Work Text
Something wasn’t quite right, but Greed couldn’t work out what exactly the problem was. He stood in front of Darius and Heinkel and Ed, ready to make his boss-speech for the day and everything felt… off. His expression soured a bit as he looked his crew over again. Up his head went as he mulled over Heinkel and then up again a shade as he moved on to Darius. Nothing out of sorts there. Then his head lowered as it always did when he looked at Ed.Except instead of staring Ed in the eyes, Greed’s landed on his nose. “Hold on.” He raised his hand, inhaled deeply, and mulled it over. That couldn’t be right. Yesterday morning and last night he had done the same thing as usual and his line of vision had been on Ed’s eyes.He must’ve messed the routine up somehow so Greed did it again with the same result. He put his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow while looking mildly offended by the turn of events.Damn. Either he was losing his touch, or Ed done fucked up and grew in his sleep. Greed grinned, reached out his hand, put it on the top of Ed’s head, and pushed it down an inch. “Problem solved." A few seconds passed before Ed’s face turned beet red and he screeched, arms and legs flailing around. Birds scattered from the tree tops. "What the hell, Greed?!”He swiftly moved ahead so he could dodge Ed’s wrath. Greed chuckled. He couldn’t shake the grin off his face. Damn, he had heard some of the people in the towns they visited talk about teenagers growing overnight, but he had always thought they were exaggerating. He hadn't realized that something like that could actually happen. A quick glance back had him moving even faster as he saw Ed stomping closer. He moved faster. Ed’s appetite had picked up recently too. It took effort on all their parts to keep Ed fed and happy. Ling always wanted to eat too. Food was a relatively new concept to Greed. He didn’t have a lot of solid memories to begin with, but the ones he had never included him eating. They mostly focused on his old crew, and given how Envy and Pride never ate, he had put two and two together. He only felt hunger pains because of Ling. Because, he shared a body with a human.While he enjoyed eating, he wasn’t as gluttonous or greedy for it as Ling. Initially, Greed had thought Ling wanting food all the time was a lack of self control, but after feeling their body weaken whenever it had been a while since they ate, made him rethink that line of thought and realize Ling’s motivations for always wanting food might have a biological reason behind them. Greed had taken to making sure Ling had his fill of whatever he wanted to inhale.‘I told you it would happen to Ed sooner or later.’ Ling’s voice held a satisfied, I-told-you-so tone to it.Greed hated that tone and wanted to argue just to spite Ling, but seeing it happen right in front of him was convincing enough. Ed’s face had started to thin out around the cheeks, and his jaw started to look more masculine. There were other changes too. Ed was putting on more muscle and now… now the brat had grown taller. Why couldn’t humans come out already grown instead of small and helpless and deceiving? It was bad enough the other two towered over him. What if tomorrow Ed was taller than him? His grin fell and Greed gasped a little at that thought.Ling laughed.Greed made a face. Out of all things, the goddamn kid had finally hit puberty.“Greed, I’m gonna kick your ass when I catch you!” Ed’s voice cut through his thoughts and cracked in that oddly ear-splitting way that only a teenage boy’s could.He covered his body with his shield and tore off through the forest. He could hear Ed running behind him at first, then the footfalls fell off until nothing. Greed slowed down and stopped. His first mistake. He barely had his footing when a red blur tackled him to the ground. Before he could get his bearings, Greed was on his back with Ed staring down at him, looking as mad as ever.“You ever push my head down again like that, I’m gonna rearrange every cell in your body.” Ed lightly smacked Greed’s chest and his scowl deepened. “That was a dick move and totally uncalled for.”“Maybe but who gave you the right to grow in your sleep?” Greed heard Ling sigh and tsk at him. Once the words were out, Greed wanted to take them back, rearrange them, then shove them back out of his mouth. Ed scrunched up his face then shook his head. “What the–” He pushed Greed back against the ground, harder this time. “That doesn’t even make any sense. It’s not like I can help what my body does when I’m sleepin’.”It was a dick move, and if Greed could take it back, he wouldn’t because no matter how much Ed complained, his teasing kept the kid distracted from falling into another funk. Five days since that night when Greed decided to climb into bed with Ed and keep him warm. Five days of doing that each night and Ed not moping around. Maybe Ed might be mad at him now, but it was better than the alternative.Greed reached up and lightly flicked Ed’s nose. “Got your blood pumping, did I?”Ed glowered, and his eyes searched Greed’s. Then something happened. Realization dawned in those golden eyes, and he suddenly pulled back and got off Greed’s stomach. “Yeah… whatever…” Ed brushed himself off and started walking. He waved his hand once and casually called back, “Don’t do it again or there’s gonna be a Greed smear across the forest.” He waved his hand out as if enacting where exactly Greed’s bits and pieces would land. The tone of voice had been too calm and no longer held any real bite to it. Greed scowled. It felt like he was getting off easy. He waited until he only saw part of Ed’s ponytail as he moved through a patch of bramble. Greed sat up. His eyes narrowed a little. Ed’s reaction left him puzzled.Darius stopped in front of him, grabbed his arm, and pulled him up. “There you go, boss.”Heinkel laughed as he walked by. “Looks like he’s learning.”“It’s about time,” Darius chimed in. “Maybe we’ll get some peace and quiet now.” Greed’s frown deepened. What the hell was that supposed to mean? He knew Heinkel was talking about Ed, but what could the kid learn that would be so damned funny? “Learning what?”“How to not let you get under his skin,” Heinkel said as he disappeared through the brambles.He stood alone, trying to work out what had just happened. Greed stood there for a few seconds and huffed as that thought settled in, then tore off after his team. He was their leader and should be in the front where he could keep them safe and Ed couldn’t ignore him. When he caught up to them, there was a treeline ahead and he could see his team through the trees, standing there with Ed wildly gesturing to Darius and Heinkel. Greed slowed down then stopped. “I don’t know if there’s another way around that won’t be goin’ in the wrong direction. We gotta be able to get back to Central when Mustang’s ready. We’re supposed to lay low until Spring then go back. I don’t wanna be too far away by then.” Ed threw his hands up in the air out of frustration. “We’ve been going to this way for too long to have’ta turn around now.” “You think you can make it across without getting sucked in?” Darius gave Ed a skeptical look.Heinkel stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. “He’s right. We’ll be walking through it and lose you along the way.” “I said I’d fix it and make it safe,” Ed groused. “You guys act like I don’t know what I’m doin’.”“What’s going on.” Greed tromped past his team and pushed through the trees.Ed grabbed a hold of his coat to hold him still. "Slow down, Greed… there a swamp there and it probably has sink holes all through it.“He sighed then glared at Darius and Heinkel. “As I was saying, going around is gonna take too long. I have my alchemy and we’ll be fine…”Greed stared at what was in front of him as Ed’s voice faded into the background of his thoughts. The clearing gave way to a muddy, swampy area that spanned for miles. Even at the edge of it, the ground felt soft underfoot and there were deeper mud pits that littered the ground. Ed was right. If they went around, who knew where they’d end up, but he didn’t like the idea of making his team wade through it. “You got your alchemy.” He grinned. “Go ahead and show us what you’re gonna do with it.”Ed walked up next to Greed and stretched his arms out behind his head. “I think I should see how bad it is first. Might not need to do anything if the mud only goes down a bit.”“Yeah, do that. I wanna know how deep and how long this goes.” Greed looked over the expanse of the swamp.“Alright.” Ed bent down near the edge, closed his eyes and focused, then clapped his hands together and touched the ground.The mud parted for a second before starting to run down and topple on into itself. Greed grunted. That looked like a damned death trap for anything with a pulse.Greed looked his team over, eyes moving from Heinkel to Darius, then to Ed—only this time he adjusted to match Ed’s new height—then frowned. They all had pulses. He would probably be fine, maybe, but the rest of them? Greed wasn’t so sure. “It’s too risky.” None of them had more than one life in them. If he got stuck, he could take his time, working his way out. Not that he would have to with his shield. The swampy ground was nothing to him. Sinkholes could swallow humans and chimera, though. “We’ll go around it as much as possible.”Then Greed’s mouth twitched with amusement when it occurred to him that one of them might have to carry Ed if the ground got too soft. Even if they stuck to the edge and went around, Ed had less body mass and heavy automail, so he would struggle the most with any sinkholes. Carrying Ed was practical, though maybe a bit dangerous if any of them tried. Ed squinted. “It’s not that risky. I can make it so the mud’ll stay put until we get to the other side.”“What happens if there’s a weak spot? You always say alchemy is equivalent exchange then what happens if your wall starts fallin’ apart?” Already he could see a few weak points where Ed had demonstrated with alchemy. Greed knew it had only been a brief demonstration, but even still, he didn’t much care for the idea of them being in the middle of it and getting buried.“Then, we’ll all be swallowed whole,” Ed said matter-of-factly. That had been the answer Greed expected. He could take risks with himself but he’d be damned if he did the same with his team. “Like I said, it’s too risky. If there’s a chance it could end bad, then we’re gonna try something else.” Ed simply shrugged. “Fair enough. We’ll go around it then, but we need to make sure we’re going in the right direction so we don’t end up halfway across the county by the time we’re done.” That Ed was even bringing something like this up meant they must have already veered too far. “We’re not losin’ time yet are we?” “Nah,” Ed gave Greed another odd look. “Been keeping us somewhat going in a circular pattern or at least a zig-zag.” He held his hand up near his eyes to shield out the sun and looked over the swamp again. “If you wanna go around we should start left then straighten out towards the north as much as we can.” Greed shrugged. “Alright, we’ll head left then up as soon as we find a break in this, and if we don’t then we’ll go somewhere else.” Ed grinned. “Lead the way then, boss.”The entire group went silent. Greed opened his mouth then closed it. That was the first time today they had agreed on something. “What? You’re the boss, right? It’s your call.” Ed stood there and looked at Greed as if he was waiting for something.He gave Ed a good once over to see if maybe he had missed something. When Greed only received a curious look in return, he grunted and turned away. “We’ll head up that bank since the ground looks more solid there.”This time he insisted on taking the lead, making sure Ed was between everyone. If there were any sinkholes, Greed wanted to be the one to find them before anyone else did."Keep alert and don’t stomp around. That’ll get you stuck,” he said, addressing the entire team but keeping his eyes on Ed.Ed, though incredibly smart, was reckless. Greed both liked and hated that about him. The only thing that stopped him from constantly keeping an eye on Ed was alchemy. The kid was the best he’d seen and plenty capable of taking care of himself.That didn’t give Ed the right to tear head first into any and everything. Greed didn’t have much, but Darius, Heinkel, and Ed belong to him, and he took care of his own. Anyone who didn’t take care of their possessions didn’t deserve to have them. Greed had seen plenty of that in his short existence, and he had thieved what he could from those very same people.“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be careful.” Ed crouched down, clapped, then put his hands on the ground to reveal a path closer to the edge of the swamp. “But this way’ll be faster and still safe. It’ll let us go around while staying as close to the edge of the swamp as we can get.”The small wall barrier that came up was steadier this time. Greed let out a low whistle. He stepped down, and his feet squished through the mud. The rest of them followed, with Ed directly behind him, then Darius, and Heinkel in the rear. Being on the move constantly didn’t allow him to take much with him. Greed had stowed away a few precious possessions in his bag. If they found an abandoned place far away from people, he planned to start a collection of items for himself. He could use it to store whatever he wanted and come back for it after they disposed of his old man.Ed ducked in front of Greed. “But I should be the one in front in case I need to use my alchemy.”The clouded his mood a little as they walked further along the edge until he saw Ed drop a few feet in front of him. Greed reached down, grabbed Ed, and lifted him up by the back of his shirt. Mud covered Ed from chest to toe, and Greed’s mouth twitched in amusement. He’d do his best not to laugh… at least for as long as he could hold it back. Mud holes were a bitch, and the kid was just short enough for them to be a problem.Good thing Ed had him and Darius and Heinkel to look out for him when he wasn’t paying attention. “Be careful,“Greed growled despite how ridiculous Ed looked. "Don’t want the mud sucking you down in there.”“Can it, Greed. It won't happen again. I don't need you gettin’ on my case about it.” Ed snapped, and it reminded him of one of those vicious little stray cats he’d seen around that were all teeth and claws. Greed almost expected Ed to bare his teeth and hiss.Greed could feel a grin forming on his face before he could even stop it.He liked Ed. The kid had a lot of moxy for someone so small and beat down by life. Greed heard Ling sigh. This time he grinned, unable to hold it back any longer. Looked like the brat had his own things to say about this. “Kid, you get any dirtier, we’re gonna have to toss you into the river.”'You know, if you’d let me talk to him, I can convince him to go along with whatever we want,’ Ling calmly suggested as if the words he spoke were filled with wisdom. Greed called bullshit on that. Besides, he was Ed’s boss. He would handle it.'Suit yourself…’Greed ignored Ling. He didn’t need the brat telling him how to talk to his team. Ed didn’t like being coddled. Doing that would only make it worse. It was easier for Ed to hide all that hurt in him when he was angry or challenged, and Greed could take it easily enough. "You won’t throw me in the river when it’s this cold out. 'Sides, I can use alchemy to get the dirt off me later. No sense in doin’ it now when I’m gonna get muddy all over again.”“The point is that you’re not bein’ careful enough.” Greed ruffled the back of Ed’s neck. “Stay alert and quit tromping around.”"Whatever you say, boss," Ed snapped back while slowing down.He ignored the sound of Ling’s light laughter in his head and focused on the real problem at hand. Ed walked weird. The kid wouldn’t keep getting stuck in the mud if his legs matched in length. Ed was outgrowing his automail and refused to let any other mechanic than his own touch it. That meant they needed to go to Resembool and hope that his girl was there. Greed made a face. Ugh, why the hell did Ed need so much shit?It felt an awful lot like dating a high-maintenance person. They get one thing fixed and then suddenly they needed something new and shiny in its place. He glanced over at Ed and his expression softened. Going to Resembool might not be so bad. That would solve the problem if Ed needed his automail worked on. “We should skip finding a place to hole up in and go to your granny’s house.” Greed nudged Ed. “That way you don’t wobble so much.”Ed rolled his eyes. “Greed… we can’t go there. 'Least not yet. The military is probably all over the place, looking for us. If we wait until it’s close to spring, the better chance we have of not gettin’caught.” Ed stumbled and got his right leg stuck in the mud again. Heinkel easily pulled him out this time. Greed automatically reached out and took a hold of Ed’s upper arm while mulling over their options. That was always the reason why going to Resembool was off the table. They couldn’t do it yet. They had to wait. The timing had to be right. Greed understood why Ed said those things every time, but he didn’t think there would be a good time, and he hated waiting for what he wanted. They were going to have to do it one way or another, whether it was close to spring or not, if Ed couldn’t keep up.“Whatever. If it gets any worse, we’re going whether you want to or not. I’m cuttin out away from the edge, and you’re comin’ with me.” Greed grabbed the back of Ed’s coat and steered him out of the mud and onto solid ground.Darius and Heinkel followed right behind them. Greed pushed through the low-hanging tree branches until they were back walking in the trees. “Greed, we shouldn’t be getting too far off our path.” Ed pulled out of Greed’s grip but didn’t turn around. “We can double up our traveling time to make up for it. Not gonna lose one of you because it’s inconvenient to walk around.” Greed heard Ed gripe under his breath but didn’t catch what he said. So long as the kid didn’t try to go back—that’s what mattered to him the most. As if to prove his point, he moved a little further from the swamp until they couldn’t see it through the tree lines anymore and the ground was no longer muddy but covered with dry leaves and sticks.Holding up his hand, Greed stopped the group, and his eyes scanned the area. Nothing but forest and trees and… maybe something more. There had been a flash of something gray beyond the small forest. Greed moved closer to get a better look. He grinned. There was a house a little ways ahead. “I see one.”“See one what?” Ed asked in a crabby tone of voice. “Looks like a house,” Darius replied before ruffling the back of Ed’s head. “If you want I can put you on my—” “No way in hell I’m climbing on your shoulders.” Ed glared at both Darius and Heinkel. “Any excuse and the both of you are all too willing to snatch me up and carry me.”“You’re small and heavy,” Heinkel explained, “It’s like getting a work out—” Their words faded as Greed picked up his speed and moved quickly towards the bit of gray and black ahead of them until he came out into a slightly muddy, open field.They stopped behind Greed—with Ed bumping into his back—to get a look. The house was large with two-stories and front porch, but the roof sagged on the right side and the porch was dilapidated. The paint had long ago peeled away giving the home a gray, ugly hue. Greed grinned. Maybe they wouldn’t have to get too far off the direction Ed had planned for them to take. This was perfect. There was no way someone was living here, and they could fix it up. Well… Ed could fix it up right quick with alchemy and at least keep the wind and cold out. It would be enough for them to hole away in for a month or two.Greed glanced up at the chimney. No smoke coming out of this one. They had come across a couple other homes tucked away from civilization, only to see gray smoke rising from the rooftops.“I don’t see anyone here—" Greed’s words were cut off as he tripped over something and fell face first onto the ground with only his hands stopping him from face-planting into the dirt and wet.“All that talk about us being careful, and you’re the one that trips,” Darius added with a snicker. Heinkel nudged Darius’ shoulder. “Don’t be too hard on him. He’s said plenty of times he’s rather it be him than one of us.”Ed lightly bit down on his bottom lip to hold back his laughter, then gave up the game, putting his hands on his knees as his laughter split through the silence. “Damn, you really bit it. What the hell did you trip on?”Greed stood up, brushed himself off, and glared. “Not another word.“He turned back around to see what caught his foot. Sticking up from the ground was a small corner of something metal and shiny. Like the corner of a chest. His eyes lit up. Looked like he might have found some treasure.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“This is the worst idea you’ve ever had.” Ed’s voice rose in pitch—far too high for seven o’clock in the morning. “I don’t know why I’m going along with it.” He threw his hands up in the air, let out a loud exasperated sigh, and let them dramatically drop to his hips. “I should’ve said no. I’m going to regret this tomorrow.”He had some regrets going on right now. A lifetime’s worth stuffed into his compact body. Why was he always the one Greed partnered up with to do grunt work?“But you didn’t.” Greed grinned that grin of his that reminded everyone around of him of a shark. He ruffled the top of Ed’s head nice and hard... just the way Ed hated it. “Now stop bitchin’ and help me lift this.”“For fuck’s sake, Greed, you’re gonna get knots in my hair.” Ed felt his scowl shouldn’t have made the grin on Greed’s face wider, and yet, somehow it had. “Then take the braid out.” Greed nudged Ed’s leg with the corner of the chest. “Looks better down anyway.”“It’d just get in the way,” he crabbily snapped. “The braid keeps it from falling out of the tie and getting in my face.” Greed simply shrugged. “Suit yourself. Now lift and put your back and ass into it. No slouching.”Ed was pretty sure he didn't have enough back and ass to put into lifting a chest that was damn near the size of his body and heavy enough to make him wonder what the hell was inside to have this much weight on it. "If I pull a back muscle, you're gonna have'ta carry my heavy ass the next couple of days.""Nonsense." Greed flashed Ed a sassy grin. "This'll help build up those kid muscles you got on ya. Don'tcha want big muscles so you can impress the ladies?""What ladies?" Ed hardened his glare. "We're out in no man's land. In case you haven't noticed,” He stretched his right arm out, “There hasn't been another fucking soul around in... forever."Of course, being out in the middle of nowhere hadn't stopped Greed from finding the one abandoned house that had a buried metal chest of all things. Once Greed spotted the corner of it sticking out of the ground, he acted like he had hit the damn jackpot. Ed knew there was no talking him down from digging it up and didn't even bother trying. "There was another soul here, once," Greed stared at the chest with a bit of wonderment in his eyes. "And they were kind enough to leave this gem for me," he added as he patted the chest fondly."You don't even know what's in it. Could be worthless junk they stashed in there." Ed doubted it. Most people didn’t take the time and effort to bury something worthless. If the house hadn't looked like it was abandoned years ago, he would've tried to talk Greed out of looting it. Whoever had owned this chest was likely long gone or dead. "Then it'll be my worthless junk." Greed's face soured some with that thought. He glowered at Ed. "Why do you always gotta piss on my good mood?""Because, I'm always the one who gets stuck with the work when you're 'in a good mood' while you bark orders at what I'm supposed to do with whatever weird shit you got me doing." Ed bent down and put his hands underneath the chest. He had originally suggested using alchemy to eject it from the ground, but Greed had acted like Ed was trying to destroy his new best friend so the idea got scrapped. “If we’re gonna do this, we gotta do it now before I change my mind.” "You are the reason why we're here." Greed pointed his finger at Ed. “So why don’t you take your shitty mood and stuff down somewhere nice and deep until you forget it.” Ed hated that Greed was right. He was the reason why they were out here. “Fine, whatever. You gotta help, though. Darius and Heinkel are off gettin’ supplies and won’t be back ‘till tomorrow. I can't do it myself with these 'kid muscles' of mine." Greed looked up from his end and raised an eyebrow. "Does it look like I'm sittin' around on my ass while you do all the work? Fuck, I wanna see what's inside this chest not break my favorite minion's back.""I'm not..." Ed's mouth snapped shut. The hell with it. If Greed wanted to call him a minion then so be it, after all, he was going along with this stupid idea in the first place and the argument that would ensue hardly felt worth it. "Just fucking help me, alright.""You're a damn sight bossy is what you are,” Greed flashed Ed another sharp-toothed grin. “But you're small and adorable so I’ma let it slide."Ed slammed his right hand down on the chest. “Boss or not, you call me small and adorable again, I’m gonna launch this fucking chest into outer space!”Greed only gave Ed a puzzled look. “I don’t get why you get all bent up over it in the first place. What’s wrong with bein’ small and adorable?”Ed grunted as they both lifted the chest. “’Cause no one takes small and adorable people seriously. Just another excuse for them to think I’m weak.”“So?” Greed peered at Ed over the chest, pausing long enough until Ed started getting that antsy look on his face. “Look, not gonna say this again so listen to me real good. You might be small and adorable, but you’re more than capable of kicking all our asses. Who cares if people think you’re weak or they don’t take you seriously? You’re not and them not knowin’ that only gives you the advantage if you need it.”“I—” Ed wasn’t sure what to do with that load of information, but hearing Greed say that shifted his perspective. “Oh yeah? You think I can kick all your asses?” He grinned a little. “All at the same time or one on one?”“You bet, kid,” Greed nodded. “All at the same time.”Ed leaned in a bit. “Even Ling?” he half-whispered then waited to see what Greed would say.“Nah,” Greed shrugged. “I have no idea which of you could kick the other’s ass and not sure if I'd wanna find out.”Ed’s curiosity grew. He held onto his end of the chest but lowered it just a bit. "Oh yeah? How come you wouldn't wanna see us spar?""Sparring'd be fine.” Greed’s expression turned serious. “Fighting isn't allowed, though."Ed raised an eyebrow to that. “Why not? People fight all the time and then get over it.”“I don’t want either of you hurting each other,” Greed said, with a finality in his voice that left no room for argument. “If you wanna argue and bicker until you’re both worn out, then go for it. But no beating on each other.” He chuckled. “Fine, no fighting… or at least nothing serious.” He could always count on Greed’s honesty and the reason behind warmed him a little. Ed moved a little to the right. “C’mon, let’s get this over there so we can see what’s inside this thing.”“Now you’re sayin’ something I can get behind.” Greed’s grin was back full force as they both moved the chest out of the hole they had dug and onto solid ground.Ed returned the smile while they both lowered it down. The way Greed got excited about new things usually put him in a good mood by the end of the day. There was something almost pure and innocent about it.He pushed his hair away from his face, then plopped down onto the dirt. Ed glanced over at Greed and waited. Greed had his shield up and was already breaking the lock to get inside the chest. The lock easily broke off and fell in the dirt.There was a moment’s pause before Ed grinned again. “C’mon, now, don’t make me wait to see what’s inside. You wanted me to help with this thing, and I wanna know what we worked so hard to dig up.”They settled in next to each other as Greed opened up the chest. Ed scooted closer and leaned over to catch a glimpse of what was inside. His eyes got big as Greed reached in and picked up the first item."What the fuck is this?" Greed’s grin soured as he dropped the first album and picked up another only to discard it just as fast. "Books and pictures? What the hell am I supposed to do with this shit?"Ed raised an eyebrow and nodded. Books and albums. Certainly explained why the damned thing was so heavy. “Uhh, I dunno? Read and look through them?”"This is worthless garbage." Greed made another face and tossed one of the albums."It's not..." Ed squeezed between Greed and the chest. "It's not garbage. This chest has memories in it and old books." Something inside of him squeezed in all the wrong ways at the choice of words Greed used. A brief flashback of him and Al burning down their house tried to invade his thoughts before he forced it away. Greed glowered. "Only you would think books were worth it."He moved back out from under Greed and settled on the left side of the chest. "Well yeah, books are awesome.” Ed leaned back and put his hands on his knees as he gave Greed a thoughtful look. “Don't you read?"“Why would I read?” Greed started rifling through the chest again in hopes there was something else, something better he could use in it. “Seems like an awful lot of work with little payout.“Why would you—?” Ed’s eyes got big and his mouth dropped open a little. “Uh... because books are the best fucking thing ever. ‘Specially when you don’t got anything else to do.” He poked Greed’s chest. “You said before you were gonna get bored stayin’ in one place, and this,” his hand gestured towards the chest, “is exactly what’s going to keep you from running out of stuff to do.”“What’s so great about ‘em?” Greed didn’t want to invest his time into something that seemed so… boring.“You can learn a lot from them.” Ed thumbed through one of the albums before setting it down and picking up another. “Al and I used to study our dad’s alchemy books all the time. Same with science bo—”Greed made an indignant sound. While he appreciated Ed’s brainy mind, that wasn’t his deal. “Do I look like a guy who wants to spend my free time reading about alchemy and whatever other science-y shit you’re into?”“Not all books are about science.” Ed set down the albums and dug through the pile. He picked up a book and waved it at Greed then made a face when he saw it was poetry.“Like that one you’re holding.” Greed looked at the title of the book. ‘Love and Ecstasy.’ Straight to the point. Greed liked it already. “Yeah, like the one I’m holding, but it’s… poetry.” Ed’s face heated up when he saw the title. He cleared his throat, ignoring the fact that his face had to have been as red as a tomato considering the burn he felt on his cheeks and moved on in the calmest voice he could muster. “And most poetry is about romance and flowery shit.” That didn’t seem like something Greed would be interested so Ed set it aside. Then a thought occurred to him. “Hey, can I ask you somethin’?”Greed snagged the book anyway and tucked it between his legs. “Knock yourself out,” he said while taking more books out of the chest. “Do you,” Ed paused then blew out a quiet breath, “Do you know how to read?”“The fuck?” Greed turned and looked at Ed like he had lost his mind. “Sure I know how to read. I read shit all the time.”“Like what?” Ed was really curious not. “You just said you don’t read books so what do you read?”“Just ‘cause I don’t read books doesn’t mean I don’t know how to. I can read signs and names and letters, ‘least if it’s in Amestrian.” Greed picked up the poetry book between his legs. He had read that title. He could read. That counted. “You wanna give it a try? Reading books? It’ll kill some of the boredom for you,” Ed offered as he brushed a thin layer of dust off a thick book he had found. The book was about the high-sea adventures of a pirate named Dracole the Victor. “And there’re some shorter books in here.”“Give me one good reason, other than killing time, why I’d wanna read a book." Greed leaned back on his haunches, putting his full attention on Ed. “Still haven’t said anything that makes them seem all that great.” Ed grinned then nodded. "Easy enough. It’s like having an adventure goin’ on inside your head.”Greed skeptically looked at Ed. “Oh yeah? What kind of adventures?”“Anything and everything. Depends on the book and what it’s about.” Ed set the thick book he held down. If Greed wasn’t used to reading then something like this might be too much, although after skimming the back, Ed wanted to give it a go himself. “So you don’t read books but have you tried? It’s not the same thing as reading a sign or names or even letters. All that stuff is usually shorter and is there to give basic information.”He dug through the chest until he found a stack of children’s books. Ed pulled them out and set them down in front of Greed. “There’s some that won’t take too long to get through and they have pictures and since you’ve never read any books before, they’ll be a good start.”Greed made another offended sound as he looked through them. He picked them up and tossed all of them except one back into the chest. “Kids’ books?” He scowled. “What about more of the flowery shit?”“Uh...” Ed glanced in the chest then back at Greed. “The poetry? I think there’s more.” He got out a couple more books from the chest and handed them to Greed. “So which kid’s book did you keep?”“Hmm, it’s called,” Greed turned the book over and slowly read it. “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” He hadn’t intended on reading any of them but the blond kid on the book cover reminded him of Ed, and he wanted to keep it.Ed chuckled, remembering that story from when he was a little kid. He had a feeling even though it was a kid’s book, Greed would like what it was about. “We should keep all the books. Maybe it’ll give everyone somethin’ to do.”“I sure as shit ain’t gonna throw any of it out.” Most of it might be garbage, but it was his garbage, and if Ed was right about reading, maybe he’d find some use for them. “We’ll haul it up to the house in a few trips.”“Nah, we don’t gotta do that. I can make something we can pull it on,” Ed said with a casual shrug.“We’ll go in trips. I wasn’t joking about building up those kid muscles.” Greed knew Ed needed to be at his absolute best before they went up against his old man. “No shortcuts from here on out unless we need to use them.”Ed stood up and brushed the back of his pants off. “Okay, fine but once I build 'em up, you gotta stop callin' me small and adorable.”Greed stood up and reached out to ruffle Ed’s head then reconsidered. No sense in ruining the good mood they had going on. “Stop bein’ bossy and I’ll consider it.”“No deal.” Ed hardened his expression to fully get his point across. “If I wasn’t a little bossy now and then, you’d try’ta walk all over me.” Greed picked up a small stack of books and laughed. He tucked his stack underneath his left arm and started walking fast towards the abandoned house. “Suit yourself, but the only way I’m gonna stop callin’ you that when you’re not small and adorable anymore.”Grabbing his own stack, Ed jogged to catch up to Greed. After they had found the house, the first thing Ed had done was fix the porch so that they could walk on it without the wooden boards collapsing underneath them. Then he had sealed up any large holes from the outside to keep the cold out. They weren’t planning on staying here forever so he had only done the bare minimum and left the home’s outside looking run-down and abandoned. A casual passerby during the day wouldn’t think anyone was staying here. “Where you want these?" Ed asked once they were inside."In the front room."Greed cocked his head towards the large living room in the house.There was a big stone fireplace that Ed planned on sleeping next to at night. All of them had piled in there on the floor last night, but this morning, before Greed had pulled him outside to dig up the chest, Ed had used his alchemy to give the chimney a good cleaning and repair the damage to the stone, and Darius and Heinkel had wandered off upstairs and picked out a bedroom at the far end of the house they liked. No one said anything about them sharing a room, although Ed was curious about it. He considered asking questions but didn’t want to intrude on something so private, and asking Greed about it was out of the question. The past couple of weeks he had noticed, had thought that he might... He shook those thoughts away and focused on the task at hand. The last time he had tried to work it all out, it only confused him more. It was best to push it aside and think about what really mattered. Ed set the books down, turned around, and headed back outside.They made their trips back and forth in silence until the sun started to rise in the late morning and Ed's hair stuck to his forehead. The chill in the air, coupled with him moving slower than normal and the few small breaks they had taken, allowed him to avoid sweating.Ed had insisted on them taking a break for lunch. Darius and Heinkel wouldn’t be back until probably in the middle of the night or tomorrow morning. The run Greed had sent them on would take a while for them to complete. While Ed missed their quiet presence, spending the day with Greed hadn’t turned out too bad. By the time they were finished, the sun had set and Ed settled into the large living room while Greed started a fire in the hearth. Warmth filled the large room. Ed moved closer to the fire so that he didn’t feel the drafts coming from near the windows and door. His muscles ached and his stomach growled.He tore himself away from the fire and stood up. "There're some leftover sandwiches from lunch. I was gonna make some soup to go with them. You want some?" Greed shrugged. "Not hungry." He was bent over rummaging through the pile of books on the floor. “Gonna pass on dinner.” “Ling’s gonna kill you if you don’t eat.” Ed stared down at the pile then back at Greed. “Why don’t you see which ones catch your interest and give it a go? Then you can read while you’re eating.”“And why would I wanna do that?” Greed stopped rifling through the books and raised an eyebrow. “I dunno.” Ed shrugged as he picked through their haul. “It’d be a good way to give one of them a try without pissing off Ling.” “I’ll be too busy shoving food in my face to pay attention to the book.” Greed tossed a couple books aside into a separate pile. “You’ve seen how Ling eats. That’s why I was gonna skip dinner. I don’t need food to get by.”Ed sighed. “All I’m sayin’ is that if you’re not all that hungry to begin with, you can take your time eating and going through one of the books. Unless you plan on letting Ling out, I don’t see why you gotta shove food in your mouth.”“When we eat, he’s at the forefront of my thoughts and will bitch at me until I give him what he wants,” Greed argued.“If you don’t eat, you won’t get a moment’s peace if you do try to read,” Ed countered. Greed made a frustrated, resigned sound. “Fine. You make us food, I’ll feed the brat, and then I’ll look at one of the books.”He tried to hold back a snicker as he went to get the food he had stored in a make-shift cooler. Ed had used an old, rusted out unit used for storing wine and applied alchemy to keep the inside cool. They could make due with the set up the rest of the winter if they had to, although, Ed wouldn’t mind getting something larger. Maybe he could use that metal chest Greed found, and if it snowed he could utilize that to keep their food cold. As he fixed their dinner, Ed thought over what still needed fixed up and done. Greed had said no using alchemy unless needed, and he wasn’t the best at that kind of hands-on work. Teacher had taught him the basics, but still, Ed had spent most of his time learning and using a skill he excelled at to save time so he could focus on what mattered the most to him. Getting Al’s body back. He might have to convince Greed that he was of better use doing what he knew rather than taking more time to do everything the hard way. Time was something none of them could afford to waste. Ed carried their food back into the living room. He sat down next to Greed and handed over one of the sandwiches then started eating his own. “What’d you put in this?” Greed lifted the top of the bread and looked at the sandwich. “Looks a bit lean.”“Same stuff I put in them earlier, only not as much.” Ed took another bite of his sandwich and shrugged. “’Cause until Darius and Heinkel bring more food, we’re runnin’ low. Didn’t wanna use it all up in case we get hungry before they’re back.”Greed gave Ed a long, hard look before breaking his sandwich in half. “Here.” He nudged the half towards Ed. “Take it. Don’t want you runnin’ out of energy and gettin’ all weak on me.”Ed swallowed the food in his mouth and chuckled. Greed sometimes acted like a big, bad hardass, but he was learning fast that deep down Greed was a softy. “’m fine. I don’t need to eat your food. ‘Sides, Ling’ll want his share.”“Ling’s not gonna care if I give you a little extra food. It’s not like we need much of it.” Although, that he needed food at all bothered Greed more than he would admit. During his short stint working for his old man, Envy had rubbed it in his face a few times that he needed to eat at all. Pure homunculi didn’t need inconveniences, Envy had told him. They didn’t need to sleep or drink either, but he needed to do all those things to an extent or else he would eventually run out of energy and pass out from exhaustion. “Suit yourself then.” Ed took the offered half and set it down while he finished the one in his hand in a few bites. They ate in silence until Greed finished and started digging in the stack of books. Ed watched while Greed carefully considered each book but said nothing. He was curious which would be chosen. The poetry book captured Greed’s interest for a bit until about ten minutes had passed and it was set aside in favor of something else. Greed could definitely read. Not that Ed had thought Greed had lied, but he had wondered how well. He recognized the focus, although it didn’t take long for it to be broken and for Greed to move onto another book and then another until he settled on the kid’s book. Ed quietly watched for a bit until he couldn’t help but smile a little. Seeing Greed, sitting by the fireplace reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears was endearing in a way that made Ed’s stomach flutter in an inexplicable manner that he had to look away before a simple glance turned into staring. A small voice in the back of his mind tried to push through with some explanation, but Ed ignored it, pushed it away before he had the chance to overthink and come up with a reason for it. Ed stuffed the half of a sandwich Greed had given him into his mouth then knelt on the floor. He had set aside a few books for himself and fussed over each one, unable to choose which he wanted to start with. His attention was broken when he heard Greed chuckling. Ed glanced up and saw Greed watching him. Greed tapped on the picture of Goldilocks and grinned. “That looks like you, a cute, wee, little blonde thing, wandering around where you shouldn’t.”Ed raised an eyebrow to that. “Uh… ‘case you hadn’t noticed, you’re not that much taller than me now…” Greed and Ling still had a few inches on him but that was besides the point. “‘sides,” A shit-eating grin formed. “If I’m Goldilocks, wouldn’t that make you Baby Bear?”Greed’s head moved back in offense. He held up his right hand and waved it as if he were trying to physically shoo away Ed’s words. “What? No way I’d be baby bear.”“Sure you would.” Ed snickered. “Did ya think Darius or Heinkel would be Baby Bear?”Greed scowled. “Why is that so funny?”“They’re giant compared to us, and ‘sides, everything Baby Bear had was just right, and that’s you. Always wanting the finer things in life, right?” Ed casually pointed out.Greed opened his mouth to argue then stopped. “Can’t deny that but Baby Bear is too young and too small. Doesn’t look like he could fight his way out of a wet paper bag.”“Ling’s the youngest one in our group,” Ed said as his grin grew. The idea of Greed being Baby Bear tickled him, and if he had to suffer through Greed telling him he was Goldilocks, then he was going to give it right back. “Aren’t you the same age as him?” Greed gently poked Ed’s shoulder. “I’ve got a few months on ‘im, and in the book I don’t think Goldilocks is that much older than Baby Bear.”“I’m over two-hundred-years-old.” Greed leaned in, this time poking Ed’s chest as if that would prove his point even more.“Yeah but you don’t remember much of it so in a way it’s like you’re starting over. That makes you emotionally younger than we are. Plus you’re in the body of a fifteen-year-old, and I’m already sixteen.” The thought occurred to him, briefly, that maybe he was instigating more than he should, but this was too much fun to let go. Besides, they both knew he was right. "That's bullshit. I can do more than any human kid can do,” Greed argued. “Not sayin’ you’re a kid.” Ed scrunched up his nose in thought. “’Sides, like I said, Baby Bear wanted the finest things in life, for everything to be just right. His food isn’t too hot or cold. His chair is just the right size. His bed isn’t too hard or too soft. All of it is perfect. We both know that Baby Bear is damned picky about what he wants and has otherwise Goldilocks would’ve taken a pass on all his stuff. I bet he probably wants the best steak too and the best clothes and the best drink and that’s you.”Greed made a face. How did Ed know so much about the way his mind worked? Their small group hadn’t been together that long. He had always been open about what he wanted, but most people either took it as exaggerating or said in jest. Ed was the first person since Father remade him to openly acknowledge he knew how serious Greed was about what he wanted, what he craved.He felt torn between congratulating the kid for figuring it out and admitting Ed got it right or wanting to be a cooler, more badass character in the story.“Doesn’t matter. I’m not Baby Bear. Who else is there?” Greed pulled his knees closer.“Uh...” Ed paused, looking slightly perplexed. “Who else is in the story?” He stretched his arms out behind him. “I don’t think there’s anyone else that’s important.”Greed made a face. How lame was that? If he couldn’t be a better character then he’d have to make up his own, one that suited him better.“Actually, the original tale was about three male bears and an old woman.” Ed brushed his hair away from his face. “I found an original tale of it in the basement before Al and me burned our house down. There was a wee, tiny bear, a medium-sized bear, and a great, big bear but they only lived together and weren’t a family. The book never explained why they were all there or how they met or—”“Maybe they were all fucking.” Greed folded his hands over his chest. Ed’s eyes widened a bit and his mouth dropped open but nothing came out.“Why else would they be livin’ in the same house?” Greed shrugged. “The big bear knew how to take care of his mates. Had to keep them close.”“Let’s stick with the story you got in your hand. ‘Sides maybe the bears lived together because they couldn’t afford to live on their own.” Ed glanced at Greed then looked away. “All of us live in the same place and we’re not all, you know...” Maybe Darius and Heinkel were together, but he wasn’t with any of them and neither was Greed or Ling.“It’s a dumb story anyways.” Greed closed the book but pulled it close to his chest. He wasn’t sure why but he felt it deep in his core that their group wouldn’t last. He’d be alone again, except for Ling, and for all his big talk, the story reminded him of what he had right now.Ed was what kept their group together. As much as Greed wanted to take credit for it, he would be lying. And he knew with absolute certainty Ed wouldn’t stick around if they beat his old man. He would miss all of them, but the thought of Ed leaving dug at him, and no matter how hard he tried to push that thought away, it kept coming back.When Greed said nothing more, Ed finally looked through the pile of books and decided to give the one about pirates a read through. He settled against the old couch and soon found himself lost in the pages until tiredness crept up on him. He set the book down, opened face so he didn’t lose his spot. His eyes fell on Greed, who seemed cozy on his spot on the floor. “Think I’m gonna read a little more then get some sleep. You gonna take one of the rooms upstairs?” Ed glanced out the window and saw the moon in the clear sky. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned. “I like the fireplace,” Greed countered. It was clear to him where this was going. Ed had thought… he sighed. He didn’t know what he had thought. He had assumed that when they found… it didn’t matter. “Uh… okay? Just stay on your side of the floor.” Greed gave Ed an odd look.“It’s not as cold in here as it was outside so we don’t gotta cuddle anymore.” Ed rolled out his sleeping bag on the floor.“What’s wrong with cuddling?” Greed asked.The question surprised Ed. He worried his bottom lip as he thought of how to explain it in a way that wouldn’t sound mean. “Well… I mean, I dunno. Friends don’t cuddle with each other like that.”Greed looked confused and put-out. “Who says? If it works, then it works.” He opened his mouth then closed it. It was hard to find an argument for it other than he didn’t really want to cuddle with anyone. The last time they had slept in the same sleeping bag outside, Ed had woken up in a state and had a hard time settling his thoughts and getting his body to cool down afterwards. Greed hadn’t seemed to notice, and Ed had convinced himself it had been a fluke due to him being exhausted and teenage hormones running amok. It felt a little weird now that they had a house to stay in… like he would be crossing some invisible line that Greed obviously didn’t know about. Ed knew that was in part because Greed was a homunculus who had never been raised with human codes of conduct, and honestly them cuddling in his tent hadn’t hurt anything but...“It’s hard to explain. It just isn’t done, Greed.” Ed couldn’t find a more specific reason without making everything weird and uncomfortable. “’Sides, I like to have my own space.” Greed sat there and stared at him for a while until Ed wanted to look away. Instead, he stared back and waited. Then Greed’s eyes looked up as they always did when he was talking to Ling, and Ed could almost hear a back and forth going on between them in his head. “It’s ‘cause you got hard last time, isn’t it?” Greed finally said. Ed’s mouth dropped open. He hadn’t even realized Greed had noticed. “I—?!” He closed his mouth before something ridiculously embarrassing slipped out. “I figured it was that puberty thing Ling goes on about. No big. If you gotta dick, it gets hard now and then for no reason at all,” Greed said, waving it off with his hand like it was no thing. It was exactly because of that. Ever since he had started getting taller and getting hair in places he hadn’t before, everything changed. His thoughts. His moods. His dreams. Ed had yet to have his first wet dream, but he knew it was coming and given the other night, how he had woken up in a sweat after a particularly vivid dream, it was only a matter of time.Biology had everything to do with it, and he knew there was no stopping it, especially at night when he had no way to control what he dreamt about, but it didn’t make it any less awkward or embarrassing for him. “Wanna talk about it?” Greed offered as if he was asking Ed about the weather. Nothing could convince him that talking about it with Greed was a good idea even though he knew neither Greed nor Ling would judge him. Ed couldn’t get himself there. That would lead to more questions that he wasn’t ready to answer even in the privacy of his own thoughts. He hadn’t dreamt about Winry or even a woman that night. His dream had been about—Ed stubbornly shook the thought away. “No… absolutely not. Not gonna have this conversation with you or anyone else,” he quietly said. His head was down a bit. Ed didn’t want to see the look on Greed’s face or give any opportunity to be found out. A part of him felt ashamed for his cowardliness. Ed heard a grunt from Greed then silence. He glanced up and could tell Greed was again talking with Ling about something, and he almost asked what but knew he wouldn’t like the answer so he sat there and waited. A brief look of regret and discontentment flickered in Greed’s eyes then he shrugged. “Fine but I’m taking this side of the room. You can have the other.” Ed grabbed the book and buried his face in it again as he tried to ignore how awkward he felt. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought up their sleeping arrangements at all, but he had thought Greed would feel the same way and be glad they didn’t have to rely on each other for warmth anymore. Instead, a weird feeling overwhelmed like he had made a mistake by opening his mouth. That maybe he should have left well enough alone. Seeing a look of disappointment on Greed’s face, even for only a few seconds unsettled him. What threw him off the most, though, was realizing he felt a little disappointed too. His line of sight followed Greed’s gestures, placing exactly where they already were at. Ed forced a grin as he settled onto his sleeping bag, book still in hand, on his side of the floor. He turned away from Greed, knowing if he let Greed see his face for too long, he’d be exposed. “It’s a deal,” he said before letting his thoughts get lost in Dracole’s endless search for pirate booty.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Clear your night. We’re goin’ out.” Greed bent down, took the book from Ed’s hands, and carefully placed the marker between the pages before setting it down.Ed was lying on the floor, enjoying the warmth of the old fireplace. He had half expected, with all the bluster of Greed’s words, that he would have tossed the book off into a corner. The small gentle gesture almost pulled a smile from him. Instead, he rolled over and looked up at Greed to assess how serious those words were.He had thought Greed would have bothered him sooner considering how their spar had ended earlier. He blamed himself for the shift in mood, although he hadn’t intended for it to happen. It had taken him by surprise and inevitably pulled Greed down with it. If he apologized, then he would feel like he owed an explanation. An impossible task when he hadn’t fully processed the memory of his legs wrapping around Greed the first time they had fought, back in Dublith, and remembering the crack of Greed’s neck...The image in his mind had been so clear. What confused him was the guilt that had followed considering he had spent days after Dublith thinking over what had happened and what had gone wrong. It hadn’t bothered him then. He hadn’t been the one to kill Greed.It had been so easy to justify his actions when it had been Greed who had kidnapped Al, and while Ed could admit—at least in the privacy of his own thoughts—that he had overreacted, he had never felt guilty about it.Until now.He ended their spar, came inside, and had shoved his nose in his book to push those thoughts away the best he could.Greed lightly toed at his side, pulling Ed from his thoughts. An expectant look was directed at Ed followed by Greed folding his hands across his chest and raising an eyebrow.Ed’s expression grew crabby. “Now? But it’s,” he took out his pocket watch and checked the time, “a quarter till midnight.”“So? You’ve been stayin’ up half the night reading all week. We didn’t celebrate your birthday, and I found some fun.”“What kind of fun and where?” Ed suspiciously asked. He was pretty sure his idea of fun didn’t exactly match Greed’s.“Through the woods in the opposite direction we came. If you hitch a ride on my back, I can get us there within the hour.”Ed’s eyebrows raised. “Uh, 'case you haven’t noticed, I’m not the lightest person.” Carrying him short distances was one thing, but for the better part of an hour?Greed only grinned. “It’s no thing.”Ed stood up, eyeing his book one last time. He couldn’t deny he was curious what plan Greed had cooked up for them both, and it had been a while since he left the abandoned house. “Okay. But we gotta leave when I wanna come back.”“Only if you give at least a couple hours before you decide it’s crap,” Greed countered.“One hour, after we get to where you’re dragging me.” Ed took out his hair tie and pulled it back into a ponytail.Greed tilted his head. “One hour,” he tapped Ed’s shoulder, “after we get there."“You got a deal, though I don’t really need to do anything for my birthday.” He grabbed his coat and put on his boots.“Just ‘cause you don't need something doesn’t mean you don’t want it or that it's not good for you. You’ve been cooped up in this house for almost a week. It’s time to get’cha out for a little while.”Ed paused at that. He couldn’t deny the truth behind it, yet he also knew where wanting too much had led him before. He hardly felt it worth arguing about, though. Not tonight. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go.”~*~“What are we doing here?” Ed tried to keep his voice low but the harsh, embarrassed tone slipped through. “You said we’d be going out to have some fun.”In retrospect, he should have seen this coming, or at least considered the possibility that Greed would try to introduce him to this part of the world, after all, there was rarely a day that went by now where Greed wasn’t trying to get Ed to go along with whatever new idea suited his fancy. Eventually, the two were bound to collide.That didn’t stop Ed’s face from warming and an odd, embarrassed tingling sensation from moving down his body.Greed glanced at Ed, then at the wooden sign. “This is the most fun you’re gonna find around here.”Ed couldn’t even raise his eyes far enough to fully take in the bar… or was it even called a bar? Brothel made more sense. His feet crunched in the snow when he took a step back. Ed pulled his arms closer to his body and considered for a whole second if he wanted to see what lie behind those doors.His curiosity got lost in how completely embarrassing the situation was for him. Ed shook his head. “I can’t go in here.”“It says,” Greed tapped a small sign hanging on the door. “Must be sixteen or older.”“I don’t mean—” Ed rubbed his temple and sighed. He glanced up at Greed. “I don’t mean I can’t physically go in there. I mean, I can’t go in there.” He emphasized the last part, hoping it was clear enough.A bewildered look came over Greed’s face. “Why the hell not?”That there was genuine curiosity in that question… Unbelievable.“Because!” Ed threw his arms up in frustration. “I just can’t. I—” He titled his head and lowered his voice to a harsh whisper. “You took me to a brothel.”“What’s wrong with a brothel?” Greed declared, loudly. He puffed up his chest a bit as if he were readying himself for a fight. “Something like this beneath you?”“No, it’s not that,” Ed grumbled as he kicked at the snow. “I can’t--” He puffed up chest to match Greed’s. His face felt hot all the way down to his neck. “This isn’t--”Greed gave Ed a skeptical look. “Don’t you wanna get a little adventurous for your birthday?”Ed scowled. “I have more important adventures waitin’ for me. ‘Sides, I plan on gettin’ married after we kick your old man’s ass.”“So,” Greed stepped closer and grinned. “You already got yourself a girl. That why you never itchin’ to get out?”“No, we’re not together yet," Ed hesitated before his expression hardened with resolve. “But we will be after I get Al’s body back. Gonna go back to Resembool and ask her to marry me.” Ed shrugged. “Not interested in bein’ with anyone else. You said go out, not go out and meet other people.”“Don’t you ever cut yourself a break?” Greed shook his head and snorted. “Learn to cut loose, have some fun. If you don't have her waitin’ for you, what’s the big deal?”Ed scrunched up his nose. “I want it to be special is all.”“Kid, sex ain’t some goddamn novel. It’s about the experience. It’s not gonna be all rose petals and walking on clouds,” Greed paused in thought for a moment. “It’s not about getting off and movin’ on to the next thing either.”That confused Ed a little. And almost contradictory. “What do you mean?”“Sex isn’t about any of that even if it’s a one-time thing and with someone I never met and won’t see again. It’s about the experience, being a part of something, seeing someone else in a way that I don’t get to in any other setting. It’s different with each person. It’s never the same, and you come away feelin’ like you have a little piece of that person still with you.“I told ya to cut yourself break. You worry that we won’t beat my old man. This is your chance to forget about what’s gonna happen and live in the moment. Feel that kind of connection that you’re not gonna get with anything else.”He gave Greed an inquisitive look. Ed had never heard anyone describe sex like that. He recalled the last time sex had come up in their conversation, and he had thought it odd then too, how Greed felt it.“Never really thought of it like that before… but it doesn’t change how I feel. It feels wrong for me to go in there. I don’t care if someone else wants to. Doesn’t bug me that you and Ling wanna do it. That you like it. Can’t explain it any other way.” Ed leveled eyes with Greed’s. “You said we were gonna have some fun so let’s find something to do that we both wanna do."Greed threw his head back and laughed. "You're fuckin' adorable sometimes. Damn loyal too." He gave Ed a solid pat on the shoulder. "Suit yourself. If you don’t wanna go in then we won’t go in. Can't say I agree with all that sentimental bullshit, but it's your choice who you wanna fuck or marry and gotta give you credit for stickin’ to your morals even if they’re boring.""You're not gonna give me shit for it? Or tease me?" Ed raised an eyebrow. Greed's reaction was not only surprising but the lack of awareness that his own views were sentimental even more so. The thought struck Ed if Greed understood denial or lying to oneself."Nah, it’s your body, and your conviction, while naïve, is a respectable one by human standards. Can't really fault you for it." Greed paused, giving Ed a serious expression. “Lemmie ask you something. If you haven’t asked her yet, why are you so determined to get married once this is all done? You’re plenty young and gotta lot of years ahead of you.”Ed scrunched up his nose and mulled over the question. “I… I’ve known Winry my entire life. I don’t see how dating around or exploring other options is gonna change anything. ‘Sides, why do you care what I wanna do with my life?”“Seems like you’re willin’ to dive right in when you don’t have to.” Greed shrugged. “I don't get it.”“Because, it’s something I want to do,” Ed explained.“To prove that you care, that it's the right thing to do?” Greed asked.Ed shook his head. “No, I want to. No one ever told me I had to.” “I—” Ed never had anyone ask him that before. He often got teased by everyone at the office after Winry visited him. They had all caught on to his feelings and assumed it would happen. “‘Cause I always knew I would. When I was a little kid, Al and I used to argue about who would get to marry Winry, and now he doesn’t seem interested, and she likes me back.”“Dunno, I think someone like you should live life a little and see where it takes ya. How many years has it been since your top priority hasn’t been fixing your brother? Did you even have a childhood? ‘Cause I know you haven’t had your teenage years yet. Don’t’cha wanna go out and see what the world has to offer ya?”“I’ve seen plenty,” Ed grumbled.“Have you now?” Greed raised both eyebrows and shot Ed a look that said he knew better. “I was lookin’ in one of my books and there was a map. Even if my memories weren’t stolen from me, it made me realize I haven’t lived. I haven’t seen the world. Been in the same country, same area for too long. How can someone like you, who's only been around for sixteen years, seen plenty if you’re ready to cash it in and be tied down?”“I’m not gonna be tied down. Just ‘cause I wanna get married doesn’t mean I can’t travel or explore the world. That’ll give me more than enough adventures,” Ed explained. “Being married doesn’t mean my life’s gotta stop, and I’m gonna have’ta stay in one spot. ‘Sides, it’s better to do it right away than wait. I don’t want her to think I’m not serious about it.”Greed looked even more puzzled. “So, if you don’t rush out and get hitched, you won’t be serious about it?”“Yeah, I—” That wasn’t exactly what Ed had meant, but he couldn’t figure out another way to explain it. “It’s not like that. It’s just that… I’ve liked Winry for a long time and once this mess is over and I get Al back on his feet, I wanna show her I care. She’s always been there for me, helpin’ me out and gettin’ me through my toughest times. Getting' me back on my feet...”Greed raised an eyebrow to that. “Sounds like you wanna marry her ‘cause it’s convenient or ‘cause it’s expected of you.”“What? No, that’s not what I said at all.” Ed shook his head and scowled. “Where the hell did that idea come from?”“You haven’t really said anything else other than she’s always been there for ya and you always thought you would.” Greed shrugged. “Usually there’s more to it when people talk about someone they’re into.”Ed scrunched his nose up. “Like what?”“Like how she makes ya feel or you can’t wait to lift her up in the air and swing her around ‘cause you missed her so much or when you see her your heart starts to pound and feels like it might burst or—”He shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned. “Just ‘cause I don’t say all that doesn’t mean I don’t feel it.” Ed wasn’t sure he did, though. He was sure of his feelings for Winry. He did love her, but he never thought of those things. His attention had been mostly focused on getting Al’s body back.Maybe that would change once they defeated Father and the other homunculi—if they could stop them.Greed shot Ed a wide grin. "Now a guy like me has no reason to live by human morals.”"I dunno..." Ed's voice grew quiet. Ling explained it all before but never said whether he personally agreed with his father marrying all those women and causing clashes between the clans. "Maybe it’s got nothing to do with you bein’ a homunculus. Maybe you just want some kind of tangible, physical contact and nothing else." Like when Greed still wanted to sleep next to him.“Same outcome. The reason doesn’t matter.” Greed nudged Ed’s shoulder with the palm of his hand. “We goin’ in or not?”“I--” Ed shook his head again. “I’m gonna take a pass on it. What else is there to do in this town?”Greed shrugged. “There’s a bar down the street that has a back room for cards.”“I can play cards.” Ed grinned.“Dunno if they’ll let you in. It’s a regular bar and—” Greed held both his hands out and brought them closer for emphasis. “You’re small.”Ed could feel his eyes twitch. “So what? I have money. ‘Sides, I won’t be drinkin’ and I don’t think they’ll deny me if I’m willing to pay cash for everything.”“And you got your watch,” Greed paused, “Although, I don’t want you using it.”“Even if it wasn’t risky, wouldn’t wanna use it anyway. It’ll be easier to get in and get them to let us play if they don’t know I’m a state alchemist.”“Why not?”“Because, most people don’t like State Alchemists.” Ed stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. “The worst they can say is no. Not gonna hurt if we try.”“I getcha.” Greed gave Ed a solid pat on the back. “C’mon.” He turned Ed around and started walking towards the center of the small town. Ed jogged until he caught up with Greed.“How much money you got on ya?” Greed asked.“Hmm, enough.” Ed patted his right pants pocket where he had stashed his wallet. “I always keep a little extra on me in case of emergencies. Should be enough to get us in and started on a couple games.”Greed laughed and gave Ed a firm pat on the back. “Let’s see what you can do with that money.”~*~Ed sat between two tall men, laughing and joking. None of them had taken Ed seriously when he first laid down his cash for the game, but the kid had been right. While he had lost a couple games, he was taking the others for everything they had.Greed had never seen Ed in his element until now. Maybe he had seen a glimpse a few times before when they had fought or when Ed would get a really good idea or even earlier when they had sparred. All those moments brought something out inside Edward Elric that was kept mostly hidden behind crabbiness and glares. It didn’t matter if the fuse had been lit by anger or excitement. The results were the same. It bathed him in an ethereal glow.He knew what qualified as a finer thing in life, and Edward Elric was a rare human. Outside of his brother, their dad, and the homunculi, no one else had Xerxian blood in them, but unlike Greed and his siblings, Ed looked the part and his brother probably would too if he had a body. Rare commodities that someone like him wanted to keep close, but unlike Alphonse, there was something additional about Ed that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.The intellect and intelligence the kid had was unmatched by anyone he had met. Ed made the perfect right-hand for Greed. His side-ways thinking and ability to quickly problem solve would help elevate Greed to the statis he craved. Together they could get rich, eventually rule the world, and all Ed wanted to do after they defeated his old man was go home and settle down. All that talent shelved for a normal, boring life.What a waste.A loud laugh pulled Greed from his thoughts. His attention turned to the table again.Ed was laughing again. Not the usual grin or normal laugh he usually saw. This was different. He had his hands on his stomach and his eyes were crinkled shut. The smile on his face lit up the room. Greed tilted his head a little. A thought struck him, suddenly. Ed was going to turn heads. Not just a little either. The longer Greed stared, the more he could see the adult Edward Elric was going to become.He could work that to his advantage. Ideas of how Ed would be able to get what he wanted to benefit their team ran through his mind, although Greed wasn’t convinced the plan would work. Maybe if he kept it easy and without any obligations.Greed chuckled. There were going to be a lot of disappointed people since the kid has his heart set on someone already. Then he frowned. If Ed did go off and get married, then that meant he’d probably stay in Resembool, or at least feel obligated not to stray too far from there.This wasn’t the first time the thought had grabbed a hold of Greed. He wasn’t dumb enough to believe that once this was over, their group would stay together no matter how much he wanted them to, but a part of him had held onto the possibility that maybe Ed would stick around after he got his brother squared away.Their conversation earlier almost killed that. Except that Ed had said he still planned to travel and see the world—they could go together—but now, watching Ed, here, playing poker, seeing Ed the happiest he had been since their group formed, felt like a knife twisting in Greed’s gut.That hope was a lie.Suddenly, he wanted to take Ed and leave, go somewhere far away where they wouldn’t have to deal with his old man or any responsibilities. Greed knew he couldn’t do that, though. Not without Ed hating him for it. Even he realized there was no point in having a crew work for him if they hated him.Greed paused his thoughts when Ed grinned at him. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction that he was the one who caused it. He had decided to take Ed out tonight. This was his idea just as much as Ed was his.If the kid wasn’t so damn happy sitting at that table, Greed would have pulled Ed away and left, back to the abandoned house where he could soak up all the attention from his favorite possession.Something in his thoughts stirred. For a second, Greed thought it might’ve been a memory trying to claw its way to the forefront of his mind. It slipped away before he could grasp onto it. The oddity of it made him backtrack. He knew he had met Ed before. Greed had seen flashes of that in his head. They had nothing to do with now. This feeling was different yet familiar. There was a slight buzzing noise inside his head, overriding the souls that lived there.Greed rubbed his temple in an attempt to make it stop.‘Humans aren’t possessions to keep.’He grunted. The brat prince had no right to tell him what was or wasn’t his.‘If you try to keep him, Ed will fight you.’He knew Ed could take him, which was why Greed needed it to seem like a good idea for Ed to stick with him. He needed a plan, something that would grab Ed’s attention and hold it. Greed wouldn’t make any promises he couldn’t keep so he needed to come up with something simple yet enticing.The problem was that Ed didn’t want much. He had never met someone who craved so little. Greed had thought the temptation of seeing the world would have been enough, and maybe after Ed achieved his goals it would be.Uncertainty wasn’t acceptable to him. Greed needed to know now, before they left to fight his old man.When he turned back to the game Ed had just won, Greed’s thoughts resumed. Ling was oddly silent now. It surprised Greed that the brat hadn’t argued it wouldn’t’ve mattered anyway since they would be in Xing. Greed wasn’t completely sold on that idea. Ruling one country was not only too small for him, but this was his home. These were his things. If he left Amestris behind, he wouldn’t be able to take it all with him.He wouldn’t be able to take Ed with him. He would have to leave behind everything and everyone he had known, even if that was a short existence, but the idea of leaving Ed behind left a bitter feeling in him. Had he been this attached to his old crew? Deep down, he had a feeling he had, given what those bits of memories had done to him.Out of his small group, Ed was the closest thing he had to that feeling. All he had left of his former life were small pieces to a puzzle he might never get back, but the feelings attached to the flashes of memory were intense. He had a family once, outside of the one his old man had given him, and it burned knowing it was gone, and he had nothing more than anger, regret, and self-loathing to show for it.Ling had been right. He didn’t deserve to call himself Greed if he couldn’t take care of his own. He wouldn’t make that mistake again even if it meant giving up some of what he wanted. He’d let Ed go and marry the girl to keep him in his close circle, and he would also make sure to collect him on the interest incurred once he got his brat prince squared away.“Hey, something wrong?”Greed looked up only to find Ed standing over him. “What about your game?”“It’s been over for a while now.” Ed frowned. “You kinda been out of it. You okay?”“Yeah, it’s cool.” Greed grinned. “You done cleanin’ house?”Ed chuckled. “I think so. If I take any more of their money, it’s gonna piss 'em off and gonna get us into a fight.”Greed stood up. “A tussle would be fun.” Although, he already knew the answer.“Yeah, maybe.” Ed shrugged. “I’m ready to go back. It’s gettin' late anyway.”“Go get my money.” Greed nudged Ed back towards the poker table, where the men were crowded around in a huddle.He watched as Ed went to grab his winnings only to have three of the men block the table. An argument ensued but Greed didn’t pay attention to what was being said but rather how the men reached out to grab and push Ed. His fingers curled up into fists when Ed started pushing back.That was enough. No one manhandled his possessions. Greed moved in, but before he could do anything, Ed clapped his hands and smashed them against the table. A wooden wall shot up, separating the men from Ed and the money.“I wasn’t askin’ for your permission to take what I’ve won.” Ed jerked his pointer finger at the table. “If you don’t like it, I’ll kick your ass all over this table then wipe the floor with your face.”“You should listen to him.” Greed growled. He let part of his shield start to cover his hand. “You deal with one of us, you gotta deal with us both.”Their eyes widened with surprise and two of them took a step back away from Greed.Ed took the money and stuffed it into his coat pocket while they were distracted by Greed’s hands.They left the bar before the tension worsened. A part of Greed wanted to stay, teach those men a lesson. Who were they to try to keep Ed from his winnings? He almost hated sore losers as much as he hated liars.“We should do this again,” Ed suggested. “Kinda fun watchin’ you scare the piss out of them,”Not a total loss considering Ed’s mood hadn’t dropped.“But next time if they try to stop us, we’ll kick their asses,” Ed added with a chuckle.Greed grinned. “We can go back.”“Nah. As much as I’d love to teach ‘em a lesson, it’s not worth the risk. Not while we’ll still layin’ low.”This was why Ed was his best minion. A good right hand to have by his side. “How much money did you win me?” Greed nudged Ed’s shoulder as they walked away from the town.“Hate to break it to ya but this is my money.” Ed causally ducked out of Greed’s reach. “If you wanted to win some for yourself, you should’ve played.”“As my best minion, it’s your job to make me money.”“That so? Yeah, well, you took me out for my birthday, and I still had to do all the work so it’s only fair I keep it.”“Fine, keep it. Next time I’m gonna make sure to collect.”Ed bumped into Greed’s shoulder. “Next time, you should play longer instead of watching. If we both play all night, think of all the money we could win.”It was not lost on Greed that Ed purposely ignored all the games Greed had lost. “Nah, it’s your job to make me money while I sit and reap the benefits.” He grinned. “That’s how it works so you better get used to it.”“Keep thinkin’ that but not gonna let go of what’s mine so easily.” Ed laughed and bumped into Greed as they headed out of the small town.They both heard yelling and turned to see a small crowd exiting the tavern. Ed snorted, clapped his hands, ducked down, and touched the snow. Large white puffs lifted into the air, covering the streets before falling on the men.Greed lifted Ed up over his shoulder before anyone saw them and headed back the way they came, the sound of laughter being the only thing the men heard in the night.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ed rubbed his temple as he quietly mulled over how to approach what he wanted, needed to do. When no clear answers came to him, he leaned against the wall and sighed. It had taken all morning and afternoon and half of his evening to finally gather the courage to go upstairs where Darius and Heinkel were at, and now that he was here, Ed found it near impossible to take the simple action of knocking on their bedroom door.Today Greed had declared it a free day where they had no chores or responsibilities. The idea had been for all of them to take it easy and rest up. It presented the perfect opportunity for him to gather his wits and pull himself together. Unfortunately, but predictably, his brain had other plans and had him spending the entire day overthinking every thought he had of Greed.A week had passed since the woods, and Ed couldn’t shake that night from his thoughts. After running into the woods, they ended up walking most of the way home. The dark clouds had cleared from the sky, leaving the moon to light their way. Greed didn’t bring up the money he had won again, and instead wanted Ed to tell him about what he wanted most in the world, a thought Ed refused to allow himself to have. Wanting too much had only led to regret and pain.He simply told Greed he wanted them to win and for everyone to live. If he could have one thing, that would be it, except, that wasn’t entirely true. It hadn’t been a lie either. More of an omission of a larger problem developing in his mind.If he allowed himself too much indulgence, it always led back to that night, and to a lesser extent, every other where they were alone. When Greed had taken him out to celebrate his already passed birthday, something had shifted for him, bringing a desire and longing he had tried to pass off as an annoying part of growing up and becoming a man.He could still feel the touch of Greed’s hand on his shoulder, hear the way Greed had laughed carelessly and freely. He hadn’t had that much fun in a long time, but what stuck with him was how easy it had been to fall for Greed’s charming smile and easy-going nature and deep, sensual voice. Simple gestures and jokes had pulled laughs and camaraderie from him as if they had been long-time friends and not two strangers brought together by a common enemy.A part of him wanted to scrub those thoughts from his mind while another part of him, the greedier and almost desperate side, wanted to cling onto the feelings they invoked and keep them close until it swallowed him whole. He really was the worst.If he couldn’t completely let it go, at the very least, he wanted to pretend those feelings didn’t exist. Ed had never been good at lying to himself. Not since he convinced Al that they could bring their mother back. That had been the biggest lie Ed had told himself and he managed to drag his baby brother down with him. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. He couldn’t very well confess his distractions either, which left him with a nearly impossible puzzle to solve.He hated the idea of lying to his friends but keeping his feelings stuffed down with nowhere to go was ruining his ability to concentrate. Omitting or keeping his thoughts to himself felt safe, comforting, and for a while he had fallen into an easy routine of excusing it all away as a weird side effect of puberty because that had been the most logical way to explain away how Greed made him feel.The other night had ruined that. Ed could no longer deny it to himself—he had a crush on his friend, and he hated it. He had tried to push those thoughts away, but they kept coming back, needling at him until it consumed all his time. He had tried to distract himself with reading but had gotten nowhere. He often found himself staring at the same page for hours.Why did his dumb brain do stuff like this? It wasn’t fair to any of them. All it did was serve as a distraction when he needed to focus most. An errant thought that disrupted everything he had planned work towards. He had two goals right now: to get his brother’s body back and stop Father from harvesting the life from everyone in the country. Then after, if he survived, he had other goals, and he owed it to the people he cared about, who stuck by him through every mistake he had made, to see it through.He had enough to worry about without adding another obstacle to overcome in his life, and that wasn’t even considering Greed only saw him as a friend. Ed had yet to catch any hint or sign of interest thrown his way. A relief in its own right while also complicating his situation. He couldn’t talk to Ling or Greed about any of this. He only needed to work out how to make it through these feelings until spring. Only another month and he’d be free.Once the Promised Day was over, they would go their separate ways. It might be a long time before he even saw Greed. He would have Al to take care of. Seeing how frail his brother’s body had been… there was no way Al would instantly recover after getting his body back. Ed was looking at least a year, maybe longer before Al got back on his feet, and Xing was so far away. It had taken Ling months to arrive by crossing the desert. If Ed went by sea, it would be a longer trip. The idea of being stuck in a boat that could sink unsettled him.The short bit of time he had spent in the desert had been hellish let alone making the trip all the way across. Even if Ed could manage to survive the heat with his automail, would he be able to cross that line, knowing Greed would also be sharing Ling’s body? What would he do once he got there? How would he even begin to explain his feelings or reason for going? What kind of life could he possibly have with Greed? There were clear differences between homunculi and humans.And then there was Winry. She deserved the best in life. He owed her so much, and she neither asked nor expected anything in return. Ed wasn’t going to let her down despite Greed’s questions being enough to make him question his own motivations. He refused to let this ruin any of it. Never mind that he had never considered being with another man before. He didn’t mind that aspect of it but more so what it threatened to upend. It scared him to think of how it would change not only his life but everyone else involved.If, for some reason, he did manage to make it work, if Greed returned his feelings, if Winry wouldn’t get hurt, he could never follow Greed and stay by his side. Eventually, regardless if he meant or wanted to, Ed would end up leaving Greed alone. His body would grow older as Greed’s stayed the same. It felt cruel and selfish to pursue something he knew would only end in pain and suffering when he wouldn’t be around to bear part of the burden.He sighed. He could go in circles with this all day long. The only logical thing to do was to gather more information and take the total sum of what he learned so that he could finally put these thoughts and feelings to rest. He needed to vent all his doubts to someone, get affirmation that there wasn’t something fundamentally wrong with him, and move on.Ed pushed himself away from the wall, glanced at the door then quickly looked away again. He inched a little closer until there was hardly any space left between him and the old wooden door frame. He raised his hand in mid-air before he shuffled his feet a bit. He almost lowered it, turned back around, and walked away but instead inhaled a deep breath and knocked. Ignoring the problem wouldn’t make it go away and maybe Darius or Heinkel could help him sort it out.He heard some muttering, then footsteps. Heinkel opened the bedroom door. Ed closed his hands into fists lest he bolt from the hallway and run back down the stairs.Heinkel looked down at Ed and grumbled, “If Greed sent you about the—”“Greed didn’t send me,” Ed interrupted. “I, uh…” he paused, “I wanted to ask you and Darius something that’s been buggin’ me.” Ed peered around Heinkel. “Mind if I come in?”Heinkel gave Ed a curious look. “Sure,” he said, stepping aside.Ed slipped in underneath Heinkel’s left arm before either of them could change their minds.The room hadn’t been quite what he expected. He never came up here, partly because Greed usually had him distracted with some new plan or job but mostly because he didn't want to intrude. If they weren’t downstairs with him and Greed then surely, they were up here wanting to spend time alone, and regardless of the reasons behind it, Ed understood not wanting to be around other people.Sometimes he wondered what it looked like. Ed’s imagination had come up with a couple different scenarios but seeing the paint chipped off the walls and a bed that was in shambles wasn’t one of them even though it made the most sense, given how the rest of the house looked. Now he felt bad for not visiting sooner. He could have fixed it up a little for them.Darius glanced at Heinkel then at Ed. “Something you want, boss?”“I—” Ed shook his head while he nervously drummed his fingers against his thighs. “Never mind. This was a stupid idea.” His voice was shaky and cracked. He turned around to leave only to have Heinkel gently grab the back of his shirt.“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Heinkel asked. “You want us to go down and tell Greed to leave you alone? Sometimes he doesn’t know when to keep his damned mouth shut.”“No… nothing happened.” Ed sighed. That wasn’t entirely a lie. “Greed doesn’t have—” He stopped. Greed had everything to do with this. “It’s not his fault.” His thoughts were twisted up. He knew what he wanted to ask but getting there was the hard part. “Not exactly.” He lifted his face and looked them both in the eyes. “This doesn’t leave the room. I got some questions I wanna ask you, and I need you both to promise you won’t say anything or be weird about it. I don’t want to be teased about it either, okay.”Darius glanced at Heinkel. Maybe it was the shakiness of his voice or the somberness in his tone but they both nodded. “Yeah, sure, kid.”Ed turned away then wandered over to the window. He held his breath for a few seconds before slowly letting it out. He could spot a small group of birds in the trees. He focused on that while fiddling with the hem of his shirt.His eyes darted back and forth between them as he tried to work out what question to start with. Ed balled his hands into fists then he looked down at his boots. “How… how did you know you were into guys?”It was so quiet that Ed glanced up and looked at them both. He knew his question had come out of nowhere, at least from their perspective, but he had been sitting on that particular one for a while and it seemed like a good way to ease himself into what he really wanted to tell them.Darius shrugged a little. “I knew when I was a kid. Didn't say anything about it, but I knew. Never really got it when other boys would tease and pick on girls because they liked them. I was too busy looking at how the other boys were cute. Knew better than to say anything about it but all the kid crushes I had growing up were boys.”Ed scrunched up his nose as he thought on that. He had never really had any crushes when he was a kid other than him and Al occasionally arguing about who would marry Winry, but before they went off to train with Teacher, when Ed still went to school, he remembered some of his classmates having simple, childish crushes. He remembered Al having crushes.Ed hardly remembered a time when he didn’t have something taking his attention away from the normal things children did. At a very young age, he took on the responsibility of taking care of Al so his baby brother could enjoy those things, and now it seemed as if it finally caught up to him, only now, in a much different, more distracting way."I remember the first time I knew," Heinkel's voice cut through Ed's thoughts. "I was thirteen and had gotten into a fight with this kid I went to school with. The teachers put us both in a room with the other bad kids. One of them had one of those dirty magazines he had hidden in his coat.”Ed’s face warmed but his curiosity grew. “What did it have in it?”Heinkel held up a hand. “It wasn’t anything extreme. Mostly pretty ladies in their underwear or topless but all the other boys in the room loved it, and I was too busy looking at the half-dressed man photographed alongside the women. It didn’t really hit me then but later when I was alone in bed that night and thinking about it.”“And neither of you said anything to anyone about it?” Ed asked. “You didn’t talk to any of your friends or family?”“Nah,” Darius shrugged. “Telling people would’ve gotten me teased as a kid and probably disowned by my parents, and by the time I joined the military, I noticed other people like me but it was always kept quiet.”“Like a dirty secret no one wanted to admit to,” Heinkel added. “My mom might’ve been alright with it, but my old man would’ve kicked my ass.”Ed frowned. He didn’t like the thought of either of them feeling like they had to stay hidden. He kept that thought to himself, though so as to not derail the conversation. Ed moved away from the windowsill, and sat down on an old wooden chair near the busted-up dresser. He swung his legs while he worked up the nerve to ask his next question. “Is it possible to like both guys and girls?”Darius and Heinkel shared a look then nodded. “Why wouldn’t it be?” Darius asked.“I dunno. Wasn’t sure if it was normal to be attracted to both, and I definitely am, I think...” Ed folded his arms across his chest. “Never really gave it much thought before. It’s not like I’ve never noticed people before, but I never really thought about it outside knowing they were handsome or pretty or attractive. And whenever I did start to venture off there, I'd always push it away. Tell myself I didn’t have time. Getting Al’s body back is more important. That will always come first, but now it’s harder to push that stuff aside and ignore it. Sometimes I catch myself staring and—”“What’s this all about?” Darius asked. “Did someone give you a hard time?” Darius frowned. “Did Greed give you a hard time?”“No… no, it’s not that.” Ed swung his legs again. “Just been noticing some stuff is all. Like, before I might’ve seen someone that I thought, okay, they’re nice to look at and that was it... nothing else happened, and now, you know,” he paused, “And now it’s hard not to react, physically, and … it’s ... embarrassing, especially when there’s someone else around and they notice.”Heinkel glanced at Darius then gave Ed a long, hard look. “Does this have to do with you sleeping in the same tent as Greed?”How did they know already? His face warmed then grew hot. Ed shook his head and looked away. “I—” He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, then repeated a few more times until he could gather his thoughts. “Why would you bring that up?”Heinkel shrugged. “You’ve been acting differently around him since then. Thought maybe you two had a fight... but we would have heard it from our tents.”“Yeah, no offense but when you two argue, it gets loud,” Darius added.“And it fits what you’re asking and why you’d be different around him,” Heinkel added. “Did he tease you about it?”“No,” Ed quietly said. “He didn’t tease me about it. He didn’t care.” It was in that moment Ed realized how much it had bothered him for Greed to shrug it off and act like it was no big deal.At the time he had been grateful but now... it only proved what he thought. Greed didn’t see him as anything more than a friend, if he even considered Ed to be a friend.Darius frowned. “That’s a good thing, right?”“I guess so. It saved me a world of embarrassment so...” Ed shrugged. "I shouldn’t feel disappointed.”“You wanted him to make a big deal about it?” Heinkel asked.“No, maybe... I don’t know!” Ed threw his hands up in the air. "That’s the problem. I don't know how I feel about it or how I should feel about it or why I feel certain things whenever I think about it.” His posture deflated but his voice rose. “I can’t like Greed! I just can’t! It wouldn’t work out.” He inhaled a deep breath as his face heated then closed his mouth.Apparently, his mouth was determined to out him even though his mind was screaming for him to stop talking and leave. He didn’t dare look at Darius or Heinkel, afraid of what kind of look might be directed towards. Pity? Amusement? Disappointment? Disinterest?Ed sat quietly and waited for the shoe to drop so to speak.“Who said anything about like?” Darius asked. “It’s normal to react to that kind of thing at your age.”It was more than that. Ed had always thought Ling attractive, but so far that hadn’t turned into anything more than a physical attraction, an appreciation that his best friend was nice to look at. Greed was a different story. The confidence and cocky attitude that was surprisingly complimented by a soft and almost gentle center made him want more of it. Made him react. Made him wake up hard or with wet between his legs.“Yeah, but it’s not... it’s not the same as when I see someone in passing that looks good.” Ed worried his bottom lip. “I can’t explain it but it’s not that I think Greed looks good.” He made a face. “I—okay, sure he looks good. Really good but that’s not what gets to me about him.”“What’s different about it?” Heinkel asked. “You think you might want more with him?”“I dunno... it feels different this time. Feels more like how I look at Winry.” Ed finally raised his eyes. “Sometimes I catch myself staring too long and then I get—” His face warmed. “I get turned on. Sometimes I have dreams that’ll wake me up and it’s... it’s messy and the only other time I’ve come close to that is whenever I’m alone with Winry and I’d always have to think about alchemic equations to take my mind off it.”“Alchemic equations?” Darius asked as he held back a laugh.“Yeah, it helps take my mind off it, okay,” Ed groused. “Helps keep me grounded whenever I get stressed out.”“Okay, so you get excited when the boss is around. Doesn’t mean you have it bad for him,” Heinkel said.“But I wanna spend more time with him, be around him whenever I can even though I know it’s going to make it worse.” Ed fiddled with his pants pockets. For as much as Greed got under his skin, lately he made Ed laugh more often than not, and more importantly, Greed always stuck around no matter how terrible of a mood he was in. “Sometimes I wanna ask him to sleep next to me, but I know that’s a mistake because then... then I’ll do something stupid and mess everything up.”“If you’re worried about it messing things up between you, maybe you should take a room upstairs? Put some space between you,” Darius suggested.Ed shook his head. “Won’t work. It gets cold up here. Greed’ll come looking for me so I don’t freeze my ass off, and besides, I don’t want to sleep in a cold room. Makes it too hard to function the next day.” He raised his right arm then let it drop to his side. “I would try to get Greed to take a room upstairs but he acts like he doesn’t want me out of his sight for too long like I’m not capable of takin’ care of myself.”Heinkel opened his mouth, glanced at Darius, then closed it. He gave Ed a curious look as if he had something he wanted to say but wasn’t quite ready or sure how to say it.“What?” Ed frowned. “What’s wrong?”“Nothing’s wrong.” Heinkel sighed then scratched the back of his neck. He glanced over at Darius who simply shrugged and gave Heinkel a knowing look. “You really want a break from him?”Ed frowned, unsure of how to take the silent exchange between them. They knew something. A part of him wanted to push, but the louder, anxious part of him told him to let it alone because there were no such things as take backs. Once he knew he wouldn’t be able to undo it.“It’s not a matter of what I want ‘cause right now I don’t trust myself to want the right thing.” Ed stood up, paused, then looked Heinkel in the eyes. “It would be better if I had a break.”Heinkel nodded. “Alright. I’ll see if I can keep Greed distracted for you. Ask him to come on a couple runs with me. I don’t think this will last very long since he seems to want you as his partner but it might get you a few days’ worth of space.”“Yeah, we can tell him we need a breather from doing runs together all the time,” Darius said. “That’ll give you a break until night.”Ed’s eyes widened at their offer. He hadn’t expected them to help. “You sure you wanna do this? I should be the one taking care of it. It’s my problem.”“Eh, he’s always got you doing one thing or another. A break’ll do you some good,” Heinkel said with a small shrug.“Besides, Greed always has us doing the same boring errands. I wouldn’t mind doing something different now and then,” Darius added."Yeah, okay but,” Ed tugged on his bottom lip with his teeth then sighed. “He can’t know about the reasons. He can’t know about this. No one else can.”Heinkel went over to Ed and patted him on the shoulder. “Your secret’s safe with us, kid.”“Do you know...” Ed paused. “Do you know how to get rid of these kinds of feelings?”Darius sat down on the old bed. “Usually, you gotta live with it until enough time passes and they fade.”Ed exhaled a soft breath. He had learned to live with a lot, but somehow this felt more daunting. “Makes sense.” Though, a part of him had hoped for an easy out. “Thanks for lettin’ me bug you guys about this stuff.”“Any time,” Heinkel gave Ed’s shoulder one last squeeze. “You didn’t give up on us when you could’ve so we got you covered even if it’s just more questions.”“Yeah, and if you need any back up, let us know,” Darius said with a nod. “It’s not good to keep all that bottled up inside. Eventually, it’s gotta come out or else it’ll eat away at you.”“Alright, okay, if I need anything else, I’ll ask for it.” Emotion overwhelmed Ed. His eyes were moist and for the first time in a while, he felt a small measure of relief. He nodded then turned around, smiling softly as he left the room.~*~Ed sat on the floor and picked at the top of his boot laces. It had been four days since his conversation with Darius and Heinkel. Ever since, he had been noticing things he hadn’t before like how irritable Greed was with the switch up.Their plan had worked the first couple of days, and Greed had seemed blissfully unaware of why they all wanted the change, only becoming put-out by the fact that neither Darius or Heinkel were as fun to be around as Ed, according to him. Greed had tried to pass it off as being bored with them staying here and not having anyone to get into trouble with, but Ed knew he didn’t like the change even though he had gone along with it, at least for a short period of time.Ed knew Greed didn’t like having him out of his sight. It was the why that confused him. He didn’t get the chance to watch from a distance and work it out for himself before Greed announced that they were going back to their original pair-ups. When they all protested, it ended up in Ed watching the most epic display of childishness from Greed. He had never seen Greed so obstinately throw his weight around and insist they were his possessions who agreed to follow and do his bidding. Ed had been the only one to get the tantrum to stop. Then afterwards, things had gone back to normal or what was normal for them.He exhaled a soft sigh. It hadn’t made much of a difference anyways. With Greed out of his line of sight, Ed had gotten hardly anything done. His thoughts constantly cycled back to where Greed was at, what he might be doing, what Ed was missing. He only managed to do the bare minimum with Darius’ help so that Greed wouldn’t question the new set-up, but everything had been pushed aside by very thoughts he wanted to avoid.
The plan had been good, it was his brain that needed reworked.In less than a month, if they survived their fight with Father, their little group would be disbanded and it would probably be a long time since he’d see Greed again. Eventually, he’d age, get old, and… it wouldn’t matter anymore.“What’s got you so spooked?” Greed sat down on the busted couch and let both his legs settle on either side of Ed.“Hmm?” Ed turned around and looked up. Greed was looking at him expectantly. He frowned. “Nothin’s got me spooked. Just thinking is all.”Greed tilted his head a bit and raised both eyebrows. “Alright, then what is going on in that big brain of yours?”“Why are you bein’ so damned nosy?” Ed crabbily asked. Then almost immediately guilt prickled up in him. He shrugged. “Thinkin’ about what I’m gonna do after this is all over.”“Aren’t ya going to marry your girl?” Greed teased, although there was something else in his voice Ed couldn’t place.“Yeah... but that’s not all I’m going to do. It’s not like I’m going to get married then my life’s going to be over.” Ed moved away from the couch to put some space between them. He glanced down at the book in his lap. Why did it feel like he was trying to convince himself instead of Greed? “What do you plan on doing after this is all over?”Ed realized somewhere between the formation of their group and now he was genuinely curious what Greed wanted to do when this was all over. He knew what Ling wanted, but that left him turning the question of what did Greed want?“That’s for me to know and no one else.” Greed chuckled. “Can’t say my plans aren’t big.”A soft smile spread across his lips. “How do I know they’re big if you won’t tell me about them?”“You callin’ me a liar?” Greed chided, though there was no malice in his words.“Nope but your idea of big might not be the same as my idea of big or even someone else’s. You don’t wanna make all these plans only to have them seem small, right?” Ed teased. “What if you tell me you wanna go back to Dublith and rebuild your bar? Nothin’ wrong with that but wouldn’t call it big either.”Greed raised an eyebrow. “Are you messing with me?”“I dunno... maybe.” Ed stifled a laugh lest he get caught.“Why the fuck would I wanna go back to Dublith anyway?” Greed scowled. “I don’t even remember what I looked like or what my life was like. There’s nothing for me there.”“You don’t remember what you looked like?” Ed set the book down on the floor and turned around so he was facing Greed.“No. The old bastard didn’t leave me much to work with.” Greed leaned into the corner of the couch and spread his legs out.“Want me to tell you?” Ed asked.That grabbed Greed’s attention. “Yeah, guess you would know, huh?”“Okay... well... you were tall. Really tall.” Ed held up his left arm for emphasis. “Freakishly tall. With sharp teeth and big muscles.”Greed grew quiet as his eyes settled on Ed. “What else did I look like,” he asked.All teasing left Ed with how curious Greed looked. “Um, well, your hair was short. Your eye color was a little different too. Dunno if that’s ‘cause you’re sharing your body with Ling or if Father just wanted something different this time, but they used to be more purple.”Greed draped his right arm across the edge of the couch then rested his chin across it. Ed felt his heart beat speed up at the new relaxed position. It shouldn’t affect him like this. All Greed had to do was look at him and Ed’s thoughts were already turning circles in his head.“Tell me about the muscles I had.” Greed asked with a grin. “How big were they?”Ed’s stomach fluttered. “Uh,” he looked away from Greed and shifted. “Well...” He quickly glanced up as he picked at the bottom of his pant legs. “You weren’t as big as Dairus and Heinkel but not far off.”Greed made a face. “This body is small and skinny. Gonna have’ta work on that.”Ed gave Greed a sour look. Ling wasn’t that small, especially for his age. “Yeah, well... at least Ling’ll grow some more and if you workout that’ll take care of the muscles.”“You think the brat will grow more? Homunculi stay the same size,” Greed pointed out.“That’s true for the rest of them but Wrath ages so I’m guessing it works differently for human-based homunculi,” Ed countered.“So I might get taller?”“I dunno, maybe? It’s possible. I don’t know how much different you are now that you’re sharing a body with a human.” Ed didn’t think he’d ever get a chance to find out either. “Since you don’t remember much about the way you were before it’s impossible to know unless we asked the other homunculi and not really tryin’ to do that. Didn’t they tell you anything about yourself?”Greed gently shrugged his shoulders. “Not really. I know we’re not much different than humans except it takes a lot to kill us.” Then Greed’s eyes settled on Ed’s. “There were some things I already knew when he put into Ling. Like who he was and that I was supposed to follow him. How to talk and move around but that’s about it.”“Like an amnesia patient,” Ed said quietly.“Uh?” Greed furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.“It’s like someone who gets amnesia,” Ed titled his head a little. “Father said you were a different Greed because he remade you and erased your memories, but you still have them or at least some of them locked away in your mind since you do have some bits and pieces that get through. It’s no different than when someone loses their memory. They still know how to talk and do basic stuff but their memories of people and places are gone.”“Never thought of it that way.” Greed sat there silently as he mulled over what Ed said.The air between them felt odd. Ed knew it was likely on his end, and his emotions were getting the better of him, but it wasn’t often he saw this kind of vulnerability in Greed. The way Greed rested his head against his hand. The way his brows were furrowed as he considered Ed’s words. The curiosity in his wine-colored eyes.Something stirred inside Ed, and he felt heat move down his body and settle in his groin. He wanted to move in closer, curl up against Greed and stay like that for as long as he was allowed. He wanted to tell Greed about how they met the first time and what happened but he didn’t dare cross that line.He shifted to his body to hide his embarrassment. “It’s getting late.” Ed exhaled slowly, flopping onto his side and pulling the thin blanket over his body. “I’m gonna get some sleep before I catch my second wind.”“It’s only midnight,” Greed complained. “You’re usually up longer.”But Ed didn’t answer. He closed his eyes and let his breathing even out, to give the appearance of him sleeping, leaving Greed alone in his own thoughts.~*~Greed sat propped up against the ratty couch, watching Ed sleep as he thought over their conversation from earlier. Once Ed had finally fallen asleep instead of pretending, he moved from the couch and onto the floor to get a closer look. He liked the way Ed had described him. It sounded more badass, dangerous.It was after three in the morning and Dairus and Heinkel had long gone up to their room. Everything was quiet except the sound of his stone inside his head. He loved this time of night where he could sit in relative peace and watch Ed. The things humans did while asleep fascinated him, and ever since Ed grew over overnight that first time, he had taken on the task of seeing if he could catch the kid in the act.He heard a snort of laughter in his thoughts.Ling might find it funny, but as the leader of their group, it was his responsibility to make sure Ed didn’t suddenly outgrow his automail and catch them all by surprise.Tomorrow he planned on giving his order to go back to Resembool by the week’s end. The decision hadn’t been easy for him to make. He liked it here. This house was cozy and out of the way. They had everything they needed and could make a home of it for a while except Ed kept growing. Nothing too extreme, at least not yet, but his gate was off more today than when he had taken Ed to that town.He needed his favorite minion in top condition, and while he wouldn’t offer up an explanation if asked, Greed felt bad watching Ed struggle to regain his balance whenever he had to move quickly. The kid deserved better than to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere when he needed his automail adjusted to match his new height.The thought made something inside him squeeze a little. When did he become so soft enough to care about those small details? That Ed would be useless against his old man should have been enough, yet he couldn’t deny he did care.Greed frowned and shook those thoughts away.
‘Ed’s off limits, Greed. We can’t take him with us to Xing, and I won’t stay in Amestris when this is all over.’
The finality and implication of that statement irritated Greed. Who the hell was Ling to presume how he felt? 'The Kid’s mine. It’s the same as Darius and Heinkel are,’ he said in his thoughts.Ling scoffed. ‘I thought you said you didn’t lie? Or do you make it a habit of only lying to yourself?’ “I’m not lying,” Greed muttered out loud.He liked Ed. The kid had enough fire and vitality to keep the spark in their group going. Even when Ed was having one of his off days, he still shined like the brightest star in the sky. Greed liked Darius and Heinkel too, but they were more simplistic with their reactions. He didn’t find them boring but predictable, the calming force their group needed.They all mattered to him, but Ed was passion and strength and vulnerability all threaded together by his wits and intellect. Greed couldn’t deny that kind of force called to him and held a certain amount of sway with him, but he didn’t want Ed in that way. The kid was too young, barely looked older than...Except...
‘I know how you feel when you’re around him. It’s not the same with Darius and Heinkel.’
Greed scowled. ‘Piss off.’ He should have laid into Ling for even suggesting he’d lower himself enough to lie, but his eyes were fixated on the way the firelight cast a shadow across Ed’s blanket.He titled his head as he watched Ed sleep. Maybe not so much a kid anymore.There was something that wouldn’t leave his thoughts, though. Maybe it had been the way the moonlight had hit Ed’s face and gave his hair that gorgeous golden glow, or maybe it was a precursor of what was to come. Watching Ed sleep convinced him even more so that it was the latter.
“It’s not my fault he’s so damned pretty,” he muttered.
‘You might be able to fool the others and even yourself, but I know how you feel, Greed.’
He ignored Ling’s words. In the glow of the firelight, it hit Greed hard that this feeling, whatever it was, would only grow into a monster of its own. One that had managed to creep up on him and take him by surprise. How had he missed this? Why did it start so suddenly?‘It didn’t start tonight,’ Ling said.Ling was right. Deep down, Greed knew the brat was right. This strange feeling had come before only he had been able to stuff it down and not acknowledge it.Ed stirred in his sleep, and for a brief second, Greed thought he might’ve woken Ed up. His body relaxed when nothing happened. He could hardly be angry with Ling. It had been his own idea to take Ed out that other night. It hadn’t been Ling’s fault he agreed to let Ed work for him. It hadn’t been Ling’s idea for Greed to crawl into Ed’s tent to keep him warm or make sure he was getting enough to eat.Greed had been the one to do those things. All of it had been him. He wanted a team again, another family so he eagerly accepted a chance to give his avarice what it craved. Possessions he could call his own. Now that he had them, it wasn’t enough. There was still something missing, an emptiness deep inside of him, a thirst he could never seem to quench. The realization of what his craving might represent left an uneasy feeling in him.Ed moved again and made a soft, almost needy sound in his sleep. The shadow from the fire flickered across his face and the moonlight shone on his hair, making it shine brightly, and briefly, Greed could see the loveliness that was Edward Elric and how he would become a beautiful man whose passion and vibrancy and selflessness would only magnify it.Damn Ling for making him see something he hadn’t before. The words Ling spoke resonated through his mind. Ed was off limits. The bitterness in knowing Ling was right coursed through him. Once this was over, they all would leave him, but it always needled him the most that Ed would go. Leave this for a boring, regular, everyday life, and fuck if someone like Ed didn’t deserve to have something normal, something sane.Greed’s fingers dug into his knees as an overwhelming feeling of need and possessiveness took a hold of him. Much stronger this time than before. He had felt this way on occasion when he took Ed with him for a run or when they were alone but not quite like this. The intensity of it shocked him. This was something he wanted and couldn’t have because for as much as he wanted to call Ed his possession, Greed knew better.Ed was far more precious to him than a mere object. He was a treasure that Greed could chase and would never be able to catch. If he forced Ed to stay with him, those golden eyes would end up looking at him with hate and resentment. The thought of that was almost unbearable to him.It was at that moment, as he watched the rise and fall of Ed’s chest, Greed realized he was going to have a problem on his hands. It didn’t matter if they defeated his old man or if his plan to take over Father’s stones came to fruition. In the end, he would still end up losing the one thing he craved the most, and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.