The heavy scent of musty earth and damp air filled their nostrils as they carefully walked through the darkened corridors, the echo of their steps resonating within the long hall of cavernous tunnels that sprawled out about them in all directions. They paused before a grouping of arches, pressing a hand to the chilled stone wall as they considered which route to take. Laughter drew their attention to the passageway at their left; a rich, vibrant laugh, sweet as honey and deceptive as a spider's touch. They knew that sound so well. Their steps carried them down the corridor, gaining speed as they became aware of flickering light illuminating the chamber at the end of their path.

Three more steps, two more, one.

The main chamber of their subterranean home was empty, save for the dancing light of candle flames. Their father's throne was partially cast in shadow, the vacant seat connected to the surface of Amestris by fewer pipes and machinery than they remembered. His table was positioned in the circle of conjoining lights, a wide map stretched out over the surface of the wood. They approached, curiously observing the outlines of a younger Amestris, the areas to the west and east still clearly denoted as unconquered territories with strategic movements from the unified central, northern and southern areas plotted out against them. Tilting their head, they brushed their fingers across the defined borders of the country in its current mapped state.

"Who let you out of your pit this time? We come back from a long assignment and your dumb face isn't the first thing I want to see."

The sarcastic drawl drew a sharp inhale from them as they whipped about to face the two figures in the dim light of the archway. Greed's lips pulled back in a mocking sneer as he shoved his hands into his pockets and strolled toward them, pointed teeth bared wide. He loomed over them in the leather-clad cockiness of his original form, attempting to be threatening with his taller stature, and for a moment, in shock, they leaned backward over the table, allowing him to encroach farther into their personal space till they could feel the soft puff of his breath against their skin.

"No sassy come back? What's wrong? Cats got all your tongues?" His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized them, but it was the sharp click of heels on stone that drew the attention of both homunculi to the figure behind him.

Envy surged forward, shoving past Greed to race toward their sister, ignoring his snort of laughter and her surprise as they enveloped her in a tight embrace, their face buried against her shoulder. They could feel the inhale of her breath, the softness of her skin, and smell the unique blend of her scent-sharply alchemic and rich in a heady mix of amber and spices. They felt her fingers lightly brush through their hair before coming to rest against their back.

"Lust, you're here, you're back!"

Her silence brought a frown to their lips as they realized she had become stiff within their arms. Raising their head from her shoulder they looked up to find her face turned to the side, her gaze harsh as she seemed to glare down at them. Envy swallowed, unease crawling up the back of their spine under her silent contempt. They loosened their grip around her; moving their hands to take hold of her own.
"Why are you looking at me like this? Lust? Say something?"

Their grip tightened, and then collapsed through her hand completely. Envy jerked their attention down at where their palms were clasped around emptiness, opening them to find fading ashes in their grasp. They looked back to their sister, eyes widening in distress as her body began to fracture, fragmenting, and spilling to the ground in a cascade of ash and dust. Unable to cry out, Envy dug their hands into their hair, their legs unsteady as they took a step back from the pile of dissolving ashes. A heavy sobbing filled the room from behind them. Envy turned to see the hunched over, bulbous figure of one of their younger siblings. The sobbing grew louder as they neared him, cautiously reaching out to press their palm to the back of his curved shoulder. His bald head bobbed with his weeping.

"Gluttony, it's me, Envy." Their tone was hushed, apprehension lacing their words as they glanced back toward the now empty place on the floor where Lust had once stood.

Gluttony rounded on them with sudden strength, clinging to their arm as he wailed, his small eyes awash with tears, fluids cascading over the rounded features of his face as he stared up at them in helpless loss.

"Where is she? Where is Lust? Lust! LUST! Bring her back! I want Lust!"

Pulling their arm free was no small feat, and they could only try to consolingly pet Gluttony's head as he cried out in grief, blubbering uncontrollably. They attempted to talk to him, but he would only repeat her name and demand to know where she had gone. Unable to console the increasingly distressed homunculus, Envy slowly backed away from their distraught sibling until they tripped on something hard and fell backward, landing heavily against a solid, frigid mass.

"What the-Sloth?!" They sat back on their knees, observing the unmoving girth that was strewn out on the floor, face down against the stone. Envy frowned, poking a finger against Sloth's arm, only to grow concerned at how cold his skin felt. Everywhere they felt along his arm and back was icy to the touch, frozen and unyielding to any pressure they applied.

"Sloth, you're too cold. Do you hear me? Sloth? Wake up!" They attempted to shake him, slapped his back, and tugged at his hair to no avail. "Sloth..? You are, sleeping, right?"

A knot began to form in their gut as they stood and turned away from the prone form of the large homunculus. Envy took a few steps forward, then spotted the figures of their eldest and youngest family members in an archway of the chamber. Pride and Wrath stood side by side, their backs toward their sibling as they talked together, though Envy couldn't hear their words. They ran forward, relief flooding their mind.

"Pride! Wrath!"

Envy raced toward them, crossing the room only to abruptly crash into an unseen barrier and land roughly on their rear. They groaned, blinking, and reaching out to press their palm against a hard, smooth surface.

"Glass?"

Looking up, they found a wall of thick glass barricading them from their family. Envy cursed, pounding their fists against the impenetrable surface to no effect. They watched, shouting out as Pride and Wrath began to walk through the archway and down the corridor, vanishing into the darkness without ever having glanced their way. Pressing both hands to the glass they slid down to their knees and shook their head, confused and dismayed. A scornful laugh drew their attention to their right, the familiar form of their jeering brother emerging from the shadows to prowl around them in a wide arc.

"What's wrong little worm? Are you sad again? Did someone other than me tell you you're ugly?" Greed crept closer, a carbonized claw reaching out to tap against the tip of their nose. Envy scowled, baring their teeth and swatting at the offending hand. Greed laughed again.

"Come on now, pops wants us to be nice remember? Can't you at least pretend to care?" His fangs split with his open laugh, and to Envy's surprise the noise came out garbled, bubbling and choked off as crimson poured down from his lips and splashed onto the stone at their knees. They stood quickly, looking up to find their sibling staggering, pinned by blades in each of his nodes, his limbs tangled in chains as he tumbled backward, falling into an opening in the floor where a sizzling pool of molten liquid awaited him. His broken, garbled laughter continued as his body sank beneath the bubbling surface of the pool, only this time Envy didn't feel any sense of amusement at watching him die. They shook their head, the low hissing of the pool the only sound in the dimly lit chamber.

"Envy."

A sudden gasp filled their chest with air as they turned toward the sound of her voice, finding her back presented to them. The heavy tresses of her silken hair caressed her body in gentle waves, rippling and bouncing with her movements. She shifted her weight, bringing one gloved hand to rest on the swell of her hip. They gnawed at their lower lip, hesitantly stepping toward her, reaching out, but uncertain if they could hold onto her this time. She turned toward them, her gaze sad, disappointed and accusing.

"Envy, why?"

The question fell from her lips as a flame erupted from her feet, enveloping her figure, ravaging the material of her black gown, and licking at the ends of her hair as she continued to stare them down. Envy cried out, stumbling backward from her burning form, collapsing to their knees, and watching as she reached out from the fire to them. Her skin darkened, charring and crackling in the heated inferno raging over her body. As she burned, she walked toward them, staggering, and finally crumbling to ash within the heat of the fire. The smoldering ashes piled up before them and they placed a trembling hand over them, hearing their own breath hitch in their throat as they tried to say her name.

The ashes stirred, rising, and falling away as the hand, arm, and head of their father emerged from the smoking dust of their sister's remains. He threw himself onto them, catching them around the throat and looming over them with a savage, hungry malice. Envy couldn't breathe, could barely scrabble their fingers against the stone as their creator, their father, looked upon them with vicious intent and disdain. His voice was cold, hard as the force with which he was asphyxiating them.

"You betrayed me, Envy, my child. You must be consumed, remade."

Envy attempted to cry out, to order their limbs to move, to fight back, but their father seemed to grow larger, his mouth opening to a darkened void that crashed down on top of them.

They screamed.

Their eyes opened to the hazy light of dawn spilling through the window in their room. Their mouth was open, their throat still aching from the ghostly clutch of their sire's hand. Envy blinked rapidly, glancing to the left and right to discover they were not in the tunnels of their former home below Central, but were strapped down to the bed in the house Mustang had brought them to the day before. The birds outside were chirping, announcing the growing light of a new day with vigorous singing. They took several slow breaths, frowning at the ache in their head caused by the needles in their nodes.

A dream then, or a nightmare. What brought that on?

Mulling over their memory of the disturbing night vision, they became aware of the approach of footsteps in the hall. The sound stopped outside their door, and the click of the lock turning announced the opening of their door. Roy Mustang entered the room, dressed casually in tan slacks with the sleeves of his light blue collared shirt rolled up at the elbows. Envy noted his thoughtful stare, and arched their brows at him as he folded his arms across his chest and gave them a knowing look.

"Now that you're awake, we'll take another shot at civil interaction. Think you can behave yourself this morning?"

His query received a snort as a reply, but they followed it up with a question of their own.

"Are you going to leave these things imbedded in my skull all day?" Their gaze was fixed on his face as he approached the bed, and began the process of unfastening their restraints, starting at their ankles. Mustang took his time with their bindings, tugging on the straps tethered around their wrists more firmly than they thought was necessary before releasing them. They didn't move to pull the needles out of their forehead on their own, waiting and meeting his stern gaze with baited breath.

"Their purpose is to keep you incapacitated when I can't monitor you, so there's really no point in leaving them imbedded in your skull, as you put it, while you're with me, is there?" His retort was laced with an undertone of sarcasm that Envy didn't care for, but they opted not to roll their eyes as he plucked the needles from their forehead. It hurt, the sudden twisting pinch of each one popping out from their nodes, and they slapped a hand up over their injuries as soon as the final needle had been removed. Their body quickly recovered from the small wounds, but all the same they glowered at him while getting up from their bed.

"You didn't have to take them out like that you know. I swear you're enjoying this Mustang."

The colonel gave them a sour look and snorted, his arms settling over his chest as he crossed the room and stood by the open door.

"Yes, it's always been my heart's desire to babysit a petulant, arrogant, foolish, destructive, maniacal, loud-mouthed, rude homunculus." His dark eyes glinted with a hint of mirth and they were certain they saw his lips quirk into the faintest trace of a smirk. "Did I miss anything?"

Envy grit their teeth, highly insulted by his critical remark. I shouldn't be surprised, he did call me an idiot before, more than once. Placing their hands on their hips, they huffed softly, turning their head to the side and closing their eyes to avoid looking at him.

"You forgot wickedly clever, resilient, and adorable, but you're only human so I can't expect much." Envy cracked an eye open, wondering if he was going to be irritated with their response, but to their chagrin, he was snickering at them. Mustang shook his head, his hand raised to hold them back from speaking.

"Wicked I can acknowledge, resilient, maybe-but clever? Now that makes me laugh, and adorable? You actually claim that as a trait?" Snorting, he crooked a finger for them to approach. "Come downstairs with me, and watch your mouth." Mustang waited for them to step past him into the hall before he followed, closing the door to their room and ushering them back to the atrociously decorated sitting room at the bottom of the stairs.

The floral couches were vacant, but the smell of frying grease and the chatter of amused conversation coming from the next room over let them know where their warden's cohorts were gathered. Mustang's hand against their back was a solid reminder that they had no choice in joining the group of humans in the kitchen. Envy bit back their irritation and stepped into the brightly lit room, the radiant glow of sunshine blazing through a large window behind the sink to their left. Hawkeye stood near the sink, her body in a relaxed stance as she leaned on the tiled counter top. She had been talking with a shorter man with glasses and spiked, dark brown hair who was holding a plate of eggs and toast in his hands. At the table with plates of food were three other men, a portly red head with stubble on his chin, a lanky man with narrowed eyes and silver hair, and the grinning Jean Havoc, cigarette dangling from his mouth. All five of the humans ceased their conversations when the homunculus and their warden entered the kitchen, a heavy silence filling the room.

It was the colonel who put an end to the growing unease in the air by clapping his hand down heavily against Envy's shoulder and proclaiming. "You all remember our guest from last night, so now let's sit down and get to business. Envy, take a seat."

They did as they were told, casting a baleful look around the table as everyone settled into their chairs. Mustang and Hawkeye had positioned themselves to their left and right, respectively, then the short one with the glasses had taken a seat between the woman and the red headed man. Havoc was positioned directly across from them, and they found a small flicker of enjoyment in observing how uncomfortable he looked whenever their eyes met with his. They made certain to give him as much of a threatening glare as they thought they could get away with-until Mustang's hand smacked the back of their head sharply.

"Hey!" Scowling, they turned their attention to the colonel and found his disapproving visage enough to make them reconsider their angry expression. Once it was apparent they had been subdued, Mustang cleared his throat and addressed the group.

"You've all been briefed on the unique situation here, and while it's going to make things more difficult, that doesn't change our objectives. However, before we discuss any of that in further detail, I think it's important to get a few things clear right now." Their warden paused for a moment, glancing pointedly at them before continuing. "There will be no fighting or antagonizing between any of you. I don't expect this to be a problem for most of you, but it needs to be said all the same. The homunculus is never to be unattended save for periods I determine as exceptions. We will spend a short time here to adjust to our new working arrangement. Take this time to acquaint yourselves with our permanent guest, which, we should begin by way of introductions."

Envy had hardly listened to most of Mustang's speech, having lost interest quickly after realizing this commentary was more for the sake of his team than it was for them. Their thoughts drifted, absently lingering on the various plates of food set before each individual at the table.

Tubby has a heaping amount of sausage and potatoes with his eggs, all dripping in grease-disgusting. Shorty's toast is burned, does he like it that way? Squinty has a lot of fruit on his plate, looks like there's sausage there too, Hawkeye probably has the most balanced plate, that's no surprise. Smokestack has coffee, just like Mustang, how charming-wait a second-where's my plate? Don't I get food? I don't need it-but that's not a reason to not offer it to me! Stupid, inconsiderate humans.

Folding their arms over their chest, Envy glowered at the empty space on the table in front of them, indignant at their lack of inclusion. It was a visual reminder that they were an outsider here, an unwanted burden on the humans who were uncomfortable with their presence.

This is ridiculous, I know they don't want to deal with me, what was it he said before? Babysit-that was it. Damn him.

"Envy? Hey!"

A hand waved in front of their eyes, calling their attention to an annoyed colonel. He sighed heavily, then tapped a few fingers against the side of his coffee mug.

"Since you are part of this team now, it's important you know who each member is, you already know the first lieutenant, and Havoc it seems. I'm going to give you one warning only, so listen closely. Never harm or disrespect any of my subordinates, you aren't here by selection or choice, but by circumstance, and you are untrustworthy. Do not step out of line Envy, or I promise you'll regret it." His threat was fully understood, even if it had been spoken in calm, factual tones. Envy frowned deeply, shifting uneasily in their chair as they met their warden's piercing gaze.

"Fine! I get it already. I'm not going to attack them, maim them, or kill them in any way or you'll roast me. I understand! Can we get on with this?" Frustrated, they slouched over, hunching their shoulders, and frowning deeply at the table.

The short man with the glasses coughed softly, before speaking in a voice that carried far too much optimistic pep to it for Envy's liking.

"Sergeant Major Kain Fuery, I've heard a few things about you, most of it last night, but it will be interesting working with you Envy." His bubbly enthusiasm was met with a dismissive scowl. The red head took a swig from his cup and then spoke up next.

"Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda, don't think you're going to sneak anything past us homunculus, we're well informed on your abilities; and don't think I haven't noticed how you keep giving my friend those nasty looks, we're all on to you."

Envy blinked at the portly man as he attempted to look imposing and stern. Am I supposed to take this guy seriously? What's he going to do if I accidentally break Havoc's nose? Sit on me? Ha! A jeering smile twitched across their lips but before they could let it fully bloom into an unnatural grin, the squinting man on Havoc's other side interrupted their moment.

"Second Lieutenant Vato Falman, it's not exactly a pleasure to meet you, but I'm sure we'll figure out how to work together, not all of your kind have been terrible, hopefully you won't be either." His words were spoken with a touch of nervousness, but the fact that he seemed to have familiarity with other homunculi had their mind racing with curiosity. They opened their mouth to question him, but were cut off by Mustang's abrupt tone.

"Save your comments for now Envy, you'll have time for them later. For the next few days we'll be working closely together at this location, preparing materials and equipment for transport at the end of the week. You will be involved in this process as part of the conditions of your sentence. I expect you to work with each member of this team to the best of your ability, and to prove to me that you can follow orders, control yourself, and not pose a constant threat to everyone around you. If you can demonstrate that to me, then you'll be taking your first real steps toward that second chance you wanted." His words were spoken with a clear lack of sincerity, the obvious lack of faith he had in them blatant to everyone. Envy felt their blood boil as they narrowed their eyes and lifted their chin in defiance.

"You don't think I can do it, but I'll show you. Go on then Mustang, give me an order." Their challenge was met with raised eyebrows and a slowly developing smirk from their warden.

"Alright, if you're so eager, here's your first order, clear the table, and assist Fuery in washing, drying, and putting away the dishes."

"What?! That's not-what kind of order is that?" Envy's displeasure intensified at the soft snort of laughter from across the table. They glared openly at Breda and Havoc, then blinked as Fuery stood up from his seat and walked across the kitchen to the sink, returning to hand them a dish rag. His smile was friendly, if a bit nervous, and they found it completely revolting.

"Don't worry about it, we all take turns keeping things clean while we're here. I'll fill up the sink and you can bring the dishes over and scrape off the left overs." His smile remained despite their best scowl. Envy noted that the rest of the humans had already begun exiting the kitchen, save for Mustang who had crossed the room to refill his coffee mug and lean against the counter, quietly observing.

Heaving a sigh, they clenched their fist around the rag and stood up from their seat, leaning over to begin collecting dirty dishes. Fuery went to the sink, running hot water from the faucet into it.

"Stack the plates and cups here, and let me have the utensils first, I'll wash them and you can do the drying and sorting into the cupboards, okay Envy?"

"Yeah, okay shorty. I'm on it." They grumbled while scraping left over crumbs and egg bits into the garbage bin, ignoring Fuery's confused look. As they stacked the dirty plates, cups, and utensils on the counter, they found the task somewhat reminiscent of times when they had cleaned up after Gluttony. Their younger sibling had always been a sloppy eater, and Lust wasn't fond of clearing away his leavings. The task had usually fallen to them, and was always completed with an ample amount of grumbling, but it was a chore they had grown accustomed to doing over time.

I always hated picking up his scraps and messes. Now I'll never get to yell at him for making any again.

Fuery had ceased any attempts to engage them in conversation, for which they were grateful. The pair worked together in silence, cleaning, drying, and sorting the dishes and pans into their respective cupboards. When their task was completed, Envy turned to regard their watchful keeper, noting the contemplative look in his eyes.

"Fuery I need you to go assist the lieutenant with the supply documents. She should be in the back office." Mustang gave his subordinate a quick nod of his head as the man acknowledge his orders and exited the kitchen, leaving them alone with their warden. The colonel brought a hand up to his chin, tapping his index finger against his lips a moment before pointedly staring at his prisoner.

"You have questions about all of this I imagine, and I might answer them, later. For now, I need you to come with me outside and help with another task." He didn't give them time to respond, quickly stepping away from the counter to walk out of the room. Envy huffed, reaching a hand up to rub the back of their neck as they followed him through the sitting room and down a short hallway. They passed a small room with several book shelves and a desk in it, catching a quick glance of Hawkeye and Fuery leafing through a small stack of paperwork. A black and white canine sat beside the desk, turning to look inquisitively toward them as they passed by the doorway. They continued down the hall with Mustang to a back door that provided access to the grassy area behind the house.

The field of green expanded for some distance in all directions before it was cut off on the right by a fenced garden, complete with a well for water collection, a gathering of trees in what could be called a small grove on the left, and two large wooden sheds directly across from where they stood. Breda and Havoc were standing outside one of the sheds, a large pile of metal canisters and wooden barrels stacked near them. Envy's expression soured somewhat as they followed their warden toward the men. Both Breda and Havoc seemed less than comfortable with their presence, but they didn't make any negative comments or expressions in their direction, so they opted to ignore both humans in favor of hearing what Mustang's next order would be. He didn't keep them waiting long.

"Havoc I'll need you to pull one of the trucks out from behind the shed and bring it around for loading. Breda, you have the check list for the supplies, so keep track as things are loaded. Envy, you're going to be assisting them in getting the supplies prepared and loaded onto the truck."

Glancing from Mustang to his men, and then to the empty containers, they arched their eyebrows and settled their hands against their hips.

"What supplies? All you have here are barrels and tin cans." They snorted softly, giving one of the canisters a light nudge with their foot. Breda shook his head and Havoc left to move the truck into place. Mustang had a strangely amused expression on his face that they weren't pleased to see.

I'm really starting to hate that look. He's too smug about all of this.

"Yes, everything is empty, because you haven't filled anything yet. Each metal canister needs to be filled with water from the well, sealed, and loaded onto the truck. Then the barrels need to be filled with apples from the trees in the orchard. You'll be at this job for the rest of the day I expect, so don't push yourself too hard, I know you're not as strong as you used to be." Mustang's words stung because they were true, and Envy bristled over it as they watched the truck come into view from around the shed.

"First it's dishes, now I'm fetching water and picking apples, would you like me to sweep your floors and wash your laundry next?" Envy's exasperation was growing as they reached out to yank one of the canisters off the ground and settle it onto their right shoulder. They didn't give Mustang a chance to reply, turning on their heel to stride toward the garden while grumbling to themselves. "I thought this was supposed to be about redeeming myself for following Father's plans, not being some sort of servant for Mustang's personal house chores. This is so stupid! I'm Envy, I shouldn't be doing menial labor for these low life scums, I should be crushing them under my foot, and making them do useless tasks." They cast a glance back at the three men once they were standing by the well, scowling at the way they seemed to be completely ignored by the humans, though they were certain Mustang was aware of their movements.

The well had a simple turn crank to bring up the water from the underground source, and it proved to be a deep one as they turned the wooden handle for what seemed a significant amount of time to bring up the bucket. As the water splashed into the canister their eyes narrowed slightly and their lips drew together in a pinched frown.

"This is going to take forever, that barely made any difference. How many of these things am I supposed to fill?" Glancing back to where the collection of canisters stood, they observed Mustang standing with his hands in his pockets, relaxed, and watching them. Breda and Havoc had disappeared, and this brought a growl up from the back of their throat. "And just where did those two worms go? I'm going to have to do everything myself, and he's going to just stand there and watch." Scowling, they repeated the cycle of lowering the bucket, turning the crank to draw up the water, and pouring it into the canister until the cold liquid reached the top. Lifting the full container wasn't difficult, but trying to carry it without spilling frigid water on themselves required a slow, careful pace. They set the first canister down near the back of the truck, casting Mustang a quick glance as they grabbed the next one in line and stomped back across the grass to the well.

By the time they had filled and carried over their twelfth canister, they were starting to feel a strain in their arms. They had stumbled on their most recent trip, sending a slosh of cold water up into their face, which had been entirely unpleasant. Mustang had continued to watch them in silence, his arms settled over his chest as he leaned against the side of the truck. After setting the canister down beside the others, they drew their hand over their wet face and flicked the water away. Although they didn't have a watch on them, they were certain it had been more than an hour since they had first come outside, and they still had more than half the canisters to fill. Placing their hands on their hips, they cocked their head toward their warden and clicked their tongue in frustration.

"Do you actually need all of these things filled today? I mean, it's not like you're hauling out of here tomorrow right? It just takes so long. Why don't you just use alchemy to fill them all at once and be done with it?"

Mustang tapped a finger against his bicep and regarded them with a strangely patient expression.

"Does it matter when the transport leaves? I gave you a direction, an order. Complaining about it isn't going to change it, or complete it."

There really wasn't anything they could say to him that wouldn't bring some form of trouble down on their head. Envy settled for an angry expression since Mustang hadn't yet told them they couldn't glare at him, and continued their task. As they were bringing the final canister back to the truck, they observed Havoc and Breda pushing wheel barrows from the shed to the orchard.

So they are pulling some weight after all. Good! I shouldn't be doing everything!

Dropping the canister down with a heavy thud, they crossed their arms over their chest and lifted their chin toward their warden.

"That's the last one. Task completed." They paused, then sneered, and added a sarcastic. "Sir."

Mustang's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't reprimand them, instead, he gestured toward the empty bed of the truck.

"You still need to load it."

Envy blinked, looking from the full canisters to the bed of the transport truck, and then to Mustang. They had forgotten about that part. Sucking in air through their teeth, they grabbed the sides of the canister closest to them, and began the awkward process of hauling it into the truck bed. Lifting it up wasn't easy given the angle they had to work with, and as they attempted to push it over the edge of the metal grating on the loading step, the container caught on a groove and began to tip. Eyes widening, they jerked their hand up to yank on the rim of the canister, but in their haste, they pulled too roughly, and brought the entire canister down on themselves.

The water was freezing, and not only were they drenched, but the canister had given them a painful smack to their chest on the way down. Mustang's long suffering sigh drew their attention from their soggy puddle to where he stood, watching them from over the top of one hand which was covertly covering his mouth.

If he laughs at me….

They weren't sure exactly what they would do if he did, but instead of mocking them, he removed his hand and pointed behind them. Envy twisted around, staring at a collection of metal discs stacked in two columns near the wooden barrels.

"It might be easier if you put the lids on first."

Embarrassment creeped up the back of their neck, but they did their best to ignore it. Mustang's eyes held in their gaze the mirth he hadn't openly acknowledged, and the look infuriated them. More than once they considered how risky it would be to 'accidentally' drop a canister on him. After they had finished maneuvering all the canisters up and onto the truck bed, they turned to look at the sky, observing that it had to be late in the afternoon by this point. Breda and Havoc had returned, pushing their wheel barrows back into the shed before joining them near the truck.

"All the apples have been collected in the barrels at the base of the trees and are ready for exchange sir." Breda cast a curious look at Envy, arching his eyebrows. "You actually finished loading the water huh?"

They set their hands on their hips, scoffing haughtily with their nose in the air.

"Of course I did! Just because you worms are weak and pathetic and can't finish a job by yourselves doesn't mean I work in the same way. Clearly you don't understand how powerful homunculi are."

Mustang's hand came down solidly on their shoulder, startling them slightly as he loomed in from behind them.

Crap! When did he move?

"Since you're so great and powerful, and able to handle tasks alone, you can exchange all these empty wooden barrels for the full ones in the orchard. Bring them here, and load them into the truck with the water, but don't forget the lids this time." Mustang gave their shoulder a rough slap of encouragement before stepping back to give Breda and Havoc his attention. Envy stood still, stunned, and utterly dismissed. They scowled, looking from the trees to the barrels a moment before cursing and getting to work. It was dusk by the time they had finished loading the last barrel into the truck. Breda and Havoc had left to get a meal at some point before they had completed their task, and were only just returning as they climbed down from the truck bed.

"I'll leave you two to drive the transport to the station. Be back tomorrow night." Mustang instructed his men before casting a glance their direction.

They felt the exertion of all the labor more than they had anticipated they would, their arms felt sore and stiff, their shoulders were hunched forward and they were doing their best to fight off the urge to yawn but were losing the battle. They didn't want to admit they were exhausted, but they had a feeling he could tell regardless of anything they might say to deny it. The familiar touch of his hand around their upper arm was enough motivation to get them walking toward the house, but his grip felt more relaxed for some reason they couldn't determine. They found their journey led straight back up the stairs to their room, where Mustang closed the door and flipped on the light before settling himself into the chair near their bed. Envy was uneasy with his presence, fidgeting a bit before glancing at their bed.

"You have a hard time keeping your attitude in check, but you still accomplished every task given to you today, which I hadn't held any expectation for you achieving." He looked at them with a small frown, and they couldn't help glaring in response to it. Mustang arched his eyebrows at their expression. "You don't like that? You're angry?"

"Yes I'm angry!" Envy gestured widely, pointing an accusing finger at him as their voice rose. "You made me do ridiculous, menial work all day! You didn't even let me ask a question at your farce of a meeting this morning! And what about food? Huh!? You didn't even offer to let me eat! I'm not here to be a slave for you! If Father had completed his goals you would be groveling in the dirt and I would-!" Their words abruptly cut off as Mustang rose from his seat and closed the distance between them.

Mustang's arm pulled back and as his open palm came down they reacted instinctually, blocking his slap by intercepting his attack with their arm defensively. There was a moment of tense silence between them as they stared at one another, Mustang's gaze growing darker as Envy's eyes widened in shock at their own blunder. Their throat felt dry as they tried to decide if they should lower their arm, apologize, or try to run out of the room. Their lips slowly parted, working around the words that crept forth in a hesitant tremor.

"I didn't mean to do that. I just reacted."

Their warden's hand closed tightly around their raised arm, and the firm tug he gave went unchallenged as they stumbled across the room behind him. He released them at the edge of their bed, taking a moment before turning to face them with a mixture of anger and disapproval that made them feel uncomfortable and anxious.

"Sit down on the bed, on your hands."

Following the stern command, they eased onto the mattress and slid their hands under their thighs. As soon as they were settled the slap they had denied earlier connected with their face. It stung powerfully, but the mark would heal soon enough. Mustang's hand gripped their chin, pulling their face into an upward angle as he leaned over them.

"You are never to fight me if I decide to discipline you. I've already explained to you that disrespect won't be tolerated, yelling at me, and telling me about what you would do if your father had destroyed the world is only going to get you into trouble. The fact of the matter that you seem to be unable to comprehend is that your father lost! He lost the war Envy! Nothing is going to change that!" Mustang gave their jaw a shake, then continued, his tone cold, and harsh. "You keep falling back on useless analogies of what could have been, and it's all fantasy. You can't hide in a make-believe world where the homunculi conquered and you rule the world, it's time to wake up to reality. You saw what was happening! You knew your father was going to lose and you chose to abandon him! You accepted the consequences of your crimes and you resigned yourself to being a prisoner under my authority. You don't get to keep going on about what would have been in some delusional way to comfort yourself about your circumstances!"

Every word dug in like a barb, twisting and piercing at them with the stark reality of the truth. They screwed their eyes shut, breathing harshly through their teeth as they listened to his gruff lecture. Every sentence chipped away at their self-control, the urge to fight back reared up inside them; they wanted to deny that they had fallen so low, that they had chosen this outcome, but looking at Mustang's stern expression crumbled their will into helpless frustration. Unwanted tears welled up at the corners of their eyes, spilling down their cheeks as they hissed out a bitter retort.

"Don't you think I know that!? I turned my back on everything! My father's plan, my family, I turned my back on them! To save myself! I'm no better than that bastard Greed! I should have fought harder! I should have killed you!" They expected to be slapped again, but Mustang only stared at them, his hands fisted at his sides as he looked down on them silently. Envy's body quaked with their anger, their own hands clawing into the mattress on either side of their legs.

"You ruined everything! You marched in and nothing I did made any difference! You took my power from me, you took my pride as a homunculus and stomped it into nothing! You took…you..you took her! You took Lust away! I hate you for what you did! And I have to be chained to you now, when all I want is to see you dead! To see you suffer and die for ever daring to hurt her!" They lurched toward him, grabbing his shirt with their fist as they stared up at him, the fluid running from their eyes in hot streaks. Their other hand came up toward his face to strike, but never made contact.

The flame alchemist had caught their wrist in his hand, his grip unyielding as they struggled to pull away from him. He brought his weight down on top of them, pinning their body under his own against the mattress as he found and held the wrist of their other arm down. Envy twisted and writhed in agitated duress, cursing, and screaming at him until they had exasperated themselves and began to sob more than yell. They found it infuriating that he wasn't arguing back with them, wasn't belittling them, wasn't doing anything but holding them down against their bed. Eventually, he leaned back, pulling their wrists down against their sides before releasing them. They watched him return to the chair and run his hand over his face. His gaze was fixed on them, but his expression was unreadable and it only served to make them more upset.

"Why aren't you doing anything Mustang? Aren't you going to hit me? Say something already!"

The colonel sighed a slow breath out, then said something that caught them entirely off guard.

"You're right, I was inconsiderate of you."

Envy was at a loss. Their brows furrowed together in confusion as they tried to understand what had just come from the man's mouth. Sniffling loudly, they swiped at their face and sat up on the bed slowly. Mustang tilted his head slightly, his hands resting on his knees as he regarded them in a disquietingly thoughtful manner.

"Hawkeye, Fuery and Falman are in town tonight on assignment, I think before we proceed any further, you and I need to actually talk. I'll admit, I've been avoiding dealing with you as much as possible, because as much as you claim to hate me, I've hated you and wished you had died in the tunnels even more. I didn't want to have this situation, to have to deal with you all the time, but I've been avoiding talking with you, acknowledging and being open about the circumstances facing both of us, and that's inconsiderate of me as your warden. So, we're going to face this situation now, whether we like it or not." He stood up, one hand settling against his hip. "Get up Envy."

They blinked, slowly getting to their feet and frowning in confusion. "Why?"

"Because we're going to have something to eat. Come with me."