Part 2 of my three brothers series. Sequel to I'm not your son.
Envy was going to kill Hohenheim of light.
He had finally got out of Dante where he was. Persuaded, or rather terrified her into telling him.
He was in a small village in the east of the country a village named Risembool. It seemed untouched by the problems of the world.
Quiet and ppeaceful, houses dotted between fields.
He heard the laughter of children and saw three small children about five years old running around playing. Two boys and a girl. One of the boys looked up at him. His heart stopped when he saw gold eyes. Willaim's eyes, Hohenheim's eyes.
"Hey kid come here" he called out. The boy did so. He walked defiantly as if unafraid while the other boy, also with golden eyes and the girl kept back, afraid of the stranger.
"What do you want?" the boy demanded.
"Don't get smart with me brat. I'm looking for Hohenheim of light. Where is he?" he snarled.
"What do you want brother with him?" the boy demanded.
"He did me a great wrong I'm going to kill him" he told the little boy bending down getting right in his face hoping to frighten him.
"You're welcome to him but I'm afraid your too late. That bastard abandoned us. I wish I knew where he was I'd tell you." The boy said with venom.
Envy laughed.
"Who the hell are you anyway?" the young boy demands.
"My name is Envy" he said.
"Edward Elric" the boy said, he didn't use the name Van Hohenheim, that was interesting "that's my little brother Alphonse and our friend Winry" he said gesturing to the boy and girl who stood staring at them.
I have two little brothers Envy thought. Before shaking away those thought, they weren't his brothers. Not really.
Still he wanted to see the woman who had stolen Hohenheim's heart so he followed Edward and Alphonse home. He introduced himself to the boys' mother, Trisha as a soldier on holiday, with Pride now firmly established as the Fuhrer it wasn't exactly a lie.
Trisha Elric was a beautiful smiling woman. But such women are not so rare as to make her remarkable. He could see why she would be seen as a catch by most men but failed to see what attracted an ancient alchemist like Hohenheim.
Her sons however; truly were remarkable, both seemed to have inherited the best from both their parents, Trisha's delicate features and Hohenheim's golden hair and eyes. They were beautiful boys, as William had been. As Envy desperately tried not to be.
Edward was like him in so many ways fierce and determined he had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, yet Alphonse was kind and gentle, more like William had been and yet they seemed close despite the differences.
Trisha invited him to stay the night as there was no inn in Risembool and he accepted. All was awkwardly silent until Trisha dropped a plate. Edward and Alphonse immediately jumped up, Edward took some chalk from his pocket and drew a transmutation circle. The plate fixed itself.
They were so young and while the alchemy wasn't particularly hard it was still impressive given Edward was only five and Alphonse a year younger. But they were Hohenheim's sons after all.
As they had a small house, Envy had imagined they would live in a mansion similar to Dante's but although they did not seem to be going hungry they clearly lived in poverty.
Envy took Alphonse's bed and Alphonse easily climbed into bed with Edward. Envy watched them sleep curled up together. He wanted to hate them, he had planned to hurt them, anything to get back at Hohenheim but Hohenheim wasn't here, would he care? It seemed he didn't limit himself to abandoning homunculi children. And he found he wanted what these boys had, that deep bond. He had never had a bond with anyone.
He needed to leave. He tried to sit up but he tripped in the dark in shock he slipped back into his original form. The boys both woke up. Edward used alchemy to turn on the lamp and the brother's exchanged look before Edward spoke.
"You can change your shape, how do you do that?" he had expected them to scream at the shape changing man but they didn't. The only thing in Edward's voice was eager curiosity his golden eyes wide as he leaned forward expectantly.
"Its a gift I was born with it." It wasn't exactly a lie "I can't teach you."
Ed looked unsatisfied with that answer.
"So that's what you really look like?" Alphonse asked quietly, Envy realised he hadn't yet heard the younger brother speak. He nodded.
"You look like us" Ed said finally, "quite a lot like us. Who are you?"
"There's a reason I want Hohenheim dead. I'm your brother." He tells them. He doesn't tell them he's a homunculus but he does tell them Hohenheim abandoned him and his mother years before he met their mother.
"He probably does this all the time" Ed said angrily, "having families and then leaving them."
"Brother I'm sure that's not true" Alphonse responded.
"Don't be so stupid Al" Ed sighed. Then he turned to Envy "I always wanted an older brother."
Envy hadn't expected that. He must be over a hundred years their senior but he finds he wants to be their brother. He tells himself it is William's memories but William never knew them and even if he had he lived he would have died centuries before their birth.
The three brothers talk late into the night. And when morning comes Ed and Al the young boys are too tired to continue, Al slumps against Ed whose eyes are closed Envy tucks them back into bed and leaves. He leaves a special note for Ed and Al promising to come back and play with them again and telling them to keep it a secret from their mother.
And he does come back. He never intended to but he wants to see them again, he finds himself bringing them sweets and alchemy texts that he picks up, he never sees Trisha again they always meet by the river. But they can play for hours. He had never played before, even William never played before being an only child and so focused on his alchemy so he doesn't even have his false memories of childish games.
He find he wants to make them happy, he wonders if he loves them Edward and Alphonse, he starts to think of them as his brother's, not Hohenheim's sons, not William's half brothers. His brothers.
