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Summary: [postseries - slightly AU Alphonse would do anything to get his brother back, and his new friend is willing to help, for a certain price. Now, Edward has returned from Munich, without a clue of how he came back and Alphonse is acting strange, but unknown to Edward, Alphonse is in much more trouble than he can handle.
Venom
1. For once in her life Equivalent Exchange actually meant more than some Alchemy mumbo-jumbo.
September 16, 1917, 7:10AM, Central, Amestris
Second Lieutenant Maria Ross stepped out of her apartment, holding an umbrella high over her head. She looked up at the dark clouds that were looming over Central, spilling cats and dogs on the city for the last two days and frowned. She never liked rain, it made her feel more depressed than she wished to be. But a little water wouldn't stop her on her short walk to work, so she set off, her boots thankfully keeping her feet dry.
Central didn't change much over the past two years, older buildings torn down for new ones and of course the population grew in a few numbers, but that was to be expected. Maria paused at a corner, deciding whether to keep straight, her normal route, or to take a left, onto Brunswick, a shifty street and arrive at the Military HQ in half the time. She turned left, not wanting to spend that much time in the wet weather. Besides, she had a gun if someone tried to mug her.
Suddenly, as she made her way down the surprisingly empty street, she picked up a small, barely audible voice to her right and behind her. She stopped abruptly, her free hand going to her gun holster. She held her breath, listening carefully, the rain hammering against her umbrella loudly, drilling into the cobblestone road, making it hard to hear.
"...h...ey..."
She swallowed and drew her gun, turning in the direction of the voice, her dark eyes sweeping the empty, tall grassed area quickly. She remembered a building there at one point, but since then it had grown in.
"...help..."
She definitely heard that one loud and clear. She moved closer, placing her umbrella on the broken side walk, holding her gun in front of her, pointing it at the grass and started in. The plant was nearly up to her waist and thick, hard to see through.
"Hello? Is there someone in there?" She called.
"Over here,"
The voice was louder that time and coming from right in front of her. That's when she saw a black shoe. She pursed her lips and stopped.
"Sir, do you have any weapons on you?"
"No," the man answered, sounding annoyed. The voice was slightly familiar, but Maria couldn't put a finger on the identity. "I'm kind of stuck here; can you give me hand already?"
She stepped forward, brushing the grass back with one hand, gun tightly clenched in the other, when she saw him. Her eyes widened and she gasped, her hand going slack, the gun slipping through her fingers. The 'man' was laying, back down in the grass wearing a formal suit that was now completely drenched, his right arm twisted and mangled. His left leg seemed to be just as bad, if not worse. He stopped struggling and looked up at her through long, muddy blond bangs with golden eyes. He looked just as surprised as she was feeling.
"E-Edward?!"
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August 26, 1917, 6:55AM, Central, Amestris
Winry nibbled thoughtfully on her toast and flipped through the Central Times. She was looking for an article that interested her when the sound of a door opening caught her attention. She looked up to see Alphonse coming from his room and she stood, her eyes darting immediately to the red coat around his shoulders and the suit case in his right hand. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and he smiled weakly.
"You're leaving," it was a statement, not a question, and Alphonse flinched at her harsh tone.
"Sorry, Winry," he mumbled, closing his door as he walked into the work shop. "I know you don't like it when I leave."
Winry's frown deepened and she sighed, giving into the guilt in the thirteen year olds voice. She sat back down, took the piece of toast she had been eating off her plate and shoved the rest towards him.
"You're in a rush - I know," she growled when Alphonse protested. "At least eat something before you leave this time."
"I'm sorry Winry, but I have to get going," he said sadly, wrapping the buttery bread into a napkin, but he smiled reassuringly.
He headed towards the door and Winry followed, not letting him out of her sight. "I'll eat and walk at the same time." He added when she glared at him.
"Well, I guess I should anticipate this from an Elric; always leaving unexpectedly," Winry grumbled, but hugged him tightly anyway.
Alphonse gave a half-smile and walked out, leaving Winry to stand alone in her small apartment, staring at the spot he once stood.
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September 16, 1917, 6:55AM, Central, Amestris
Winry nibbled thoughtfully on her toast and flipped through the Central Times. She was looking for an article that interested her when a bright flash of lightning and a crack of thunder made her jump. She pressed a hand to her chest and chuckled slightly at her cowardliness, but her laughter came to a stop when she had the familiar feeling of déjà vu wash over her.
Her gaze wandered over to Alphonse's room, where the wooden door hadn't been open for three weeks - the last time she had seen him. Winry was used to Alphonse leaving; he rarely stayed with her for over a week. Usually he would return in two or three days, but never had he ever left for three weeks, the last stretch she had gone without seeing him for that long had been when he was training with Izumi.
The thought brought a twist of worry and sorrow into her stomach. Izumi's illness had taken a turn for the worse, just a few months into Alphonse's training, leaving her stuck in bed. Another month passed, and sadly, so had she. Around that time was when Alphonse started to live with Winry in her apartment in Central, having no where else to go. The first two weeks, the young Elric was always by her side, following her like her shadow but soon after, he was in his room, his nose in one Alchemy book after the other, leaving only to use the toilet or to eat. It wasn't very long into the new year when Alphonse started his short trips, a suitcase in tow.
Winry sighed. More and more Alphonse was reminding her of Edward, and not only because he was dressed like him. But, she forced herself to push the depressing thoughts out of her mind, nearly forgetting the promise she had made to herself when she first bought her apartment. No longer would she worry endlessly about an Elric, as hard as it was. She now had her own reputation as Amestris's youngest, female Automail mechanic. She would never brag about it - sure she might mention it on an occasion - but she was doing very well money-wise.
She was now running her own shop in downtown Central, her apartment situated on the second floor of the building. She wasn't alone, oh no. She even had an employee - Ran Fan (1), a Xingese girl her age and a wonderful mechanic.
There was suddenly a knock on her door, and she nearly jumped a foot in the air. At the same time she slid out of her seat, a muffled voice came from the other side.
"Miss. Winry, there are two people here to see you," the voice was slightly accented, pronouncing the 'R's and 'I's differently than Amestrisian and she knew right away that it was Ran Fan.
Winry opened the door and smiled warmly at the Xingese girl - who looked not as depressed as usual - before Ran Fan lead the way down the stairs to Winry's shop. The door at the end of the dark stairwell was already open, letting a soft light seep through the opening. Winry heard a woman's hushed, reassuring voice and she smiled as she reached the end. New customers were always a joy to meet.
"What can I do for y-"
Winry's sentence cut off in her throat. The other two stopped whispering and looked up. She closed the staircase door with a 'click' that sounded much louder in the silence than in actuality. She felt the blood leave her face and suddenly she was dizzy as she stared into wide, golden orbs. Ran Fan must have noticed her vertigo, because there was soon a hand underneath Winry's elbow. Her mouth formed words, but nothing came out.
"Winry," she started at his voice, watching tensely as he stood - stumbled - to his feet. "...It's good to see you again."
She shrugged out of Ran Fan's grasp and walked towards him. She reached him sooner than expected and stared up at him. Something was different about Edward, of course, he looked older than when she last saw him; the rest of the baby fat had left his face, showing a sculpted jaw covered in a thin layer of stubble. His hair had gotten longer and was tied back in a pony tail too. ...But that wasn't it. Maybe it was his eyes; even though they still held the same sharp, welcoming glow she remembered, but they looked... haunted.
"...Winry? Are you okay?" He asked tentatively.
And suddenly she was cursing herself as tears burned in her eyes and silent sobs shook her body. She looked down, face in her hands as she desperately tried to control herself.
"Hey, hey!" Edward exclaimed. "Don't cry!"
A pair of hands were placed on her shoulders; one was warm, the other was cold and felt distorted against her. It just made her cry harder, much to her dismay. He was finally back. He was alive. Of course, when Colonel Mustang said Edward had died, she would not believe it. She couldn't. They didn't find a body, not even a speck of blood. There wasn't any proof. She convinced herself that Edward was somewhere traveling again, or hiding out somewhere because he did Human Transmutation. But still, in the back of her mind, a small voice echoed over and over to her; 'he's dead, dead, dead'. Maybe after Alphonse left three weeks earlier, she started to listen to the voice because there wasn't someone else there to tell her, reassure her that they would find him.
Maybe she believed it.
And now that Edward was back... she couldn't stop crying. Out of happiness or fear, she wasn't sure, but she knew that now all of her worry would be placed on Alphonse.
For once in her life Equivalent Exchange actually meant more than some Alchemy mumbo-jumbo.
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September 17, 1917, 2:30AM, Central, Amestris
Alphonse stumbled into the dark apartment, his right arm shaking under the pressure as he held tightly onto the door knob, fearing he would fall over. As quietly as he could, he closed the door, not wanting to wake Winry. He leaned against it, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth as another pain filled tremor shook his body, starting in his chest and pulsing though the rest of him.
"C'mon Elric," someone whispered, and an icy cold hand was softly placed on his shoulder, making him jump.
Alphonse let go of the door frame and walked in the direction of his room, fingers still holding lightly on his arm. He didn't get very far before a particularly mind numbing sting caught him by surprise. He gasped, grabbing onto the couch before his shaking legs fell out from underneath him. Gentle hands guided him to the floor and he immediately doubled over, trying no to make a sound, but a faint whimper escaped his lips anyway.
Again, the pain dulled out to a throbbing, sooner than expected and he found himself being helped onto the sofa. A pale form knelt in front of him, and he stared into dull, violet eyes.
"You're sleeping here tonight," Alphonse tried to sit up again, but was pushed down. "Here."
Some sort of fabric was shoved into his hands and at first he thought it was a blanket, but as he felt it over, he realized it was his brother's old jacket. He smiled and held it close to his chest, the smell of oil, sweat and something else that smelt very faintly of cinnamon was very comforting.
"Thank you," he whispered as the figure stood and walked towards the door.
"Come stop by sometime this week, even if you and your... brother are catching up. Lust is probably missing you already," a quiet laugh made its way to Alphonse's ears. "Remember, you can't let anyone see it. Especially... Edward."
"Thank you again, Envy," Alphonse murmured as he heard the door shut with a small click.
He sat there for a moment, listening to his uneven breathing, clutching his brother's red jacket to his chest, like a young child and their security blanket. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, lowering his head onto the throw pillow and bring his legs onto the couch. He curled up into a ball, shutting his eyes tight and holding the jacket close as he tried to keep his pain quiet.
He just hoped his sacrifice, all the agony, everything he gave up... he hoped it was enough.
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A/N: Please Read!
(1): For those of you who don't read the manga, Ran Fan is a character from it. Since this fic is anime-based, Edward and Alphonse haven't met Ran Fan before and her situation is slightly different from in the manga (it'll be explained in later chapters, don't worry). I will definitely have one or two manga references, so I'm just giving you guys a heads up!
Wow, thank you all for such awesome reviews! Sorry I didn't get this out earlier, by the way. I had a big ol' project that I had to do over the week end and I also went to a Billy Talent concert last night (which was AWESOME)!
As usual, please R&R, I'll always reply!
--Renneh