Genesis knew Sephiroth was feeling much better when he was throwing himself into his work again. He'd accepted a mission and was gone for a week. Part of him wondered if he was happy to escape Midgar and all its oppressiveness for the time being. Still, he found himself missing his silver-haired lover, awaiting his return eagerly.
He'd confided in Angeal the new development in their relationship, and the raven-haired man had stated that he was happy for him.
Sephiroth had said in a roundabout way that he loved him too. He was so happy, but also scared knowing what Hojo had done to him, what it meant.
Hollander had called him to the labs for his usual mako injection but he didn't care. Somehow knowing his feelings were reciprocated made everything lighter, even his most hated of tasks.
"That's strange," the doctor-turned-scientist hummed when he read back the results of his blood tests. "Your mako levels are unusually high today."
"I have been feeling rather aggressive," Genesis admitted. "What does it mean?"
"You have a bit of mako poisoning," the scientist said, "but it's not an especially bad case. We'll skip the injection for now. I'll see you in a week, unless you start to have symptoms."
"I feel fine," Genesis said, "better than fine."
But that night he woke up from an especially bad nightmare. Usually when that happened he'd turn to Angeal, but he suddenly felt like he didn't want to burden his friend. He'd looked sick when he told him about Sephiroth. He was at the infirmary too when Sephiroth wasn't feeling well, and he went from being scared for his friend's life to something else at the mention that Genesis had a new lover. He wanted to give his friend time to be alone. Still, he was shaking, and Sephiroth wasn't due back for another few days. He considered going to Hollander to ask for a sedative, but he was always so wary of the man.
In his nightmare his arms had been outstretched and he'd been imploring to his goddess, his Gaia, and she had denied him. Her eyes closed and cold wind swept him away. In it, Sephiroth was angry and beautiful, telling him he would rot. He'd slapped his hands away and denied him his love.
He was about to get dressed to go train in the night to assuage his racing mind when he heard his front door woosh open.
"I came back early," Sephiroth was saying as he stood at the foot of Genesis's bed, undressing swiftly.
"You're here," Genesis said, throat working to swallow the hard lump there. He accepted Sephiroth into his bed and pulled at him with insistent hands, helping him shed the rest of his clothes.
"What's wrong with you?" Sephiroth asked, noticing that he was flushed and sweaty. He pulled off a leather glove and pressed the back of his hand to Genesis's forehead. "You're burning up."
"I had a nightmare. The goddess, she…turned away from me. You turned away from me. I was utterly lonely. There was darkness, I was alone."
"I'm here now," Sephiroth whispered, dragging his lips across Genesis's heated ones. "what's happened?"
"Mako sickness. Mild case. I was able to forgo my treatment today, but….I feel so strange."
"Perhaps it's not as mild as you make it out to be," Sephiroth said softly. "We should get you to Hollander."
"I'd rather stay here with you," Genesis pressed, kissing Sephiroth feverishly. He pulled at Sephiroth, forcing him closer. They looked at one another, Sephiroth's green eyes boring into Genesis's blue eyes, and they shared shaky breaths. "I'm glad you're safe."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Sephiroth asked mildly.
"I almost lost you," Genesis sighed. "And then your stupid ass decides to go on a mission. You were out there risking your life again without so much as a thought about me."
"I thought of you," Sephiroth promised. "It's why I came back early. To finish what we started. Genesis…this isn't easy for me."
"It doesn't have to be. Our friendship was never easy. I'm the jealous type. I always wanted to be you, be with you, wipe that smugness off your face, show you who I really am. You were always the hero, but I wanted to be the hero too."
"I'm sure there is room in the game for two heroes," Sephiroth said softly. "It doesn't have to be complicated."
"But it's always been complicated, can't you see that? You can't even admit to me without any pretenses that you love me too."
"You're right. It's complicated. I…I haven't had it easy. I'm scared that if I admit it, something bad will happen."
"I'm scared something bad will happen, too," Genesis admitted. "But I can't deny my feelings. I love you with everything I have to give."
"And I don't have much to give anymore," Sephiroth said sadly. "I told you, I'm broken."
"I've always loved what I could not have," Genesis said. "Let me love your brokenness."
"Is it any wonder that Hojo almost succeeds in killing me when we start to admit to each other what we are to one another? I think not. He doesn't want to see me happy."
"And you see yourself happy with me?" Genesis asked hopefully.
"The truth is that I do not know," Sephiroth said softly. Genesis came closer and ran his fingers through the silver of Sephiroth's hair.
"I can't allow you to be so sad. Let me taste your sadness, give you a slice of heaven," Genesis said.
"I've only ever known sadness," Sephiroth admitted, but he sighed into the hand in his hair, moaning softly when Genesis kissed him full on the mouth, drew their tongues together. Genesis slept naked, so he slipped the covers off and pressed into Sephiroth, letting him feel his nakedness.
"Make love to me," Genesis whispered, tugging Sephiroth close by his hair.
Sephiroth memorized the taste of Genesis with his tongue, pressing the slightly smaller teen down into the bed and claiming his lips over and over, insistently kissing him, pouring his desperation and need into every lock of their lips until they were breathless. He felt trust and love in those earnest blue eyes, answering with his own trust. In his fever, it almost felt too much to Genesis's poor heart, who was opening himself up to Sephiroth.
Sephiroth gently pressed Genesis's knees apart and slowly kissed down his chest, his stomach, trailing those kisses to his cock, which had sprang to life the second they started kissing. He engulfed it into the heat of his wet mouth and sucked languidly, taking it to the root and pressing his hot tongue against the sensitive head of his cock. Genesis whimpered, tugging on Sephiroth's hair.
"Inside me," Genesis begged, thighs quivering. "I need you. I need you to tell me it's going to be all right," he said, sucking in breaths. Sephiroth popped his mouth off of Genesis and slowly laved his tongue behind his balls to his quivering entrance, sticking his tongue straight inside and slurped around him, delving to that spot within him. He looked up at Genesis with glowing green eyes as he flicked his tongue again and again against his sweet spot until he saw stars, and then carefully extracted himself, letting saliva drop from his mouth onto that waiting pink hole. Genesis was delicious, tasting clean and good. He slowly inserted two then three fingers inside him, stretching his hole as he breathed against his thigh.
"Seph," Genesis moaned, bucking his hips. "Please….put it inside me."
Sephiroth took his fingers out of that twitching little hole that was opening for him and lined himself up to push inside, groaning when he was fully inside him. Genesis remembered to breathe then, legs draping themselves over Sephiroth's shoulders and pulling him in closer.
"Goddess you feel good," Genesis moaned, writhing beneath him on the sheets, hands clawing at the fabric there.
"You feel good too," Sephiroth admitted. "Like I belong here."
"You do…gods but you do," Genesis hissed. "Fuck me…harder…oh Sephiroth," he whined. Sephiroth smiled and kissed him fiercely as he started to snap his hips into the redhead, making him moan so sweetly. They writhed against one another, lost in the feeling of their lovemaking. It was different than before. Each knew they loved one another now, and they built toward a crescendo. Sephiroth palmed Genesis's cock between them and panted roughly into Genesis's ear, biting and tugging on his earring like he knew Genesis liked. It made more plaintive cries tumble out of the redhead's lips and soon he was coming between them, crying out Sephiroth's name. Sephiroth called Gensis's name soon after, his own orgasm milked out of him by the tight pulsing of Genesis's inner muscles.
"I love you too," Sephiroth panted into Genesis's ear, then slowly slipped out.
"Stay with me," Genesis begged, holding onto Sephiroth's shoulders desperately, refusing to let him go again.
"I will," he said softly and collapsed by Genesis's side. It was the first time he stayed after they'd had sex, and Genesis was deliriously happy. Sephiroth was asleep within minutes, but Genesis watched him sleep for a time, wondering at his sleep-softened features. Sephiroth was heart breakingly beautiful. He silently prayed to his goddess that nothing would ever change now between them. It was just perfect like this. Soon he was asleep too, and his mind was blissfully blank.