Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Fullmetal Alchemist nor do I claim to.

This has kind of turned into a 2003 anime/BH hybrid of sorts that ultimately ends up being a post-promised day AU. Weird, I know, just roll with it!

Warning: This story will contain incest, violence, and explicit adult scenes in later chapters.

Chapter 1

The warm stillness of the summer night air in Amestris was only disturbed by the sounds of a skirmish. The clangs of metal on metal, the squelching sounds of slamming flesh on flesh reverberated through the dimly lit streets of Central. Everyone seemed to be too busy eating dinner and tucking their children in for bed to notice the sounds coming from yet another battle between a State Alchemist and a homunculus. Though, this time things were different; unexpectedly so in fact for one homunculus known as Envy the Jealous.

Envy had his transformed blade of an arm pressed against the throat of Edward Elric. The pathetic alchemist was pinned against the ground, helpless and squirming beneath him. He had beaten him, finally. This was the moment he had been waiting on for years after he found out the truth: that he had finally been replaced. He had been constantly fantasizing about this moment that he would end the life of the Fullmetal Alchemist.

So then, why couldn't he do it? What the fuck was wrong with him that he couldn't just bring down his blade one more inch and finally finish off the shrimp?

Edward stared up at Envy, hatred relentlessly burning in the endless pools of his golden eyes. Envy hated that look. He wanted the stupid Pipsqueak to give up, to beg for his life! It couldn't end this way, not when there was still fight in him.

Growling, Envy finally released Edward from his iron grip, and the blonde alchemist stumbled backwards, bewilderment evident on his features.

"Wh-what the fuck? Why did you just let me go?" Edward stammered. He just didn't know when to give up. He was all beat to fucking hell, cut up and bruised and yet he was still going to stand there and argue with Envy? The sheer arrogance of it was astounding.

Envy folded his arms and began walking away. "I was told not to kill you, as much as I'd like to." He rolled his eyes, but continued on with his story. "You're just too easy to beat I guess, Fullmetal Shrimp. You can live, this time." Dante's calculations had been wrong from the start, and she no longer had any use for Edward Elric. Envy was free to do what he wished with him, though he wasn't about to let the Pipsqueak in on that bit.

"Who are you working for, Envy?" Edward demanded, waving his automail arm around comically. The short transmuted blade glinted menacingly as he did, effectively removing any trace of humor as Envy remembered how much that little thing HURT.

Envy shot Edward a scathing look over his shoulder.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Pipsqueak."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A RUNT SO SMALL THAT HE HAS TO ASK A FLEA TO TIE HIS SHOE LACES FOR HIM YOU JERK?!"

"Wow, that's a new one." Envy had been picking at his fingers. He yawned, feigning boredom; and at the same time trying to suppress a laugh at the sudden outburst. He should have known it was coming.

"Shut up! Just shut up! You don't get to talk, homunculus!" Edward spat, continuing his rant as he came at Envy with full force. The sin was still struggling to compose himself by this point, though he nimbly dodged the sharp blade and grabbed Edward's wrist with one hand. He immobilized the automail arm easily with a sneer.

"DAMNIT!" Ed swung with his left flesh arm and hit Envy square in the jaw. Hard.

"OW! That hurt!" Envy cried, releasing Edward's metal arm and holding his hand to his jaw which crackled with red sparks, healing the bruise that had almost instantly formed.

That was Edward's opportunity. With his automail arm free, he quickly jabbed and struck Envy in the stomach.

Envy howled, the sharp blade piercing his gut cleanly. "NO YOU DON'T!" He shrieked, grabbing Edward, who's blade was momentarily still stuck inside of Envy, and flung him over his head, sending him flying into the wall. Edward hit the wall with a sickening thud, and Envy thought he could hear bones crack.

Oh shit.

Envy clutched his middle, waiting for the red lightning to do it's job as the gaping wound began to close on it's own as soon as the intrusive blade had been dislodged.

Edward laid against the wall, still. He was still breathing, but it looks like his shoulder was dislocated and he had broken a few ribs.

"You... fucker... " Edward groaned weakly, still managing to glare daggers in Envy's direction.

At least he was still alive, Envy thought glumly as he gingerly made his way over to the fallen alchemist.

Edward was breathing hard, and he was pale. His bangs stuck to his forehead with sweat, he was drenched in it. He wasn't looking good.

Envy didn't quite mean to throw him that hard, but damnit, that little blade fucking hurt! Sometimes he didn't know his own strength.

Envy looked around uselessly, unsure of exactly what to do in this situation. He wasn't ready to kill Edward... not yet, anyway. And the last thing he wanted to do was leave him to die on his own... there was no fun in that! But how was he supposed to make sure the bastard would actually get better long enough for Envy to rip him to shreds and make sure his hopes and dreams died along with his body?

Groaning in exasperation, Envy knelt down to Edward and poked awkwardly at his shoulder.

"Agggh!" Edward cried out in agony. "Stop that you bastard!"

"Oh. I see. Let me help you with that." Envy gained a maniacal look before putting both hands on Edward's shoulder and tweaking it forcefully, causing the joint to pop back into place.

Edward screamed a string of curses so colorful it even made Envy smirk.

"Quit being such a baby, baby alchemist." Envy taunted, causing Edward to bristle even further, but then appeared to reign himself in. Oddly enough he didn't retort like he normally did. He merely rubbed his shoulder and glared up at the brackish haired homunculus.

"What'd you do that for?" He questioned, much to Envy's dismay. Edward had that horrible inquisitive look about him now that he tended to get when he was trying hard to figure something out. "Are you helping me?"

Envy was hoping Edward would simply assume he was trying to cause more pain, rather than help the damned shorty alchemist. No such luck.

Envy snarled, instantly getting defensive. "Of course I'm not helping you, you damned idiot! I just don't want you to die before I can get my revenge!" His voice raised several octaves towards the end, before he realized he said too much. He looked away quickly, his canines baring dangerously.

"Revenge for what? I've never done anything to you, Envy. Why do you hate me so much?" Edward coughed a little, some blood staining the corner of his mouth. But his voice had gotten calmer, warmer somehow, and it infuriated Envy even further. Why was he being all fucking nice all of the sudden?

He stared back at Edward, hatred and malice and something else gleaming in his violet irises. For once, he was at a loss for words. He couldn't just outright tell the stupid Pipsqueak that he was actually his half-brother-replacement. That fucking Hohenheim. If only Envy could have just killed him years ago, those two little brats would have never even been born.

So, rather than coming up with some snarky some back like he normally would, Envy simply turned to leave. The Pipsqueak was well enough to get out of here on his own and find help, and Envy was honestly done with this conversation.

"Envy wait! Why won't you damned homunculi ever give me a straight answer to my questions?" Edward demanded, shakily trying to get to his feet to chase after the sin.

God, won't he ever give up?

Envy spun on his heel and glared daggers at Edward. Something close to tears pricked dangerously at Envy's eyes, but that's as far as it went. He hadn't cried since he was a disgusting human and that wasn't going to change any time soon.

Edward ignored the look Envy was giving him and kept advancing. He had his flesh arm over his torso, clutching his broken ribs as he slowly made his way over to the homunculus. He feebly swung at Envy with his automail fist, and Envy simply sidestepped the sluggish attack, giving Edward a look of pity mixed with astonishment.

Even when he was beaten down and broken, he never gave up. How pathetic.

Edward swung at Envy a few more times before finally falling over in a heap. He was knocked out cold. He definitely exerted himself too much, like the idiot he was.

Sighing in exasperation, Envy bent to swing Ed's dead weighted body over his shoulders.

Well, he couldn't just leave him there. He rationalized it to himself that if he did then the shrimp might just die right there on the floor, and Envy wasn't going to let that happen just yet.

Envy had a secret spot just outside of Central that he liked to call his own, a hidden little cabin disguised by overgrown foliage and rocks that no one knew about but him. Not even Dante's prying eyes could find him here.

That's where he brought Edward, and he put him up on his old stinky little couch. He even put a cold cloth on his stupid sweaty forehead.

The damned prick, getting himself all fucked up like that. Not that Envy wasn't at fault, but that was besides the point. Envy's thoughts raced. He simply sat on a wooden chair opposite Edward and waited for him to wake up. This wasn't going to be pretty, he knew, but what else was he to do? The stupid alchemist went and overdid it and tried to get himself killed without Envy's permission.

But why did he care so much? That's the part Envy couldn't wrap his brain around. He wasn't used to not being able to understand his own thoughts. Envy could have just ended him back there, and called it a day. He sat there and stared long and hard at the slumbering form of Edward. He just couldn't make heads or tails of his own way of thinking, but inside his head it made perfect sense so why worry about it?

Envy didn't realize this was the result of a long-forming obsession with the Fullmetal Alchemist.


Edward stirred slightly, and his eyes began to flutter open. It took him a moment to realize he had been moved, and that the last thing he remembered was fighting with Envy.

He began to flail, causing the cloth that was on his forehead to fly off before being painfully reminded of his broken ribs. He gasped for air before finally his eyes rested on the figure sat in the chair before him.

Envy had since gone into a sort of 'hibernation' state as he waited for Edward to awaken. He sat hunched over in his chair with his eyes open but slightly glazed. He had a 'nobody's home' look about him, and was unconscious for all intents and purposes.

Edward seemed to sense that he wasn't in any danger at the moment, so remained calm, though he was still on full alert.

Envy's eyes slowly came back into focus as his brain told him things were happening on the outside world, and he snapped back instantly into consciousness. He gave Edward a dubious look, then proceeded to act as though he hadn't been doing anything out of the ordinary.

"The fuck are you staring at, Pipsqueak?" He grunted, though there was not much malice behind his words. Edward understood this, but still narrowed his eyes.

"Where did you take me?" He asked warily, choosing not to ask about Envy's strange state previously. Edward began to look around the shabby-looking cabin for the first time and really took in his surroundings. He realized he had been laying on a flea-bitten couch that smelled like mildew and the single window in the place was cracked. He was pretty sure he had seen a cockroach run across the floor in front of him as well.

Envy glowered at him. "None of your damned business. Now hurry up and get better so you can fuck off." He replied haughtily, standing up to shove a glass of water underneath Edward's nose. "Drink."

Edward froze, his eyes sliding down to the beverage practically being forced down his throat. Could he really trust this homunculus to not have put some kind of freaky poison in this?

"Damnit, I don't have all day!" Envy was getting impatient, and pushed the glass harder against Edward's face.

"Fine, fine! I'll drink. Geez." He finally gave in after giving the water a sniff test, deciding it's unlikely it was laced with any kind of poison he was familiar with at least.

Edward took a few tentative sips while eyeing Envy warily, who was sulking over in the corner of his dark little cabin. What was with him? Edward didn't trust this situation at all.

Envy was not acting normal. This had to be all some kind of trick or joke he was playing, trying to fuck with his mind or something.

Edward remembered reading some stories about kidnapping victims becoming close to their captors in some sick demented kind of relationship. He shuddered at the thought of being Envy's prisoner.

Envy walked over to the lone window and peered out of it. He looked like he was paranoid about something, and he squinted as the sun shone in his eyes as it began to set in the distance. It slowly was disappearing behind the tall buildings of Central in the distance.

"So, are you gonna tell me why you brought me here? Do you plan to torture me until I die?" Edward asked in a mocking tone, not really intending to get a real answer.

"I already told you. I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to just die on me and obviously your mouth is working just fine!" Envy scowled, throwing his hands in the air for dramatic effect. "Why don't you just fuck off now and save us both the trouble." He grumbled and continued looking out the window.

"Fine. I will." Edward said stubbornly, and moved to get up. He groaned in pain and ended up not getting more than a few inches in the air before he fell backwards onto the couch again. The bruising and swelling was setting in, making it hard to move. "Damnit..."

Envy rolled his eyes, refusing to look back at Edward but listening nonetheless to his futile struggling behind him.

"Will you pipe down over there. I'm trying to watch the God-damned sunset." Envy complained, just trying to think of some kind of excuse to gripe at the broken alchemist on his couch.

"What ever." Edward grumbled, trying to roll over on the couch, hissing in pain as his ribs protested against the movement. He was going to get out of here one way or another, even if it killed him. He wouldn't accept pity from the likes of that homunculus, no siree.

It wasn't long before sleep took the small alchemist, and he fell into a fretful, restless sleep.


Envy migrated back over to him after he was sure Edward had fallen asleep, and he continued to stare at his prone form. Tilting his head slightly, greenish-black locks of hair fanned over his perfected sculptured face as he inspected the blonde alchemist closely for the first time. He wasn't going to waste this opportunity to get a better look at what his good-for-nothing father replaced him with.

The moonlight shone in the single window, highlighting Edward's face. It danced off of Ed's hair, further emphasizing that horribly, beautiful golden color it was. Envy always hated it. This crazy little antennae too, the one that refused to stay in place with the rest of his hair. It just stuck straight up like the unruly little shit it was, much like it's owner. It made him wince to acknowledge Ed's features, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. He really looked very similar to how Envy had looked in life, and it drove him crazy. It was a constant reminder of what he never was allowed to be. He could have achieved so much, if he had been allowed to live. He would have out surpassed even the shrimp in alchemic talent. He was envious of the life Edward was allowed to live, and wished it was his. It's all he could think about anymore. He no longer cared about missions or Dante or her stupid dreams of immortality. Envy had immortality but it didn't make him happy. He wanted what Edward had.

He wanted to be human, to love and be loved. But that was never going to happen. Homunculus weren't capable of having human emotions. That's what Dante always told him. So then why did he feel so many of them?

Dante always did say he was the most 'unrefined' one. The first homunculus. The mistake. Not only was he no longer human, but he wasn't even a perfect homunculus either. Just his fucking luck.

Envy noticed Edward's eyeballs were moving around beneath his lids like he was dreaming. Envy idly wondered what he was dreaming about. He wished he could dream, but that was only for humans. Sure, he could go into shut-down mode and pass out for a while to kill time but he never dreamed. It was merely a state of 'unawareness' that made the time go by quickly. It was really rather similar to human sleep, in a way. Truthfully, Envy was very similar to humans in most ways. He used to be one, after all, and he can still remember some things from his old life. Not that he wanted to, though. Even the good, mushy memories of his childhood before Dante went ape shit made him queasy now.

Feeling very confused, Envy held his own head in his hands. He should be giddy, having the Fullmetal Alchemist at his mercy at last, but all he could feel was remorse and pain and worst of all, envy. It finally took this to make him see. It all made sense now. He envied Edward for having everything he had been denied of. The reality set in as Envy stared at Edward's still body which had finally gone into a peaceful sleep after several hours.

Motherfucker. Why did it have to be him? Anyone but him.