The Man He Once Was Greedling x Reader

“You found the prince?! Oh thank god I was really getting worried!” You slam your hands down on the table in joy as a few residents of the hotel look at you with distain in their eyes. Edward chuckles and rubs the back of his head, looking around before leaning close to your face.

“Keep your voice down [name], we’re trying to be discreet here and you yelling isn’t helping.” You laugh sheepishly and blush from embarrassment. Alphonse giggles and pats you gently on the head.

“Don’t pay attention to brother; he just doesn’t like people looking at him.” Edward glares at his younger brother before clearing his throat.

“Anyway, back to what I was saying. We did find Ling but he’s not really himself. He’s-he’s changed. I don’t know if you want to see him anymore.” Edward looks away as you furrow your brow in anger.

“What do you mean changed? I have to see him! I’ve been his servant ever since I was a child! I can’t desert the prince because he’s changed or some crap like that! I have to protect him with my life!” You stand up and hit the table with your fist, making a few water glasses lean precariously towards the edge of the table.

Edward runs a hand down his face in frustration, ignoring the stares from everyone else. “Why don’t you see for yourself how he’s changed? Then you can tell me whether or not you want to serve that guy anymore.” He stands up and reaches into his red coat pocket, throwing a few bills on the table before heading towards the door.

You and Alphonse follow his lead and exit the small hotel, the sun shining brightly in the sky. Edward stuffs his hands in his pockets and starts walking down the path, you right behind him.

“Tell me how he’s changed Ed. Does he dress differently? Less arrogant? More of an ass? Oops I’m not supposed to say that; don’t tell the prince I said that about him.” Edward smiles slightly but does not look back at you as he speaks.

“It’s too hard to explain; just see for yourself. He’s in a small house we’re occupying at the end of this road so just keep walking and you’ll see him soon.” You look to Alphonse for an explanation but he looks down at the ground and sighs.

“See for yourself okay [name]?” You nod and the three of you walk in silence until you reach the house on atop of a hill at the end of the road. You swallow nervously and ball your hands into tight fists, steadying yourself for what’s to come.

Edward opens the creaky wood door and pushes it open, the room filled with darkness except for a small fire in the middle of the dirt floor. “Who’s there? Is that you kid?” A deep voice calls out from the darkness, making you jump in fear.

“Yeah it’s us and we have a friend for you. She was a servant of the prince and she wanted to see him.” Edward gently pushes you inside and gives you a concerned look.

“We’ll stay out here so you two can talk but I’m leaving this door open okay?  Yell the moment there’s trouble.” You wonder why there would be trouble but you nod and give Edward a small wave, making him close the door.

The voice chuckles and steps out from the dark, his face being illuminated by the glow of the fire. You step back and try to observe the man in front of you, your eyes widening with shock. The man in front of you resembles Prince Ling Yao in many ways but you know that is not the prince.

This man is wearing a black Chinese shirt worn closed under a long, black trench coat with black slacks and black dress shoes, very different from the prince’s usual colorful attire. His ebony hair falls over his right eye and appears longer from the last time you saw the prince. The man’s eyes though are the most terrifying feature, being wine-colored, slanted eyes that seem to pierce your very heart.

You feel yourself trembling and swallow loudly to regain moisture in your mouth. “Where is Prince Ling? Where is he? Who are you?” The man looks at you in surprise for a moment before his mouth curves into a wicked grin.

“Oh that guy? Well you see, he’s not here anymore. My name’s Greed, a homunculus. Your little prince here sold his body to me so he could obtain immortality. He didn’t even fight me for taking control of him, he just let me. So sorry sweetie but he’s no longer with us.” You feel your hands shaking before they ball up into fists. You quickly step towards Greed and punch him as hard as you can across the face, your knuckles feeling like you’ve broken them.

Greed spits out some blood from his mouth and wipes it with the back of his hand, grinning at you sadistically. “Does your hand hurt? I have to admit you are quite powerful but I’m sure you did more damage to yourself than you did to me.” You grit your teeth in pain as you feel blood drip from your knuckles, barely able to move your fingers.

“You-you worthless piece of shit! Give back my prince! Give him back to me! You can’t take him away you freak!” You raise your bloody hand to hit Greed across the face again before he grabs your wrist tightly and squeezes.

You widen your eyes in shock and wince as he applies more pressure to your wrist, forcing you to drop to one knee. Greed smirks and kneels down with you, continuing to squeeze your wrist in a vice grip.

“Those aren’t very nice words to come out of a lady’s mouth you know. Besides I don’t fight women so you’re wasting your time with picking a fight with me. And, as evident by your hand, you’ll be doing more damage to yourself than me. So just accept your prince isn’t here anymore and move on with your life.” You bite your lip hard enough to draw blood, trying to distract yourself from the pain of your hand.

Greed smirks slightly and wipes the blood from your mouth with his finger, placing it to his mouth and licking the red substance off. He releases your hand and you rub your wrist gently, feeling bruises beginning to form. You keep your eyes on the ground and feel your cheeks grow hot from Greed’s action. He chuckles and stands up, swiping his pink tongue around his lips.

“You have spunk you know? Have good tasting blood as well. Get your hand treated by a doctor before it becomes infected or something.” Greed sits down by the fire and closes his eyes, basking in the warmth of the flames. You scoot closer to the fire and continue to rub your wrist, observing the relaxing man.

Greed smirks to indicate he’s aware of you watching him and you scoff in disgust. He lies down on his back and props his head up with his arms, his breathing beginning to slow down. “Don’t try to kill me while I’m asleep or anything; it won’t work.” You roll your eyes and stare at the fire, the flames dancing in your eyes.

“Greed huh? Who exactly are you? Why do you have my prince? I’ll get him back you know.” You think to yourself before glancing over to the sleeping homunculus. You feel your lips form a grin, your eyes narrowing dangerously.

“I’ll find a way to kill you, just you wait. You’re interesting though, I’m intrigued by you. It’ll be fun to know more about you before you die.”