Everyone had fallen asleep except for Envy, unable to shake the haunting feeling that the rats were waiting just outside the front door. The fire still burned in the hearth, but he prodded it with the poker just to be sure.

Scratch, scratch…

It took Envy a moment to register that the sound hadn't come from under the house like all the others had. His eyes followed the source of the sound, but he was sure that he must've misheard. He was sure the sound couldn't be coming from where he thought it was. It certainly couldn't have come from upstairs. But…

Scratch, scratch…

Envy stood up, walking to the foot of the stairs and looking up the dark hallway. He listened carefully, sure he could hear a distinct shuffling coming from above. He backed slowly away from the staircase, turning to look about the living room. He made his way over to the coffee table and picked up the lamp, returning to the base of the staircase and turning it on.

The halo of light the lamp provided served to get him up the stairs. He didn't see any rats, but he had to be sure. He slowly ascended the second flight of stairs following the landing, pausing when the stair under his foot creaked. The following succession of loud scampering following the noise confirmed his worst suspicions. He narrowed his eyes as the source of the sound came ever nearer, and he found himself staring down at the brass doorknob of Winry's bedroom door. He had to remind himself that the rest of his companions were safe downstairs so as not to panic.

He silently considered waking Edward, but he quickly decided against it. If any of them were bitten they risked a terrible kind of infection, while to him they had no more affect than that of normal rats. He also knew that if he were to wake Ed, the human would insist upon being involved. He took a deep breath and reached toward the doorknob, cracking the door.

Nothing happened. He steeled himself and pushed the door in, walking into the darkness. His eyes were immediately drawn to a spot in the ceiling that had been chewed clean through, allowing the moonlight to shine in a malformed circle on the floor. The scurrying drew his attention to the dark area beyond the light cast by his lamp. He raised it ever so slightly, stepping forward to extend the lamp light.

He dropped the lamp at what he saw, but that was the only thing he had time to do before he was swarmed. The hundreds of rats that had been occupying Winry's desk, bed, and windowsill scurried up his body, digging their sharp little teeth and nails into any flesh they could access. The only thing he managed to do before he collapsed under the hundreds of rodent bodies was slam the door closed. He fell to his knees, squishing several of the creatures in the process. His hands flew up to cover his eyes, folding in on himself as the rats covered his utterly exposed back.

Ed's eyes flew open upon hearing a loud slamming sound. Another crash resounded from above, which woke Al as well. Ed turned to him, terror rising in his throat when he noticed Envy's absence.

"Hurry!" he hissed, bolting up the stairs, Alphonse not a second behind him. Ed stopped in front of Winry's bedroom door, eyes dilating when he heard the symphony of frenzied squeaks coming from within.

"What's going on?" Winry asked, running up the stairs.

"The rats must've found a way to get inside," Al responded, watching as Ed pushed on the door without result.

"Help me!" Ed yelled at them. They were instantly at his side, pushing on the door, actually creating a crack in the door, but nothing more.

"Al, can you -" Ed started.

"On it!" Al answered, clapping his hands together and making another door to the room. Ed wasted no time in opening it, charging in. He looked to his left, and gasped. What looked like over a thousand rats were piled up in one spot, scurrying and squeaking as the shuffled their positions. However, a single gloved hand lay lip on the floor, protruding from under the swarm. Ed recognized the hand as Envy's.

Al clapped his hands together and pressed them to the floor, making a wooden spike that sent Envy - and most of the rats - flying.

"What're you doing, Al?!" Ed shrieked.

"He'll heal from our attacks, Brother!" Al answered, his theory confirmed when Envy's body erupted in red sparks. Ed was filled with a subconscious relief, but he knew that Envy was only recovering from his brother's heavy alchemic blow. Any damage done by the rats would remain. He rushed in, taking advantage of the rodents' temporary confusion, kicking the remaining rats off of the Envy's body.

"Keep them off me!" he shouted at his brother.

"Right!"

Ed kicked a straggling rat off Envy's shoulder and gripped the homunculus under his arms. He dragged Envy's unconscious form out past his brother and into the hallway. The rats had focused their efforts on Alphonse, keeping them out of the hallway for the moment.

"Al!" Ed shouted into the room once Envy's feet were clear of the door. Al flipped over them and slammed the door.

"Seal that!" Ed ordered. Al sealed off his makeshift door as well as the original, performing a few more transmutations, the results of which Ed couldn't see, but he had to assume he was sealing off the floor inside Winry's room. Ed steadied himself, taking a few deep breaths once the immediate danger had resided. He glanced down at the homunculus in his arms, wincing at the little divots taken out of his skin. He silently wondered if he was feeling what Winry felt when he and Al got hurt.

"Envy…" he whispered, silently praying that Envy would wake up.

"He needs medical attention," Winry whispered, as if anything louder would shatter their reality. Ed nodded, not sure if he could properly form words. He scooped Envy into his arms, carrying him carefully down the stairs. He laid him down on the couch when he reached the living room. He sat down beside him, staring at his unmoving visage.

"Ed," Winry said, trying to convey her sympathy.

"Tell me what I can do," he said in response, not taking his eyes away from Envy.

"We need to clean his wounds first," she said, seeming a little more comfortable once she was in familiar territory.

"Okay," Ed answered. Al stepped forward and placed a silent hand of reassurance on his brother's shoulder. Ed reached forward, recoiling slightly before giving in and running his hand through Envy's long, dark hair. It was softer than he'd expected. Winry left the room, most likely to get any medical supplies she deemed necessary.

"Brother?" Al asked quietly.

"It's funny," Ed told him, "I used to hate him. Now… just seeing him hurt…"

"I know, Brother," Al said gently, "It's okay."

Winry came back into the room, not commenting on the hand Ed still had buried in Envy's hair.

"Here," she said, handing a wet towel to Ed, silently sitting on the floor near Envy's feet, beginning to wipe away the blood on his legs. Ed watched her movements for a moment, noting how she gently dabbed at the actual wounds and wiped at the blood on unharmed parts of the homunculus's skin.

Once he was sure that he wouldn't do something to make Winry angry, and more importantly, was sure he wouldn't hurt Envy, Ed turned away and began to give the same treatment to his face. He dabbed gently at a shallow wound on his forehead, marveling at how peaceful Envy's face looked, even with blood covering the better part of it.

And then, Envy woke up.

His hands shot up to cover his face, an animalistic whine bubbling up from his throat as he began to shake violently. Ed practically jumped out his skin in shock at the sudden rush of movement and noise in the silent environment.

"Envy!" Ed yelled, panicking minutely, "Envy, calm down!"

Envy simply curled in on himself, shivering even more.

"Ed!" Winry burst, "He needs to stop moving! His injuries…!"

Ed gripped Envy by his shoulders, raising his voice, "Envy! Listen to me! You're safe!"

After a moment, Envy's trembling slowed, and his hands slowly dropped away from his face to reveal horrified violet eyes.

"You're safe," Ed repeated, staring into Envy's eyes, holding his gaze, "Okay?"

Envy was still shivering, but he managed a shaky nod.

"Alright," Edward said, moving one hand back into Envy's hair, running his fingers through it reassuringly. He smiled gently, startled when Envy's eyes filled with tears.

"Hey, i-it's okay," Ed tired, not sure how to deal with the situation. However, Envy lunged forward, gripping Ed as tightly as he could without breaking his ribs, not giving him a whole lot of choice in the matter.

"Ack - Envy, human here, need air-"

"Sorry," Envy mumbled, pulling away from him as quickly as he had hugged him.

"Envy, stop moving," Winry said sternly. Envy's eyes darted to her, then trailed down his own body. His stomach felt as if it had flipped upside down. There was blood were there should have been red sparks. It was so wrong that he wanted to vomit.

"Hey," Ed's voice brought him back to earth, "It's okay."

Envy simply stared into his eyes, the steady golden gaze seemingly grounding him. He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't disturbed, terrified, and in a lot of pain, but the calming effect Edward's presence provided made it easier to tolerate. He slowly leaned back against the cushions, painfully aware of every little prickle sent up his spine when the couch fabric brushed against his wounds. He couldn't suppress a whimper once he was completely settled. He'd had worse injuries, undoubtedly, but he'd never had to endure them. He looked up at Ed, his eyes pleading him to simply make the pain go away.

Ed could do no such thing. Instead he watched helplessly as the homunculus's back arched involuntarily to escape the pain.

"Envy," Winry said quietly, "We need to clean your injuries."

"Will that… make it stop hurting?" he asked, allowing a hint of hope to creep into his voice.

"Not immediately, no," Winry told him, not bothering to sugar-coat it, "It'll sting a bit."

"Then don't-"

"We have to, Envy," Al informed him, his hand squeezing his brother's shoulder, making sure that he had heard too.

"… Okay."

Author's Note: I'm back! Maybe not for long... what with the holidays coming up and such, but my writer's block ended. I'm back. I can write again. Look forward to more updates while this lasts.