Forward note: While Mustang typically refers to them as a "he", Envy is gender ambiguous in this story unless they provide their body with a set gender. This is based on the fact that in the anime Envy refers to themselves by name rather than a gendered pronoun regardless of what others used to identify them. Ultimately, this is fiction, don't be alarmed by it.
Smoldering flesh had never smelled so sickeningly pungent before, and it wasn't as if the scent were unfamiliar, however old the memory of it may have been. Perhaps that was because the scent had never lingered about their own body, had never rose in smoking tendrils from their own flesh-until now. The scent was smothering in its all encompassing aroma, but worse than the smell was the pain. The physical act of burning alive repeatedly was a new agony never before known to them, never in all their long years had they endured the sensation of melting within a raging inferno, perfectly crafted skin flaking off in scorched chunks and dissolving to ash before it touched the stone floor beneath their crumpled, smoking form. Another snap echoed within the confines of the underground tunnels, and the homunculus writhed in renewed torment, a scream both of pain and terror ripping from their lips as their body writhed within the flames.
In a macabre irony, Envy had a brief moment between the bursts of vengeful fire to realize that they were indeed dancing for the alchemist, a dance of agony, of fear, and what would ultimately be their death.
It shouldn't have been like this, what should I do now? How am I going to get out of here?! Envy's mind raced for some sort of plausible escape, their barely reconstructed eyes flitting from the injured Riza Hawkeye to the approaching boots of their executioner, and then to the empty corridor that expanded into darkness to their left.
The next waves of fire rushed forward, encircling their body and stealing the oxygen from their lungs before their screech could resonate. The roar of the flame resonated menacingly in their ears, and as they struggled to remain in a kneeling position, their eyes became fixed on the boots that had carried their tormentor to them. Envy was unable to pull a mask of indifference, malice, or playfulness over their face as they glanced upward; fear rolled off them in quaking tremors as they beheld the face of the human who had brought them so low. Destruction was imminent, it was written in coal black eyes that burned with hatred and disgust, pinning the homunculus to the stone floor and leaving no room for any hope of survival.
They felt the grip of death at their throat, the mania of being helplessly defeated and cornered tearing the ability to even try and think of moving away from their thought process. In desperation, Envy fell back on the one emotion that clawed its way up from the bowels of their terror-rage. "Don't you dare look down on me human!" Their snarl, a bitter defiance against the clearly out matched and, to Envy's mind, unfair situation, was abruptly ended in another explosive barrage. Their shrieks and howls of pain echoed throughout the chamber until at last the fire extinguished itself, along with the remains of their beautifully crafted form.
With what small strength they had remaining, the homunculus, now little more than a murky green leech, abandoned the disintegrating bones of its former self, and sluggishly tried to crawl away. A heavy boot pressed down upon them with crushing force, the air around them thick with the growl of Roy Mustang's voice as he berated them for being ugly, a sting that Envy knew all too well, but was too afraid to retort about. No, Envy was preoccupied with screaming for their life now, and watching with horror as the Colonel's gloved fingers poised to snap a final time.
Flying head over tail through the air was the last thing Envy expected to be experiencing, and being caught and held firmly in Edward Elric's hand was just as bewildering for their brain to try and process. The exchange of vehement words between the young alchemist and his superior were punctuated by cold interjections from Scar and a resigned Hawkeye. Envy found that listening to the four of them bicker and plead with each other was grating at best.
Why are they trying to reason with each other? We worked so hard to instill hatred in them, for them to be enemies, how are they not attacking each other now? Their brain couldn't fathom the inconsistencies of human logic. Enemies could adapt to trusting one another, working together toward some greater goal regardless of past hatred or injury. It didn't make sense. The quarreling was stifled by the Flame Alchemist's furious shout and an eruption of flame down an empty corridor. Envy reacted viscerally, shuddering within Edward's gloved fist and sucking in air through clenched teeth. Much to their surprise, the human slumped to the floor, apologizing of all things, and with Hawkeye's joining collapse, a strange stillness permeated the tunnel.
"Are you all serious? You can't possibly be willing to set aside your hatred so easily can you? Are you playing some game at being humane now? You're making my skin crawl!" Envy's voice was tiny, but the high pitched squeaking carried with it the venom and frustration they felt rolling within. "Mustang! How can you sit there and do nothing when the man responsible for countless murders is right in front of you! How many alchemists have died at his hand?! Pipsqueak, don't you remember that Scar killed your friend's parents? He's also the one who slaughtered that poor chimera girl in East City! And Scar! You're staring at two of the greatest enemies of Ishval! Mustang turned your home into a living hell, and that woman took pride in being the best sniper in the military, picking off your brothers from a safe hole!" Frantic desperation was creeping into Envy's voice, the angry tremor of their tone steadily climbing to a howl of confused rage. "How can you all just get along?! Kill each other! Fight and cry! Crawl on the floor and die! Why are you just sitting there!? Why!?" Ragged breathing followed the sudden outburst, but a new voice pulled Envy's attention upward, to the honey gold eyes of Edward Elric.
"Envy, you're jealous of humans, aren't you?" The question was more of a statement, as if the boy were reading a fact out of a book. Much to the homunculus' dismay, he continued in his observations. "Humans are supposed to be so much weaker than you homunculi, but when we fall, when we make mistakes, we have people to support us, to help us stand up and keep walking, keep moving forward, and you, you're jealous of that." He gazed down at the bulbous violet eyes in a sympathetic look of understanding, and it was all Envy could do not to implode within his hand.
Humans? I'm jealous of humans? Of course I am, but how can he know that?! I've never let on, I never said anything! Did I? Envy's mind raced, pulling up memories of mocking taunts and observations they had made in the recent years regarding humanity, and indeed, there was a heavy note of bitter longing to their commentary, even to their behavior. Antagonistic, violently spiteful, teasing, and unexpectedly helpful-Envy had been all of these with the humans, either for their own desires or to further Father's mission.
Father, why did he make me this way? It's not fair, I shouldn't have to suffer this way, what choice did I even have? Now I've failed, and this brat is rubbing my face in it like I'm some worthless dog. A hiss passed their lips as they began struggling, squishing and stretching their small body up and out of Edward's gloved fist forcefully. An attempt at halting their escape was met with a nasty bite, the sting of splatting onto the stone floor lessened by the knowledge that they had successfully injured the brat in some small way. Envy was unable to enjoy their insignificant triumph in the wake of reality however, and as they circled around to take in the four faces looking down on their unsightly weakness, the feelings of loss and despair began to surge up in an overwhelming tidal wave. Their very core shuddered with the weight of it all.
"It's so disgraceful, beaten to a rag by you humans, an existence like this? And worst of it all, the lowest of all of you, is the one who understands me? I, Envy? Jealous of humans? I, Envy?!" Trying to deny it was the most feeble attempt at holding back the deluge of emotion. The wail that clawed its way out of Envy's small maw seemed to spill forth from their very core, their small body quaking as it tumbled side ways to sob brokenly on the cold floor. It didn't matter anymore, there was no point in trying to hide it, no point in fighting for the pride of being a homunculus, no point in trying to be the best for Father, nothing mattered now, everything was going to end soon.
Slowly, the worm that had once been a feared aggressor staggered up from the floor, tears leaking freely from glassy eyes as it squatted into a seated position and chuckled bitterly. "I don't know how long you can get by with that attitude, but do try your best." Offering encouragement was the final way that Envy could think of to close out their existence. It was a final jab at their own nature, giving support to a human. Edward was right, to a certain extent.
Each of the homunculi had been concerned with their own inner battles, the war to deny the cravings their origins dictated they endure, the fear of failure and what it would cost, once Greed had abandoned them all things had changed dramatically, and a coldness had settled over their familial interactions. Though if Envy thought back on their time spent together, Lust and Gluttony had likely been the closest to them that could have tried to become that support the humans had. Even Greed had at one time claimed all his siblings were his, before he left, but over time that sentiment had waned thin until it was hollow and meaningless. Envy hadn't helped to keep any of it from happening, and now here they were, seeking a way to be rid of the pain, tired of fighting and denying the wretched existence they lived. There was only one way to be free.
It was with difficulty that their stubby arms reached deep within their own maw, fumbling about for the crimson stone that was lodged within, pumping and glowing with what minimal energy remained to it. They would pull it out, snap the tendrils that connected their body to their core, crush it if necessary, whatever it took to be rid of their pathetic excuse for life. As they began to pull the stone out from their mouth a surge of alchemic light rushed across their body. The force of it was enough to distract Envy's movements, their stone submerging back within their throat instinctively. Much to their dismay, Envy found their stubby limbs restrained to their sides by a stone fist. Even at their lowest moment, they were denied an end from the agony and humiliation.
"Why?!" Their scream was broken, confusion and despair heavy with each syllable. "What more do you want from me? You've incinerated me, boiled my eyes, riddled me with bullets, destroyed my pride, ripped me open with your damned insight, and now you won't let me die?! You all want me dead anyway! What difference does it make if I do it myself?" Hitching breath caught on a sob as a new rush of tears spilled from their eyes. Envy tried to get a good look at which of them might be coming to end their existence, but found it was Edward's face once again that had moved in close to them. The boy's eyes held a strange look that Envy couldn't comprehend, it was a hard gaze, but compassionate. His voice was steady, confident of all things, and Envy found to their own shock that it was comforting.
"I'm not going to let you die Envy. I've spent more time with you than anyone here, and I know that you've caused a lot of damage, but I also know that you've shown the ability to help, and I think you could learn to be better than what you were made to be. Greed was able to come to terms with his problems, and he's fighting with us, fighting against your father. You could do the same. You can have a chance to change. You don't have to face it alone."
Try as they might, Envy couldn't get their brain to function properly enough to come up with a scathing retort to any of Edward's words. In fact, they were certain they simply felt a new wash of tears bathing their face, it was disturbing to say the least. Was it possible that there was hope in this situation?
Why does he have to look at me like this? As if he can just make everything better. Mustang or Hawkeye will still kill me. Greed turned on Father? I'm not surprised, he always was too full of himself to stay loyal. A small chuckle escaped them as they blinked against the tears and took a deep breath. "You know, I think you might actually have a chance to survive all of this, Edward Elric. That, or you're the stupidest human I've ever known." Envy sniffed softly, unsure if they could truly trust the strange pricking of hope they were feeling. There hadn't been any snapping fingers yet or any clicking guns at least, so they continued. "Greed turning on Father is nothing new, he did it before, and he paid for it. I don't know how he could laugh that way when he was melted down, I know I wouldn't have been able to. You have no idea what you're asking of me, pipsqueak. Father doesn't excuse treachery and I've failed. Either way you look at it, I'm dead. Just let me go, it hurts, and I can't expect those two to let you save me like some hero in a story book. Besides, the monster is always slain in the end, right runt?" Bitterness eased its way back into their voice as realization and logic crushed their blossoming hope. Envy looked down at the stone fingers encasing their body, waiting for the hammer to fall, for Edward to submit to the truth of things, and yield them over to Mustang or Hawkeye for execution.
Maybe they'll just let the Ishvalan blow me up, one tiny bomb, it'll be like a party favor-POP!-and everything will be over. They winced at their own mental imagery. So caught up in their own misery, they missed most of the debate going on among the humans above them.
"Fine Elric. We'll discuss this when everything is over in greater detail. I'm not promising you anything, do you understand? For now, secure him, we'll figure out what to do with him after we destroy his father." The Colonel's voice was hard, thick with resentment and indignation, but the words were an unexpected relief. At the very worst, execution had been postponed. Envy looked upward as the stone fist was re-transmuted into the floor, and Edward carefully collected them from the cold stone, holding their body in an open hand. A cautious glance behind them revealed a scowling Mustang, Envy swallowed and attempted not to show too much fear, but those coal black eyes were more than they could stand to face at the moment. Still, if they were truly being given a chance, and if they wanted any sense of mercy later, perhaps it was worthwhile to be helpful? These humans were now their only chance of survival, Father would be furious, but if Father was defeated, then Envy wouldn't have to face destruction.
"Envy, I'm going to transmute a container for you, you'll be safe until we finish this, and then I'll come back for you." It was almost pathetic the way the boy kept trying to console them with his gentle words. No matter how much the homunculus wanted to be annoyed about it though, they found the change in attitude welcome. A sort of balm to the injury of their existence. In a few moments they found their little body settled into a glass box, a cell of sorts, but Edward had placed one of his gloves inside so that Envy had something soft to rest on. The lid had a few small air holes, enough to provide adequate ventilation, but not large enough to allow escape. With a touch of shame, Envy felt a strange sort of gratitude welling up inside, but tried to ignore it in favor of proving they could be helpful after all. "Wait a second pipsqueak! I'm going to let you in on a little secret, since you're going out of your way to be my hero and all." They glanced to the right, past Edward's curious face to Mustang for just a moment.
"Greed may be fighting against Father, but Wrath and Pride are still loyal to him, if you encounter either of them it's going to be a tough fight. So be-" Envy caught their words before they actually said careful. "Just don't be stupid about it, you take too many chances when you fight. Father isn't going to go easy on you, he'll fight you with everything he has, and if he forces you to open the door then everything will be over. You know what I'm talking about, do not open the door Edward. None of you open it, you stupid humans, you have to-you need to use logic not your emotions." They faltered lamely and trailed into silence, staring at the rumpled glove in their enclosure. Edward's voice drew their violet eyes up to see an appreciative smile on the alchemist's face.
"If I didn't use my emotions where would you be now huh? I understand what you're trying to say, we'll be careful Envy, we're going to win. You wait right here and you'll see! I'll come back, and you're going to have a whole new life to figure out how to live!" He nodded in that confidently determined manner he always seemed to have, and then the four humans headed down the corridor, leaving the defeated homunculus with their bewildered thoughts. Envy silently curled up on top of Edward's glove, allowing the exhaustion of their earlier punishment to slowly creep up and claim their mind. As they felt the numbness of sleep tugging at their consciousness they had a final acknowledgement.
Pipsqueak's not so bad after all I guess, if he survives anyway. I'm going to need his help if I have to face Mustang. How stupid is all of this? They better win, or I'll be lucky if Pride just squishes me in this dumb box.