China Doll

A subdued cry came from the velvet red sheets, barely more than a sigh, almost inaudible against the heavy breathing and sighs that otherwise dominated the room. It wasn't much, in comparison to the protests and screams and cussing that had originally been the typical music of the bedroom it was nothing at all. But now, a few months later, the pale-skinned homunculus was willing to take it as some sort of victory.

Below him, the younger male's golden eyes stared with the same dazed, unfocused look they had affected during most of his waking hours, set in a porcelain face flushed the color of apple blossoms. Damp strands of yellow hair clung desperately to his face, across his cheeks and slightly parted lips, faintly rising and falling with each soft breath. Most of it, freed from the braid the human had worn for most of his career as a dog of the military, spread underneath and around the teen's exposed body, forming the sort of halo that surrounded angels in religious temples and scriptures. Trailing his right hand down the lean, toned abdomen, Envy idly circled the boy's naval with a slender finger, seemingly distracted even as he thrust inside the boy with a steady, nearly mechanical tempo. He was rewarded with the slightest intakes of breathe, a small stiffening of Edward's member as his hand continued along its path downward. He leaned down, running his free hand through his "half-brother's" hair as he forced his lips onto the teen's, a tongue exploring the unresponsive depths of the other mouth.

There was a change in the air, a small ripple in the fabric of reality that even in his dream-like state Edward could feel, though he wasn't sure what it was until he felt his lips and mouth released, and looked into eyes startlingly like his own. The smile was nothing like the one he had become used to either, not the smirking certainty of the homunculus but the gentle warm smile of someone he had tried hard to forget. "Al…" the name rose, unbidden, to his lips even as he attempted to send the memory of the name and boy back down into the depths.

"Brother." Alphonse's voice danced around him, making it hard for Edward to keep the boy a stranger. He was older then when Ed had last seen him, perhaps sixteen or seventeen. Al's face, more defined with time, nevertheless kept the innocence Ed had always imagined his brother wouldn't lose, even now in the midst of penetrating his older brother he looked as if he was about to blush in embarrassment.

"You're…dead…" The elder Elric frowned as his mouth struggled to form the words. Vaguely, he could see the memory of his brother's death, the transmutation circle, the faulted exchange, and somewhere in there was laughing, but in front of him stood Al, flesh and blood and more convincing than any image of a destroyed suit of armor. Lifting his right arm, he traced Al's face, feeling the warmth of his younger brother's cheek against his skin. Smiling, Ed let his hand drop, closing his eyes and smiling as Al gripped his shoulders and began to thrust harder, small moans escaping his lips every time his brother rubbed against his prostrate. The moans gave way to a gasp as Al moved his hand down Ed's chest and naval to lightly stroke his member's length, running his thumb firmly around his head. Letting his head drop to the left, Ed's pants became heavier, more frantic. "…Alphonse…"

"Brother?" A question. Ed opened his eyes again, staring through his half-shut lids at the boy. Al leaned down, breathing into his ear as he whispered, "Why did you kill me?"

The blonde alchemist gasped again, his eyes flying open. Fuck, no, no, that was wrong, Al couldn't be dead, he was right in front of him, right above him, inside him. He wasn't…there was the echo of laughter and reality shifted again, the green-haired sin replacing his brother, sneering down at him.

"No." His whisper of protest turned into a moan as his member, against his fading personal wishes, released, splattering both himself and Envy with semen. Closing his eyes and still panting heavily, he let his mind fall peacefully back into its comfortable haze, barely registering when Envy came a few moments later, collapsing on top of Ed and sighing. He felt slender arms wrap around his neck, and his lips kissed in what could have in other circumstances been called gentle affection. There was a murmur, an empty promise that he echoed back softly, and suddenly the weight was gone, leaving him alone in the dark bedroom with his memories.

This wasn't right. Walking briskly along the dark purple carpet of the mansion's second floor, Envy headed towards his own room. The house had been a gift from Dante, a compensation of sorts for the elaborate plan failing to grant him and the rest of the homunculi humanity due to what she called "unforeseeable circumstances". Unforeseeable circumstances his ass; the oldest sin had no doubt that her plan had involved him dying with the rest of his kind, consumed either in the battles or by The Gate that had taken Wrath and Gluttony. The rest of her plan, staying in that girl's body, creating the Philosopher's Stone, had gone off relatively flawlessly, even getting rid of Hohenheim and nearly destroying both Elric brothers. The only problem had been him, the result of the failed attempt to revive the son she had born Edward's father. Through some combination of luck and skill (most likely Dante's own karma as well) he had survived, watching with mild amusement at first Hohenheim was taken then, in an attempt to restore both his brother and himself, the Full Metal boy accidently shattering Al's body and breaking the seal that had kept the younger alchemist's soul in place. When it was over and Dante had asked what Envy wanted, the shape-shifter had simply requested his younger "half-brother" to keep as a pet. She had given him the mansion most likely so she would know where to find him in case he or Ed was ever needed, but until then he could live in peace with his prize.

Climbing into his bed, a larger version of Ed's with the same velvet blankets and black sheets, Envy stared pensively at the wall. It was blue in color, not particularly dark or light, with no pattern to decorate it or portrait to break the wall's monotony. The only discrepancy was his own shadow cast upon it, created by the candles that were hung on the opposite wall, three of them, all white, set in wooden holders he had had custom-made to resemble the rose cross that he had never been able to completely escape. There was something wrong. Envy was used to wanting. The need for more had been a part of his existence for farther back then he could remember, a sharp, aching, shapeless thing that defined his entire being. He had heard of a philosophy in which the idea of wanting and not having was supposedly a supreme state of being, better then actually possessing. Ridiculous. The want for something wasn't a pleasant experience, it had never made Envy smile, genuinely smile and feel grateful for existing, it was a pain, a wound that never healed over, a drive that constantly pushed and pulled at him every moment and burned him. The goal was to possess. It didn't matter how that happened, who got stepped on or what means were taken, all that mattered was that the goal was reached. History was never defined by the ones who played for fun. History was recorded from the views of the ones who had played to win.

"Then what's the issue?" Muttering to himself, Envy laid down on his pillow, turning his glare from the wall to the white canopy obscuring his view from the ceiling. After it had all ended, the game was won and the victors triumphant, he had the thing he had wanted most. The Full Metal brat, his father's second attempt to replace the son Envy hadn't been able to become, was now his to do whatever he wanted with.

A knock at the door brought him out of his musings. Sitting up, he gave a wordless grunt that passed for an affirmative and watched the heavy ebony door slowly swing inward, revealing Ed, eyes downcast and dressed in an outfit similar to his own. The blonde's stance put Envy in mind of a kicked puppy, cringing and nervous as he stood in the frame, not venturing into the room.

"Eh? What do you want, Shorty?" Envy cocked his head to the side. Ed rarely approached him unless it was something he thought important. Still, the blonde just stood there, looking at his feet. "Well? Tell me or go away."

"Envy…" Slowly the boy raised his eyes, looking at a point that didn't quite reach the other's shoulders. About eye level if we were both standing, Envy smirked. "Can we….go outside? Please?"

The request didn't surprise him. In the past three months Ed had only been outside once, when they had moved into this mansion. At first it would have been stupid to let Edward out of the chains that kept his hands from clapping, let alone anywhere outside of the house. After a while, when the chains were no longer needed and Envy could feel the boy breaking more and more underneath him, it simply hadn't come up. Envy hesitated, then shrugged, what would it hurt? Ed was looking paler then he used to, almost as white as the homunculus now, and the toning of his body wasn't from any sort of exercise regiment but rather from sex, usually multiple times in a day, combined with the meager but nutritious food that Envy forced him to eat.

"Yeah, fine." Envy waved his hand dismissively, "Tomorrow I was going to the market anyways; you may as well come along."

"Thank you." Ed's face ghosted into a smile as he carefully shut the door and walked back to his room. For a few moments Envy sat in silence, listening to his pet make his way down the hall before laying down on his own bed again and closing his eyes, falling back into a mix of memories and daydreams.

The outfit Envy had chosen for Ed to wear to town wasn't his old uniform, but at least it had pants. They were simple, brown cotton with cuffs that had to be rolled up twice so he didn't trip over the fabric and a plain white shirt, made for a boy slightly taller but no wider then himself. He didn't quite understand why Envy wouldn't let him wear the usual homunculus-esque outfit that he had lived in for most of his time here save when Envy got around to having it washed, but the green-haired boy had mentioned something about not wanting to look like one of those people who tried to get their pets to match their own appearance. His hair, brushed and washed thoroughly that morning, hung long and free past the small of his back, neither cut nor tied back.

Envy himself hadn't bothered to shift into any of his other forms, seeing no need to disguise himself now that Dante was gone and he had no mission. Judging by the way most of the townspeople ignored them as they wandered through the streets, Envy's hand gripping Ed's wrist tightly, the blonde guessed that they had become used to the homunculus's strange appearance and dress choice. The sky was covered with clouds, blocking the sun and dimming the world, but that was okay with the former alchemist. A clear, sunny day could have hurt his eyes, he was simply glad to breathe fresh air. Most of the trip had spent in silence, not that Ed was complaining. Talking, even idle chatter, meant he would have to think, and if he had to think he could accidently remember, he might remember who that boy was from last night, and those memories would cause unnecessary pain, it was so much easier now to simply glide along, listening listlessly to Envy's voice and doing what the homunculus told him to.

"Shorty, hand me the list." Holding out his hand expectantly, Envy watched Ed blink at him, slowly letting the words filter through his mind before reaching into his pocket and handing a scrap of paper to the other. Scarlet eyes scanned the list, crossing off what they already had and landing on the last item, new clothes for Ed. Nothing particularly fancy, unless the boy looked good in it, but merely some items that would allow him to wash the other outfit less often; even though he wasn't doing much in the way of getting dirty, Envy had forgotten that Ed, as a human, suffered from human afflictions such as sweat and oil, which got onto his clothes and left a rather unpleasant smell. Giving the list back to Ed, Envy pulled his wrist and led him down the street.

The store they walked into was not just a clothing store, but a pawn shop stocked with various second hand items strewn about the shelves and racks in a vaguely organized fashion. The clothing was displayed, next to toys and collectibles, ranging from barely more than rags to fine petticoats and once-expensive jackets worn only slightly with age. From the corner of his eye, Ed saw Envy counting the money in his wallet and shrugging, not that it mattered to the homunculus, who seemed to have an endless supply of income no doubt thanks to his shape shifting and most likely his skills of…coercion, though Ed had never asked.

"Eh, go pick some outfits." Waving his hand and shrugging, Envy leaned against the wall, watching Full Metal casually. The boy just stood there like an idiot, frozen, as if he wasn't sure how to choose things anymore. His eyes stared imploringly at the homunculus, but after several moments of no response, he finally seemed to take the hint, turning slowly to the clothing and beginning to go through the various piles and racks. Envy sighed; it was almost cute the nervous way Ed was walking around, glancing at the green haired boy every so often as if to make sure it was okay. In his left hand he held a pair of green pants made of a jean-like material, black pants of a similar kind, a red jacket and a black tank top. Along with the outfit he was wearing now, the formal second hand suit complete with top hat that Envy had picked out, and the homunculus-esque one that should be enough clothes for the next couple of months.

"Ed. Let's go." Pushing himself off the wall, Envy made his way towards the boy, grabbing his left wrist and pulling. To his surprise, there was resistance, the blonde wasn't moving, his eyes downcast again as Envy turned on him, angry and strangely pleased all at once. "Shorty…"

"Envy…" The homunculus realized Ed's other hand was outstretched, pointing at something beyond the clothes. "May I please….have that?"

"Eh?" The homunculus followed the path of the former alchemist's finger to see a porcelain doll sitting alone on the top shelf. It had been there a while, judging by the thin film of dust that the owner no longer bothered to wipe away, and along its left cheek there was a small, hairline crack roughly the size of his thumb's fingernail. The doll was male, with grey eyes and short hair a shade or two darker then Edward's own. It was clothed in a cream shirt and dress pants, and on its face was painted an innocent, sheepish smile. Envy rolled his eyes and shrugged, "You may be the right size to play with dolls, but you're a bit old."

"Envy, please?" Ed looked into his eyes, begging him from behind the dazed look.

"No." Simple and short, the homunculus' tone left no option for argument as he pulled the blond away from the shelf and towards the counter to pay. Silent again, Ed allowed himself to be led away from the store and into the streets.

Ed looked good in the suit that Envy had chosen for him. The pants were a bit too small, clinging in places were probably a bit uncomfortable for the human and only barely reaching his ankles, and the jacket was a bit big, hanging loosely off the short boy's shoulders exposing the blouse that, in Envy's opinion fit perfectly though that may have been because of the minimal amount of buttons still attached to it. Ed looked good in most of the clothes the homunculus had seen or put him in. But he looked better out of them.

At least in the bedroom (or, in tonight's case, the living room) Envy could take some pleasure in seeing Ed writhe beneath him. Placing both hands around the blonde's neck, the homunculus forced the boy backwards, meeting his lips and forcing them to fall ungracefully onto the couch, laying Ed's head onto the armrest so that he could unbutton the shirt and gently pull it off of the former alchemist along with his jacket and toss it carefully away (he hadn't paid for brand new clothes solely to destroy them so soon). To his surprise, Ed reached up towards him, wrapping frail arms around the homunculus's neck and pulling him closer into the kiss, the lower half of his body arching up to rub against Envy through two layers of fabric. Pleased, Envy's lips left Edward's, his tongue licking down his chin to nibble at the now exposed throat, his hand's at Ed's hips, tugging the pants down and leaving it to the boy to decide if he wanted to kick them off or not as his left hand cupped Ed and began to rub him rather harshly. Below him, the boy moaned and bucked up into Envy's hand with a desperation that was new to the Sin. Smirking, he continued, sucking on Ed's neck at the same time and completely unprepared for when the blonde gripped his shoulders and sat up, attempting to push Envy backwards and claim on top of him.

"Not gonna happen, Shorty." Sneering Envy shoved Ed backward roughly, not missing the golden eyes widening as his head was all but slammed against the arm rest and the definite, quick, focusing back from the haze they had taken lately. Almost angrily The blonde reached up to Envy's shoulders again, about to flip him when the Sin reached up and slapped him hard across the face. Stunned, Ed turned slowly back to face Envy, his eyes shutting in surprise as two fingers were forced into his mouth. As he sucked on them, a small bit of the old Ed surfaced, should he bite them? It wouldn't do any good for him but it would make him feel better right now. Alphonse wouldn't want him to just take this lying down. Clenching his teeth together, the sudden cry of pain from Envy almost made the rough smack and disorientation worth it, though any victory dance his subconscious was enjoying was cut short by the feeling of two fingers, slicked with nothing but spittle and a small bit of blood, shoved into him, causing him to scream before he clenched his teeth again, trying to ignore the pain. Trying to kick his owner off, he found his legs pinned under Envy's knees, too weak to do anything after months of little exercise and food. Reaching up again, he pushed against the homunculus's shoulders. Laughing, Envy ignored his attempts, prepared now for this and using his free hand to wrap around Ed's neck, squeezing at the same time that he added an extra finger to his thrusting. Attempting to cry out, somewhere in his oxygen-deprived mind he heard, "Welcome back, Full Metal Alchemist." Or maybe that was just his brain, surely that wasn't really Roy standing above him….damn….he needed air…

As Ed's eyes closed, he couldn't see the smirk on Envy's face. Pulling the fingers out of Ed, and his hands away from the pale, now bruised neck of the unconscious boy, the Sin placed a gentle kiss on lips. Victory.

Opening his eyes to face his own ceiling, Ed moaned softly. He knew it would end something like this. At least Envy had put him back into his own bed, albeit without any clothes, afterwards.

"Good morning, sunshine." Standing by the foot of the bed where, judging by the way the blanket bunched in places, he had been sitting, Envy was smirking at him. Glaring at him, Ed forced his own body into a sitting position, despite the lingering pain, feeling better than he had in months and not ready to go back to more comfortable, mind numbing way of existing. He was alive, damn it, and he sure as hell wasn't a pet.

"I got you a gift." The Sin's voice broke Ed's growing train of thought, and the blonde looked at the homunculus like a confused puppy. He watched as Envy reached below the bed and tossed him a plain paper bag. Tentatively putting his hand inside, his fingers closed around something smooth and cool. The former alchemist pulled it out; it was the Alphonse doll. The blonde hugged it to himself, leaning back against the headboard and closing his eyes. From somewhere inside of him, laughter came bubbling forth, out of his mouth until it danced around the room and caused the green haired boy to give him a confused look. He didn't notice it, staring down at the doll with tears in his eyes before he flung the doll towards the wall, listening to it crack and shatter to the floor, still laughing as he watched Envy stare at the shattered glass pieces.

The homunculus whistled, smiling softly to himself and saying, "Oh."