Seeing Red

Chapter 4

Consciousness came slowly, bringing with it a muted kind of pain he suspected came from medication. He could feel something covering his burns—bandages, maybe?—but it didn't stop his chest from hurting every time he breathed in. His head pounded, a dull ache spreading through his skull. His entire backside was pressed against a mattress, and as much as the pain made him want to roll over, he was coherent enough to realize that any position would present the same problem.

"Hnn..."

"You finally decided to wake up, huh?"

Startling, Envy pried his eyes open and tried to take in his surroundings. He was definitely in the hospital, the blinding whiteness of the walls and ceiling assaulting his senses. He shut his eyes for a moment, trying to focus, trying to muster up enough strength to actually move.

"You've been unconscious for three days. How do you feel?"

Envy took a somewhat deep breath and pushed himself up on his elbows, ignoring the hurt it caused and slowly opening his eyes. He immediately found Mustang sitting in a chair pushed up against the wall. "I..." He managed to stay propped up for another second, but then he collapsed back to the mattress. "My head hurts." He swallowed, his throat dry and raw. "Well, everything hurts, but you know that."

Mustang hummed, and as much as Envy wanted to try and read the look on his face, he knew there was no way he could get himself upright. So, he kept his mouth shut and stared at the ceiling, waiting to see what would happen, silently reminding himself that Mustang wasn't done with his designated punishment.

For another moment, there was nothing, but then came the rustling of clothes and footsteps. "Here." Mustang came into his peripherals, grabbing something from the bedside table. "Drink this. It will help."

Envy realized that, unfortunately, he would have to somehow force himself into something resembling a sitting position. So, he took a breath and pressed his hands against the mattress, pushing with all the strength he had in his battered body.

"Easy." Mustang stepped closer to the bed and brought a small cup to Envy's lips. "You'll want to drink it fast, but you need to take little sips or you're just going throw it all up."

Envy offered a faint nod and then put his lips to the rim, waiting for Mustang to tilt the glass. As soon as the water breeched his lips, he understood what Mustang meant. It felt like heaven on his parched throat, the pain of speaking and breathing eased by the cool sensation of liquid running over the damage.

"Take it slow."

Envy took Mustang's advice, sipping the water slowly despite his desire to drown in it. It took about a minute and a half, but he managed to get the whole glass down, all the while watching Mustang out of the corner of his eye. Something was causing the military man to show him kindness, and given how angry Mustang was about the victims of the explosion, there had to be something going on.

"We need to talk."

Envy slowly sank back into the mattress, his muscles flooding with relief, and he tried to maintain a casual air. "'Bout what?"

"I received a very interesting report this morning." Mustang stood by the bed, crossing his arms over his chest and staring the homunculus down with an unreadable expression on his face. "Around four o' clock this morning, military personnel apprehended the man who blew up the Green Dragon four days ago." He glared. "Do you want to tell me how that's possible?"

Envy stiffened, shifting his gaze to the ceiling. "Um... not really."

"I would strongly advise you reconsider."

For a moment, Envy kept silent, trying to figure out the best approach to the problem at hand. He hadn't expected the military to continue looking for the perpetrator if he admitted to the crime, so he hadn't created a contingency plan for Mustang finding out the truth.