A/N: Taking a quick break from working on my other stories to upload this quick oneshot. I couldn't get the idea out of my head and there's always a time for Edwin fluff. Hope you guys like it!
Finally, the dreaded moment had arrived. He could hear his friends and family milling about around the area from where they would make their grand entrance. He knew they were anticipating his arrival. It was too much pressure, he decided. There were tons of people out there and he had to try and not look like a complete idiot in front of them. It was a tall order for sure.
He felt the assurance of a soft hand squeezing his. He looked down (yes, down) and was met with the most gorgeous smile he could ever witness. Why was he being such a baby? He had the most beautiful and amazing girl in the world standing right next to him.
And, after the ceremony just an hour earlier, she was now his wife.
How did he get so lucky? How did a woman like Winry Rockbell marry someone like him? Sure they had grown up together and been best friends most of their lives, but he still marveled at the fact that she fell in love with him (him falling in love with her was a little less surprising because, you know, who wouldn't?). Now, they were bound to each other for the rest of their lives. He was free to hug her, kiss her, touch her, and just be with her as long as they both lived.
He couldn't remember the last time he was this happy. Truly the only comparison to the moment Winry said "I do" was when he helped a scrawny little boy with long golden hair pass through the gate.
Of course, in the whirlwind that was their wedding day, there were bound to be some hiccups. To Winry, these were things having to do with the planning of the ceremony and reception and making sure everything went smoothly. To Ed, it was one of the very few things that was expected of him today.
The first dance.
He knew he was being stupid for being so worried about a simple dance, but he couldn't help himself. He was a dumbass kid who made dumbass moves when people were watching him.
And today there were a lot of people watching him.
He had always dreamed of having a simple wedding. He knew Winry had the same idea as well. They had originally planned on a small ceremony with close friends and family at the little chapel in downtown Resembool, followed by a small reception at the Rockbell home. Unfortunately, as they tried to formulate a guest list and realized that they had quite a few close friends and family who would want to witness their nuptials, they realized that they had to make it a much bigger wedding than anticipated.
From everyone in the military, to the friends in Xing, and all of the people Winry met and befriended in Rush Valley, there were a lot of people to try to accommodate. Finding a place for everyone to stay in the small country town was the biggest mess and then finding a place to hold everyone for the wedding was an issue too. Eventually they settled on setting up chairs and an arch in the fields behind the Rockbell home and having an outdoor wedding. It wasn't what the young couple had originally wanted, but it still worked well for them and there was no denying how nice it was to have everyone in one place for a little while.
Of course, that also meant that Ed had a large audience watching his every move all day. He had managed to get through the ceremony without doing anything too dumb, trying to focus on the fact that he was marrying the love of his life rather than on the people looking at him. He had fumbled a few of his words during the vows and felt a little awkward during the kiss but had managed to make it through relatively unscathed.
He wasn't sure he would be so lucky during the dance. The people looking at him would've been nerve-racking enough, but the fact that Ed was about as graceful as an elephant on a tightrope made it even worse.
Al had suggested Ed get lessons. It was a big moment in the young couple's lives and he should be well prepared, so as not to embarrass his new wife. Ed had scoffed at the idea. His stubbornness prevented him from reaching out for help, instead believing he could figure it out himself, goddammit. It was just one stupid dance.
Well, that had worked out as well as could be expected. He hadn't learned anything in the time leading up to the wedding and now he was greatly regretting his decision to not seek out help.
"You ready?" Winry asked, snapping Ed out of his nervous thoughts.
She was probably referring more to the fact that they were about to be introduced as husband and wife for the first time rather than the dance. Ed was slightly annoyed that she looked so calm.
"Uh, sure," he told her, trying but failing to keep the nerves out of his voice.
Winry leaned her head against his shoulder and snaked her arm through his. "You'll be fine, Ed."
"Right," Ed said, more to assure himself than Winry. Before Ed could dwell on his thoughts any longer, however, they were told it was time to make their entrance. They could hear one of their friends introducing them to the guests. They walked through the door leading out to the backyard of the house where a lovely reception had been set up. Ed had to admit that, even though he protested the idea of holding everything outside, the set up looked great. The lights strung from the tree they had climbed as children were especially nice, bathing the area in a wonderful glow.
The guests clapped and cheered as Mr. and Mrs. Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell were introduced for the first time. Ed tried to catch glimpses of familiar faces as he walked into the area arm and arm with his new wife. It didn't take him long to spot the Emperor of Xing, stuffing his face with food whilst clapping. Mustang and his team were not far off. He couldn't help the smile when he saw Major Hawkeye looking as proud as a mother. Winry waved to some of her Rush Valley friends, giving a special smile to Paninya as she walked by.
They walked to the dance floor set in the middle of all the tables and chairs and Ed knew the time had come. All he could do at this point was pray to a god he didn't believe in that he wouldn't look like a complete idiot on his wedding day.
"And now the couple will share their first dance," he heard someone he didn't recognize announce. The small band made up of Resembool farmers by day and talented musicians by night began to play a slow song.
Winry placed her hand on Ed's shoulder and grabbed his hand with the other. He awkwardly grabbed her waist with his free hand and they began to slowly move. It wasn't necessarily dancing, Ed had decided. Really all they were doing was swaying back and forth across the dance floor. It was all right though. If they were to try anything too fancy Ed just knew he would look stupid and step on Winry's toe or something.
"See? This isn't too bad," Winry told him. Now Ed knew that she had seen right through him earlier and knew exactly why he was nervous. She had a tendency of figuring him out quickly.
"Yeah, I guess so. So far, so good," he told her as they continued to move. Ed momentarily forgot about their audience, instead focusing on his wife's mesmerizing blue eyes.
Winry smiled at him and leaned her head against his chest. "I love you, Alchemy Freak," she told him.
Ed smiled and replied, with only a slight tinge on his cheeks, "I love you too, Crazy Gearhead."
They swayed a few more moments in comfortable silence before Winry raised her head looking as though an idea had popped into her head. "You should twirl me," she said with an excited glean in her eyes. Ed inwardly groaned. He just knew it was one of her childhood wedding dreams to get twirled on the dance floor by her husband. The problem was that Ed was certain he would mess it up and ruin it for her.
"What? I can't twirl you, I'll just look stupid."
"Ugh, no you won't, Ed. It's not that difficult." Winry said.
"I don't know about that," Ed said, unsure of himself.
"Oh, come on. Quit being a baby and just do it!" Winry said, somewhat forcibly.
He really didn't know what he was doing, but he didn't have a choice. He couldn't say no to her, especially now. "Fine," he grumbled, earning a satisfied smile from his wife.
They let go of each other as Winry spun out and twirled underneath Ed's arm, her pristine white gown flaring out beautifully. She then spun back in and they resumed their original position. Ed could hear "awws" coming from the guests. He let out a sigh of relief at how well that went.
"See? You're better at this than you give yourself credit for."
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't expect me to do a dip, because I will drop you," he told her, causing her to laugh.
"I'll settle for the twirl."
Eventually, the music stopped and they halted themselves on the dance floor. The audience clapped for them as they continued to look at each other, reveling in the moment.
As Ed looked into his wife's blue eyes, he knew he had made the best decision of his life marrying her and was so thankful she had chose him. He began to imagine their future as they lived out the rest of their married lives, possibly having children and then grandchildren, and finally growing old together. It was a future Ed could never have imagined just a few years ago when it seemed the entire world was against him. Now he was here, happily married to his best friend.
Overcome with the thought, Ed leaned down and placed an awkward kiss on his wife's lips in a rare show of confidence, earning an even bigger cheer from the crowd.
They had explored physical boundaries fairly well leading up to their wedding day, but Ed was still uncomfortable showing his affection, especially publicly. So Winry was pleasantly surprised when she felt her new husband kissing her, albeit messily, and returned the kiss with as much love as she could muster.
When they broke apart, they walked to their table, both blushing furiously at their uncharacteristic public display of affection.
The rest of the night went smoothly and Ed danced with his wife a few more times (only stepping on her toe twice during the more fast-paced songs). He would never admit it aloud, but he found he rather enjoyed dancing amongst his friends and family, especially when his partner was the most beautiful woman there.
He realized with a content smile that he would be able to dance with her, and only her, for the rest of their lives. Till death do they part.