"Thanks for the meal!"

I had just finished eating, Bernadette instantly rushed back to her room, while Nick patted his stomach, working a toothpick between his teeth, his eyes closed and his expression relaxed as I cleared the table, when I suddenly noticed a small but significant detail.

"Nick...?" I called, the clattering of the plates in my hands nearly drowning out my voice.

"Hm?" he emitted, opening his eyes.

"Is it just me, or is Bernadette eating way more than usual lately?"

"I don't know," he nonchalantly replied, shrugging. "You're the only one who pays attention to this kind of stuff."

"Malnutrition is not a joke, Nick."

"She's just enjoying the food you cook. Isn't that good?"

"There has to be moderation even with my food," I replied, eyeing the table. "How much apple pie did you eat?"

Nick rubbed his chin. "Hmm, just a slice?"

I pointed at the plate. "So did I. Then why is half of it missing?"

"Well, like I said... you're the only one who pays attention to these details."

"She ate more than you and I combined! And asked for a second before that, too. This is not healthy. We have to do something."

"You have to do something," he shrugged with a grin. "You're the cook."

I sighed. "And you're her brother."

"I can use this, too. Two for me, one for you. I win," he retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, fine. I'll do something."

"What do you intend to do?" he asked, crossing his arm and tilting his head.

"Well, I don't know... Maybe have a talk with her about the importance of a diet?"

"You want to put her on a diet...?"

"Well, do you have suggestions?" I encouraged.

"Not really... But what's good in this world when you remove the food?"

"A lot of things," I replied. "And I'm not removing the food; I'll just suggest a diet."

Nick laughed under his breath. "Well, go on. I'll watch the scene."

I didn't know what his laugh was about, but I decided to go on with the plan. "Bernadette, could you come here for a second?" I called, raising my voice to make sure she'd hear from her room.

Shortly after, she stepped out of her room, approaching us both with deliberate steps, holding her teddy bear in her hands. "What is it?"

I didn't really think about it, but finding the right words appeared harder than I thought it would be. "Bernadette... could you tell me how much apple pie you ate today?"

"Hm? A bit... Why?" she responded.

"And you even went for more food before that, didn't you?" I pressed.

"... Yes?" she tilted her head.

"Bernadette... don't you think that's too much food?"

She blinked, half covering her face with her teddy bear as she grew paler. "... No?" she murmured.

I could hear Nick stifling a laugh in the background.

"Bernadette... I think this much food is not good for you," I stammered, trying not to make it sound like a big issue. "Don't you think you're exaggerating?"

She quickly shook her head, hiding even more behind the plushy in her hand.

Nick, noticing my struggle, stepped forward. But instead of coming to my rescue, he probably only made the situation worse than it already was. "Bernadette, Lu thinks you should be on a diet."

She flinched, stepping backward.

"Wha-! Don't say it like that!" I said to him, waving my hands in an attempt to diminish the damage.

Bernadette, her eyes now damp, retreated back to her room. "I'd rather die than get dieting!" she shouted before slamming the door.

Nick sighed. "See? You made her cry. Not cool, Lu. Not cool..." he reproached, shaking his head.

"I didn't mean to. And you didn't help me at all!" I shot back.

"You can't just tell her that she's fat. What did you think was going to happen?"

"I never said she's fat. You're the one that brought the diet in that manner..." I groaned. "There are better ways to do that."

"You'd imply that if you say she needs to be on a diet," he reasoned.

"In which world...?"

He patted my shoulder. "Well, now you have a new problem to solve."

I scratched my head. "How do I solve this now?"

He shrugged. "Who knows. Why don't you try to tell her a tale of yours?" he suggested, patting my back before going to his room.

"A tale, hmm..."

It didn't sound a bad idea. But what kind of tale would help in this situation, to lift her mood and help her understand the importance of good nutrition?

I waited a little, and then I knocked on Bernadette's door. "May I come in?"

"Yeah," she replied from the other side.

I swung the door open; she was sitting on her chair. "Bernadette, about before..."

"I'm not listening to you," she said, looking away as she closed her eyes.

"Not even a little story?" I offered, my voice sounding as convincing as possible.

She opened one of her eyes, side-eyeing me. "A story?"

I nodded.

She turned her head towards me, clasping her hands together, resting her head over them as she stared pensively at me, crossing her legs. "Well, this does sound like an offer I can't refuse."

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

Had I a cigar, I'd be smoking it now. "Deal then?" I said, a smug smile on my face.

She nodded. "Deal."

...

----------------------------------------

"Are you ready, Edoardo?"

The tall brother took position, his legs steady on the ground, ready to fly.

"Ready, Alfonso!" he replied, clapping his hands together before redirecting them to the ground. With a frizzy sound, a towering fluffy cloud emerged, bringing the brothers to the sky. They jumped from the cloud, landing on a roof.

"Halt!" Edoardo shouted at the criminal. "In the name of justice, I declare you under arrest."

The man turned, a gun tight in his hands. "Hah, the half-cotton-candy alchemist!" he exclaimed, pointing the gun at the tall brother.

"You've got the wrong target!" Edoardo shouted, dashing forward, clasping his hands together to bring forth another pink cloud.

The man shot, and Edoardo ducked to evade it, the bullet going straight to Alfonso. "What?! It went through?!"

With his reactions slowed by the shock, the man received a blow straight to the nose, falling backward, now senseless.

Edoardo turned, his eyes worried. "Are you alright, Alfonso?"

He nodded. "I'm fine, brother. The shot went right through the cotton candy."

In a way, having a body made of cotton candy was not so bad if it allowed you to be saved from such an event. Edoardo let out a sigh of relief. "Well, we finished our job here."

"We caused a disaster," Alfonso murmured.

Edoardo rested his hands on his waist. "I think we did a pretty good job," he said as smoke and fire surrounded the city, accompanied by explosions right behind his shoulder.

Alfonso shook his head. "Let's head back to the base..."

And so they did, and they did even more, enjoying a cold drink as they sat in their lounge.

"Why do they always think you're the alchemist?" Edoardo groaned, sinking into the soft chair.

"Well, my body is made of cotton-candy, brother," Alfonso replied.

The brother leaned back, his hands behind his head. "I'm the one who does stuff, though..."

"Now, now. Don't be sad... Here, take a piece," Alfonso said, tearing a part of his cotton-candy stomach, lending it to the brother.

"I'm going to get fat if I keep eating cotton candy..." he said, grabbing it, tossing it inside his mouth.

"The earlier we find a way to get my body back, the earlier you'll stop eating it."

He groaned. "Alright, let's get back to work."

Edoardo got up, only to find himself pulled by the brother.

"You have to fix me..." Alfonso sighed.

"Ah, sorry, I forgot," the brother said before clapping his hands together, placing them over his brother's chest, regenerating his fluffy cotton-candy body.

As they walked through the hallway, they were stopped by a general. "Half-cotton-candy alchemist, there's an outlaw roaming free in these coordinates," he said, lending them a folded piece of paper. "Head over there."

The brothers nodded and rushed straight to the scene.

It didn't take long for them to find the outlaw, given the loud bang of a gun in the air.

"Halt! in the name of-" as Edoardo tried to warn the outlaw, he shot. Edoardo tried to evade it, but his shoulder was still grazed by the shot.

"Edoardo!" Alfonso shouted, worry filling his eyes.

Edoardo groaned, holding his shoulder in pain. "Crap! Hadn't I eaten that much sugar, I could've evaded it!"

"Don't blame sugar! Sugar gives energy to the brain!" Alfonso countered.

"What are you two saying?!" the outlaw interjected. "Sugar makes you sleepy!"

"Nobody asked your opinion!" Edoardo shot back, painfully clapping his hands, redirecting them on the ground to manifest his cotton-candy pink cloud, sending it against the outlaw.

"No, don't! I'm glucose intolerant!"

His words were completely ignored, and he was sent flying against a wall.

"That's what you get for being an outlaw," Edoardo said as he stepped towards him. "Enjoy your diabetes in hell."

"And all the rest," Alfonso concluded.

With the sun descending, the two brothers returned home. After tending to his injuries, Edoardo sprawled onto the bed, groaning. "Ugh... could you make me a herbal tea, Alfonso?"

He just nodded. "Do you want sugar in it?"

"Hell no..."

After some time, Alfonso brought the herbal tea to his brother, and sat beside him. Edoardo sat, still groaning from the pain in his shoulder. "We still haven't found a way to get your body back, Alfonso..."

"It's fine... We'll try again tomorrow."

Edoardo nodded as he blew into the hot cup. "Yeah... but I'm stopping eating sugar. Could've lost my life on that, today."

"You're just dramatic. That was skill issue, not sugar," Alfonso shook his head.

He huffed. "Whatever!"

----------------------------------------

...

"And that's the end," I said, glancing at Bernadette with a proud smile. "So, what do you think?"

She nodded, her eyes sparkling. "That was a good story!"

"Right?"

"I'm still eating what I want though."