Angeal looked at Genesis with an amused smile that he was desperately trying to hide. The young man's skin matched his hair, both a lovely shade of red. Angeal was sure that he would get hit if Genesis had the gumption to raise his burnt and blistering arm. At the moment the red-head was too busy basking in the soothing sensation of the aloe gel that Angeal was spreading over his burned skin. He had warned Genesis that sleeping in the dumbapple orchard would only be comfortable if he was in the shade, but Genesis liked the sunshine warming his skin and told Angeal he wouldn't have any problems and that he should mind his own business. Angeal had simply nodded and gone to the store to get the aloe gel for Genesis' inevitable burns.
Genesis had woken up with his skin blistered, dry, and redder than the hair on his head. He glowed the color. Even his lips had been scorched by the sun. No exposed part of him had escaped the burning rays of light that had poured from the sun as it did its best to prove Angeal right. Genesis had slept with his shirt off and Angeal took great pleasure in shaking his head disapprovingly at the burn around and inside Genesis' bellybutton. He had never seen someone burn their bellybutton before and he didn't imagine it would be comfortable once the skin their peeled. Despite the entertainment value a burnt and miserable Genesis presented, Angeal knew that he would be embarrassed as hell once everyone found out. Sephiroth wouldn't laugh out loud, but he would get that smirk to his thin, pale lips that made Genesis scowl so hard his eyebrows touched. Genesis wouldn't let the humiliation keep him from being social either, so he and Sephiroth would run into each other often and each time Genesis would get angrier and Sephiroth would smirk more. Then Angeal would have to play mediator and fix the problem, a problem that could have been easily avoided by Genesis wearing some godsdamned sunscreen and sleeping in the shade of a tree instead of in the sunlight.
Genesis grumbled quietly, not moving his lips much as he talked; they were so burnt and swollen that he was afraid they would split open and bleed if he moved them too much; he really didn't need anymore pain. "This sucks."
"I would say I warned you, but I think you'd hit me." Angeal smeared a thick layer of aloe over Genesis' back.
"Can't lift my arms." Genesis grumbled quietly, face in agony as he moved it. "Say whatever you want, jerk."
"Don't be like that, Genesis." Angeal paused in his work, hand sticky with aloe.
Genesis quickly apologized, afraid that Angeal would stop putting the curative gel on his many burns. "Sorry, Geal. Just miserable."
Angeal nodded and slathered Genesis' back and arms in aloe. "I understand, Gen."
Genesis sighed in relief as Angeal put the gel on his face and neck, two of the most sensitive spots that had been burned. "Sorry I didn't listen."
"You never do. I'm used to it." Angeal smeared gel across Genesis' nose, watching the skin peel under his touch. "You burned yourself really badly. You shouldn't be peeling this soon. You're going to be in pain for days."
Genesis winced at the venom-less way Angeal expressed his disappointment with him, whimpering as his straining lip split as his lips twisted. A small drop of blood leaked out of the cut and he licked it away, not wanting Angeal to see more of his self-inflicted hurts. Had he not been so stubborn he would have taken Angeal's advice and slept under a tree instead of in the open. He wasn't sure why he never took Angeal's advice, it was often well thought and useful and very seldom misleading. Maybe it was because Sephiroth followed Angeal's advice that he was so averse to following it. Sephiroth pissed him off; plain and simple. Maybe it was because he not so secretly had the hugest crush ever on the silver-haired hunk that rarely showed any kind of emotion towards him and made him feel like a reject more than he made him feel like a friend. Sephiroth was always showing him up and he hated it. He just wanted to impress him, why did Sephiroth always have to out do him?
Angeal smiled as he coated Genesis in a thick layer of aloe. "I think I'll need to restock tomorrow. I didn't think you'd need all three bottles of aloe."
Genesis sighed in relief as the cooling aloe soothed his pained skin. "I'll pay you back, Geal. Promise."
"You don't need to. I've got it covered." Angeal smeared the gel on Genesis' bright red, peeling ears.
"You sure?" Genesis blinked; he knew that the aloe wasn't expensive, but he didn't like the idea of being in any kind of debt to anyone. He knew Angeal wouldn't ask for anything back so the debt would be in his head only, but it would eat at him until he did something nice for the brunette in return. The sad thing was; Genesis wasn't good at doing nice things. He kind of sucked at generosity.
Angeal nodded, "I'm sure. Don't sweat it."
Genesis licked more blood off his lip and looked at his burnt skin, not bothering to keep his lips from moving a lot; they were already broken so what did it matter now? "Thanks, Angeal. You're a good friend."
"I know, Gen." Angeal smiled and tossed the empty bottles of aloe into the trash can. His hands were sticky, but he didn't really care.
Genesis smiled and sat up straight, skin taut from the shriveling affect of the sunburn. "I'd give you a thank you hug, but I'm sticky."
"It's alright, I'll cash that hug in later when you're not so goopy." Angeal chuckled and wiped his hands off on his pants, for once not caring that he was possibly staining his clothes.
Genesis stretched and nodded, glad that the gel made him comfortable again. He could feel the heat radiating from his skin starting to warm up the cool aloe, but it wasn't highly noticeable yet and so long as he stayed inside he was sure he'd be safe from the horrifying humiliation he was sure to experience full force once he was forced to go back to Shinra. Their vacation in Banora could have gone better, he supposed. He was fairly sure that Sephiroth had never been on a real vacation before and he and Angeal could have spent more time making sure he enjoyed himself while he was in their hometown, but he hadn't exactly told Sephiroth he couldn't tag along while he and Angeal went to the orchard. Sephiroth had chosen to stay behind and spend time with Reeve.
Angeal sat by Genesis and stretched, "So what else do you want to do before we get dragged back to headquarters? You've already injured yourself, pissed off your parents, and you drove Reeve insane the whole copter ride here."
"I think my list of things to do is pretty complete, how about you?" Genesis leaned against the wall beside his bed, his gelled back squelching against the wallpaper.
Angeal thought carefully, "I said hello to mom and introduced Sephiroth, made sure you two didn't kill each other, and apologized to your parents for you coming out of the closet as loudly as you could and waking the neighbors. I think my list is finished."
"I think I could have handled that last bit better, don't you?" Genesis looked at Angeal, a sad glint in his eye that he tried to hide with his nonchalant tone.
Angeal nodded and flicked imaginary lint off his shirt front. "Yeah, no kidding. Your mom didn't have to slap you, but you didn't have to scream that she made you gay. I mean, even though it's technically true since the amount of estrogen or testosterone in the womb during pregnancy affects sexual orientation, you still shouldn't have brought it up."
"She started it. Dad took it fairly well though, his face only turned purple before he walked out and started the silent treatment." Genesis reflected on his behavior without pride; he should have done so many things different. He had thought that telling them about his gaiety would help him make peace with it, but it only made him more confused.
"Don't worry, they'll come around. They love you, Gen." Angeal smiled at Genesis, resisting the urge to give his burnt, blistered, gel coated shoulder a comforting pat. He didn't want to get his hand sticky again.
Genesis nodded quietly and leaned his head on Angeal's shoulder, sighing softly. "I know they do. Think Seph heard when I told mom I get a massive boner off him?"
Angeal nodded and rested his head on top of Genesis'. "Without a doubt, Gen, he definitely heard you. The whole town heard you. I don't think you should have said that, that information might have been better off staying in your head. Your mom doesn't want to hear about you getting boners. She proved that when she fainted. She still thinks of you as her baby, Gen, and babies don't get horny."
"I'm not a baby!" Genesis pouted angrily.
"Then don't act like one." Angeal rolled his eyes and prodded Genesis with his elbow.
Genesis sighed heavily, and took the gentle elbow to his ribs without protest. "It's going to be awkward as hell when he stops avoiding me, isn't it?"
"Not necessarily. He's not exactly straight as an arrow." Angeal mentally kicked himself for breaking his promise to keep Sephiroth in the closet, but he figured that booting both of them out of their closets would be best for them and if he was wrong, he was wrong and Sephiroth could hate him all he wanted.
Genesis peeled his gel sticky face off of Angeal's shirt, blinking in surprise. "Are you serious?"
Angeal nodded and flicked more lint off his shirt. "If you tell him I spilled the beans, I'll cut your balls off the next time we spar. Got it?"
"Got it." Genesis nodded and leaned back against Angeal's shoulder. "You are a seriously amazing friend, but you know that, right?"
"You tell me every time I do something nice for you." Angeal smiled.
"I'll forget the next time you piss me off." Genesis stated matter-of-factly. They both knew it was true and neither of them really minded that Genesis' temper tantrums often resulted in him being an ungrateful ass.
"I'll remind you when I finish slapping the shit out of you the next time you get pissed at me." Angeal smiled and looked out Genesis' window, relishing the sight of their hometown at sunset. He should be spending more time with his mother, but after all the drama Genesis had made he didn't really think she'd mind him being gone. She had no problem with Genesis or any of his choices, she had known about him being gay before Genesis ever suspected it, and she knew it was Angeal's natural instinct to be there for his friends when they were in pain. It was just how he was.
"So what should we do?" Genesis looked up at Angeal, fidgeting as the drying gel made him feel icky.
"Want to go pick some dumbapples? Who knows the next time they'll be in season." Angeal smiled and looked down at Genesis.
Genesis laughed and peeled his sticky self off of Angeal and the wallpaper, noting the large wet spots he left on both. "No one ever knows, didn't you know that?"
"Course not. I never know anything." Angela chuckled and stood, stretching as he followed Genesis into the orchard. Thankfully the sun had relented its angry tirade and the cool and calm moon would soon be surfacing. Angeal often thought he and Genesis were as opposite as the sun and moon, but in the same thought he always thought up about fifteen ways that they were alike. Even if they were polar opposites, Angeal didn't really care. He and Genesis were best friends and nothing would change that if he had his way.
Author's Note: I love writing Angeal ^^ He makes me happy. I think I'll be writing more of him. Also, it is very possible to get sunburn on your lips. I have sunburn on my lips right now actually. It's rather painful. My lip is peeling. It stings more than a little.