Sorry this is late, I (DHT) had a blonde moment. Now on to our regularly scheduled program. Please leave a review. Responses really do help, lets us know people like what they are reading and not just clicking on it and running away.
The next morning would find Genesis alone in bed, though there was a neatly written note left on the nightstand nearby that told the redhead where the Silver General had gotten off to.
I have returned to the lab to check on the blood tests. I checked the engine on the truck, it works. The oil has been changed and there appears to be enough gas in the tank to get you to town. -S
Sephiroth himself had been up for a good few hours and was currently sitting over a computer monitor, checking the connections of the internet nearby. It was shoddy at best, attempting to get a clear signal, but he had managed to connect to something. And he was now doing a bit more research after encrypting the computer's location.
He simply could not risk anything leading back to them too soon. And he knew he would have at least a week before ShinRa would be expecting them to disembark from the boat in Wutai.
When Genesis finally woke up, he was sad to see Sephiroth gone, but he knew that the man had gone to work on his cure, especially after he read the note. Slowly, he got dressed. A soreness had settled in stronger than before and over all he felt just not right. Even still, it was the most content the redhead had been in weeks. He slipped his red coat on, leaving Rapier behind. It wasn't something he liked to do, but his judgment had been too poor lately for him to risk heading into town armed, especially with as paranoid as the whole adventure had gotten him.
Deciding to grab a bite to eat in town, he scribbled his own note, leaving it on the kitchen table. He would have liked to go down and said his goodbyes, but he knew how his lover was likely buried in his work. With that he headed out the door.
Vincent sat calmly downstairs as Sephiroth descended, no sign that he'd ever moved. It was obvious that the equipment had functioned properly and Sephiroth had demanded nothing from him, so he sought to offer up nothing himself. He had spoken enough the day before really, divulged all the information he'd cared to at the moment.
As Sephiroth went to work Vincent stayed, watching. If he was needed again he would assist, but for now he felt an odd déjà-vu watching Luci's son work in much the same way he had watched her.
Sephiroth remained silent for a while, absorbed in his work. The sound of keys tapping under his fingers filled the air occasionally, followed with mouse clicks and the rare exhale that signaled faint frustration. After some time though, the Silver General pushed back against the table and drew his hands up to brush across his face.
He turned to regard Vincent, offering a thin-lipped smile that was anything but happy.
"Alright, I think I have an idea of what to do once we get those results. Can you do me a favor and draw some blood from me?"
He would have done it himself, except it would have been awkward and he would rather not contaminate the vials by accidently jarring things and forcing the blood to coagulate within the vial, rendering it useless.
"If you are unfamiliar with the process, I can talk you through it."
Vincent lifted his gaze to regard Sephiroth and simply nodded. It was a simple enough request. He moved to gather the items he would need silently. "Take a seat." was all that was offered. He waited for a moment for the man to do as he asked. He took Sephiroth's arm and prepared it. The gunman had a horrible bedside manner as he worked, but it was still far better than Hojo's.
When it was over, he capped the vials and sat them down before handing Sephiroth a bandage.
He didn't question what Sephiroth had found and doubted that he would really truly understand if he did. Instead he went back to monitoring the equipment.
Sephiroth rubbed his arm idly after bandaging it more out of habit then actual need and stared at the vials of blood that had just been taken from him. His mind was busy running over the details of every step he would have to take next. Overall, it would be a simple task, at least for him. And the rest would require waiting. And praying. A lot of praying.
And the General had never really truly considered himself a spiritual man.
His gaze fell to Vincent once more as he sighed, "If you don't mind, I will probably require your help with a few things in the next few hours or so. We have some more equipment to get set up and running once the blood tests for Genesis are finished."
His brow furrowed and he looked around the lab once more, then pushed away from his seat to start pulling out trays and tugged a pair of heavy microscopes out.
"I will not ask you to do anything too complicated, if you are worried. I just need you to look for certain things."
With that, he pulled out the laptop and set it down next to the microscopes, pointing to the screen, "More or less, when we start, we will want to look for a reaction like this. Anything else would mean the cells are not taking the 'antidote' properly and are still degrading."
Vincent looked over at Sephiroth and nodded. "I will help with what I can." He shifted and moved over to the other man and looked down at the microscope. It would be a long process he knew, but it was definitely a task he was up to.
Genesis pulled back up to the mansion with the truck. He was exhausted, more than he knew he should be, but at least he had been useful. That was more than what he'd been the last few days. There were several things in the back, though the town hadn't had a lot of supplies.
He had left his coat in the car, but Genesis had still been recognized. Under normal circumstances he would have been thrilled, but even if they were long gone by the time it got back to Shinra, it was still another lead in their trail. Over all though it hadn't been too horrible, he had easily been able to charge their supplies to the company. Their own personal Gil needed to be stretched as far as possible now.
Slowly he made his way in, carrying the items and putting them on the table. He heard some movement in one of the other rooms. "I'm back!" He called before heading back out to get the rest of the supplies.
Food mostly, but he'd also managed to pick up a few other odds and ends. Things they might need here and after they left. Soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and other hygienic supplies. A tent just in case and some bedrolls. They had enough for now, but if they were going to be on the move for some time, they'd need replacements and, with Shinra footing the bill one last time, Genesis decided to take advantage.
Sephiroth reappeared from a bathroom, drying his hands with a towel as he looked over at the bags placed on the table. His gaze fell on Genesis and he smiled a bit more warmly than he had in a few days. He could tell the other man was exhausted, but the red-head seemed genuinely happy to have been able to go out and do something.
There was a faint sense of guilt that washed over the silver General, but he knew that Genesis had to have been in a lot of pain. And with the odd judgment calls his lover had been making lately, he honestly felt as though he could not be blamed for the decision to try and keep Genesis' activities to a minimum.
"Truck ran smoothly?" He asked at first, then made his way to the table to start rifling through things.
He immediately tugged out refrigerated goods, getting them into the fridge before they got any warmer from the trip up. The rest he sorted out, making a mental note of what it looked like that Genesis would want to eat.
"If we can get it to run a bit better before our time is out here... I think it would behoove us just to take it."
Genesis moved closer to his lover and gave him a quick kiss before attempting to help put things away. "It ran alright. Never was much of a mechanic myself, but it got me to town and back alright. Road's a bit bumpy."
"I was recognized in town, by a few people actually." Genesis admitted as he put some things away. "But I managed to charge the supplies to Shinra's account. They won't know anything for at least another month though, I would imagine, accounting being as swamped as they always are during the middle of a month." Reaching things in outlying towns was always touch and go. Banora had been completely out of sync with Midgar.
"I did get something a little extra though." He had a small smile. "I couldn't believe they had it. Just one bottle." As he spoke, he pulled out a bottle of Banora Wine. "I want to save it, for now, to celebrate."
Sephiroth offered his lover a nod, listening to him as he spoke, and set out a few things from their groceries to prepare for lunch. Sandwiches would be simple and easy to deal with and he honestly didn't feel like cooking anything too extravagant at the moment.
"I think saving it would be a wonderful idea." He finally replied, offering Genesis a soft smile, then moved around the table to grab him up into a hug.
"Everything is in the processing stage right now. We should have an answer tonight, whether or not the right cells are present, compared to mine. And if that is the case, then the next step will simply be time consuming."
He dropped a kiss onto the redhead's lips, then pulled away to start making them lunch.
"The end of this week, love. I am confident. And even if ShinRa is tipped off by someone here in town after seeing you, we will likely be long gone before they can get someone out here to check things out."
"It shouldn't be a problem, no." The redhead acknowledged as he closed his eyes.
Genesis took a seat and watched. He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back, running his hands through his hair. "Less than a week." He smiled, less than a week and this nightmare would be over.
When Sephiroth finished the sandwiches Genesis took one and ate it slowly, enjoying his time. "I'm going to go lay down for a bit. Can you join me or do you need to go back down to the equipment?" The redhead asked before taking a sip of water.
Sephiroth paused, tilting his head as a thought crossed his mind, and smiled faintly from it. His gaze fell on Genesis and he offered a silent nod in response, at first. He cleaned up around the kitchen before allowing himself to settle down to eat, though this process wasn't uncommon for the SOLDIER. He had habits and rituals that were so ingrained in his personality it was impossible to outrun them.
"Vincent is looking over the data." He started, speaking softly as the man reclined into a chair, resting one hand on his leg, "He knows what to look for, what is needed. So, I do not suspect I will be needed any time soon, unless he comes across something unforeseen."
His lips twisted into a frown, having come across another thought that didn't sit well with him.
"He will not say much and yet is willing to help. But I find myself still feeling guilty, as though I were taking advantage of him somehow. It is strange. There are so many mysteries surrounding him. I would like to ask, to know why someone like him would willingly remain sealed away."
He looked over to Genesis, curious if the other man had any thoughts on their unlikely ally.
"His coffin did not look as though it was locked to keep him in. Unless I missed something?"
Genesis gave Sephiroth a thoughtful look. "I hadn't thought about it." The ginger seemed almost surprised at the idea. More and more things had been slipping by him. Sephiroth would fix him though and everything would be alright. He trusted in that fact.
"I didn't get a horribly good look at the coffin and I'm afraid going down and inspecting it might upset him. Like you said, he's willing to help, and there's just too much at stake to risk angering him." Genesis sighed as he spoke, running a hand through his hair.
Vincent was an odd one, but the (former) SOLDIER hadn't given the other man too much thought. Another of Hojo's experiments. Someone else whose life had been ruined by Shinra's scientists. Though there was a bit of kinship there, he supposed. Something to explore when things were over and he was cured. The man seemed content to guard his secrets and this was one instance where Genesis hadn't been willing to pry.
"I think we're both missing something." The redhead finally offered. "I trust him because it's obvious that he's been harmed by the Science Department. And really because we don't have much of a choice." Genesis leaned back in his chair a bit, looking at the ceiling. "If you want to ask him why he chose to spend 20 some years in a coffin, then we can, but you'd better make sure you want to hear the answer."
"That is a road we might pursue once we are out of this place and you are well on your way to recovery." Sephiroth replied softly, finishing off his meal.
He pushed to his feet moments after, then held a hand out for Genesis to take. When the redhead accepted it, he brought his lover to his feet and led him out of the kitchen. Wandering through a mansion this large and empty was always a bit haunting. And though he was someone that was used to being alone, for the most part, even he was affected by the disparaging atmosphere the lonely home offered.
"Up to bed, I suppose. I will try to relax. I know you are probably growing uneasy with the intensity of my work. I do not mean to ignore you or belittle you in any way during this, I hope you understand. I simply cannot lose you, Gen. Not now, and especially not after I have essentially shot myself in the foot.
My career was... all I had. But I admit, you have given me something a bit more desirable to look forward to."
He paused, then turned to look at Genesis, his brow furrowing in the process.
"In you, I found the best way to challenge myself, to grow even stronger. Honestly, Genesis, you are the only thing from that place that I value. And since you are mine, I have no reason to return. We could easily do whatever we want together, become anything. Or choose to do nothing. In the end, it will matter little to me.
But I must have you. I would not survive without you now."
Genesis had easily followed Sephiroth, listening to the other man speaking. The ginger was about to reply that he understood what Sephiroth was doing. For him not to worry, when his lover changed the course of the conversation slightly and left Genesis speechless. He just stood and stared at Sephiroth for a moment before he threw his arms around the other man.
"Seph!" The redhead whispered, burying his head in the other's chest. To be told so unabashedly how much the other man needed him was truly overwhelming, especially considering the source. "I need you too, more than anything." Genesis acknowledged.
"Together." He swallowed hard. He couldn't leave this man now, not for any reason. Degradation be damned. "We will be." The ginger threaded his hand into Sephiroth's. "I don't care what we do either." Genesis tilted his head up and captured the other man's lips with his own.
The other man leaned over to return the kiss, lingering just a bit until he had to pull away for a breath. He looked strangely content as he lifted a hand to thread his fingers through Genesis' hair, echoing his lover's touch. He bumped their heads together gently, then pulled away to lead him into the bedroom.
"Come on, time for you to relax." He murmured faintly.
There wasn't much left for all of them to do but waiting, a process that would leave Sephiroth both uneasy and distracted for the rest of the week. He supposed that, if there was nothing more there to keep him occupied, he might have lost his mind to boredom, but at least with Genesis, even in his current state, they could talk.
"I think we should discuss where we might like to head, when we are finished here." Sephiroth murmured softly, glancing over to the red head.
Genesis nodded in response before continuing the trek to the bedroom. "I have given it some thought." The redhead acknowledged as they entered the room. Truthfully it had been one of the few things he'd been able to dwell on. The ginger sprawled out on the bed, muscles still tired and sore from the day. His gaze fell on the ceiling as he continued talking. "I'd like, I think, to go some place away from everyone. At least for a while. Maybe some place we can grow some Dumbapple trees, but finding someplace with the right soil would be hard."
Genesis let out another sigh. "I'd like to find something to do. Sitting idly by doesn't suit either one of us really. But what that is I don't know. I mean my knowledge base is war, materia, Dumbapples and poetry. Kind of an odd set of skills to piece a new life together with."
The redhead let out a small laugh as he rolled over onto his stomach. "I had thought about travelling for a while, but we've already seen the world. Finding a place to make our own seems more appealing to me."
Sephiroth nodded faintly as he kicked off his shoes and settled down onto the edge of the bed. His hands splayed across the comforter, pushing back until he was leaning most of his weight on them while his gaze slid from object to object in the bedroom.
"Somewhere out in the country? Away from people..." Sephiroth murmured, echoing those words as his mind drifted.
"Civilian life seems so boring in comparison, but there is a certain sense of challenge from living outside of the comforts of a city or town that has an appeal to me. I suppose that, if I were ever forced to retire, I might have chosen just such a place." He continued to say, then collapsed back and laid his head gently along Genesis' thigh.
"We both know next to nothing about farming, or so I assume in my case the most. But perhaps we could get a start in researching something? If nothing else, it will be an entertaining endeavor for us."
Genesis rolled over on his side to look at Sephiroth, careful of the man's head on his thigh, a small smile gracing his lips. "If you tell anyone I admitted this, I'll deny it. But I do know a bit about farm life. We grew more than Dumbapples back in Banora." The redhead reached over and started to idly play with his lover's long silver hair. "It is a lot of hard work, but eating something you grew yourself can be rather satisfying." In another life Genesis might have gloated about the fact he obviously knew more about something than Sephiroth.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Genesis took in a deep breath, letting his mind wander a bit. If you'd told him six months ago, that the perfect life he'd be envisioning today involved working his butt off running a farm in the middle of nowhere with Sephiroth, he would likely have set you on fire. Now however there wasn't anything else he wanted to do.
"A nice old house, some fences, gardening equipment, seeds, water, we'd really be set." The ginger's smile widened as he opened his eyes, hands still threaded through silver silken locks. Though the mental image of Sephiroth in work overhauls caused another small laugh to escape his lips.
"Fair bit of hunting too, making sure the local predators stay away from any live stock we might have." Another content sigh left the gingers lips, before his hand fell from Sephiroth's hair and he rolled back onto his back."I think you'd enjoy it, I really do."
"I am sure there is more to it than that." Sephiroth replied softly, turning his head just enough to catch the redhead's gaze before looking away.
"Old house. Anything we might find like that would be expensive, unless it had been abandoned for one reason or another. And even then, a situation like that would prove to have a whole new set of problems to go with it."
He fell silent for several moments, then lay down and rested his head lightly against Genesis' legs.
"The challenge alone would not have been enough to draw me to such a mediocre life, especially something as ludicrous as becoming a farmer. However, my choices are limited. Especially since I refuse to leave you now." A ghost of a smile crossed his lips as he turned his head and closed his eyes. "I suspect, between every other project we might pick up just to survive, I will be doing quite a bit of hunting just to keep myself entertained."
A soft sigh left Genesis lips as he let his eyes slide close. "We can worry about the details when we find a place." He muttered, voice already a bit heavy with exhaustion. It wasn't too long before he went completely silent. Sleep had found him quickly that night.
As the sun rose the next day, Genesis awoke to find he was sore and stiff, elegant black wing stretched out on the bed, surrounded by feathers. Sephiroth had already arisen and was likely down stairs in the lab. The dedication the man had was touching. Never in his life had Genesis felt so loved. But it didn't change the fact that he was obviously getting worse.
He picked up one of the feathers and examined it for the first time. Despite Sephiroth's opinion on the matter he was pretty sure humans were not supposed to have wings. So if he wasn't human, and he wasn't a damn bird, that didn't leave many other things he could be. Angels and monsters were all that were left and he was no angel.
Genesis tried to move, to stand to break these horrible thoughts, but his body protested the strain and all he could do was fall back into the sheets. The haze over his mind was thick and he tried to focus on something other than his wing and his illness, but it was hard when those very things seemed to have confined him to bed. Even Loveless couldn't get his attention.
The possible cure Sephiroth had told him about was the only thing keeping him from 'giving in' so to speak. Genesis tried to think of the life they would have after this was over, but all that his mind would supply were images of what was going to happen to his lover when he died. The idea of Sephiroth out in the world, alone, no one to turn to made him sick. The man barely knew how things outside Shinra truly worked and not for the first time Genesis found himself questioning his actions and dragging his love into this. At the moment going off and dying quietly in Wutai sounded like the better option.
Sephiroth emerged from the basement a little later than he'd meant for lunch. He hadn't realized how late it had gotten because he'd been expecting Genesis to make his way down to the lab at some point during the morning. When the clock rolled around to 3 Vincent had poked him on the shoulder offering to watch the equipment while Sephiroth got some lunch. A concerned look crossed the silver haired man's face and he nodded, simply making his way upstairs more worried about the missing ginger then his own sustenance at the moment.
"Genesis." He called out throughout the house, checking for his lover in various places. He pushed down the panic that was starting to rise again. Mostly with anger at himself for feeling such an emotion to begin with, as he finally came to the bedroom.
"Genesis." He called out again, spotting the motionless figure on the bed. He spotted the wing out and would have thought that the man was sleeping if not for the fact that his eyes were wide open and he didn't even appear to be drawing a breath.
Swiftly Sephiroth made his way to the bed, dropping down and placing a hand on the top of Genesis's head. "Gen please." He begged, terrified not for the first time that he might have been too late and lost the other man.
The action was enough to stir the unmoving man from the recesses of his mind, as he blinked and looked up at his lover. "Hey." He muttered in response and Sephiroth sighed in relief.
"Are you alright?" There was more concern in his voice than most people would have thought possible.
There was so much Genesis could have said, including "No," but in his state of mind he felt he was enough of a burden to the other man. Thus he simply nodded his head with a "Yah." and closed his eyes.
It was obvious to Sephiroth even with his lack of social aptitude that Genesis was lying, which was the clearest sign that something really was wrong. His lover's acting skills had been infuriating, especially for a man who had trouble distinguishing things to being with.
The problem was that the silver haired man really didn't know what to do about of it. Part of him wished Angeal was here to tell him what to do and say to coax Genesis out of this state, but that was another problem with their current situation. They would no longer be able to rely on the other man's help even as sparsely as it had been needed lately.
That in mind, the only thing he knew for sure was that continuing to leave Genesis alone was a bad idea. "Come on, you're coming with me." It came out more like an order the he would have liked, but the ginger didn't seem to flinch at the words.
"I can't move." came the reply.
"You can come now." Sephiroth urged, trying to stir his lover.
"No, I can't." Genesis couldn't even begin to feel irritated, he was honestly just that emotionally drained at the moment. "I tried, my body is giving out on me."
It seemed that the cure Sephiroth was working on couldn't come any faster as a frown crossed his face for a moment. "Well then." He stated as his mind worked out the problem. Genesis couldn't move, Sephiroth wasn't going to leave him alone and he had to get back down to the lab. "I shall just have to carry you."
The ginger looked up at his lover with a bit of surprise as strong arms wrapped around him, lifting the redhead up from the sheets. There wasn't even a weak protest as Genesis just seemed to melt into the other man's arms. It was a hard thing for his pride to admit that he liked being protected, being held by Sephiroth. Even if that admission was only to himself.
For the moment the shadows in his mind seemed to be chased away as he was carried down the stairs into the basement. He was still sore and tired, but he was able to concentrate on the warmth surrounding him.
Vincent didn't even bat an eyelash at the sight as he looked at the pair. "Everything is running smoothly." was all he offered before turning his gaze back to the equipment.
Sephiroth held on to Genesis for a moment longer, trying to figure out where to lie him, and part of him didn't want to let go, especially after the feelings that had welled up when he'd walked in the bedroom. He had work to do though, work that was imperative for Genesis's recovery. With that in mind he found an old examination table and laid him down, placing a small kiss on his forehead. "Let me know if you need anything."
The ginger let go of his lover a bit reluctantly and nodded. It wasn't as comfortable as the bed, but from here he could watch Sephiroth work and, when the dark thoughts began to gather, he would simply open his eyes and look at the man who made fighting for his life worthwhile.
That night in bed Genesis wrapped his arms tightly around Sephiroth, resting his head on the other's chest. He wanted to live, even if the day had gotten him down a bit. "My savior." He muttered sleepily as the silver haired man's own arm wrapped around him, chin resting on red hair.
Two days later found Genesis feeling much better, the aches and pains that had gotten him down had abated to a manageable level and he'd been able to move about freely the day before, heading down to the lab to give blood to test the cure Sephiroth had found.
He'd stayed out of the lab so far today, not wanting to distract his lover from his work. He paced across the floor of the mansion's living area nervously, waiting. To think it could all be over soon. When Sephiroth approached him with a smile on his face, he knew.
"It worked, Gen." Sephiroth's own happiness was clear as he looked at his lover.
When the words of a working cure were spoken, Genesis's smile matched the other man's and he threw his arms around Sephiroth, nearly crying. "It's over. " Relief washed over the ginger.
"All that is left now is to administer the cure and a few more test to make sure that the cure does its job." Sephiroth explained, his tone was a bit neutral, but the look on his face and the way he wrapped his arms around the form clinging to him told the rest of the story.
"I don't think I've ever been more ready for something." Genesis still hadn't let go.
With a smile still on his face Sephiroth looked back down to the ginger. "So do I need to carry you back down to the lab?" He asked a bit teasingly.
"You don't need to." Genesis stressed, "But I wouldn't complain if you wanted to."
"Lazy ass." Sephiroth snorted, shaking his head before turning to head back down to the lab.
"Hey." The redhead pouted, but his mood hadn't truly soured as he followed. The trek seemed to take forever knowing that his cure was waiting in the basement.
"Take a seat." Sephiroth ordered, pointing to the chair where he'd taken most of Genesis's blood samples. This time though he came over with a large hypodermic needle, filled with a translucent red fluid. That's it ran through the ginger's mind. His nerves were going everywhere as he tried to sit still as Sephiroth leaned over to inject him.
When it was over and the needle was disposed of Sephiroth just turned back to him. "Now all we have to do is wait." The words were heavy. He knew that there was still a chance that this wouldn't work even if all the tests he had done showed that it would.
Genesis' mood wasn't dampened however as he moved from his seat, giving Sephiroth a kiss. "Thank you, thank you for everything."
