A/N I'm terribly new to this thing, so excuse any mistakes? And uh, please be sure to tell me about them. That'd be great. So yeah. Inspiration for this came from a dream. Really. It was a good dream – I got to be Ed. Twas very nice. Alright. Enjoy. 3

Edward Elric had mixed feelings about the last day of school. On one hand, it was an enormous nuisance - it was a pointless day. Exams were over, the teachers weren't teaching, nothing was required of the students besides their mere presence, which meant eight hours of rather pointless…pointlessness. But then again, the last day was kind of fun. Long ago someone had decided that it was pretty useless to try and keep students in their classrooms that last day, so everyone (meaning the half of the students that had actually showed up) was allowed to roam the halls and goof off. Sign yearbooks. Visit teachers. Do that sort of stuff. And the teachers, on their part, tried to make it worth their students whiles by host parties, or activities or the like. Most of these 'parties' consisted of snacks and sodas and the free use of cellphones, mp3 players and other normally clandestine electronic devices. A few of the other teachers were doing different things - the TV production teacher was showing movies all day in the auditorium - a few of the English teachers were hosting a spelling bee with chocolate bars for prizes - the swim team's coach had a grill going out by the pool. Which was where Ed was, now, his feet in the water, enjoying the cold relief from the heat. The air was full of sweet barbeque smells, burgers and grease. The pavement was hot and the sun was burning high in the sky. It was a bright day, not a lazy-summer day, but charged with vivacity and anticipation. So what it was a pointless day. It was pointless in a good way.

But good things can't last. They never do. Al was beckoning him from across the pool – waving his arms and flailing like an idiot – Ed noted, rather embarrassed to be called his older brother. But it was because of Al that he was even allowed up here – It was the swim team's bash, Al was on the team and they were allowed to bring guests. So Ed owed some begrudging gratitude. The blond sighed, took his feet out of the water, and stood. Might as well see what he wanted. There were a lot of kids around the pool – the swim team was big and popular, thus, a lot of friends to invite. Ed slowly made his way around the pool, his (short) stature allowing him some pretty impressive crowd-weaving skills. Not that he was short. Not at all. Of course not. He was almost to the patio, under which Al was looking like a lost puppy searching for his brother, when Ed's day began its turn for the worst. There was nothing to forewarn him that his lovely day was about to be ruined – no darkening sky, no foreboding and ominous shadow that descended upon him. Just the sudden, sharp snap of the elastic band in his swim trunks against his tender, slightly sun-burnt back. (Almost) yelping in pain, Ed whirled around, the sting in his lower back demanding retribution. He came face-to-face with a very familiar tall, pale, walking palm-tree.

"E-Envy!" Ed exclaimed. Yep. That is his name, dipshit. Then, to cover, "What the hell?" Smooth. Envy grinned. Ed tried to ignore the strange feeling in his stomach that Envy's appearance had roused. The little kick of adrenaline and the quickening of his heartbeat.

"Sup, shorty?" No. He. Didn't.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A HALF-PINT PIPSQUEAK-MIDGET SO SHORT AN ANT COULD CRUSH ME?" … It just sort of…came out. Chalk it up to a knee-jerk reaction, if you will. Ed's face reddened considerably, but Envy's was carefully blank. A few people around them laughed. Envy…just sort of smiled, amused by Ed's reaction.

"You," Envy said, hand on hip. Ed faltered.

"Hu?"

"I'm calling you short. Got a problem?" Envy clarified, a playful smile on his lips.

"Of course I do! Asshat!" came Ed's automatic reply.

"First - what the hell are you gonna do about it, pipsqueak? Second - what the fuck is an asshat?" Envy asked, looking like he was on the verge of laughing.

"I-uh…" Ed faltered. He knew he couldn't really do anything to Envy - the kid was a known delinquent who was in a fight every other minute. And most of the time he won. Not that Ed hadn't tried, once or twice, to use violence to get Envy to leave him alone. But all he had to show for those few times was a couple of bruises and a wounded pride. So Ed chickened out. "Forget it," he said miserably, and Envy really did laugh.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ed asked. Envy gestured downwards – to his bare torso and black swim trunks.

"I'm on the team, oh smart one," Envy replied, looking rather smug. Ed wondered how he'd failed to noticed the bare chest – he was eye-level with it. And it was pale. So pale! Which must have been hard to accomplish in this sunny place.

"What's the matter, all out of steam now, shorty?" Envy teased lightly, noticing Ed's ogling – scratch that – lack of…speaking. Ed flushed again.

"Quit calling me short," he grumbled, indeed losing his steam. He wanted to walk away, but no doubt Envy would follow him – if only to keep calling him short. Just to piss him off.

"What do you want, Envy?" Ed sighed. Other than to get on his nerves, as per usual. That's all Envy ever wanted. Mission accomplished. But the palm tree in question looked surprised.

"What? Huh, nothing really. Just saying hi," the taller teen shrugged, nonchalant, his brackish hair swaying with the movement. He really was like a palm tree. "Why, not happy to see me?" Envy waggled his eyebrows, leaning over to bump his shoulder to Ed's. Ed frowned, shying away from the contact.

"Whatever," came Ed's rather ungracious reply. Envy's smile faded. He narrowed his eyes.

"Whatever indeed," the taller teen said, his voice seeming to drop a couple of degrees. Ed felt the sudden chill.

"Well, see ya." And Envy turned and left. Simple as that. In a second or two he was gone, into the crowd, leaving Ed just standing there, wondering what the hell that look was that Envy had made at him. Anger? No, nothing quite that strong. More…displeased. That was it. A little contempt mixed in, but just on the surface. Something else had been stirring in those violet eyes, something Ed couldn't decipher. Ed spent the entirety of one second pondering it, before deciding it was stupid and he shouldn't care about stupid Envy and… Forget it. He went to find his brother. Envy could shove it, for all Ed cared. Which he wouldn't admit he did.

A/N Tell me what you think? Please?