Chapter Text
The gold buttons on Roy’s uniform had been polished so they glimmered, reflecting the light of the candles that lined the church and covered the altar. He had considered slicking his hair back, but he remembered standing in front of his mirror after Mae’s funeral... he couldn’t bring himself to look like that again. Riza’s hair was done up in big, bouncy curls. Her wedding dress was the product of Rebecca and Winry’s influence at the bridal appointment. It was a trumpet dress, hugging her upper body and then flaring out at the knees. The back trailed out behind her, dragging across the floor. The detailed lacing was heavy at the top, then dwindled down to just a few designs at the bottom. She felt like the diamond bracelet was too much, and she was worried the silver would clash with the gold Roy was wearing, but Chris had insisted on her having it, so she wore it anyway.
It was a small church. The couple could have easily filled the pews with officers upon officers. But they had both wanted to keep things personal. Still, many uniforms were present. Denny and Heymans were both dressed in full, Maria seated between them in a pale blue dress. Alex and Olivia were both in uniform as well, sitting on opposite sides of the church. The Elric’s came too- Edward put on an act of being uninterested while Winry and Alphonse were happy to attend. Ling Yao was invited, perhaps more so as a political gesture than anything else, but he had politely declined and cited that he was simply too busy to travel to Amestris at the time. But he had sent a rather lavish cookware set as a wedding gift.
There was no one to walk Riza down the aisle, so Riza and Roy walked together, arm in arm. Rebecca was waiting at the end to take the bridal boutique. Jean patted Roy’s back, and they exchanged a look of solace. It had been hard for Roy to ask anyone to be his best man, and although Jean had been honored, he knew he was nothing compared to who should have been standing there with Roy that day. The service was simple, the vows were short but sweet, and the rings were just simple, gold bands. Tears were shed, naturally, and there was a crying guest that stood out to Roy as he turned to retreat down the aisle with his new wife. There in the front row, holding a tissue to her eye, was Gracia Hughes.
Five months flew by. Snow was starting to fall over Central City. Roy stepped out of Central Command, breathing in the cold air and rubbing his right hand were it had begun to cramp from holding a pen all day. It was amazing how quickly time had marched on. A year and half ago he would have been back in Eastern City, listening to Mae’s voice over the telephone… The hand on his shoulder pulled the general out of his thoughts. He looked beside him, his dark eyes meeting the brown eyes of Riza.
“You seemed lost in thought there, Roy.” She spoke softly, tone airing on concern. It wasn’t unusual for Roy to space out, but it had been becoming more and more frequent.
“I was just, thinking about last year. So much happened, and so much has happened since then.” He slipped an arm around her shoulders as he continued to talk and as they started down the sidewalk. “I mean, just this time last year the coup was just picking up… since then Fullmetal and Winry got married, you and I got married, Jean’s been through seven girls…”
“Eight,” Riza corrected. “Eight girls.”
“You’re going to count the one that only lasted a day? Alright fine, eight girls. Anyway… everything moved so fast. It still feels like yesterday that we were at Mae’s…” he trailed off, looking down. The pair walked in silence for a few minutes before Riza spoke up again.
“I was thinking I would make lamb and barley soup tonight, since it’s so cold. We would have to stop at the store though…”
“Can we get bread to go with it?” Roy peered at her, looking very serious. He was older than her, and ranked higher, and yet his maturity levels were questionable at best. The blond tried her best to stifle a laugh has she replied.
“Yes Roy, we’ll get bread to go with it.”
“Then soup it is!” Roy pulled her toward the store, smiling. Riza smiled too.
In that moment, it felt like the whole world smiled around them. Of course no couple could be perfect, no couple could be without flaws. But, in that moment, Riza believed that they, General Mustang and Major General Hawkeye, were pretty damn close. In that moment, Riza was blind.