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The last thing Envy remembered before fur exploded out of their body was rage.
Not the usual simmering, delicious rage that came from watching humans fail spectacularly. No. This was different. This was sharp. Humiliating. Too many eyes on them. Too much pressure. Too much noise.
They had tried to shapeshift into something intimidating.
A dragon, maybe. Something with wings. Something dramatic.
Instead, there had been a flash of green light.
A pop.
And then.
Tiny.
Everything was tiny.
The ground felt enormous beneath their paws.
Paws.
Envy froze.
They looked down.
Fluffy.
Black.
Round.
Their body was… round.
Their legs were absurdly short. Their tail was a puffball that wagged without their consent. Their reflection in a nearby metal sheet showed them a pair of shiny dark eyes framed by outrageously soft fur.
They let out a furious roar.
It came out as:
"Yip!"
Silence.
Envy blinked.
They tried again, summoning all the ancient hatred coiled inside their Philosopher's Stone.
"Rrrr- yip!"
Horror settled in.
No.
No no no no no.
They focused. Closed their eyes. Reached inward. The stone pulsed faintly inside them, but when they tried to reshape their body, it felt like trying to grab smoke with paws that were too small to hold anything.
Nothing happened.
They were still fluffy.
Still tiny.
Still...
By the time the sun dipped lower in the sky, Envy was lost.
Completely.
Utterly.
Disgustingly.
Lost.
Central's streets were too big from this angle. Boots thundered like earthquakes. Carriages rolled by like mechanical beasts. Every smell was amplified. Food. Trash. Leather. People.
People everywhere.
They tried to shift again. Tried to force their body into something else. Anything else.
Nothing.
Their fur puffed up in frustration.
Their stomach growled.
They froze.
Homunculi did not get hungry like this. Not like this. This was sharp. Hollow. Annoying.
They scowled at their own abdomen.
"You will not control me!" They attempted to say.
"Yip."
Unacceptable.
They stomped forward, dignity in tatters, and turned into a narrow alley.
And immediately bumped into a pair of black boots.
They looked up.
"Oh my gosh, look at that cute Pomeranian!"
Envy whipped around and bared their teeth.
The human gasped. "It's growling! That's adorable!"
Adorable.
Envy felt something inside them fracture.
They bolted...
Blond braid.
Red coat.
Gold eyes.
Envy's tiny heart skipped.
Of course.
Of course it would be them.
"Fullmetal!" Envy growled instinctively.
"Yip!"
Edward Elric blinked down at the small black fluffball practically vibrating at his feet.
"...You good?"
Envy's eyes widened.
He did not recognize them.
He did not recognize them.
Edward crouched.
Envy instinctively tried to puff up and look threatening. It mostly made them look like an aggressively judgmental cotton ball.
"Huh." Edward muttered. "Where'd you come from?"
Envy snapped their little jaws at him.
Edward leaned back slightly. "Whoa! Hey! I didn't do anything!"
Envy tried to summon their usual smug grin. It translated poorly onto a Pomeranian face.
Edward squinted.
"...You're kind of intense for something that small."
Envy felt a familiar flare of rage.
Small?
Small?!
They lunged.
Edward reflexively caught them midair.
Envy froze.
They were being held.
Held.
One of Edward's arms wrapped around their fluffy body while the other steadied them. His grip was careful. Not tight. Not rough.
Envy's brain stalled.
Edward stared at them at eye level.
"You okay?" He asked again, softer this time.
Envy blinked.
Why was he using that tone?
"Did someone dump you?" Edward continued, frowning slightly. "You're not wearing a collar."
Envy attempted to squirm free. Their paws pressed uselessly against his coat.
Edward's frown deepened.
"...You're shaking."
Envy stopped.
They were.
They had not noticed.
Edward glanced around the alley, then back at them.
"Alright." He sighed. "You can't just stay out here. Central isn't exactly kind to strays."
Envy narrowed their eyes.
He would regret this.
They would make sure of it.
Edward shifted them more securely against his chest and stood.
Envy felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat through the fabric of his coat.
Warm.
Annoyingly warm.
"Don't bite me." Edward muttered as he started walking. "I already get enough crap from Al about taking in random stuff."
Envy attempted to retort.
It came out as a tiny disgruntled sneeze.
Edward snorted.
"You are weird."
Envy's tail betrayed them and wagged once.
They stared at it in horror.
Edward laughed quietly.
And despite everything, despite the humiliation, the loss of power, the fury simmering in their core…
Envy did not try to escape.
Edward did not realize, as he pushed open the door to his hotel room in Central, that he had just invited one of his oldest enemies inside.
He only knew two things:
1. The Pomeranian in his arms was still trembling.
2. It had tried to bite him three times on the walk back.
"Alright." He muttered, nudging the door shut with his foot. "Welcome to the glamorous life of a State Alchemist on a budget."
The room was modest. A narrow bed. A small table. A washbasin. Papers scattered everywhere in organized chaos.
Edward gently set the fluffy menace down on the bed.
Envy immediately spun in a circle, fur puffed up like an offended dandelion.
They sniffed the blankets.
They sniffed Edward.
They sniffed the air.
This smelled like him.
Metal. Ink. Soap. Something faintly sweet.
Envy scowled.
They hated that they could tell.
Edward crossed his arms and observed them.
"You look like you're about to explode."
Envy shot him a glare that would have reduced lesser beings to ash.
Edward blinked. "...Okay, wow. Attitude."
Envy huffed and sat down sharply, tail curling around their tiny body in dramatic indignation.
Edward sighed. "You're definitely someone's problem child."
Excuse you.
Before Envy could attempt another indignant yip, their stomach growled again. Loudly.
They froze.
Edward raised an eyebrow.
"...Oh."
Silence.
Envy slowly turned their head away as if the sound had come from somewhere else entirely.
Edward snorted. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
He rummaged through his bag and pulled out some bread and leftover meat from earlier.
Envy's eyes tracked the movement.
They did not care.
They absolutely did not.
They were a homunculus.
They did not need human food.
The smell hit them.
Warm. Salty. Real.
Their mouth watered.
This was humiliating.
Edward tore the meat into small pieces and set them on a plate. He crouched again, sliding it carefully toward the Pomeranian.
"Go on."
Envy narrowed their eyes.
This could be poison.
This could be a trap.
This could be-
Their stomach growled louder.
Edward smirked faintly. "You're not winning this fight."
Envy gave him one last furious glare.
Then they lunged for the plate.
They devoured it.
Not elegantly.
Not strategically.
Absolutely not dignified.
Edward stared.
"...You were starving."
Envy froze mid-bite.
They lifted their head slowly, grease on their tiny muzzle.
He was looking at them like-
Like he was worried.
That expression did something unpleasant to their chest.
They looked away sharply and finished eating with slightly less chaos.
Edward grabbed a cloth and, without thinking too much about it, reached forward and wiped their muzzle.
Envy stiffened.
His fingers were warm.
Careful.
He didn't scrub roughly. He didn't tease. He just cleaned them up like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Envy's ears twitched.
"You're messy." Edward muttered.
They growled weakly.
It came out more like a grumpy hum.
Edward stood up and glanced toward the washbasin.
"...You're kinda filthy too."
Envy immediately took three slow steps backward.
Absolutely not.
"Nope." Edward said, already rolling up his sleeves. "You smell like alley."
Envy bolted.
Edward caught them mid-dash again.
This was becoming a pattern.
"Hey! Calm down!"
Envy squirmed wildly, paws kicking, tail thrashing. They tried to shapeshift out of instinct.
Nothing.
Still fluffy.
Still small.
Still in his arms.
"You're getting a bath." Edward declared.
Betrayal.
Utter betrayal.
A short while later, Envy sat in a shallow basin of warm water.
They were soaked.
Their once-proud puffball tail drooped like a defeated cloud.
Edward knelt beside the basin, sleeves pushed up, carefully lathering dog shampoo into their fur.
It smelled faintly of lavender.
Envy glared at him with the full force of ancient malice.
Edward smiled faintly. "You look ridiculous."
They tried to snap at him.
Their attempt lacked conviction.
The water was warm.
His hands were gentle.
He worked the soap carefully through their fur, massaging it in slow circles. Not rushed. Not careless.
Envy's eyes fluttered for half a second.
No.
They would not relax.
They were not enjoying this.
They absolutely despised-
Edward scratched lightly behind their ear.
Envy made a small, involuntary sound.
They froze.
Edward blinked. "...Did you just..."
Envy growled quickly, trying to cover it.
Edward's lips twitched.
"Oh my god. You like that."
They did not.
He did it again.
Slow. Careful. Right behind the ear.
Envy's back paw thumped once against the side of the basin before they could stop it.
They stared at their own leg in horror.
Edward laughed softly.
"You're such a grump."
He rinsed them gently, making sure no soap remained. He even shielded their eyes from the water with his hand.
Envy watched him through half-lidded eyes.
He was concentrating.
Focused.
Not mocking.
Not cruel.
Just… taking care of them.
The thought made something ache.
When he finally lifted them out and wrapped them in a towel, Envy braced for teasing.
Instead, Edward carefully rubbed them dry, fluffing their fur back into shape.
"You'll get cold otherwise." He muttered.
Envy's fur slowly returned to its usual puffed glory.
Edward placed them on the bed and began gently brushing through their coat with his fingers to help it dry faster.
Envy sat stiffly at first.
Then, gradually, their body sank into the blanket.
They hated this.
They hated how warm the room felt.
They hated how full their stomach was.
They hated how his fingers moved absentmindedly through their fur while he read over some alchemy notes with his other hand.
They especially hated the quiet little hum he made under his breath.
Their eyes slowly drifted closed.
Just for a moment.
Just because they were conserving energy.
That was all.
Edward glanced down and noticed the small fluffball leaning into his thigh.
"...You gonna pretend you didn't just do that?" He asked softly.
Envy's ear flicked.
They did not move away.
Edward hesitated, then carefully lay back against the headboard.
After a moment, he adjusted the blanket and gently pulled it over both of them.
Envy felt the shift of fabric.
Felt his warmth at their side.
They should leave.
They should escape.
They should try shifting again.
Instead, they curled instinctively toward the heat, tail wrapping around their tiny body.
Edward's hand rested lightly against their back.
Steady.
Protective.
The room was quiet except for the faint rustle of paper and the distant hum of Central at night.
Edward shifted slightly against the headboard, glancing down at the small orange fluffball curled against his hip.
"You're not even pretending to hate me anymore." He murmured.
Envy's ear twitched.
They were absolutely pretending.
They were the embodiment of envy and resentment. Ancient. Powerful. Superior.
They were not melting because the bed was warm.
They were not inching closer because Edward's body heat felt safe.
They were not slowly pressing their side more firmly against his thigh because his heartbeat was steady and grounding.
Edward closed his book and set it aside.
For a moment, he simply looked at them.
Up close, the Pomeranian's fur looked impossibly soft, freshly washed and dried into a perfect cloud. Their tiny chest rose and fell in controlled, stubborn breaths, as if they refused to fully relax on principle.
Edward hesitated.
Then, carefully, he slid down under the blanket.
Envy’s body went rigid.
The mattress dipped. The blanket shifted. Warmth surrounded them on both sides now.
Edward lay on his side, facing them.
He was close.
Too close.
Golden eyes studied them.
"Hey." He said softly.
Envy blinked.
His voice was different when he wasn't arguing.
Different when he wasn't shouting.
It was lower. Gentler.
"You must've had a rough day, huh?"
Envy stiffened.
Rough did not begin to cover it.
They had lost their form. Their power. Their control.
They had been reduced to this.
Edward slowly lifted one hand.
Envy considered biting it.
They did not.
His fingers hovered for a second, giving them time to pull away.
They didn't.
He rested his hand lightly on their back.
Warm.
Careful.
Not restraining.
Just there.
Envy's breath caught.
He began stroking their fur in slow, even motions. From between their ears down to the base of their tail. Repeating the motion over and over, unhurried.
It was maddening.
It was humiliating.
It was-
Comforting.
Their eyes slowly drooped.
Edward smiled faintly when he noticed.
"You're really tense." He murmured. "You don't have to be."
Envy wanted to laugh at that.
Didn't have to be tense?
They were a homunculus. Tension was practically their personality.
His hand shifted, fingers gently scratching behind their ear again.
Envy's back paw thumped weakly against the mattress before going still.
Edward chuckled under his breath.
"There it is."
Envy did not have the energy to protest.
They felt themselves slowly tipping sideways, pressed between Edward's chest and the pillow. His arm curved around them without thinking, instinctive and protective.
He pulled them closer.
Carefully.
As if they were fragile.
As if they mattered.
Envy froze.
No one had ever held them like this.
Not as a weapon.
Not as a pawn.
Not as a tool.
Just… held.
Edward's chin rested lightly against the top of their head.
His breathing evened out, slow and deep.
He was falling asleep.
Still holding them.
Still stroking their fur in lazy, half-conscious motions.
Envy stared at the wall in the dim light.
Their chest felt strange.
Tight.
Heavy.
Warm.
They had been created from resentment. Born from someone else's bitterness. Their existence had always been about comparison. About lacking. About wanting what others had.
Love.
Care.
Belonging.
They had mocked humans for it.
They had despised them for it.
Yet here they were.
Curled against the 'pipsqueak' they had sworn to destroy.
And for the first time in their long existence, they felt… safe.
Not feared.
Not useful.
Not powerful.
Just safe.
Edward mumbled something incoherent in his sleep and tightened his arm slightly around them.
Envy's breath hitched.
He didn't even know who they were.
He didn’t know he was holding his enemy.
And still...
Still he was gentle.
Still he was kind.
Maybe… maybe the pipsqueak wasn't as awful and insufferable as they had always insisted.
Maybe they had been wrong.
The realization was terrifying.
A warmth spread through their tiny body that had nothing to do with the blanket.
Their vision blurred.
They blinked.
A single tear slipped free from one dark dog eye, sliding down into their freshly fluffed fur.
They didn't wipe it away.
They couldn't.
They simply pressed closer to Edward's chest instead, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
For once, Envy did not feel the need to take.
They did not feel the need to prove anything.
They just… existed.
In his arms.
And when sleep finally claimed them, it was the most peaceful rest they had ever known.
Outside, Central continued its restless murmur.
Inside the small hotel room, beneath a shared blanket, a homunculus dreamed without hatred.
Morning came quietly.
Soft golden light slipped through the thin hotel curtains. The city outside was still half asleep, carriages distant and muted.
On the narrow hotel bed, Edward was very warm.
Suspiciously warm.
He shifted slightly in his sleep, tightening his arm around the small body curled against his chest.
The "small body" shifted too.
Except it wasn't small anymore.
It was decidedly not fluffy.
It was also very, very not a Pomeranian.
Both of them were still half asleep. Still clinging instinctively. Still breathing in sync.
Edward's face was buried against something warm.
Not fur.
Skin.
Smooth skin.
His brain slowly booted up.
Warm.
Skin.
Not fur.
His eyes cracked open.
Golden met violet.
Dark green hair spilled across the pillow.
Long limbs were tangled with his.
And Envy was very, very naked.
There was a full second of silence.
Then-
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Edward launched backward so fast he nearly fell off the bed, dragging the blanket with him. Envy yelped and scrambled in the opposite direction, hair flying everywhere.
They stared at each other in sheer horror.
Edward's face turned a shade of red that could rival a military alarm flare.
"You- YOU- WHY ARE YOU?!?"
Envy looked down at themselves.
Then back up.
Then down again.
"...Oh."
"Oh?!" Edward shrieked. "THAT'S YOUR RESPONSE?!"
Envy scrambled to cover themselves with the pillow, which was wildly insufficient.
"This is not my fault!" They snapped. "I didn't schedule this!"
"You were a DOG!" Edward pointed accusingly. "A DOG!"
"And whose fault is that?!" Envy shot back.
"I DIDN'T TURN YOU INTO A-"
Edward suddenly grabbed the nearest piece of clothing and hurled it at them.
It hit Envy in the face.
"...Put something on!" He shouted, turning around dramatically and squeezing his eyes shut. "I AM NOT DEALING WITH THIS FIRST THING IN THE MORNING!"
Envy sputtered indignantly but snatched the clothes anyway.
There was an awkward pause filled with rustling fabric and muttered complaints.
Edward kept his back turned, arms crossed tightly over his chest.
"This is a nightmare." He muttered. "I'm still asleep. This is a dream. I cuddled a dog. I did not cuddle a homicidal homunculus."
"You drooled on my hair." Envy grumbled from behind him.
"I DID NOT!"
"You absolutely did."
Edward made a strangled noise.
More rustling.
"...These pants are too short." Envy added flatly.
Edward froze.
He turned slowly.
Envy stood there, wearing Edward's spare tank top and trousers.
The shirt hung loosely off one shoulder.
The trousers were indeed too short.
There was a long stretch of very awkward silence.
They stared at each other.
Envy crossed their arms defensively.
"...Well."
Edward's brain visibly struggled to process everything.
"You-... you turned back."
"Obviously."
"While we were-"
"Apparently."
"IN THE SAME BED?!"
Envy's cheeks tinted faintly pink.
"You were the one clinging like a koala."
Edward's jaw dropped. "I was not!"
"You absolutely were."
"I WAS PROTECTING A STRAY!"
"You mumbled in your sleep."
Edward went rigid.
"I did not."
"You did."
"...What did I say?" He asked cautiously.
Envy hesitated.
Their earlier panic had dulled, replaced by something softer. Stranger.
"You said… 'You're safe.'"
Edward blinked.
The anger drained out of his expression, replaced with confusion.
"I did?"
"You also said." Envy added, unable to resist. "'You're not alone anymore.'"
Edward stared at them.
His face went red again, but this time it wasn't just embarrassment.
"...I thought you were a dog." He muttered weakly.
Envy looked down.
They flexed their fingers slowly, as if confirming they were truly back in their original form.
The Philosopher's Stone pulsed steadily inside them now. Stable.
They could shift again.
They knew they could.
But they didn't.
They looked back at Edward.
He wasn't attacking.
He wasn't reaching for his automail blade.
He was just standing there. Flustered. Defensive. Confused.
Concerned.
"You took care of me." Envy said quietly.
Edward stiffened. "You were… small."
"You washed me."
"You smelled like trash."
"You scratched behind my ears."
Edward choked. "I DID NOT-"
Envy stepped closer.
Not threatening.
Not mocking.
Just closer.
"You didn't know it was me." They said softly. "And you still…"
They trailed off.
Edward swallowed.
There was a weird tension in the room now.
Not hostile.
Just charged.
"...You could've left." Edward said after a moment. "Last night. When you changed back. I sleep pretty deeply."
Envy looked away.
"I know."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Edward rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"So. Uh. Are you going to kill me now or…?"
Envy snorted.
"Not today."
"Wow. Reassuring."
Another pause.
Then, very carefully, Edward picked up the blanket from the floor and tossed it toward them.
"For the record." He muttered, not quite meeting their eyes, "I meant what I said. Even if you were… fluffy."
Envy blinked.
"You're safe." Edward added quietly. "In here. For now."
Something warm unfurled in Envy's chest.
Annoying.
Persistent.
Terrifying.
"...You'd cuddle me again if I turned back, wouldn't you?" They asked suddenly.
Edward sputtered. "W-What kind of question is that?!"
Envy smirked faintly.
He didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
They stepped closer again, tugging lightly at the hem of his oversized shirt.
"You know..." Envy said, tilting their head. "You're less insufferable than I thought."
Edward huffed. "You're still irritating."
"Mm."
They were standing very close now.
Neither moved away.
Sunlight spilled across the bed behind them.
"So..." Edward muttered, cheeks pink. "What happens now?"
Envy's smirk softened.
"I don't know."
They reached out slowly.
Edward tensed, but didn't pull back.
Envy gently brushed their fingers against his braid.
Just once.
Then let go.
"For now." They said lightly, though their voice carried something deeper beneath it, "I think I'll stay."
Edward stared at them.
"...You're unbelievable."
"And yet." Envy replied with a small, almost shy smile. "You held me all night."
Edward groaned and dragged a hand over his face.
"This is going to be a disaster."
Envy stepped back toward the bed, flopping down dramatically onto the mattress.
"Probably."
They looked up at him, eyes glinting.
"But it might be fun."
Edward hesitated.
Then, grumbling under his breath, he sat down on the edge of the bed.
Close enough that their knees brushed.
Neither commented on it.
Outside, Central was fully awake now.
Inside the tiny hotel room, the line between enemy and something else had quietly shifted.
And neither of them were quite ready to define it.
Not yet.