Chapter Text
“Lan Fan, please, you need to rest!”
“I’m fine! I need to get out of this hospital!”
“You lost an arm, it takes more time than this to recover!”
“You have no say in this matter, demon. If she wishes to return home she should return home.”
“You listen up old man—”
The argument was interrupted by Ed opening the door to the hospital room. “I, uh, I brought coffee and tea.” He said awkwardly.
The hot drinks were distributed in dead silence. Everyone took a sip then resumed their angered conversing.
“The doctor said you need to stay longer, Lan Fan.” Ling pleaded.
“I feel so useless just lying here!” She said frustratedly. “I need to build my strength back up.” Ling started to protest. “And if I must rest to do so, then at least let me rest in my own home.” She amended.
“She has a point.” Ed said. Ling shot him a glare. “Um, hey, can I talk to you outside for a minute?”
Ed and Ling found a relatively secluded place to talk just outside the hospital room.
“I really wish she would just listen to me. Or the doctor. Or Greed.” Ling said with a sigh.
“I don’t think she’s ever going to listen to Greed.” Ed snarked.
“That’s part of the problem. Both her and Fu are still acting pretty hostile towards him and it makes everybody tense and irritable, I can’t imagine what it’ll be like living with both of them. They just need time to get used to the idea, I know, but I wish that during that time I could be somewhere else.”
“Then I might just have a solution for you. Look, before Hoenheim left he gave me and Al the key to his storage locker. It’s full of all of his research and magical artifacts and stuff. We’re going to go there and learn everything we can.”
“That’s great!”
“Yeah, it’ll take us a couple weeks to drive there and we're going to make a road trip out of it. A real road trip. I wanted to ask if you and Greed wanted to come too. Don’t worry, we’re not leaving until Lan Fan’s out of the hospital.”
“After all of this…I don’t know if I can leave them.”
“You just said you wished you could have some time away! Listen, you’ve been through a lot too. At least as much as everyone else. You deserve to do what you want now.”
“…Fu and Lan Fan won’t like me leaving.”
“It sounds they also wouldn’t be too happy about Greed staying.”
“Wouldn’t leaving just make it take longer for them to get used to him?”
“Maybe. But knowing you’re having fun and acting like a normal twenty-year-old will probably help a lot.”
“What about school?”
“Dude, the semester ended two days ago.”
“Oh. Well there goes my GPA.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll recover. What were you planning on doing about school anyway, now that you’re, y’know…”
“Possessed?”
“Yeah.”
“Well,” Ling started. “Luckily my life plan is in alignment with Greed’s values, so we didn’t have to fight about the necessity of my continued education. But Greed is going to be choosing one of my classes each semester from now on.”
“I’m sure that’ll turn out well.”
“Sarcasm is childish, Ed.”
“Okay okay. Now what else do I have to say to get you to say yes like I know you both want to? How about this: Does Greed want to learn some more demonic magic?”
“Eh, I probably should.” Greed responded. “Just in case we get in another fight.”
“See! This trip will be fun and make us stronger.”
Ling thought for a moment. “…Alright, you’ve convinced me.”
“Really? Awesome! I’ll go tell Al.”
“And I’ll try to convince Lan Fan and Fu to let me go without them coming along too.”
……
Ling waited, his packed bags sitting beside him. As he did, he threw one of Greed’s many gashapon bouncy balls against the nearest wall and caught it repeatedly.
“I can’t wait to get out of this house. No offense to your family, but I’m really looking forward to not getting glared at every time I speak.”
“Yeah. Spending some time with only people who are already friends with you will be good for us.”
“I still can’t believe we’re doing this. That we get to do this instead of being dead in those woods.”
“Yeah.”
“Ed’s dad beat someone using souls as a battery. Souls. There’s only seven demons in the world who can become that powerful.”
“Including you.” It wasn’t a question.
“…Yeah. I’ve never actually been that powerful though. I’ve never actually bought a soul, I just have the ability to.”
“Why not?”
“Buying people’s loyalty always seemed more useful.”
“You mean making friends.”
“No. Henchmen.”
“Greed…” Ling said. “I’m still getting used to the idea that there are beings in this world that can be as powerful as what we faced in the woods. But…I’m glad at least one of them is someone like you.”
“…Thanks, kid. But maybe if I had lived up to my potential a bit more we would’ve had better luck in that fight.”
“Hey, don’t go feeling guilty, it’s not your fault. And we’ll find more ways to make you more powerful when we get to Hoenheim’s storage locker.”
“Right. Speaking of that, why’d you really agree to go on this trip?”
“What do you mean?” Ling feigned confusion.
“I can feel how much you want to stay. You want to go too, but nothing Ed said was a good enough reason for you to say yes to leaving your family right now.”
“You want to leave. You need a break from them.”
“If I can’t bullshit you, then you can’t bullshit me. I know that’s not all of it.”
“I…The truth is we need to get strong enough to make sure we never have to make a choice like we had to make back there in the woods again. Strong enough to keep everyone safe. And going with Ed and Al is the best way to do that.” To Ling’s surprise Greed laughed at this. “What?”
“Nothing, I agree. It’s just, wanting to protect everyone, you’re starting to sound a little greedy there, kid.”
“I guess you’re a good influence on me.” They both laughed. Then Greed grew more somber.
“Listen, Ling, I’m sorry. I’m sorry your family got hurt and you lost your chance to get your body back all to yourself.”
“Greed…I still feel the way I did before. I’m fine with you being here with me.”
“Indefinitely?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I think so. If you’re okay with it?”
“I think I am too.”
Ling took a moment to push all other thoughts from his mind and just focus on their mutual contentment. “I think that’s enough serious talk for now. Listen, I may have some less than lighthearted reasons for going on this trip, and there may be a lot of hard work waiting for us when we reach our destination, but we’re still going to have fun on the way there. I want us to try everything!”
“Damn right. You still owe me all I can eat pizza.”
This earned another laugh from Ling. “I guess I do.”
There’s a knock on the door, then Ed opens it. “Hey, Greedling, we’re ready to go.”
“You are not calling us that!” Greed protested.
“Whatever, just come on.”
Ling grabbed his bags and walked out of the room. “Y’know, we’re going to have to stop every time we see a storefront psychic just so we can see if they can tell I’m possessed.”
“I thought I vetoed that idea.” Ed responded.
“But Al didn’t. I mean, how else are we going to make some contacts in the supernatural community.”
“Ugh, I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I am.” Ling said with a cheeky grin.
Ling was happy. Greed was happy. And their happiness mixed together until it wasn’t easy to tell who was feeling what. But maybe that didn’t matter right now, not with a whole world of opportunity stretched out in front of them. They walked out the front door and started their journey.
“We call shotgun!”