Edward x Envy (A Full Story)

Chapter 18

Edward's POV:

We've been living together for almost two weeks. I've been working less, and Envy keeps finding ways to avoid Father. Everyday, we go on walks. Usually to get some tea, or to buy food.
When I have work, he walks me there (in a disguise, of course).
For meals, we've been doing pretty well. I've picked up a few things from Granny and Winry. We still lack a toaster, which I'm pissed about.
Other than that, we've been doing great. Mei moved in with Al a few days ago. I'm still confused about their relationship. Al swears they're just friends, but I assume Mei thinks otherwise. At least Al isn't as lonely now.

Right now, I'm walking home from work. That's the great thing about this apartment; it's within walking distance of almost anything.

I knock on the door, and Envy answers in one swift movement.
"Waiting for me?" I laugh.
"More or less..." He laughs as well.

I give him a peck on the cheek, and walk on inside.

"Hey, Ed."
I turn around.
"What is it?" I ask.
"Since you were working today, I had a little extra free time. I went out and bought this..."
He reaches down beside the breakfast table, and hands me a box. Upon closer inspection, I realize it's a damn toaster.

"Oh my god, thank you so fucking much! I would say you didn't need to, but you really did." I joke.
"Haha, I know. I was gonna get it last week but..."
"Thank you. Appreciate it." I smile. "Toast for dinner?" I suggest.
"Of course." He rolls his eyes. He isn't fond of my "quick" meals. He's never the one that does the cooking, though. 'If you want it, make it yourself.'  I tell him constantly. He never responds realistically.

After dinner, I decide to call Winry. It's been too long since we've spoken, and we honestly have some unfinished business.

"Hey, Winry. How are you?" I ask.

"Hi, Ed. I'm fine. Are you okay? You haven't called for a while. I don't recognize this number..." She responds.

"Well, actually, I moved apartments. This new one is pretty nice. It's closer to work than before."

"That's great. Does Al like it?" She asks.

"Well, actually... I moved here with Envy."

Silence over the line.

"Where's Al?" She speaks up. "Is he at your... old apartment?"

"Well, yeah. He's living with Mei."

"That's nice."

The rest of the conversation continues like that. She seems blatantly annoyed with me, and I don't know how to ask why.
Once the call finishes, Envy walks over.

"You know she's jealous, right?"

I look over at him. I always guessed it, but to hear it from the emotion jealousy, himself. It's like a confirmation.
Suddenly, a pang of pity strikes me. Regret, maybe? I knew she'd liked me, but I'd chosen Envy. I gasp at my own thoughts. How would I ever leave Envy, after all we've been through? Correction: How could I ever consider being with Winry while in the best relationship I've ever had? I'm probably going insane.

"Let's go to bed, Eddie. It's getting late and you have work in the morning." He tells me.

"That sounds nice."
I would never leave this guy.

-

It's been over a year post Hughes' death, and Mustang is still working on the case. Totally understandable, of course. His best friend's death is nothing to take lightly. The only thing is, there are no leads whatsoever. Most of the station has noticed his decrease in work time. All he does is stare at the evidence, hoping something new will turn up after a year.

"Hey, Colonel? Can I come in?" I say, knocking on his office door.

"Oh, Fullmetal. Come on in. What do you need?"

I walk in.
"We need to talk about this Hughes case. I'm all for catching murderers, but there's no evidence here. You can't sit here waiting to avenge him." I say bluntly.

He looks a little taken aback, so I continue.
"You're barely getting any excess work done. This needs to stop."

He gathers himself, and tries to explain.
"I, well, never really considered how others are affected..." He massages his temples. "I just have been so focused these past weeks. Especially considering the anniversary of his passing. Why can't I figure this out? There must be something I'm missing..."

"I get it. Recovering from this hurts. It may never even end, but you must consider the worth of others."

"Thank you for coming to me with this, Edward."

I nod, leaving the room.

This got me thinking; pain never really ends, it just fades away after time. My mother's death still hurts me, but it's all faded to the back of my mind.

"Did you talk some sense into him, Brother?" Al says as we leave the building.

"I hope so, Al"
I might need to talk some sense into myself.