A/N:This one's for day three of the Rarepair week- I wrote it with the theme "First Kiss" in mind (and I'm regretting it every second).
Yet another AU here (it's very difficult, unless I want to set everything during/before Ishval, to fit anything into canon- the tight timeline is something that I love about FMA:B, but it's frustrating for me as a Kimvy shipper...) All that's different about this one is that Kimblee was let out of prison earlier than in canon, and that Envy's fight with Ling and Lan Fan didn't go quite as "smoothly" as it did in canon.
Father was going to kill them.
He'd do to them what he did to Greed; they'd be dipped into the inferno, melted down to the essence of jealousy, sent back to where they'd come from.
No, no, no… he loved them more than that, didn't he? He wouldn't…
Curse that foreign boy, that Xingese 'warrior;' he played dirty; his friends played dirty; it wasn't fair-
A fresh wave of pain crashed down, and Envy fell against the alley wall, chest heaving, a choked-back groan escaping their lips. Red sparks danced around their midsection, but it only made things worse; the blade that penetrated through their stomach cut through every new layer of organs and flesh that attempted to grow back.
It was fine, though. They just had to get this thing out, that's all, and then they'd be fine, and back to their ordinary self.
Envy's hands were most definitely not shaking as they gripped the handle and pulled-
They swallowed a scream, knees dropping to the ground. Black spots clouded their vision, and Envy coughed, making no effort to stop the mouthful of blood from spattering onto the filthy alley ground. They choked back a sob. It hurt too much; it was in too deep, the steep curve of the blade only caused fresh damage as it was removed.
Those Xingese warriors had gotten the best of them; their Stone shouldn't be faltering like this.
Now, if they were like Greed, or Pride, or Lust, this would be nothing, but they were only sorry little Envy, who couldn't even get rid of a couple of humans (it should have been easy, right?) and had fled, wounded, like a coward.
Pathetic, pathetic, useless… as long as they couldn't get this thing out, they'd be stuck in this endless loop; their Stone would keep obstinately working away at healing a wound that only made itself worse every time the flesh grew back… they couldn't keep it up forever.
Lust would help, right?
No, she was busy, being useful.
Pride was right, Pride was right…
They just had to get back was the first step. Gluttony would be there; he could… he could do something. He'd been there for the fight, in any case; he knew that those Xingese dogs had put up a rough fight; he would…
Envy didn't even know if they could make it back.
Maybe if they transformed; if they turned into their true-
No, not that ugly thing- and Envy sincerely doubted that their stone could even sustain holding that form for long.
They leaned against the wall, desperately trying to gather their thoughts together. Where exactly were they? Could they possibly make it home? They'd run away without thinking, paying no heed to where they had gone, as long as it was away from people who would hurt them, and out of sight.
Envy stared into the red brick wall opposite them, trying to make sense of where they were. The area did seem familiar…
They'd driven here, days ago, hadn't they?
With…
Oh, yes.
He'd be useful, wouldn't he? He couldn't be anything else; he couldn't refuse anything Envy requested.
He'd help… wouldn't he?
The kettle began to sing, and Kimblee arose from his easy chair, folding the newspaper in his hands and placing it on the table beside him. There hadn't been much to speak of in the news as of late, despite all of the political unrest, making Kimblee's evening paper ritual far less exciting than it used to be. Government censorship must be getting tighter, he supposed. It was fortunate that he got his news from a far more reliable source...
Kimblee poured some of the steaming water into his teapot. He'd chosen chai tea this evening- he was in the mood for something a little more exotic than his usual choices of western-style teas (and a change from his usual black coffee- he'd remembered a few days after his prison release that it wasn't the wisest choice to drink coffee in the evening!). The spicy scent drifted upwards, and he inhaled slowly. He didn't appreciate the simple pleasures like this as deeply as he should, and, this evening was determined to enjoy all of them slowly and fully.
Someone began pounding the door to the outdoor stairwell, heavily, frantically.
Kimblee stared curiously towards the origin of the noise– was it worth investigating? The perpetrator might leave if left alone. But the knocking didn't stop; it only slowed, growing weaker with every beat.
He might as well see what he was wanted for.
Kimblee opened the door slowly, curiously, peeking through the crack of the door. There was someone leaning against the doorframe, and the alchemist smelled the familiar scent of blood. "Can I help you?" he began, intrigued by the situation at hand.
Familiar violet eyes looked up through the darkness of the stairwell, meeting his- but they were far wider, far more desperate than Kimblee had ever seen before. "K-Kimblee… can I stay here for a bit?"
Goodness, was that blood coming from Envy? A long-forgotten feeling from ages past began to stir up in Kimblee's stomach, and, instinctively, he pulled the shaking homunculus inside, locking and bolting the door.
Kimblee held the homunculus awkwardly- they were tense in his arms, breathing in short, erratic gasps. Blood dripped steadily to the floor, staining the floorboards. Kimblee ran his gaze over the homunculus' body- what could have caused them this kind of damage? The worst wound was evident immediately- a curved sword was impaled through their stomach- but nearly every part of them was hurt in some way; it seemed like all of their energy was going towards attempting to heal the most serious wound, ignoring the smaller abrasions.
Kimblee came to his senses, and, in a slow, awkward movement that was more of a waltz than anything, he maneuvered Envy over to his couch, laying them down on their side.
"What did you do?" Kimblee hissed. Leaving Envy alone on the couch, he dashed towards his small closet, pulling out towels. He quickly returned, kneeling beside them, pressing the towel to their wound. "I thought you could heal yourself… what on earth have you been doing?"
"I...I…" Envy gasped at Kimblee's touch, wincing as he held the towel to the wound on their torso, wrapping it around the protruding handle of the barbaric weapon. "I got into a fight… th-the details aren't important," they said harshly at Kimblee's bewildered expression. "My… my stone's running out, though… I can't heal… not when there's something… something stuck in me."
"You should have asked your father for help," said Kimblee irritably. The blood was staining his couch badly- he doubted that he would be able to remove the stain properly.
"He… he… I can't..." Envy trailed off, eyes shutting. "He… doesn't have mercy for failures like me."
Kimblee raised an eyebrow. "And I do?"
"I… you're a human," stuttered Envy, "and they all… they all have that capacity."
A fallacious assumption. But quite an interesting one.
"Pride'd rip me to pieces if he saw me like this…" Envy mumbled, hands tentatively pressing at the wound. "But you… you'll take care of me, right?"
The homunculus was delirious, it seemed– making such outrageous assumptions. "And why would you think that? You must have a great deal of faith in me," said Kimblee quietly. "I'm a lowly human- one of those that you despise. Not to mention that you have a Philosopher's Stone inside of you. In your current state, I could probably take it from you. Even if it doesn't have much power left in it, it would still be useful."
Kimblee's hand had somehow migrated upwards, brushing loose strands of hair away from Envy's eyes. Their forehead was burning, and that odd twinge in Kimblee's stomach reappeared. Poor, poor, pitiful little homunculus.
"Better you have it than any of my siblings," muttered Envy. Their eyes followed the motions of Kimblee's hand, back and forth, back and forth… "I f-figured that you'd thrown in your lot with me, and… you know… you're very special to… very special. You're not like other humans… I mean-"
A contradiction of terms.
Envy stared miserably through Kimblee, then swallowed. "I think I can trust you, that's all."
Well, that was flattering, to say the least. Kimblee allowed the slightest of smiles to creep across his face, and continued to stroke Envy's hair, now more softly than before. No sense in stopping if it was keeping them at ease. "Well, then. I'll help you if I'm able. But I'm not exactly well-acquainted with homunculus anatomy- what should I do first?"
"J-just pull this thing out of me. I just... can't get it out on my own, but I can probably heal from there."
"Alright." It didn't seem like the smartest thing to do, at least in Kimblee's opinion, but Envy was probably the authority on how their own body healed.
Kimblee pressed a hand down on Envy's stomach, the other grasping the handle of the weapon. "You might want something to hold onto. This will hurt–"
"I know," interrupted Envy. "Just get it over with. This isn't the first time that I've been hurt like this."
Envy was gasping horribly, but it was done. The blood was flowing steadily, but Kimblee covered the wound tightly, and it seemed that it would slow down before long.
"Feel alright?" Kimblee whispered. His blood-stained fingers ventured back into Envy's hair, untangling the damp strands.
Envy nodded forcefully. "Yeah… yeah," they said, gasping out in between swallowed sobs. "I'm sorry for asking you to do all this… look at this mess… man, I…"
"It's alright," said Kimblee, lowering his head, face inches from Envy's. "I'm glad to help… just for the satisfaction of knowing that you trust me."
"Yeah," breathed Envy, closing their eyes. "I do, and I…"
They trailed away, their eyes closing, face flushed (with fever, surely), and Kimblee watched them with fondness. Envy was rather... cute like this, when they weren't lording their power over him, when they weren't threatening him, ordering him to do this and that. Here at their most vulnerable, they were showing another range of emotions that Kimblee had never seen before, despite their tendency to go from zero to ten at the drop of a hat.
"You can sleep on my bed," said Kimblee eventually. "This couch is disgusting."
"Th-thanks." Envy struggled to get off of the couch, clutching the towel to their body, but their legs wobbled, and they fell back with a thud. Without warning, Kimblee tucked an arm under Envy's shoulders, the other finding its way to the crook of their knees.
"Don't carry me, stupid," muttered Envy, but a smile coloured their face nonetheless. "You're going to strain your back."
"I'm not as weak as you think," said Kimblee softly. It was odd to feel so… kind, so merciful like this, but he would enjoy the novelty while it lasted. It was odd, though, and perhaps ironic, that the person that he would feel this way towards was someone who thirsted for blood as much, if not more, than he did.
They reached his room, and Kimblee nudged the door open with his shoulder. He'd left the lamp on inside, and its calming pale yellow light spread its rays throughout the room. He laid the tiny figure down on his bed, pulling the blanket over top of them. He could see a pale red light flashing around them now, and he knew now that they were healing themself.
"I'll see you in the morning," he said, kneeling down beside the bed. He admired Envy's face– all sharp angles and cold intent… and… vulnerability, strangely- there were tears struggling to escape from their tightly closed eyes, leaving trails in the dirt on their cheeks. It was an intriguing look, but one that was not suited for them, and Kimblee brought his hand to Envy's cheek, wiping a tear from their eye. "What's wrong?"
He expected them to jerk away or to strike him, but Envy only stiffened. "N-nothing," they said. "It's fine; I...I just…" They stopped, coughing in their throat, then continued. "I really didn't have anyone else…so thank you, Crimson Lotus; thanks for being someone that I..."
It was hard to hear them; their words died away, and the sentence was left unfinished. Kimblee leaned in closer, his hand reaching up, barely touching Envy's jaw. "That you… what?" he whispered, looking down on Envy's face, their sapphire eyes wide and almost innocent. Wasn't it funny, how young and weak this creature really was?
He could feel the pulse in Envy's wrist (which had somehow made its way into his hand) racing. "That I…"
Kimblee kissed them.
It was all rather sudden- Kimblee had surprised himself, and for one terrifying second, Kimblee was certain that he'd made a mistake- Envy tensed beneath him, their breaths rapid and shallow. Kimblee drew back, his face still hovering inches from Envy's, unsure of himself, trying to read Envy's expression… the homunculus stared into his eyes, shocked, eyes unblinking. The next second, the tension underneath his hands was almost gone (it was never all gone with Envy, even at their most gregarious), and Envy's iron grip pulled at his collar, and their warm mouth was against his. Envy's lips were chapped and dry, and Kimblee felt pity for them, that they didn't have enough strength even to heal such a minor inconvenience.
Odd that his face should be heating up so- there was really nothing to be shy about, was there?
"You're… welcome," he murmured into Envy's mouth, ignoring the burning heat of his face (a mere chemical reaction; it didn't mean anything to somebody like him). "My… life would quite… dull without..." His words died away. He couldn't think of anything else to say… he couldn't even confirm that the words that he'd just said were true for certain. But Kimblee was sure that, if Envy truly were to die, there would be an empty feeling somewhere inside him, a longing to talk to the one person that he didn't need to pretend to be somebody else around, to spend time with the one person who seemed to respect him, perhaps even to-
Kimblee started, pulling away. "Th-That's enough. You need rest. It's… it's been a long night. I'm going to go clean up, so call out if you need me."
"'Kay," said Envy, whose voice seemed very small as Kimblee made his way away from the bed, closing the door part of the way. "Thanks again, Crimson. I owe...you...one…" Their voice trailed away, slurring as they fell asleep.
It was a pity that he felt such a need to leave so abruptly like that; he didn't want to worry Envy in any way. But he was feeling very odd at the moment. Envy needed rest, in any case, and any further business could wait until the morning.
It wasn't until nine the next morning that Envy emerged from the room, hair disheveled, still pale, but a far cry from the pathetic creature that had crawled to Kimblee's apartment last night.
Kimblee lowered his book, fixing his gaze on Envy. "Well, look who decided to wake up. How are you feeling?"
Envy scowled, and Kimblee smirked. "Stop making that face," muttered the homunculus. "I'm fine. I'm going now, so…"
"Alright," said Kimblee, returning to his book. "You're very welcome, dear friend. Don't get hurt again, now- I might not be around to help you next time, so don't get careless."
Kimblee could feel Envy staring at him, standing still, not bothering to move at all. "You know," they muttered. "I wouldn't put up with that kind of sass if it was anyone else. So I hope you feel special, Crimson."
Kimblee merely nodded. "Well, go on now," he said, waving a hand carelessly. "You have work to do, I'm sure."
"...Yeah." Envy turned to go, and Kimblee once again returned his gaze to his book.
He heard the door close, and thudding footsteps echoed their way down the stairwell… and then slowed, hesitantly approaching his door once again. "Hey," said Envy, slipping back in through the door. They looked at him wearily, the dark circles under their eyes clearly showing in the daylight. "What happened… let's just forget that-"
"Yes," said Kimblee lightly. He only gave them a brief glance; it was better that way. "I know that you would never have considered such a thing if you were your usual self… so we'll be back to business from now on, I suppose."
Envy nodded, almost imperceptibly, and vanished through the door.
Kimblee was alone again.
He turned back to his book, but somehow could only manage to read the same line ten times; it's funny how much that ridiculous kiss had affected him...
Kimblee's hand ventured to his mouth at the thought of it. He'd enjoyed that, and he was surprised that he had- he normally cared nothing for base desires, reveling in the abstracts of war and destruction.
Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was special, very special to Envy. There was something deeply satisfying about such a revelation, a notion to keep hidden away in remembrance for ages to come.
He would have to remember it; it would never happen again. Returned to their ordinary state, Envy would never stoop so low again. They were too proud for that, and he was too human.
But it was a memory, at least.
Kimblee let a half-smile cross his lips, and picked up his coffee cup.
A/N: Double-whammy here- not only is it their "first kiss," but it's also the first one I've ever written... (kill me now).
This one went through so many drafts, honestly; I wrote the first version of this story back in April, from only Kimblee's point of view. It was just a shallow little thing, honestly, but I decided to re-work it for the rarepair week. I'm still not happy with it... but I never will be, so I decided to just put it up.
By the way, this one won't be canon with my other Kimvy stuff, if you're following any of that; it's just a one-off AU (although their past together can be assumed to still have happened).
Thank you so much for reading this!