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"Just so you know," Winry spoke under her breath, smoothing out her husband's collar. He looked down at her through his eyelashes.
"You're going to be a father again."
Even with Al delivering their six-month-old daughter to his wife's arms, Ed could not be thawed. The news took his body by iceberg.
"Almost ready, folks," the photographer told them.
After, nothing else could be heard by Edward. Around him, Mei was gathering the constantly drifting group to one spot and Winry was bouncing her daughter when she began to act up, her gummy mouth stretching and tears threatening to drop from her eyes. Mrs. Elric sighed; there was no way they would get through the picture with the baby flailing about.
Thankfully, Alphonse handed her a pacifier. It worked immediately.
A pair of cherubic hands grappled onto Ed's pant leg. He flinched, blinked, then his chin drifted down to a golden mane two shades darker than his. A two-year-old boy smiled up at him, reaching out for his father.
Now, almost everyone was in place. Even Paninya, who had rushed into the room last minute.
That smile of the little boy thawed him completely. Ed swooped his son up with meaty hands, one wearing a silver band.
As he said many years ago, childbirth was awesome. Winry was awesome. The little people they created were awesome.
He kept reading over Winry's words, "You're going to be a father again."
While the photographer was prepping the camera, Ed glanced over at Winry's stomach. Flat as can be. There was no sign that a baby was baking in that oven; there was no evidence that a human being would emerge from that womb. Nonetheless, he wanted to press his ear against her stomach, like he had many times before, and hear its heartbeat.
Damn Winry for dropping the bomb right before their family photo. He could hardly focus. Of course, they were arguing too much beforehand for her to tell him, but all of that flushed away when he discovered that she would be giving the miracle of life again.
She sensed his stare and glanced back at him; now that they were married, they gave each other looks like morse code.
His face said, "I love you, woman."
Her face responded, "I love you too, dummy."
The photographer piped up, "Ready on the count of three."
"One..."
Ed looked at his daughter, an angelic-haired little girl with eyes like her mother. They had created her. Then, to his son, with the same molten in his eyes as his, and although his eyeshape was pointed like his father's, it was slightly more rounded, like his mother's. His button nose was hers, too. Despite the obvious features, he could see both of them in their progeny.
"...Two..."
His mouth captured the widest grin; he was so proud of his family.
"Three."