Note: This is kind of a companion piece to my last story "A Little Bit Lucky" and is held after Al and Mei's wedding.
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA as awesome as it it - I'd probably just ruin it T^T

"Listen."

"Hm?"

"Can you hear them?"

Silence.

"Hear what?"

"You don't hear them?"

"I think I just heard you shift in your seat; was that it?"

"Alphonse!"

"Ok ok…." Al chucked at the fuming Xingesse girl beside him. "What should I be listening for?"

Silently Mei scanned the dark sky, looking for the source of the sound. Al stayed quiet, enjoying the calm, peaceful night. It was their first day in Xing together, the first day of their honeymoon as a married couple. Al shook his head; he couldn't believe that only a week ago he was holding Mei's slender hands in his own, him in his traditional green Xing outfit and her in an elaborate moss-green dress, long hair spiraling down her back. They had celebrated in the most secluded part of Central Park; he could remember how his brother had thrown a tantrum after finding a wasp in his wine, complaining about outdoor weddings. Mei didn't mind though; she liked the outdoors, as did Alphonse. He leaned back on the mossy rock and stared fondly at Mei, her eyes still focused of whatever her sensitive ears were listening to.

A moment later she smiled and pointed near one of the cherry trees. "There!" Al sat up and looked around.

"I don't see any…."

Suddenly two tiny birds came zooming out from behind the tree; twirling around each other in full flight. They flew up and around, this way and that, occasionally whipping past Al's head, causing him to duck. Alphonse could hear their tiny voices everywhere – quiet little chirps and squeaks that seemed almost musical. He glanced over at Mei and saw her eyes wide with delight. He wasn't surprised – he himself was amazed by their swift acrobatics. He smiled, then leaned back and continued to watch the tiny red birds. Mei noticed his smile and chucked.

"Everyone around here calls them Chim bay nhanh, which means Quick Flying Bird. They say that they only come out on a full moon to dance in the moonlight." Mei leaned her head on her husband's shoulder. "I used to come out here all the time with my sisters when they were younger."

Al just nodded, wrapping an arm around her thin waist. They sat there for an hour, enjoying the birds and the cool night.

A strong gust of wind broke them out of their trance, whipping Mei's hair and dress around. She pushed her dress down and chuckled. "We'd better get back – it's getting late and I don't want mom to worry about us."

"Can't we just stay out here a bit longer?" Al whispered, snuggling into the crook of her neck. He didn't want to go back yet; he was enjoying the time alone with her. It was rare that you'd get a night like this, and Al was enjoying the comfort of both her and the full moon.

Mei smiled softly, pushing his head away gently. "I promised mom that we'd be back soon." She chucked. "She prepared a room for us and I wouldn't want to sit out here and let that comfy big bed go to waste."

Still, Al was enjoying the night. It was the first time that day they had been alone together; as soon as they got off the train Mei had suggested stopping by her family's house to pay them a well deserved visit before heading to their hotel. After all, she hadn't seen them in almost 3 years. Al had agreed, but before long both had began to regret that decision. Mei's mother, Meilin, was ecstatic that her eldest daughter was married to such a handsome young man, and had insisted that the two of them stayed in the Chang Mansion instead. Meilin had dotted over her daughter and son-in-law all afternoon; Alphonse meanwhile sitting under the completely uncomfortable gaze of Mei's three younger half-sisters Jiao, Jia, and Lifen. Overexcited imagination seemed to run in the family: they stared at him as he was a prince straight out of a fairy tale. They flirted at him whenever he looked their way, tossing their long hair behind their back and giggling to whatever he said. It didn't help when Mei had described to her mother what a kind and gentle husband he was. Finally after a long banquet in the dining hall Al nudged Mei on the shoulder and managed to sneak her out from under her mother's gaze. As thankful as he was that his mother-in-law approved of him, he really didn't want to go back to the mansion yet.

They hopped off the large boulder and began making their way back to their quarters. Mei's home was fairly big – not nearly as large as the emperor's castle but still big enough to prove impressive. The Chang family may be one of the poorest in the country, but it didn't mean their ruler didn't have an impressing home.

They finally made it to the Chang Mansion. Alphonse held open the door for Mei before entering himself. They made their way quietly through the halls, tiptoeing quietly to prevent wakening any of the residents. Mei pressed her finger to her lips as they passed Meilin's room; obviously she didn't want another run in with her mother either. They made their way into their room; Al quietly shutting the door behind them.

"How lucky of us to be quartered right beside your darling sisters…" He mumbled. Mei laughed.

"Sorry about this, Alphonse. I forgot how obsessive my family can be around foreigners." She sat down gingerly in front of a fancy vanity in the corner of the room. "One time when I was 7 a foreigner from Drachma came to Xing on a business trip. My sisters and I found him wandering the marketplace and instantly Jia and Jiao fell in love with him. The poor guy was hounded by them until Lifen and I could pull them off." Al chuckled and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Kind of how you used to be around me?"

"Worse, actually." She said frankly. She took a few of her braids and started unraveling them. Al sat on the edge of the vanity and helped, careful not to pull or rip out any hair.

"How about this: in the morning I'll try to find a nice hotel for us; one that's in the most secluded part of the mountains. Is that ok?" Al looked at her in surprise.

"You don't want to visit you family any longer?" He took another braid. "I'm ok with staying here if you really want to. I know it's been a while since you've seen them…."

Mei sighed. "It's always nice to visit your family after being gone for so long but when you start worrying about your husband being snatched away by your own half-sisters…." She shrugged. Alphonse chuckled, but didn't say anything. They sat there quietly, unraveling her braids. Every night, even before they got married, Al would sit with her and help her undo every little braid in her hair. Then in the mornings he would find her sitting by the vanity, retying them up again, and he would silently get up and help. He loved those kinds of moments, when they could just sit there in silence and be completely comfortable with each other.

Finally the braids were out, Mei's long onyx hair running neatly down her back. Al playfully pushed his face into a handful of her locks; earning a giggle from his blushing wife.

"Alphonse! Stop it! I don't want you knotting it up!" He gave her a teasing smile, then came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her; shoving his face into her hair right into the back of her neck. It was silky smooth and smelt of cherry blossoms and plums, probably from the Xingenese shampoo she always used back home.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your hair?" he whispered into her neck. She leaned her head back, a small smile creeping over her face.

"A few times actually…oh!" her eyes widened in surprise as Al hugged her tighter, gingerly kissing the back of her neck. He kissed his way around until he found her jaw line.

She sighed contently but pushed his head away. "Alphonse! Go get ready for bed or something!" He didn't miss the light flush that creped onto her small face. "I would very much like to get my hair up in a bun before dawn, thank you very much." He smiled and kissed the top of her head, then walked over to their suitcases sitting on the corner of the bed. He began to unpack, putting aside his pajama pants when he found them on the bottom. He started changing; switching his jeans for the loose, checkered pajama pants his brother had gotten for him last Christmas.

"So any plans on how to get a hotel without upsetting your mother?" Al asked conversationally as he tied up the front of his pants. It was quiet for a second, then Al heard the slight scrape of the chair against the tile floor.

"Oh I'm sure we can figure it later…." He heard Mei say behind him. Right behind him. He whipped his head around, surprised that she appeared so fast, but not before a pair of thin arms wrapped around his waist from behind and kept him still.

"These accommodations aren't that bad…." She whispered into his hair, sending small shivers along his neck. "I'm sure we can find a way to enjoy it for this one night…."

"…. And we wouldn't want a perfectly grand bed like this one to go to waste, would we?" Al laughed quietly, twisting around to face her. He gave her a mischievous smile before picking her up bridal-style. Mei squeaked and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"Al-sama!"

Alphonse laughed. "Why dear me, fair maiden. It seems that the night has gotten quite dark. I believe 'tis time to put her ladyship to rest, wouldn't you think?" he said poetically, gingerly kissing her on the lips.

"Maybe…." Mei smiled, burying her head into his neck. "But then thou handsome knight must rest up as well; for he'll need his energy to protect thee from thou foul half-sisters."

"Yes, yes…. Those vicious beasts must be dealt with. But not now, of course…" and with this he dropped her playfully onto the bed, the plush mattress making her bounce. She giggled shyly as he came down after her, kissing her everywhere and anywhere: on the lips, on her neck, on her chest…. She moaned and pulled him tighter against her. "Alphonse-sama…"

"Yes, my lady?" Al whispered, pulling her little Xingenese kimono off her shoulders. He nibbled along her neck and ran his fingers down her bare back. Mei closed her eyes and sighed, arching her back a bit towards him. Damn her handsome prince and his romantic ways! She grabbed the buttons of his silk green tunic and started to tug them off, her lips never leaving his.

"Oh my gods…"

"That fricken' lucky Mei!"

"I want an Amestris boy too!"

Both of their heads snapped up and looked towards the door. There, between the small opening of their once closed door sat 3 pairs of curious eyes that unmistakably belonged to Jiao, Jia, and Lifen. Jia noticed them watching and jumped.

"Oh! Um….uh… " Suddenly the eyes disappeared, and heavy running footsteps could be heard in the hall. Mei sat up, her honeymoon long forgotten, and stormed towards the door furiously. Al watched as she yanked it open and dashed after her sisters, despite still only being in her undergarments. A moment later he heard slight shouting from down the hall.

"I'm sorry!"

"When a door's closed, it's closed for a fricken' reason!"

"Take it easy! At least you caught us before you two started- ow! What the heck was that for?"

"You deserved it!"

"Ya? Well we were just- arg!"

"Stop it you two… you'll wake up mom…."

Alphonse laughed silently to himself and glanced out the balcony window. The moon was still high and the night still young. Good thing too. Mei might need another walk to calm her down after this…. He leaned back, putting his hand behind his back and staring up at the ceiling. Perhaps a hotel could wait. As noisy as Mei's family were they were still family. Besides… I did the same thing to Ed a few times in the past…. He chuckled and lay on his side, patiently waiting for his little princess to come back.

CRACK!

SMASH!

Al sat up. Suddenly there was the sound of timber and drywall falling over, and he heard frustrated shouts of the girls down the hall.

"What the hell is going on here?" Meilin's voice came echoing down the hall, which sounded too much like his old teachers voice when she was angry. Al shrunk into the covers and stared nervously at the wall. Ok, I take it back; a hotel would be nice….

Just a couple little notes on names:

* Nhanh chóng bay – Quick flying in Vietnamese (I'm not completely sure if this is correct since I just used an online translator for this.)
* Jiao - Dainty or Lovely
* Jia – Beautiful
* Lifen – Beautiful fragrance.
* Mei – Plum
* Meilin – Plum jade

I might continue this, making more chapters about their time in Xing; let me know if this is worth continuing or not! Thanks for reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it! :D