Mei honestly had no idea how it happened. One minute she was being nonchalantly invited into Alphonse's bedroom so she could hand him the soup he had requested from the kitchens, the next they were laughing hysterically on the bed, soup lying forgotten on the bedside table. She was currently clutching her side as Al tried (and failed) to contain his frantic laughter.

"You're kidding!" Mei laughed.

"I'm not!" Al replied. "And then she pushed him into the fountain and-" Here Al had to break off to try (and fail, again) to quell his laughter "said 'If you don't go back there and get me a proper gift, you will never be able to properly walk again'!"

The tale he was currently relating happened to be about Winry's birthday last year and how Ed had shown up with a box full of screws as a present. Needless to say, Winry had not been happy.

The two burst into a fresh bout of laughter. At this point Mei gave up any semblance of dignity and was rolling around on the bed, kicking her feet up in the air. Al had long since given up, which was well represented from by his loose tie, crumpled shirt, and messed up hair from a few too many times running through it with his hands.

Once they had caught their breath enough to resume talking, Mei sat up and eagerly asked,

"What happened after that?"

"Then brother, he-" Very unmanly giggle, "he got out of the fountain and stood up, but then she threw the wrench at his head and he fell right back in!" Mei fell back down onto the bed as she lost the will to remain upright. Al flopped down a few moments later and the laughed until they could laugh no more. That was until they caught sight of the other's face and would continue laughing for no apparent reason.

Finally, they both stopped, though one would occasionally giggle. Both were left breathing hard, almost panting. Al lifted a hand and placed it on his chest.

"Who would have thought laughing could make your heart race so fast," he commented. Mei smiled at him.

"I love laughing," she commented. "It's so carefree. And just, happy." He smirked at her.

"It's nice to be able to just laugh like that," he agreed. The conversation died off for a moment.

"So, did he end up getting her something nice?" Mei questioned, eventually. Al smirked again.

"Yeah, he ended up buying her a new bracelet with our names written on it. We were already talking about leaving at that point, so he thought she might like something a little more solid than memories to remember us by."

"Who would have thought your brother could have been capable of something so sensitive!" This made both of them laugh again.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Al proclaimed, "Brother can be sensitive! The moments are just few and far between. "

"Yeah, like once a year for Winry's birthday! This is the first time I've ever heard about your brother being nice!"

"Hey, weren't you the one who crossed the desert falling asleep dreaming about his face?"

"That was before I met him!" Mei shrieked. "He's a brute!"

"He can be rather brute-ish, can't he?" Al conceded.

"Can be?"

"Oh come on, we are talking about the boy I've spent idolizing practically my entire life! Let me spin him in a good light."

"I will," Mei said cheekily, "once he has one!" Al howled with laughter at that comment and Mei joined him once again in the insane laughter.

"You are evil, you know that right?" Al said, once he could breathe again. She grinned hugely at him, but it died off when she saw the slightly evil look in his eyes.

"Alphonse…?" she questioned.

"And the evil must be punished!" he yelled before he threw himself on top of her. At first she was too shocked at the unexpected action to do anything, until his fingers started attacking her stomach and she started shrieking with laughter.

"Guess I know where you're ticklish now!" he yelled over her laughter.

"No! Stop! Stop it you brute! You're as bad as your brother!" she screamed through the peals of laughter.

"Never!" he proclaimed. "You must be punished for insulting the Elric pride!" Mei tried to swat away his fingers, but the blows were weak and all together not near enough to deter the attacking Amestrian.

"Stop it AL! I can't breathe! STOP!"

"Sorry, what was that, Princess? I couldn't hear you," he laughed at her.

"What in the name of Xing is going on in here?" Mei and Al both stopped laughing immediately, turning to look at the Emperor in the doorway. Apparently, when Mei had walked in almost half an hour ago to give Al his long since forgotten soup, she had left the door ajar. Lan Fan was standing, as always, right behind Ling and was looking at the two of them with enough alarm to prove just how inappropriate this looked.

Not only was Al practically on top of Mei, but his hair was in complete disarray, as well as his clothing. Mei looked equally disheveled and had been recently shrieking for Al to stop at the top of her lung for the entire Imperial palace to hear. They were also alone in Al's bedroom, lying on Al's bed, and both out of breath.

Needless to say, both turned bright red and rolled away from each other in a few seconds.

"Mei? What was going on?" Ling asked, trying to stay calm, but with a dangerous edge. Mei blushed again and stared at her feet.

"Nothing, we were just fooling around."

"Just fooling around?" he half-shrieked, not sounding at all like the Emperor of Xing, Son of the Morning Star, should. "What do you mean you were just fooling around!"

"Nothing," she replied again. Ling turned to Al, trying to regain his calm.

"And what about you Alphonse? What were you doing with my sister?" Al looked absolutely mortified. His cheeks were the brightest red any of the Xingess had ever seen on a human being and the tips of his ears just as close.

"Uh," he said scratching the back of his neck, "Well, she insulted brother, so I decided death by tickling would be an apt punishment."

"Wha-wh-"

"We were just joking around," Mei said, almost sullenly.

Ling's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. It probably wouldn't have looked too out of place if one of his eyes started twitching either.

"Al- if you ever- I can't believe- just try-GAH!" Al, Mei, and Lan Fan all jumped as Ling exclaimed exasperated and stalked out of the room. Hurrying up as to not get left behind, Lan Fan ran after him, shooting a strange glace back at the awkward couple in the room.

Absolute silence reigned in the room for a full minute until it was broken when Al and Mei looked directly at each other and promptly started laughing.