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Greed is standing in front of the Emperor of Xing's private study, and the only thing stopping him from straight up bolting might just be Alphonse Elric's steady hand on his elbow. And- okay, he supposes the stupid little smirk he can feel Ed directing at his back may also be playing a part.
The dread has been mounting for a while now, rising like bile behind his teeth, as they followed Al through a veritable kaleidoscope of rooms, corridors, little scenic courtyards and, at one point, what must have been the servant quarters. How the fuck did he even end up here? Why did he let Edward fucking Elric drag him all the way to fucking Xing?
At this point, his only defense is that it was really fucking confusing to wake up butt naked in the middle of Central Command (old-new body, no previous occupants this time, and wasn't that a doozy), get tackled to the ground, thrown into jail and learn that he's been assumed dead for the last couple of years. By the time he's regained his wits, Ed had already procured an Amestrian passport and two train tickets across the desert and it just seemed... easiest to go along with it.
... Yeah, he's not quite fooling himself, either. So much for that.
Anyway, the point is- Greed really just kind of wants to turn tail and run. It's not like he wasn't planning to check up on the brat, that was always on the cards. Greed doesn't just let go of what's his without being given marching orders, he's just- not ready. For that. Figured he'd get to sit with the thought for a little while longer, give himself time for the sharp, jagged edges of the new void in his head to round off a bit.
But, well, instead he watches Al knock decisively on the intricate wooden frame, before pushing the door open far enough to stick his head in.
"Hey Ling, do you have a sec?"
There's a muffled "Al! Come in" and Al slips inside with a last, encouraging look. Ed gives his shoulder a shove, horrible gremlin that he is, and Greed really has no choice but to half-stumble, half-follow after.
The room is warm, airy, soft light filtering in through the window, bouncing off yellow walls and dark brown, heavily carved furniture. There is a massive desk and a couple of matching armchairs and there's- There is Ling, propped up on one arm, frowning over a stack of paperwork, rich yellow robes gleaming with gold thread. Greed stares stupidly at the face he used to wear, the soft curve of a cheek, the jaw more prominent now that the last of the baby fat has melted away and he feels his heart give a single, painful stutter.
His hair is all grown up too, Greed notes distantly, bangs grown out enough to be pulled back into a tidy bun.
Ling finally looks up and Greed gets a glimpse of a friendly smile before Ling fully takes them in, eyes sliding from Al to Ed to Greed, and he freezes. Greed can hear Ed beginning to snicker next to him, vaguely entertains the idea of violence, but for the most part his thoughts seem to have been replaced with a dull, buzzing static.
It's funny, really, how you can feel an absence and still ignore the size of it, until it's staring you right in the fucking face. Greed would know. It hits him like a sledgehammer every time, without fail.
The silence stretches impossibly long, tense enough to start fraying, as Ling slowly, slowly rises out of his chair. He steps around the table, never once breaking eye contact as he walks towards him. Greed wants to say something snarky, opens his mouth to do just that, but his voice seems stuck in his throat, heavy like lead, and while he scrambles to find words, Ling is right there, face blank, fingers just barely brushing his arm.
In the end what comes out is, "Uhm. Hey."
The tension snaps. Ed snorts, loudly, and Ling's expression shifts, hand clamping down on Greed's wrist like a vice. He is all smiles now as if nothing of note's happened, wide and welcoming and bland-
He is also, very distinctly, not looking at Greed anymore.
"Ed, I didn't know you were coming! You didn't call ahead."
"Missed you too, shit prince." The reproach, if that's what it is, has absolutely no effect on Ed. He's grinning like a maniac, practically vibrating out of his skin. He was so sure Ling would be ecstatic to see Greed again, ribbing Greed mercilessly about his reservations, and now it looks like his patience is at an end. "Came up pretty last minute. See, got the weirdest phone call of my life from Roy Mustang last month-"
Ling cuts him off, still smiling. "Mustang! How is he? Still Colonel?"
Ed's shit-eating grin dims a bit, and his eyes flit over to Greed, confused, before going back to Ling. Who is. Entirely ignoring Greed's existence in favor of this little catch up. Which is fine and normal and absolutely a thing people happy to see you do.
Truthfully, Greed feels somewhat vindicated. He's told Ed that Ling wouldn't want to see him, fuck, whatever for? It's been years, he's the Emperor, he's obviously already got everything he once wanted Greed for. Whatever goodwill he might have earned himself- well. Nevermind that. This touching get-together could have very well been a letter, is his point.
"Uh, no, think he's a General now, but-"
"Well you must congratulate him for me, then! And how's Winry? I'm terribly sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding, I hope you liked my gift."
Ed's eyes find Greed's again, who feels just as lost in the face of Ling's aggressively polite chatter. He'd sort of expected... some kind of reaction by now. A stilted acknowledgement. Some sort of bland greeting. To get frog-marched out by Lan Fan, if he is lucky. They share a baffled look, and then Ed stares at Ling again, down the line of his arm to where he has a white-knuckled hold on Greed's forearm. Greed follows his gaze, because yeah, weird, isn't it? If Ling wants him to take a damn hint and go, this is rather counter-productive.
Somehow, somewhere, Ed's found his annoying fucking smirk again. Greed attempts to set him on fire through glare alone, but Ed just turns back to Ling, tone insufferably chirpy.
"Hated it, actually, thanks for asking! A boot, really? Are you ever gonna let that one go?"
Ling laughs at that, short and friendly and the sound of it makes the hairs on Greed's neck stand up.
Ah.
He's got this actually, he's pretty sure. Ling is pissed, but doesn't want an audience, not for... whatever this is going to end up being. Just why he's decided to get rid of this one by means of sheer, all-encompassing awkwardness is anyone's guess, though.
Ed certainly seems to be enjoying himself. Greed suspects Ed simply likes watching him squirm, the little shit, he's laughing while Ling exchanges a few more amiable words with Al, still holding Greed in a vice-like grip and still not looking at him. Greed can feel bruises forming under his skin, tiny blood vessels struggling to knit back together.
Fortunately for Greed's sanity, Al is much kinder than his sibling and elbows Ed reproachfully.
"Brother, come on, I think we should go."
"Uh, yeah, all right." Ed shakes himself, gives a smug little wave to Ling - "See you later, exalted twat," - before Al grabs his arm to drag him out, clearly exasperated by his brother's antics. Ed manages to shoot Greed one last infuriating, raised eyebrows grin and mouths 'good luck' before the door clicks shut behind them, leaving him alone with Ling-
-whose smile is gone, wiped off so fast it was absolutely for show. He's staring at a spot somewhere around Greed's shoulder now, jaw tense and unhappy.
Greed swallows, once, around the tightness in his throat. Time to face the music. This has always been a long shot, he knows, has been telling himself, and he's started out with nothing before. He can be on the next ride out tomorrow - he has a passport and everything, courtesy of one General Mustang, he can just. Go.
He gives his arm an experimental tug to see if that will dislodge Ling's grip on him.
"Hey, brat- look. It was Ed's idea alright, I can jus- oof!"
Ling fucking jumps him. Throws his entire weight against him, arms snaking around his torso and hands balling into the back of his shirt. Buries his face against Greed's collarbone, squeezing tight, and it takes Greed an embarrassingly long moment to realize he is being hugged. There's a slight tremor in Ling's frame, from how hard he's holding on.
Greed curls around him after a few stunned seconds, until he's hugging back just as tightly. He hooks his chin over Ling's shoulder and carefully wraps a hand around the back of Ling's neck, mindful not to mess up his hair, the other one slotting itself neatly along the back of his ribs. Like this, he is weirdly aware of the size difference. Ling isn't short, exactly, but he is smaller, yet somehow Greed keeps on expecting them to be the same height. It's... not a bad fit though, far from it.
He holds on tight, determined to bask in the closeness for as long as he's allowed. He'd- he misses Ling, all right, misses the constant weight of him in the back of his head, and it makes something in his throat prickle and swell, fighting to claw its way out. Greed holds himself very still, lets his eyes slip shut and it's almost like he can feel that presence, bright and sharp and familiar, burning just under his fingertips and yet out of reach.
They stay like that until Ling's back stops shaking under Greed's hands, until Ling takes a long, even breath and moves to extricate himself somewhat. Greed lets go, squashing the urge to pull him back in, well, greedily. He misses the warmth already.
There is none to be found in Ling's voice either, when he finally speaks up. It's...mostly flat, really.
"How long?"
And well, fuck. Back on track. Greed feels the resignation beginning to creep back in, before he even works out exactly what Ling must be asking about.
"Uhh, like a month, bit more?" He wasn't exactly allowed to linger. "Ed's pulled some strings, got me Amestrian citizenship in record time so I could, uh. Travel."
Ling seems to consider this very seriously for a moment, jaw working, before he nods once, sharply, tension visibly draining out of him. "All right."
A long pause, and then, much more quietly, tone almost musing, "I- did not think I would be seeing you again, you know," He's still close, arms half around Greed's sides, but the absent way he speaks, the way Greed has no idea what is going on in his head, he might as well still be all the way across the desert.
"Yeah, well. Turns out, the whole death thing? Didn't quite stick. Couldn't be that lucky." Greed tries for humour, but even to his ears it comes out fake, too loud. Ling doesn't answer - only his grip on Greed's shirt tightens, ever so slightly.
Greed squints down at him, suspiciously.
"You're not- uhm. Mad?"
At this, Ling laughs, a short bark that seems to startle him out of wherever his mind has gone off to. "Furious," he says, but before Greed can do much more than flinch, Ling adds "it's not important though."
Greed stares. This should have come as a relief. Instead he just feels carved out, as if a hole opened up in his chest, spreading slowly. "It's not?"
"Not right now, no." He meets Greed's eyes, finally, with a crooked little smile and for the life of him Greed cannot tell what's so funny. Then Ling flashes him a full on grin, makes a grab for Greed's arm.
"Well, would you like a tour?"
Greed blinks, thrown for a loop again. It's so much harder to get a read on Ling when he isn't sitting in the back of Greed's consciousness, radiating smugness. "Huh?"
"The palace I've been promising you... let me show you around?"
And that- Greed's not sure how to feel about that, more of a stay of execution than a pardon, but. Like hell he is turning this down. Ling wants to show off? Sure, Greed can do that. He's never turned down a chance to look at shiny things before, and it doesn't get much more shiny than the motherfucking imperial palace, so. Might as well.
"Sure thing, kid. Show me what you've got."
What Ling's got turns out to be... a lot.
Ling drags him all over the palace, chattering about the history of it, the layout, the craftsmanship, all the while never letting go of Greed's arm. It's a big place, even bigger than it seemed when Al was rushing them through back doors before, and Ling takes him the ostentatious route, breezing past curious onlookers. Through massive, carved doors, through corridors painted in a dizzying array of reds and gold, past gorgeous windows looking out onto luscious, carefully manicured gardens.
Greed... pays attention to approximately none of it.
He keeps losing track of what Ling is saying, drawn to the sound of Ling's voice in the background instead, the way it settles right in the hollow space where it's supposed to be, a comforting presence inside Greed's head-
Except he's not, he's a whole person with a whole body and a whole ass empire, presumably very happy about having bodily autonomy again. He is most definitely not in Greed's head, no matter how much that absence grates, deep under Greed's skin like a persistent itch he can't scratch.
And, fuck, Greed should really be able to enjoy this. He likes stupidly expensive, intricate things, still vaguely feels the itch to claim it all for himself. But, well. Even if they are within easy reach, there happens to be something shinier in the room.
So- mostly he just listens to Ling's voice instead and keeps sneaking glances at him, cataloguing all the ways in which he's changed since Greed was ripped out of their body. He's sharper, more grown, carries the mantle of the Emperor with apparent grace, but there's also- he seems happy. He looks like he...belongs.
Try as he may, Greed can't spot any gaps left for him to fill.
Ugh, but he hates this. 'Morose' doesn't suit him, there is nothing classy about that. He refocuses on the huge, intricate jade sculpture that is making Greed go a bit cross-eyed just from looking at it, the centerpiece of one of the palace's many gardens. Apparently. Since when does Ling care about art, anyway? He racks his brains for something to say-
"Nice. Don't think I could fit that next to Elric's foldout couch though,"
-which is where it increasingly looks like he is headed after this, to lick his wounds and figure out what to do with himself next.
When he turns to shoot a (somewhat forced) teasing grin at Ling, he finds him already looking back, a small frown on his brow. There has been...plenty of that now that Greed thinks about it.
"What?" It comes out sharper than intended, but doesn't exactly give him a reaction, Ling's eyes just narrow further if possible. Greed forces himself not to fidget under the scrutiny, cursing himself internally. He tries again, nudging Ling where his hand is still firmly wrapped around the crook of Greed's elbow. "Something on my face?"
Shit, should he have tried harder with the enthusiasm thing? Are they done with the tour, is he getting the boot already? He's not ready to go, doesn't want to be left alone with the echoing emptiness in his head just yet.
"You're not-" Ling starts, then shakes his head. "Nevermind, it's nothing. But I suppose.... it is a bit odd seeing you like this." He gestures at Greed's face, and Greed isn't sure if he means the new-old body, or the fact that they're now separate from each other. Either is fair enough, he supposes.
Ling clarifies, a bit hesitantly. "This is how you used to look like before, right?"
"Yeah." Greed sees no need to be coy about it, but doesn't really want to elaborate. He's... still not sure how he feels about it is the thing, the way it's both effortless and still somehow off. The way this body feels his, but so does the one standing next to him. What kind of person even has two bodies? What kind of person has none? Though- now that Ling's brought it up, actually... "How did you know, anyway? Thought I'd have to prove it or whatever, bring up the frog incident, but you caught on immediately."
Ling actually snorts - snorts - loudly at that. "Please. I know you," before snapping his mouth shut with a startled click.
And... fuck if Greed knows what to do with that, so he just blinks, wrong-footed, and watches Ling sigh before straightening up, having apparently made up his mind about something.
"Look, we can do this another time if you are tired," he fidgets with Greed's sleeve, briefly, before soldiering on "- the trip from Amestris must have been exhausting with only Ed for company." Ling's smile ticks up sharply - it looks like one thing here hasn't changed, he never did get tired of poking fun at Ed. Suits Greed just fine as Greed hasn't either. Just too damn entertaining. "Hold on, let's- this way."
Ling steers them towards a slightly less decorated part of the palace and into a small room off the side of a long corridor. He doesn't knock, barging in on a guy currently sitting at a too-big, obnoxiously ornate desk for what looks like a glorified linen closet. There's an annoyed frown and half a complaint on his lips before all the color drains from his face, having registered exactly who is standing in front of him. He stutters, but Greed finds he can actually follow the Xingese well enough. Score.
"Y- Your Imperial Majesty! What are you- I mean-"
The guy scrambles up and bows fast enough you can hear his spine crack, much to Greed's amusement. Ling meanwhile has apparently summoned all of his regalness or whatever. Seems like that whole shiny-yellow-gold getup really is working out damn well for him. It's kind of fun to watch.
"At rest, please," Greed can no longer literally feel Ling roll his eyes internally like he used to, but he remembers the sensation well enough. "Administrator Bei, there should be another set of rooms off the yellow courtyard, correct? Do make them ready for my guest."
The housekeeper hesitates, eyes flitting nervously to where Ling's hand is still hooked around Greed's arm. His hands twitch up in an aborted movement. Greed... kind of empathizes with the guy, it's the first time he's hearing about the 'guest' part too. He's not about to let that show, though, so he opts for standing up a little bit straighter and adding his own unimpressed stare to the mix.
"The, uhm. The… Phoenix suite..?"
"Yes?"
More fidgeting. There's sweat beading on his brow. Fantastic. "No, but your Majesty, the- Phoenix Suite?"
"Is there a problem?"
Greed's eyebrows shoot up at the ice in Ling's voice, who is now looming with all of his imperial might. Which is- quite a lot, actually. It definitely works on the housekeeper, who crumples like a house of cards and rushes to comply.
"Of course not, my apologies. I shall confer with Captain of the Guard imme-"
Ling blanches for a second, then abruptly cuts the guy off- "No, I will inform her myself. Just take care of your end." And ends the conversation with a sharp, dismissive hand gesture.
The housekeeper makes several more affirmative noises that Greed kind of loses track of and a whole lot of nervous bowing as Ling steers them back out into the hall, still bodily dragging Greed along with him. It's only once they're out of sight that he relaxes again, and Greed can't help but tease him about this.
"Shit, kid, thought he was gonna scrape the floor. What a big, scary Emperor you make."
Ling groans and pinches his nose. "Don't even start. Believe me, it used to be much worse."
"All high and mighty and regal-y. Almost would have worked on me if I wasn't already used to getting that look-" he scowls, scrunches his nose up as he remembers. "Okay, in all fairness I did usually let you have seconds."
There's a beat of silence. Ling's eyes crinkle into half a smile before he answers, softly.
"Yeah. Yeah, you always did."
The moment feels fragile, the silence stretching out uncomfortable and heavy. Greed almost, almost opens his mouth to ask about- something. But he chickens out, elbows Ling playfully instead.
"So, 'Phoenix suite', huh? Sounds fancy."
Ling blinks, visibly taken aback. "Wha- you got all that?"
"It was a language book or Elric's alchemy notes, dipshit didn't pack anything else. Do you have any idea how boring a desert trek is?" It has also been, Greed's found, kinda disturbingly easy for him to pick up the vocab once he got the hang of the whole tonal business. He's not admitting that one, though.
Ling's face does something odd again, but he just takes a long breath before his mouth ticks up into a tiny, crooked smile. "I do actually." He doesn't elaborate.
Greed nudges him again. He is both tentatively hopeful and mortifyingly nervous about that 'guest' part. "So, about that room?"
"Suite, actually." Ling looks sheepish for a second before his face smooths out into his usual half-smile. "Well, you know. I know your standards are high."
Greed preens, pathetically relieved now that he's sure he will be allowed to stay for a bit longer. "Damn straight they are. Can't be as fancy as your rooms though. What's that like?"
There is that complicated look again - Greed is getting better at catching these if nothing else, even if the meaning still eludes him. Is there some cue he is missing, are the Emperor's rooms off limits? But Ling settles on:
"Do you wanna come see?"
And- yeah, Greed does want to see. He's curious, sue him. The Emperor must have the most obnoxious room in this palace, he's sure there'll be something neat in there. Not to mention, now that he has reason to believe he won't be out on his ass by nightfall, maybe he'll even be able to appreciate some of it. Put his grubby little hands on all of Ling's most expensive stuff.
"Yeah, let's go. Gonna nab myself a souvenir while you're not looking."
At that, Ling laughs. "You can try!"
Ling's living quarters are, indeed, obnoxious as all get-out - although given everything he's just seen, Greed has a sneaking suspicion this is still after Ling had some shit removed. There's the notable lack of ostentatious statues and fancy vases, for one. It could almost pass for stark, if it weren't for, well, all the dark wood paneling, the red carpets over marble floors, the light spilling in through high, circular windows or the gold detailing it's glinting off of. His bed's even up on a fucking dais, boxed-in with more carved wood and heavy cloth and wow, okay, Greed wants to rummage through all of these drawers and closets so badly.
It is only after the doors fall shut behind them that Ling finally lets go of Greed's arm, gesturing vaguely at the whole of. Everything. Greed is- just going to go ahead and take this as permission to touch all the things until someone bodily stops him, because now that he's finally paying attention, the itch to do so is almost visceral.
"Holy fuck kid, just how shiny is that, is that a canopy- Ooh look at this-"
He resists the urge to march right up to and fall back on Ling's bed, nevermind how sure he is he's just identified the best mattress in the palace. He opts to explore the rest of the room first.
He is neck deep inside one of Ling's closets and carding through silk robes he couldn't start to guess how to put on properly before he remembers to have a quick look at Ling - but Ling is just standing by the door, a bemused smile on his face, arms tucked in the opposing sleeves. He doesn't seem to mind Greed rifling through his things.
"How do you even wear these? Do you spend an hour on it- do you trip over these bits-" he holds up a long yellow ribbon that pools around his feet in a shimmering heap. Ling laughs.
"I have someone to help me dress, usually."
And- hm. He's not sure why he doesn't like that particular piece of information- it seems wrong, somehow, that someone would be privy to Ling's more unguarded moments, someone Greed doesn't know- he squashes the possessive urge, distractedly wraps the ribbon over a shoulder and clicks the closet door shut. Moves over to some drawers - oh, scrolls! He squints at the characters expectantly, then scowls: suspicious language proficiency or not, he can't read them. Somewhere still near the door, Ling chuckles as he grumbles.
He's poking around at Ling's desk - inspecting a jade paperweight shaped like a lion, complete with a loose pearl rattling between its teeth (the base turns out to be some kind of official-looking seal - is there nothing purely ornamental in this place that Ling wouldn't miss immediately?) - when he spots a small wooden cabinet in an out of the way corner, behind one of the massive pillars lining the sides of the room.
Perched smack dab in the middle of it is a hexagonal box atop a square of red fabric. It would be understated anywhere else in this place, but here, it weirdly draws the eye.
Greed beelines for it. It's pretty, smooth black lacquerware with intricate carvings of plants and strange animals. He picks it up, mindful to sneak a look at Ling first because he is polite like that, but Ling hasn't moved from his spot. There's a slight tension around his mouth that wasn't there before, but he's not moving to stop him, so Greed figures it's all right. No state secrets in there. Not that he could read them if there were.
He lifts the lid, putting it aside distractedly as he takes in the contents of the box. Frankly, he was expecting either jewelry or snacks, but instead it's full of.. stuff? Really good stuff.
He zeroes in on a silver ring with a massive red garnet set into it, because it's huge and shiny and reminds him, vaguely, of a ring he used to own when he ran the Devil's Nest. Hm. Would Ling notice it missing...?
He absent-mindedly puts it aside, already distracted by the next thing. Gently lifts out an iridescent feather, small and delicate, runs a careful finger down the back of an ivory figurine of an expertly rendered pair of sleeping oxen. These are so neat.
There is a big glass marble with a colorful swirl inside, a few perfectly cut gems and a leather bracelet with a complex geometric pattern woven into it. He... he loves all of it.
It's an odd little collection, a mix of the mundane and the exquisite. A tiny, enameled bottle with specks of color no larger than a pinhead, a perfectly smooth rock, a pair of jet black, clip-on earrings. He loves it all, a lot, wants to squirrel them away to look at again later, to properly enjoy them. He might as well have picked them out....himself.
His eyes drift back to the smooth rock, unbidden.
He puts the box back down, carefully, before leaning back to take the shelf in, properly this time. It's only now he notices a small metal bowl behind the box, filled with white sand. The burnt-out remains of two incense sticks are still poking out of it. He blinks.
"... Ling. What is this?"
He looks up to find that Ling is no longer smiling. His shoulders have inched up to his ears and he's holding both of his arms by the elbows, hunched in like he expects a blow. It's an amount of vulnerability Greed's never seen on him, and it takes him way too long to place the feeling.
He looks like he's. Well. Like he's seen a ghost.
Ling is scared.
Greed closes the box with a soft click, two fingers lingering on the beautifully carved lid. He's pretty sure he knows the answer, but he still has to ask:
"That's- these are mine, right. For me."
Ling visibly swallows, and when he answers his voice is barely above a whisper.
"Yeah." He raises his chin, defiant despite the hunched shoulders. "People of Xing keep their promises. And we take care of our dead."
And.
Well. There's. It's. A lot. Greed feels full to bursting with. Something. A warm, overwhelming feeling, sticky and bright, enough to make his throat close up.
He opens his mouth but no sounds come out. He clicks it shut again. Swallows, dry and painful.
And then he throws his head back and laughs- and laughs, and laughs, hope clawing its way out of him with a vengeance, explosive and bright. Oh. He'd convinced himself that he was just here on borrowed time, being shown around as a courtesy, looking at the palace desperately trying to find a corner he could fit into and finding none. Missing Ling, never once considering that he might have been missed back.
So busy expecting rejection, it never occurred to him that Ling might be, too.
When he gets himself under control again, he flashes Ling the best and brightest shit-eating grin he has.
"Oh man, I've really been away for too long, haven't I? You've gone and forgotten everything I stand for."
But by now Ling is looking away, hurt written all across his face and jeez, it's like nobody ever paid attention to his hard earned pearls of wisdom. Remind him why he chose to hang out with this lot again? Guess there is nothing for it, he will have to stay this time round, make sure it sticks.
He calls out again and if it comes out kind of soft, what with the way his throat is still threatening to close up on him, kind of a bit too fond, well- there is nobody else here to witness it.
"Hey, didn't I tell you? You need to ask for the things you want."
Ling's head shoots up, wide eyed for a moment before understanding seems to dawn. He visibly gathers himself, straightening up like he's going for his haughty imperial countenance, but the deep, shuddering breath he takes before he speaks kind of ruins it.
"Stay." He says it like it's an order but Greed hears the question in it. Greed grins, full of teeth.
"Well, you did promise me an Empire. It's about time you delivered."
Ling's answering smile lights up the entire room.
Later, much later, after Ling realizes someone should probably save Al from Lan Fan's clutches and disappears for a bit to do something about it -
("He shouldn't have had this level of access." Ling moans, leaning into Greed's side dramatically. The effect is kind of ruined by him not really looking all that upset though. "Heads are gonna roll over this, you are not supposed to be able to smuggle people into my palace."
"What did you even offer her to keep her from tearing his balls off?"
"Oh, you know. Not much. Just my entire dignity."
"She let you get away with a freebie?")
- they do manage to circle back to the box thing.
Evening finds them sitting on Ling's ridiculously oversized bed, its contents laid out in front of them. Ling has shed some of his millions of silk layers and progressed from iron grip on Greed's elbow to stuck on like a limpet, arms around Greed's middle, cheek smushed against his shoulder kind of awkwardly. Greed... cannot bring himself to mind whatsoever, even if Ling's chin does sort of dig in painfully every time he tries to use that arm. He has better things to worry about regardless, like, say, interrogate Ling about every single one of his things.
He picks out the ring, enjoying the way the light glints off of it. He tries it on his middle finger, then his thumb, takes it off again. Nudges Ling lightly with his elbow.
"Let me guess, this one matched my eyes." He flutters his eyelashes, for a good measure.
Ling makes a rude noise and shoves back at him, but obliges.
"It was part of a- showcase of artisan skill from a Shen delegation. It just- felt familiar. Right." there's a short, wistful pause, before he snickers, poking at Greed again. "I guess it's so obnoxious I knew you would have liked it."
Greed hums, not rising to the bait because he does like it. It's very well made, much nicer than the one he used to have. He puts it back on, for now, and picks out two perfectly ordinary looking black dice. This time, he can hear the grin in Ling's voice:
"They're rigged."
Greed gasps, mock offended. "You're saying I'm the kind of person who'd cheat at games of chance?"
"Well, I definitely do."
Greed has to laugh at Ling's haughty tone. Well. No one calls out the fucking Emperor for loading dice. Probably. Very convenient, that.
He puts the dice down on the bed, hesitates, then reaches for the last item. It's a smooth, grey river stone, almost perfectly egg shaped, with two parallel white lines running through it. He knows this one already, and the fact that it is here, that he is holding it, is definitely making him feel. Some kind of way. Ling has gone still against Greed's side, so Greed breaks the silence first.
"...wouldn't have thought you'd keep it. You guys always gave me shit for all the goddamn rocks."
Ling huffs a little in amusement and then falls silent, long enough that Greed thinks he will have to be the one to say something again, before Ling answers, softly.
"Yeah, uhm. It was- I found it in my pocket, after- Afterwards."
Afterwards. After Greed went and fucking died (or not, gave it a good shot though), and Ed got his baby brother back, and Father actually died, good fucking riddance, and- everything. After the Promised Day, Ling kept the damn rock, the rock Greed had picked up because it was neat and because he'd itched to own something, anything just for the sake of it. Ling's kept it. Has gone and become Emperor, and also found more things that he'd thought Greed would like, and kept those too.
Greed's still processing that, if he's being honest. It is kind of much to deal with.
"I know I'm irresistible, but dang, didn't think you'd miss my face enough to keep a stupid rock."
He means it as a joke, an attempt to backpedal from the sudden, heavy mood, but it comes out sounding a lot more sincere- a lot more revealing that intended. Ling doesn't laugh, just fiddles with Greed's shirt for a bit, the words lingering awkwardly.
"I did, you know. Miss you."
And. Okay. Okay, Greed did know, has figured it out by now, thank you, but he didn't expect Ling to actually come out and say it. How is he even supposed to deal with that? He's still holding said stupid rock, fist balled around it, and chances a glance at Ling's profile. Who is frowning, looking suddenly determined, and when Greed opens his mouth to no doubt say something stupid again, Ling is faster.
"No, shut up. I'm only telling you this once- I didn't- it was-" He grabs Greed by the collar, pulling him down uncomfortably close, their noses almost touching- "I was so sure you'd come to Xing with me, okay? So many people died, but it never occurred to me that you could. And I've never-"
He grinds his teeth once before barrelling on.
"It's- Look. I wanted to be Emperor for my people. I want you, here, for myself."
"Oh."
Greed stares, eyes wide, throat suddenly dry again. Sure, they'd been getting along pretty well towards the end, but it had seemed obvious that Ling's offer to come rule Xing with him was- a compromise, on Ling's side. An attempt to bribe Greed into giving him full control of the body back. It didn't occur to him that Ling had meant it. Still means it, holy shit. He doesn't know what to say to that.
Fortunately, whatever Ling sees in Greed's face must have satisfied him well enough, because he nods decisively and lets go, snuggling back in, somehow worming his way in even closer. When he speaks again, he sounds deliberately airy.
"You know, for months I kept- I was always half-expecting your voice in my head quipping about all the dumb shit my council puts me through. I didn't think I'd be doing this alone."
Ling is doing a pretty good job of keeping his face under control, but now that he has a better idea of what to look for, Greed can see the tension around his mouth again, like- like earlier, when Greed found the box. He wonders if this is what grief looks like, on Ling.
Oh, but he hates this. He did what he had to do, to save his possessions, to fuck Father up, to make sure everyone else got to see another fucking day, so why does it still feel like he messed up, somehow? Like he'd still failed to protect something important. He didn't, the little pissant lived.
He'd do it again if he had to. But he didn't- he didn't mean to make Ling sad. He didn't really think he would be.
"I'm- look. I'm not sorry for how it turned out - shush, my turn now - I'm not. Fucker needed to go and you still had shit to do." Greed scowls, why is this so hard? "But. I am sorry- about the rest. For the- for leaving, I guess."
For dying, he absolutely does not say.
"Yeah, well. Don't do it again."
And he can't promise that - he has no intention of dying again (not in a way likely to stick. He might have to watch the non-permanent ones a bit more closely these days though), it sucked the last two times - but he's not letting harm come to his possessions if he can help it, he's lost everything once already and it was bad. Something must show on his face, because Ling frowns, squares his shoulders, and grabs Greed's arm, hard, until Greed reluctantly looks him in the eyes again.
"No. I'm not grieving you again, you asshole. It sucked." He pauses, seems to think something through for a second before adding: "Don't lie to me like that again."
Greed stares, trying to think around the lump in his throat, the heavy, scattered feelings in his head. In the end he just makes a show of rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. I won't."
Ling holds his gaze for a few more beats, squinting suspiciously before letting the fight go out of him all at once with what looks like the biggest, most dramatic sight he can muster. Then he sags heavily back against Greed's side for a good measure. Greed chuckles, and puts his hand on Lings head, patting absent-mindedly.
It's nice, this closeness. He's always been a tactile person anyway, used to muss up Ed's hair just for the feel of it, push Darius and Heinkel around a little when he could get away with it. But with Ling, it was- it was so jarring, waking up alone in his old body. Making quips at himself only to be met with deafening silence. Back in Amestris' loving custody, before he'd decided to risk asking for Ed, he'd spent that first night on the floor, digging his fingers into his skull, just- searching. Finding nothing but silence.
It's easier now that Ling's right there, but he still has this itch to… Grab him, and put him back inside his head, somehow. Offer himself back, maybe. Would Ling even take him if he cut his stone out here and now? Ling was his in a way nothing else ever was and left a weird hollow space when Greed kicked him out. Kicked himself out. Whatever.
He doesn't ask - might never find the guts for that one, really. The other thing though... he hesitates, but that might be safe enough.
"Did it… Did it get easier? The quiet. For you."
Ling is silent for so long Greed wonders if he didn't hear him. When he finally answers, his words are very soft and just a little bit slurred.
"…Eventually, yeah. You get used to it."
At least now all he has to get used to is Ling's answering quips coming from the outside, instead of the weird shared space full of howling souls inside of him. If Ling could get used to indefinite quiet, surely Greed can work with a two-body situation. It's more than he's been expecting. He is stupidly relieved he doesn't have to do this alone.
They sit in companionable silence for a little while longer until Ling begins to nod off, his breath evening out, slow and steady. He slides off Greed's shoulder, catching himself halfway with an annoyed mumble. Then slides again. After the third time, Greed figures he can lend a hand. He extricates his arm from where Ling has got it half pinned and wraps it around Ling's shoulders, anchoring him there.
"It's all right, kid. I got it from here. Take a nap."
It's not quite like when Ling used to sleep in the back of Greed's consciousness, a steady humming presence and snatches of dreams, but... it's nice, anyway. Familiar. Comforting. Greed thinks he can get used to this.
He carefully collects the scattered trinkets back into the box, heavy ones at the bottom, the more fragile things on top. Closes the lid with a soft click, strokes a finger over one of the weird little animals engraved into the lacquer. Chances a sideways glance at Ling, already firmly asleep against his side, tension finally smoothed out of his face.
He'll never stop wanting more stuff, it's in his nature. But. Maybe the most important parts are right here, already.