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The Greed-ler had done everything in his power to ensure he and his other self had the perfect life within their home. Yes, there were moments where it all fell through. Some days Once-ler would fight to leave him, wanting nothing more than to escape the mansion that had become his prison, but the Greed-ler always found. He could never get too far before he brought him back. After all, they were connected. Their minds were one; every though from one of them could be picked up by the other without incident.
There were days of fighting, days of annoyance, and then there were the days that Greed hated the most. The days where Once couldn’t even get himself out of bed, too miserable and filled with self-loathing to want to move an inch. Greed never knew how to handle it. The first time it had happened, he’d assume he could slap it out of his other self. He’d brought his palm across the boy’s face with as much force as he could muster, his hand stinging from the force. It had only made matters worse. Once hadn’t looked at him for day after that. He’d just stayed in their bed, hiding his shaking body under the piles of silk sheets and his face pressed into a down feather pillow.
Greed’s next attempt had been to ignore Once, assuming the problem would just fix itself. He had once again proven himself wrong, however; instead Once had just assumed that he was mad at him and had eventually dragged himself out of their room to beg and plead for Greed to not hate him. Snapping at him, Greed told him to return to their room and get a handle on his emotions before he left the room again. That night he was forced to listen to the soft sniffles coming from the boy as he tried to sleep. It left him feeling wretched. There was a certain front he had to keep on and at times Greed felt himself becoming lost in it. Maybe violence and snapping weren’t what the boy needed…
The third time was the charm, however, and this time Greed had a plan. As the alarm sounded in their room early one winter morning, he could already see the signs in Once’s body language. He was curled in on himself. His arms were wrapped lifelessly around his knees and Once did his best to keep his face from being seen. Tears were something Greed didn’t tolerate unless they were formed from ecstasy in the throes of their fucking. Sighing, Greed rose from the bed, leaving the boy for only a few minutes. He left the room in search for a few things.
Upon his return, he could hear the boy sobbing, no longer keeping his emotions contained. Greed looked to the tray he was carrying in, hoping that its contents held something to fix the problem at hand. Setting it down on the table by the fireplace, he got to work setting up. Striking a match, he knelt down to set it upon the wood, lighting it and watching as the room was illuminated in the fire’s glow. He’d yet to open the curtains in the room, so it had been dark as night only moments before.
Next, he picked up a packet and opened it, spilling cocoa powder into a cup he had brought into the room with him. Setting the empty packet down, he moved to pour the hot water from the kettle into the cup, then mixing it to produce a steaming cup of hot chocolate.
Now it was time to see if this plan worked. As he came upon the bed, he moved to lift Once. Slipping one arm under the boy’s knees and the other supporting his back, Greed held him close to his chest and he brought Once to sit with him by the fire. Though the boy was fighting against him, he looked uncomfortable in the situation. Sitting down upon the plush velvet couch, Greed adjusted the boy to sit on his lap, smiling as he grabbed a blanket to their left. He draped it across their laps and snuggled into the boy.
“Now Oncie, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I think it’s time to relax, hmm?” Greed’s lips connected with his other’s neck, the words ghosting over his exposed flesh. He nuzzled into the boy’s neck, enjoying the feeling of the warm skin on his own. “So today, we’re going to make you feel better. I think my little pet just needs some love from his master.”
Once remained silent; he was bracing himself for whatever his more powerful self was planning. The mistrust wasn’t necessary today, but Greed kept that fact to himself. Instead of giving into the boy’s fear, he merely leaned forward and lifted the cup of cocoa off the table. Holding it up, he brought it to Once’s lips.
“Now open that pretty little mouth for me, Oncie. I got this just for you. It will make you feel so much better.” The fingers from Greed’s free hand brushed against Once’s lips, not to pry them open, but to tempt him into opening them. Force wasn’t always necessary, after all.
The younger boy opened his mouth hesitantly, but as the cocoa ran over his tongue, he couldn’t help but perk up just a bit. He wasn’t entirely better, but it was a start, and as Greed continued to hold him and give him sips of cocoa, things almost seemed to reflect the perfection Greed strove to create for them.