Next Door

Disclaimer: You don't want me to own it…-sniggers-

Jessie: …uh….

Joh: Right…. since I'm feeling lazy I'm not gonna talk, so let's start the chapter already, okay?

Warnings: Language, yaoi, hints of abuse

0o0o0o0

I rubbed my eyes sleepily, stifling a yawn. I slunk my way into the bathroom to comb my hair and brush my teeth. Al was already fully awake and dressed, standing in front of the bathroom mirror washing his face.

He turned to glance at me, blinking several times. "Nii-san…you look horrible!"

"Oh, gee, really? Why, thank you for pointing that out Al." I grumbled dryly, grabbing my brush and yanking it through my hair. Al always told me that I need to be gentler when I comb my hair and start off at the bottom, working my way to the scalp. But honestly, I'm too disoriented in the mornings to care. Probably gonna pull all my hair out one of these days…maybe then freaks like Envy wouldn't molest me.

I shuddered as I braided my hair carefully, tying my usual hair band around it.

"Did you not sleep well?"

"Do you not see the raccoon circles under my eyes?" I snapped back.

Al pursed his lips together in a frown/pout. He was hurt by my outburst.

I sighed. Really, I need to learn to control my temper a little better, at least around Alphonse I do. I keep forgetting how sensitive he is. "Sorry, I only got like one minute of sleep last night. I didn't mean to snap." I reached up (yes, up...gotta problem with that?) and ruffled his hair, grinning.

He smiled back, smacking my hand away. "What happened, nii-san? You usually sleep like a log."

"You didn't hear them?"

"Hear who?"

"The people next door."

Al shook his head slowly, turning off the tap to the sink. He dried his face on the towel hanging on the rack.

"There was some kind of fight…I dunno…there was a lot of screaming and stuff." I broke off as I grabbed my toothbrush, applying it with toothpaste.

Al looked at me with a troubled expression. "That's no good."

I grunted an agreement.

"I hope it wasn't too bad." Al thought aloud, walking out of the bathroom.

0o0

The day went by slowly, considering that it was a Friday. And by the end of 8th period I still had seen no sign on Envy. That bastard. He knew we had our first tutoring session today after school, so where the hell was he?

I fumed silently all the way to my locker as people quickly retreated under my glare. I opened my locker and grabbed a few of my textbooks, stuffing them into my bag before slamming it closed.

I shoved my way through the crowd, heading out the doors. Fine, if Envy didn't care to be tutored, fine. Makes things easier for me, right? Keeping that thought in mind I made my way out of the school.

Right when I reached the gates my cell rang, playing 'Numb' loudly. I flipped it open, checking the caller ID screen. Unknown caller. Probably someone with the wrong number.

"Hello?"

"Eddy, what's up?" a sly voice answered.

I froze, nearly dropping my phone in the process. After a few moments I recovered my ability of speech and replied calmly and maturely.

"Envy! How the fuck did you get my cell phone number?" I screeched into the phone, causing a few startled kids to stare at me.

He chuckled and I could just imagine him shrugging casually with that ever-present smirk on his face. Asshole. "I have my ways." He said smoothly. I was tempted to question him further but decided against it.

"Okay…whatever. Where are you? Did you forget I have to tutor you? As much I don't want to I'm kind of stuck with it so you can't just skip out…"

"Over here shorty." He crowed.

I frowned and glanced about myself warily.

"Look to your right…there ya go."

And indeed there he was, leaning against a car with a grin spread across his lips. Our eyes locked as he cooed into his cell phone. He wiggled his fingers at me in a mock wave. "My place or yours?"

My eyes narrowed as I turned off my cell, stuffing it back into my pants. No way in hell was I ever stepping foot into his house again. Ever. "Mine." I said, walking up to him and trying my best to look perfectly at ease.

His eyes twinkled in amusement at the answer. He shrugged his shoulders, stuffing his gloved hands into his pockets. "Shall we?" he nodded towards the car, which I assumed was his. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a skeptical expression.

"You can drive?" I asked doubtfully. Now, I don't know Envy all that well (actually I don't know him at all) but I had a gut feeling that he probably wasn't the best driver in town. Just a guess.

He scowled at me. "Why wouldn't I?" without waiting for a reply he continued by opening the door to the passenger's seat. "Get in." When I remained with my feet firmly planted on the sidewalk he sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "What? You need a booster seat or something?"

I growled and slid into the car, glaring at him as he shut the door sniggering. I crossed my arms over my chest and buckled myself in tightly, hoping to death that he wouldn't kill me in some freak car crash.

You see, I've always had paranoia about car accidents. Yeah, I realize that sounds nerdy but really, you can't blame me. That's how my mom died. She was driving home from a friend's house late at night when it happened. I'm not all too sure about what exactly happened since no other car seemed to have run into her or anything. She swerved off the road and crashed into a tree. She wasn't drunk so we all assumed that a deer ran across the road and she swerved off the path to avoid it. Fucking deer.

So all in all, I dislike cars. Actually, I hate them.

Envy sat down in the driver's seat next to me, not bothering with the buckle as he started the car up. I did my best to ignore him, choosing instead to focus on the car itself. Surprisingly enough, it seemed like a fairly pricey car. It didn't exactly seem to fit his image but whatever.

The Mercedes on the outside was sleek and black not a speck of dirt or dust marring the smooth surface. The inside was probably just as clean, giving off that feeling of creepy OCD mother just as his house did.

I glanced around noticing the few things that seemed out of place that must have been the result of Envy. An empty cigarette box lay on the floor, slightly smashed. I ignored that and looked up at the shades, noticing the CD rack attached to it. I reached up and fingered a couple of the CDs, surprised at the amount of them. A CD fell out, landing softly in my lap.

The car started, jolting along the road smoothly. I jumped, knocking the CD to the floor and hitting the stereo. Soft, slow music began to play across the speakers, surprising me. I glanced at Envy. "What the hell is this?" I asked as a breathy woman began to croon gloomily along with the music.

Envy grunted and hit the stop button. "Titanic soundtrack." He seemed to notice my bemused look for he quickly added, "It's Lust's. She left it in there."

I nodded slowly, leaning back in the large leather seat. So far so good, Envy hadn't run over anybody yet…okay…he's a little fast….but…

Suddenly Envy took a wide turn, going so fast that a screeching noise was made. I grabbed hold of the edge of my seat, whipping my head to the side to glare at Envy. "What the hell is your problem? Slow down, you freak!" I screamed as the speed picked up.

He laughed me off, rolling down the windows so that wind pushed in, blowing his long hair back.

"Slow down!" I began to screech over the noise of the wind, feeling panic bubble up inside of me.

"Oh, shut up. We'll get there faster."

"I don't care when we get there, just slow down!"

He rolled his eyes, turning on the radio full blast to drown me out. Nirvana began to blare across the speakers, filling my ears with the chorus of 'Rape Me'.

I squeezed my eyes shut so as to prevent myself from seeing the blurs of cars rushing past us. I could literally feel the color drain from my face, leaving me feeling awfully sick and dizzy.

My eyes cracked open as I forced myself to try and concentrate on something other than Envy's pathetic driving abilities. Um…let's se…Envy's shorts are really short…and uh…is that a bruise?

I looked closer and confirmed my suspicions. The skin around Envy's upper leg was discolored, evident against Envy's pale skin.

I was half tempted to ask what happened, but decided against it, figuring it had something to do with the fight I overheard last night.

My gaze shifted up to his arms, wondering if I would see more bruises of the sort. He was wearing a brown and black T-shirt, the sleeves cut at his elbow. But due to the long fingerless gloves he was wearing I could detect no signs of bruising.

Envy shifted in his seat slightly as he turned the radio up higher. His shirtsleeve moved slightly. I blinked, unsure if it was a trick of the sunlight or if I really saw it. But I could have sworn I saw a hint of blue discolor hiding right under his sleeve.

I couldn't help but wonder just how many more bruises Envy was hiding under that thin shirt of his. Without thinking I blurted out, "Are you okay?"

Envy glanced at me, eyebrows raised. "What?" he was giving me a 'what-the-fuck' look.

I blinked then shook my head furiously. "Never mind." I grumbled, putting the image of his bruises out of my mind.

0o0

I stumbled out of the car, never having been so glad to see home. "You…you are insane!" I gasped out, rubbing my forehead.

Envy grinned, tossing his keys up and down in his hands. "It wasn't that bad. You act like I ran over every pedestrian we came across," he chuckled at the thought and shook his head. "Maybe I did…now that I think about it." He grinned, pocketing his keys and striding up to me, wrapping an arm about my shoulders.

I slapped his arm away, tripping up to my front door. Damn, usually I would kick his ass for laughing at me like he was now, but honestly my head was too screwed up for any of that. Besides, the tiny voice in the back of my head whispered, try and kick his ass you'd end up with his foot rammed up yours. I shuddered at the thought but acknowledged it as the truth anyway.

I opened the door after much fumbling with the keys and threw myself inside after kicking off my boots.

Envy stepped inside, inspecting the room with one quick glance. "Oh so cozy." He sneered, eyeing the green curtains and family portraits.

I grunted a reply, dashing off to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of nice, refreshing water. I could hear Envy following me into the kitchen but I ignored him, keen on getting a sip of liquid.

He let out a whistle, perching himself atop the counter, swinging his long legs back and forth. As he sat there I noticed for the first time the red tattoo printed across his thigh. It was an odd symbol, something I had never seen before. A six pointed star with a snake wrapped around it eating its own tail. Wings pointed off of the design, making it look almost innocent.

He noticed my gaze upon him and smirked. "Like what you see?"

I flushed and hastily made a face, showing off my disgust.

He chuckled, not at all bothered. "Think I should wear shorts more often? They are more comfortable then jeans."

"What do I care?" I replied, finishing my drink off and putting it in the dishwasher.

He shrugged, seeming to think about something for a moment as his violet eyes skimmed across the room. "So, Ed, you gonna start soon?"

"What?"

He leered at me, becoming all the taller thanks to his seat on the counter. I instinctively took a step back away from him, glaring all the same.

"Teach me." He smirked. "Teach me everything you know." He raised an eyebrow and licked his lips suggestively.

I blushed angrily. "Shut up!"

He blinked innocently at me, sliding off the counter, dangerously close to me. "What? Did I say something offensive? Al I want is someone to help me with my educational studies but…ohhh!" he faked a shocked look, placing a hand across his chest. "Why, Eddy! Mind out of the gutter." He chided me, brushing past me to help himself to the food in my, let me stress that, MY refrigerator.

"Fuck you." I grumbled unoriginally, watching him snag a Popsicle from the fridge.

He grinned and flicked his tongue out at me before unwrapping his treat. "Shall we then?"

"Yeah, whatever. The sooner this is over the better." I muttered, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Envy sat down beside me, slipping off his black bag and dumping its contents across the table.

Heavy textbooks, an overflowing binder, candy wrappers, wads of cash, a cell phone, crumpled up pieces of paper, spirals, a bag of chips, and an iPod nano fell loose, hitting the hard surface of the table with a thud.

"Shit, what the hell?" I glowered at him.

"What?" he challenged me, crossing his arms.

I stared at him for a few moments before dropping the subject and shoving half of the crap out of the way. I grabbed his textbooks, leafing through them with a bored look. "Okay, we'll start with history."

He groaned, laying his head on the table.

I sighed at his attitude but ignored it for the most part. I didn't really give a shit about his grade point average; I was simply stuck here because I had a bitch for a teacher. So if he chooses not to pay attention that's his problem. I'm just doing my job, regardless of whether he listens or not.

I opened up to the first chapter on the civil war and began my lecture when I felt a hand placed innocently on top my leg. I paused upon noticing it move, making its way higher and higher up my leg.

I glared at Envy who, amazingly enough, looked absorbed in the textbooks. His expression was serious and calm but the cool palm sliding up and down my leg told me otherwise.

"Hands off!" I snarled, slapping his wandering hand.

He looked up, blinking. "Don't be so loud Edward." He sneered, putting an emphasis on my name.

I snorted and scooted my chair a safe distance away from him. "Okay, concentrate, Envy."

He just grinned, licking the red Popsicle lazily. I watched him for a moment until it dawned on me what he was implying. My cheeks heated up as he swept his tongue suggestively up and down the treat, making loud slurping noises.

"What's wrong?" he asked innocently.

I opened my mouth then closed it, looking somewhat like a fish. Finally I turned away, staring at the books scattered across the table. I really, really couldn't do this. There was no way in hell I could tutor Envy.

I glanced at my watch, only 15 minutes had passed. Great. Super.

"Hey, hey Envy…do you wanna stop now? We can just pretend we spent an hour working." I looked at him hopefully.

"But that's wrong Eddy! I thought you knew better." He chided me teasingly.

"Shove it. I know you don't give a shit about your grades so why don't we just not do this and say we did?"

Envy batted his eyelashes, smirking widely. "But I like spending time with you." He simpered, resting his chin on the table so that he was looking up at me.

I rolled my eyes, snapping the book shut. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same for you." I replied dryly.

"Oh, how cold." He trailed off, a thoughtful look crossing his features. Suddenly he smiled, sending chills down my spine. "Okay, why don't we do something else then?"

All of my senses were screaming at me to run from the scene right then and there, but I stayed stubbornly put. "How about you just skip right on home, hm?"

"But I like your house better." He grinned, standing up and stretching his arms with a yawn. "It's so homey."

I raised an eyebrow, trying to decide how to gracefully kick him out. I put on a big beaming smile and tilted my head to the side cutely.

"Get. Out." I told him sweetly as humanly possible.

The green-haired boy grinned wider. "Make me." He challenged, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'll report you for sexual harassment."

"Oh no, please don't! My reputation would be tarnished forever!" he answered, sniggering, all the while creeping closer to me.

I began to panic all over again, stepping back until I hit the wall. Great fuck, I was gonna get molested in my kitchen…my own house.

"Envy…" I snarled his name, clenching my fists together.

He cackled, leaning into me until our noses brushed. I automatically reached up to push at shoulders. "Stop it." I hissed.

Envy traced my lips lazily with his tongue, his eyes narrowed at me, giving me a look that clearly said something along the lines of: Why should I?

And who was to stop him? My body still felt the punch I received the day before and I'd be lying if I said that I could take another hit like that. Of course, I'm not really the type to sit still and let people fuck me over.

I shoved harder at his shoulders, putting all my strength and weight into it. I felt him move back, relief spreading through me. I could handle this…

Then he did something totally unexpected.

He went limp, letting me push him with all I had. Together we went crashing to the well-cleaned floor, landing in a painful tangle of limbs.

I groaned, my whole body throbbing form the impact. I blinked my eyes open, realizing that what I was laying on was not the floor. Purple eyes look back at me, glinting with amusement.

Oh…shit.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, they did. But you know, I should be used to that by now. This could only, would only, happen to someone like me.

"Nii-san, I'm home!" a cheery voice called from the family room as the sound of a door closing was made. I could hear his muffled footsteps fast approaching the kitchen door, his voice growing louder as he came closer.

You're probably all wondering why the hell I didn't get up and therefore not have my younger brother find me in an…interesting position with some other dude. Well the answer is sad…but honest. I couldn't move. Once again I found myself under Envy's spell, frozen in my position, which just so happened to be sprawled on top of Envy himself.

The door swung open, revealing my brother's smiling face. "Why didn't you walk m-" he broke off, eyes widening.

Oh…double shit.

0o0o0o0

Joh: I was planning on making this really long…but that seemed a really good place to stop the chapter. Yeah…near the end i reliezed that Al was out of school by now and yeah...

Jessie: Oh well, it's kinda long.

Joh: Kinda, sorta.

ANSWERS TO REVIEWS

iverrain
Haha you guessed right! Wrath will be kind of a bully to Al…I can't really spoilt it though.

hetfan7708
Yeah, a lot of people have been on vacation.

Wren
Yeah, I know what you mean. I love EnvyxE high school stories except I can only find two good ones :( I'm glad you think mine is good!

Very cool. Haha!

ash892
I hope this was a quick update? Oh well, at least I didn't take two months like I usually do.

Ivaeddia
Blarg? -laughs-

SM
Haha! Sadly I can't answer all those questions, I'd give away the story if I did!

FISHTaNK the Yaoi Fan
You're pretty sharp. You figured out a lot of stuff. I'll tell you one thing that I'm pretty sure won't give anything else away. Envy's call was very important. Wow, that really tells you nothing…okay I'm not that mean I'll tell you one more thing: Envy's call was indeed connected to the fight he had.

Mew.Kanzou
Can't imagine Envy not being abusive. Sorry about the lack of Envy Ed action…I promise that once we dive into the story you'll have enough lemons to make lemonade.

Morena Evensong
Haha! Quality time with lil' old Envy. Poor Ed, I do like to torture him.

fullblonde alchemist
Hehee, thanks! You said 'uber' I say uber too!

Syao9
Envy is a bit of a mystery…it shall all be revealed someday….yeah….

thoughtless dreamer
You and your cats…-sighs- Hate strays, I throw rocks at them and chase them away. –smirks- yeah, I shouldn't have told you that…thanks for helping me with the car part. Heehee.

HolyMistress
Poor Ed, I'm going to make him get no sleep too. What? You gave me the idea! Yeah, I love Wrath! I was going to try and stick to the manga version where Wrath doesn't really exist but I love him too much for that!

albino-yaoi
Yeah, maybe one day I'll write Lust being a scary bitch. I actually love writing her, she's a fun character.

awsomealchemist
I hope this chapter had a bit more EnvyxEd action. It didn't have any full on kissing but…there was suggestions and teasing…I wanna have them make out already!

Review please!