Simple and Sweet

After about a month dolling around Amestris, making sure to visit Whinry and Ed in Resembol as well as the Colonel and the gang in Central and East, it was time for Alphonse to return to Xing. Though he enjoyed the stay in his native country, he longed to go back to the place he was beginning to see as his new home. Alchehestry was so incredibly interesting, the Xingese culture had so many variations, the climate was wonderful and-

"Heading back to the girlfriend, I see." Alphonse blushed a deep red at his brother's words. He glared up at him from where he sat, hunched over his suitcase.

"She is not my girlfriend," Al protested firmly. Yes, he spent most (if not all) his time across the border by the Princess's side, and yes he couldn't stop thinking about her when he was away, but she most definitely was not his girlfriend. He glanced sideways at Edward, a sly smile forming on his lips. "Anyway, I'm in no rush." His mocking tone reflecting the atmosphere of the shotgun wedding being planned.

Now it was Edward's turn to duck his head and turn pink. "Yeah, well…" he mumbled.

"Alphonse! I baked a pie for you to take back to Mei!" Whinry called, thumping up the stairs. She peeked around Ed as she entered the room, making sure to catch Al's eye so she knew he had heard. Even though she wasn't very far along, he noticed the tiny baby bump growing at her belly. There was no way that they could keep it hidden at the ceremony two months away.

"Great! Your pies are the best, Whinry!" Alphonse flashed her a smile and clasped his suitcase closed. He stood up and gave her a quick hug. "Can't wait for the wedding."

"Speaking of," Whinry started as he pulled away, "make sure to give Mei her invitation. Oh! And Ling too." Edward groaned at the sound of the new Emperor's name. Without missing a beat, she scolded him, "be nice, this is why you only have your brother as a groomsman."

Edward dug his hands into his pockets. "I haven't heard back from the Colonel yet…" He muttered.

Alphonse ignored their squabble. "I'll make sure it gets to them," he said to Whinry before playfully hitting Edward in the shoulder. "See you soon!"

He felt his stomach tighten. Alphonse wasn't sure if it was out of dread, or excitement. He knew what asking Mei to go to the wedding with him would mean. Once he did, he wouldn't be able to say that she wasn't his girlfriend anymore. Not that that would be a bad thing, it would be a good thing. A very good thing.

He felt his cheeks flushed as he struggled to get his thoughts straight, his blush reflecting back at him through the window. The train rattled and shook him, his forehead knocking into the glass. "Ow," Al muttered and rubbed his forehead.

Letting out a sigh, Alphonse sat back in his seat. He never would have though that something so simple as this, would be so difficult. If Mei was just a pretty face, it would be easy, but she wasn't. She was more than that. She had become his best friend and his intellectual partner.

Alphonse frowned. It had to be perfect. And romantic, she loved that stuff, and to be honest, so did he. It didn't matter how many years he spent studying, when it came to - dare he say it - love, none of his ideas were good enough.

Not only that, but all of the Chang clan were standing on pins and needles for their Princess's Amestrian "suitor" to make it official. The citizens had already ogled every moment between them like a bad radio drama.

A familiar landscape scrolled past the window as the train slowed down to enter the village station. His furrowed brow eased up and a smile sprouted at the corners of his mouth. May stood on the platform, waiting as penitently as she could for him to come home.

Alphonse grabbed his suitcase and hurried off the train. As soon as he stepped off, Mei jumped him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her legs around his waist, catching him off guard. Every time he left and came back, he would forget how energetic and affectionate she could be . . . Even in front of crowds of people.

Making sure to keep his hands high enough on her back as to not incite squeals of amusement from the other people at the station, he smiled ad said, "it's great to see you again!"

"Same!" Mei exclaimed and jumped down. They started walking side by side, back to her place. "How was everybody?"

"Good," his eyes lit up as he leaned closer with excitement, "And do I have news for you!"

"What?" Mei asked, curious at his sudden excitement.

"I'll tell you when we get there."

Mei huffed, "you always say that!" Though it wasn't worth complaining too much as the walk back to her place took all of five minutes. Soon he had brought her into the room he always stays in and shut the door. "So what is it?" she asked.

"My brother's getting married!" Alphonse exclaimed.

Obviously not as excited as he was, Mei smiled and said, "that's fun, but isn't that a little soon?"

Alphonse just laughed, "yep!"

Mei looked at him as if he were weird for a moment before a wave of realization appeared on her face. "Oh!" She laughed too, "I guess that is pretty exciting!"

Suddenly Alphonse's face flushed with the thought of what he was going to ask her. "That means you'll go with me, right?" He asked, casting her a shy smile.

Her eyes widened with excitement and she nodded vigorously. "Of course!" She sprung at him, nearly toppling him over. "This will be fun!"

He held onto her for a bit. "Yeah," he muttered, wishing he would have said what he really wanted to. Alphonse wanted them to go as a couple rather than just as friends. Normally he was better at expressing his feeling than Edward…so why was it so hard for him now? "Make sure to tell your Grandfather," he reminded her.

She wouldn't tell him. Alphonse knew it. Mei tended to get so fixated on something, that she'd forget little details like that. Even then she had already spotted the pie Whinry sent with him and forgotten all about it. He would have to tell him.

It wasn't that Grandfather Chang was intimidating, he was just very traditional. In this area of Xing, tradition was very important. Alphonse wasn't the traditional suitor for a princess, he had enough prestige for one of her rank (being a famous alchemist and all), and it wasn't even that he was Amestrian (not like that helped any either). Her Grandfather didn't approve of the fact that he lived under the same roof as the family without being married in. In short, he was the biggest pressure Alphonse had to hurry things up.

The old man drove him nuts.

"Honorable Grandfather?" Alphonse asked tentatively, knocking on the wooden door to his room. As always in the country of Xing, he wore traditional style robes.

"Come in, young Alphonse," came the old Xingese man's wise voice. The young alchemist silently entered the room, not forgetting to shut the door behind him before he bowed.

"I have something to ask you, sir."

"The answer is yes, my boy!" The old man explained. Before Al had the chance to protest, he continued, "of course you can have my granddaughters hand in marriage!"

"That's not what I was asking!" He let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not yet eighteen and May's barely seventeen!" Even as he said it, he remembered that that was the average age for a girl to get married in Xing. "Never mind," he said, backtracking, "my brother is, and I was hoping for permission to take her to the wedding."

The old man sighed and waved him off, it was a yes. Alphonse bowed, muttered a "thank you" and headed out. He was still flustered from all his questions about marriage. They couldn't get married, no not because of their age, but he hadn't let Mei know yet how he felt about her.

"And why is that?" Mei quizzed.

"Because the Dragon's Pulse comes from the moving plates in the earth." Alphonse answer, finally understanding the parts of Alchehestry they were going over. They sat side by side on a low stone wall that looked over the landscape of rural Xing. The sun was just beginning to set.

"You got it!" She exclaimed, embracing him in her excitement and knocking one of their books off the ledge.

"Yeah," he smiled, "finally." He had too much on his mind to completely focus on what they were studying. Alphonse had spent too much time thinking, calculation, comparing, and second-guessing.

How had Ed done it? His brother awkwardly spat through a mess of a proposition that only Whinry would understand in their weird way.

With Teacher it had been mushy declarations of love straight out of the corniest of romance novels.

He had heard that Hughes had wormed his way into Gracia's heart through a constant barrage of loves letters. Eventually she gave in and found herself falling for the late General.

Then there was General Mustang and the Lieutenant, to which he still wasn't certain of their relationship status. Who, strangely enough, just seemed to have always fit since the dawn of time. Or something like that.

Maybe he was over thinking things. Well, he was over thinking things, that much was certain. He always did. While his brother was rash and quick to jump at conclusions (usually correct ones), he thought things through to the point where things seemed to become null and void.

"What are you thinking about?" Mei asked, noticing that his brow had begun to furrow once more.

Alphonse stayed quiet for a moment. "He's always one step ahead of me, isn't he?"

"Your brother?" Mei asked. She glanced at him and smiled softly. "Sometimes," she spoke softly, ask if knowing just what had been troubling him, "it's better to take things slow."

Alphonse let his hand cover hers. That was it, and they knew. The feelings were mutual. Nothing needed to be said. Not yet, at least.

He didn't need to go by whatever anyone else decided to, or expected of him. Neither did she. They had their own simple way.

The two stayed, watching the sun go down, hand-in-hand. Simple, and sweet.

A/N: this was done as a prize fic for DA's ClosetFMAFan. First time attempting AlMei so...I'm not sure if I got it right. I've never written Mei before either. Feedback would be appreciated!