Photograph
Disclaimer- I don't own FMA (full metal alchemist).
"Stupid bean…running of as soon as he can move again. He could at least thank me. I work and I slave over that arm and how does he repay me? He goes and breaks it! When I get my hands and wrench on him I'm gonna…" Winry was talking to herself about the lack of manners her short childhood possessed.
Winry was currently pacing around some office in central. A few days ago she had received a call saying that she needed to come quickly to repair a certain alchemist's arm. As soon as she arrived and saw Ed she went on her normal tirade. Yelling how ungrateful he was and how careless he is with her precious auto mail. It took Al holding her down before she was calm enough to get to work, of course not before Ed gained some new head injuries.
Winry had finished and reinstalled his metal arm only a few hours ago and he was already off doing research in some library. He had dragged Al along with him. So Winry was left bored and frustrated in Central Headquarters. After a few minuets of complaining to herself Winry began to wonder around. She was trying to find something to do while she waited for Ed to get back.
After a half an hour of mindless wandering she came across what seemed to be a lounge or maybe a break room. There was a refrigerator, coffee maker, stove, microwave, and a few other household things. In the room were a few familiar faces.
Sitting at a table was Hawkeye drinking what appeared to be tea and reading the paper. In the corner by the coffee maker was Mustang giving his speech on 'When I become Furhur all women will be wearing miniskirts' with his faithful and mindless followers gathered around him, all applauding him on his genius and how they would follow him to the ends of the earth.
Winry walked over and took a seat next to Hawkeye. After a few minuets of silence Winry spoke up. "Are they always so… perverted and brain dead?"
Hawkeye stopped her reading and looked up from her paper over to the group of men before turning to Winry. "Sadly yes. But they shut up right away if you know what your doing."
"Really? What do you have to do?"
Hawkeye didn't say a word but turned her attention to the group of idiots. Putting on a glare she put down her paper and reached towards her waist. Pulling out a gun she clicked the safety off. That was all it took. As soon as the click reached the ears of Mustang and his subordinates they dispersed around the room. Talking about weather, cars, anything they could think of that would prevent a bullet in the head.
Smiling Hawkeye put the safety back on and picked up her paper again. Winry watched wide-eyed. To say she was impressed was an understatement.
The room was quite after that. The men trying to keep their conversations clean, Hawkeye read her paper, and Winry pulled out a pencil she found and balanced it on her nose. All that could really be heard was murmuring and the rustling of paper. If you concentrate hard enough you would have been able to hear the ticks of the clock.
The quite atmosphere was interrupted when the door opened revealing a happy Hughes. Rushing over to Mustang he slung an arm over his shoulders and his other hand held out his wallet. "Hiya Roy! Have you seen my latest picture of Elicia? You haven't! Well it's you lucky day because I just happen to have them right here."
Hughes hadn't even gotten around to explaining the newest picture of his precious daughter before Mustang spoke up. "I think I hear my paperwork calling me! Well I would love to stay but alas I have work to do! Bye!"
As Mustang rushed out of the room Hawkeye got up. Hughes made his way over to her. "You want to see my little Elicia don't you?"
Hawkeye shook her head. "Sorry but no thank you. I have to go and make sure colonel actually does that paperwork. It was nice to see you Hughes." She bowed and left after her superior.
Hughes sighed but soon cheered up. Turning around he put on a big smile. "Oh well. Their lose! It just means more to show to you all! Now everyone gather around there's enough for everyone!"
"I have a meeting."
"I have to meet someone."
"My shift is about to start."
So one by one everyone made up an excuse. Leaving quickly they said their apologies while heading out the door. Soon the only people left were Hughes and Winry. Disappointed that no one would stop to look at his pictures Hughes slumped down in a chair. He put him arms on the table and placed his head down on them. He wasn't even away of Winry's presence until she placed a hand of his shoulder.
Winry saw Hughes put his head down. Making a decision she got up out of her chair and walked over to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and when he looked up she stuck out her hand. Smiling she introduced herself. "Hello I'm Winry Rockbell. I'm a friend of the Elric brothers."
Hughes smiled and took her hand. "Hello I'm Maes Hughes. Just call me Hughes." He ushered her into the seat next to him, which she accepted. "So you say you're friends of the Elric brothers eh?"
"Childhood friends and now full time mechanic of Ed."
Hughes laughed. "Yes those two do seem to find themselves in the strangest of situations. I've only known them for a short while and he's had to had that thing fixed quit a few times."
"Don't I know it."
They both sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Finally Hughes spoke up. "I don't suppose you would want to see picture of my daughter would you?"
"I would love to."
Hughes grinned real big and started pulling out picture after picture. "Her name's Elicia. Isn't she the cutest little thing you've ever seen? She just turned three you know. You should have seen her. She was dressed like a little princess. In her pink and white dress."
"She's adorable! You must be a very proud father to have such a daughter. I bet she's smart too." Winry commented and she continued to look through the pictures.
"Your right! I'm the happiest father out there to have such a little girl! She's smart to! She knows her ABC's, numbers, and she makes up her own songs. Why just the other day me and my wife, Gracia, were thinking about putting her in a pre-school."
Winry found a picture of a woman holding a baby Elicia. Holding it up she showed it to Hughes. "Is this your wife? She's very pretty."
Hughes took the picture and held it to his chest. "Yes that my lovely wife! Isn't she wonderful? I'm the luckiest man alive to have two such beautiful women in my life! You know Elicia has here mother's eyes? The most beautiful ocean blue!"
"I'm willing to bet Elicia will grow up to be just and beautiful as her mother. I'm sure she'll have boys lining up at her door for a date."
"They will but I'm not letting them anywhere near her. No filthy boy is getting his hands on my darling Elicia." Hughes started mumbling to himself. "Sniper? No too expensive. Maybe if I…"
And so it went on. Hughes talked about his daughter and wife. Pulling out a never-ending pile of pictures. While Winry looked at every one commenting and asking questions occasionally. After hours every picture had been looked at and now littered the room, Elicia and Gracia's faces where everywhere the table, floor, counter and chair. Every so often there was a picture of Hughes but more often it was of the two most important women in his life.
All of a sudden Winry got an idea. Getting up she carefully made her way through the pictures towards the door. "Mr. Hughes I'll be right back don't go anywhere."
A short time later Winry was back with her arms full of what appeared to be books. She carefully cleared a spot off the table before placing them down. Now Hughes managed to get a better look at the books. The books turned out to be photo albums.
Winry placed her hands on her hips and smiled. "We're going to put all your photos into these. That way it's easier to carry around and your pictures will look nicer."
They spent the rest of the day placing the pictures in orders and writing little comments about them. By the time they were down it was starting to get dark. Hughes got up and cracked his back. "Thanks for all your help Winry. This was a really great idea."
Winry stood up and started stretching. "Its not a problem. Besides you really do have a beautiful family. You're very lucky."
Hughes smiled softly. "Yes I am. By the way would you mind waiting here a minute?"
Winry shook her head as Hughes rushed out the door. By the time he got back the room was clean again and the albums where placed neatly in a box. He walked up until he was right in front of Winry. Something was in his hands but she couldn't see what because they were behind his back.
"To show my appreciation I want you to have this." Hughes presented her with a camera. "Now you can take pictures of your own. Something to capture your precious memories."
Winry smiled as she carefully took the camera. Flagging down a passing solider she handed him the camera. "Would you mind taking a picture of us?"
Taking the camera the solider brought it up to eye level. "Not at all. Now stand together and smile."
After Winry was given back her camera she hugged Hughes and left. She was walking down the hallway when she bumped into Ed. "Hey bean! Smile!"
"What the-" Before Ed had time to register what she said his picture was taken.
"So where were you all day?" Winry asked as the spots in front of Ed's eyes began to fade.
"Me and Al went to the library. We had some more research to do. What about you? What did you do all day? And where'd you get the camera?" Ed questioned.
"I spent the day with Mr. Hughes. He was showing me pictures of his daughter." Seeing the look Ed was giving her made her nervous. "What's with that look Ed? Is something wrong?"
"Sorry you had to go through him and his stupid pictures. He shows them to every one. It drives us nuts."
Winry frowned. "I don't see what's wrong with it. I think it's sweet. It just shows how much he cares."
Ed snorted. "Please the guy is way too absorbed in his daughter. And does he really have to show us all his pictures? I mean we've seen them all just give us a break! It's not as if she's changing that much every day."
Winry got really quite during all of this. Growing concerned Ed poked her. "Hey you okay?"
"I thought it was nice."
"What?" Now Ed was confused.
"I said I thought it was nice. He has so many pictures of his little girl and wife. They're something to look back on something to be cherished. I…I don't have any pictures."
Seeing the look on Ed's face she continued.
"Of my parents. I don't have any. I was so little when they died. My memory of them…it isn't very good. It's fuzzy. I can't remember what they look like. That's why I think it's nice to have so many pictures. When Elicia grows up she might not remember all of these things but when she looks at them she'll laugh. She won't remember what her parents looked like when they where younger but she'll be able to see."
"Hey Winry…I'm sorry. I didn't know it meant so much to you."
Smiling Winry shook her head. "Don't worry about it because from now I'm taking lots of pictures. Preserving memories."
"No you won't remember but it'll still make you laugh,
When you see us together in a photograph."
-Charlie Robison 'Photograph'