This is dedicated to Zoe, as a little gift for not fixing my goddamn computer. :D

Summary: Envy was the different kind of human. He had a different look. He would sometimes get killed several times a day. But when it came to love, it would seem he followed the basic rules. Drabble. EdxEnvy

Word count: 967

Shapes and rules

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Envy was the different kind of human

Envy was the different kind of human. He was not like others, but he refused to acknowledge anything else than the fact that he was a human being.

He had a different look.

He would sometimes get killed several times a day.

But when it came to love, it would seem Envy did follow the usual rules. Maybe in an unusual way, but he did follow the rules. Before people fell in love, they met several times. They would talk to each other. If one went the other would follow. They would go places together and they would show each other their true selves. These are the basics when two people are to fall in love with each other. Each love is unique, but these are the basic rules often followed.

Of course, love is not guaranteed to come every time you would do these things. That knowledge was a life-line to Envy as he never wanted to fall in love. He wanted to meet mankind and love with hatred.

Despite this, he fell in love.

And he fell in love with Edward Elric by abiding these simple rules.

He met Ed several times. Maybe he was in different disguises and appearances himself but, still, they met, and they spoke to each other.

When they met, they would exchange words, talked to each other. Sometimes not that nicely, but still, they talked and by this they obeyed the rules. The rules said nothing about speaking nicely, it only spoke of words.

They would follow each other. Sometimes Ed would chase after Envy. Sometimes Envy would chase after Ed. It all depended on situations and orders given by different people.

They went places together. Perhaps not in the manner romance would intend, but they still went to the same locations at the same time with each other. If one were to pick examples, one could say; Gluttony’s stomach. Ed and envy went there together, no matter how accidental the trip there might have been.

When they were in Gluttony’s stomach, Ed had seen envy’s true form for a moment. He had seen the appearance Envy didn’t need to manipulate into a face. Ed had been scared, enraged, disgusted, utterly terrified but… that had also been the first time Edward Elric had ever felt pity for the Homunculi. He had realized in that moment of true appearance that every single Homunculi there was had been born in pain and suffering, and how horrible not only the start of their life must have been.

And then, during their life, they would have to witness the same fact over and over again; they weren’t human. They weren’t even animals. Animals were born out a body, was raised by a family, aged and finally died. Envy did none of those things. And in his anger, he told himself he didn’t want that either.

But as his name indicated, he harboured jealous feelings towards every single human being alive.

And this jealousy burned more fiercely now than ever.

Envy was lying on his back, forced down to the floor. Edward Elric held him down, straddling his stomach. On Envy’s chest there were two hands, keeping him from transforming into a more lethal form by repeatedly breaking down and rebuilding his body, giving him no chance to change. Envy studied Ed during these little sessions.

The features were stern and concentrated. The lips were pursed in concentration was well and the eyes shone with determination and fatigue. He was pale and small beads of sweat could be sighted here and there on his face. Small strands of hair stuck out oddly, making him look slightly disoriented which contrasted sharply with the look in his eyes.

Each time Envy was broken down and recreated, he died, and soon, he would be out of life-lines. Soon, he would actually be dead.

Vaguely he wondered if he was going to go back to that horrible gate again. He didn’t want to go there. He absolutely didn’t want to go back there. He could have been close to the begging point.

Under this decomposing, Ed manipulated his body. The muscles in his arms moved to his stomach and the muscles in his legs were dislocated to the small of his back. In other words, in some places, Envy was weaker than a newborn child. With the loss of arms and legs, one would believe envy would feel scared and hopeless.

But Envy knew he wasn’t helpless. Envy knew he was strong.

He mustered up an amount of strength and slung his upper body forth. He succeeded in knocking their heads together, rendering Ed unconscious. With this, Ed’s non-perpetual alchemy spluttered out in the room, making large cracks in the walls and envy’s muscles were restored to normal.

Envy jumped to his feet, heaving Edward off of him. He kicked the unconscious boy twice. Once in the back, rolling him quite a bit over the floor. once between the ribs, sending him flying into the wall. A fist-sized bloodstain appeared on Ed’s forehead after the collision with the concrete wall.

After Envy had kicked Ed, he regretted it.

But he didn’t want to admit that.

So in the shape of Alphonse Elric, he ripped Ed’s shirt apart to stripes and tied it tightly around his head, stopping the blood flow. And in the shape of Alphonse Elric, he picked up Ed and carried him in his arms out of the collapsing room. And in the shape of Alphonse Elric, he created a ruckus outside the building to alert Ed’s friends and brother.

After that, he fled.

In the shape of Envy.

Hmm? Review? :D