Two Weeks In:
Ed peered around a large Pine tree before rubbing his hand across his face to get rid of the itchiness. The smell of evergreen assaulted his nose, but he did his best to ignore it in favor of watching his new team get to know each other. The wind kicked up loudly causing his body to bow backwards until he managed to wrap his right arm around a thick branch. He settled himself in tight, knowing his automail could support his weight if needed.
Darius and Heinkel both were listening to a story Greed was telling them. He could hear bits and pieces carry over the constant howling and rustling tree branches but not enough to know what it was about. For a guy with a spotty memory, Greed sure had racked up enough stories to tell in the short time he had been remade.
If Ed had doubted Greed's honesty policy for a second, he'd be inclined to think half of them were bullshit. But Greed didn't lie, and there were days when he'd disappear on his own. Whenever Ed asked about it, he only gave a sly grin in return, followed by a shrug. Who really knew what had happened when he had been staying with Father and Bradley, but if Ed were to hazard a guess, probably the same crap he pulled here.
His curiosity got the better of him so Ed nudged his body closer. The tree branches swished above him as if they were whispering to each other as he strained to listen. Judging by their reaction and the gestures Greed used, the story must've been a funny one. All three burst out into laughter that cut right through the wind. Ed wasn't laughing, though. He pushed his dirty hair away from his eyes and adjusted his position to something more comfortable.
Even though the night air felt too cold against his face, Ed planned on sticking around for a little bit longer before joining them... even though they knew he was already there watching. Sneaking up on anyone in a forest with an automail leg was damned near impossible let alone a homunculus used to living in the shadows. Maintenance, needs aside, Ed knew he was heavy-footed and managed to hit every twig, leaf, and rock on his way through.
That fact didn't stop him from watching while keeping his distance. Ed could've joined in from the get go, but he needed some extra time to think (or more likely stew) and clear his thoughts. These days didn't often give him a chance to do that no matter how much Ed missed and craved being able to take time to himself without other people poking their noses into his business. And right now, more than anything, he needed to get a handle on all the crap swirling around in his brain.
It occurred to him yesterday, suddenly, and in the middle of the night, that he might've made a mistake following Greed. Ed had woken up, soaked in sweat, and the fear of betrayal lingering over him like all the other shitty mistakes he'd made in the past had.
In his dream, he had tried to stop Greed from killing someone only to end up dead himself. After he woke up and cleared his thoughts, Ed realized it had been Ling who killed him and not Greed. Even though that part of the dream made no sense to him, Ed couldn't shake the feeling that being killed was a real possibility.
Agreeing to be Greed's 'minion' had been an impulsive decision born out of desperation for information and a need to help Ling, then tossed together with a mix of pity and empathy. He honestly had no idea what he was doing when he had run after Greed that day, but Ed knew what it was like to feel alone even when surrounded by family and friends—a burden no one should have to bear. Greed only had Ling to keep him company. None of his former friends or memories were left, and the other homunculi had no trouble tossing their 'family' out like trash when it suited their needs.
He could've left it be, but walking away had felt wrong, somehow. Besides, he didn't mind living in the shadows or out in the wilderness, away from civilization. Busting some chops now and then was no big deal either. Ed had learned to react when needed, and some people ireally/i needed their asses kicked.
None of those things bothered Ed. It was nothing new or different than what he had been doing on his own. The doubt that crept up in his thoughts stemmed from his uncertainty about Greed's opinion towards people or how relevant they were to his plans. Teaming up with a homunculus ran its own risks, let alone one who insisted everything in the world belonged to him. Greed had a hard time taking no for an answer once he decided he wanted something that was rightfully his, only Ed understood the world didn't work that way.
That was when the trouble had started. Everything had gone good so long as Greed was getting his way, but as soon as opposition started, the shit had hit the fan dead-on. Ed had already bitched and grumbled as much as he could as soon as the idea had formulated in Greed's mind.
But Greed had pushed them on and into the building where they had seen men moving goods in and out earlier that night. No one was supposed to be there by the time they came back. Greed had insisted it would only take about a half hour to clear the place out of anything valuable. It hadn't gone that way at all...
Ed hadn't signed up to kill people, or even rob them because they had stuff that was better than Greed's. Finding himself in that position a few days ago had got him thinking, and for the first time since they were on this little adventure, Ed wondered if he was going to regret this. It was probably too late to turn back now without causing bad blood between them, and a part of him did feel guilty and ungrateful for complaining because Greed had saved his ass.
He sighed and leaned all his weight against the tree. Ed had given his word to stick with Greed, and he planned on keeping it… at least for now and to the best of his ability. He still needed to figure out a way to defeat Father and watch over Ling so if Greed was going to keep at his old shit, then Ed knew it'd be up to him to convince his boss that there were better ways to steal without getting caught, but he had no idea where to start or what to say.
Greed might've found himself on the wrong side of his family again, but that didn't mean he was good. It didn't exactly mean anything. He was still a wild card in Ed's opinion, and not much had happened in the past couple of weeks to change that.
He ducked away from the tree in front of him to another one a couple feet closer to the group. Twigs and leaves crunched under his boots. Ed stepped out of the shadows and shuffled closer to the campfire. He pretended not to notice that all eyes were focused on him and plopped down on a half-rotted log.
"About time you joined us. You keep skipping dinner and you'll never get taller." Greed pushed a plate of mangled rabbit meat towards him. "Eat. No one who works for me goes hungry."
Ed leaned back as far as he could without falling off the log and put his hands behind his neck. His stomach grumbled loudly, but he refused to acknowledge the plate of food given to him. "What the hell're you guys talkin' about anyway? You're all bellowing loud enough to wake the damn dead."
"We're talkin' about how small and delicate you are, so eat." Greed furrowed his eyes at Ed as if sizing him up. "Shit, kid, I could snap you over my knee like a dry stick."
"Who the fuck are you—" Ed closed his mouth and stopped himself. The last time he had went off on Greed for calling him short, he hadn't heard the end of it for two full days. Whenever he'd start to get riled up, Greed would start in with the comments. Extra little nicknames implying he was small would pop up every other sentence. He wouldn't take the bait this time. "Fuck you." He managed to lower his voice down to a respectable growl.
Greed gave Ed a once over before cracking a grin. "No thanks… you look like you've barely hit puberty yet." His voice had that calm snark to it that always drove people crazy... just the way he intended it to.
The twig in Ed's hands snapped in half. Okay, maybe he would take the bait. Just this once. He already made it halfway there. What was another step closer to putting his foot up Greed's ass? Anger was an easier emotion to put forth. So much better than fear or apprehension or even worse... feeling inadequate.
Darius and Heinkel glanced at Ed and then Greed before standing up and quietly making their exit. They both knew that Ed and Greed had some kind of pissing contest going on, and neither of them seemed particularly interested in being pulled into it.
They had both been dancing around this issue for a few days now. Their last trek near civilization had left Ed both livid and scared. That was the first time he had ever seen Greed's fury channeled towards another person. Even their first fight had held a certain amount of mutual respect and less rage. Their second fight seemed more of a formality that had been the main reason Ed had questioned Greed's motives in the first place.
As protest, he had stopped depending on Greed for anything. Ed fed himself, bought his own goods, and effectively managed to stay in the group as an observer only. Greed had already known Ed knew how to take care of himself, but that wasn't the point.
His refusal to eat the food provided for him bothered Greed. Ed knew it. Hell they both did, and as immature as his tactic was, Ed loved how satisfying it felt to be able to control this one aspect in his otherwise chaotic life. Greed might be the boss, but even leaders had their limits on what they could force their followers to do, and Ed had every intention of using that to his advantage.
"Yeah, fine… whatever," Ed poked at the rabbit meat on his plate with his finger. "You can insult me all you want. Doesn't change anything. Doesn't mean you can make me eat it."
"Oh?" Greed raised an eyebrow at Ed. "I could easily hold you down, sit on your chest, and shove it down your throat."
"And I could easily choke on it and die since I'd be laying down and unable to swallow." Manipulating Greed was wrong, but Ed had learned manipulation from the best (he had spent enough years watching Mustang after all and had a pretty good handle on it by now), and he felt there was too much to lose by simply rolling over and being Greed's minion. No. Ed wanted to make sure he got something out of this first. Equivalent exchange was his creed, and he wouldn't cooperate until he had some indication that he'd be free to choose what he did to someone else.
Greed shot him a weird look. Ed sat there and said nothing, waiting. For what exactly, he wasn't sure. The silence between them was marred by crickets singing their own song, and he was half tempted to hum along to pass the time by.
A rock suddenly whizzed by his head. "The fuck was that for?!" Ed's eyes snapped up, his attention completely on Greed now. He did his best to hide his surprise behind a glare. He wouldn't give Greed the satisfaction.
"Is this about the other day?" Greed finally asked after mulling Ed's foul mood over for a few seconds. He chuckled and then shook his head. This kid never gave up on trying to get him to live by human laws. "The opportunity was there so why pass it up?"
Ed turned his head away and then shrugged. "Dunno, maybe passing it up is best 'cause if you got caught you'd put yourself on the military's radar, and that's the last thing we need right now." Especially since the military outside of Mustang's group and everyone from Briggs couldn't be trusted.
"The military doesn't scare me." Greed frowned and picked up a stick next to him to poke at the fire. Sure, he knew the military was dangerous, but the last thing he'd do was admit that to Ed. What kind of leader would he'd be if he looked worried? "What makes you think I'd change my plans for them?"
"Because, they can kill you, Greed. Can't be king of the world if you're dead." Ed shook his head. Maybe Greed wasn't the same as the man he had met in Dublith. Ling had told him some memories had come back but apparently not enough to make Greed more careful. Or maybe his inherent greedy nature couldn't be controlled. Either way, it could land all of them in a dangerous situation. "There are better ways. More profitable ones that I can help you—"
"I doubt they could get past my shield before I get 'em first." Greed grinned his usual toothy smile. Humans outnumbered him by far, but he felt confident enough his shield would protect him long enough to get away. "Damn near impossible to penetrate it."
"I did, and it wasn't that hard to figure out." Ed shrugged. It was basic human anatomy as far as he was concerned.
"You would sell me out?" Greed wasn't smiling anymore. The jokes and snark had ended.
"It doesn't matter, Greed. This isn't about selling out or tattling. The first time we fought, I had to turn in my report so Mustang at least knows, and even if he didn't, he's smart enough to work out a way to take you down." Ed knew other people could too if they spent enough time around Greed. He puffed out a long sigh. "All state alchemists need to know the basics, and from there it wouldn't be hard to put two and two together. People are smart, and we don't give up."
"Hate to break it to ya, kid, but that's not being smart. It's good to know when to quit, especially when outmatched by strength and skill." Greed's voice had evened out some, but he still eyed Ed with suspicion.
"What about Bradly.. and your old man? What if they get wind of where you're at?" The whole point of them lying low was to avoid the other homunculi and the military loyal to Central City. "We're better off if we don't have to keep running."
"I'd have you on my side, and probably your brother too once he realized who you work for." Greed had been meaning to bring up Ed's brother. Now was a good a time as any. They seemed close if the way Ed talked about Al was any indication. It wouldn't take much to get the younger brother to follow him if he could secure Ed's loyalty.
Ed's eyes snapped upwards. Their conversation about keeping Greed off the military's radar would have to wait. He had a larger problem to deal with now. "Don't even think about dragging Al into this." His voice came out sharper than he intended, but it was one thing for him to follow Greed, another to imply Al should do the same. "He's got his own shit to deal with."
"Your brother's issues aren't my problem. Besides, you'll figure out a way to get his body back." If he were to guess, Ed would eventually break down and use a stone to save his brother once all other options were exhausted.
"I mean it, Greed... leave Al outta this." Ed raised his voice, hoping that Greed would move on from this. He didn't have much fight left in him tonight. Too many doubts were still rolling around in his head, and if he could get through this with a few pissy words tossed back and forth between them, Ed planned on sleeping the rest of it off.
A startled yep slipped out of him. It happened so fast that he barely had time to react to Greed launching himself over the fire. He smashed against Ed's body with a loud thump. Red-hot ash spit up around them. A few landed on Ed's right leg, causing it to twitch from the quick prickles of pain. The log underneath him split in two, and his back hit the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Ed gasped for air as Greed's heavy body pushed him down.
Ed managed to clap his hands together and draw a blade from his automail. By the time it was at Greed's throat, the black carbon shield was up. Were they really going to do this? Ed had already mentioned he knew how to get around the shield. He specifically told Greed when they first teamed up so that it was clear from the start he couldn't be bullied or pushed around.
"That's not how it works. You can't go back on your word because it's an inconvenience to you now." Greed didn't have too many rules, but the few he did have, he expected to be followed. The number one rule was no lying, followed by absolute loyalty from anyone who decided to follow him. If Ed was reneging on their agreement, they were going to have a big problem on their hands. "If you want your brother left outta of this then shut your damn mouth about my methods and do as your told."
"I'm not—" Ed's brain scrambled to say something, anything to defuse the situation. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed Greed's help, and Ling needed him. Panic that he had pushed too far too soon began to settle in. "Don't you fucking get it? I can't do that, okay!" The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed through his ears as the blade retracted, and he balled his right hand into a fist. Ed could feel his body start to shake. "I can't take someone's life. Not for you. Not for me." He inhaled a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Hell, dunno if I could even do it for Al," he quietly finished, dropping his head down. "I might be smart and I can fight, but 'm not a killer, and what happened the other day came real close to crossin' that line."
The wind cut through his coat and made him shiver. Ed finally raised his head enough to look at Greed. "So, no, not goin' back on my promise, just lettin' you know what I'm capable of and what I'm not. And what happened back there… I-I can't do that again whether you order me to or not."
Maybe his desperation had shown through more than he thought because for the first time since they hit the road Greed was staring at Ed with a look of curiosity. It was as if Greed was seeing who he really was for the first and wasn't sure what to make of it.
Then something unexpected happened. The look in Greed's eyes softened. Something shifted, changed. All the hostility between them dissipated. Greed pulled back, and the heaviness on Ed's body was suddenly gone.
By the time Ed managed to brush all the leaves and dirt off his pants, Greed had moved away and was back sitting where he had been as if they hadn't just tried to kick each other's asses.
"Look, k—Ed," Greed paused, mulling over how to handle this. "You agreed to work for me. That was your choice. Not like I conned you into it so don't give me shit about how I run things." Greed tossed the stick into the fire and leaned forward, resting his arms across his knees. "I don't get off on killin' people, but I do what I gotta do to get by even when it's my own fault that I'm there to begin with."
That was the closest thing to an apology that Ed would get from him. Shit happened. That run had been a mistake. They all knew it, but Darius and Heinkel had been around long enough to know better than to harp on it. Greed wasn't the type of guy to dwell on fuck ups. He learned from them and moved on. And that's exactly what Ed needed to realize.
Ed had a big heart, probably the biggest he had seen in a human in a long time, but the kid had one helluva mouth on him and was stubborn to the point of hurting not only their team but himself. "Getting by also includes having you healthy so eat the fucking food I'm givin' you without bitching and moaning about it." He pointed his finger at Ed. "You do that and cut the poutin' shit you been pulling, and I'll leave you alone next time you wanna sit one out."
Greed pushed the food towards him again, and this time Ed begrudgingly took it.