Disclaimer: Characters unfortunately © to all the wonderful makers of Fullmetal Alchemist. I only chose to play with the boys. No beans were truly harmed in the writing of this fanfic.

Author's Notes: I'm on an update spree. XD Back to Envy's POV once more. It's strange being inside his crazed head once again. But not bad… definitely not bad. Beware the (mild) insanity…


Namida
- chapter 8 -
Over the Edge

No nightmare kissed like that. No dream felt that real, and yet he had to wonder when no words were directed toward him, no signs of violence. Much on the contrary – cool, damp digits slid down either side of his face soothingly, easing his thoughts, his fear, and his utter panic that had previously gripped him with an ice-cold hand around his heart.

Somewhere along the seemingly eternal moments of silence, Ed re-learned how to breathe and exhaled lightly against those lips that hovered just over his own.

It was surreal…

-

"You thought you could get away like that…" Envy purred into his ear.

The little bastard actually thought he could have escaped, just like that. So pitiful, so…delightful, he mused with a broadening grin.

The homunculus delighted in the widening of those golden eyes as he watched the panic creep back into the boy's body, causing him to still, freeze, tense against the dirty wall that offered no way out. Just like a trapped animal with nowhere to go. He snickered, brushing a finger down his prey's cheek, drawing a line of rain water down the tanned flesh, only to lick it away moments later.

Intoxicating.

The moment the pint-sized alchemist began to struggle, he wrapped strong fingers around his wrists, metal and flesh alike and pinned them roughly against the wall above the blonde's head.

"You're mine now…" he whispered.

"I'm nobody's property!" Ed protested, throwing his weight against the hands that held him to no avail. Envy had never before allowed the chibi to feel the extent of the unnatural strength he had been bestowed with upon his emergence from the damned gate; he had never had enough of a reason to punish him that furiously but now…now that he had been betrayed it was different. Much different. How alike father and son really were, he mused silently with a scowl.

"You're all the same…" he hissed, caring not for Edward's perplexed face.

"In the end you're just as bad as he is!" He snarled, but did not release him from that near-crushing hold. Not when he heard the creak of metal shift beneath his palm. He merely deemed it a glance and smirk – the automail had already been ruined as it was. A bit more damage would not do it much harm.

Edward gasped, his breath hissing through gritted teeth. How glorious he looked there, with the hints of pain written across his face in such an appealing way. Envy leaned in, holding the blonde's wrists with one hand so that the other could preoccupy itself with sliding down the boy's chest.

"Look at me," he purred, giving the other the chance to do so on his own. When Ed made no movement, however, pale fingers grasped onto that chiseled chin, turning it roughly so that golden and violet eyes met forcefully.

The sixteen year-old glared furiously at him, almost succeeding. Almost. "What do you want from me?"

It was then that Envy laughed, releasing his wrists in his distraction. It only earned him an immediate punch to the jaw that sent him tumbling back from his lowered perch onto the soiled floor boards. He touched the pulsing spot where metal had collided with his flesh, feeling the swell that would have developed if he hadn't whisked it away from his precious face he had spent years perfecting. Slitted violets gazed up through a thick veil of ebony: strands darkened and heavy, drenched with rain that still dripped upon the floor. Envy snarled, watching the alchemist burst through the open doorway and into the storm, and pushed himself up back onto his feet with not an ounce of lost dignity. He even took a moment to dust the dirt from the black of his clothes.

"Run all you want!" the homunculus then screamed after Ed. It was only then that he darted after him, caring not for the thick rain drops that pelted against his face and exposed skin. He was in no risk of catching a cold, he only cared for catching the small figure ahead of him. How dare he? He would not allow such behavior. He would not allow to be avoided, ignored and completely shoved aside. Not again and definitely not by him! No, he would have his way. He would win the battle this time around.

On that thought, Envy slammed a fist through the alchemized wall of earth that had risen in his path. It would take more than that to stop him. But it had been enough to catch up and surprise his prey. He snatched Ed's wrist, turning him around to push and pin him against the debris of the earthy wall with much protest.

The chase had thrilled him, put him on the edge, yearning for more than just the splendid sight of that drenched, toned body trapped against him. In his mind there was no other way around it – around the near-animalistic passion that pulsed through his scantily clad body. Even the rain felt icier than before against his feverish flesh.

"Let me go!" Ed shouted above the rumble of the falling rain, struggling to free himself. There was no more panic in those eyes, no more hesitation behind those shimmering golden orbs as there had always been before. The hesitation and uncertainty that Envy had always found ever-so-endearing throughout their months of escapades.

"You owe me…"

"I owe you nothing!" It was then that the homunculus noticed the tears that slid down Fullmetal's face, disguised by the thick rain drops that would not quit falling from the thick clouds above.

They sank into silence for a few moments. "I did what you wanted…"

"W-what..?" Ed blinked, perplexed, even startled by the sudden quiet tone.

"I left you alone to your affairs… I could have followed, I knew where you were. I left you two alone…I kept my promise, I gave you what you wanted…" Envy explained quietly, loosening his grip ever slightly.

Golden eyes widened further, if possible. "Envy…" Edward mumbled, disbelief echoing through the hushed utterance of his name.

"I gave you what you wanted. I gave you what you wanted! And you shove me aside!"

Taken back, the blonde alchemist flinched, but did not try to break away from the loosened grip the homunculus had upon him. "I-…"

"What!" the word was hissed in a cat-like, predatory manner – just like every other thing about his nature.

"Never mind." Ed uttered quietly, shifting his gaze to like aside once again. If there had been something he had meant to say, it was no longer there, no longer accessible.

"Tst!" Envy scoffed, the anger resurfacing. Fingers touched that chin once more, tilting it upward for the second time that night. Instead of meeting the glare, however, he claimed those scowling lips, taking him by surprise. What he faced was utter stillness, a deathly cold reception to the forceful show of affection – if one could call it such thing. When there was still no response from the stubborn bean, he turned him around, shoving him what would have been face first into the earth-born wall if it did not crumble at waist height. Nevertheless, he pushed him forward against him, leaning over his shoulder predatorily. Lips brushed his earlobe, hands whisking forward, tauntingly sliding beneath the soaked material of the black tank top.

Unlike previous times, the chibi did not respond to his advances. In fact, if anything, he back-lashed stronger than usual as an elbow was thrown against his exposed stomach. With unforeseen agility, Ed crouched down, immediately sweeping at Envy with his left leg, in attempt to disable him if only momentarily. It appeared as if the stubborn alchemist had not yet learned his lesson as to who was superior between the two, Envy noted dully as he gracefully back-flipped away from the attack, touching his stomach where the metal elbow had collided. He felt his body's regeneration properties mend the couple of ribs that had shattered with the blow.

"Will you never learn, o-chibi-san?" He taunted with the inquisitive tilt of his head, the usual grin and mirth upon those eyes that deemed him inhuman.

"Stop calling me that." Was all Ed hissed in return, already standing once more and determined. Was he actually considering to fight? The thought made the homunculus snicker, which only drew a questioning glare from his shrimp-sized prey. It was far too precious – the stubborn child – as he was acting like one, a mature one, but still a child – wanted to fight once again. After having been defeated, beaten to a near-bloody pulp time and time again. Yes, far too precious. Too amusing, but if that was what he wanted…

Envy stood there, hand upon his hip as he beckoned Ed closer, taunted him into making the first move, which he did. Fullmetal ran forward, alchemizing the metal of his automail into the blade that came crashing down, aimed in his general direction. It was too easy to dodge, to grab that metal arm and twist it behind his back. "You're not trying hard enough," he whispered into his ear, tongue flicking to lick a line up his neck before Ed successfully broke away from the hold. But not before shuddering. Not before sensing the instinctive response from his body.

A response Envy was too quick to pick up on.

Even better.

The rain was letting up, the drops gradually lessening, thinning out, but it still remained cold, the ground freezing beneath his bare feet. His clothes hugged his body, his short skirt dripping heavily from his waist; long strands no longer upholding their usual gravity-defying state, but cascading down his back, over his eyes. Ed looked no better. In fact, Envy though, he looked absolutely edible. A wicked grin touched those lips and it was his turn to charge, slamming a quick fist into his opponent's jaw, sending him tumbling into the several puddles that had gathered on the ground.

Dirt water splashed all over him and yet…he did not seem to care as he approached with cat-like grace, sauntering closer only to stand directly over Ed, who lay there, attempting to rise while gasping for air, body shuddering from the cold, the automail connections no doubt hurting him more than anything else at this point. Envy stood over him, one bare foot on either side of his waist, glimpsing down. After a moment like that, he leaned down, grasping a handful of the collar of his pet's shirt in order to tug him up. Lips hovered only centimeter's from Ed's bruised ones… his free hand rising, fingers brushing down his cheek.

"I don't want to hurt you, chibi-san…"

The blonde scoffed and doubled over, immediately caught by a fit of coughs that scratched heavily against his throat.

The anger diffused from his eyes as he watched Ed struggle with the air that would not filter through his lungs. A sense of…worry…cast over him, leaving him confused, perplexed…

Where was that fueling anger that had driven him out here in this bloody storm to claim his possession? Granted he was no good to him like this…no good at all. And with that thought in mind, Envy picked him up, as easily as he had done in the past and hoisted him back to the run-down board-house that offered some kind of shelter – as poor as it might be.

-

The rickety chair was more uncomfortable than it had looked at first.

Envy frowned, trying to fold his body in several different ways in order to get comfortable. He ended up sprawling over it, legs over one armrest, back to the other. The silence was deafening. And he was bored. Extremely bored and without a single thing to do but pick idly at his nails and steal glimpsed toward the bed upon which Ed slept soundlessly.

The homunculus sighed and leaned his head back, glimpsing at the ceiling. Had it gathered even more watermarks since a couple of hours ago? He quirked a brow at it, but decided that studying watermarks on a goddamn ceiling was worse than picking at his nails. He returned to the latter task with an annoyed sigh.

If there was one thing he hated above most others was boredom. Random things suffered the unfortunate side effect of destruction when he became bored.

The sudden creaking of old mattress strings saved him from boredom and the room from possible destruction as his attention was immediately fetched and turned toward the still unconscious, drippy alchemist on the bed. Ed was muttering something unintelligible. The homunculus blinked, unfolding from his spot on the chair to pad across the floorboards toward him.

"Cold…" he heard it then, the faint, slurred whisper coming from those shuddering lips. He almost dismissed it, having nothing other the blanket that he had already tossed over the blonde's body to cover him with. However, as he turned to return to his spot, the soft utterance of his own name froze him in place.

"En-vy.." Ed repeated just as softly. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that the feverish bastard was still unconscious, having been thrown into uneasy sleep, he noted by the fluttering of lashes, the twitching of muscles. What the hell was he supposed to do! He began to ask himself, stubbornly clinging onto that anger that had led him here in the first place. And yet…he couldn't find a reasoning behind it. Not now. Not when Ed was shivering from cold, uttering his name. Was this not what he had wanted all along, after all?

Frowning, the Sin turned and crawled gracefully onto the single-sized bed. It wasn't as if he had any extra layers of clothing he could offer him. Quite on the contrary. But at least he hadn't caught a chill… He reached out, hesitantly touching his forehead. Scalding. The frown deepened and Envy slid around him, leaning against the wall as he pulled the younger man into his lap, blankets and all. Having dripping hair soaking through his lap once more was not the most pleasant thing he had experienced, but the moment Ed had found a more comfortable pillow and pliable body to hold on to, the shivers seemed to lessen.

Well, at least there was some improvement, Envy noted dully. He flinched moments later, having leaned his head back a little too fast into the off-white wall behind him. He rubbed at the mildly throbbing spot and glimpsed down. His hand stilled the moment he caught himself smoothing his fingers through long damp strands of blonde. Somewhere between having gathered the chibi into his lap and hitting his head rather ungracefully upon the wall, Edward had stirred quietly from his shaky sleep and was peering up at him with a glazed look. Golden eyes widened once coherency sunk farther into his brain and the situation was gradually dawning on him. After a moment, fully awake and realizing just who's lap he was using as a warm, comfortable pillow, Ed scrambled up, knocking over the pile of thin blankets that had previously been keeping him warm, as well as himself right over the edge of the small mattress. No doubt having forgotten the smaller measurements. The blonde alchemist landed square on his rear-end with a hissed curse, palms falling behind him to catch the majority of the blow.

Envy blinked, watching the eccentric performance with a perplexed look. He blinked once more…and snickered softly at first. The ungraceful nature of the fall seemed far too amusing to him at that point and he made it known with the mirth that seeped merrily into those violet eyes and the consecutive snickers that escaped kissable lips. There was just something about the way Ed was sitting there, indignantly glaring up at him to hide the embarrassment of this reaction that stirred something within him. Yes, far too amusement indeed and he could not even explain why.

His amusement only grew when his younger companion came to realize that he not only had knocked himself off the bed, but did so while having been stripped down to the black leather pants that stuck damply to his legs. A flush of embarrassment deepened against his cheeks as he looked around for his tank top and jacket, only to find them drying over the back of a chair. Envy watched as the alchemist debated with himself – to snatch the clothes back to himself or pretend it bothered him in the least. The homunculus knew quite well that it wasn't Ed's half-nakedness that bothered him – he was known for ripping off his shirts at the most random moments throughout the last couple of years. The discomfort came from the knowledge that it had been Envy who had stripped him of those clothes while he had been unconscious.

"What are you laughing at?" He finally demanded crossly, half mumbling as he crossed his arms, having chosen to stay put instead of succumb to further embarrassment.

"At you, o-graceful-chibi-san." Envy mocked, leaning forward in a catlike manner that had him sprawled on his belly, legs up, bent at the knees and crossed at the ankles. He held his chin in his gloved hand, and peered down at him.

"Stop calling me that!" Ed exploded and threw the first thing his hand landed on…which just happened to be one of his heavy boots.

Violet eyes widened at the incoming projectile and managed just enough time to duck and roll along to the mattress once to dodge it. It hit the wall behind him and flopped on the mattress beside him. "You can take someone's head off with that thing!"

"That was the idea!"

The homunculus frowned, dark brows narrowing as he cast him a mock-reprimanding look. "Is that the way you treat your elders?" Instead of giving Ed a chance to reply, he rolled back onto his front, gracefully climbing down from the bed onto all fours in front of him. He watched, mildly amused as Ed slid back a few inches until his back came in contact with the rickety wooden chair Envy had previously been sitting in. Figuratively trapped, Ed grit his teeth, holding his ground as Envy crawled forward. Within minutes he was leaning over the prodigy alchemist, who had settled for glaring furiously at him.

"You glare too much," he whispered and reached up, brushing a finger along the lines of Ed's brow. "You'll give yourself permanent lines and ruin this pretty face." The whisper turned to a purr as he leaned closer, lips brushing chastely over Ed's.

"Don't do this…" Fullmetal muttered against the kiss, unmoving, body stiff, tense even as he was squeezed between Envy's radiating warmth and the gradually sliding chair. Upon noting the creak of the chair, Envy glimpsed up and with a free hand, shoved it aside. The lack of back support caught Ed by surprise and stole his balance, throwing him down onto the floor with Envy effectively straddling his leather-clad waist.

All squirms ended with the pinning of Ed's arms securely above his head. "You forget…I like it when you fight," the homunculus grinned, purring against his ear at which he nipped tauntingly at. As always, it drew a soft whimper from the blonde, who squirmed ever slightly beneath him. The movement did nothing to deter him, if anything it only excited him, and encouraged his teasing.

A sigh echoed against his ear, the soft breath whisking against long dark strands that had miraculously regained their softness even after the downpour. Envy glimpsed down at him and found Ed looking aside, but the glare was gone, the determination gone. All that was left was a resigned calm that told him that he had most likely given up. Somehow…the thought upset him. It was as if Ed was treating him like some regular bandit… not even the first time he had possessed this sweet little body he'd been this resigned. Quite on the contrary, the fight had only led to pleasure, on both sides. Envy would have it no other way.

But then again, Ed probably knew this. Probably knew it well enough to use it as a tactic. The thought angered him, revolted him to the core, causing the homunculus to push himself up, sitting on the back of his legs as well as the blonde's upper thighs as he looked down at him with a scrutinizing glint in those eyes.

"What are you doing?"

A blonde brow rose in question; matching golden eyes shifting upward to glance at him. Oh, the bastard, looking that innocent, that confused… he was not going to win his way like this. No, he knew better. "I'm not doing anything," Ed had the audacity of stating quietly.

"Why!" The sinful manifestation demanded with a hiss.

Fullmetal was unimpressed by the outburst, perhaps having become so accustomed to them by now to really react anymore. He exhaled once more and sat up, or at least tried to with the angle he was given. Envy leaned back slightly, allowing him to rise and come to eye level – for once – with him.

"You're going to do whatever you want as you always do… what's the use in fighting it?"

It…didn't even sound like him – that feisty, stubborn determined shrimp he had met months earlier and stalked for many months before then. Envy blinked, perplexed…or perhaps just surprised, taken back by the observation. No, this was definitely not something he would have expected out of him. And here he thought he knew the chibi well enough to start guessing his next steps. He hadn't been wrong so far…until now.

"Ed…" he muttered – perhaps for the first time using his real name over the mild insult that had become an almost affectionate, habitual term.


I couldn't help myself…I'm a sucker for cliffhangers. XD And I'll probably get even more death threats because of it. But see, I kept my promise and this chapter's longer. I've also been thinking of any way to sneak a cinnamon bun back into the story since that's what gave birth to it all. (As a side note, my personal chibi-san and I will be making convention appearances within the next few months. Cinnabon included. XD; Feel free to say hi!) And to those of you worried that this is ending…I still have a few chapters up my sleeve. Worry not, it won't be that abrupt.