.:EDIT:. Thanks for pointing out to me the double-pasting of part two! XD Yes, you can expect me to write more EnvyEd. I still have to accomplish the 16 candles challenge for them :) Oh, and I have a Envy x Pride!Ed fanfic in the works too!
Prompts: 11 reasons - Why Envy and Ed Wound Up Together
Warnings: spoilers, mild violence, mild language, fluff (?), shounen-ai, drizzle of yaoi, EnvyEd, I'm going to rate this M anyway, so there'd be lesser complaints. Nyaha.
A/N: This story progresses from anime timeline, to end-of-series, to movie, and to post-movie. Envy didn't die as the end of the movie suggested. So, expect lots of spoilers (and inventive crap from me, lol). OOCness, because this is only my second attempt at FMA fanfiction (and my first was highschool AU T.T;;). I know that Envy x Ed isn't the fluffy-happy ending type of pairing, but I'm a sucker for happy endings, anyway. I won't try to compete with the non-con smut writers as well, because they're just plain awesome. Yes, this is only what good ol' me can provide XD PS: For simplicity's sake, I'll refer to Envy as "he", not "it".
Style: Snippet-like :P Hope it's not too confusing. Inspiration: Dante's Divina Commedia Title Meaning: Hell (Flames of Hell?), Purgatory, Paradise
Additional props: East of Eden by yuuo :P It gave me the idea of Envy living on Munich.
Prompts List: Anatomy (chest; hair), Mood (rage/anger; passionate), Favorites (music/sound; word/phrase), Sins and Virtues (pride/vanity; envy), Acts (sleep/stupor; glare/stare), Wild Card from July 2006 (addiction/obsession)
Beta: Wing It (Thanks again, Nikki!)
πρώτος - Protos - Music
Four hundred years of his life had been spent by him listening to the endless drone of music. It was always the same, sometimes just a different frequency, sometimes just a different pitch, but the general gist of the sound he heard was violence.
He transformed into anything he wanted, and he introduced havoc to everywhere, anywhere he wished. Those four centuries of dull, monotonous sounds bored him to no end, but it was much better than seeing those humans—humans who couldn't appreciate what they had, humans who couldn't see that he, he, was so much more powerful than all of them combined—seeing those humans alive and smiling and oblivious to everything else.
He'd transform into something destructive, changing his limbs into a menacing array of swords that could pierce through walls. He'd transform into a military leader and stir up riots in the citizens' hearts and increase their doubt about the people who were supposedly protecting them.
He liked hearing their loud cries, their screams, the explosive sound of destruction. There was something else that he liked though. He liked hearing the pathetic whimpers of humans that he killed using the forms of those who were dear to them.
—attacca, agitato, acciaccatura, fortissimo, espirando, morendo, ostinato, prestissimo, rinforzando, smorzando, tremendo, tremolo—
For a long time, his ears had been filled by different types of music that involved only a certain range. It was always death, blood, terror, or destruction.
However, it all changed, when he spotted a diminutive human, hair colored like the glares of the sun, heart as pure as the most precious gold, spirit as unyielding as the vibrant beams of light.
Edward Elric had come into his un-life with a bang, a loud, lively, and almost frightening melody that weaved its way into his nonliving heart and pulsed through his unreal blood.
The young one's sparkling voice shone through the darkest of mysteries; the precious one's determined beliefs pushing him and his tin can of a brother along the path; the golden one's fiery words filled with hate that he couldn't summon, promises that he longed to keep, and innocence that he couldn't completely erase.
—subito, tremendo, spiritoso, sforzando, risoluto, pesante, nobile, magnifico, maestoso, luminoso, irato, intimo—
For the first time in a long, long while, Envy finally had something else to listen to.
δεύτερος - Defteros - Word
His words arewere what could be classified as witty and intelligent—after all, he had had four hundred years to perfect his speech, and learn all the languages and dialects. He only spoke on a couple of occasions—to piss the gown-loving bitch of a mother and master; to show his displeasure, which usually led to either miffed fellow Homunculi or excessive murders and violence.
His words always held some meaning—be it snide, insulting or threatening.
He couldn't quite pinpoint why he suddenly favored one word above all others, even though he loathed words which were developed by these pathetic humans.
"O-Chibi-san," He drawled lazily from the treetop he was perched on, watching with interest and amusement as those golden eyes became clouded with surprise and hate. It was also interesting to note, that no matter how matured Edward became, what with him becoming a State Alchemist, he still reacted for the silliest of reasons.
"Stop calling me small, you anorexic freak!" Edward exclaimed, a pretty little blush adorning his cheeks as Envy jumped down with almost-too-perfect feline grace. Of course, he couldn't forget posing for effect.
"But you're such a small chibi-san," Envy almost purred, walking closer to the steadily-blushing and irate alchemist. Purple eyes of his preferred form drank in the sight of that hue of pink mingling artistically with the natural tanned color.
Hmm, it seemed that his words still possessed meanings after all.
τρίτο - Trito - Passionate
"I wonder… what would you do if I killed your brother?" He asked with the silky voice that he copied from another, tweaking it slightly and adding smoothing touches, violet eyes gleamed darkly at the midget alchemist in front of him.
The way in which anger burned from within those golden depths never failed to entrance the Homunculus; the fiery passion of the child's adherence to his beliefs never failed to choke Envy with the mixture of longing, admiration, reverence, loathing and resentment. His dark, corroding anger was very different from the one the golden child harbored, and it thrilled him to know that he was the source of such a golden haze.
If there was a single word to describe the whole of Edward's personality, it would have been "passionate", and Envy loved being on the other end of those emotions.
"Don't bring Al into this! I am your enemy—and I'm the only one you should—" Ed faltered for a moment, before those golden eyes blazed, much brighter than before, and Envy couldn't help the smirk that formed on his perfectly-shaped lips—"Just don't bring Al into this!"
And Envy thought, as Edward's blade-turned-automail went straight towards him, that he wouldn't mind being burned by the hot, searing passion that was Edward, and Edward alone.
τέταρτος - Tetartos – Anger
If there was one emotion that Envy could fully associate with, it was anger. His reason, the driving force in his non-life, was always anger.
That bastard leaving him all alone and reviving him to form a being that was wondering in limbo, unable to completely plunge into Hell, and barred from entering the paradise of Heaven—he was angry, angry, angry, and he'd kill that person—make him suffer—
The reason why he slaughtered those puny, pathetic humans was because he was angry—whether at that person, at that haughty, rotting old woman, or at humankind in general—
Anger has been the emotion that he could say that was always with him. He knew that if that was the case, he should've been named Wrath, but the old woman was stupid anyway, and it was fitting for her to name her son—who she viewed as one of her pawns—so wrongly, showing that she never really knew him at all.
Anger, anger, anger—
It was only fitting that he should still feel anger towards the diminutive alchemist. He was angry at the shiny, golden hair that looked as though it had been weaved from the finest silk. He was angry at the fiery eyes of amber, which seemed to have been colored from the accurate mixtures of exquisite, expensive paints. He was angry at the sharp, determined lines that made up the contours of Ed's face.
He punched the nearby wall, cement crumbling and succumbing to his superior strength. He was angry at the chibi alchemist for not noticing the lingering looks of his bastard colonel. He was angry at his chibi alchemist for not noticing that said colonel was being encouraged by his lack of negative response towards the attention.
He was angry at Edward for making him feel things that are not anger at all.
πέντος - Pentos - Chest
It was different, yet still the same.
He could still feel the raw power resting idly beneath the lanky arms and moon-colored skin, but it was different now, more controlled. He supposed he should be happy that the bastard was dead—and that he had been the cause of it—but it only felt off, as though he was still indebted to the man.
He still remembered Hohenheim's softly-spoken words, which sounded oddly like a father giving his blessings to his child. "Go to him," he had said, as the Gate's greedy hands took him in, while he offered no resistance, probably because he wanted to give something to his eldest son, something—
He bit down on his perfectly-curved lips, drawing a thin line of blood, but he didn't mind, because he was angry, and that was all that matters. He was walking down the streets of Munich, brown trench coat weighing down on his fragile-looking shoulders, his purple eyes narrowed and hard, but nobody cared enough to look, so the angry expression on his feminine-like face wasn't discovered.
It was a coincidence, or perhaps it was fate, or destiny, even, but he saw the golden child, and he felt the human heart beat faster beneath the pale skin of his chest, and he could feel something aside from anger again. His heartbeat increased more, and purple eyes dilated, fingers itching with the feeling of his knuckles shifting to form a long blade, as though he plunged his own arm unto the other's chest not too long ago.
He could almost feel the blood seeping away from the wound he had created not too long ago, and he wondered if Edward could feel his hands on him even now. He pushed past the crowd with speed that he never used in this alien world before. He moved with agility and force and determination that he had only used when he had a purpose in Amestris, when he was still the first Homunculus.
"Edward Elric!" He called over the moving throng of people, his lips curled into a familiar smirk, eyes glinting in a familiar manner, emerald hair dangling around him, and he knew that even if he had whispered, the golden child would have heard his call.
Long, blond hair whipped around almost too gracefully, too prettily, and those amber-colored eyes widened dramatically, as the former Sin's form met his eyes.
Almost instinctively, those glove-covered hands went to his chest, and Envy smiled—still with a hint of anger, of malice, but of something far too complex and far too immense—because he knew that Edward never really forgot about him.
έκτος - Ektos - Hair
"You have pretty hair."
The first time he had said it, Alphonse—the former tin-can, now with a body that was taller than Edward's—burst out laughing, eyes crinkled merrily in mirth. Edward dropped the porcelain cup in his hands, sending the fragile piece of china plummeting towards the hard floor, mouth stretched wide in disbelief, eyes as wide as plates and cheeks burning an unmistakable pink hue.
Then, Edward flailed his arms about in an indignant manner, mouth spewing out retorts and denials that Envy doubted the alchemist seriously meant. Alphonse didn't stop giggling and laughing, even as he excused himself from the room, probably knowing that Edward's ranting wouldn't stop until all the energy was zapped out of his brother.
Envy rolled his purple-colored eyes at Ed's actions, which seemed irrationally adorable by his perception. It was frustrating, but he found out that staying with the other two Elric brothers here in a world that was so similar, yet so different from their original one tended to change a lot about his way of thinking.
He yawned, unabashedly stretching his arms upwards and letting the cotton shirt ride up, showing his flat, pale stomach. He idly noticed that Edward still continued his tirade, blushing all the while.
As amusing as it was to watch Edward protest about such a simple, innocent comment, he knew that Alphonse wouldn't like it very much if his brother lacked his voice, which would undoubtedly be required for the small symposium later on. So, Envy made his way towards the indignant blond, with all the gracefulness of a cat.
Edward didn't seem to notice, maybe because he was still ranting about certain anorexic-looking pine trees insulting his hair.
But Edward sure noticed the semi-gloved hands that had suddenly cupped his burning cheeks, and he also noticed the twin violet orbs that were suddenly very close to his face. The words died in his throat at the Sin's close proximity, and Envy opened those full, inviting lips, and said—
"Don't worry, o-chibi-san," Here, Edward began fuming all over again, "…I like it."
And Envy was gone, sauntering away from the scene, leaving a blushing and gaping Edward in his wake.
έβδόμός - Ebdomos - Sleep
Edward looked like a child when he was asleep.
Sure, Envy could say that the other's height was really like a child's even when he was awake, but there was something about the relaxed stance of his shoulders, the un-tensed-up twitch on his facial muscles, the smooth curl of those pink-colored lips—
Edward really did look like a child.
And so, Envy, as the oldest in the little household that housed three creatures who didn't really belong in this foreign world, made it his top priority to protect the child-like one sleeping in front of him.
After all, even though he doesn't leave until Edward wakes up, he was pretty sure that the midget alchemist didn't mind.
οχτώ - Ochto - Stare
Twitch, twitch, twitch.
"Stop staring at me!" Edward fumed, exclaiming loudly all the while, irritated by Envy's unwavering stare. Alphonse merely sighed from his spot in the adjoining room, used to his older brothers' weird ways of acknowledging one another. The youngest Elric hoped that the two of them would somehow—end up together, soon, because sometimes, it really was unhealthy for his ears, hearing Ed raving noisily about whatever Envy said.
The green-haired one didn't even sigh or bat an eyelid, and resumed one of his favorite pastimes. Really, didn't Edward know?
"I like staring at you," Envy said in a lazy drawl, seemingly unconcerned that his words sent Ed into a blushing, spluttering state, while Alphonse tried—really, he tried!—to smother his laughter.
ένατος - Enatos - Obsession
He supposed it was unhealthy—this unexplainable attraction, obsession, with the other. But then again, it's not like he wanted to sit down and try to decipher his reasons for suddenly not seeing the image of their bastard of a father in Edward any longer.
His mad urge to kill Edward had suddenly disappeared as soon as Hohenheim had died; it was as if their father's death had freed him from the reasons that he could have spluttered out to deny the way his purple eyes would stray to Edward's figure, the way he'd trail over the duo's search for the Philosopher's Stone.
It was like Hohenheim of Light knew about Envy's almost irrational and almost surprising obsession with Edward—and it somehow irked the Sin to no end. But Envy was also quite thankful, because now, he was free to watch Edward sleep, he was free to stare at Edward while he worked, he was free to show emotions aside from bloodlust and anger—
He was free to obsess over Edward—and he knew that Edward knew it too.
δέκατος - Dekatos - Envy
"Stay away from him," He growled menacingly, his lips curled into a disdainful sneer, his eyes narrowed as a sign of displeasure, and he relished in the fearful shivers that hugged the young man in front of him.
Envy ignored Edward's protests behind him; he was busy scaring the hell out of this human—one of Ed's classmates, for they had the same emblem sewed on their coats. He was busy taking care of this human who was laughing and touching Edward as though they were friends, close friends, as though he was very close to the blond, and Envy wouldn't allow that—
Did this pathetic creature think that he could be better than Envy? Did this human think that he could outrank the superior strength that he had? Did this human think that he could acquire the same beautiful appearance that he possessed?
Did this human think he could snatch Edward away from him!
"If I ever see you near my o-chibi-san," He whispered maliciously, while pointedly ignoring Edward's protests about his height, "I'm going to make sure that you're going to regret it," He continued, and he knew that his unnaturally-slitted eyes were probably glinting crazily, further scaring away this coward who just casually slung an arm around Ed's waist.
The terrified student nodded frantically, and bolted quickly as soon as Envy allowed him space to move. Envy grinned at his accomplishment, and he allowed himself to be spun around by a disapproving Edward.
"Why did you do that for!" Ed burst out, arms waving frantically around, looking particularly embarrassed for his classmate. Though admittedly, Rainer was being too touchy-feely today…
"Why? Do you like him?" Envy asked, voice dripping with lethal venom, and Ed halted with his spazz-fit, and he paused, amber-colored eyes searching at Envy's stony face.
"Of course not—but you didn't have to break his arm!" Ed protested, a bit thankful that most of his classmates fled the scene when Envy started to twist the other's arm.
Envy muttered something, a tinge of pink seeping too obviously into the pale, beautiful cheeks. Edward blinked for a full minute, before his mind conjured the most appropriate explanation.
"…You're jealous, aren't you?" Ed asked suspiciously, and he watched how the burning color spread to the pale one's whole face.
"So what if I was? I'm named Envy, after all," The Sin retorted, even though the blush didn't fully go away. And, as the words registered, Edward flushed as well, feeling decidedly awkward.
He knew that there was something that had changed between the two of them when Envy suddenly called him while he was walking back home, on that fateful day. He knew, because Al never failed to tease him about the sudden changes in his interaction with his ex-enemy.
"Why?" Ed asked, hating his voice for sounding so small and so girly,knowing the answer, yet wanting to hear it from the witty ex-Homunculus.
Envy looked like he generally wanted to choke himself to death rather than answer, but he saw the serious look on Ed's face…
He took a deep breath, before he said, "I don't want anybody else to touch you."
ένδέκατος - Endekatos - Pride
He couldn't say it, even as he dragged Edward by his arm towards the house. He knew that Alphonse was out, but frankly, he wouldn't have cared even if the youngest one was there. He pushed Edward against the main door as soon as the two of them were inside, and he sought out the lips that usually ranted about insults towards his height.
The search didn't take long, as Edward stood nearly on his toes, closing the gap between the two of them, even as the coat-covered arms wound upwards to twine on the mop of his emerald hair. Envy groaned into the kiss, his pale, bare arms tightening their hold on the other's clothe-covered waist.
The two continued kissing, even as Envy pushed the blond harder into the door; even as the doorknob dug painfully into the shorter one's back. After all, Envy had been alone for four hundred years, and the two of them had long waited for this moment—
Cold fingertips went inside Ed's school-coat, and Edward hissed as the freezing appendages touched his heated skin, but Envy continued on his task of feeling the tanned with his fingers, savoring the feeling and memorizing the contours.
Envy tweaked one nipple, and Ed responded by almost tearing out Envy's hair. My, my, it seemed that the chibi alchemist was very sensitive…
He couldn't say it, even as Edward showed that he trusted him, even after he killed him, even after all the hatred and jealousy and blood and wounds, even after Ed allowed himself to be taken by the ex-monster.
He couldn't say it, even as the two of them continued to strive for that completion, for the unity, even as the two of them let go and let the other come close.
He couldn't say it, even as Ed laid down his golden head on his sweat-slicked chest, even as his own pale arms wound tightly around the other's equally-naked figure.
Maybe, it was Pride, or maybe it was distrust, or maybe it was really something that's wrong with him, but—"Ed—chibi—I—" Envy struggled to say, but he couldn't force the words out.
Maybe he wasn't only wrathful, he was also prideful, and it annoyed him terribly, not when his hands were already holding the one thing that he wanted most—
"…I know," Ed simply said, golden eyes peering up at his violet orbs, a small smile on those still-swollen lips, understanding and comprehending.
Who cares if it's pride or not? The only thing that mattered was that despite everything that happened, they were now together, and Ed understood all those non-anger feelings…
Envy sighed and kissed Ed again, holding the other tighter, never letting go.
I'll never let you go.
τέλος - Telos – OWARI
Have you noticed that, in the anime, Envy liked watching Edward? When he transformed as Winry (who was contentedly watching as Sloth evaporated) and when he transformed as the Brigadier General-something during Lab Five… Yes, he really liked watching Ed XD
Part one: the words in italics were terms used in music/sound; if some of them were misspelled, please do tell me, since my MS Word couldn't check all since its dictionary sucks X.x;;
Part ten-eleven: Hmm, well, they're in Munich; Edward's studying, Al's studying, Envy's a freeloader XD
Hmm, I'm sure that a lot of you would notice that they're OOC. Mwahahah, and that the Elric household was a bit homey. Well, I know they're OOC. I wanted to make a more-or-less fluffy EnvyEd that's kinda canon, and this is the result :D