WARNING: This veers into nsfw m/m smut towards the end of the story.

A meal.
The cheapest one.
Bought with change and a smile.
Smiles had always opened doors for Eiji.

They had reached the village just after dusk, tired and wet and strangely quiet. Eiji had found himself at a loss for words, lips still tingling. Something had changed. Or had anything changed? Really? Hadn't things just settled back into their proper shape? The way things always were supposed to have been? Like the medallion he kept fingering in his pocket… whole, not half.

"Merci beaucoup." Eiji smiled at the old woman who ran the restaurant, trying to ignore the way Ankh dug into the contents of his bowl. The absence had not improved the Greed's table manners any. "I am sorry for my friend's manners," he continued in heavily accented french.

"Oh never mind that." The old woman was beaming at Eiji. "American, is he?"

"Ahhh, well, he is hungry anyway." Eiji laughed a bit nervously, glad that Ankh didn't understand french . "We missed our tour bus and tried to take a shortcut back. It feels like we've been walking for hours."

"You poor boys." Her smile softened. "If you want to, you can stay here for the night. I've got a room right up top. Sometimes I rent it out to backpackers."

"That is very kind of you, but…" Eiji looked at what remained of his pile of coins. Perhaps enough for a soft drink or ice cream. If they had those here.

"Oh shush, you two look exhausted. And hungry," she added after another look at Ankh that had already finished his food and was holding out the bowl for more with an expectant look on his face.

"Ankh!" Eiji, made a face, and got one back in return. One that made his heart do a little extra beat.

"Well, I am glad he likes it." The old woman retrieved the bowl. "I will bring some more, and then if you want to you can help me out a bit back in the kitchen and then I can show you where the room is. Would that be alright?"

"It would be perfect, thank you." Eiji bowed, which was harder than he liked, still seated at the table as he was. "I'm very sorry to impose…"

"Shush. You eat now too, before it gets cold. We can talk later." She went back to refill Ankh's bowl, leaving the two alone with their awkward silence once more.

It was pitch black outside when Eiji finally made his way upstairs. He had spent the evening helping the old lady out with whatever chores she had that needed doing. It wasn't just for gratitude either, it had given him an excuse to be alone and think. Or, well, alone if one meant absence from Ankh, because as predicted the Greed was nowhere to be found when it was time for work. Good. Or, well, not so good. He had to keep fingering the medallion in his pocket to make sure he wasn't imagining things, even though technically he knew this was not the medal that had been broken. That one now resided inside Ankh, the core of his being once more. But still, the broken one was no longer there, and that was a reminder as good as any.

A reminder that everything had changed.

When he closed his eyes be could still feel the kiss. Awkward at first, then heated, almost angry. Impatient. It wasn't as if they had just melted into each other's arms and everything turned perfect. Eiji wasn't sure that he would have trusted something like that even if it had happened. He didn't want perfect. He wanted Ankh. He wanted the awkward fit, the jagged edges, the challenge implicit in everything from a touch to a look. Unapologetic when Eiji was nothing but apologies.

"That took it's sweet time." Ankh was lounging in the room, peering through the open window, his back to the door. It wasn't a large space, just like the old woman had said it was a small room she rented out now and again. Two narrow beds, western style. A window that could be opened, covered by thick mosquito netting that Ankh had flung aside, heedless of the consequences.

"At least pull the curtains, will you?" Eiji closed the door behind them. The restaurant was now empty and quiet, and the village was too small for street lamps. Further down the single road, a bar still blared distant music to the overcast skies. "I don't want to be eaten alive."

"Really?" Ankh's snort was more of a laugh. "You were prepared to sleep in the forest. Good job on sweet-talking grandma into letting us stay."

"We would have had a fire in the forest. Smoke helps with mosquitoes." Eiji walked up to the window, reaching past Ankh to pull it closed. Brushing against the other man made his breath hiccup, but he steeled himself and pulled back once more. "So what were you doing? You could have helped out, you know."

"Don't be ridiculous." Ankh leaned close, close enough that Eiji could feel his breath hit him every time the Greed spit out another word. "I was making sure this place was safe, that none of your friends with guns had beaten us here."

"Oh." Eiji felt his cheeks flush a little, not only because of the closeness. "I didn't…"

"Didn't think? Nothing new there." Ankh shrugged and leaned in a little closer, his lips brushing Eiji's.

"Ankh, I…" He had to swallow hard to keep his heart down his throat, lips brushing together as he spoke. "I mean I want this, want you, but…"

"But?" Ankh's hand had fisted itself in Eiji's shirt, pulled the loose fabric tight.

"I haven't… done this before." Eiji wouldn't have thought the words would be so hard to push out, but they were. He refused to blush though, and even met Ankh's eyes when the Greed let go of him and took a step back with a look of cautious confusion on his face.

"Really? What about your amusement park friend? What about the greenhouse?" Feathers ruffled, there were an undertone of suppressed jealousy there, or maybe it was only colored by Eiji's memories.

"We kissed, nothing more. I mean, I…" This was important, even if it was hard to talk about. "I always… I felt like I had more important things to do than being together with someone. I mean I was in a position to actually help people, so…"

"…so you were an idiot even back then." Ankh nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. His gloved hand had re-materialised as it always did when emotions got heated. "Good to know."

"That's not my point." Eiji threw his hands out in frustration. "My point is that I really have no idea what I am doing."

"What you want to, I hope?" Ankh tilted his head, frowning faintly. But his arms uncrossed and he stepped closer once more.

"Yes, well, I don't have much practice with doing what I want either." Eiji drew a deep breath and took Ankh's hand in his, the gloved one. He had always been surprised at how warm it was. Leathery and soft, covered by slick plates of armour that felt like glass under his fingertips. "But I'm willing to learn."

"Huh." Ankh looked down for a moment, at his hand held by both of Eiji's. "Well, it can't be that hard. The detective used to do it all the time."

"What?" Eiji felt his eyes go wide. "Shingo? I mean… how, did you? When you were using hi… I mean using his body?" There was no way that sentence could be spoken without blushing now that his mind had gone there,

"Idiot." Ankh had pulled back his hand and pointed at his temple. "His memories. I could access them if I tried, remember?"

"Yes." He let out a sigh of relief before realizing what that meant. "You accessed his memories about things like that? Why?"

Ankh just looked at him, head tilted until finally Eiji caught on to what he was implying. The reason to go into detailed studies exactly how a human body worked. How human desire worked.

"Ankh… you can't just…" The sigh was deep, outrage hiding the nervousness. "I mean…"

"I can't do it anymore." The hand flicked in annoyance. "Only got my own memories now. And we Greed are not very used to our senses being this fine-tuned."

"Ankh…" Eiji repeated the name and stepped closer, for the first time realizing that yes, he felt like he was stumbling blindly through the night, but at least he was not alone in that. At least he was used to touch, used to taste and sight. Ankh had experienced the world through the dull filter that was his Greed form for most of his existence, it was only when he had possessed a human he had learned that there was another way to feel the world. Another way to experience it. It looked like it had stuck with him through the resurrection.

"What?" Ankh held his ground, the chin raised in challenge.

"It will be okay." Eiji put as much heart into the words as he could. "It really will. I mean, it's not any more complicated than using the OOO's driver, and I learned that."

"Eventually," Ankh said with the look of a man that really hated to admit it. "It took you long enough."

"Well, are you willing to let me try?"

A deep breath, a thoughtful pause, and then a final nod.

It didn't use to be this hard to undress.
Eiji wasn't shy, you couldn't be when travelling the world like he did. He had stripped in front of strangers more than once, had in fact met Ankh, or, well, Shingo, the first time when he was wearing nothing but his underwear. But what was easy with strangers was harder now, in part because Ankh didn't want to keep his hands off him. Small kisses. Little bites. An annoyed huff when Eiji had to push him back to get his shirt off. And, well, the other part that was harder now was the fact that he was hard, something he was terribly conscious off once his pants dropped to the floor. At least his straining underwear only got an amused snort from the Greed before he went back to kissing him. Still fully dressed.

"Ankh…" Eiji mumbled the words, lips feeling bruised because Ankh wasn't exactly gentle in anything he did. "Stop fidgeting." He had managed to tease the shirt from far too tight pants, but that was all.

"It tickles." The complaining was so filled with annoyance that the moment broke, and Eiji had to choke back half a giggle.

"Then squirm less. I just want to take your clothes off." How many times had he dreamt about that over the year they were together? How many times had he ended up feeling guilty and ashamed, because that was Hina's brother he was trying to pretend he was not fantasizing about?

"Why didn't you say so." Ankh pulled back a few inches, eyes narrowing in concentration. There was a brief gust of wind, not as strong as when he materialized his wings, but once Eiji had opened his eyes again, the Greed was standing in front of him, entirely nude.

"Oh." Eiji swallowed hard. He hadn't expected this moment to come this quickly, had planned for it to be slower, more romantic maybe. Not like this, but… "Why didn't you tell me?" He hadn't realized that Ankh's clothes must have been part of his form as much as his wings or the armored glove. Formed from cell medals the same way that the flesh of the Greed was. For him to try to take them off… "It must have felt like I was pulling at your hair. Or feathers." Ankh needed proper clothes. He made sure to remember that. Clothes that could be taken off properly next time. Next time… oh how he hoped he wouldn't mess up so there would actually be a next time. Keeping his eyes above the navel he burst out "I'm sorry about that." Crap. He shouldn't have bowed. Or looked. The blush came unbidden.

"Mmm?" Ankh looked down on Eiji with a faint smirk. "By all means…"

"Well…" Eiji took a deep breath and kept from jerking back. This was… he supposed he shouldn't be surprised that this was as awkward as anything ever was with the Greed. But at the same time… this was Ankh naked in front of him. Completely naked. Hard.

Eiji swallowed hard as he felt his knees give out, sinking to the floor. His hands didn't shake when he reached out and ran them over Ankh's hips, following the sharp angles where they jutted out. Slim legs, not that he was surprised, those skinny jeans hadn't really given any indication of anything else. Not that he had looked. Except he totally had. And now he could finally touch. It felt… like more of a relief than he had expected. Was he nervous? Of course he was. But this wasn't terrifying in the same way as he had feared. Maybe because this was Ankh. Maybe because he was fairly certain that if he did something wrong, the Greed would tell him. Loudly. And if he screwed up… how could he do worse than he already had? And all those mistakes had caused them to end up here, in a strange room in a stranger's house. Naked.

It wasn't even that hard to open his mouth and swallow deep. Eyes closed and hands holding those narrow hips secure so Ankh couldn't thrust too hard. He hadn't planned to do this, he wasn't even sure what he had planned. A hand maybe, that he knew how to do, at least that bit was easier with men. He'd done it on himself often enough. But things had spiraled out of control, and he was surprisingly okay with that. At least this way he got to hear Ankh suck in a breath that was almost a gasp, and feel a shiver that was so deep that he suspected only willpower held the Greed upright.

"Eiji…" Ankh's voice was hoarse, and filled with equal parts wonder and concern. "Is this… really what it's supposed to feel like?"

Eiji pulled back and licked his lips. It took a moment before he could collect himself, especially with the tip of Ankh's cock constantly brushing his lips, begging to be let back in. "I… honestly wouldn't know. Is it good?"

That gave the Greed a moment's pause, as if he was loath to admit something that was written all over his face anyway. Eiji would have laughed if he hadn't decided to take pity on the now quite desperate Ankh and take him back in his mouth, something that made any coherent answer impossible. Not that it was easy to keep working either, he kept wanting to smile because it was just so… oh he hadn't even known what to expect. Maybe he had been overthinking everything. He had seen Ankh and the way he devoured his ice cream, but he hadn't made the connection to how dull the Greed's senses usually were. Not until he had experienced it himself, that slow loss of sight and taste and… touch. Ankh had never felt anything like this before. That made Eiji determined to make sure he would not forget it. Even if it was rather quick…

Eiji managed to not quite choke as he swallowed.

"This…" Ankh didn't manage to finish the sentence as he stumbled back and sat down on the bed, looking like he hadn't breathed for the last few minutes. "We are doing this again." It was an order delivered with such passion that Eiji couldn't hold back the laugh any longer.

"Ankh…" He really tried to collect himself, but the sight of the Greed looking as lost and ruffled as he did just made things worse.

"What?" It was an annoyed snap, Ankh glaring daggers as if he suspected that Eiji was making fun of him.

"Nothing." Eiji made his way over to the bed, hooking his thumbs into his underwear as he went. "It just takes a bit of time for people to recover. Normally."

"Oh." Ankh looked down with a glare, as if he could change things with pure willpower, which he might have been able to if Eiji hadn't sat down next to him and pulled him in for a kiss.

"I'm glad you liked it, I…" Eiji sucked in a breath as Ankh slid his hand down, running it over the bulge in his underwear.

"You have an unhealthy obsession with those things." The words were delivered with a serious frown, and Eiji didn't protest as Ankh divested him of his last garment.

Naked. Naked together. On a bed. He shouldn't fumble, but somehow this was a bit harder. He had always had an easier time giving than receiving, focusing on someone else was how he stopped hesitating after all. Not that any hesitation would have stopped Ankh. It was a relief really, to just lay back and realize that Ankh was right. This felt… amazing. Or, well, he honestly thought that anything would have felt amazing as long as he could watch Ankh doing it, because the focus with which the Greed did things was fascinating. Especially if said thing was playing with his cock.

"Ankh…" Eiji tried to look away, but it was impossible. He wanted to see those thin lips curl around him the way he had guiltily pictured every time Ankh bit down on another ice cream. He wanted to see long, thin fingers curl around his shaft, working it, Ankh's eyes meeting his own, that faint smirk as he pulled back, hand still working, getting far too close… "Ankh!"

"What?" Ankh didn't pause, just kept working him, lips a breath from the head of his cock, close enough that his breath chilled the wet surface.

"You should stop now. Really." Eiji couldn't look away, he knew he should but… "I can't… seriously, you should pull back, or something. I'm serious!"

But Ankh didn't move, and he didn't stop, he just kept smirking and Eiji couldn't hold it. Not now. It had been too many months. Too much lost time. Even if it meant that he hit Ankh right in the face. And in the hair. That carefully coiffured hair.

"What the…" The Greed's eyes had gone wide, and he dragged his fingertips along his now wet cheek, looking annoyed while Eiji was struggling to get his breath back.

"I'm sorry…" The words were honest even if he couldn't stop himself from smiling. "I didn't mean to…"

"Hmh." Ankh looked at his sticky fingers, then sucked them off, one by one. The look on his face was one of utter focus, as if he was deciding exactly how annoyed he was supposed to be at this development. "It's fine," he said at last. "It has an interesting taste."

"I'm glad…" Eiji let out the breath he was holding as Ankh slid down next to him, limbs intertwining in a way that felt more natural than he had expected. He decided to tell Ankh about his hair later.

He was far too comfortable to dodge the inevitable blow that would result.