carnation

Title: Ransom My Heart
Chapter: Fourteen
Pairing: Greed/Ed
Rating: R/NC-17
Warnings: Nothing for this one, not really.

Third story on here to get updated tonight. That leaves Fallen for tomorrow if I can get properly motivated. Now that I am past that brick wall for this story things are moving along a lot smoother for me with it. So thank goodness for that.

Chapter Fourteen

Edward stepped outside for the first time, and immediately flinched as the bright sunlight assaulted his eyes. Sounds jockeyed for his attention, birds, squirrels, the wind. Even the smells of pine and grass came to him, and he breathed them in as if they were life itself. He’d been away from such stimuli for so long that they were overwhelming him, but at the same time they wrapped around him in a warm welcome.

Greed closed the door, and stepped up to Edward. “Whenever you’re ready.” He said, not wanting to rush the jaded alchemist. It was different being able to guide him inside the house, where he knew for sure Edward wouldn’t have anything to trip over. But out here? He’d let the blond walk on his own impulse.

With a slow nod Edward tried to blink his eyes into being adjusted to the sunlight. It took him several minutes before the pain went away, and it became easier to see. And when he could he noticed all the colors he’d begun to miss there in that cellar. Was the grass really that green? The sky really that blue? It was all so beautiful.

And without a word to Greed, he walked forward. Carefully.

His legs felt unsteady on the soft grass and soil, but he pressed forward as fast as he dared. The chain attached to the manacle at his wrist had dipped down to drag across the tops of the grass, giving him a general idea of where Greed was and how much rein he’d been given. And as he walked he looked around with a relieved fascination.

“It’s so nice out here.” He whispered to himself as he walked.

And he walked until his legs felt too unsteady, and he began to feel dizzy. As soon as he stopped he carefully eased himself to the ground, a contented sigh slipping from his lips as he felt the cool grass still damp with morning dew under the palm of his remaining hand.

Greed had stopped as well, about four feet away. “Are you okay?” He asked as Edward settled onto the grass looking quite at ease.

Edward glanced up at him. “Just a bit shaky, I’m fine. Need to sit for a bit.”

Greed nodded, and walked off behind Edward.

“Where are you going?” Edward asked, looking over his shoulder.”I’m not walking any farther. You’ll have to carry me or feed me, your choice.”

“I’m not having you walk anywhere.” Greed said, and looped the chain around the trunk of a nearby sapling. Normally such a tree wouldn’t stand a chance against Edward, but this was an Edward weak and without alchemy.

“Then what are you doing?”

Greed finished securing the chain to the tree trunk. “Making sure you don’t run away. I’m not your babysitter, I have some things I need to do out here. So this will give you plenty of room to move and walk around if you like, but you won’t be able to get free.”

Edward tried not to scowl. He was outside after all. There was a time where he needed to be grateful for the small graces he was being given. “And if I am attacked by wolves?”

“You won’t be attacked by wolves. I’ll still be nearby.” Greed reassured him. “Enjoy yourself.”

Watching Greed until the man had vanished around the side of the house, Edward then turned his gaze to looking at the area he was in. It had been cleared of trees nearest the house, leaving only grass. Though he could pick out the areas Greed most often walked, the grass was thinner there, if not worn through all the way to the soil. The forest seemed to surround the house, thick with pine and fir. He couldn’t really see landmarks from where he was sitting, all he could see were trees. Which was a bit disconcerting in a way.

And then the house itself… it was, if he had to admit it, beautiful.

He could see that when Greed cleared part of the forest he’d put the trees to good use. They’d been turned into the wood that made up the two story house. It wasn’t a big one, there was no need for it to be big. But it seemed like a quaint house with its wood and curtain-less windows. Looking at it from the outside, and not knowing what he knew now, he’d never have pegged it for a house that would be used to hold him captive. Never would have guessed that it was a house where he’d be cellar-bound and chained.

Looking away with a sigh, he turned his gaze to the sky. And he watched the wisps clouds float across it, and relished in the feel of the sun against him. At one point he took to easing himself to lie down, and he nestled into the soft grass despite its dampness. The sun felt good on him, warm and refreshing after so many days spent cold and in relative darkness.

He let his eyes close as he soaked in the sun, listening to the calls of birds and feeling the brush of wind against his face.

He never realized that his sleepless night caught up with him. But soon he was fast asleep feeling more peaceful than he had for a long time.

Greed had lied when he had said there were things he needed to do outside.

What things?!

He ran a hand back through one hair raggedly and turned beseeching eyes on the sky. As if the sky could help him with the problem of his lack of things to do. But no answers came, and he began to pace yet again along the back of the house. He had absolutely nothing to do outside. Yet his mouth had once again put him in a problematic situation. He couldn’t go back to where Edward was, he didn’t want to be around him and see that look of peace on that face. It made him feel guilty, and he didn’t like it one bit. Sure, he could haul Edward back inside, but he really didn’t feel like doing that either. That would load on the guilt too.

“I shouldn’t be feeling guilty.” Greed chastised himself. “It’s just business.” And that’s just what he had to keep telling himself: just business.

He paced until he began to feel dizzy.

At that point he decided that he may as well check to be sure Edward hadn’t actually been eaten by a wolf. Oh for small miracles. But he still needed the alchemist alive and uneaten.

So he reluctantly headed around the side of the house to where he could get a glimpse of the blond. And when he did, he halted abruptly. Edward was there in the grass, lying down, looking fast asleep.

“Oh sure, I have a sleepless night and he takes a nap.” Greed mumbled under his breath and started forward again.

He walked across the grass to where the blond alchemist lay, as he reached within a few paces of him seeing that Edward was truly asleep. He stopped. Looking the young man over he could see that the clothes were beginning to hang enough to be noticed. The healthy suntanned complexion beginning to fade into only memory. The blond hair was tangled at best, and had lost the shine he remembered. By all accounts, Edward looked as if he were withering away.

“I’ll do what I can to keep you alive…” Greed said quietly, “but there’s only so much I can do if you’ve still lost your will to keep living.” He knew Edward wanted to die. The blond had implied as much, Edward was just waiting for his time to finish running out.

“What…”

Greed startled.

“– do I have left to live for?” Edward mumbled sleepily, but clearly. And he let his head fall to one side while his golden eyes opened halfway, enough to see Greed standing there.

“I thought you were asleep.” Greed replied instead. It didn’t escape his notice that very little of the light in those golden eyes, the light he remembered, was actually there still and not the light of the sun reflecting in them. In the darkness of the cellar he’d not noticed. And earlier, he hadn’t taken the time to notice.

A faint smile flickered and vanished as Edward closed his eyes again. “Light sleeper.”

Greed waited for a while, but the blond said nothing more. “Is there really nothing left for you?”

Edward was drifting between his conscious and subconscious at the time. On the border of sleep and awareness. “No.” Was his quiet answer.

Greed debated it for a moment, and then he walked over closer to sit down next to the blond. “Even alchemy?”

“Don’t be stupid.” Edward replied drowsily.

With a frown, Greed thought about it. “How long have you been waiting for death?”

A weary breath passed Edward’s lips. “Since… since my brother was murdered.” And his eyes fluttered open again to rest on Greed. “I should have been the one. It’s my fault, really… that he’s dead.”

Greed gazed into Edward’s eyes silently until the blond shut them again. “How did it happen?”

“Doesn’t matter now. Don’t pretend you care.” Edward whispered softly.

About to argue that he did, Greed quickly closed his mouth. He wasn’t supposed to care, wasn’t supposed to involve himself with whatever was plaguing Edward and causing the life to leave him and the blond to want to wait for his own death.

“See?” Edward’s voice sounded almost amused. “Now be quiet and let me sleep for a while.”

Another thing he could argue, but Greed discovered he didn’t quite have the heart. And so he merely watched in silence as Edward’s breathing steadied out. Slowly he shifted so that he was lying down on his side next to the blond, propped up on one elbow as he watched Edward’s face in repose. Watched the wind toy with the blond locks of hair that otherwise hung limply around his face and over the grass.

He wasn’t sure why he was watching Edward, only that he was as he thought about what Edward had revealed about Alphonse’s death. Even if very little.

He was beginning to believe that Edward had seen his brother murdered. And if that were true, it would explain a lot.

As he gazed at the sleeping blond he felt his mind continue to wander. To pressing matters such as when he’d get his requested ransom amount. To the mundane, like which chicken he wanted to kill next. But his thoughts continuously circled back to wondering how long he’d be able to keep Edward alive if the blond truly was calmly waiting for death to take him.

And it sounded very much like he was.

So deep in his thoughts about Edward, that he didn’t even realize when his thoughts crossed that hazy line into something more like a daydream.

“You do have something left to live for.” Greed whispered to the half-asleep blond he lay next to.

Edward’s eyes fluttered open again, something akin to dark amusement passing through them. And he shut them again, wishing he had strength enough to deck the man, just so he could have some quiet. “Shows how much you know.” He said through a yawn. “Just because you kidnapped me doesn’t mean you know me.”

Greed reached out, before lowering his hand quickly. “What about me?”

“What about you?” Edward asked, almost grumpily.

This time, Greed’s hand did reach Edward’s hair, brushing a lock of it away from the blond’s face. And he met the startled and increasingly indignant gaze. “Am I not worth living for?”

Edward’s eyes narrowed. “Are you making a pass at me? Or are you just drunk.”

“I was being serious, Edward.” Greed replied as he brushed his hand along the blond’s cheek.

“Don’t touch me.” Edward leered at him. “Seriously.”

Greed smirked, but took his hand away. “So which is it? Am I worth living for or not?” And his smirk faded, his expression turning serious as he watched the blond.

“I would have saved your life if I could have.” Edward replied instead. “I wouldn’t save mine.”

“Then let me return the favor. Let me save you.” Greed whispered, his hand returning to run through the untidy fringe of blond bangs.

Edward closed his eyes, a sigh that spoke of suffering slipping past his lips.

“Edward…” Greed leaned down until they were only a few inches apart, if that. “Please… let me save you.”And he erased the last of the distance between them to press his lips against Edward’s imploringly, tenderly.

A loud caw of a crow taking flight out of the sapling he’d chained Ed to made Greed startle back to consciousness with a jerk.

He realized he was still propped up on one elbow, gazing over Edward who was surprisingly still asleep. Or at least trying to sleep. With a bit of a shaky breath Greed laid back against the grass, staring up at the sky. What the hell had that been about?

Sure, he’d had drea-nightmares like that before about Edward. But when he wasn’t really asleep?

Running a hand over his eyes he tried to steady his breathing, and focus on anything but the reaction his body had had during that daydream… daynightmare? Was there such a thing? Well, there was now. The last thing he wanted to do was kiss Edward! Much less save the man, he wanted to get rid of him!

Consciously he tried to will away the hardness that had been growing while he’d been out of it. And it took several disgusting thoughts involving trying to picture Gluttony naked before he succeeded. Subsequently he wanted to then hurl, but he managed to fight down that urge as well as he banished the unwanted imagery from his mind.

“You’d not trust me to save you anyway.” Greed said to himself, and came to the decision that as soon as Edward woke up again he would take the blond back inside. He needed a drink.

As it was it took Edward a few hours before he woke up. And he was rather shocked when he looked over to see Greed lying there beside him. The man had his arms back behind his head and was staring up at the sky seemingly lost in thought. “How long was I asleep?”

Greed jolted back to himself at that voice, and he looked over at the blond who was now watching him with those golden eyes and looking far more awake. “Maybe three hours total?”

Edward grunted shallowly, “better than the nothing I got last night.”

“You – you didn’t sleep last night?” Greed asked with a frown. He hadn’t slept either…

“No.” Edward admitted. “I couldn’t sleep… my mind… I kept thinking about stuff.”

“Stuff like what?” Greed pressed, not really knowing why he should care. Or risk being perceived that he cared.

Edward worried his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment before he answered. “You.”

Trying not to let his surprise show, nor let his mind have its happy dash back to his earlier daydrea-nightmare, Greed turned onto his side to face the alchemist. “Me? How so?”

“I may have nothing left to live for,” Edward began, not noticing the reaction Greed quickly masked at his words, “but I came to the realization that I’ve stopped wondering why the Gate hasn’t collected by now. End my suffering.” And he looked down towards the grass they both lay on. “And that I’m waiting to see what you do next, what you say next, what you throw at me next. I can’t help but wonder if I really will be okay in your hands. If I won’t be able to go seek out my peace before my time is up.”

Greed forced himself to take several deep breaths to get a hold on himself before he answered. “I guess that’s something we’ll both see.”

“You have no set plans?” Edward raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were a learned criminal.”

“Not all of what you’re waiting for is something that can be written ahead of time in a plan.” Greed answered, and sat up. “Now come along, it’s time you go back where you belong.”

Edward watched as the man stood up, and without argument he carefully eased himself up while taking a good look around. He wanted to stay out here longer, but he wasn’t going to protest and cause Greed to reconsider letting him outside again. He managed to get to his feet just as Greed finished unfastening the chain from the sapling.

As Greed walked back over to him, gathering up the correct length of chain he needed, he nodded towards the house. “Okay, marching time.”

Edward paused, and then turned to begin heading back to the house. “Thank you… by the way.” He said as he walked.

Greed followed behind him, and somehow managed not to smile. A resistance that was getting increasingly harder each time it felt as if one wanted to slip through. “You’re welcome.”