her. She took it and they continued out of base and into the streets of Central.

 

“What are we doing today, Daddy?”

 

“Well, your mommy wants us to get some fruit, and Black Hayate and Kasumi need dog food. And…” Roy stopped, waiting for the inevitable response.

 

“'Aaaaaaaa-nd' what, Daddy, what?” Lauren chirped.

 

“We'll have to hide it from your mother, but… Oh, never mind. We'll get in lots of trouble if Mommy finds out”

 

“Aw, come on, Daddy! What is it?”

 

“Better not.” Roy shook his head slowly.

 

“Daddy! Tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” Lauren pulled on his hand. Roy guessed she was jumping up and down with anticipation.

 

“Oh, alright,” he relented. “I was going to get us son ice cream…”

 

“Yay! Ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream!” Roy grinned ruefully, imagining her joyful expression. He was trying, as always, to imagine what her face looked like. Riza had told him that her hair was light blonde and that she had his eyes exactly. He didn't really remember what his eyes looked like, so it wasn't much help.

 

Lauren dragged him down Market Street, laughing as they dodged around carts and people. At least, he assumed they were carts and people. They could have been tanks and homunculi with Ourborous tattoos on their foreheads for all he knew, but he was sire somebody would have noticed that and told him. He was Führer, after all.

 

They picked out the apples, bananas, and oranges Riza had been wanting. Lauren jovially told him (With a little help from the shopkeeper) which ones were good and which ones were “icky.” Then Lauren led him down the store-lined street to the butcher's shop, where Roy ordered a few pounds of ground beef for the dogs, and where Lauren hid from the man with the knife by standing behind her father. The effect was rather spoiled by her giggling. Finally, they walked to the ice cream shop, Lauren cheering the entire time.

 

No sooner had they sat down - Lauren with chocolate ice cream, Roy with vanilla - than two military personnel ran in (Lauren had told him). “There he is! Führer Mustang! You left without your guards, sir. General Mustang sent us out.”

 

Roy sighed quietly. “At ease, Major, Colonel.” There was a shuffling sound as they complied. “You can wait for us outside.”

 

“Uh… the General gave us a message for you, Your Excellency.” The man stopped, as if afraid.

 

“What's the message, Colonel?”

 

“Um…”

 

“Well?”

 

“S-she says `You shouldn't leave without your bodyguards, because you do enough stupid things without getting yourself killed. Don't have them wait outside, either, because that's almost as bad.'”

 

“Okay. That's not so bad, Colonel.”

 

“Uh and…. And `If you do anything to spoil Lauren's dinner-`well, um…”

 

Roy raised an eyebrow.

 

“Uh… well… she says you'll regret it,” the soldier said in a rush.

 

Roy laughed. “We'll see about that,” he declared, spooning some more ice cream into his mouth. Several very nasty possibilities ran through his mind; he could feel the blood drain from his face. “On second thought, Lauren, I think we should go home now.”

 

“What?!”

 

“Trust me, honey. It's for the best.”