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“You’re not really wearing that for your wedding, are you?”
Riza sighed, setting down the earring she’d been about to put in, and turned to face the door where Havoc lounged. “I don’t own a lot else. Besides, Roy is wearing his uniform.”
“This is your big day,” Havoc insisted, coming to stand next to her at the vanity. “You can get as dolled-up as you want, and you wear the same thing you wear every day?”
Riza glanced down, embarrassed by the truth in Havoc’s words. She noticed that his hands were shaking, that his usual cigarette had been replaced with a toothpick, and smiled. He was a good friend to make the effort not to smoke at her wedding, even if he was clearly miserable.
“Well, it’s a little late to get something else,” Riza replied, picking the earring back up. “So I guess I’m stuck.”
“Right. About that…” Havoc rubbed the back of his neck.
“What did you do?” Riza demanded, raising an eyebrow.
“Becca knew you hadn’t gotten a wedding dress, so we, er…got you one. If you want. It’s in our room downstairs,” Havoc said.
Riza couldn’t help but laugh. “Rebecca and I have very different tastes. I appreciate the effort, Jean, but you really didn’t have to.”
“It’s not sparkly at all,” Havoc went on. “I insisted.”
She was taken aback at the effort her two closest friends had put into their covert attempt at getting her a dress. They weren’t well off, and they could be willfully idiotic when they wanted to be – which was most of the time – but when they felt like it, they could be remarkably thoughtful.
And tenacious. Riza had the feeling Havoc and Rebecca weren’t going to take no for an answer. She conceded, “I’ll at least take a look at it.”
Havoc’s crooked smile returned and he said, “I’ll be right back.”
As he left, Riza returned her attention to her earrings, finally managing to get both of them in before Havoc returned, Rebecca with him.
“Glad you got me, babe. This won’t do at all,” Rebecca said, taking a look up and down Riza’s uniform-clad figure.
Riza shot a glare at Havoc, who shrugged apologetically as best he could while holding a large box. She asked, “I suppose this is your dress?”
“Your dress,” Rebecca corrected. “Consider it mine and Jean’s wedding present to you. And your ‘something new.’”
“Something new?” Havoc echoed.
“Do you pay attention to anything?” Rebecca scowled. “It’s an old wedding tradition. Brides wear something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. It’s for good luck.”
Havoc shrugged, clearly not that interested. He said, “Well, the General probably needs me to go round up Fullmetal, or something. Have fun, girls.”
He gave Riza a one-armed hug, kissed Rebecca’s cheek, and left the room.
Rebecca opened the box and pulled out the dress she’d gotten for Riza, holding it up. “Isn’t it pretty? Jean and I argued for hours about what you’d like, but we both saw this one and knew you’d like it.”
It was a simple dress, a pretty lacy thing with a short train and capped sleeves. Most importantly, though, it had a high collar, hiding the still-vivid scar across her neck, the scar that brought Roy to tears nearly every time he saw it.
“Becca, it’s beautiful,” Riza breathed.
“It’ll be a hell of a surprise for the General, huh?” Rebecca grinned, beginning to undo the buttons down the back of the dress. “He’s expecting you in a uniform, and he gets you in this. The boys and I have bets on whether or not he’ll cry.”
Riza began to take off her uniform so she could change into the dress, asking tentatively, “Do you really think he will?”
“Riza, he loves you. He’s a complete idiot whenever he’s around you – even my idiot can see that. He better cry,” Rebecca assured her. “I have a thousand cens on it.”
The blonde woman laughed, Rebecca’s confidence allaying her nerves somewhat. “Thanks, Becca.”
“It’s okay to be nervous,” Rebecca said, giving her friend a hug. “But don’t worry. This’ll all go off just fine, and then you and General Smugface can have all the sex you want, and nobody can stop you.”
“Becca!” Riza gasped, blushing scarlet. Rebecca laughed.
“I think I’m going to die,” Roy groaned, his cheek resting on the toilet seat.
“Man up,” Ed scowled, nudging the distinctly green general with his foot.
Roy responded by throwing up again.
“Do you even have anything left to throw up at this point?” Ed asked. “I know you had a big breakfast, but shit.”
“You’re not helping, Fullmetal,” Roy managed weakly.
“The rest of the team is off finishing preparations, so you’re stuck with me,” Ed replied. “I’m not going to coddle you the way everyone else would.”
“You could show a little sympathy,” Roy scowled. “I seem to recall you nearly passing out before your wedding.”
Ed blushed, embarrassed at the memory, before going on, “What are you even worried about? She promised to stick by you already, didn’t she? You two have been practically married for years. All you’re doing now is making it official.”
“In front of half of Amestris,” Roy moaned. “It’s just my luck I’d fall in love with the Fuhrer’s granddaughter.”
“Yeah, karma’s a real bitch,” Ed rolled his eyes. “Who cares about everybody else? You’re not going to notice them, anyway.”
“Did I die, or did you actually say something helpful?” Roy gasped in mock surprise.
“I can kick you again, you know,” Ed growled.
“What was your wedding like?” Roy asked. “From your perspective.”
Ed was quiet a moment, clearly deciding how to respond. He eventually said quietly, “The only thing that comes close to it is the day we got Al back.”
Roy turned to look at him, surprised by the genuine answer. The younger man went on, “I was nervous, sure. It was Winry’s big day and I didn’t want to screw anything up. I was afraid I was going to forget my vows, or pass out, or something. But everything went just fine. Win was so happy, so I was too. I didn’t want the day to end. I was really tired by the end of it, though. It’s a long day.”
“It already has been,” Roy agreed, turning back to the toilet and retching again.
“You’re not actually sick, are you?” Ed asked.
“No. This is just nerves. The same thing happened before I told Riza’s father that I was joining the military, and before I told the Fuhrer I wanted to marry her,” Roy shook his head.
“I didn’t realize the fearless General Mustang was such a wimp about stress,” Ed taunted.
“Laugh it up, Fullmetal,” Roy growled.
“Well, you need to get it together soon. By my clock, we’ve got twenty minutes until you need to be out there,” Ed said.
They were silent a moment before Roy asked, voice small, “Do you think she’ll regret this?”
The question startled Ed enough that he laughed before realizing Roy was serious. “No, of course not.”
“I’ve caused her so much pain. She’s almost died because of me,” Roy went on. “She should hate me. I don’t know why she agreed to marry me.”
Ed sighed at his commander – no, his friend’s – stupidity, kneeling down next to him. “Because you’re a pair of fucking idiots. Yeah, even her. I’ve never seen two people so ridiculously in love convinced that the other person doesn’t love them. You love her. She loves you. Let’s move on with our lives. I don’t want to wax poetical about it like Hughes would if he were here.”
Roy laughed bitterly. “Thanks, Elric.”
“Now get yourself together and stop barfing. We need to get you cleaned up so you’re not late,” Ed said, rising and offering a hand to help Roy stand.
“Right,” Roy nodded, standing up with Ed’s help. He looked at himself in the mirror. “I look terrible.”
“You don’t smell great either. Good thing there’s a shower in here. I’d brush my teeth, too, if I were you. I don’t think Hawkeye wants to taste upchucked breakfast when you kiss the bride,” Ed replied, turning to go.
“Fullmetal?” Roy said. Ed stopped with the door half-open.
“Yeah?” Ed asked.
“Thanks,” Roy said, and for the first time, he meant it. Ed smiled.
Somehow, Roy got himself together in time, though he still looked faintly pale as he stood at the altar. The crowd gathered, as expected, was massive, full of Amestrian military and foreign dignitaries.
The only people Roy particularly cared were there were sitting in the front row – the Elric brothers, along with a very pregnant Winry; Gracia Hughes; Madame Christmas and her girls; and both Armstrongs and their soldiers.
Music began to play, giving Roy heart palpitations.
Elicia Hughes skipped down the aisle, spreading flower petals before running to join her mother. One by one Riza’s bridesmaids were escorted down the aisle by one of the boys of Team Mustang, ending with the convenient couple of Havoc and Rebecca, the best man and maid of honor.
Havoc clapped Roy on the shoulder reassuringly as he took his spot beside him, before the music changed.
Fuhrer Grumman walked Riza down the aisle, but he may as well have not been there, for how little he was noticed by everyone but Riza.
She looked radiant in her gifted wedding dress, her hair done in curls down her back, the earrings Roy had given her so many years ago glinting in her ears. She smiled softly at Roy, oblivious to all that was going on around her.
For a brief moment, just as Ed had promised, there was nothing besides Roy and Riza. Their eyes met and the rest of the world ceased to exist. It took everything in his power to not run to her and sweep her up in his arms, to do anything but shower her in gentle kisses.
“She looks great, doesn’t she, chief?” Havoc asked quietly.
Roy didn’t tear his eyes away from her as he choked out a dignified mumble of a response, his mental faculties ceasing to work as Riza drew closer.
When she stood across the altar from him, holding his uncharacteristically-gloveless hands in her own, tears welled in his eyes. Roy Mustang rarely cried – water made him useless, as everyone liked to remind him.
This, though, was different. This was everything he had ever wanted since he was a boy learning flame alchemy from an eccentric hermit, learning love from the man’s perfect daughter.
He said his vows with tears streaming down his face, earning an approving smile from a slightly richer Rebecca Catalina. For her part, Riza cried too, their first kiss as a married couple tasting of the salt of tears.
For the first time, though, they weren’t tears of longing and pain and fear of discovery. No, those days were behind them.
And, for once, Roy agreed with Ed.
Nothing could remotely compare.