Chapter Text
The underground is just as empty and dreary as Greed remembers it being. His footsteps echo through the wide stone passageways as he makes his way deeper into the hidden depths beneath the capitol.
"Greed the Avaricious..."
From around the corner steps a woman of inhuman beauty. Her dark hair cascades down her back as she level's Greed with an arrogant smirk.
"How many decades has it been this time? Here to ask Father for another favour?"
Despite the mocking tone of her voice, Greed visibly perks up at her presence. He breaks out into a roguish grin, revealing his unnaturally serrated teeth.
"Lust the Lascivious! You're looking fine as ever."
He makes a show of leering at her curves, lowering his sunglasses as if trying to get a better view. Lust merely snorts, her smirk morphing into something almost fond as she sashays up to him.
"Answer the question, Greed. You've got a lot of nerve showing your face here after everything you said."
She uses a single slender finger to lift his chin until he's forced to meet her eyes.
"You're lucky Pride is busy with other matters."
Greed's smirk falls from his face and he scowls, tensing. The mention of Pride ruining his good mood for the moment.
"Aw c'mon, sis. Can't a guy take a trip back home to visit his family?"
The unamused look she levels at him makes it perfectly clear what she thinks of such a notion. Maintaining eye-contact for a moment longer, she turns back to the direction Greed had been heading before their confrontation. She takes a few steps forward before turning her head to meet his gaze over her shoulder.
"I'm sure I'll hear all about it before the end of your visit. You've never been shy about stating what you want."
As Greed moves to follow her, he's stopped by a sudden sharp pain in his chest. Looking down reveals his sister's fingers have extended to pierce through him. Five claws tearing through cloth, bone, and flesh to emerge from his back.
He lets out a bloody cough as his lungs struggle to pump oxygen - impaled as they are. Each shuddering attempt at breathing only causing more damage as his sister savours the look of surprise and pain on his face.
"What the fuck? I liked this shirt!"
His grousing does nothing to deter Lust as she draws back the Ultimate Spear, coldly looking at her brother's blood coating her hand. Red alchemical sparks flare as Greed's body easily repairs the damage. But the homunculus is too busy fretting over his ruined piece of clothing, pulling the shirt away from his body to examine the rips and bloodstains.
"That was me doing you a favour."
Greed raises his head to fix her with an incredulous stare.
"Better this than whatever punishment Pride might think up, or the revenge I'm sure Envy has planned for you. I'll tell them I 'took care of it.'"
At the reminder, Greed visibly cringes, finally giving up his clothing as a lost cause. He falls into step beside her, wiping his chin on his already ruined shirt as the two make their way deeper into the complex. Any hostility or resentment is quickly swept away by their innate understanding of the other's nature. Without much thought, the two seamlessly match pace as they move progressively older and less travelled hallways.
Eventually the winding corridors open up into a grand chamber, lit by sunlight filtered through glass somewhere far overhead. An underground sanctuary at the very heart of the country.
Greed glances around at the lack of anything with clear distaste. No decorations, no mementos, and none of the comforts enjoyed by the humanity living above. Only an uncomfortable stone chair standing in the very centre of the chamber, and the figure seated upon it.
"Yo, pops. Guess who's back in town."
Lust rolls her eyes at the disrespectful greeting but doesn't do anything more than scoff. Greed shoots her a grin - Pride would never let him get away with speaking like that were he present. In fact - Greed shudders as he feels a murderous presence at the edge of his senses - he still might not end up going unpunished for his attitude.
The figure in front of them stirs. The man before them looks up from his work to behold his children. Purple eyes meet gold as Greed is face to face with his creator for the first time in a long time.
"Greed, my son, with whom I have shared my soul. Have you finally come home at last?"
Greed snorts in amusement, confidently clearing the distance between them and leaning over his seated father. Ignoring the question, he looks Father up and down with an uncharacteristically thoughtful look.
"Damn, you've gone and aged quite a bit since I last saw you."
He opens his mouth to say more, but is interrupted by his own startled yelp as arms of shadows surge forth and yank him to his knees. Rather than fear, Greed's face twists in irritation, even as the bindings pull threateningly tight.
"I thought you said Pride was busy!"
He shoots Lust an accusatory glare as he's restrained and manhandled by an unseen assailant, but all she does in response is smirk. Unhurriedly, she makes her way to stand by their father's left side. The man himself doesn't yet bother responding to the commotion, only letting out a weary sigh.
From the shadows behind the stone throne emerges a figure who certainly wasn't there a second ago. The body is that of a child... but his eyes, and the way he carries himself, speak of a confidence and authority born from centuries of living. The look he gives Greed as he moves to stand on their father's right is pure disdain and irritation.
"Greed... you should be showing Father proper respect and deference."
The stern voice that carries to him is not that of a child's - carrying an echoing, inhuman quality that the rest present lack. The fact that his shadowy bindings are forcing him to kneel at their feet is clearly no mistake, as the being in front of him revels at the chance to force submission upon his most wayward brother.
"Why hello to you too, Pride. I'm doing swell, thanks for asking."
His sarcasm and defiance are noted and unappreciated as Pride narrows his eyes with a sneer. The bindings tighten, causing Greed to let out a choked sound as he's faced with the threat of strangulation. He meets the attempt at intimidation head-on, continuing to showcase his cheeky attitude despite the repercussions.
The seated figure of their Father lets out another sigh and sharply claps, causing the two brothers to freeze. He places a gentle, admonishing hand upon Pride's shoulder.
"Now, now, Pride. Greed was merely making an observation. Time certainly has taken its toll on this vessel."
The glance he spares towards his own seemingly-frail body is completely detached - as if this is the first time he's bothered to pay it any mind in a long while.
Pride's shadows recede as he turns from his disobedient younger brother towards their creator. His eyes lose a touch of their usual arrogance, instead filled with unquestioning devotion. Every part of him, physical and phantasmic, seems to wilt a bit at the negative attention.
"No more carrying on ugly brotherly quarrels in front of me."
Father's voice is filled with stern authority as he chastises the two. Lust, from her position to the left of the throne smirks down at both the kneeling Greed and the much shorter Pride. This gets her twin glares from her newly-subdued siblings.
"Now, Greed, my son. If you are not taking your place by my side, why have you decided to finally return to me?"
Father steeples his hands together and rests his chin upon them so he can give Greed his full undivided attention. At his side, a frown pulls at Pride's face before it is quickly masked with a look of disinterest. He steps into position at the right of and slightly behind the throne.
Greed picks himself up off the floor, making a show of dusting himself off just to see Pride seethe when he doesn't immediately fall over himself to answer.
Hands on his hips, Greed looks Father in the eyes and boldly states -
"Come up to the surface with me."
The reaction to his demand is immediate. Lust rolls her eyes with a scoff, equal parts unsurprised and uninterested. Pride tenses, scowling at Greed with narrowed eyes.
And Father?
The man who can, on a good day, be mistaken for a particularly animated statue?
He bursts out into rancorous laughter, head thrown back in mirth. This continued for several seconds, Pride's glower at Greed only getting deeper, before the ancient man finally waves off his burst of mirth.
"Come now, Greed. Enough of that old nonsense. Tell me what you really came here for."
An old and tired argument. The homunculi weren't ambitious enough for Greed's taste. Not satisfied with his near immortality nor the abilities granted to him - Greed, true to his nature, always wants more. A desire which drove him away from the capitol of the country and towards a town by the name of "Dublith" a century ago.
The rest of Father's brood have stayed close-by in central city with only the occasional trip further out. Opposite to his siblings, Greed keeps his distance and his independence. His visits are sporadic and departures typically plagued with resentment and disagreements.
Aside from that, Greed has been, for the past century or so, adamant that their Father should visit the surface and mingle with humans as his children have begun doing. Part filial piety and part selfish desire, he wants to ignite a spark of greed, of ambition in those golden eyes once more.
He lets the matter drop without resistance.
"Alright, then. Straight to business. I hear the military's been participating in some experiments... Human chimera."
Reclining in his chair, Father patiently waits out Greed's request.
"They're mine, so I want you to stop sending soldiers after them."
Father lets out a thoughtful hum, placing his hands back into his lap.
"While I wish I could help you, Greed - I'm not the one you should be making this request to."
He gestures to Pride, who stands up straighter at the attention.
"The military is a project your elder brother and Wrath are working on. I have no authority to make such a ruling."
The answer gets him an eye-roll but not an argument. They all know that he could simply use his authority as their Father to order nearly anything of them. And, out of all seven of the siblings, Pride has never once refused their Father any request. Still, he isn't one to interfere on behalf of his children save for during particularly vicious quarrels. Greed will have to convince Pride himself, unless...
"Oh, yeah. The new guy. Can't imagine he's all that pleasant"
The youngest and final sibling of the seven, Greed's been out of the loop for long enough that he hasn't had a chance to get acquainted with his newest younger brother. The fact that he is working alongside Pride is a bit of a surprise. Pride, in all things is demanding and cantankerous. Should any of his siblings fail to meet his exacting expectations, he makes certain they know it. If Wrath is anything like Father was after Sloth was created... Well, perhaps the military is the perfect place for such a dynamic. Plenty of humans to take their frustrations with each other out on.
"Wrath is a model homunculus."
Pride pipes up sweetly. Unlike you. Goes unsaid. At least, in front of their Father.
Greed shoots Lust a skeptical look, to which she only raises a single eyebrow. To get praise out of Pride without Father's prompting - even if only to insult Greed - is truly a feat. Whatever Wrath is like, he must at least be the type who can handle being bossed around by someone with the appearance of a human child.
"I trust that the three of you can come to an agreement."
Greed lets out a huff, but accepts the dismissal for what it is. He'll have to seek out their younger brother while he's in the city. Owing a favour to Pride is... less than ideal. Hopefully, Wrath can be appeased more easily. What would someone who embodies the sin of 'wrath' even want?
He makes his way out of the central chamber - using a different tunnel this time. Two sets of footsteps follow him. It seems like the sibling reunion isn't quite over yet.
Once enough ground has been covered that their creator won't be disturbed, and the corridor has widened into a small concourse, Pride and Greed both make their moves. A shadowy tendril lunges towards the younger homunculus but, at the same time, Greed transforms one of his arms into hardened carbon and blocks the attack.
"So predictable in your old age, eh, Pride~?" Greed sneers.
Just as he's about to continue goading his brother, he's swept off his feet by another shadow that's gone unnoticed. To the side, Lust lets out a breath of amused laughter as Greed is suspended in the air by an ankle.
"Woah. Hey! Knock it off"
The sudden movement sends Greed's sunglasses skidding across the stone floor.
"Wasn't prohibition enough payback for you? Thanks for that, by the way. I made a killing selling booze at a premium when all the other sources dried up."
He's met with an unimpressed glare from his brother and another snort of amusement from Lust. At least someone seems to be enjoying herself.
Perhaps due to their previous scolding, Pride only shakes Greed up a little before not so gently allowing the younger homunculus to get reacquainted with the ground.
"I wouldn't have to do this if you didn't come here and insist on wasting Father's time with your drivel."
Of course. The perfect son - always looking out for his Father's best interests. That and his self-imposed responsibility of keeping all his unruly younger siblings in line. No one asks him to do it, and they certainly aren't thanking him, yet he persists on making any of their business his problem. No, there are things about coming home that Greed hasn't missed at all.
Rising to his feet, Greed wants nothing more than to wipe that smug look of satisfaction off his older brother's face. Father hadn't even been bothered by the request! The only one expressing any type of annoyance is Pride himself. And never moreso than when Greed had startled a laugh from the old man. Really, it's not often Pride leaves such an obvious opening for teasing and mockery.
"Careful, Pride the Arrogant. You're beginning to sound an awful lot like a certain worm."
Whatever other inflammatory words Greed plans to goad their eldest brother with next, no one will ever know. It's in that moment that he finds himself flung through several walls as a massive figure rams into him from somewhere unseen. And, considering rhinoceros aren't native to the Amestrian underground, there's only one explanation for the attack.
"Ah... Envy..."