Written for AlMei Week on deviantART and tumblr. Since I have a lot going on right now but still wanted to participate, I decided to do all seven of the prompts as a one shot. I hope you all enjoy it!
ULTERIOR MOTIVES
I don't like him.
I don't like him one little bit.
He's been coming around a lot lately. He arrives in the morning and isn't gone until nightfall. I can't remember the last time Mei took me on a walk through the garden to see the flowers, just the two of us. She's always with Alphonse now, he never leaves.
It wasn't always like this, even after Mei met him and told me she was in love. I didn't think much of it then. Mei used to say she was in love with Alphonse's brother, and look how that turned out. She thought he was her prince, but he was little more than a village idiot, barely tall enough to pass as a proper human.
I guess I shouldn't really talk. I've always been a runt to my brothers and sisters. She was too; I think that's why we bonded so well. We understood each other. The day Mei took me home with her out of the rain and let me get warm by the fire, I felt true peace for the first time in my life. She held my tiny body in her tiny hands, and I was content. Here, with this kind-hearted human girl, I was finally home.
Well, that was then. Nowadays, everything is about Alphonse. She walks with him, talks with him, eats with him, studies with him, every our training sessions aren't our own anymore. He's always there. He watches Mei's every move like a hawk stalking his prey. He may never act like a predator, but I know what he is. I see through him. I just wish I could say the same for Mei.
At least the gardens are still ours. He's been visiting for a week and she's yet to take him out there. Thank the Gods. As long as she never takes that final step over the line, I think I can get through to her.
Last night, I nudged her awake while the moon was still high. I didn't like disturbing her but as you know, it was important. She took me in her arms, sleepy eyes gazing down on me as she asked what was wrong.
And so I spilled my heart to her. I told her how I didn't trust Alphonse, not since the day I failed to establish myself as a predator against him. I told her how his wild change in appearance did little to endear him to me and how I still believed he had a hidden agenda. I told her my fears that he would use her, steal her hard earned knowledge for his own gain. I told her how much I love her and want her to be safe from those who would harm her, and that I didn't mean to insult her judgment. I just want to protect her like she's always protected me. I'm just so afraid she's going to get hurt again, and I couldn't bare that.
I love you too much, Mei.
When I was finished baring my soul, Mei smiled and patted me on the head.
"Oh, Xiao Mei, it's way past your bedtime," she said, followed by a long, loud yawn. "And mine too. Try and get some sleep, okay? We have a big day tomorrow showing Alphonse-sama around town."
She turned around and pulled the covers over her head. Soon, she was snoring. I was left, as always, sprawled out on my stomach, depressed and wishing that she could for just one day understand my language.
TRADITIONS
We're out for dinner at the most exclusive restaurant in the Chang village. Being as small and poor as it is, that's not saying much. I will grudgingly admit that it's looking much better since the renovations were completed. That boy from the Yao clan has made good on his promise to help improve conditions in the other villages. Construction and higher education have been on the rise, if what Mei and Alphonse speak about so often is true. I trust Mei to never lie about such things, but I'd rather chew off a bum paw than let Alphonse even brush my fur, which leaves me at an impasse.
I'm actually glad we're here. This is a nice place only for people of status, and nobody has more of that around here than the royal family. That means anyone associated with the Changs must be of the most proper etiquette and poise. That's where I've got him. Surely someone without proper Xingese breeding cannot abide by all of our many dining customs, not without extensive training beforehand. I know he hasn't received any because he's always with us and Mei has never once brought it up to him. He will have no idea where to sit or how to pour his tea. With that gentlemanly act he likes to play up, there's no way he will accept Mei paying the bill, as is customary since she is his host.
When the people find out, they will never accept their princess being courted by someone so uncouth. It would be even better if Mei would leave him on her own after seeing what a buffoon he really is.
His own deceptions will be his downfall. It's so funny, I could laugh! My bowl of vegetable soup has never tasted better.
Then dinner arrives and he holds his chopsticks perfectly.
He pours his tea with his hand on the lid and without ever aiming the spout in Mei's direction.
He never once impales his food.
He argues good-naturedly with Mei over the bill and then 'gives up' so she can pay.
He is a perfect gentlemen and I'm pretty sure the waitresses and hostess in the corner are swooning over him.
Apparently, you can learn all about proper Xingese etiquette by reading books on the train ride over.
I hate him.
TEACHER
This is getting worse and worse by the day.
Now she's teaching him Alkahestry!
He didn't even have to ask her! She started it all on her own.
I don't mean just reading books about it or watching her like he's been doing all this time either. That was bad enough.
No, now she's actually showing him the practical usage! Just last night, I walked in on her showing him how to properly align his circles and arranges the symbols.
The worst part is that he is absorbing everything she tells him like a sponge! She talks and she has his utmost attention. He asks questions and trades ideas and tells the stupidest little jokes that nonetheless have Mei in stitches.
Next thing you know, they'll be combing alchemy and alkahestry together into some kind of… of- super alkahestry! What then?
There has to be something I can do about this.
TRAVEL
It's been a few weeks since Mei started teaching Alphonse alkahestry.
We are currently traveling to Amestris. Alphonse has graciously invited us to his home to visit his brother. I've spent half a way locked in a little box on a train, listening to Mei lecture Alphonse on all the advanced laws of alkahestry.
I'm not even bothered anymore. I still don't like it, I doubt I ever will, I guess I'm just resigned at this point. Alphonse is clearly here to stay, if Mei's gushing last night about how in love with him she is means anything. Nobody has said anything yet, but I think Alphonse feels the same way.
Or he pretends to.
I don't know.
I just want things to be the way they used to be.
I'm starting to wonder if I'm just jealous. I'm used to Mei and I having our own little world of just the two of us. Together, we were a force against the larger world that didn't care for us, standing tall with our heads up. Things have changed so much since the so-called 'Promised Day.' Changed for the better, I know. Mei is happier than she's ever been, and I still can't help the way I feel.
Mei falls asleep in time with the moon's rising, as she often does. I stay awake longer, as does Alphonse. He's busy reading a book while I'm trying to burrow into Mei's pocket for warmth. Unfortunately, she's sitting on both her coat pockets and getting to them means being crushed.
I'm so cold right now, I'm shivering.
Why is there no heat on this awful train?
"Xiao Mei?"
I feel Alphonse's hand close gently around me, and I panic. I start to bite into his skin, which is warm and soft the way his old metal hand never was. I still don't fully understand how he changed so drastically, but at least he looks and feels like a normal human now. Before I can break the skin, he rests a finger on top of my head and strokes my fur. Mei does that sometimes to calm me down. He must have learned it from her.
I hate to say it, but the action is just as soothing when he does it. I relax and pull my teeth out of him. He lifts me away from Mei, but I'm too drowsy to fight him like I should. He places me in the deep front pocket of his wool jacket.
Wow, it's so nice and warm in here.
"There you go," he says. "We sure don't want you catching a cold."
I should bite him again for daring to touch me without Mei's permission.
For daring to touch me at all!
But it just feels so nice in here, and I'm so tired…
Maybe I'll do it tomorrow.
HOME
The visit with Alphonse's brother went well, I have no complaints. I even stayed on Alphonse's shoulder when we got there, so I could bite his brother on the ear when they hugged.
He screamed and shook me off and once Mei finished pinning him to a wall for throwing me, she scolded me about how it wasn't right to attack people unprovoked. I think she was just trying to save face. She was definitely smiling while he was flailing.
The rest of the weekend passed uneventfully. Alphonse's brother joined in on some of their discussions, but mostly they were as inseparable as ever.
It's so good to be home in my own room. I'm in the middle of Mei's blankets, resting in a warm patch of sunlight though the open window. Birds chirp and crickets chatter. I'd love to go outside and chase them for a while, but I don't feel like moving.
Everything is perfect right now. I just wish Mei was here.
Speaking of Mei, I think I hear her voice…
Yes, that's definitely her. And she's definitely not alone either.
Looks like her and Alphonse have taken to the courtyard. I guess they could do with some fresh air. They've been coped up inside since we got back, reading books and attending meetings with the local town leaders. I wonder what they're doing now.
I reluctantly leave my lovely warm spot and go to the window. The climb up is never easy, but I've done it so many times, it's like second nature to me now. I'm up in no time.
I find Mei and Alphonse immediately, talking and walking arm in arm-
-in the gardens.
EARLY MORNINGS
The day turns to night, and then back to day. It's early the next morning. So early, Mei isn't even up yet. It's just me and Alphonse alone in the kitchen. Everything is quiet while he makes breakfast. I wouldn't know what to say to him even if we could talk.
After yesterday, I've been in a fog. I'm not angry like I should be, but I'm not happy either. I don't know what to feel except foolish.
Of course she was going to take him to the gardens. They've been everywhere else, from the main village to the outskirts, and the surrounding forests. We've even been to his home now. Mei is determined to familiarize Alphonse with every inch of her home and vice versa. It's not hard to see why.
She saved the gardens, our most special place, for last. That, at least, I can get behind. They deserve nothing but awe and envy at their beauty. Mei's mother and grandmother worked hard to make them as magnificent as they are, so that no matter how little power the Chang clan has, there is at least one way in which we cannot be ignored. Mei loves to tell me that story.
She must have told Alphonse last night.
That means there are no more secrets.
I munch on a little piece of bamboo from the supply Mei keeps in the bottom cabinet. Alphonse greeted me warmly when I came in, but since then, we've been quiet. I don't know what he's making, but whatever it is, it's not something he learned in Xing.
And it smells delicious.
So delicious, in fact, that I end up throwing aside the final uneaten bit of my breakfast and crawl over to the stove to watch him. I hide behind the bread box, but my black fur doesn't exactly blend in with the white countertop.
"Oh," Alphonse exclaims when he nearly misses putting a pan of sizzling meat on my head. "Xhao Mei, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there."
A while back, I might have called this a dirty lie and accused him of trying to get rid of me so he could have Mei all to himself. I'm starting to think I might jump to conclusions a little too much.
He really does have an honest face, and that's not something one can easily fake.
He places the pan down on the other side of the stove and picks me up. I'm expecting it this time, so I just act on my secondary instincts for when a warm hand encloses around me: I nuzzle into his palm and let out a little purr. I didn't intend on that, but I've never been good at holding those back.
As if I needed another reason for people to mistake me for a cat.
"You seem pretty happy today," he says, laughter in his eyes. "Glad I don't have to worry about getting bitten."
No, I guess you don't.
He grabs the pan with his free hand and carries it over to a tray of plates and silverware he'd set up beforehand. All the biggest plates in the center are filled with a wide variety of foods, most of which I've never seen before. Every single one of them makes me ravenous. Where did I put that bamboo piece again?
"Come on, let's go get Mei."
He carries the tray in two hands, with me on his shoulder. The smell rouses Mei before Al has a chance to wake her with a kiss on the cheek. He does it anyway, and Mei sighs contentedly and smiles.
I smile too.
BREATH AND PULSE
As always, they spend the day together, but I give them some privacy. If Mei wondered where I was at any point, she never came to find me. That's okay; she knows I would never leave. Maybe she thinks I'm just looking for a day to myself and is trying to give me my space. I wouldn't be surprised. We're in sync like that.
I find them late afternoon sitting in the courtyard on the porch swing. They look a little too still with their backs to me. When I walk around them, they are asleep.
Mei has her head on Alphonse's shoulder, and his arm is around her waist. His grip is lax, but there's something protective about it, like he's ready to defend her at a moment's notice. Mei doesn't need it, but I know she'd more than appreciate the sentiment.
I remember all the time we spent together fighting those creatures called 'homunculi'. They chilled me to my very core, those things. I knew from the start that they were trouble. When Mei tried to carry one of them home in a jar, I was against it. I only kept from stopping her because I knew this was everything she had risked her life for, everything the clan counted on, right there in her hands.
Don't ever tell her I said this, but I'm glad she didn't become Empress, not if it meant aligning ourselves with that.
Mei fell in love with Alphonse then, and every year that love runs deeper. I think I may have loved him too at first, before I realized exactly what that entailed. This was the end of Mei and Xhao Mei, who traveled the world needing only each other.
Our little world has expanded. There's one more person now who shares it with us.
I look at them now, shadowed against the setting sun with their bodies so completely intertwined, and they are so beautiful.
This is perfect.
This is right.
I think a world of the three of us can be just as good as the old one. Maybe better.
I crawl up Alphonse's pant leg, an act that doesn't disturb him at all. I stop at his chest; listen to the steady beating of his heart that sounds like any other human's, but somehow stronger. It's comforting to me.
Mei is very much the same and I find I am content to lay myself across their shoulders, my tiny body joining us all together. It's Mei, Xhao Mei and Alphonse now. I let myself drift off to the sound of their mingled breathing with this in mind, and it has a nice ring to it.
I think we'll go back to the gardens tomorrow.