Who Could Love a Monster

Chapter 1

-AN: So I've only watched FMA Brotherhood, so the stories probably going to mainly follow that. The fic starts near the end of the show.
Also, I know in the manga envy is kinda genderless, but I don't really wanna keep typing "they" all the time (even though I do view envy as genderless) so I'm going with the Brotherhood adaptation that refers to envy as a he. I also think male pronouns feel a bit more fluid to read in text. Also, I drew the chapter picture too yayy
Btw, I know I've been off wattpad for a while, I had a sperate account, and I'm moving my story from there to here (since it's fan fiction and this account is mainly for fan fiction.)-

{Rescue}

Chapter 1:

I huffed in annoyance as my colleagues ran around, pure chaos erupting from them all as they tried to figure out what was happening. Mustang and his men were supposedly fighting off Briggs soldiers from taking control of the main gate, though I knew that was a lie. Just a few minutes before, I'd seen General Armstrong and a few of centrals soldiers working together to fight off a giant.. Beast, if you will. They called it a homunculus a few times, but I didn't really believe that. I mean.. They're supposed to be impossible creatures, and yet there it was, supposedly. I was close to yelling at the soldier next to me to calm down, but something caught my eye from the doorway. It was General Armstrong, along with a few Briggs and central men following her. I hesitantly slipped into their group, blending right in with my central uniform. "You mean to say they're under central?!" The General said, whipping around to a thin woman with dark brown dreads. "Yes.    The Elric brothers told me to warn you." she said, and I was a bit taken aback by the gleam in her eyes. So ferocious. "I see." The General responded, looking back ahead. We started to descend a large staircase, leading down further than the eye could see. I peeked over the railing a bit, eyes narrowing when all I could see was blackness. "What are we waiting for, let's go!" spoke General Armstrong, her voice protruding and echoing loudly in the emptiness. "I'm sorry, but this is as far as I go. Good luck." The dark haired lady spoke, slamming her hands on the ground and creating a doorway into the wall. So she was an alchemist.. That makes sense, and is probably why she's not wearing a military uniform. Just a second later a gleaming light formed from below her. Everyone's eyes locked on the floor as, out of nowhere, a giant eye opened under her. Suddenly, she disappeared. "IZUMI!!" A man screamed, trying to grab at her disintegrating form. We all stood in shock as she vanished from existence, our eyes wide. "She was labeled a sacrifice, was she not?" The General spoke up from the silence. The man slowly nodded, eyes still wide from what just happened. "Then something like this was bound to happen. The Elric brothers said how, when they transmuted their mother, a similar thing happened to them, and they were transported to a gate of some sorts. That's probably what happened, which means she'll most likely end up in "the father's" lair." she calmly and clearly explained. Everyone nodded, and we continued down the seemingly endless stairs. As we walked, I couldn't help but theorize about what these people were talking about. They sounded so crazy but.. Somehow I knew they weren't lying. I'd seen crazier things after all. Yet, somehow.. [The gate..] I thought to myself, wondering if they could be talking about.. No, no way.
Finally, we made it to the bottom, and started our journey down the twists and turns of these dank brick tunnels. Eventually, it seemed like we were going nowhere, so I decided to split off from the group and find my own way. I trailed behind a bit, until I was sure they didn't notice I was gone, then started fast walking down another tunnel after a sharp right turn. A few minutes passed of silence, nothing but the chatter of my mind to keep me occupied. Just then, a scream rang out through the tunnels. Whoever was screaming sounded like they were in so much pain.. Without a second thought, I booked it in the direction of the screams, mind blurring with only the thought of helping this person. I skid to a stop when I saw a central officers uniform. I quickly ducked behind some fallen rubble and peeked over the top. I saw two people, one was most obviously a state alchemist, given the marks on his gloves and the stars of his uniform. "What the hell are you doing to my lieutenant." The Alchemist spoke, his words more like a statement than a question. I glanced to where his furious gaze was locked on, frowning when I saw a person with a strange black outfit on. I noticed that their skin had the same marking as that "Homunculus" from earlier, an Oroboros tattoo. Although this person was much smaller, yet still had remarkable muscles, and even more impressive hair.
"Don't interfere lieutenant, I told you I would take care of him myself." The man spoke, his voice dripping with rage. The homunculus and the alchemist stayed, locked in a battle of glares, until finally he spoke up. "You damn human! Don't you underestimate-AHHHHH!!!!" He was cut off as the alchemist snapped his fingers, letting loose an explosion of fire onto the poor creature. My eyes widened as his skin burned, leaving nothing but charred remains as the flames subsided. I was so shocked, my brain seemed to be having a hard time processing what the fuck was happening. I thought he was dead, but his lifeless body twitched, red flashes of light sparking around him. It seemed to be healing him.. Before he could regenerate though, the ruthless alchemist snapped again, another explosion finding its mark on the homunculus's already charred body. He screamed again. And again, and again. He wouldn't stop, his evil gaze unwavering as he unleashed his furious power upon this creature. I stared in shock and horror at this display of power, juxtaposed perfectly by the creatures agonizing screams. I couldn't take it anymore.. Surely this was enough punishment for whatever he'd done. My eyes began to well up as the creatures crumbled form sat, in an almost praying like stance, his wails piercing through whatever force was stopping me from taking action. The Alchemist stopped, but only for a second, to take a breath. Seeing an opening, I immediately took my chance, jumping in between them, out stretching my arms to protect whatever life this poor thing had left. "STOP IT!" I growled, my voice booming and echoing through the halls. The alchemist stared at me, his angered expression halting for just a second, eyes widening only slightly. But less than a second later, his expression returned to that of fury. "Get out of the way soldier." he spoke, his voice cold and his eyes staring daggers at me. I quickly shook my head, gaze firm on him. "I can't do that sir." I said in equal firmness to my gaze. A silence swam around us for a few seconds, and my heart ached as I heard the heavy, labored breathing of the creature behind me, no doubt still recovering from the alchemists blasts. I hated seeing anyone in pain, regardless of who they were. It was awful, just dreadful, seeing the life drain from someone, their eyes locked in terror. Even though I was in the military, I made it my sworn duty to never kill a soul, I was a negotiator after all, I never had to pull the trigger. I just wish no one had to die at all..
"Move, now. That's an order." The man spoke up, his hands wavering in a ready to snap position. Even though I felt fear racing through me, I stood my ground. If I didn't stand up for this creature, who would? I had to save them, I was the only one who could. "I won't. I don't care what he's done, no one deserves to die!" I yelled, eyes narrowing as his did the same. It seemed like minutes passed as we glared at each other, even though it was most likely a few seconds only. "If you don't move, I'll burn you up with him." He resolved after a while, raising his hands to use his alchemy. My breathing hitched, but I ground my teeth, determined to fight this out till the end. I clenched my hands into fists as his fingers moved, closing my eyes tight, ready to accept whatever was coming. However, not more than a second later, the click of a gun could be heard, echoing from a little ways down the hallway. My eyes shot open to see a blonde haired women a few feet away from the man, gun raised to his head, her gaze steady and serious. "Stop." she said simply, the man's eyes still locked on me. It was about that time that I stopped hearing the labored breathing from behind me, and instead heard nothing. I took the chance, and glanced behind me, eyes locking with the homunculi's. His eyes were wide, a mixture of terror and confusion, body shaking in a half sitting half standing motion, ready to run if needed. His skin was riddled with cuts and bruises, apparently having used the last of his power to heal from the blasts. [What is this human doing?!] Thought Envy, his mind buzzing with panicked thoughts. But the main one that arose from the rest was, [Why?] Why was this human.. This soldier, protecting him? Why was she risking her life for a monster?
"Lieutenant, what are you doing." The Alchemist spoke, and again his voice rang as a warning rather than a question. The woman's stance didn't falter, gun still cocked and ready to shoot. "You can't kill this innocent girl, sir. I'm stopping you from doing something you'll regret." she spoke, and the man's eyes finally drifted from me to her. My eyes narrowed, and I took this opportunity, quickly slapping my hands together and slamming them down on the stone floor. They both jumped away and yelled as I brought up a wall between us and them. It was a strong barrier, but given the Alchemists strength, it would crumble after one or two of his explosions. I quickly whipped around, staring into the homunculi's eyes, determined to save him. "RUN!" I yelled, and he immediately scrambled up, booking it down the corridor, away from the alchemist. I sighed in relief, wanting to follow him, but knowing I needed to hold the alchemist off so he could get away. I couldn't relax for long, as the next thing I knew, a loud explosion rang down the hallway. I turned back around, frowning as I saw that my wall had a giant hole in it. I couldn't see given the smoke, but within a second, a hand grabbed my arm. I screamed, eyes widening as his fingers burned the skin of my wrist as he gripped me, not letting go even as I cried. The pain was unreal.. This was it. This was what saving that creature had cost me. I was going to die, I just knew I was.

But I didn't regret a thing.

Envy's POV-

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, breath heavy and fast, huffing and panting every time my feet hit the ground. This body wouldn't last me long if I had to fight again. I'd used all my regenerative power, and now even bruises wouldn't heal. [Pretty pathetic Envy.. That alchemist brought me down just like he did Lust. One more hit and I would've died.] I frowned, gritting my teeth at the thought of a mere human saving me. But then.. The way she looked at me. Her eyes, so full of determination, and passion. Here words beaming with worry. [Worry for me..] I almost laughed, "How pathetic is that?! A human, so overpowered with empathy that they'd risk their own life for me." I grinned in malice as an unfamiliar feeling throbbed in my chest. It was odd.. Almost warm. I frowned deeper as an involuntary thought hit me. [Isn't that what I want? For someone to feel empathy for me? To be loved?] I quickly shook the thought away, I would never want that. Not in a million years! And especially not from a human.
Back there, on the ground and helpless behind that strange girl, my mind was teaming with questions, questions begging for answers. In times like that, I'd often think to my origins.. How I came to be and where I came from. I was the amalgamation of my father's envy, his jealousy all bottled up into one being. But.. What was I jealous of?
I refused to answer that question as I ran, teeth grinding against each other as I tried to keep my distance from that retched flame alchemist, yet also my mind. I couldn't have thoughts like these clouding my judgment. Especially at a time like this.
Suddenly, a loud scream rang out thought the hall. I skid to a halt and whipped around, eyes searching for where the cry was originating. It was the girl. Mustang was gripping her arm hard, and my eyes widened as I saw burn marks beginning to spread to her wrist. [Why is he hurting her?! He wants me!] My brain screamed at me to go back, but I turned around to face the empty hall in front of me. My eyes narrowed to slits and I kept moving. I couldn't let her slow me down. But my run quickly faltered to a walk, and finally I stopped all together. A growing sense of pain radiated through my chest. "What is this?!" I growled, staring down at my hands in disbelief. The subject of my thoughts were the girl. Her and only her. Not of my survival, not of father. Simply the need to help her. "Just because she saved me, you expect me to help her?!" I yelled to no one in particular. The thought of helping a pathetic worm like her made my blood boil, and yet the thought of letting her die had the same effect. I growled to to myself, cursing this human for invoking so much emotion in me. Another scream rang out, and I whipped around, not hesitating as I sprinted in her direction as fast as I could. "DAMNIT, STUPID HUMAN!"