Alphonse
I threw on my clothes as quickly as I could in the half conscious state I was in. The blood from my nose had been wiped away, probably by Granny. With hurry, I ran and flung open the door. In a heartbeat, I took everything in. Envy was on the ground, hand blood from hitting my door and crying in utter shock. Just down the hall, looking like a crazed murderer, was Ed. He was chasing Envy, accusations and spat hate coming like a fountain. Maybe it was instinctual. Maybe it was pity. Maybe...
My feet and hands moved entirely on their own. With a motion that was far more fluid than I normally performed, my hands scooped Envy up and held her against me. I turned away slightly from Ed, giving him a quiet look.
"Now. Runt." Granny chimed in, tapping her pipe across the barrel of her shotgun as she stepped from her room. "No need to go hootin n hollering this early in the mornin." She fixed Ed with a dangerous look. He paused, thrown off by both of our reactions and settling on quietly glaring at Envy. She shuddered. She could feel the weight and heat behind his eyes now. It was... Hard to describe, seeing someone react so purely to everything. So raw, like she had become one giant... Nerve.
She had. She had gone from invinciblity and immortality to a pocket knife being life threatening.
"The fuck is that thing doin here?" He barked, pointing an accusatory finger that visibly made Envy shudder and sob with fear. I was the only one who likely understood even a smidgen of Envy's pain, but I had gone from feeling to no feeling. To go from one emotion to the full breadth of human experience all in one moment... I guess that saying really is true. I wouldn't have wished this on my worst enemy, who was coincidentally hiding in my arms.
"She's scared, Brother." I said softly, but cautiously. I just felt angry for some reason. Couldn't he see how afraid she was? Was his hatred truly clouding the brilliant mind I know Ed to have?
"She aint a thing no more, Runt."
Those words hung loudly as the heat in Ed's eyes diminished, but didn't fully fade. Still, it was mostly replaced by understanding sprinkled with the tiniest pinch of guilt. There's my Brother.
"It-
"She, Ed." Winry finally spoke up, walking by and approaching us quietly. "Hey. Hey, it's okay." She whispered softly, rubbing Envy's back. She tensed at first, but then calmed. She was so.... Pure. Like the purest piece of glass, and every crack and stain that came was all the more apparent.
Ed began discussing things with Granny, getting caught up to date as I noticed her hand had splinters in it. She really had pounded on the door in true fear. She couldn't even bust my lock, she was so frakl now.
I gingerly set her feet down again, taking her bloody hand in mine as I observed each knuckle. "Winry, can you get me the tweezers?"
"Ya, sure." She answered softly, clearly trying not to startle her. She quickly hurried to the bathroom.
I heard a dull sniffle. "Fuck you need tweezers for... Gonna pluck out my hair or somethin?"
"Here." Winry spoke as she returned.
I took them with a muttered thanks, focusing as I began pulling out splinters.
"Ow! What're..." Realization shimmered across purple eyes, stopping her struggle and letting me delicately remove everything. I used a tear of my shirt to wrap it, not even caring enough to check if we had any spare bandages. It felt like moving away from her right now would be like slapping her in the face, and I didn't wanna do that. Well, bot anymore, anyway.
"So. That's what we know runt." Granny had finished as Ed ran a hand through his hair, sighing in frustration and glancing back at us both.
"Don't think this means you are getting off scot-free."
"Whatever, full metal runt..."
"Hm." He snorted once, pleased to have gotten his word in before marching to he and Winry's room to likely journal or furiously glare at the sky until his rage finally calmed and he thought it through. Brother had heavy emotions, so sometimes it was best to just let him cool down rather than try and talk him down.
...
Envy Pov
The bastard tried to fucking kill me. He tried to kill me I fucking knew it! But Metal boy, protected me...why?
"Just had to cop a fewl, huh metal boy?" I sniffle, but there's no bite in it. My eyes linger on the Rockbell women. Granny is just smoking, the shotgun now feeling far more meant for me. Winry stood nearby, eyes full of pity and a sorr of professional distance that makes something inside twist and bend. Is this what revulsion feels like, or is it guilt?
I know what I felt next though. Envy. Heh. The irony... It was so bad I couldn't almost puke. So thats nausea. Blech. Fuck this sucks.
"Hm? A, feel?" He blinked at me innocently, then blushes and began to pull away. I don't know why, but my hand gripped his shirt.
"... Don't let go right now... The fullmetal runt might just atab me in my sleep." I chuckled, but it was dry and had no feeling beyond an ache that filled me with a worry. That idea wasn't really all that far. My chest tightened again like earlier. Panic fear, or is there even a difference? My other hand flew to my chest the moment he finished, afraid to linger for too long and let this new warmth in my chest linger. This one felt strange. Soft. I didn't like it at all.
"I'll go check on Ed." The blonde bitch aaid as she turned and headed dowb the hall to what was likely her room with the runt.
"Come on. You gotra be exhausted."
"Being human's what's exhausting, metal boy." I wiped my face, desperate to stop the salt like burning in my face. This tear shit is for the fucking birds and it won't stop.
"Yeah." He answered softly, no resistance or hesitation, like he just knew I was right. That softened me a little, making everything ache a little less. Maybe that was lonely, and he made it... Less.
"So what, you just live in agony and then keel over and die? How the fuck do you manage it?"
"Mmm. Well, it's hard, ya. But part of being human is learning to find the joy in the muck."
I scoffed, finding no joy at all right now in any of this. I just felt, and that was exactly the fucking problem. The lights burned, the sounds of the house made my ears ache, and every step reminded me how soft and fragile my feet were. I couldn't stop it, either.
I heard arguing from the couple's room, but I had no appetite for it. Not now. I felt my whole body get weaker and weaker. Was this what dying felt like?
My eyes fluttered shakily. "I.. i think I'm..."
"Passing out?" Was all I heard before the light's finally stopped burning my eyes. Fucking finally...