Riza enjoyed her quiet evenings, sat in the warmth of the large living room of her father's home, curtains drawn, fire happily crackling away. She had grown used to her father's absence, save for the odd noise from behind the study door, and there was something incredibly settling about the silence of the large house. She would sit at the oak table, curled in a warm jumper, and study in the glow of the fire, drinking in any and every book she could lay her hands on.

Her phone vibrated against the table, catching her attention, and she lifted it to see a picture message from Rebecca, immediately laughing at the ridiculous face her best friend had graced her with, complete with puppy ears. She turned the camera on herself with a chuckle, finger flicking through the filters, grinning as she did.

A loud knock at the door broke the spell of her peace, causing her to pause in her picture taking. She waited, hoping whoever it was would give up in their quest to pester her. There was another knock, and she scowled at the door, before placing her phone down, sliding from her chair, crossing the hallway to pull it open, and immediately she felt her heart sink at the figure on her doorstep.

"Is this the Hawkeye household?" She didn't reply; he knew the damn answer. He waited expectantly, before throwing a hand out to her with a grin.

"Roy Mustang. You're Riza, right?" Her eyes roamed over him, bundled up against the cold of the night, and she hated everything she saw, from the familiar dark hair, to stupid grin, to the scuffed boots on his feet.

"I know exactly who you are." The coolness in her voice made him flinch. "Why on earth are you stood at my door, Roy Mustang?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Miss Hawkeye." The smirk that appeared on his face was infuriating, and she curled her fingers into a fist, anger whispering at her to wipe that smug look from him. "I am here to see your father."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes with a laugh. "I highly doubt that. My father is a world-acclaimed professor of chemistry, and a highly respected chemical engineer, and he does not have time for high school students who sleep through class and have no interest in the subject, and would rather spend their time partying and-"

"Riza, is that any way to treat a guest?" Her father's voice caught her by surprise, and she spun around to see him at the end of the corridor, eyes wide, her father's figure cloaked in his usual robes, dark eyes watching them. "Mister Mustang is here to study. Come, please forgive my daughter's rudeness."

She continued to stare at her father as Roy stepped past her into the house, turning to shoot her a grin as he followed the man down the hallway, before being stopped in his tracks, a large stack of books placed in his arms. "Basic reading for you. You can sit with Riza tonight, and study these. I expect you to have grasped the very basics of these for tomorrow. Otherwise, do not bother to return." The study door was closed in his face, Roy blinking in surprise, and it was Riza's turn to grin smugly as closed the door, and she sat back at her chair, picking up her book once more.

"Is he always like that?"

"He doesn't like time wasters." He laughed at her short reply, stumbling over to the table with the large pile of books, Riza raising her eyebrow. "Do you need help with those?

"It's not heavy, I'm stronger than I look." She scoffed at his reply, eyes narrowing as he sat opposite her at the large table, spreading the books before him. "I see your opinion of me is high, Miss Hawkeye."

"I don't like time wasters either."

"I'm not a time waster." His voice had a hint of firmness in it, and she watched him for a moment, his dark eyes on her. "I want to study chemistry, especially chemical engineering. That's why I need to pass this class, and your father is-"

"All of my father's students turn out to be disappoints, one way or another." She scowled at him, before burying her head back into her book, choosing to ignore whatever his next words were in favour of making notes, sighing loudly to cover it. Roy Mustang was not interfering in her quiet night, and she was sure as hell not being friendly with him.

"So he-"

"Yes."

"And you-"

"Yes."

"You and Roy Mustang-"

" Rebecca-"

"At your house!"

"Rebecca!" She elbowed her as she hissed, fork prodded towards her face in warning. "Keep your damn voice down."

"Well, I was just saying. This is a surprise." The brunette's smug grin was all too clear. "You react so quickly when I mention him, you know."

"Do I? I hadn't noticed. Maybe it's the irritation." She refused to bite, before grinning back at the other girl. "Although I have noticed Jean Havoc staring at you every lunch break this week."

"Really?" Rebecca blinked, turning slightly pink, before she scoffed, waving a hand. "Don't you change the subject on me, Riza Hawkeye." She pointed a finger. "This is an excellent opportunity for you to snag him for yourself. So when are you taking him on a date?"

"Absolutely never. Ever. Just because you seem to think he is some kind of dreamy hunk-"

"Yeah, just me and the rest of the whole damn school."

"The rest of the school is welcome to him." She huffed, folding her arms as she turned up her nose. "He's an arrogant, cocky pig-"

"Ahem."

"And if he spent half as much time studying as he does flirting with anything with a pulse-"

"Ahem."

"Then he wouldn't need to interrupt my evenings with his insufferable,smug grin on that ugly face and stupid questions from that thick head of his-"

"Riza." Rebecca's voice as a low hiss, and Riza stopped to stare, raising an eyebrow, her mouth opening to ask what exactly her problem was before a familiar voice spoke from behind her, and she froze.

"I'll be sure to keep that all in mind, Miss Hawkeye."

She felt her cheeks start to burn, stomach dropping and she peeked over her shoulder to see Roy stood about a foot away, tray in hand, wearing an unreadable look on his face, an eyebrow raised. She remained wordless as he walked off, heading in the direction of his usual lunchtime table, the familiar faces of his friend group jostling him as he approached, and she turned to Rebecca, who looked as though she had just witnessed either a wedding or a funeral.

"Well. That couldn't have gone better."

"I didn't know he was there!" she cried, shooting Rebecca a glare, the other girl frowning.

"He actually looked like it bothered him. I think you've upset him."

"No, he didn't, don't be so-" Rebecca's face made her fall silent, and she huffed, stabbing her fork into the last of her pasta, feeling guilt tug at her. "Well, it's his own damn fault. Don't think I'll start feeling sorry for him now. I meant what I said."

Rebecca rolled her eyes, turning her gaze back to the phone in her hand, and Riza glanced over at the other table, before scowling back at her lunch, folding her arms. Damn Roy Mustang.