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“Brother, if you keep jerking at that tie I’ll have to tie it again!” Al warned as he fiddled with his own strip of black silk.
“Argg! I already can’t wait to get out of this fuckin’ suit!”
Al smirked to himself in the mirror. “No doubt Winry’s already thinking that same thing.”
“You're such a perv, Al,” Ed muttered under his breath. He looked up when a soft knock came at the door. “Come in, we’re decent!”
Roy opened the door and said with a grin, “You shouldn’t lie like that, Fullmetal. You’ll never be decent no matter how much clothing you’ve got on.”
“Get out of here!” Ed shouted as his fists clenched up so tightly his knuckles went white.
The man appeared to be pushed out of the way, and then Riza emerged in the doorway. “That’s enough. Edward’s under enough stress without you provoking him.” She politely pushed him out of the way completely, shut the door and turned to Ed. “Sorry, he’s just excited to see you finally admitting how you feel for Winry.”
He blushed. “Well… you know. It’s about time, I guess…”
Riza chuckled. “I’d say so, since she’s already starting to show.”
Al laughed. “I told you she’d know about the baby!” He turned around and asked Riza, “How do I look?”
Riza brushed the lapels of his tux clean and then combed his hair back with her fingers and gave him a hug. “You’re the most handsome best man I’ve seen all day.”
Al beamed at her. “I’m going to see if Winry’s ready, I’ll be right back.” He left Ed and Riza alone in Ed’s study at the Rockbell house while he climbed the decorated staircase to check in on his soon-to-be sister-in-law.
“I’m glad you came,” Ed said as he tugged at the tie again, feeling as if he were in a noose. “Even if you had to bring General Jackass with you, it’s good to see you again. How’ve you been?”
She swatted his hand away from his tie and began to retie it in a looser fashion. “I’m good. Just trying to keep Gen. Mustang on track for a few more weeks. I think once he becomes Führer I’m going to take a much needed vacation.”
Ed smiled at her as she managed to wrangle his bowtie into something that didn’t strangle him. “You know you love working for him. You’re the only one who does, I think.” He grinned at her when she sighed through her nose. “Are you gonna retire and marry that old bastard?”
“We’ve been talking about that,” she answered. “And it made me think of you.”
Ed laughed, “Me? Why?”
“Because he asked me to marry him once before, right after my father died. I told him I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I didn’t. I wanted to work in an orphanage after I graduated high school, but then my father died and Roy came back… And I wanted to be his wife, but I didn’t want to always wonder if he was coming back to me alive or dead… I didn’t want to be one of those women who waited at the post office once a week for the casualty list wringing their hands… So I followed him into the army instead. Unfortunately that posed us with a new set of problems, like not being able to be lovers, despite how we felt for each other.” Riza started brushing his suit clean and checking his cuff links and such. “And I thought of you and how you never admitted how you felt for Winry, how you took off for the west and were so unsure of what to do after you lost your alchemy.” She softly gripped his biceps through the tux sleeves. “I’m so proud of you for coming back to her and following your heart, even if it was the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done.”
Al knocked on the door and said through the door, “You got five minutes, Ed!”
“Alright!” He hugged Riza and said, “Any last words before I lose my bachelor rights?”
Riza smiled at him. “Don’t hold back with her. If you feel the urge to kiss her, do it. If you want to tell her that her eyes sparkle like the stars in the sky or her touch makes you weak in the knees, let it out. Whenever you think you can’t do it or that it’s too mushy, think of how much has been left unsaid between Roy and I, and how much we wish we had the freedom to say and do such things together.” He nodded and thanked her. “Now. Take a deep breath and go stand at the altar and wait for your bride.”
He hugged her once more, then left the room. As Riza was exiting and closing the door behind her, she heard a voice behind her: “You said it way better than I could have.”
“Of course, sir. Let’s only hope he listens.”
Roy’s pinkie finger hooked with hers. “He will. Anything you’ve ever told him, he’s heeded. I think the better statement would be let’s hope you practice what you preach.” His dark eyes found hers and he felt as her finger curled around his tighter.
“Let’s go. It’ll be good to observe how this is done, for future reference, you know.”
Roy smiled at her. “Indeed, Captain.” He offered her his arm and they took their seats.