Ahhh! We're back! O: Super sorry for the wait! Summer was insane! Here's chapter 8! Please read, review and enjoy! Chapter 9 will be released soon!

Disclaimer: We do not own Riza Hawkeye, Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist, or FMA: Brotherhood. They belong to their respective owners.

Also: Italics are Riza's thoughts.

~warehouseluver13


"Hey, Riza, don't… no, no, we can add anything but that, okay?"

I frowned, holding the diced pepper in my hands and waiting for Roy to explain what was wrong this time. "You said this was going to be a lesson in food versatility, right? Throw what we have in the pot and make it work? We have this. I want to make it work."

"Alright, but Riza, that's not the right kind of pepper. I wasn't specific enough when you went shopping last Wednesday, and, well, that's not the kind of red pepper I was hoping for."

I frowned harder. "What's that supposed to mean? What the hell kind of weird excuse is that? It's a red pepper, isn't this how peppers always look?"

Roy rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing. "Well, actually, no. That's a really hot kind of pepper, and it is a typical shape, but it isn't right for the ingredients we already have. I was… well, I wanted to teach you how to use sweet peppers. Red bell peppers are better for you anyway, from a nutritional standpoint."

I sighed, my shoulders slumping. "Fine, alright, I screwed up again. But I just… I just want to get better at this and do something right for once. So if I can turn this mistake into a success, like you did with my first stir-fry attempt, I'll know I'm getting better, do you see what I mean?"

"Um, well, you see… it's… Okay. You can add the pepper. I'm warning you though, it's going to add a hell of a spicy kick to the meal. You had better be able to handle the heat."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," I said, smiling at him. "Spice is negated by milk, right? We'll just add cheese, and it'll be okay."

Roy sighed, and watched with a nervous face as I tossed the tiny chunks of pepper into the simmering saucepan. "Right. Of course it will, I'm confident we can work it through." I didn't bother to tell him that I knew he was lying; he was probably already aware. "Let the lesson continue, then…"

*EOHH*

I tried not to laugh as Roy struggled against his food. "Aaahahahaaahaaaagh! Ha-haaahh- HOT!"

"Too much heat to handle, flame alchemist?" I jabbed, finally giving in.

"Haa-how are you not burning your tongue off right now?!"

"Here," I said, grinning as I handed him a glass of milk and a slice of buttered bread. "These might help."

Roy accepted the two lifesavers with difficulty, since he seemed to still be panting like a dog as he tried relieve his burning tongue. He took a bite of the slice of bread and quickly chugged down the milk to ease the pain of the spicy flavor. "Y-you really ca-huhk! koff! You can't be serious. You aren't bothered by this?"

I shrugged. "I kind of like it, actually. It's more vibrant than what I'm used to. It's a new experience." I calmly take a sip of my own milk. "I confess it's a bit too intense, but you're overreacting."

Shakily, he smiled. "Heh. I guess you're right. Regardless of the heat, I gotta say, the flavors work really well." He patted me on the back as he stood up to pour more milk. "Good job."

I nodded my thanks, and went to the counter to start assembling my Father's own lunch, which was not part of our experiment.

Sitting back down, Roy mumbled, "So, do you feel better?"

I quirked my head to the side, thinking about what he meant. "I… I guess I feel pretty nice right now. But I don't know why you'd say better."

Roy sighed. "Well, I know that Monday's little encounters left you pretty down, so I wanted to do this to get your spirits up a bit. You needed it, so I'm glad it worked." He smiled slyly. "I guess I didn't incinerate my tongue for nothing."

"Crybaby." I smirked and turned back to my sandwich-making.

"Food is different, Riza. Come on!" Roy protested, and I laughed at him as he sulked and drank his milk.


Super sorry for the short chapter! I: What do you think will happen next? Leave a comment below to let us know! (Chapter 9 should be released by Wednesday!) :)

Also, please check out DarksteelRebelhawk's stories on Wattpad! They're amazing!

~warehouseluver13~