Everything felt incredibly surreal as Edward walked towards Granny Pinako. Aside from her, the parking lot was deserted; everyone else was, at that moment, sitting in that clearing, staring at the gazebo, waiting for everything to start. Waiting for Ed. If he believed in a god, Edward would have been praying just then.

"It's been a while, Pipsqueak," Pinako teased as he approached. "You've gotten more feminine."

"I think it might be the dress, Granny," Edward explained, grinning.

"No, you don't say?" she replied, feigning surprise. "Well, I never." The old woman chuckled. "Honestly, though, you look wonderful."

"Thanks." Edward inhaled slowly, trying to maintain his cool though his heart was racing. "Did you bring the bouquet?"

Wordlessly, Granny turned, reaching into her car and bringing out a glittering, glowing bouquet. Rather than real flowers, Ed had opted for a more exciting arrangement. It was a small spray of metallic, sparkling branches, interspersed with deep blue accent flowers and strands of LED lights that shone faintly in the dimming light.

"Wow. Gotta say, I'm impressed," Ed remarked. "This is prettier than I'd imagined."

"It's certainly different," Pinako agreed. "I still wish you'd gone more traditional, though."

"Shut up you old hag. Times change." Edward laughed as the woman smacked him on the arm. Her typical teasingly critical nature was surprisingly comforting in that moment, though usually it irritated him to no end.

"No kidding. Do you know what they used to do to little sissy boys like you when I was your age?" Pinako asked, shaking her head. "Whatever. I can't change anything, so I might as well go along with it. So—should we get going then?"

Gulping, heart racing, Edward nodded, and the two started off along the pathway to the gazebo. With every step he took Ed's breathing became more and more erratic—this was happening, this was really fucking happening! He was nervous still, yes, but more than anything as they went along his excitement was getting the better of him. Everything, every insignificant tree and stone on the path lined with fairy lights, seemed unbearably beautiful. Could this even be real?

It was just twilight when Ed reached the edge of the clearing, waiting there for the music to start so he could walk down the aisle. Elicia was waiting there as well, jumping up and down excitedly (but thankfully, silently) when she saw Edward approaching. He beamed at the little girl and her basket of blue flower petals and glitter. It was going to be a bit messier than just the petals would have been, but what was the fun in worrying about that?

Ed looked around, hidden from view by the trees as he tried to catch a glimpse of the waiting crowd. The area was bathed in perfect light, the sun having gone down but the sky still illuminated a dusky purple. The few people he could see through the branches seemed excited, anticipation growing as the light faded. They knew it was coming soon.

All of a sudden, sweet violin music began to play. Edward seized up for a moment, forgetting to breath as Elicia, bright smile stretching her face, walked forward. The crowd let out a collective, '"Aw…" when they saw her, walking down the aisle and tossing glitter and bits of blue in her wake. Ed found, to his surprise, that his eyes were watering, and he blinked to try to clear them. It was almost his turn. He trembled, quivering from head to toe, waiting for the music to change—

A slightly slower tone filled the air. Not "Here Comes the Bride;" he'd opted for a classical piece instead, considering he was a groom, damn it. Swallowing hard and unable to prevent a shaky grin, Ed linked arms with Granny Pinako and stepped into view.

Everyone gathered was absolutely silent for a heartbeat. Those who knew that Ed was wearing a dress were taken aback by how good he looked, and those that didn't were trying to wrap their head around the idea. After a second, there came the faint murmurs of how beautiful he was—or how strange it was to see him in a skirt. Edward ignored them all, having eyes only for Roy, waiting for him at the gazebo.

The man's mouth hung open, just slightly, as he took in the sight. His dark eyes skimmed Ed head to toe, and a faint smile closed his mouth as he caught sight of the boots. Edward grinned back, glad to see that Roy seemed pleased with his choice of clothing—and rather enjoying the man's attire as well. He'd seen the suit, sure, but now with this atmosphere, it seemed even more appealing, squeezing Roy in all the right areas…

The walk up the aisle was surprisingly short. Without much fanfare, Granny placed Edward's hand in Roy's waiting one. "Ed," the man whispered, hardly a sound escaping his lips, "you're shivering." Edward nodded, unable to speak. It didn't seem that he was the only one who was getting emotional, though; in the glow of the lights wrapped around the gazebo, he caught the glint of tears welling up in Roy's eyes. It was exactly what Ed had hoped for that morning, but seeing them…it almost made him cry as well. He glanced to the side, where Al and Gracia were standing. Gracia already had tears streaming down her face, while Alphonse nodded subtly in support.

Their officiant stepped forward, nondescript in a plain pantsuit, her hair tied back into a neat half up do. Breathing shakily and smiling so hard it hurt his cheeks, Ed didn't break eye contact with Roy as she began to speak. "A warm welcome to everyone who has gathered here this evening. This night, at first glance, may seem like the average day to some of you, but right here, right now, you all will bear witness to one of the most miraculous events: a wedding, between two men who love each other more than anything. Love is an amazing thing, something we tend to take for granted. Our parents love us, or friends, our coworkers, our pets even. And yet to find your soul mate in such a wide world is well and truly a miracle."

A single tear fell down Roy's face and his grin spread with embarrassment. Edward's heart melted entirely, a warm feeling filling his chest as his own eyes watered. "I'm sure all of you who are present have, at some point, witnessed the proof of the love between these two. I'm also sure some of you have seen more than you bargained for," the officiant went on with a laugh. "But no one can possibly know the love these two feel for each other. It's certainly not my place to try to define a love that doesn't belong to me, and so I'll now turn this over to Roy."

Roy let out a tiny, hoarse laugh. "Sorry," he murmured, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiping his eyes. "In the process of trying to write these vows, I must have gone through hundreds of ideas. The problem isn't that I don't know what to say; it's that there's too much to say. I'm sure everyone's eager for the reception—I know I am—and we only have so much time, so I can't say everything that I would want to. It took me a long while to realize that that didn't matter. What I'm saying now is what's most important, and everything else can wait, because I'm going to have the rest of my life to tell you all how much I love this guy."

Lip wobbling, Edward was doing all he could to hold himself together. He had had no idea that the ceremony would reduce him to a crying mess so easily. "I think the easiest way to express how I feel," Roy went on, "is to use the comparison of fire. I have an affinity for fire, as everyone here knows, and Ed reminds me exactly of the flame. Beautiful, and dangerous. Tough, but needing care. Utterly enticing. I had never been with a man until I met Ed, but despite my typical preferences, there was just something about him that drew me in. Edward is everything I could ever hope for. He's excitable, loyal, fiercely caring, empathetic…and he's also hot headed, obstinate, and sarcastic. And I think that's what really matters. It's easy to love someone for their strengths and the positive aspects of their personality. But when you can love their flaws…that's much harder, and much better. There have been times when we've been arguing and I forgot what I was even upset about because I was struck by how adorable it is that Ed refuses to back down, even when he clearly knows he's wrong. I've never felt that way about any other person, and that's what made me realize I needed to marry Ed. We've disagreed, but I've never once stopped loving him, never even thought that maybe what I felt was waning. And I know I'm going to feel that way for the rest of my life, the rest of our lives…together."

Oh, he was done for. Crying openly now, Ed's only real goal was to avoid outright sobbing. "Edward Elric, I love you more than anything. I promise to always be there for you, to put you first above anything else that might come up, to always listen to what you have to say and to always tell you when you're wrong. I promise to back you up when need be, to help you live your life to the fullest, and to never put my needs above yours. I promise to love you wholly and unconditionally until my heart stops beating," Roy finished, choking down on the last words as another tear ran down his face.

The officiant turned to Edward, who shook his head. Roy offered him the handkerchief and Ed took it, mopping up his eyes and thanking goodness that he didn't have to deal with running make up. "Well," he rasped, after a moment wrestling for control, "I was all ready to deliver my grand speech, and then this guy shows up and gets me all emotional."

The crowd laughed good naturedly, waiting with palpable patience for Edward to pull himself together. "Roy…" he finally started. "He's hard to describe, and I think that's just because he's been so much for me. Me and my brother are orphan's, and it was Roy who ended up taking us into the military. In a situation like that, it's easy for young kids to end up in worse circumstances than before, but because of Roy, I was able to grow up as happily as anyone. He's played a number of roles to me; friend, mentor, leader, advisor…and lover. How could I not fall in love with someone who'd been there for me for so long?" Pausing, Ed wiped impatiently at another tear. "Roy's courageous and quietly concerned for everyone around him. He's determined and yet he refuses to compromise his morals for his career. Everything about him is admirable. And as if that weren't enough, Roy has helped me time and time again to realize things about myself. He's always in my corner, backing my decisions and giving me the courage to do things I might otherwise shy away from. Without him in my life, I doubt I would have half the qualities he's pointed out. It may seem a little rushed to some, but Roy's my first and my last, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I haven't missed anything by not dating around. I've gone straight to the very best. He's the only man I've ever loved, and the only one I ever will." Edward swallowed, gripping Roy's hand tight as he wrapped it up. "Roy…I promise to never leave your side. I promise to share my best moments with you. I promise to never keep anything from you, even and especially if I know it will make you angry. Fights are healthy every once in a while. I promise to always keep you on your toes, but to never leave you a step behind. I promise to love you now, tomorrow morning, next month, and until the end of forever."

Ed almost broke down as he finished, more ecstatic that he could ever remember being. Roy's grip on his hand was tight, the man's expression alight, in the gathering darkness, with sharp anticipation. The officiant stepped in for the last bit once more. "If we could have the ring bearer step forward."

Elicia skipped up to meet them, holding their rings on a blue velvet pillow. Ed grabbed the larger to give to Roy, and the man vice versa.

"Edward Elric, do you take Roy Mustang to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," he whispered. He held out his hand, allowing Roy to slide the ring onto his finger. The action was so simple, yet it felt like a key clicking into a lock…and it was the single most electrifying feeling Ed had ever experienced.

"And do you, Roy Mustang, take Edward Elric to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Of course I do," Roy replied firmly. Shaking with the reality of the situation, Ed pushed the ring onto Roy's finger, glancing up to see a victorious, beaming grin on the man's face.

The officiant smiled, raised her hands. "Well then, you may kiss the groom."

Tenderly, Roy raised his hands to cup Edward's cheeks, pulling him closer. Ed offered no resistance, stepping forward in order to close the distance. As they kissed, the violin, which had been playing softly in the background this whole time, crescendoed into a louder, faster tune almost like a movie soundtrack. Ed smiled into the kiss, his arms wrapped securely around Roy's neck. He could have lived in those few seconds forever—it was almost painful to pull away.

They interlocked their hands together as the crowd stood, clapping tremendously. Edward leaned into Roy's side, his grin refusing to fade, and took his first real, calm breath that day. Side by side, Ed and Roy stepped down from the gazebo as Alphonse surreptitiously made his way forward, lighting a trail of sparklers along their aisle and illuminating the happy faces of the crowd. Edward laughed, carefree, as each person whipped out their own sparkler, the clearing becoming a mass of tiny, ground bound stars. It was beautiful, but he couldn't quite appreciate it fully, because one thought was occupying his brain entirely:

That was it.

He was married.

He'd chanced thinking that jinxing thought earlier that day, while trying to relax: What could go wrong? And for once, nothing did. Everything went absolutely, splendidly perfect.