"This is hard," Ed groaned.

"Isn't that what you said last night?"

Edward, who was currently lying down on the couch, kicked Roy in the ribs. "Fuck off, I mean it, this is really difficult. Pervert."

The man laughed, wrapping his hands around Ed's ankles and putting them on his lap to prevent any further attacks. "You're insane, this is the easiest part."

"Choosing the guest list is easy?" Ed asked, incredulous.

"It's not like we have a thousand people to choose from," Roy snorted. "We literally just have to invite everyone we give a shit about and be done with it."

Okay. He had a point…but still. "Yeah, but we have to choose our best men and that kind of thing, and then invite everyone else. It's not a matter of who's coming, but what they're doing."

The man opened his mouth to say something, but closed it before any words came out. Edward waited impatiently, tapping his feet lightly on Roy's leg. Still silence. He sighed, stretched, and said, "Yo, it's a little early for you to be losing your memory like this, you're not that old."

"I didn't forget what I was going to say, I just thought of something."

Roy didn't elaborate, just let that little teaser hang in the hair. "Well? What is it?"

"I was thinking about you having Al for your best man, but then I thought you might want him to walk you down the aisle…but are you even walking down the aisle?"

Now Edward was the one that was quiet, thinking. Not about the question—of course he was walking down the aisle, he wasn't going to miss that—but about what the other alternatives could possibly be. "You know what, I think you should be the one to walk down the aisle. I mean, one of us has to, we can't both just stand there, there's got to be some flair to it. But not me, definitely you, it'll be more fun."

"No way am I walking down the aisle," Roy responded flatly.

"And why not?" That was interesting. Ed had just been joking…

"It's my job to stand at the altar and wait for my bride," Roy snickered.

Even though he knew the man was just trying to get a rise out of him, Edward couldn't help but take the bait. "I'm not your fucking bride! I'm your groom! Jeez, you know full well that I'm not some girl…"

"Oh, I don't know…" Roy said airily, letting his head fall back against the couch as he looked at Edward, waiting for a response with a mischievous grin threatening to break his mask of composure.

"I swear I will kick you in the balls," Ed threatened, trying to raise his feet. Roy tightened his hold on his ankles.

"Come on, you know I'm kidding," he reassured.

"Yeah, but I've had it up to here with people insinuating that I'm girly or some shit like that," Edward muttered, crossing his arms and staring up at the ceiling. "I've been trying to keep my temper in check, but I'm seriously about to punch someone. I don't understand…I mean, yeah, I'm gay—obviously—but you're with me, and no one does this to you." Ed swallowed hard. He hadn't meant for all that to come out—this was supposed to be a light conversation, but somehow he'd slipped in a little too much honesty. But it was bothering him, he couldn't help but voice it.

"Ed," Roy murmured after a surprised moment. "I know you're not a girl—and I wouldn't have it any other way, either. I think it's just that…well, since you came out, you know, by hooking up with me—you've been a little more open. Haven't you noticed? Let me put it this way…" Roy thought for a second. "I feel like every guy has little things about him that he tends to hide that would be perceived as feminine. And I just think—I mean, I like to think—that you've just been so happy and maybe even a little more accepting of yourself that you don't bother to hide things anymore."

This almost made Edward feel worse. Because, in a way, it was true. He did like some really girly shit—his taste in TV shows, for example. And tighter pants, not those stupid loose things other people wore. And the fact that he genuinely enjoyed planning for their wedding, not just because he was getting married, but because all the sparkly decorations were going to be fucking fabulous. "But again, you're different. You don't—" Ed broke off, flushing. "What if I'm the problem, not how people see me? You don't show anything like that, so either you're still hiding, or it really is just me."

"Ed, you're being paranoid—of course it's not just you. There are unmanly things about me too."

"Like what?"

Roy didn't even have to think. "Like my taste in drinks. It's considered manlier to drink beer or something, right? And I fucking love cocktails and martinis and all those fancy froufrou drinks."

Groaning, Edward raised his hands above his head. "So why don't people tease you about it?"

There was no answer for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe it's because they know I wouldn't take it as well as you do. You have to keep in mind, Ed—everyone's just joking, because it's incredibly fun to banter with you. I joke around too, but you know I love you. And Havoc and everyone else, they care about you too. It's not like we seriously think you're a girl."

"I know," Ed sighed. "I'm just touchy." He grinned suddenly—despite his worrying, he couldn't help but laugh at himself a little then. "Wow, I really am a chick, mood swings and all."

Roy laughed and grabbed one of Edward's hands, pulling him up for a hug. "How about we get back to the guest situation?"

Edward took a deep breath. "Okay. Also, yes, for reference, I am walking down the aisle. I think I might actually have Granny walk with me…I'd rather have Al do it, in a way, because we're closer—Granny still isn't too happy with the way I turned out, I can tell—but I want him to be my best man. I mean, the aisle thing matters, but I think it says more to have my brother next to me the whole time, you know? I'll just have Granny walk me up and sit back down."

"Alrighty, so that takes care of you." Roy was quiet for a moment. "I was thinking about having a best woman, actually—Gracia, in place of Maes…"

Thinking it best not to say anything for a moment, Ed merely rubbed Roy's shoulder. He knew the death (in the line of duty) of Maes Hughes, Roy's best friend, still cut the man deep. He hadn't really recovered, even though it had been a couple years, and definitely hadn't become that close to anyone else, save Edward himself. Finally, Ed spoke up. "I think that'd be really nice. I mean, if he could be here, Hughes would have been the obvious choice. And instead of trying to pick someone else to fill his place, it'd be better to have Gracia there to kind of represent…"

Roy nodded, thankfully clear-eyed and with a steady voice; nothing broke Edward's heart like watching the man cry, a rare event that shook him deeply. "Yeah, you're right, it'd be a dishonor to his memory to not have him 'there' as my best man. I'll have Gracia do it."

Edward smiled. "And we can have Elicia handle the flowers and rings, she'd love that."

"You know, there are usually separate people for that—"

Ed cut him off. "What other adorable kid do you know? She can do both, it's fine."

Roy rolled his eyes, laughing. "Whatever you say. So that's everyone special—who are we inviting in general?"

"Well, the whole team, obviously, so that's five people…" Edward held up five fingers, beginning to count on his other hand as he added people. "If you assume each of them actually brings a date—debatable, but we'd better play it safe—that's ten. Then Winry will be coming with Granny…"

"And Madame Christmas would kill me if she didn't get to come, then add her plus one," Roy interjected. "And we should probably invite Armstrong, he'd be so disappointed otherwise."

Ed winced. "Do we have to bring his sister too? She's terrifying."

"Nah, she wouldn't want to come. At least, not his older sister, but the Marjor'll probably bring his younger sister along in lieu of a date."

"Okay, so we're at fifteen. Oh! And we have to invite Maria and Denny."

Roy almost choked. "Since when are you on first terms with Ross and Brosh?"

"Since you had to leave for a week and I was lonely and they took pity on me," Ed pouted. "Remember?"

"All I remember is you clinging to me for forever afterwards."

Edward frowned. "I'm pretty sure it was the other way around." He held up his hand. "Anyway, they should come. Seventeen—I don't have enough fingers for this…" Ed looked at Roy. "Hold up your hands."

"You're kidding right?"

"Just do it!" Ed insisted, pulling the man's arms up into the air himself and forcing three fingers down. "There. Seventeen."

Roy raised his eyebrow, but kept his hands up. "What are you going to do next, call Al and have him come over to help?" he teased.

"Shut up and keep listing."

Over the next several minutes, Ed and Roy thought up a total of 53 names, excluding Al, Granny Pinako, and Gracia and Elicia. "I think that's enough," Edward finally decided. "I mean, I'm sure we could keep going, but we're just being gracious at this point. That's more than enough people to get a party going. Besides, I'm not sure how many people that arbor is going to hold…"

Roy nodded. "Yeah, plus I'm getting into that uncomfortable realm of people I prefer not to associate with, but I just kind of end up having to talk to…"

Laughing, Edward looked down at their paper (having abandoned finger counting after twenty names) and scanned the list once more to finalize it. "Yep, looks good."

"Soon we'll have to send out save the date cards…" Roy paused, a devious glint forming in his eyes. "Hey, you're not going to have a meltdown over stationary, are you?"

Ed rolled his eyes. He was fully aware that Roy was kidding, and his little moment of paranoia was over, but still, that was a dick move. Well, Roy wasn't the only one who could be sassy. "No, but you will be when I make you deal with addressing them all by hand."

"You cheeky little shit."

Smiling widely, Edward tipped his head to the side innocently. "It's just one of my charms."