Draped in Wires
by. Poisoned Scarlet
Theme 051: Cold Feet
His brother had gotten a bad case of cold feet toward the beginning of the ceremony. He had been sent by one exasperated Mei Chang to calm his older sibling down, who refused to stop pacing and going through various ghastly scenarios in his head.
"What if I screw up, Al? What if I end up like that bastard Hohenheim and—!"
"ED! Quit it! You'll be the best father in the whole world! Just believe that you can and you'll do it! Now, go out there and show her you love her!"
"But—!"
It had taken more than a little coaxing to get him to leave the safety of the room but it wasn't long before he was standing by the alter, nervously tugging on his white tie. He had spotted Roy and Hawkeye by the sidelines, one the best man and one the maid of honor. Winry had been delighted when Riza dropped by the rehearsal; she had been worried about not being able to find someone suitable to stand on her side, and had been more than eager to have the top-sniper as her maid of honor.
Riza had accepted without any complaints. She had even allowed a rare, warm, smile to grace her face.
"It's starting!" Mei gushed quietly behind him, Xiao May mimicking her and squeaking excitedly on her shoulder.
Alphonse supposed his brother had realized that there had been no reason for second-guessing himself when she came down the aisle. The look on his face, the stunned mystification when he finally got to see her in the dress that would forever be proof of their marriage was heartwarming.
Her dress hadn't been very flashy or puffy: it was a white gown that trailed a little behind her. It was not frilly nor embroidered with a multitude of beads: it was a simple white dress that curved with the contours of her body and just barely showed the bump on her stomach. Her shoes were white, flat, and her hair had been perfectly curled up and matched along with light makeup that made her glow but not overly so.
Al was sure his brother had fallen in love all over again.
The vows were straightforward and blunt.
Edward's, he supposed, confused the majority of the guests who had no knowledge of the fundamental laws of Alchemy: "...overturn the law of Equivalent Exchange a thousand times over if it meant being able to relive this again..."
His older brothers lines, of course, had been written by him! His brother owed him for more than just the vows and helping him out of the room, he owed him for mustering up the guts to buy the ring from the saleswoman down by the store, too! It was not easy, waltzing into a jewelry shop to buy a ring for your brothers girlfriend, but, to Al, the help in his brothers future was his way of repaying him for all he had sacrificed because of one mistake in their past.
A hand clutched his own after he had stepped back from giving the rings for them. He looked down at Mei, who smiled up at him; her eyes glittering under the streaming light of the stained glass windows that adorned the sides of the parish.
"This is going smoothly, Alphonse!"
"Mhm." Al beamed. "I'd thought Ed would screw up by now!"
Mei giggled, Xiao Mei crooning cheerfully on her shoulder.
He was distracted from her by the priests final words, noticing with some amusement that Ed rolled his eyes, and felt a grand smile tug on his lips when his brothers lips met Winry's in a fierce kiss that, he saw, made Mustang smirk and Riza smile.
He clapped along with the others that had been invited. He could see a few close members from the military in the seats behind him, the most prominent being Alex Louis Armstrong, who loudly sang his appreciation with poems of eternal love at the top of his lungs until Maria Ross quieted him down with an elbow to his ribs while Denny tugged at the uncomfortable tightness of his tie.
He vaguely noticed Havoc whisper something to Rebecca, who tugged at Breda's sleeve and said something that made the man chuckle after taking a sneaking glance at Mustang and Riza, who were both readying to walk down behind Ed and Winry toward the reception.
You did it brother, Al thought to himself, when his brother grabbed Winry's hand and pulled her down from the alter; already tugging his tie loose around his neck as their friends cheered and clapped. You finally won. He smiled to himself. She married you in the end.
"Alphonse-sama!" Mei beamed up at him. "Hurry, or we'll be left behind!"
But I guess it's okay.
"Yeah, lets go! I want him to take off that suit before he gets food on it!"
Mei laughed brightly, and Al grinned.
I didn't want to win, anyway.
