"Sephiroth. Pass the salt."
Sephiroth looked up into the other man's face and grunted, then did as requested. "Here."
"Thank you." Genesis nodded, then garnished his food. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "So."
"So?" The taller man looked back to Genesis from where he had been focusing his attention - their targets. They had been sent on a mission together to investigate suspicious activity in one of the Slums, and the ShinRa administration had reason to believe that there was possibility for another uprising. There was also speculation that Sephiroth and Genesis had been deliberately paired for the mission, due to their 'dynamic'.
"So talk. Say something. You're boring me." The red-head huffed, starting to eat. After a few bites, he looked at Sephiroth again, incredulously. "You really haven't changed."
"Hm. What do you mean?" Sephiroth responded somewhat uninterestedly, looking back across the square from the restaurant outdoor seating area the two were situated in.
"Since then. You're still..." Genesis trailed off, rolling his eyes as he took another bite of his food.
"Still what?" Sephiroth didn't look at him, and he spoke quietly, but Genesis could tell he was getting exasperated already.
"...Boring." The older man finished, shrugging. "You don't say much. It's hard to be on mission with you."
"Hm." The silver-haired man chuckled, but didn't continue, prompting Genesis to sigh.
"What."
"Nothing." Sephiroth replied, looking back to Genesis. "Nothing at all. Why?"
"Ugh." Genesis shook his head, setting down his cutlery. "...Whose idea was it to send me with you anyway." Sephiroth didn't speak, only shrugged, so Genesis continued. "I mean people know we... don't get along."
"If you say so." Came the soft and measured response. Growling, Genesis flexed his fingers, and Sephiroth turned to look at him again. "What is it now."
Shaking his head, Genesis tried to ignore the rising level of his irritation. Sephiroth, though, picked it up.
"Don't say nothing. I'd rather get whatever it is out of the way."
Genesis glared. "Fine. You really want to know?"
"Yes. Fine. Whatever it takes to shut you up." Sephiroth sighed softly, then focused his attention on the red-head.
"I feel like you do this... whatever it is you do, act stoic and quiet and stone cold just to piss me off. You always have, even when we were..." he trailed off, waving his gloved hand, then continued. "It's as if you don't have a soul."
Sephiroth didn't say a word, but instead blinked, focusing his green eyes elsewhere, even though their target was nowhere in sight. Genesis took a deep breath to calm his annoyance, then spoke again.
"See? You're doing it right now. You could tell me whatever it is that's going on up there, and maybe I wouldn't be so bored and annoyed. Unless that's what you want, which is what I'm starting - no, continuing - to think." He huffed indignantly, then picked up his cutlery, continuing to eat. After a bite, he waved his fork and added, "like you're trying to punish me or something." At that, Sephiroth sighed and redirected his gaze. Genesis set the fork down - that gaze was different. "...what?"
"Punish you? For what?" Sephiroth's voice was deep and smooth, like always, but there was an edge to it; an edge Genesis couldn't place. He proceeded with caution.
"For... abandoning you. Or something." Genesis shrugged it off, then picked up his fork again, despite the disappearance of his appetite.
"Hm."
There is was again, that monosyllabic answer. Non-commital noise. Genesis took a deep breath, then decided to press the matter. "Sephiroth, we have nothing better to do. Talk to me." He wasn't expecting an answer, so when Sephiroth spoke, it surprised him.
"I'm not entirely sure you want that." The younger man barely murmured into the air, not looking at his partner, but once again across the square.
"You know what, I do."
"Hm." Genesis started to get irate, until after a moment's pause, Sephiroth began to speak again. "I don't do it to make you angry. I don't do it to annoy you, and I don't do it to punish you. I just... like being quiet. Keeping my thoughts to myself. That's all." He didn't turn back to Genesis, who just blinked, his curiosity piqued.
"Why do you do it then?"
"Stay so quiet?" Sephiroth questioned, watching Genesis out of the corner of his eye. When the red-head nodded, Sephiroth continued. "I do it to protect myself."
"From..." Genesis raised his eyebrows, eyes fixed on the younger mans profile.
Sephiroth shrugged, then continued to look across the square, even though there hadn't been anything there for quite some time. Genesis sighed, getting up and moving over to stand in Sephiroth's line of sight.
"No." The word was spoken almost in a scolding tone, and Sephiroth looked up at Genesis as if he knew he was being disciplined - or that it had been attempted. Genesis elaborated. "Explain. I've been wondering why you're so quiet ever since we were 'involved', and I could never figure it out."
The younger man shrugged again, and once met with a glare from Genesis, stood up. "I'm going back to the Inn. You can come with me if you want. I'm done here." Sephiroth set down some gil on the table, then turned, walking back to where they had come from. Genesis fell into step beside him a moment later, and looked hesitantly at him.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Sephiroth's tone was so sharp and curt that it immediately silenced the SOLDIER First Class. Upon arriving at the Inn, Sephiroth made his way up to their suite slowly, as if he was distracted by the things going on in his head. After being slowed down on the stairways for a good 10 minutes, Genesis sighed, and snapped Sephiroth out of his reverie. As they stepped into the suite, Genesis chewed his lip, then spoke again.
"Sephiroth..."
"What." the response wasn't even a question this time, and it didn't sound calm. It sounded - hurt. Genesis blinked, then decided to press on.
"What goes on in your head, Sephiroth? I actually want to know."
"No you don't."
Genesis sighed; this was starting to look like it had a year ago. "Yes, I do. I might not have then, but I do now."
"I see." Sephiroth didn't look like he wanted to continue speaking, but he continued nonetheless. "When we were involved, as you say, I didn't want to get attached. I've never been attached. I never wanted to be. When you get attached, you lose people - and I've never had anyone, so I've never lost anyone."
Genesis stared at Sephiroth seemingly dumbstruck, this was the first time they'd ever spoken about anything like this. To his surprise, the younger man kept talking. "I didn't want... you... to be someone I would get attached to. Because I didn't want to hurt when I lost you. I knew it would happen."
"I see..." Now it was Genesis' turn to not say much. This was entirely new to him. As if Sephiroth's words hadn't confused him enough, his confusion doubled when the silver-haired man started to laugh softly. "What...what's so funny?" Genesis narrowed his eyes, unsure of what to make of the situation.
"Ahh... just the mindset I was in. I didn't want to speak, express myself, because I didn't want to get attached to you. It's funny."
"Why?"
"Because it didn't work." Sephiroth turned to look out the window of the inn and out into the slums, shrugging.
"What do you mean?" The red-head kept still, not moving away from or towards Sephiroth, sensing that it might be best to remain quiet and still.
"I started to care about you. And I shouldn't have, because you were the first person I felt any kind of 'need' for. Be as smug as you want, because it doesn't change the fact that I was stupid enough to get attached to someone who wasn't even there for that purpose." He spoke with a hint of something in his voice, but Genesis couldn't place it; sadness? regret? He didn't have much time, because Sephiroth kept talking. "Our situation, as I saw it, was meant to serve our physical needs, and that's it. And something better came along. I shouldn't have expected you to care about me. But I suppose I did. So I keep it to myself. It doesn't matter."
Genesis opened and closed his mouth wordlessly, contemplating whether he should just stay silent, or be honest. When Sephiroth turned, and Genesis saw something completely raw in his eyes, he made his decision.
"That wasn't why I ended our 'arrangement'." The older man spoke softly now as well, quiet regret lacing his voice now. A questioning glance from Sephiroth prompted him to continue. "To be completely honest, Sephiroth, you were cold. You never spoke to me, you never communicated with me except for in the most rudimentary physical way, and... that... wasn't enough for me. I started to like you." Genesis shrugged and moved forward himself, looking out the window alongside the taller man. "I just didn't see how you could ever comprehend anything more than a completely sexual relationship, and I saw myself getting shut out in the long run, so I ran away early. There wasn't anything or anyone else. Excuses."
Sephiroth snorted softly under his breath, then murmured, "So that's it."
Genesis blinked, turning his head to regard the taller man. "Hm?"
"That's it then. I tried to protect myself, and so did you. And now we're..." He shrugged, still looking out the window; Genesis sighed and decided to be truthful.
"I cared about you, Sephiroth. I thought you were good in bed, obviously, but I had an attraction to you outside of that. When I thought it wasn't returned..."
"I know. And the truth is that I felt the same. There was something about you that drew me to you. Maybe it's a similarity between us, or your attitude. Or the way you conduct yourself. I found myself starting to feel possessive and jealous with regards to you, and I felt that was out of place."
"I... yeah. Same here." Genesis murmured, then looked quietly out the window again. The room was silent for a good few minutes, then Genesis turned around to face Sephiroth. "I want to make it up to you."
Sephiroth shrugged, his gaze moving after a moment, and locking on Genesis'. "How do you plan on doing that?" It didn't register when Genesis idly licked his lips, or when he moved closer; instead only becoming apparent when soft lips were pressed against his, and a chest resting against his own. Closing his eyes, Sephiroth returned the kiss to some extent, then opened them as the other man pulled away.
Genesis looked up at Sephiroth, eyes flicking back and forth over the taller man's own, trying to gauge whatever was going on behind them. A moment later, Sephiroth closed the distance between them again, an arm wrapping around Genesis' waist; lips finding each other much more surely and swiftly, any hesitation disappearing after a moment's contact.
Soon, both men were quickly disrobing each other, leather and buckles removed and tossed aside as familiar flesh came into view, hands and lips moving over bodies they had seen before many times, but never like this.
Soon, the familiar sounds of lovemaking filled the small rented room, but once again, in its familiarity, this time was different. Hands gripped biceps desperately, arms wrapped around shoulders, legs around a waist; backs arched as they brought each other to the point of complete and utter ecstasy, lips trailing over a shoulder and neck soothingly, a hand brought up to caress a cheek before a deep kiss.
"Oh..." Genesis panted quietly as Sephiroth rolled off of his body and onto the mattress beside him, eyes closed and chest heaving. "Wow..."
Sephiroth didn't respond, but instead put his arms around the smaller man and pulled him close, holding him there against his chest. Instinctively, Genesis curled into the embrace, Sephiroth's familiar scent and embrace comforting him. Feeling a tightening in Sephiroth's arms, Genesis looked up, nuzzling under his chin.
"I'm here now."
Sephiroth nodded, closing his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly upwards into a smile as he held Genesis close. "So am I."
And this time, there was no need for verbal elaboration the two knew exactly what the other meant.