The sharp knock on wood woke Roy up with a start. He was a pretty light sleeper in unfamiliar environments, and he blinked the sleep out of his eyes for a few seconds before realizing what woke him. He took in the guest bedroom that he had been put up in for the next few nights and made his way over to the door of the room.

Tomorrow was Edward and Winry's wedding, and it was going to be on the hills that the couple had grown up on. But, both of them had many friends that they wanted to invite, and, considering that the event had quite a few Amestrian government officials, and the Emperor of Xing, it was quite a guest list. However, the Resembool Inn just didn't have the capacity, which was about 10 rooms, to hold all of these guests. Fortunately, the people who lived in this town were kind and always willing to help out a neighbor, so many of them had opened up their homes and guest rooms to the wedding guests.

Pulling the door open slightly revealed Maddie Gray, the kind woman who had been one of the many to open up her home for the mass influx of people that the Elric-Rockbell wedding drew in. She was a smiling middle age woman who taught at the local elementary school, and had been full of both humorous and horrifying tales of the Elric brothers and Winry as children. The poor woman had been through quite a lot.

Her smile was warm, despite whatever late hour it was, and her eyes held a bit of laughter. "There's a phone call for you" she told him in a whisper and gestured for him to follow her down the hall. Roy followed obediently and absently wondered what kind of international incident had to be happening for anyone to call him right now.

He picked up the phone she indicated and stealed himself to hear about a crisis of sometype.

"It's Mustang," he said into the line, so whoever was on the line could start talking so he could get back to sleep.

"I know it's you, bastard. I called you." Roy wondered if it was bad that he would have prefered an international crisis right now.

"Ah, Edward," Roy answered as he fought back a yawn successfully. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Edward didn't answer right away, but there was some heavy breathing from the other end of the line. Roy was just about to hang up and blame the bad rural connection, when Edward burst out into speech.

"I can't go through with this. Winry deserves better than some guy who is willing to leave at any moment and I'm awful at writing, and I always forget to call. And, honestly, if behaviors are passed on genetically than we're fucked, because obviously my dad was a shittier husband than he was a father, which is saying something. And even if it isn't genetic, my track record for making her cry is awful, and Mustang, you gotta help me get out of this."

Roy rubbed at his temples and wondered how the headache could have come on so quickly. His hostess gave him a sympathetic look, Elric headaches must be common around here, then left the room, presumably to go back to sleep.

"Edward," Roy started, but was interrupted before he could get any farther.

"Don't you 'Edward' me, bastard," Edward shot back. "Don't you care about Winry at all? If you did you would put a stop to this right now."

"What does Alphonse think about this?" Roy asked, hoping that perhaps he could implore the help of the younger and generally more rational Elric.

There was a brief moment of silence. "Al said that if I didn't go through with this wedding after all the work he put into planning it he would murder me. In my sleep. With milk."

"Is that why you are up at this hour instead of sleeping like a groom should be the night before his wedding?" Roy inquired feeling that Alphonse also probably needed more sleep since he had done practically all the work as a wedding present to the happy couple.

Apparently, Edward and Winry had intended it to be a small ceremony with just family, but it quickly spiraled out of control when the Emperor of Xing, apparently a close friend of Ed's, demanded to be invited, and it only went downhill from there. Kind and patient Alphonse had quickly taken control of the situation, dealing with each crisis and trial as it came. Although, over the past few days the poor young man had been close to snapping when something didn't go as planned.

"I already told you," Ed snapped, interrupting Roy's thoughts. "I can't go through with this."

"Edward, do you love Winry?" Roy questioned before Ed could start on whatever self-deprecating statement he was going to say next.

"Of course I love Winry," Ed answered in confusion. "What kind of dumb question-"

"Are you planning on having a romantic relationship with anyone else?"

"No!" The mix of anger and indignation in Ed's voice was always better than confusion. "I would never cheat on Winry, that's awful!"

"Are you already bored with her and want to leave again?"

"What the hell are you suggesting, you bastard?" Ed yelled, although in a sort of whisper because Roy can imagine that everyone else is asleep in the house and Ed knew better than to wake them up. "I could never be bored with Winry! She is amazing and wonderful, and I'm going to marry her!"

Roy heard the phone line go dead, as Ed ends the call in his anger. Roy smiled to himself, riling up Ed had always worked out well in the past.

The phone rings again, and Roy has a feeling he knows who it is, but picks it up saying, "Gray residence" anyway.

"I know exactly what you are doing, bastard," Ed said in a low voice rather than a greeting. There's a pause, and Roy has a moment to wonder how to respond. Edward rarely called him out on his manipulation before.

"Thanks," Edward said before Roy can think of anything. It's quick and sharp, like ripping off a bandaid, and the line goes dead again right after.

Roy carefully hangs up the phone, and heads quietly back to bed. Hopefully he can get back to sleep quickly in order to be well rested for what is surely going to be the wedding of the century tomorrow.