"You think maybe once we're on the road again, we can find someplace out of the way to stay put until winter is over?" The wind picked up, causing him to wince. Ed tucked his hands close to himself as he could when a chill moved down his body. "I want a place to stay put in before the weather turns nasty."

Greed spared him a glance, seemingly unbothered by the cold. "Still think settlin' down in one place takes away the whole keepin' on the move and stayin' in the shadows part."

"I know that." Ed exhaled a quiet sigh. He knew sticking around in one area for too long put them all at risk, but moving around so much was taking a toll on his body. "We'd still be in the shadows... just in the same shadowy place. Winter's comin' and 'm gonna need a to stay indoors so I can keep warm." He hated asking considering how much of a hassle he had been already today, but Ed wanted to ask Greed when they were alone. "Moving around constantly ain't gonna work with my automail."

He had finally hit a grow spurt and already had a slight gate when he walked. As much as Ed hated to even think it, the timing couldn't have been worse with him getting split up from Al and Winry. The best he could do if he ended up outgrowing it too much to be able to get around, would be to go back to Resembool and have Granny look at it. Ed could risk using his alchemy to elongate the metal, but he had done that once, and it made his automail weaker. Winry never had the chance to change him over from the cold weather automail, which made that outcome even more likely. If it got damaged and completely broke, he'd be worse off than hobbling unevenly.

"You're a real pain in my ass. Good thing I like havin' you around," Greed teased. They all knew Ed was the best they had and pulled more than his own weight. "That's not gonna be easy, though. People are everywhere but it ain't gonna hurt t'look."

"There are lots of places where people hermit away. We just gotta find an abandoned one. Figured if we do, we might be able to stock up on food and stay there." Ed had already seen some homes tucked quietly away deep in wooded areas or mountains. If they were careful and quiet enough, they would be safe. "Least 'til we're ready to move out and head to Central. Might give us a chance to plan ahead too."

Greed's face scrunched up and his expression soured. "Holing away is gonna be boring. Not that I mind doin' a little planning, but we're gonna have'ta figure out something else to do to pass the time away."

Ed raised an eyebrow to that. There were way more important things for them to worry about, and he could think of a bunch of ways to keep themselves entertained. "Pretty sure you'll be able to take off whenever you want if you get too bored. You do that now anyway. I don't see the difference," he paused for a few seconds, then let out a quiet breath. "We'd be fine on our own if you need to…" Ed looked away as his face warmed. "... do your thing or whatever it is you plan on doin' while you're out."

"You're not try'na get rid of me, are ya?" Greed's eyes suspiciously roamed over Ed's. "Temp me with this idea so I'll take off and leave you to mope around all day."

Shrugging, Ed moved on ahead. "Nope. Just pointin' out there're be shit for you to do if we stay in one spot. You're a sturdy enough of a guy. You can get by bein' gone for days at a time without worryin' about dyin' and 'm sure you can find food just about anywhere you go."

Greed made another face as if the suggestion was getting worse by the second. "Why don't ya pile on extra clothes," he gruffly said. "Then you won't get so cold. 'Sides, we haven't even seen any snow. We're far enough south to avoid it."

If he had a Cenz for every time someone mistook his intolerance for the cold as common griping, Ed never would've had to join the military. He'd be rich by now and have all the money and resources he needed to figure out how to get his brother's body back without dealing with his current situation or being a dog of the military.

"Just 'cause there's no snow doesn't mean it won't get cold. I can only layer up so much before my automail gets cold and freezes the rest of me." Even though his cold-weather automail helped prevent from getting frostbite, it did little to prevent his ports from getting cold or from his joints getting stiff. "I have too many old injuries to stay outside for long periods of time in the cold months. If I have a place inside to stay, that'll at least cut the bitter chill, and I can fortify whatever we find with my alchemy."

Greed simply looked at him before crabbily raising his hand in a dramatic gesture while almost upending the bags he carried. "Fine. We'll look for somewhere to hunker down in when we leave here."

"Good, it'll be nice not to freeze my ass off." Ed shivered as he pulled the bags closer to his body. While walking helped keep him somewhat warmed, he was slowing down.

"You gonna make it back to camp or am I gonna have'ta carry you?" Greed took a hold of Ed's shoulder to keep him from getting too far ahead.

His face soured a little. "I'm fine. 'Sides, I'm a lot heavier than I look. Doubt you're gonna wanna carry me the rest of the way."

Greed gave Ed another once-over. "Not human so carrying you would be a piece of cake."

That gave Ed pause. While homunculi were basically made of the same composition as humans, they were stronger. His automail was heavy, and despite his size, Ed had learned how to carry his own weight. He didn't have a choice given how much he had to run or found himself hanging from somewhere because of a fight he had gotten into. His alchemy picked up the slack for the most part, but solely depending on that was foolish.

"Yeah, I guess so. You're not as big as you used to be, but I know Ling is strong and there's probably something in your physical makeup that Father added to give you super human strength."

"Size isn't everything." Greed scowled at Ed. "You of all people should know that considering how wee you are," he added while sizing Ed up again.

Ed inhaled a deep breath and grit his teeth together to keep himself from exploding at that comment. After imagining an array that could eject Greed into the air and far away from him, he slowly exhaled and filed that information away for later.

"I'm not saying it is. Believe me, I do know, but with humans, size does account for some things. A tall, large man with tightly packed muscles is going to be stronger than me. That doesn't mean he'll be able to kick my ass, but pick me up easily? Yeah." Ed kicked a stone along the road. "A normal human your size would struggle unless they strength trained, like Ling has."

"Size means nothing to a homunculus." Greed waved off what Ed said with his hand.

"It should, though..." Ed scrunched his nose up in thought. "Maybe not by human standards, but Sloth is a lot bigger than you are. Has a lot more muscle in comparison to his body mass than you do with yours. He could probably easily pull a tree out of the ground by its roots, and it's not that I think you're weak, but I don't think you could do that.

"I'm not counting skill or speed or strategy. I've brought down a lot bigger people than myself from that alone, and if that fails, I know I can count on my alchemy, but I also can think of a few people who could probably beat my ass in a fight with all that included." Alex Louis Armstrong was one and so was... Ed made a face when thought of the smug look Mustang would have on his face if he ever admitted this to anyone else.

"Never met Sloth," Greed said dismissively. "Father has him away digging tunnels under the country, but I know even if he is stronger than me, he wouldn't be able to get through my shield so the comparison falls shor—Uh, fails," he corrected as he glanced at Ed. "Doesn't matter anyway. Humans are physically inferior to homunculi," Greed added with a casualness that made Ed scowl.

Ed's voice lowered and grew sharp. "You shouldn't say stuff like that so causally, Greed. Comes off that you think you're better than humans and are underestimating us."

"Hey, just pointin' out the truth. It's not like it's anyone's fault. It's just how it is. If my old man decides to come out from the shit-hole he lives in, he could easily lay waste to half the country without much effort." Greed didn't seem bothered one bit by Ed's irritation, which only made it worse. "It's a damn surprise humans have made it this long without going extinct."

"Whatever," he finally muttered. "Not gonna debate the survival of humanity with you of all people."

"Well fuck you too." Greed's voice lowered a bit. "You think just 'cause I'm a homunculus I don't know shit, but I've seen enough on that to put two and two together."

"That's not it at all, Greed." Ed walked faster. The sooner he got back to camp, the better. "You like to smash every goddamn button I have and not gonna bite this time. I don't think you really wanna hear what I got to say anyway so maybe some other time."

Greed gave Ed an odd look before grinning. "Suit yourself, but you know I won't hold honesty against you. 'Sides, if I didn't push your buttons, you'd be a walking bomb ready to explode."

"Whatever. I don't feel like arguing with you. Let's just get back to camp so I can make us food, then get some sleep." Ed half raised his hand in the air as far as it'd go with the weight of the bags. "We can save how much homunculi are better than humans for another time."

Or another day, when he didn't feel the weight of the coming spring weighing so heavily on him. Ed knew part of his irritation came from the fact that Greed wasn't wrong, at least not in his statement. Of course there was more to humanity than brute physical strength otherwise they probably would have gone extinct, but he didn't want to think about that now, not when their chances of succeeding were slim to begin wi—

Ed's thoughts came to a halt when he felt the bags being pulled from his grasp and was suddenly lifted up into the air and hoisted over Greed's shoulder. His legs kicked up into the air as he tried to wiggle his way out of Greed's grasp.

"What the hell, Greed?!" Ed's arms flailed, and he instinctively brought his right hand down on Greed's back. It clinked off Greed's shield, and he felt both irritation and relief.

Greed patted Ed's lower back. "You're not so heavy. Almost light as a feather." He held Ed in place with one hand while carrying their bags with the other. "If you keep wiggling around like that, I'm gonna end up droppin' ya."

They both knew Ed could use alchemy or even his own fighting skills to get down, but Greed also knew, Ed wouldn't want to risk ruining the food they bought. That only seemed to encourage him more as he grinned and broke out into a run.

Ed yelped and clung on, digging his fingers into Greed's jacket and back. His legs flopped against Greed's chest. The road was the only thing in his line of vision that he'd allowed himself to look at.

Greed moved fast and surprisingly efficient. Ed had seen him fight before or clunk through the forest, but now there was no clunkiness. Had Greed always been able to do this all along or was he channeling Ling?

There were so many things he could yell or do, tell Greed to put him down, the point was proven or clap his hands and dig his automail deep into Greed's skin. Ed could easily upend them both and kick Greed's ass, but instead, his eyes focused on how quickly the road moved under them. What it was like to feel almost weightless. Ed had experienced this before but it felt different having someone only a few inches taller than him do it.

His line of vision was closer to the ground, and Greed moved at a speed a human couldn't match. It was like sitting on of a train when it hadn't hit full speed yet but moved faster than running. The chill of the wind through his hair was offset by the warmth of Greed holding him so close so he didn't fall.

Then the movement suddenly stopped. Ed jerked forward, bracing himself to fly in the air only to have Greed grab a hold of the back of his pants and keep him in place.

He rubbed his head once Greed set him down to get rid of the weird feeling being upside down had caused. Ed stretched out his arms and waited for Greed to hand him back the bags. When nothing happened, he reached out and took one of them back and kicked a stick out of his way.

His hands came together as he considered kicking Greed's ass. Violet eyes settled on his, and there was still a faint smirk on Greed's face.

Ed lifted both hands out, put all his strength behind it, and pushed Greed on his ass. "What the hell, Greed?!"

Greed threw his head back and laughed. "C'mon, it wasn't so bad. Didn't come close to droppin' you. Piece of cake carryin' you."

"Tch," Ed shoved past Greed with his hip and kept walking. "Give me some warning if you're gonna do something like that or else I won't go so easy on you the next time it happens." Because, Ed knew Greed would do it again.

"C'mon, admit it. For someone like me, you're not all that heavy, though I gotta admit, you look a lot lighter than you are." Greed sprung up and brushed the dirt off his legs and butt.

Ed opened his mouth to argue then stopped himself. Technically, Greed won this one. Ed hadn't fallen nor was he worse for the wear. Their goods were fine too. He dug his left foot into the ground and watched as it left an imprint in the dirt, debating on whether he should point out it didn't matter whether or not he had been dropped and more to do with personal boundaries before deciding to let it go for another time.

"Hey, you wanna spar tomorrow. I gotta keep up my skills," he said, changing the subject. Maybe he could teach Greed a thing or two, and it would give him the distraction he needed.

"You better not go easy on me with that big bleedin' heart of yours." Greed reached over as he passed by Ed and gave his head a good, hard ruffle before laughing again.

Ed's face felt hot. He swatted away Greed's hand and returned it with a half-hearted glare. "To hell with going easy on you. Each time you do that, it's gonna make me wanna kick your ass twice as hard. 'Sides, it'll be good fighting practice. You might have to fight an alchemist or even Wrath again."

He glanced at their surroundings, then stopped. Their camp lie beyond the hill. Ed's stomach grumbled, and the thought of stew made his mouth water. His steps quickened until he broke into a full jog up the hill and down it. Greed hadn't said anything more about what they had talked about, and Ed felt it best that they both had time to step back and take it all in.

Darius and Heinkel were nowhere to be found when they first walked into their camp. A quick glance at the low pile of fire wood made Ed sigh. With the cooler weather, they were going through it fast. It looked lower than when they had left, and there was a small fire burning in the pit but soon it would go out. They had left some behind in the woods that he could use for tonight before they went to bed. When they headed out tomorrow, they would leave any remaining pieces of wood behind and have to start all over again.

Ed hoped they found a place to hunker down into soon. It would easier for him to stockpile what they needed without worrying about whether or not they'd be able to take it with them when they left.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get more wood while there's still enough light to see." Ed set down his bags near the fire pit and headed back to the woods. This time Greed stayed behind and didn't follow him. He took in the brief silence while he had it. Ed bent down and grabbed as much wood as he could carry and headed back.

Heinkel came over and grabbed some of the wood and then ruffled Ed's hair. "I'll get the fire hot enough for dinner."

"Alright, I'll help," he said, looking around for some good kindling. Ed spotted some smaller sticks and twigs. A simple alchemic trick would dry them out enough to use. They both worked quickly and efficiently to get a nice fire roaring in the small pit they had carved out in the ground. "Someone else might want to grab more wood than what I got if they wanna stay up late."

"I'll get some later." Darius dug around in the food bags before glancing at Ed. "You cooking tonight?"

He nodded his head. While Ed was pretty sure Darius and Heinkel knew how to cook enough so they didn't starve, Greed had no clue unless they were roasting something on a spit. Teacher had a least taught him and Al how to take care of themselves. "Yeah, probably gonna make some stew once I get out the stuff for it."

Greed pushed himself up and stretched. "I'll be back with some meat." He gave a wave and started wandering off towards the woods.

"Don't get too much. Already got some beef for it." Ed dug around in his coat pocket and pulled out a small package of beef cuts.

That stopped Greed in his tracks, making him do a complete turn-around to see what Ed had. "You stole some from the store?" Greed looked mildly impressed. "Thought you didn't want to draw attention to us?"

"It's not a lot." Ed shrugged and his face felt hot. Having all their attention on him embarrassed him. "The store'll hardly notice a small amount like this gone... but it's better than nothing and will make the stew good." He wasn't even sure why he had done it, except he had been shitty to Greed several times today for no reason, and he had felt bad about it.

He also had felt guilty about always telling Greed no to anything that cost a little extra. Ed felt guilty about not being able to solve their problems by now. He felt guilty about being in an awful mood for the past couple of weeks. This wouldn't make up for any of that, and his guilt wasn't the only reason he had done it. He didn't steal the meat to buy Greed's favor or as an apology. He had done it because he wanted to give them all something special, because out here, in the middle of nowhere, nice little luxuries were rare, and they all needed something good now and then even if it was something small like this.

Greed was the only one out of them that sometimes left and probably got to indulge himself a little. Despite what he had said back at the store, they all craved a break from the same routine. Something had to give, and if it meant him bending the law a little so their moods were better then so be it. So long as he didn't get caught, their cover wouldn't be blown.

"You're a real peach when you wanna be. That's why you're my favorite minion. You really know how t'come through in the end." Greed clapped Ed on the back and gently shook him before taking off into the woods.

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled. Ed ducked his head down and pretended like he hadn't heard what Greed said. Relief washed over him when no one teased him about it.

Darius and Heinkel set about their tasks and left him be. It was moments like this that Ed really appreciated these guys. When they wanted to, they all worked pretty good together. Even if their goal was to stay hidden and alive to get to spring, it helped that they could take care of themselves without engaging too many other people or without fighting about it. They only bickered when it really didn't matter.

Heinkel worked on the fire and before long, it roared to life. Ed used his automail to make the appropriate tool to cut all the potatoes and vegetables up. Tonight, he'd put some squash in the stew to give it a heartier texture. He heard rustling and glanced up along enough to see Greed come back with a medium-sized rabbit.

He finished what he was doing took the rabbit from Greed so he could skin and cut it up. His thoughts wandered while he quietly worked on their dinner. It was easier for him to get it done if he didn't focus on the raw meat and blood. Ed added the beef and rabbit to the pot and stirred it all together. Now that he had everything in the pot, all they had to do was wait for it to boil then he could let it simmer.

The air started to cool down now that the sun was lowering in the sky. Ed missed the little bit of heat afforded to him already and scooted as close to the fire as he could get without burning himself. Shadows crept across the ground from the sun setting and there was another larger shadow in the shape of a human. Ed had felt Greed hovering behind him before he even saw the shadow, and wondered if it was that obvious that he was getting cold or if Greed had other motivations to keep a close eye on him.

For someone who claimed to not care much one way or the other about humans, Greed sure as hell did his own version of fussing over his favorite minion. Ed made a face, unsure of how he felt about that title. There were worse things that Greed could've called him.

Ed finally decided to break the silence. "Fuck, Greed, you really need to work on your stealth skills. I know you can do better than that."

"Who said I was tryin' to be stealthy?" He sat down next to Ed and nudged his shoulder. "I could sneak up on ya if I really wanted to."

"Pretty sure the heavy breathing and fretting would give you away. Sheesh," he teased, then chuckled. He knew in his own weird way, Greed was showing he cared. Ed didn't mind so much, though. It was better than having a homicidal maniac as a boss, and Greed wasn't so bad. "Your old man done fucked up his equation when he made you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Greed's shoulder bumped Ed's again only this time harder. "You bitch about any and everything. When I'm not nice, you bitch and when I am, you bitch some more."

"I'm just messin' with you, Greed." He shrugged. "Guess I meant it's not so bad havin' you around is all even if you are a pain in my ass." Ed's voice grew quiet. "Seriously, though, sometimes I gotta wonder how the fuck you came out of Father."

Greed looked Ed over thoughtfully then turned his head away. "Just make the damn stew and shut up about my bastard of father."

This time, Ed didn't argue and went back to preparing it. "It didn't take you long to get some meat." Greed was getting faster and more skilled at it. The first time he had gone out to get them something, he had been gone for a couple hours. Ed had almost gone looking for him when Greed came back. "How do ya manage to do it quick now? You pick up a new skill or somethin'?"

"Uhhh..." Greed glanced down at the rock beside Ed then looked up and grinned. "I'm not tellin'."

He raised an eyebrow to that. Ed had learned this particular statement was Greed's way of getting out of saying something he didn't want talk about without lying and no amount of poking and prodding would get him an answer.

Ed shook his head and laughed. "Okay then." Once he finished, he set everything aside. Darius and Heinkel came back with a pot full of water and more wood. Ed tossed a log into the fire and stoked the flames. "It's almost ready if you wanna hand me the pot."

"Here, take it." Heinkel gave him the pot of water.

He took it and let it heat up to a boil first to kill any bacteria since they were getting their water from a creak nearby. Then he added the cut-up vegetables and then the potatoes. Ed had made sure to cut those up into smaller chunks so they would cook faster. Greed dumped in the chunks of cut up meat. He loved letting stew cook for a long time, but they were all hungry and it was getting late so the quicker he could get dinner fixed for them, the better. At least they had the bread to divvy up and snack on if anyone wanted to eat right this second.

Greed took care of the bread, breaking off pieces and handing it out. Ed had made them all stone plates and bowls as he usually did before they ate. The trick was easy enough to do with alchemy and it saved on what they had to lug around with them.

"When do you think it'll be done?" Darius asked Ed while taking a bite of his hunk of bread.

"Not too much longer. I cut everything up small so it'll only take about a half hour to soften the potatoes and vegetables." Ed stirred around the meat, pushing any bits down that were resting above the stew broth. "It probably won't be as thick as it's supposed to be either since I don't have the proper thickener, but it'll taste good."

Plus, with the added ingredients, the broth might not be as thick as it should, but there'd be plenty of meat, potatoes, and vegetables to make up for it. They all sat around the fire in silence. Once everything looked cooked enough, they each passed their bowls to Ed, who filled them up.

Ed made himself a bowl and waited a bit until it cooled enough to take a bite. Not the best stew he had ever made, but pretty decent considering what they had to work with.

They ate in silence with a few occasional grunts of approval. Ed took the lack of complaints and continuous eating as a good sign. The meal couldn't be all that bad if everyone not only finished but had seconds. Once they were all finished, Darius and Heinkel took all of the bowls and went off to clean them up, leaving him alone with Greed. It felt strange the two of them be so quiet. Maybe they still felt some tension between him and Greed?

He reached behind him into one of the bags, dug out some heavier cloth, clapped his hands together, and made himself a thicker coat that was long enough to cover his legs. Ed bundled up and spent the rest of the evening sitting near the fire and thinking.

The Promised Day... he wasn't sure how everything was going down in the spring. Sometimes he purposely avoided thinking about it, knowing that it was still too far away for him to do more than stress over it. There was a good chance he wouldn't make it out alive. Getting Al's body back had taken second place to defeating Father, and Ed hated that. He hated that he might not be able to keep his promise to Al, fix his mistake because no matter how much Alphonse tried to take part of the blame for what they had done, it had been his idea. He had pushed, used nice words and promises of them seeing their mom again to get his baby brother to agree, and Al had paid the steepest price for it.

As much as a part of him wanted to run away and finish what they had started, saving the country was what both of them wanted, and not even trying was something he couldn't bring himself to do. What would be the point of getting Al's body back if they failed this? His brother would get to enjoy having a body only to have it destroyed. This had to come first no matter how much him sick to his stomach to think about.

Ed pulled his knees closer to his chest and rested his chin on them. He also had Winry to think about. Ed tried to push those thoughts back simply because he couldn't let himself get distracted. He loved Winry. Wanted to marry her after all this shit was done because she deserved the best after taking care of him. He needed to make things right with Al first, before he got in over his head with anything else. Something like courting Winry. He cared too much about them both to stretch himself thin.

He knew she loved him. Sometimes he pretended like he didn't know because he wasn't capable of giving Winry the life she deserved or the promises she wanted, but he knew. He simply didn't have the time to give her any promises he didn't know he could keep.

Getting his brother back to good could take a long time. After seeing the state of Al's body in the gate, Ed had already prepared himself for the worse. Even if he managed to survive and succeed, it would take his brother months to start properly putting weight back on, let alone building back his muscle, and he would be the one to take care of Al. Not only because he was the older brother or that he owed Alphonse that much, but also because they were the only family they had left. They were each other's responsibility. It had always been that way, and while Ed appreciated the help they got throughout the years, he couldn't expect anyone to fix his mistakes.

Their time was limited. Ed could feel it ticking away. The longer they went without figuring out a way to get Al's body back, the louder the ticking got until it pulsated in his head. Each day that passed with no progress, the more he could feel his baby brother slipping away from him. He tried not to let it consume him, but whenever he had down time, it did. And out here, laying low with Greed, Ed found himself with too much of it.

"You've been too quiet tonight," Greed said, sitting down next to him. "Still in your funk?"

"Yeah... something like that." Ed lifted his head long enough to spare Greed a glance before going back to slumping down against his knees and letting out an exhausted yawn.

"You gotta get out of your own head." Greed tossed a twig into the fire and watched it go up in flames. "Stewin' over every little thing doesn't help."

"What qualifies you as an expert on it?" Ed shot Greed a withering glare. "Glad you gotta a system for dealin' with stress that works for you, but it's not that simple for most of us."

Greed only laughed. "Hey, I'm not the one who's been moping around all damn day. Say what you want about what I know and what I don't, and what I'll do and won't do, but I don't stay in a shitty mood for long. No point. Doin' so changes nothing."

"Boy, if only we could all live by that simple thought," Ed said crabbily. "If it was that easy for me, don't you think I'd do it. Real glad you can shake shit off like it's nothing, but not everyone can do that."

"That's just an excuse. You don't have to put yourself through the wringer like you do," Greed said matter-of-factly. "You choose to care about shit you can't change or control."

Ed lowered his head even more. "What do you know?" He knew that wasn't fair. Greed had his fair share of shit to deal with.

"Suit yourself." Greed only shrugged off Ed's comment. "If you're lookin' for me to convince you of anything, it's not gonna happen. It's pretty clear, though, who has the better way of handling his own demons and who doesn't by which of us is happier than the other."

"Thing is, Greed," Ed did lift his head up all the way this time, "I'm not lookin' for advice. If it bugs you that much that I'm in a shitty mood, then you should leave me alone instead of always showing up. It's not like 'm askin' for your help or that it's job to fix me."

Greed didn't leave, though, nor did he say anything to Ed. Maybe he realized there was no changing the situation. Ed didn't care. He got to hold onto a few more moments of silence because he knew damn well Greed could only stay quiet for so long. He'd end up getting bored sitting quietly by the fire.

"What I meant earlier when I said it was surprising that humans lived as long as they have wasn't a dig at humanity." Greed tapped his fingers off his knee. "Probably should've said more like, unexpected but damned amazing, considering all you got goin' against you."

That caught Ed's interest right away. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, now curious to what Greed would say next. "By us having a lot going against us?"

"Eh... well, people are meat sacks with a lot of water in 'em. Your flesh is soft and easily broken. Same with your bones. Even without comparing you to chimera or homunculi, there have always been other animals around that are physically stronger and sturdier. Humans should be easily picked off by another predator.

"But your kind survived. Learned how to make weapons and learn from their mistakes. If two guys went out and walked off a cliff edge, the rest of their group learned to stay away from it or go around it or make something to climb down it." Greed leaned back and propped his feet up on a log. "My old man likes to have these meetings where he spends a good hour or two cutting down on humans and what worthless scum they are, but worthless scum don't make it through centuries of hardship, and I admire that tenacity and need to become something more, something better."

"That's how you really feel about people?" he softly asked. Ed fanned his hands out in front of the fire. "That we're something to admire?"

"Some of you are, yeah. Course there're a bunch that aren't much better than Wrath, but I think most of you are worthy to have as possessions." Greed leveled a sharp look at Ed. "Some more worthy than others. Take you for example."

His eyes narrowed a bit. Ed had a feeling this was the part where Greed would start teasing him again. "What about me, Greed?"

Greed causally shrugged. "Talkin' about people surviving and making it through shit they probably shouldn't've... you're a walking embodiment of that and your loyal too. You're bleeding heart could use some work but can't hold it against ya 'cause it's damned adorable sometimes." Greed looked contemplative for a moment like he might say more, then picked up a stone and tossed it. "Tomorrow I wanna sleep in a real bed."

His eyes grew wide at the sudden change in their conversation. "I—" It wasn't often they talked about one topic for that long, and his curiosity dug at him. As much as it tempted Ed to push Greed on that statement, he let it go, knowing that pushing for more wouldn't get him anymore. "Guess, we'll try an' find a place with a bed tomorrow."

Not too soon after their group had formed, Ed had caught onto the fact that Greed had a short attention span. He got distracted or bored easily. Ed wasn't sure if that was because of his avarice or if because by all accounts, Greed hadn't been around long in this body and starting over with almost no past memories outside of his crew at the Devil's Nest. Most things Greed encountered would seem new to him. Maybe he hadn't been around long enough to develop any real patience and hadn't learned how to control his desires fully. Or maybe he needed something it fill in a void that lay deep within him.

There did seem to be a deep need to acquire shit on Greed's end so getting distracted by the next shiny thing made sense while still clinging onto what he already had. The more Ed thought on it, the more surprised he was that they were slowly collecting trinkets. His earlier suggestion of them hunkering down might change that.

Ed turned his head and looked Greed over. The place they would end up staying would have to be abandoned. Adding extra items wouldn't be a big deal, although they would have to leave it all behind.

He shrugged. It didn't matter much one way or another. "It's probably a bit of both anyway with the way he always need shit," he muttered.

"What?" Greed looked at Ed like he had lost his mind. "I didn't fuckin' say anything."

"Huh?" Had he said that out loud? Ed tossed the idea back and forth on whether or not he should clarify it to Greed. "I was thinking out loud is all."

"As touching as it is that you were thinking about me, you can't say that and not follow through." Now it was Greed's turn to glare. "Now cough it up. What did you mean it's probably both?"

Well, if Greed insisted. Ed leaned back against the log. "Just tryin' to figure out why you have the attention span of a gnat." Then he shrugged. "Ran a couple possibilities through my mind before deciding it's probably both."

Somehow Greed didn't look too impressed. The ridiculousness of the situation made Ed snicker. Here he was, out in the country with two chimera and a homunculus boss who had about as much maturity and tact as a toddler. The more he thought about it, the more it struck him funny. Never in a million years did he ever think he'd be here, doing this, when he first set out to get Al's body back.

"There's too much shit to want in this world," Greed said with a seriousness that made Ed snicker even louder.

When Greed glared at him, Ed waved his hand in the air. "Sorry, not makin' fun of you. I dunno why I find it so funny. Just imagining you running around and tryin' to grab up anything and everything is all."

"Better than havin' you bitch and moan about how much your life sucks." Greed's face soured even more. "And I don't have an attention span of a gnat. If something is good enough and worth havin', it'll have my full attention."

"Right, right," Ed said as his laughter died down a bit. He looked at Greed and grinned. "All I've been doin' tonight is bitchin' and moanin' I know."

Greed gave him a strange look but said nothing. Ed was getting used to those quiet, almost curious looks. He had had his fair share of them tonight.

It was only now that he stopped laughing, did he realize how tired he felt. The kind of tiredness that settled deep into one's bones. "I should probably get some sleep anyway." Ed stood up, stretched, and let out an exhausted yawn.

While sleep sounded good, he wasn't looking forward to the chill in the air. Ed trudged on over to his tent, opened the flap, and slipped inside, leaving Greed to deal with the campfire.

He started shivering as soon as he was alone in the tent, no longer able to hide how cold his body had gotten. The fire had kept his front half warm but his back-end was numb to the touch. Ed hated wintertime the most. The cold physically hurt him. No matter which way he turned or bent, his joints screamed. Stretches helped but they only did so much in the late fall and winter. Tomorrow morning, he'd have to take it slow before he got himself ready to move out.

Ed only took off his coat and boots before settling onto his make-shift sleeping mat. He pulled the blanket up to his chest, and wrapped his body up in it as tight as he could. The tent flap rustled, followed by a gust of chilly wind. Ed's teeth chattered.

"F-fuck," He turned his head around. Greed was squatting near him and staring. "What the hell do you want?" Ed whispered.

Greed shrugged then scooted closer. "It's cold tonight. Thought if I left you unchecked, you might freeze to death. You said earlier that the cold makes your automail not work right and makes the rest of you colder so this is my fix 'till we find a place to settle down into."

Had Greed taken his words earlier in a literal sense? "N-not gonna freeze." Ed's teeth chattered again. His face turned sour. That wasn't very convincing. "Besides, how's sitting there watching me going to help. It's fucking creepy."

"Hmm…" Greed shuffled closer, or maybe it was more of a glide. Agile, almost catlike.

He ducked down when Greed climbed over him. Ed glowered. "What the fuck are you doing, asshole?" Greed slipped in behind him and then...

...spooned him.

His face turned red. Then the flailing started as Ed tried to eject himself from Greed's tight grip. "Greed, what the hell?!"

"Shut up and take my help, you ungrateful little shit." Greed growled and tightened his hold on Ed. "I don't need you getting sick on me and dyin'. Unless you were tellin' me a tall tale back there, you said you didn't do well in the cold so I'm keeping up my end and taking care of what's mine."

Ed couldn't deny the extra body heat helped, and he felt a little bad Greed thought he might get sick and die. "Fine," he huffed. "And thanks for helpin' even though I didn't ask for it," he grumbled.

A quiet awkwardness came over Ed. He lay there, listening to everything around him. A rustling outside the tent caught his attention. Ed tried to focus on it and where it was coming from. It sounded like Heinkel left his tent to go into...

"See, I told ya." Greed chuckled, and his breath tickled Ed's neck. "Now you can't deny knowing either. They've been sneaking into each other's tents for awhile."

"Yeah... so what?" Ed had no intentions of denying anything. He also had no intentions of poking his nose into something he had no business poking into. "They can go do... whatever is they're gonna do. None of my business."

"It's called sex. You can say it." Another deep chuckle and warm breath tickled Ed's ear. "Still, now that you know, you'll never look at them the same way again." Greed flipped over onto his back, half tugging Ed along with him.

"What do you mean by that?" Ed raised his head and stared at Greed, trying to work out what that meant. "Why would I see them differently? I don't care if they're... you know, doing th—having sex, or if they're together. If that's what makes them happy then good for them."

"Doesn't matter if doesn't bug ya. Doesn't bug me either but the difference is still there." Greed gave a small shrug of his shoulder. "Now when you look at them, you'll always see a couple and not only 'oh, there's Darius and Heinkel. Your brain will put them in the same category as lovers and not friends or comrades. If one of them gets hurt, it won't only be damn, he's worried about his friend. It'll have that extra kick to it, that extra sense of urgency that wasn't there before. You can try 'an' stop it, but your brain will do it for you whenever you see them. That's how it works."

"Yeah, I guess so." Ed flopped back over on his side. He wasn't entirely sure he understood what Greed meant. Darius and Heinkel were still his friends regardless. "And if you're gonna stay here, keep to your side, okay? I don't wanna wake up with us spooning," he added crabbily.

Greed 'tsked' at him and the blankets rustled. "You're a damn sight ungrateful but suit yourself."

He tucked the blanket on his end around his body and settled into the slow warmth. Having another body to provide heat did help. Ed was more than grateful for the gesture, but he refused to feed Greed's over-inflated ego.

"Not ungrateful, just don't want your heavy ass layin' on me in the middle of the night and suffocating me." Ed tried not to grin as he said that but failed. "I've had Ling lay on top of me before, and he weighs a ton so that means you do too."

"My ass is not heavy." Greed narrowed his eyes and poked Ed's back with his finger. "Don't place me on the same level as that brat."

"You are on the same level as Ling," Ed said, grinning. "Both eat enough for ten fucking people and drive me up the fucking wall." He turned his head just enough for Greed to see his smile. "You're not a mooch, though, I'll give you that."

Greed merely grunted, pulled the blankets off Ed, and turned over.

Ed forcefully tugged enough back to barely cover himself. "You're the worst kind of asshole, you know that?" He pulled harder to no avail. "And if you don't get the fuck off my blankets, I swear to fuck I'm gonna use alchemy to eject your sorry ass out of this tent," he said while recalling that perfect array to mind.

Another grunt but this time the hold on the blankets lessened. Ed was now able to fully cover his body. He sighed contently, though one question still invaded his thoughts and bugged him. "So why did ya do it? Why did you keep buggin' me today. I haven't been in the nicest mood. Most would've left me alone."

"You looked like you didn't want to be here, and I don't mean in the group but here, living. Then you kept gettin' jumpy over small shit," Greed said. "Most people are dense. They only see what they want. They're too used to covering themselves in lies. When you woke up this morning, you wanted to be dead and done with it all."

Then everything got really quiet. Ed laid there and thought on that. He hadn't realized Greed was that observant. Most close to him knew he downplayed how he felt, but Ed usually could pass it off as feeling down a little or crabbiness. He never had anyone say he looked like he wanted to die, and the feeling of having another person call him out on it overwhelmed him.

"Is that why you don't lie?" Ed finally broke the silence. His voice came out low and shaky. "So that you don't start seein' only what you wanna see?"

Greed turned on his side, towards Ed. "Does it matter? Not sure why it started. Guess it seems to make more sense than making up bullshit excuses and reasons. Besides, I'm Greed. Everything belongs to me. I don't need to make up shit-ass excuses. What you see is what you get."

"Oh..." Ed stared at the tent flaps. "I get why people do it. Maybe it seems dumb, but I don't think a lot of people out there could handle being honest with themselves... at least not completely. It's tough to face the truth sometimes."

He knew first-hand how hard being brave was. Greed might not, or maybe he did know, but he didn't have to worry about getting killed like people did. Greed also didn't have any close relationships that were risked by his blunt attitude. At least not anymore. Al's story on what happened in the tunnels came to mind. From what Ed had heard, it seemed like before, that while Greed treated his friends as mere possessions, he also cared for them. Compassion and empathy were both inherent and learned and it seemed like Greed might have a little of both even then.

Ed wondered if Greed realized that he hadn't only lost his possessions but his friends, and maybe even a lover or two, but for some reason, pointing that out made him feel sick to stomach. The thought felt too heavy, too personal to butt into uninvited.

Out of all the homunculi, Greed seemed to have a little of both stuffed away somewhere. Whether he was aware of it or not was something entirely different. Even if it started out as a means to an end, it was there, hidden beneath the sharp jabs and blunt answers, and the reason why despite how much Greed annoyed him, Ed could never hate him. Greed had a conscience.

"Hmm, still doesn't make it any less stupid." As far as Greed was concerned life wasn't nice. It was messy and terrible and beautiful at the same time. Who would want to avoid knowing that? "The world would be a better place if people stopped lying, and if that meant some of them wouldn't be able to make it, then so be it." Greed nestled in closer. "Give me one example of why humans think it's necessary. I doubt you'll convince me to change my mind."

"People can't just go and fuck off 'cause you don't like it," Ed shot back. "You wanna talk about how the world works, well that's pretty much it. You gotta deal with everyone, even people you don't like, even the assholes, which is the group you're gonna end up belong to if you don't stop treating people like objects. Some of the people we're fighting together with don't always tell the truth. Some of them probably aren't the best people, but they're willing to help overthrow your old man, and right now we can't afford to be picky.

"Some of them also lie because they don't have any other choice." Ed turned his head slightly back. "What we're doing now requires deceit. If not, then our allies'll get picked off one by one by Wrath. None of us can afford to go barreling in head first and taking what we want. That's one reason where lying is beneficial."

Greed chuckled. He already knew what group he belonged to. He was survivor. The type to bend the rules if needed and it got him by fine enough. Ed was the same way, he just didn't realize it yet.

Ed would get there, eventually whether he intended to or not. One way or another. "I don't have to belong to one group. I consider this world mine." He poked Ed's back again. "That means you too. You're mine so are Darius and Heinkel and the brat inside of me. If it's gonna go anyway then you have to tolerate me and my rules. If someone can't fight without resorting to lying then they should stay home and let those of us who can handle take care of my old man."

"For an overlord, your rules are pretty low-key and simple. 'Sides, you can't own people, Greed. That's no way to go about havin' people follow you," he softly chided.

He was beginning to doubt Greed actually wanted to own anyone. At least not in that sense. He briefly thought back to the Devil's Nest. Even then Greed hadn't wanted to fight him but rather exchange information. Al had told him for a kidnapper, Greed had been surprisingly amicable until Ed had shown up and lost his cool. Not that Ed regretted reacting that way. No one kidnapped Al without feeling some of his wrath, but still, if he had had the patience then that he had now, it might have turned out differently.

Of course, Greed had had a couple hundred's years-worth of experience inside of him and might have been manipulating the situation to his favor, but there never seemed to be a strong desire in him to fight except when it came to Father or Wrath.

"Hate to break it to ya, but you're mine, kid, and you're gonna have to deal with me bein' around for a long time." Greed's voice interrupted Ed's thoughts. It was steady and sure as if what he told Ed was a fact of life. "You can deny it all you want, but don't think I'm gonna let you run off after we kick my old man's ass. You wanna go do some things and fix your brother up then fine, but you work for me, and I expect you to fulfill your end of our agreement when I need you to."

He snorted. "I only agreed to do this until we beat your old man. After that, gonna go back home, patch Al up and marry Winry." Then Ed planned on fading away into a quiet, peaceful life without the military or homunculi or everyone knowing his name.

Greed shrugged. "You go ahead and marry that girl if that's what you want, but that doesn't change a thing. If I need you to do a job for me, I'm gonna come to collect."

"Greed..." Ed sighed and burrowed down into his blankets. The way Greed said it made it seem more like he'd be asking for a favor instead of being a bossy overlord. "You got a lot to learn about humans and how we are."

His words were met with a chuckle. Ed held his breath and waited before finally settling deep down into the blankets.

"Believe what you want." Greed cozied on up and rested his chin on Ed's shoulder. "Now get some fuckin' sleep. You need it."

Ed gave Greed a half-assed mock salute. "Yes your majesty," he snickered, "I'll get right on that job as soon as you stop breathing down my neck."

"See, now you're getting it." Before Ed could protest anymore, Greed pulled him in close and kept his head on Ed's shoulder.

He almost pulled away and remind Greed he had said no spooning, but his felt warm, and Ed realized he didn't care. This had been Greed's idea, and it was working. Until they found a place, he'd take whatever warmth he could get.

"Mhm, whatever you say." Ed closed his eyes and let his mind drift. The soft sounds of the wind rustling against the tent made him sleepy.

For the first time in months, he fell into a deep sleep, unaware of how Greed stayed awake watching him.