DISCLAIMER: All recognizable material belongs to Arakawa.

Pairing: Alphonse/May

Prompt: Distracted

Rated: K

"I just don't think I get it, May," Alphonse sighed. She'd been trying to explain the flow of chi to him for the last hour, to no avail. He didn't even seem like he was trying to pay attention, which was rather unusual for him.

May bit back a frustrated remark and grabbed a copy of Basic Xingese Alkahestry from the bookshelf in the next room, walking huffily back in and tossing it on the table, which was already littered with diagrams and notepads. "I've explained it to you every way I know how. Maybe you'll learn better from a book."

She turned without looking at him and went into the kitchen to make tea, hoping it would calm her down. This wasn't like Al. He always had an aptitude for learning that made her feel better about her ineptitude at teaching. May understood alkahestry inside and out, forwards and backwards, but explaining it was a very different story. But chi flow wasn't a particularly hard concept; why was it causing such a problem for Alphonse?

The kettle began to whistle, snapping her out of her thoughts. She grabbed two small clay cups from the cupboard and set them on a wooden tray, pouring the tead and adding some honey for sweetness. She carried the tea back into the study, seeing Alphonse gazing out the window instead of reading the book in front of him like he was suppossed to.

She sighed. "Why don't you take a break, Alphonse?"

He looked up at her after a moment. "Okay. You made tea?" he asked, eyeing the tray in her hands.

May nodded. "Let's go outside. You could use some fresh air, I think."

Alphonse stood up and followed her, obviously happy to be allowed a minute away from his studies.

They sat on the steps, May handing him his cup and sipping from her own. The sun was beginning to set; oranges and pinks saturated the landscape. May took a long moment to appreciate the view and bask in the quiet.

It was a few minutes before May felt Alphonse's stare. She turned her head to look at his large, gold-brown eyes fixated on her. "What is it, Alphonse?"

He suddenly seemed to realize he was staring and quickly pulled his gaze from her. "Uh, nothing, May." The tips of his turned red, and he grabbed his tea for a rather large swig.

Her eyebrows pulled down in frustration. "Don't tell me it's nothing. You've been distracted all day. What's the matter?"

He blushed looked away, apparently refusing to answer her.

May slammed her cup on the tray, standing up. Her fists curled at her side. "Fine. Don't tell me. I don't care," she lied. "I think you should leave for the night."

Just as she turned to go inside, she heard him say, "You've been distracting me, May."

She stopped, one hand paused halfway to the door. "What?"

He stood up, his own cup of tea forgotten on the ground. He sucked in a breath, gathering his courage. He'd been pondering how to ask her all day - and all week, really. She'd been on his mind for a long time until, recently, he realized why. "I once told you that I am a gentleman, and I am, and I want to be as gentlemanly about this as possible. I would like to ask you on a date." His cheeks blazed red, but his voice didn't waver.

May was speechless. She found herself remembering her crush on him that she'd had years before; the one she told herself she'd long gotten over. But if that was true, why was her heart suddenly thumping against her chest like it wanted to be set loose?

She swallowed past the block in her throat and shook her head. "It's not proper for a teacher and student to… well, be together like that. It's not acceptable in Xing."

Alphonse's shoulders sagged, and his face betrayed his disappointment. He opened his mouth to respond, but May cut him off. "So you'd better start studying harder, Alphonse, and finish your alkahestry training. Once you've learned all I can teach you, I'll take you up on your offer."

The boy stared at her for a long minute before her words sank in.
When they did, a large grin broke across his face. "Yes, ma'am."

Alphonse gave her a hug goodbye and left without another word. He couldn't wipe the smile from his face for the rest of the night.