14Title: Warmth of Snow
Author: Nostalgic5947
Genre: Romance, Hurt/Comfort
Rated: T (for Kimbley and Envy's language, and YAOI)
Disclaimer: Do you see Envy snogging Ed at the end of the series? Of course not. Is Kimbley riding Miles like a cowboy? No. I rest my case.
Summary: Manga-verse. Set "sometime" during the Briggs Arc. The Elrics, Kimbley, Miles, Scar, Mei, Winry and Envy get stuck in a cave during a blizzard. Character devlopment, name calling, hurt/comfort, and yaoi ensue.
Notes:
Seriously; have you SEEN that bastard's ribs? HUGE. (1)- Yeah… reference to the manga in which we find out that (SPOILER cuz some ppl reading this MIGHT not know who Miles is which means… you may not know what I'm referring to with this line) Gluttony is a failed experiment that was SUPPOSED to be The Gate of Truth or whatever but just ended up being Limbo.
His nose buries into the mutt's (2) neck - To refresh everyone's memory (tho it's just to make sure no one gets the wrong idea), Miles is not a full Ishbalan but simply has the blood and looks from his grandfather.
'So we were right all that while ago when Ling was still Ling. (3) - Reference to Ed's idea of having Scar attack him in order to lore out the Homunculi. The end result was Envy, Ed, and Ling all being eaten by Gluttony before Ed used some of Envy's red stones to transfigure them out of Gluttony, through the real Gate, and back into their world. Then Ling, wanting the red stone for its immortal properties, accepted the role of the new Greed.
Key:
'Envy's thoughts.'
'Ed's thoughts.'
"Speech."
emphasis.
EMPHASIS.
*"Quotes from the past."*
Warmth of Snow
"Fuck…" That was truly the only befitting word at this point. Purple eyes glare at the white stuff blasting their way down from the heavens. They then turn to bore into its brethren, the white that coats his person. It's not just him, though: it's that ungodly suit of armor, the Ishbalan, the queer from Briggs, that mechanic/doctor girl, Hagane no Chibi-san, Kimbley, and… that… bean girl. They're ALL covered in the crap.
'FUCK,' he swears again. Envy turns and looks at the group of humans and armor behind him. He sneers as the older Elric glares at him, "Keep your eyes lidded, least they dry up and fall out, CHIBI."
"WHO YOU CALLING A HALF-PINT SO SMALL HE COULD BE SWALLOWED BY A ROACH!?"
… "Ew… a ROACH?" Envy stares at him in disgust. The mechanic/doctor seems to agree with his reaction as she turns green too. "Uhg…" Envy shakes his head, "Never mind…" He stares outside again and sighs. Turning to the humans, he eyes one critically and frowns.
"What you looking at?" Elric scowls, thinking Envy is frowning at him. His little brother (the suit of armor) gasps.
"Nii-san! Be a little nicer!"
"Why should I?" Elric huffs out but turns away from Envy to please Alphonse.
"Don't worry; if he's pissed at me maybe he'll stay warm," Envy says, waving the younger Elric down. He's still eyeing one of the humans thoughtfully.
Edward looks up and eyes him suspiciously, "Me staying warm is good, why?"
"It means you'll live, moron!" the mechanic screeches. Envy sighs; he understands that Kimbley loves gutsy people—so does he; but… her voice is so annoying at times…
"Yes!" Edward says, agreeing with his girlfriend (at least, Envy is sure they have SOMETHING going on… damn it all). "Which makes us all wonder," the blonde looks at Envy with a disturbing leer, as though he were trying to pick the Sin apart, "Why he pretends to care?"
Envy sighs, "I'm not pretending anything, Chibi-san." He continues before the brat can wail about his nickname, "I am not letting you die." A pale hand runs through black-green hair. "I cannot. And if I cannot let YOU die… I cannot let your friend, your brother, or your… help die either." Envy turns back to the gapping maw that is the entrance of the cave they are hiding in and mutters to himself.
He really can NOT let them die. The Elric's are important sacrifices and Envy will be in too much trouble if they can no longer serve his Master. And if the boy is too broken from losing his friends and brother… well he's as bad as dead. So… He, Envy, has to… HELP them. "Fuuuuuck…."
Glaring at the cave's opening, he decides that has to be taken care of. Turning back to the humans, he also concludes warmth needs to come about. So…
"Ok, we need to close the cave and start a fire." He points to Edward, "Take your automail off."
"Are you NUTS?" the teen asks.
"Yes, I am. But I'm sane enough to know that your metal parts will give you frostbite," Envy smoothly replies.
The queer from Briggs nods, "He's right. Just like we had Winry take her earrings out. You need to get those limbs off… Sorry." He knows that taking them off will make him defenseless and is well aware of how (humiliating, degrading, nauseating, frightening) bad that is when around an enemy (here he looks down at the dark head of the third alchemist in their little group) so he finds that he has to apologize for taking Envy's, shockingly, reasonable request in stride.
Edward stares at the Briggs' soldier before nodding and getting Winry, the mechanic, to help take the limbs off and set them to the side. Alphonse tenses and prepares himself to stop Envy if he should attack. Said Sin just rolls his eyes; he won't bother defending himself from their conclusions—after all, they are understandable.
His purple eyes dart to the same person he was studying before. This time, the guy from Briggs notices WHO he is studying with (concern? care?) such interest. He does not say anything though.
"You, boy," Envy snaps to Alphonse now, pointing at him and calling him like a child even though he is taller and bulkier. "Since your brother cannot use alchemy right now, close the cave and make a fire."
"Fire can't be made by… it also can't exist without oxygen. We need that to breath and—" the boy starts.
"Okay, okay." Envy turns and eyes the cave, checking for cracks and crevasses. He finds a few and one of them is what he was hoping for: a looping passageway to oxygen from somewhere else; an air shaft. He points to it, "That will be your oxygen source, now close the damn cave before we all freeze!"
"What about wood?" Alphonse asks, "For the fire?"
"Transfigure it! I'll give the spark, just shut the fucking cave!" Envy yells, idly wondering if he could be loud enough to cause an avalanche and close the cave THAT way. But the snow pile would chill the cave and it would be too hard to get out.
"Y-yes, sir!" Alphonse salutes and claps his hands, slamming the floor of the cave with his empty gauntlets. There is the crack of alchemy and a sudden shift in the floor. A wall pulls up and closes off the cave's entrance, blocking the snow storm and the frigid air. Envy relaxes. Alchemy fucking scares him sometimes but it is useful in others.
"Okay, good," Envy says with a nod, "Now the fire." Alphonse nods, repeating his earlier actions. This time, the crack is accompanied by the center of the floor giving way to a cavity in which stone is transfigured into a woodpile. Envy nods in approval before roughly and swiftly scraping his socked foot along one branch. His movement creates enough friction to start a flame. With a gasp, the little bean girl begins to nurse it into a large blazing fire.
"O…" Envy turns back to the entrance. "On second thought… Make an opening up there," he says, pointing at the very top were the original stone meets the transfigured one.
"Why?" Alphonse asks, although he's certain he knows why. He just wants to know how far and how well Envy is willing to go for their health.
"Smoke. You humans can't breathe it in without dying, right?"
Part of him is grateful that Envy seems to be thinking about everything pertaining to their health, but the other part wonders why he was unsure and had to ask 'right?'
"Right," Alphonse comforts anyway. He does not like seeing people (enemy or not) fret or worry, so, in return for helping his Nii-san, he'll be kind in the wake of this lifesaving foe. When the entrance returns as a small crack, it becomes an exit for the smoke and nothing else.
"Ok, good," Envy says again, eyes glancing around, landing numerous times on one alchemist. Only the Major from Briggs notices this.
"Now what do we do?" Winry asks, watching the Sin with concern, fright, and… gratitude.
"Stay warm." Envy turns to the queer from Briggs, "You have any way of contacting your commander?" While it will be bad if he is found, it would be even worse (for them and for him) if THEY aren't.
"Yes. The communicator is a bit… jostled though." The Major shows them the phone/backpack.
"Ok, give it to the boy and let him fix it. Then make a call and try to give them our coordinates or let them know how we got here if you can." Envy wasn't sure just WHY he was saying "try" and "if you can" as though it were alright if he COULDN'T, although it is obvious that it ISN'T. He idly concludes it is because he himself would love to be spoken to like that.
"Roger," the man replies, relaxed but respectful, oddly calm while taking directions from an enemy. He chalks it up to the way it was said.
While Alphonse and the Major work with the rescue team, Envy turns his attention to Scar. Now… he is someone that CAN die. But… He glances at Edward to see him eyeing him oddly. He and the other Elric would flip if he just skewers the bastard now which means he will lose what little cooperation he has from the humans. 'Well damn…' Not even Kimbley would risk that for an Ishbalan.
Speaking of Kimbley… Envy's eyes return to him, this time with Briggs' queer unaware. Purple eyes stare, analyzing the other's condition. 'He's deteriorating,' Envy concludes. He's far too pale and his lips are blue. Envy remembers those as signs of succumbing to the cold. 'Shit… you can't die on me!'
'There HAS to be a way to help him. Humans don't ALWAYS die from cold. Just… if they don't get… warm… again…' Envy frowns. Should he bring Kimbley closer to the fire then? That should warm him. But only one side, right? So… the other side… 'A blanket?' But Kimbley doesn't have a lot of body heat… so the blanket would be useless right? 'Damn…'
Ok… so how do humans compensate for that? Normally… they… O. Right. Envy scowls suddenly, causing everyone to look at him. Will he start killing them now? Now that the cave is closed and the fire is going? They aren't really needed now…
"Hey." Envy glances around before landing on the one most likely to help (him and Kimbley) without TOO much complaint.
"Yes?" the Major responds somewhat warily.
"I uh… need you to help him." He points to Kimbley: pale, shaking, out cold Kimbley. The Major blinks, mouth opening in understanding. So that was why he was studying the man. He looks at the Sin and nods, already knowing what is being asked. Getting up, he unbuttons his coat and walks over to Kimbley.
Envy watches him curiously, "Why are you taking your coat off?" Doesn't he need it?
The human pauses, eyeing Envy curiously too. Part of him notes that Envy is small. Not smaller than Edward (insert yelling here), but smaller than the average man. He's thin too. Pale and delicate—like a flower, the Major suddenly thinks. Wait: a flower? 'Okay, a Venus Flytrap then.' Yes, that works. But at the same time, one cannot ignore those slightly wide, imploring eyes that seem… childish. 'Like a child…?'
How can THAT be right?
"I'm not. I'm going to use it to keep us warm." Seeing the confusion in the Sin's face, he continues, "Watch." He kneels by Kimbley and wraps his arms around his shivering body. Hoisting the smaller man up, he makes his way to the blazing fire and sits down cross-legged. He sets Kimbley in his lap and tucks his legs under him after removing his snow-soaked boots. He then twists Kimbley's body gently to face him before pressing the smaller man's face into his chest. Then he wraps his coat around the chilled body, buttoning up the dark cloth with the second button placements. He'd always wondered what they were for… Praise to foresight!
The Major looks up at Envy who is watching with a calculating stare. "See?" Envy slowly nods, the analysis slowly making sense in his brain. So the coat can act as a blanket… Interesting… Suddenly, he jerks. Purple eyes land on the Elric's and their female friends. He glances at Scar but only briefly. Again, he doesn't need to save HIM; he just can't kill him in front of the children.
"I suppose you will have to do the same?" he implores.
"Heh. Not with you." Edward smartly replies.
"I do not have body heat," Envy calmly states. "Besides, I am sure you will have your hand and leg full with those two ladies."
Edward twitches at the reminder of his missing limbs but follows Envy's gaze to Winry and the bean girl. He flushes, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING ON ABOUT, YOU NUT?"
"You need body heat and they can give it to you. Just like—" Envy pauses to remember the name of the queer from Briggs. He knows he over-heard Kimbley yelling it while cu—o! "Miles is for Kim-bley." He almost used the wrong name there… "They can for you."
"But I want to keep Alphonse-sama warm!" the bean girl protests.
"You've been inside him, girl; he's got less body heat than ME and I'm DEAD." Envy waves the girl down, "Just help Chibi-san. And the other girl." He glances at Scar, "You do as you like, just don't destroy anything."
Suddenly, the bean girl gets up. "I'll keep Scar-san warm then!"
"NO!" Envy halts her. "You're too small to offer him enough warmth. That'd be like trying to warm Gluttony; there's no balance in the surface area."
"O… point." Bean girl sighs and deflates.
"Right…" Envy shifts uncomfortably; he just stopped the girl from unintentionally letting the Ishbalan freeze. Something is wrong with him… Or maybe not: if the girl is devastated, Chibi-san might get mad… Right, so he ISN'T off his rocker just yet. Good.
"… Did you just call me fat?" Scar asks incredulously.
Envy stares at him for a second before laughing, "No, just large. And Gluttony isn't FAT, he's just large boned." Seriously; have you SEEN that bastard's ribs? HUGE. (1)
"The phrase is 'big boned'," Miles corrects with a slight smile. Is it just him, or is this 'un-dead non-human' a lot more human and lively than he originally thought?
Envy looks at him and blinks owlishly. "O right… Well, coining humans is dumb anyway."
"Coining is a term from us too." Miles chuckles as Envy flushes, "Well used, by the way."
"… I suppose "thanks" is coining humans too?"
"No, just the language," Miles grins.
"…" Envy glares at Kimbley, "Lord forbid I understand it, huh?" he asks the man. The Alchemist doesn't hear his rhetoric.
After a moment of silence, Alphonse pips up, "Winry, Mei, can you keep Nii-san warm?" The girls look up, Winry blushing and Mei huffing. They both nod and slide Edward over to the fire. Winry fidgets.
"How do we…?"
Edward sighs, "Al, make us a blanket, huh?" The metal helmet creaks as the boy nods. Envy stiffens as the crack of alchemy fills the cave. After that, though, the three children are huddling around the fire under a warm blanket. Envy sighs in relief; they just might live through this, 'Which means I live too.' Let it not be said that Envy does NOT fear his master in some way. It's just that he hates him too. 'Well, there are those that say fear leads to hate. But that's in HUMANS, not Homunculi.' Whatever, so long as both his hate and his fear are said but neither known by THEM, he's good. Rather, bad. Arg, whatever.
Another, rather abrupt, crack of alchemy causes Envy's breath to hitch. Damn, he hates that sound! Glaring at Alphonse, his yelling for silence is cut off by a thick, fur coat slamming into his face. With a cry, he topples backwards and falls with a grunt. Blinking dazedly, he eyes the coat when he can think again. "What the fuck?"
"It's to keep you warm," Alphonse says kindly. "You were shaking." Envy eyes him oddly; that's nuts, he doesn't have body heat and thus shouldn't feel cold. So why the fuck DOES he? And where does that brat get off on HELPING? Arg.
Shaking his head, Envy glares at the coat and tosses it to Scar. When Alphonse moves to make a new one, Envy gets up and swiftly kicks his helmet. "Knock it off!" No pun intended there—really. "I have no body heat and what little I have is not enough to warm any fucking coat!" Ignoring that 'no body heat' and 'little I have' contradict each other, the Sin storms away from the brat before the older one can yell at him and plops down by the fire.
"… You know you can use the fire to warm the coat."
Envy blinks at Hagane no Chibi-san. He blinks again when he realizes that he's RIGHT. Well CRAP. Envy sighs and rolls over, "Whatever." The fire will keep them all warm; he really doesn't need to trap its heat in a piece of fabric.
They all stay silent after that. When the cave is warm, the girls drift off and Scar has shifted closer to the fire. There is a silent accord (brought on, unbeknownst to him, by Envy) that there will be no arguing or fighting or DEATH in this cave as long as it can be prevented (yes, they see anger and hate as preventable—for now).
Miles shifts, rearranging Kimbley in his lap. He wiggles his toes which have gone to sleep after staying under so much weight for a longer period of time than originally expected. Kimbley moans, snuggling deeper into the warmth of Mile's coat. His nose buries into the mutt's (2) neck and warms as it stays there. Miles tries to fight off a blush.
Watching them from the corner of his eye, Envy fights his own snigger. Really; they're so deep in denial that Alphonse couldn't pull them out if he used his brother to add an extra 5 feet to his 7. Picturing the giant suit of armor holding Chibi-san at the ankle as they dangle into a well, Envy finds himself bursting into a fit of laughter.
"The hell is so funny?" the real chibi asks.
"Envy-san?" the real armor inquires.
"Sir?" puts in the one in denial (Kimbley is well aware of what he feels, just continues on like there's no strings attached to benifit the Major; plus he's out cold).
"O damn…" Envy giggles out. "Major Miles, right?" he asks, turning to the one who called him 'sir'. The mutt nods. "Just KISS him already!" And with that, he bursts into MORE laughter at the wide eyed and red faced man. Miles sputters.
"Wh-what?!"
Envy is still laughing but now he is trying to wipe the tears trailing down his cheeks. They might freeze if he doesn't; the cold with his dead skin will make that happen, he's sure of it.
"You're nuts—truly." Edward breaths out; Envy just giggles at him.
"A little boy like you won't notice it, Chibi-san."
"WHO YOU CALLING SO SMALL THEY COULD BE MISSED BY A MOUNTAIN?!"
"… Wouldn't it be GOOD if a mountain doesn't hit you?" Envy shakes his head, "Never mind; I neither said nor meant that. What I mean is…" He glances at the still blushing Miles. "You DO know you two are about as obvious as Chibi-san's hatred of short jokes, right?" Alphonse clamps a gauntlet over Edward's mouth to muffle Envy's comparison.
"… What are you talking about?"
Envy slowly grins, "You LOVE him."
Miles sputters again, "I-I do NOT l-love Kimbley!"
"I said 'him' not Kim-bley." Again, he almost used the wrong name. Still, it worked. Miles is flushed with shame at being stupid and the others are staring at him.
"You…" Chibi-san starts, "Love… HIM?" He points to the black haired man in Miles' embrace. The mutt only flushes more. "HOW?" the child asks incredulously.
Miles stares at Kimbley and shrugs helplessly, "I don't KNOW." He shifts and fiddles with the smaller man's hair. "It just… I was having… problems," he tries to explain but finds he can't bring himself to say too much with CHILDREN around. "And he… he was…"
"Up?" Envy sniggers.
"He was THERE." Miles glares though his blushing face. "And he…"
"Got you off."
"STOP THAT!" Miles bellows in embarrassment. Kimbley sinks deeper into the coat. "Just… let me say it." Envy watches him, sparing a glance at Kimbley too, before nodding. "He was having problems too, I guess. Said he wouldn't mind. And then… we sort of solved the problems… together."
"What problems?" Edward asks the dreaded question and Envy sniggers.
"… My wife has been upset with me."
Envy snorts when Chibi-san doesn't get it, "So you sleep with a man—an ENEMY—to, what, get back at her?"
"NO!" Miles shakes his head. "No, to… I don't even KNOW. I just wanted it!" He pauses and eyes Kimbley, even though all he sees is the top of his head. "Wanted him?" Envy sniggers louder, seeing what they do not.
"Why would you want HIM when you have a WIFE?"
"I told you, sir, my wife…" Miles sighs, "She is planning a di-divorce."
There is silence in the cave as all eyes travel from Miles to Envy then back again.
"So what?" Envy sneers. "Kimbley is just a hole to satisfy your need for a woman?" Yes! He finally said his name with no hitch. "For sex?" The children pale as what happened suddenly don on them. Miles… and Kimbley… they… did IT?
Miles is silent. Envy's eyes widen slightly. The purple orbs stare—not at Miles, but at Kimbley. He notes the blush from earlier is gone. Envy sighs.
"Okay, boy," he says while waving a hand at the suit of armor, "I'll take that fur blanket or whatever now." Although he is confused, Alphonse nods and claps his hands together, transmuting more stone into fur and tossing it to Envy. The Sin lays the blanket out before the fire and lets it warm as he gets up and unbuttons the Major's coat.
"What are you doing?" Miles asks with wide eyes.
"I might be a bastard, but I'm not letting My Human stay with a sex-craved loon," Envy smoothly replies as he scoops the Alchemist into his arms. He deposits the man onto the blanket and rolls him up in it, hoping that will indeed keep him warm. He is vaguely aware that body heat is still the best source of warmth but stands by his decision: if sex is all Miles wants then Envy cannot let him hurt Kimbley more that he already has or has been.
"Will Kimbley-san be alright?" Winry quietly asks. Envy eyes her before shrugging. He felt warm enough in his arms so he can assume he'll make it if the fur works, but it's been so long since he's had to deal with humans or, rather, try to work AGAINST their limitations that he's forgotten most of the ways to help them.
Either way, if Scar can survive with just fire and fur then so can Kimbley. Envy knows for a fact that the man would be ashamed if he had to admit to being weaker than an Ishbalan (Envy finds this hilarious since he's fucking one… and in love with one… THAT isn't funny though, just… painful).
Winry sighs and shifts. She's watching Kimbley with worry. Envy idly wonders if these are the "Doctor Eyes" the Crimson Alchemist claims she has or if she's really worried. He wouldn't put it passed the war veteran to decide that no one would ever care for him. Envy is like that too. Might be why he loves this human so much; he's like him before he was "turned".
O great, now he sounds like those vampire things humans freak about.
He really is losing it…
Draping himself over the rolled up mound that is Kimbley, Envy stares tiredly at the fire. He wonders how long it will last and if help will arrive in time. They better. He doesn't want Kimbley (the human version of himself—and that's ALL he is: really, no lie; it's TRUE) to die and he doesn't want to be in trouble either.
"Envy-san?" his name and the odd honorific echoes inside the hollow armor. Purple eyes slowly blink before snapping to the speaker. "I think a rearrangement of groups is in order?" Alphonse says, gesturing to the lone Ishbalans.
"Ah… point." Envy gestures to them too, "Okay, you two keep each other warm." They nod and slowly do as told. Miles is still eyeing Kimbley for some reason. Before Envy can tell him off, Winry slips out from under Edward's blanket and makes her way over to them. Envy cants a brow at her.
"Let's switch places," she tells him determinedly. "I can keep him warm."
"I can't keep anyone warm," Envy points out, not moving at all.
"That's not why you're going to move," Winry states calmly. What is UP with this girl? Envy glances at Kimbley as he begins to see the REAL guts of the doctor/mechanic His Human seems to respect. "You're moving so Ed can warm you up." Said Full Metal sputters.
"You're nuts, you know that?" Envy asks. The girl grins.
"Don't you love it?"
Envy is silent for a moment. He then glares at Kimbley, "You REALLY know how to pick 'em, don't you?" He grunts as he gets up, "Why ARE you gay? You have such great taste in women! Even GREED would love her!" He shakes his head at Kimbley. "Then again, all the women you respect are younger than you. Always will be at this point, right? Right," he answers himself. "And you're far from a pervert—really far from that." Envy plops himself next to the stunned Edward, "No, the worst you are, Kimi, is fucking NUTS." He pauses, "and possibly blind. But that's why we love you." He nods to himself and Winry giggles in agreement. She's already tucked under the fur made for Kimbley and hugging him about his waist.
Suddenly, she sits up slightly and stares at Envy, "Did you just call him "Kimi"?"
Purple eyes stare at her in shock before a light flush tickles his cheeks. "Um… y-yes?" His ears are red, "Wh-what of it?! I told you: he's my human! I can call him as I please!"
"Eni," Kimbley growls; Envy sits straighter and stares, "Shut up."
"K-Kimbley-san?" Winry breaths as she stares at him.
"Mmn." Winry giggles and buries herself back under the fur, hugging the man again and grinning when he hugs back.
"He's like a bear…" Envy giggles to himself.
"A bear?" Alphonse asks, trying to picture a cartoon bear with Kimbley's head on it. "Nah, I always thought of him as a fox." The cartoon changes to a black fox with Kimbley's grinning face on it.
"Well, I only meant the hibernating thing, but yes, fox works better." Envy shrugs. "Of course, your friend—Winry, right?—is more like a rabbit, isn't she? Don't foxes eat those?" He eyes the boys to see if they will tear her away from his human.
Alphonse remembers the fox and her kits from when he and Edward were children and on that deserted island. He shrugs, "Well… rabbits are rather harmless, aren't they? And Winry is far from that." He thinks of her wrench, as does Edward, and they both nod.
"Hmm… well, rabbits aren't harmless to mice, right?" Envy suddenly concludes, "So anyone who gets harmed by her is a mouse."
Edward twitches, "WHO YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD BE MISTAKEN FOR A BABY RAT?!
Envy stares at him oddly for a moment, "You'd be a cute baby rat, though."
Edward stares at him slack jawed. He sputters. Then he does a wonderful imitation of a fish.
Envy just laughs at him.
"While we're on the topic of what animal suits everyone best, what do you all think Envy is?" Winry pips up. Everyone stares at her. Then they stare thoughtfully at Envy.
"A chameleon?"
"A snake?"
"A donkey?"
"A wild stallion—desert breed," Kimbley sleepily states. "Runs wild and free, hates to be saddled or bridled, and only lets those who can ride bare-back with ease mount him. He's also strong and adaptable as well as fiercely loyal to those he thinks deserve it. And he's never afraid to kick." Kimbley grins brightly as Envy hides his flushed face.
"Go to hell."
"Right alongside you, my friend."
They eye each other for a moment, "We should just let them all die."
"By "they", I hope you don't mean US," Winry stares up at them with her newly formed rabbit-eyes.
"Well… yes." Kimbley and Envy confirm.
"You…" Edward twitches in anger. Damn it, he's still got his automail off!
"O shut up, O'chibi-san." Envy scowls at him. "We're just saying that we can go to hell if you people die here."
"Why is that?" Miles finally finds his voice.
Kimbley shrugs, "It's bad if the Elric's die."
"And if their friends die without reason then their morale will be low," Envy continues.
"Thus," they say in unison, "The only one who can die is Scar as he falls under neither group."
"Of course," Kimbley says as he slumps back under the fur.
"A death is a death to you brats," Envy says.
"And any death makes you sad," Kimbley mumbles.
"So, we can't really kill anyone or my/his master gets pissed," they finish as one, "And then we die."
"That's… horrible!" Winry exclaims.
"What's horrible is your voice screeching in my ear," Kimbley grumbles. He pulls her back down and goes back to sleep.
Envy giggles, "Yes, her voice is horridly high." He then sniggers, "If you smoke a few packs, your voice will deepen." Winry stares at him.
"Envy-san… She'll die from that." Alphonse watches the annoyed look cross the Sin's face and concludes that neither of their two pale skinned enemies are lying: they really WILL die if they kill them. 'So we were right all that while ago when Ling was still Ling. (3) The Homunculi really WILL protect us when they have to.' That makes him happy for some reason.
"Ok, fine: no smokes for the mechanic." Envy scratches his head as he huffs in annoyance. "Always ruining my fun," he complains with a pout. Bean girl giggles at him. He cants a brow at her, "You're up?"
"O yes," she smiles at him. "Can I ask you something, Envy-sama?" The Sin stares for a moment.
"-sama?" He blinks. "O what the hell? Shoot."
"Shoot?" she asks nervously.
"… it's… a phrase…" Envy turns to Miles, "Did I remember it wrong?"
Miles shakes his head, "No, you got it right. She's from Xing, remember?"
"…" Envy stares for a moment. 'She is? They never told me that…' He suddenly scowls, "THAT explains it…" He glares at the wall murderously for a second before turning back to the girl, "Okay: "Shoot" is a term used in place of "Go ahead". It normally implies that one should talk or ask what they want."
"Ah… I should write that down…" To everyone's amusement, the bean girl pulls out a pen and paper so she can do just that. When she's done, she turns back to Envy without putting the things away. "Okay… um…" Her large round eyes dart around nervously as a blush coats her face. "Uh… what is sex?"
"…" Envy sighs. "Back to the other conversation, huh?" At the girl's nod, Envy shrugs, "Sex is the act of reproduction for humans. It is also the act of carnal pleasure. It is the gratification of… um… certain… urges."
"Certain?" the bean girl asks as she writes this down.
"Yea… Like…" Envy pauses. "Shit… I can't remember." He frowns and scratches his head. "Kimi?" he turns to the bundle of fox and rabbit. Tired gold eyes peer up at him, soon followed by sleepy baby blues. "Sex. What urge is it satisfying?"
"The need to replicate?" Kimbley tiredly answers.
"Already did that. I mean… you know… THAT part of sex."
"The un-scientific part?"
"Yeah; THAT part."
"Who am I explaining this to?" He eyes the Elrics, "Don't tell me you two are… with…" He glances at Winry for a moment. Edward turns bright red and Alphonse flails.
"NO!"
"Ah… well then, who?"
"Bean girl, here," Envy says as he points to her. Said girl huffs.
"It's Mei. Mei Chang."
"Mei: the Xing girl?" Kimbley sighs. "Sex satisfies a human's urge or desire to be loved, needed, accepted, and—in some cases—owned."
"Owned?"
"As in… having a place of belonging. A place one can return to." Kimbley shrugs slightly and looks down, "A home."
"A home…" Mei repeats as she writes it down. She reads her notes (only legible by her since it's in Xingese) and smiles slowly. "That sounds so beautiful!" She giggles, "I want to have sex!"
Envy and Kimbley choke.
They both eye her warily.
"Um… find the right person first," Envy advises.
"And please, wait until you're LEGAL," Kimbley stresses. "Good God… I forgot what it's like having kids."
"I don't. I'm just used to… mature-immaturity." Envy scratches the back of his neck, "If that makes any sense."
"Sadly, it does." Kimbley sniggers, "When considering who you babysit."
"Anyone who meets Gluttony would understand what I mean." Envy pauses, "No, wait. GREED. If they meet GREED, they'd get it. They'd have to see him… 'in his element' though." They both laugh.
"O yes: Him in his dimly lit bar that smells of beer, sex, blood, and urine, draped over a sofa with numerous 2 cent whores draped on top of him. Yeah… THAT makes you understand mature-immaturity, alright." Kimbley shakes his head in amusement. "Really, you have the most disturbed siblings, Eni."
"O shut up." Envy huffs, "Not like I asked for them. And NO: I do NOT enjoy being 'big brother' to them all!" Envy scowls. "Half the time, I'm like their damn MOTHER." That might be what pisses him off the most. He gets no respect but he is always the one they go to for everything. Even 'Father' turns to him. It's THAT bad. "You know…" He muses, "That may be one reason I love you, Kimi."
Kimbley perks up at this, "Hm?"
"You don't force me to take care of you. Or make me do things I don't want. You just let me be me." Envy thinks about it for a moment. Then he smiles. "Yea… that might be it." He suddenly giggles, "That and the fact that we're so much alike."
"I'm like living corpse." Kimbley states dryly, "Yay…" Envy laughs.
"Yes. Yes, we are."
"That… really isn't something to be happy about…" Alphonse says softly.
"Hey," Kimbley chides. "When you've lived this long, you don't really give two shits anymore." He grins at Envy, "You'd be happy fitting in anywhere. Doesn't matter if all you get is a group of psychopaths." He shrugs, "Plus: I AM one, so does it really matter? It never seemed to before. The only one here who would not have thought I was mad is Winry-san and that is only because she's a sweet girl who doesn't know me at all."
Winry's baby blue eyes blink up at him. "Sure I know you." Kimbley blinks back down at her. "I know that you have killed many people for the same reason everyone else did: for us—the people in the background who couldn't do it themselves. You are military. And like any OTHER military officer, you wear a mask when out on the field. My parents once wrote about those masks in a letter. They described them as false people: dolls. They said that is what the State Alchemists are in times of war.
"You are no different from Colonel Mustang or his Lieutenant. No different than Ed would be. You wore a mask and stood out there for those who couldn't. For those who had families they couldn't leave. For those with other jobs that weren't connected to the military. For those who were too young or too old. For those who didn't have the strength and power to do it themselves—to stand up there with you.
"You're just like my parents, who went out there and died for taking to heart what they believed in. They put on a brave face for all of us and walked out there to help. You did to." Winry smiles and holds it even as Kimbley shakes his head.
"You make me sound like some kind of saint." He chuckles, "I killed because I LIKED it. Not for—!"
"You killed for the mask."
The cave goes silent; even Envy is at a loss for words. Kimbley too is staring silently, confused as to her meaning. Winry just smiles and snuggles closer.
"When one wears a mask, they sometimes forget they have it. And as time goes on, they begin to think they are what they act. They think the mask is the real them. Then they BECOME that mask. And then they go insane."
"… so what I did is okay since I "became my mask"?" Kimbley asks monotone. "That's stupid. You go to any Ishbalan and say that, they'd ripe your face off. Go to the military and they'd ridicule you. Tell a civilian that and they'd… they'd accuse you of being a mass murderer or something. Bad people are bad people, Winry-san. That's all there is to it."
"Bad people don't think they're bad, Kimbley-san." Winry smiles up at him, "But you know you did bad things. You can't be bad."
"I did bad things and I STILL do them." Kimbley counters tiredly, "That makes me worse."
"So you're a horrible person?" Winry shakes her head. "No, I don't think so." She presses a finger against Kimbley's lips when he tries to refute her. "You are only this way because no one gave you this chance. No one told you that you could change. No one tried to help you take off the mask. No one stood up for you. So I will. I know I'm not much; just a country girl with the mind of a mechanic and the heart of a doctor. I can't get far in the military. But…" Winry sits up and stares Kimbley down with determined eyes.
"You… you made me feel good: happy. You put my parents in a light no one else ever bothered to. You said they were passionate and loyal and said you loved that they stuck to their vow as well as they did. You made me PROUD to be their daughter; proud that I am still here; proud that I still have their knowledge and proud that I can use it. You make me WANT to use it. So…" She looks at him with a fire in her eyes that makes him gulp. "I'm going to do that for you! Starting with YOU, Major Miles!" She turns swiftly and points to the mutt. Two sets of wide red eyes stare at her.
"M-me?" Miles asks, pointing to himself. Scar points to his red-eyed brother and mouths 'him?'
"Yes!" Winry stands and pulls Kimbley up by the arm. She drags him over to the Major and pushes him down into Miles' lap. He lands with an "oof!".
"Winry-san—!" Kimbley flails as he tries to get up.
"Stay!" Winry looms menacingly over the Crimson Alchemist. The man stares in shock. He stills. "Now…" Winry relaxes and smiles brightly, "You two are so cute!"
"I think I'm going to faint…" Envy mutters dazedly. He leans against Ed as he stares at the small group on the other side of the cave. "Chibi-san… your girlfriend is NUTS." Ed blushes brightly.
"She is JUST my mechanic!"
Envy stares at Ed uncertainly, "But you like her that way, right?"
Ed stares back, oddly calm as he gazes into purple irises. "… She's like my sister, man, nothing more." Winry nods in agreement.
"He's just my annoyingly dense brother." Ed twitches.
"Who you callin' DENSE?!"
"At least she didn't call you SHORT."
"I'M NOT SHORT, DAMMIT!" Ed fumes. Envy just giggles at him.
"Okay, okay. You're just cute." Envy chuckles as he pets the red faced Elric.
Winry slowly grins as she watches them. "O I get it now!" She giggles. "That's so CUTE!"
"What is?" Mei asks. "And what do you get?"
"Envy-san." Winry giggles as the Sin looks up. "Envy-san likes Ed." Purple eyes widen. "That's why he tried to analyze my relationship with Ed. And why he likes to tease Ed all the time. It's also why he likes to fight him; a touch is a touch, after all."
"…" Envy stares at her incredulously. "You're totally insane." No one can ignore the telltale blush on his face though.
"Am I?" Winry giggles. "Think about it: you stalk him, thought about his safety first (though whether it was before or after you thought of Kimbley-san, I don't know), you don't mind being near him, even now you're brushing up against him for any contact you can get, you love to make him blush, you love hearing his voice (that's actually why you crack all those short jokes), and you really don't want him to die."
"I TOLD you, he can't die because Father will kill me." Envy huffs and quickly scoots away from Ed.
"Is that all you can refute?" Winry asks with s smirk.
"…" Envy stares at the ground. "… I did think of Kimi first. My Human ALWAYS comes first." From across the room, Kimbley smiles.
"So you agree that you like being near Ed and touching him, like to see him blush and love hearing his voice?"
"…" Envy shifts under the boy's golden stare. He bites his lip and nods; he can't seem to speak past the burn in his throat.
Winry smiles, "You're in love with Ed." Envy chokes.
"That's nuts!" he cries. His voice scratches his throat. "He's a human! I don't even—! I'm not even capable of—!" Envy gives a panicky twitch and stares at the wall. "I can't—"
"You like being with him. You like to touch him, even if it means pain." Envy hates pain. HATES it. So why is her statement true? "You like to make him flustered and know that it's YOU who makes him that way." O yes, he LOVES to do that. "You love his voice, even if he's mad at you and yelling at you and even if it HURTS to hear him hate you. You still love it." That's… true too. And it DOES hurt. It hurts a LOT.
"Shit…"
Winry smiles sadly as the Sin chews his nail. Part of her feels bad since Ed is right THERE but… She knows this has to be done. Who knows? Maybe it'll help in the long run? Maybe… Envy will stay with them? If Ed doesn't break his heart. She glares at said Alchemist.
Ed sighs. He glances at Envy and blushes. The Sin doesn't notice. The blonde fiddles with his braid as he thinks (and he has to or Winry will bring the pain like no tomorrow). So… Envy… likes him? As in… Like-like? Love-like? Arg, he sounds like a fucking GIRL. Ed's brow twitches.
Okay, okay… so… What about Ed? This seems serious enough on Envy's part. Ed glances at him and sees the Sin is worrying his nails, purple eyes filled with confusion and … fear? Why does that… annoy Ed? Because he's used to Envy being tough and bigheaded? Maybe. Or… is it because he… doesn't want Envy to be scared? Well that IS true, but why? Why does he not want Envy to be scared or afraid of…
Ed's eyes widen.
'I don't want him to be scared of ME.' But… wouldn't it be GOOD if the Homunculus is scared of him? He could get information out of him or get him to stop fighting or even force him to lead them to the one he calls 'Father'. Maybe get him to fight alongside—wait… WHY would he want THAT?
*"You know… That may be one reason I love you, Kimi. … You don't force me to take care of you. Or make me do things I don't want. You just let me be me."*
He doesn't like being controlled…
'So I can get the information another way. By… ASKING him. I could even ask him to help us, rather than force him to. Maybe… this won't be too bad?' Ed eyes the Sin who is staring blankly at the ground. 'Besides… It would be nice… I think. To just… TALK to him.'
Now how to SAY that?
Ed blinks. Well… it's not just his voice that Envy likes, right? 'It'd be nice to not have to fight him too.'
The group watch in awe as Ed carefully leans over and kisses Envy's cheek. They watch in fascination as both turn bright neon red. They all stare.
The next thing they know, Envy is on Ed, straddling his waist and pushing his fingers into Ed's braid. They're attached at the mouth now, Ed's left hand (his only hand) pushing Envy's head down and closer to him. Then he's using that same hand to pull the Sin up and away. Ed gasps for air.
"Humans need to BREATH, Envy," he wheezes. Said Sin blinks dazedly. Ed stares at him. Then he smirks, "Whatever," and pulls him back down.
Alphonse covers his eyes and Winry giggles in a corner. Scar long since fainted and Mei grins as she takes notes. Kimbley sighs.
"Kimbley…" Miles murmurs. Gold eyes turn to lock momentarily with his red. Then Kimbley looks away with a frown.
"Hm?" he hums as he waits for a reply.
"Can…" Miles pause as he tries to find the right words.
"Get off of you?" Kimbley sneers. He winces at his own biting tone but shrugs, "Sure." When he moves, however, Miles pulls him back down.
"NO." The Major grunts as he holds the Alchemist closer. "I… Will you stay with me?"
Kimbley stares blankly at the wall for a moment. "You're warm enough."
"No, I mean… 'forever'." Miles shifts and fiddles with his sleeve.
"… Humans don't have forever." Kimbley smiles slightly as Miles deflates against him. "Rest of this life sounds good though…" This time, Kimbley is the one to deflate as Miles hugs him tightly.
Near the fire, a bundle of fur shifts. Black eyes peer at the humans and Sin before closing. Xiao-Mei goes back to sleep.
Wow… 7,971 words (that was according to Microsoft Word; according to FF, I have 8,600+ words)! I might continue this if I get enough reviews.