Edward flashed a grin at Envy, his best friend. "Heya Envy. I was wondering," Edward liked to ramble around Envy, because it meant he got more time with the palm tree, "do the French make French Toast?" Ed knew that was an extremely moronic question, but can you honestly blame him?
Envy whacked his friend's head. "Stupid, no. They just make toast." Edward grinned and rubbed his head stupidly.
"Oh yeah, heheh." Envy rolled his eyes and tugged his back pack closer to him.
"C'mon, Pipsqueak, let's get to class." Ed glared.
"Who are you calling so small he can't even reach his locker?!" he exclaimed. Envy laughed and began walking backwards tauntingly.
"You," he teased. "You're also too short to beat me in a sprint."
"Who are you calling too short to win a race?!" Edward thundered in annoyance.
Edward hadn't seen hide nor hair of Envy as of late; he'd taken refuge in the library with his phone on vibrate, waiting for Envy to call him or something.
"Edo!" The blond jumped, dropping the stack of books he'd been carrying, swearing angrily in another language. Envy stood, his hands on his hips, smirking at the blond. "You klutz. God, Edward." Envy shook his head, kneeling to help pick up the books. "What the hell is this shit?" he hissed. "Shakespeare? Edgar Allan Poe? What the fuck?"
"Shut up," Edward hissed, snatching two of the four books Envy had picked up. "What did you come for?" Ed asked conversationally as he began towards the desk to check the books out, Envy following.
"What?" Envy pouted and Ed bit back a blush. "Can't I browse the books?"
Ed stared at his empty hands pointedly. "Huh. I've never seen an invisible book before, Envy," the blond teased. Envy flashed a sheepish smile.
"Damn. Well, I just wanted to talk to you. Apologize for not seeing you lately." Ed sighed and went to respond with the usual 'it's cool, Envy' when the green-ette cut him off. "It's not 'cool', as you would say, Brat. I was with someone all weekend." Edward felt his pulse quicken. "God, he's wonderful."
"…Oh." Ed forced a smile at the librarian and then turned the same one on Envy. "Well, I'm happy for you, Envy. I really am." But that was a lie. He could taste the bile in those words as they rolled off his tongue with practiced ease. Ed was used to having to lie to Envy. "Yep. Great." He was rambling again.
"You okay, Edo?" Envy asked suddenly, placing the back of his hand on the blond's forehead. "You're red." Envy winked tauntingly. "Maybe you should be green with Envy." He rolled his eyes at the lameness of his own joke and Edward forced a weak laugh. If only he knew how true that was. The green haired teen scooped up the four books Ed was taking and grabbed the blond's elbow, leading him out.
Alphonse frowned slightly as he heard something upstairs break… Again. Ed was throwing a fit. Envy stared at the ceiling in concern.
"Should we check on him?" Envy asked the younger brother of the two. Alphonse glanced at the ceiling and smiled at Envy.
"No. Brother is fine. He always is." Those words tasted like bile on Alphonse's lips as he spoke them. "So, Envy…"
Winry sighed into the phone, listening to Ed rant about something. "Wait, what did you just say to me?!" Winry exclaimed.
"Er… Envy's found someone, Win." Ed's voice cracked at the end.
Winry saw red. "Oh fuck no he did not! And it's not you?"
"Uh. No. Don't you listen?"
"Alright. I'll be over in ten. Tie him to the chair and I'll beat some sense into that idiot!" Winry cried out. Edward sighed and hung up on the girl, shutting his phone off. Sighing, Ed fell back on to his bed and stared at the picture of him, Envy, and Sugarsun last month at Sugar's birthday. The blond's metal hand curled around the wooden frame of the photograph and he had every intention of throwing it at the door, but something stopped him. He dropped it onto his bed and hid his face in his hands after taking off his gloves and jacket.
"Envy looks at me," he whispered, choking slightly as he tried not to cry. "I fake a smile so he won't see…" The blond teen let out a hysteric sob. "What I want and I need him… Everything that we could be…"
Alphonse glanced worriedly up at the ceiling where a sob was heard. Envy glanced up as well from his coffee, wondering what was wrong with his best friend. He was worried and that fact worried him. Ed was usually extremely strong; he rarely cried unless he knew he'd lost something forever. Envy wondered what he lost… Alphonse resisted the urge to punch the green haired teen beside him.
Ed ran his flesh hand through his hair, glowering darkly at the picture he had in front of him. "I bet he's beautiful, that boy he talked about…" Edward snorted. Fucking Envy… "And he got everything that I have to live without…" Pain dripped from the words, tainting Ed's usually lovely singing voice.
Envy slid his chair back and smiled nervously at the younger Elric who reeked of anger and killer intent, all directed towards the palm tree. "I should probably go… I wanted to check in with the Pipsqueak but I promised Wrath I'd meet him."
Alphonse's eyes turned dark. "Who is Wrath?"
Envy blinked. "Oh, uh, my boyfriend."
"Out." Alphonse was shaking in rage as Envy tore from the house in fear.
"Envy talks to me," Edward sighed and kicked the picture off the bed, cringing as the glass cracked. "I laugh 'cause it's so damn funny…" Edward pulled his knees to his chest, his golden eyes filling with tears. "I can't… Even see anyone when he's with me…" Envy and his stupid laugh, his stupid, perfect laugh, his stupid face, his stupid, perfect face… Ed had it bad…
Edward fumbled with his phone, turning it on. He was prepared to face Winry's wrath for hanging up on her. When the stupid piece of technology loaded, he winced. The text message was from Envy. It was an apology accompanied with gushing over his new boyfriend and how Ed should meet him… Wrath. Edward scoffed but it came out as a sob and he threw the phone at the door in anger. He smiled dryly as it shattered and he compared it to how his heart was feeling.
"He said he's so in love… He's finally got it right…" Ed was running out of things to throw. Well, he could always throw himself out the window, but that might traumatize Al so no. There was a light knock on the door before it slid open slightly and the tall form of Alphonse Elric slid in before shutting the door.
"Brother?" Al picked his way through the mess of Ed's room made even messier from his tantrum earlier. Ed looked at his brother dryly.
"I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at night…" Al put his arm around his brother's shoulders and rubbed the flesh shoulder, holding the teen alchemist against him. "'Cause he's the reason for blood running down my arm, the only thing that protects my heart from harm…" Al sighed and rested his chin on the shorter boy's hair. "He's the crack in the alley I keeping smokin' don't know why, I do…"
Ed closed his eyes, watching in his mind as Envy would pass him in the hall. "Envy walks by me… Dude, I wish that I could breathe." Ed stared at his hands before his eyes flickered to the picture frame. "And there he went, so perfectly, the kind of flawless that I want to be…"
Alphonse nuzzled his brother's head. "Oh, Brother."
Ed met his brother's eyes. "Wrath better hold him tight, give Envy all his love," Ed whispered, his voice cracking. "Look in those beautiful eyes and know he's lucky, 'cause…" Ed let out nerve wracking sobs, his small frame shuddering pitifully, shaking the bed frame and his brother as well.
The youngest Elric sighed, untying Ed's hair. He ran his fingers through it, unbraiding the gold hair making it wavy.
"'Cause Envy's the reason for the blood running down my arm, the only thing that protects my heart from harm…" Ed clutched his shirt where his heart was as the tears came back, choking up his voice. "He's the crack in the alley I keep smokin' don't know why, I do…" Alphonse continued soothingly running his fingers through the golden locks, whispering Ed's name repeatedly, sorrow dripping from his voice.
"When I walk home alone and I climb in bed, I put our picture down," Edward glanced wistfully at the picture frame that was on the other side of the room, "and hope I fall asleep tonight…" Ed sighed and leaned against his brother who had picked up the hair brush and was bushing Edward's hair. "Envy…" the older blond whispered, his automail hand clenching in a fist squeaking as it did.
Al sighed and set the hair brush to the side in favor of rubbing his brother's flesh shoulder. "'Cause he's the reason for the blood running down my arm," Ed and Al both looked down at Ed's exposed flesh arm. It was wrapped up sloppily and angry cuts, bleeding cuts, and scars were visible through the red stained wrappings. "The only thing that protects my heart from harm…." A new wave of sobs hit Edward and Alphonse heard his brother's voice growing hoarse. "He's the crack in the alley I keep smokin' don't know why, I do…" Ed sobbed loudly over the sound of the door slamming open. "He's the drugs that I use, he's the crack I abuse…"
Footsteps thundered up the stairs and the door to Ed's room burst open, revealing Winry and her wrench. "He's the sin that I'd be sinning for…" The blond in the door way blinked and looked around in confusion at the shredded room and her eyes caught sight of Ed's broken cellular phone. She picked it up and made her way to Ed's bed, sitting on his other side. She began fiddling with his phone, putting it back together.
"Envy grins at me," Winry let out a proud 'ah-ha' and handed Ed his fixed phone. He gave her a heartbreakingly sad smile as he took it, turning it back on. "I fake a grin back so he won't see…" Alphonse and Winry jumped in shock as Edward's phone started ringing.
"How ironic," the blond in question whispered, staring at the technology in his hands. One word flashed across the screen.
Envy.