Lesson learned: Never let May drive.
Alphonse sat in the passenger seat of the car, sharply exhaling as the car finally came to a stop in front of the royal palace. The girl in the driver's sear promptly switched off the engine and hopped out of the car, hurrying around the side to pull him along.
May giggled again. "Come on, Alphonse!" she wined and pulled on his hand as they walked through the gates, onto the grounds of the palace.
He took his time walking down the long pathway into the palace, admiring the culture-rich architecture of the building. Vines crawled up the sides of the palace, the green lines obscuring the red and gold patterns in the stone. Two large, bronze dragons stood, one on either side of the steps, baring their fangs incoming visitors.
The guards, covered in black fabric and bearing the same masks as Fu and Lan Fan had worn, bowed to him and May as they passed, hurrying up the stairs and into the palace.
Still holding onto his hand tightly, May lead him through the maze of brightly decorated hallways before reaching a pair of large, golden doors. They waited in front of them for a moment, May using the time to brush dirt off her dress, before they swung wide open.
His full name was announced, followed by soft whispers from the sides of the room, before he was ushered into the room by May. He stood, facing Ling on the throne, before noticing May bent over in a steep bow, and the glares shot at him from all directions.
"Oh!" He bent over quickly, folding his, now free, hands on his chest to mirror May.
"You may leave now, guards, officials." Ling's voice, sounding happy as ever, had a bored drool to it. Several black-hooded figures vanished from the room, followed by the slow shuffling of old men gathering pieces of parchment and walking out of the room. As soon as the door swung shut, Al was attacked with another deadly hug.
"Alphonse!" Ling's voice returned to normal, him happy and bouncing on the balls of his feet as he smiled and looked him up and down. "You really bulked up!"
"Y-Yeah..." Al scratched the back of his head as he saw a shadowy figure emerge from behind Ling. "Lan Fan?" The figure bowed to him, and upon straightening up, pulled off her mask to reveal a small smile.
"You look well Alphonse." Her expression returned to its normal stoic look, standing a few feet from them all to observe the scene.
"What have I told you about this Lan Fan?" Ling turned to her grabbing her arm and pulling her over to the group. "You're with old friends. It's okay to have some fun!" He pulled down her hood and brushed some of the hair from her face, his hand lingering for just a second to long before turning back to Alphonse.
Al gave Ling a knowing smile, and was given a glare in return. Then is was his turn to be pulled aside by the Emperor.
Stammering for a moment, Ling struggled to find words before whispering, "Is it really that obvious?"
Al chucked, and nodded to his friend.
"Well," Ling, still flustered, straightened his robe and broke out in a wide smile. "Let's eat."
"I... Need... Water..." Before he had traveled to Xing, May had told Alphonse about the wide variety of spices used in Xingnese cooking and he had waved it off. It was nothing he couldn't handle, right?
Wrong.
After spending fifteen minutes learning the proper way to hold chopsticks, he managed to get a bite to eat, sinking his teeth into Ling's reccomened dish, a chicken covered with an array of spices that lit his mouth on fire.
May watched him chug down a fifth glass of water, wide-eyed, but sniggering behind her hands. Ling made no effort hiding his glee, guffawing at the sight before him.
"Aha! You really can't handle your spices can you Alphonse?" Ling wiped a tear from his eye as he sipped sake from a bowl and popped another piece of chicken into his mouth. "I wonder how you handle liquor..." Ling gave him a mistivious glance, offering the sake bottle next to him.
Al set down his water, the burning in his throat ceasing. "I don't drink." He accepted a bowl of plain white rice from May, happy to have something mild to eat. "I've seen the affects alcohol has on brother..." He scowled, recalling the memory of the night Edward and Mustang broke down the front door of the Rockbell residence, after returning from the pub in the village.
"Al..." Edward had slurred, pressing a bottle of vodka into Alphonse's arms. "You gotta try this stuff." He giggled before continuing in a hushed voice. "It's amazing."
After receiving several blows to the head from a certain, wrench-bearing fiancé of his, Edward had swore to remain sober.
"And that's why I don't drink." Alphonse finished his reciting his story to Ling, chewing on the few grains of rice he ha managed to get into his mouth with the chopsticks.
"Leave it to Edward to pull something like that." Ling shook with silent laughter and watched Alphonse struggle to eat his food. "Why don't you help him with that May?"
A pale blush race across May's cheeks as she nodded, taking the bowl, and the chopsticks from Al. She held the chopsticks in front of his face, a small amount of rice clamped between the pieces of wood.
"You really don't have to, I can manage fine by mysel-" He was cut off as she shoved the chopsticks into his mouth, obviously annoyed with the situation.
She continued feeding him for several minutes, depositing rice inside his mouth for him using the chopsticks, while a blush crept up his cheeks.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you have the hots for my little sister, Eh Al?" Alphonse began to sputter, spitting out rice all over the table and turning a bright shade of red.
"W-why would you say that?" He scratched the back of his head, suddenly finding the tapestry behind Ling extreamly interesting.
"Oh, just wondering... But if you did, as her legal guardian you would need my permission to have her." Ling sent a knowing smirk at Alphonse, much like the one the latter had given him not to long before.
"Oh." Alphonse's mind began to wonder, thinking of possibilities of a relationship between himself and May. He liked the idea. "Well, if anything happens you'll be the first to know Ling."
Ling's eyes twinkled and he yawned.
"Well, I better turn in for the night. May, show Alphonse to his room would you?" Ling left the room, followed by Lan Fan, shed of her mask and hood. Alphonse could have sworn he saw a small skip in the bodyguard's step as she hurried to catch up with her master.
"It's obvious isn't it?" May stood, flattening her dress down as she followed his gaze to the door. "I figured it out weeks ago." Her face morphed into a disturbed scowl. "All those funny noises coming from Ling's room at night..."
Alphonse's eyes widened, "I knew there was something between them..." He stood, shifting his gaze to May. "So, my room?"
"Yeah." She grabbed his hand again, sending jolts up his spine and adding a pink tinge to his cheeks. "Your room's right next to mine." She walked down the hall, still grasping his hand as he followed her, not entirely listening as she pointed out different historical factors of the palace. "... Is the number five, so that's why our circles are in star sha- Ah, here we are!" She pulled him over to a door, "This is your room and that," She pointed to the door directly parallel to it, "Is my room. Let me know if you need anything."
"Okay thanks!" He smiled and opened the door, before remembering something and turning back to May's retreating form, just in time to see her, no longer retreating, but flying towards him, tears streaming from her eyes.
She grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to her level and pressing her lips firmly against his, smearing hot tears onto his cheeks from hers. He returned the kiss, slightly unsure, but felt the passion behind her kiss. She pulled away, tears flowing down her face and hugged him once more.
She murmured, "I missed you..." into his shirt, then, in shock of her actions, ran back into her room, locking the door rather loudly behind her.