"This feels and looks so awkward."
Eloise was looking at her reflection in the mirror: her hair was curled and tied up in a stylish bun, she wore grey and red make up that pointed her eyes out and pale lipstick. The dress was complimenting her body well and she was weirded out by that. She didn't want to know how Sephiroth knew her measures.
"Are you ready, date?"
Eloise looked at her brother's reflection and smiled. Zack looked really good in a black suit. He actually looked decent enough to get a girlfriend.
The days flew by really fast. One day they were training and almost killing Angeal and then, the formal party came. No one asked Eloise to be their date, which made her feel both grateful and disappointed.
She asked Genesis if she was pretty and his response was probably what every guy was thinking. Her mate was right, being around Sephiroth for so long made her take some of his traits and she ended up intimidating everyone.
"You look amazing, Eloise." Zack bluntly told her what she wanted to hear.
"Even if I were to look hideous, you'd still say I look amazing."
Zack gasped playfully and touched his chest, as if he were offended, "That is not true."
She scoffed and gave him a pointed look. He gave up and chuckled.
"Yeah, you're right. But you can't blame me. I love you." He was a sentimental blackmailer.
With how much time she spent with cold and unapproachable people, she got used to ignoring emotional things. Zack was an emotional thing all the time.
Everyone had to meet in the lobby downstairs and leave at once. That wasn't the case for the three best SOLDIERs, who left earlier at President Shinra's insistance.
Eloise' teammates were surprised how different and feminine she looked since they knew her only as the sweaty and playful little fighter. It was certainly nice to see her like that.
"I'm scared to enter."
Her heart was beating fast and her hands were trembling. She wasn't that nervous, actually, she didn't really know why she was nervous in the first place.
Zack grabbed her hand and squeezed it. He smiled cutely at her and pulled her closer, entering the room last. Truthfully, if they didn't look so much alike, people would have thought they were a couple; they looked very cute together.
The first to notice the Fair siblings was Angeal. He saw Zack's hair from a few feet away and smiled when his eyes caught sight of Eloise.
"You look amazing. Both of you. There might be a chance for you left." Angeal joked, which for Eloise was a weird moment.
Zack rolled his eyes and grabbed a glass of champagne. Angeal raised an eyebrow bemusedly.
"Are you allowed to drink, Zack?"
The puppy stopped midway and sighed, "Am I?"
Angeal shook his head and chuckled. Zack took that as a good sign and gulped down the entire glass.
"I think I'll need a few more to survive until the speech." Zack mumbled before venturing into the crowd.
Eloise rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. She scanned the room for familiar faces but could only see Genesis and Sephiroth, each talking to different people.
It took around three more hours and five more glasses of champagne for Zack to loosen up but time was ticking too slowly for Eloise. She followed her brother for most of the time while Angeal disappeared in the crowd.
"Can I have this dance, Miss?"
Eloise glanced over her shoulder annoyed. She wasn't a good dancer and didn't want to show that to everyone.
"Can I refuse?"
The guy who asked her for a dance was probably a little bit older than herself. He had an intense gaze and looked ready to kill her. She tilted her head to the side and blinked confusedly. He was checking her out but not in a perverted way. In the end, she let him lead her in the middle of the room as everyone stopped and stared at them. It was uncomfortable.
"Just ignore them. Look at me." He told her softly.
"But why are they so interested? It's not like I'm dancing with the president."
The blond chuckled and leaned close to her ear, "I am the birthday boy." He whispered.
Her eyes widened and she tried to push him away but he grasped her back and pulled her closer.
"That doesn't have any meaning. I am dancing with a pretty girl. People are bound to look anyway."
"I don't like it." She admited, "They are like hungry animals."
"I'm Rufus Shinra. I am Shinra's legitimate son." He introduced himself like there was nothing wrong.
Eloise tried to focus on his eyes more than on the people but it wasn't working. She could still feel their heavy gazes.
"I'm Eloise Fair. Zack's legitimate sister." she answered, a tinge of sarcasm in her tone.
Rufus chuckled and swayed her to the side before pulling her back.
"I heard there was a new SOLDIER that seemed keen on training and improving. I never imagined it to be a girl."
She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue but he didn't.
"So what? I am not the first girl who entered the army."
"But you are the first one to get Sephiroth as your mentor." He whispered, leaning uncomfortably close to her ear.
That was really not something she could brag about and she realized that a few months too late.
"It must mean something. Maybe your place is higher than you think." He was hinting towards something and she disliked it.
"You don't know that. You don't know me. We just met."
He leaned closer to her face and stared into her eyes, "We have enough time to get to know each other better."
The song stopped and so did Eloise. She pushed him back slightly and stared at him coldly.
"I know enough, already." She said coldly before leaving quickly through the crowd.
Rufus chuckled and watched her get lost in the room.
"I see you've got friendly with my boss."
She was really annoyed and offended by Rufus. Hearing Reno's playful voice, she instantly felt better.
"Do ya mind?" He offered his hand and she took it gladly.
Dancing with Reno was so much better than dancing with Rufus. The redhead was friendlier and didn't have any suspicious intentions. He was twirling her and swaying her with ease and she enjoyed it because they were friends.
"Someone's glaring at me."
Eloise raised an eyebrow and glanced over Reno's shoulder: Sephiroth was more like watching his pupil interact and have a good time but Genesis was fuming and it was getting worse every time Reno would make her laugh or smile.
Angeal knew exactly what was going on. He knew his best friend well.
"You're jealous." Angeal answered his question,"In case you want to know why you feel so mad and why you're gripping the glass so hard. That is jealousy you are experiencing."
"I felt jealous before. I know how it feels like and this is not it." Genesis said through gritten teeth.
Angeal chuckled bemusedly, "You felt jealous before, in training. You've never felt the romantic jealousy, not until now."
Genesis scoffed, "I'm not. I don't have any romantic interest."
Angeal chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Why don't you just accept it? You changed after you met Eloise. Not much and not visible, but I can see it and so does Sephiroth. You like her. You thought she was only going to get in the way but she improved so much. You two are not that different, Genesis."
Angeal didn't even know how right he was with that statement.
Genesis watched her dance for a little bit longer until she walked towards them, making his heart beat really fast.
"Can I leave earlier? Zack will be unconscious soon enough and I don't want to take responsability." She asked Sephiroth.
The eldest SOLDIER nodded and let her leave. She glanced at Genesis once before she walked out.
After 3 minutes, he couldn't refrain his curiosity anymore. Genesis wanted to know for sure if he liked Eloise or not.
Genesis had a lot of things to think about. He already made plans and somehow, Eloise was the collateral victim. She was the surprise that he didn't see and she was crawling under his skin quicker than any of his friends.
He found Eloise leaning against the wall, her eyes closed. She opened them when she felt him sit beside her.
"I hate scheming bastards." She stated as soon as he sat down.
"I didn't know you felt like that way towards Sephiroth."
Genesis' statement only made her chuckle.
"That kind of attention from men is annoying. It makes me feel like an object." She sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "I hate dresses too."
"You look beautiful, Eloise."
She smiled softly and looked at him.
"You look good too, Genesis. Surprisingly good. "She chuckled when she realized something. "You bought the red suit."
He did. After he thought deeply about it, he went back and bought the suit she noticed on the way out. It looked much better after he tried it out.
"I liked it. It made me feel like a character from a play."
She tilted her head to the side and smiled, "It does. It looked perfect for you."
Genesis stared at her, his heart beating fast; he couldn't voice his thoughts correctly. He couldn't hold it in anymore and kissed her. It was short and childish but he did it. She blinked a few times until she registered his actions. He was ready to walk away when she grabbed his face and returned his kiss.
"Shall I take you back?"
Eloise stared up at him with amazing intensity and passion. It was probably the fault of the energy too but she was glowing again and she wasn't the only one.
"Take me back."
He smirked and grabbed her arm. Unlike other times, it seemed like her hand was perfectly fitting into his. She blushed at the contact. It was different and she felt a chill down her spine.
Genesis led Eloise to the roof. She was confused but at the same time, she was looking forward to his next move. Genesis let go of her hand and walked forward while Eloise remained closer to the door.
"I want to show you something." The redhead started, confusing her even more.
Genesis frowned and placed his hand over his face. It hurt a little but he wanted her to see it. Eloise witnessed a wing growing on his back; one black wing. Her eyes widened but she wasn't scared. She didn't expect that but she couldn't say she was surprised either after all, she was an inductor of mako energy.
"This is what monsters look like. I have a wing, Eloise. A black wing like the one of a demon."
She wanted to say something but closed her mouth. Genesis turned around and stared at her.
"This is who I am. This is what I became."
"Just because you have a wing I should see you as a monster? Are you out of your mind? It doesn't change anything." She retorted.
"It changes everything! Don't you understand? That's what we are; human experiments. We become vessels for whatever Shinra creates. We are not like the rest, Eloise." Genesis started, anger filling his heart as he continued, "I am dying because of it. I am disintegrating. I'm going to grow old in a matter of months and no one can help me."
Eloise scoffed and took a step forward.
"My blood can help. It can give you time."
Genesis shook his head.
"But not enough. I want you to see me as I am. A monster." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His ears reddened as he finally understood what he really wanted to tell her. "I like you."
From everything Genesis said that night, that was probably the most shocking thing.
"What?" She wanted to hear it again, to be sure that she wasn't hearing what she wanted to hear.
Genesis chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"It seems Angeal and Sephiroth already noticed but I didn't. I like you a lot, Eloise. To the point where I would tell you my darkest secrets."
That probably meant a lot from someone so conceited as him. Genesis was embarassed and it didn't take a genius to notice that. She stared at him blankly until she started to laugh. It sounded genuine. Eloise walked closer to him and caressed his cheek softly.
"You are such an idiot."
Genesis narrowed his eyes at her. He was still a little confused but mostly offended.
"If you whom has a black wing is a horrible demon, then what am I? I have electrical energy in my body." She sighed and looked to the side. "A few days ago, when I was fighting Angeal, I had the chance to injure him badly. You were right. I wasn't satisfied. That's because I am the monster."
"You're no-"
She put a finger over his lips and silenced him.
"I want to kill." She admited, "I have the urge to kill. I love the thrill it gives me. I want to let myself get driven by this craziness inside of me. If one of us is a monster, that's me."
She placed a hand on each of his cheeks and pulled his face closer. Their foreheads were touching and he could actually see the energy running through her eyes.
"I don't want to leave you." Genesis whispered.
For Eloise, those words meant a lot. For Genesis, it came more like an apology.
He had his own plans and she was messing them up. The redhead wanted her to hate him but nothing worked with her. He liked her so much that it hurt. It came from deep within and it just proved to him that he still had some humanity left.
"Don't leave me, then." She answered looking into his eyes with mako energy swirling through her eyes.
Genesis sighed and wrapped his arms around her.
"You should hold tight."
Eloise felt a sudden gust of wind and looked around her. He chuckled when he saw her eyes widening a little.
"We're flying! You're flying!" She exclaimed smiling softly and leaneing closer to the man she liked.
Genesis' heart was beating really fast. She enjoyed that sound, making her feel special. She was maybe too special.
Genesis took her back to the SOLDIER building. He landed on the roof and escorted her down to the elevator, holding tightly onto her hand for the whole time. He wondered, if he closed his eyes, would she still be there smiling at him? Genesis was scared to find out. It just became obvious that he liked her a lot. He was ready to do anything for her and that was dangerous for he had already chose a path for himself.
He had to choose between that and probably the love of his life. Genesis had to break something and he didn't want it to be Eloise' heart.
"Why aren't you going to your room?" He asked when he saw her following closely.
She chuckled and leaned against his shoulder. Unlike other girls, she made it look innocent.
"I want to spend the night with you."
Genesis' heart started to beat even faster than he thought was possible. He could feel a certain thrill of anticipation and he knew he shouldn't give in. He shouldn't let himself forget about his decision and let his desires get him carried away.
But he did.