Title: Allotted Design.
Pairing: Envy and Ed.
Rating: PG-16.. for violence and suggestive comments.
AN: Woohoo! Hurrah for metal. Just got my lip pierced; my 11th piercing! –excited-
ALSO… This chapter goes out to my dear friend Amanda after she RPed with me practically all day today, inspiring me to write this.
"So where does this leave us?" Envy stared at the ceiling with a general lack of excitement, after Ed had confessed to it making him uncomfortable when Envy stared at his body.
Lying beside him on the messy bed, Ed shrugged. "I don't know… I'd like to be able to consider you my boyfriend." He hid a blush by burying his face in the crook of his elbow.
"I'd like that too." Envy answered after a heavy silence, cocking his head to smile at Ed, who peeked from under his arm and smiled back.
"Time to get up faggots!" Marcus burst into the room without even the thought of knocking, and the two were happy they'd at least taken the time to get dressed after their wild sexcapades. "Oh jeez, I was only jokin' but you're actually on the same bed!"
Envy flicked Marcus a rude gesture with a certain finger, and excused himself from the room.
"Marcus, really," Ed rose to a sitting position and made himself comfortable leaning against the wall. "Don't be such an ass. Just because we were lying on the same bed doesn't mean we're both gay. You just wish we were; wouldn't you like having that thought to masturbate to." Ed grinned with his lie, not wanting to let out their little secret just yet, and knowing Envy would feel the same.
"Shut up!" The burly boy threw a dirty shirt discarded on the foot of the bed at Ed, and then sat amongst the tousled blankets. "I just wanted to ask you a question… Uh, well, okay. So my girlfriend was like Marcus! You never want to go out with me! You just like seeing me when we're alone to have sex! And I was like Monique, that's totally not true! Fuck; I took you to the movies just the other night."
"You told me about that date; you guys had sex in the theatres."
Marcus ignored Ed's correct statement, and continued with his conflict. "And so, like, what can I do to get her to shut up?"
"Well, gee," Ed scratched his head and mumbled to himself, bluntly mocking Marcus' stupidity. "Maybe you should take her out for dinner! Stoooopid." He chuckled to himself and threw the dirty shirt back at Marcus.
"You're no help." Marcus stalked from the room, yelling at a small group of boys huddled in the hallway as he passed.
Ed was gathering the clothes, both his own and Envy's, scattered around the room and sorting them into a nice pile in the corner of the room when Envy returned, carrying a mug of freshly made coffee for each of them.
"Oh, how nice of you." Ed cooed jokingly, diving to the floor near his bedside table and pulling a few sugar packets from the drawer.
"You keep sugar by your bed?" Envy cocked an eyebrow, amused.
"You don't?
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After much deliberation over what to do on their day out of classes, the couple took a taxi downtown and wandered aimlessly until Envy found another coffee shop and, barely suppressing his need, purchased his fourth coffee of the day.
As the two walked lazily through the cluttered sidewalks, passing by small shops and venders calling out to them, Ed reached over and took Envy's hand in his own. Envy, surprised, looked down to his hand entwined with Ed's, and then smiled as they locked eyes.
The two paused to gaze up the sky high steeple of a looming cathedral near the edge of the city; music and voices could be heard from the inside.
"It's so nice downtown; we should come down more." Ed sighed happily, stealing a chaste kiss when Envy looked down to him.
"Yeah," He smiled. "We should."
As they continued their journey down the block, a woman with wild, tousled grey hair stuck her head out a window of the church, and then disappeared back inside.
"Hey!" Ed threw himself against the broad window of a store they passed. "Pins & Needles tattoo and piercing parlor; we should get something done!"
"You should get something done." Envy finished off his black coffee. "I, personally, don't like having unknown things piercing my body… unless we're talking about in bed." He grinned cheekily.
Ed scoffed, but chuckled under his breath, pulling Envy forcefully into the store. A woman with neon green hair and a vast amount of facial piercings smiled as she passed them, leaving as they entered.
The main room of the shop was painted black and faded into a dark purple near the back, stopping at the two, parallel doors both painted with the exaggerated figures of two men in tribal clothing, each holding what appeared to be piercing needles to the other's neck.
Ed bounced around the room, peering into all the glass counters and racks of talons and tunnels ranging in all different colours and sizes, while Envy paused near the door, reading over a piercing and price list encased in glass.
A young man in black, button up shirt came through one of the doors at the back, smiling when he saw the two, eager customers.
"Can I help you with anything?" He peeled white, plastic gloves from his hands and threw them into a can under the counter.
"We're just looking." Envy replied.
"For now." Ed added with a grin.
"Alright, sounds great; listen, I need to finish cleaning up so if you decide you want something, just call for me." He disappeared back through the door he'd come through, leaving the two alone.
Tugging Ed close, Envy wrapped his arms around his neck from behind, resting his chin on the top of the blonde head.
"You wanna get something?"
"Hmm…" Ed stroked his chin thoughtfully, reading over the list of possibilities.
"I think you should get a small hoop in your nose… it would look sexy." Envy pressed his lips against the warm skin of Ed's neck.
"Y'think?" Ed turned his head to look over his shoulder.
"Definitely."
"You do realize that means you'll have to get something too… right?"
"I don't know wha—"
"Tongue! You should get your tongue pierced. I mean…" Ed blushed at his sudden outburst. "It would be nice. Er… sexy."
"Kinky." Envy laughed with a smug expression. "I'll give it some thought."
Within moments the two found themselves led to one of the back rooms; the room was painted a sterile white, and was bare aside from the large, lay-z-boy chair in the center, a steel table and a wall full of cupboards.
"So what can I do you for? Oh, I forgot to mention; I'm Porky, and I'll be your piercer today."
"I'm Ed, and this is Wrath." Ed pushed Envy roughly down onto the seat, and then got comfortable on his lap.
"Wrath, huh? Is that your birth name?" Porky turned back to them with a prepared tray of his instruments, setting it carefully on the small table by the chair.
"Yeah." Envy nodded slowly, wrapping his arms affectionately around Ed's waist and resting his chin on his shoulder.
"That's cool, but anyways, what did you want done?" He slapped on a clean pair of plastic gloves, snapping the elastic around his wrists.
"I want my nose done, and I think Wrath is going to get his tongue done."
"Hoop or stud?"
"Oh, a hoop please, on the left side." Ed settled back comfortably against Envy.
"Normally I wouldn't let the two of you sit in the chair like this while I pierce you, but I'll let it pass this time." He scooted his stool closer, and began to wipe Ed's nose sterile with a cool gel, then cleaned it off.
"Okay, once I get the clamp on, I want you to stay perfectly still; don't kick, hit or pull away; it'll only make things more painful for you."
"More painful?" Ed swallowed uncomfortably, intertwining his fingers with Envy's. Envy squeezed his hands reassuringly.
"Well, it is through cartilage, so it'll hurt a bit, but it's a very short lived pain." Porky leaned closer, holding Ed's chin with one hand, and carefully pinching the clamp onto his nostril. "Okay, take a deep breath when I say… Now." He pierced the hollow needle through his nose in one, swift motion.
All the muscles in Ed's body tensed in unison, and he groaned, digging his nails into Envy's hands.
"We're almost finished." Porky turned away to strip the plastic from the selected hoop, and carefully pulled the needle out, pushing the hoop through immediately after. Once he'd clamped the hoop to size and popped the ball on, he pushed his stool back and clapped his hands together. "All done!"
Ed opened his eyes slowly, reaching up to gently touch his nose. Envy reached around and tugged his chin, forcing his head to the side so that he could get a good look.
"Looks great, babe."
"Y'think?" Ed blushed, flinging his arms around Envy's neck and hugging him close. "It hurt."
"Yeah, mine hurt a lot too." Porky tugged roughly on the hoop through his nose. "But once it heals up, you'll be great. Once I'm finished with Wrath I'll give you all the sheets you'll need with instructions on taking care of your new piercing."
Envy easily lifted Ed from his lap, and switched their positions so that Ed sat in the chair, and Envy sat comfortably between his legs, leaning forward towards Porky.
"Alright, so you want your tongue?" He pulled off his gloves and disposed of them along with the used needle and clamp, fetching a previously prepared tray of new instruments.
"Yep." Envy nodded, grinning.
"Good choice." Porky gave Ed a suggestive wink, and went down to business. "Okay, so it will pinch a fair bit, but as with the nose, once it's done it won't hurt as much; more just a short lived pain. Now… swish this until it stops burning." He passed Envy a Dixie cup of mouthwash, and waited until he had finished and disposed of the vile liquid.
Envy nodded, sticking his tongue out when it was instructed, allowing Porky to hold tightly to the tip, and pinching the clamp onto his tongue.
"Oo..kay.." Porky carefully inspected the placement of the clamp, and then turned back to unwrap a clean needle. "Take a deep breath when I say so." He held the needle steadily over the allotted space in the clamp, "Now." He expertly pushed the pointed tip through, piercing the thick muscle.
Envy cringed, "Oh'uck." He attempted to swear the best he could with an open mouth, squeezing handprints into the arms of the chair.
Ed took that as his cue and moved forward, wrapping his arms soothingly around Envy's waist. Slowly removing the clamp, and then the needle, Porky immediately pushed the barbell through and screwed on the black ball.
"Done!"
Envy snapped his mouth shut, sucking curiously on his new piercing.
"Let me see." Envy obediently turned to face Ed and stuck out his tongue.
"Ooh, I like it."
Porky grinned, "Oh, but just you wait… there are rules to follow." He tossed his gloves away, and led the two back to the lobby. "Now, since this is an oral piercing, you'll have to keep an extra close eye on it; there is to be no wet kissing and no oral sex for at least a month. In other words; keep it in your mouth."
Ed sighed dramatically, crossing his arms over his chest. "Damn."
Envy grinned smugly, winking at Ed. "More fun for me."
"Oookay, so normally the two piercings together would cost about $110, but since I like you guys, and I do expect you to come back soon for more piercings, I'll cut you a deal. How about you give me $60?"
"That sounds like a great deal, thanks Porky." Ed dug his hand into his pocket to pay his half, but Envy shoved him gently away, and slapped the allotted amount in bills onto the counter, plus a tip.
"Thanks guys. Here are your instruction sheets on the after care, and if you have any questions or problems, just give us a call." He disappeared into the back room to clean up.
"Well that was fun." Envy wrapped an arm around Ed, resting it on the small of his back as they walked from the shop.
"You didn't have to pay for mine, y'know."
"Yeah, but I wanted to."
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As darkness fell and the two became tired of wandering aimlessly, they began back uptown to where they knew they could catch a bus back to the school. Passing a block of stores familiar from their journey further downtown previously, Envy steered them through the cluttered groups of adults forming outside the large cathedral they'd admired before. Everyone fell silent and watched the two as they passed, until a woman in an old, blue dress emerged from the crowd.
"Well," She began, walking towards the couple who had stopped out of curiosity. "Isn't this interesting? Ho-mo-sexuals," She emphasized each syllable. "the subject of our discussion before us now."
Envy scowled at the woman and turned to tug Ed away from them all, but a large man towering over the both of them blocked their path.
"Such a lifestyle goes against the words of God, and that makes him very angry."
"Hey, woman," Ed snapped defensively. "We're quite happy the way they are, so how about you just piss off and let us life however we want?"
Men and women around them gasped in a sort of surprised horror that anyone speak against the woman they'd followed obediently for years before.
"Ah," She calmly moved closer to the two. "You have not yet seen the evil of your ways. Then it is up to us to show them! To live like this is to deny what they, as humans, are meant to be. Let us cleanse them; let us make God happy."
The surrounding crowd cheered in agreement and two men lunged forward, grabbing Envy roughly and tearing him away from Ed.
"Wrath!" Ed ran after them, but the man who had previously blocked their escape grabbed his shoulders from behind and held him back.
"Stay."
"Get away from me! Edward!" Envy fought against the two men holding him, but they held tight, dragging him up the cement steps and into the church.
The rest of the people followed, all chanting 'Sinners!' and making way to their allotted seats in the pews as Ed was forced into the building after Envy.
Tearing away from the men with surprising strength, Envy ran back, and grabbing Ed on the way by pulled him towards the doors, only to have them slammed in his face.
Turning to face the people, knowing there was no point in trying to open the large, bolted doors.
"Let us go. This is crazy!" Ed hollered defiantly, clinging close to Envy as the woman stepped forward again. Envy pushed Ed back, standing in front of him protectively.
"It begins now." With a simple gesture the two men each grabbed a hold of Envy's arms again, dragging him up the stairs to the balcony circling the back end of the cathedral.
"Wrath!" Ed screamed, trying to run after them but he was beaten to the floor and held down with a heavy boot to the back.
Once to the top of the stairs Envy was dragged across the hard wooden floor, swung over the banister circling the balcony. He struggled at first, believing they planned to throw him over the edge but two sets of arms held him to a ladder resting against the balcony, and tied him tightly to the wooden steps.
"Now!" The woman in the blue dressed stepped to the center again, bellowing out her lecture. "It is time for us to release this sinner to the hands of God; may he be cleansed and seen fit to live with the Heavenly Father." She raised her arms dramatically, and two women baring tortures lit a fire to life in the center of the large room. "And you," She turned back to peer down at Ed. "Perhaps this will teach you of your wrongful doings, and you too will find the way of God."
The two men still on the balcony behind Envy unhooked the ends of rope from the rafters and began to slowly slack the line. Peering over his shoulder Envy frantically followed the path of the rope the two men held; it traveled from their hands back to the ceiling and through a pulley system, then attached to the back of the ladder he hung from.
He fought against the rope that only cut into his skin more and more with each tug, as the loosening lines behind him lowered the ladder slowly to the ground, closer and closer to the fire.
"Wrath!" Ed shoved the man holding him down, and clapped his hands together and then slammed them into the floor. An array formed and the fire from the pit in the center of the room burst all around him, licking the feet of the men and woman. Screams echoed throughout the cathedral as they all ran about, frantically trying to kick the flames from their dresses and pants.
With their captors busy, Ed ran up the stairs to the balcony and grabbed the forgotten ropes as they fell through the pulley system, dropping Envy close to the ground below. Using all his strength, resting his foot against the banister for leverage, Ed pulled the ropes until they began to slip. He hesitated and then let go of the ropes, using the split second of time to clap his hands together and then to the floor, transmuting the pulley system above into a crank around the rope. Frantically turning the crank, the ladder rose from the floor and closer to the balcony.
"Edward!"
Hearing his name and snapping back into reality, Ed ran back down the stairs to the forgotten flames below, now beginning to engulf the entire structure around him.
"Shit!" He froze amidst the fires, unsure as to what to do next. He had turned back to head up the stairs again to cut Envy free when the building began to collapse under the flames tearing it apart and a section of the roof fell over him, blocking him helplessly under its flaming boards.
Hearing Ed's scream for help, Envy frantically wiggled the ropes loose enough for him to reach the sheathed dagger tucked thoughtfully in the waist of his pants, and cut the rest of the rope holding him to the ladder. Falling to the floor with ease he followed Ed's yells for help to the burning rubble, and covering his eyes protectively against the sparks and smoke, he kicked the wood repeatedly aside until he could see the boy below.
Grabbing Ed's hand, Envy pulled him free from the fire and ran to the entrance, tugging him along behind. In no hurry to stop anywhere near the church, Envy continued running until he heard Ed collapse to the ground not far behind. He turned and dived down to cradle the fallen boy, hugging him close.
"Oh, Ed, what have you done this time?"
AN: Woohoo! Another chapter. I hope you all like it, and if you haven't made the connection, this is the same freak religious cult that tried to bomb the entire city previously because of the use of alchemy, and it being a sin.