Title: Not What He Expected
Characters/Pairings: Roy Mustang, Riza Mustang, Alphonse Elric, Izumi Curtis, Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell
Author: S J Smith
Words: 1120
Rating: K+
Summary: Roy gets an invitation to Edward Elric's wedding.
Warnings: Post-108
Disclaimer: If I owned any of this, I wouldn't be living in Boxtown.

"Your mail, sir."

"Thank you, Captain." Roy nodded toward the 'in box'.

"You might want to pay attention to this one, sir." Hawkeye tapped the ivory-colored envelope.

"Oh?" He picked it up, frowning slightly at the unrecognized handwriting. Slicing open the envelope, he pulled out a matching card. "Well."

"Sir?"

"I suppose you received one of these, as well?" Roy waved the invitation from side to side.

"Yes, sir. Winry sent me an invitation."

"So you knew this was happening?" He wasn't sure if he wanted her to say yes or no.

"Winry and I talk once in a while, sir. And I know they've been planning this for some time."

Roy leaned back in his chair, tossing the invitation on top of his desk. "Are you going?"

"Of course." The corner of her mouth tipped up. "I've always wanted to see Edward in an adult situation."

Blinking slowly, Roy nodded. "That. That would be something to see."

X X X

Roy vaguely remembered Risembool from his first trip to the tiny town. Somehow, it seemed exactly the same as those vague memories. A small, one-street town, surrounded by green. The train station only had one rail, and a bench – no café, only a door leading into a tiny office with a window facing out where one could buy tickets. There was a small inn, where he and Hawkeye had made reservations, just a few steps away from the train station, and they took their bags there to drop them off before heading off to the Rockbell house.

"Here for the wedding?" the man behind the counter asked.

"Yes," Roy said, signing his name in the ledger and handing the pen to Hawkeye.

"It's gonna be a humdinger," the man said, grinning, "if Ed don't screw everything up."

Roy's ears pricked. "Oh?"

The man leaned across the counter, as if imparting some special gossip. "He's been a nervous wreck. Never seen the boy in this state."

"Is that so," Roy purred.

"Sir," Hawkeye said sharply.

"What? I might be able to impart some wisdom to the young man." He ignored how she rolled her eyes. "How do we get to the Rockbell house again?"

X X X

Alphonse met them at the road. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you," he said, his bangs standing straight up and the collar of his button-down shirt askew. "You can try to talk some sense into my brother."

"Well, I," Roy said, starting to preen.

Alphonse threw his arm around Hawkeye's shoulders. "Seriously, I think you could really settle him down." He guided her up the path to the large house, leaving Roy to follow in their wake.

Roy hated the smirk Hawkeye shot back at him.

X X X

The house was full of people, and Roy was taken aback to see Alex Louis Armstrong there, wearing a chef's cap and helping in the kitchen. Most of his men were there, even Falman, who looked paler than normal from all his time in Briggs. A big dog lay on a blanket in the corner of the room, watching everything. A tiny woman Roy recognized as Dr. Rockbell had taken command of a gaggle of kids, instructing them on how to build flower wreaths. Roy couldn't even see Hawkeye or Alphonse, though everyone seemed to be busy working on something to prepare for the wedding.

He thought he recognized the barking voice of a woman he didn't expect to find here, and followed it to spy a slender woman, dressed in white, yelling at Edward Elric. "You idiot!" she shouted, and threw a book at him.

Edward yipped and danced sideways while Alphonse and Hawkeye watched. Roy sidled over to join them. "What's going on?"

"Ed hasn't made any plans for the honeymoon," Alphonse said, grinning.

"I thought we'd just get on a train and see where it took us!" Edward shouted as Izumi Curtis grabbed him by the wrist and flung him across the yard. He landed with a heavy thud. "What's – fuck! – wrong with that?" Picking himself up off the ground, he rubbed his back. "That's what you and Sig do!"

Mrs. Curtis pointed at him, her mouth opening. She snapped it closed, and a smile broke out over her face instead. "Ed. That's so romantic!" Grabbing him, she hugged him close.

Edward hung in her arms stiffly at first, then cautiously put his arms around her. "Uh. Thanks?"

Roy pursed his mouth. The hug went on a little while longer, and Edward pulled himself free, his face flushed. He muttered something to Mrs. Curtis, who rumpled his hair before heading back toward the house and her mountain of a husband. They hugged, too, but Edward had spotted him, and was making his way across the yard.

"Didn't really expect you to come, bastard," he said cheerfully.

"I did get an invitation with my name on it," Roy said.

"Damn, Al, I told you not to do that." Edward slugged Alphonse's shoulder.

"It would've been mean to invite everyone else and not invite the Brigadier General," Alphonse chided, and punched Edward in return.

"Edward," Hawkeye stepped between the brothers before they could start brawling in earnest. "I'm so happy for you." Enveloping him in a hug, she whispered something that Roy couldn't hear that made the young man's eyes widen and his face turn pale.

"Yeah, no," he said, backing away from Hawkeye, "I mean, she's happy! I swear. I'd better go see her right now!" Edward took off for the house at a sprint.

"What'd you say to him?" Alphonse asked, turning to Hawkeye.

She smiled. "I reminded him that I shoot extremely well, and that he'd better make Winry happy."

Alphonse giggled. "He's heard that so many times, he's going to pee himself the day of the wedding."

Roy rubbed his chin, watching as Edward ducked into the house. "Excuse me," he said, and followed the younger man.

X X X

The inside of the house still was chaotic. Roy avoided the kitchen entirely, though the smell of cooking meat made his nose wrinkle and stomach growl. He had other thoughts in mind, though, and kept searching through rooms for the bridegroom.

Finally, he found him, though Edward was not alone – he sat on a bed in an upstairs room, with a lovely young woman standing between his knees. His hands were on her hips, while hers played with his hair. Roy couldn't see the girl's face, but he'd never seen such peace on Edward's, as he looked up at Miss Rockbell.

Turning away from the doorway, he headed back downstairs, to the chaos of the wedding planning. Whatever words he'd been about to say, Roy knew they weren't needed. Edward Elric had grown up.

Note: I consider this to be one of the "Little Things" stories, but that's just me.

~ end ~