I might have broken Cloud and Genesis… But my beta said that sometimes people need to be broken for them to change so…

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII nor its characters. I also don't own the ideas taken from Love Monster.

Cloud's mind had gone blank. The only thing that was going through his mind at the moment was he should have been careful. He should have known that nowhere was safe. He should have been alert as soon as he had heard that someone was trying to get into the apartment. He had to erase Genesis' memory before the General came back to his senses.

His body had gone into auto drive and before either of them knew what was happening, the doors had been slammed shut and Genesis was underneath him with his hands making their way towards the General's head. Before he could make contact, there was a hand holding his wrist.

"If you think you can erase my memory that easily, you have another thing coming for you brat."

Almost immediately he backed off like a startled rabbit.

"I can't… I can't let you remember… Have to erase your memory, you will tell. I don't want to be locked up in a cage. Please don't lock me up… I don't want them to take my feathers…"

Genesis didn't know what to do now. One minute he was pissed off at a little halfling and now he had a startled white crow curled up on the other side of the room… Probably dead set on erasing his memories too. "Oi cadet." Genesis walked over to him and tried placing his hands on Cloud's shoulders, but the smaller monster didn't seem to take notice. "Hey cadet." He shook him a little. "CADET!" His yelling seemed to snap Cloud out of his little rant and the smaller crow stared at Genesis wide eyed. "Honestly you're a walking talking legend that's in the military and you break down as soon as one person finds out. What kind of a SOLDIER do you think you're going to be if you get in brat?"

Cloud stared at Genesis in confusion for a moment. "What?"

Genesis sighed in exasperation. "I said what kind of a SOLDIER do you think you're going to be if you get into the military and you break down as easily as a snap of a finger?"

Cloud stared at him for a moment longer. "You're… Not going to put me in a cage?"

Genesis gave him a funny look. "Why… Would I do that?"

"Mother used to tell me stories about the white crow. How they would lock it up in a cage and father said that if that ever happened, they'd pluck my wings." Cloud pulled his wings closer as if to protect himself.

Honestly Genesis could see what attracted everyone else to the halfl… No he was a white crow wasn't he? He couldn't actually believe he was going to kick the cadet out now he would have kicked himself if he had found out later… In fact, he was mentally kicking himself now. "Look, no one's going to put you in a cage or lock you away or pluck your feathers… Probably the only person around here that would do that is profess… Cadet."

The presence of Genesis' hands on his shoulders again seemed to make Cloud jump. "Yes?"

"Have you ever shown your wings outside of Zack's apartment?"

Cloud seemed to think back for a moment before replying. "Twice, in the bathroom of my old room."

Genesis sighed in relief. Hojo never put cameras in the cadet bathrooms. He never had an interest for them unless they were in SOLDER third class and up. "Alright, come on." He held out a hand to Cloud and the smaller crow stared at it sceptically.

"Where are we going?"

"Couch. You don't want to be sitting on the floor against the wall while we talk do you?" Cloud stared for a moment longer before he placed his hand in Genesis' and allowed the older crow to help him up and guide him to the couch. They both sat there in silence for a moment before Genesis spoke. "So what are you doing in Shinra anyways?"

"I needed to get away from Nibelheim and I didn't want to be weak anymore. I was sick of all the hiding and I thought if I was where father was then I wouldn't have to anymore."

Genesis stared at him for a moment. "You know… What you are right?"

"Of course I know!" He seemed to have hit a sore spot with the cadet. "I'm a white crow. A thing out of a children's story. A world creator, a wish granter. The destroyer of the demon king." Yup, definitely hit a sore spot. "Mother and father have been shoving that story down my throat as soon as I knew how to listen."

"That's probably why you're so paranoid about being locked up in a cage and having your feather's plucked from you…"

"Father locked me up in a cage once when I was younger. Just so that I'd know what it would feel like if someone was to ever find out. I think he got sick of erasing people's memories whenever I got caught with my normal wings out."

"So he made you paranoid and taught you how to erase memories. Sounds reasonable."

"Well it kind of worked didn't it? I'm still fighting off the urge to grab you right now and erase this entire moment from your memories." Genesis' backed away from Cloud a little at those words. "Why are you being so nice to me right now anyway?"

"You're not what I thought you were. By the way, shouldn't you be putting your wings away right now? You obviously don't know that most of us in SOLDIER can unlock manual locks, plus Sephiroth and Angeal have an access card for this apartment." Cloud's wings quickly shrunk to their smaller size and the tips turned grey. The red general almost regretted saying those words at the loss of those beautiful white wings. "What did you do to make your wings do that?"

"I made a wish." Genesis blinked. Seriously? "My magic is stored in my wings like a normal crow. If you took one of my feathers and made a wish on it, it just happens. You could create worlds if you had enough of an imagination to do so."

"If it was that easy why wouldn't you just wish you had the abilities to become a SOLDIER or just wish to become someone that can stand up for himself."

Cloud gave him an odd look. "Why wish for something that you can obtain with your own hands?" Genesis smiled a little at that. The younger crow had a good head on his shoulders. "Besides I've never made a wish that big before. I don't want to risk it. I've only done little things like change my wings, my hair. I've never…"

Cloud was startled when Genesis suddenly placed his hand over Cloud's mouth. Cloud just stared at him as the older crow put a finger to his lips and pulled his hand away. Soon enough there was a small beeping sound and the door swung open and Sephiroth and Angeal walked in. Both looked surprised to see both Cloud and Genesis there.

"What's… Going on?" Angeal was the first to question. "And why aren't you at each other's throats."

Genesis scowled at that. "I'm not so uncouth as to attack a defenceless weakling." He said as he got up from the couch. "The… Halfling and I have come to an agreement." Cloud looked surprised. He thought that the general would have spilled everything to his lovers as soon as he had the chance. "We'll be civil to each other just for the puppy's sake when he comes back… I'll teach the brat how to use materia."

If Sephiroth and Angeal weren't surprised already, they definitely were now. "What… Did you say Gen?" Angeal walked over to the red headed crow and placed his hands on Genesis' shoulders as if he needed to make sure that the crow in front of him wasn't some kind of illusion.

"You heard me. Don't make me repeat myself Angeal." Genesis said as he reached into Angeal's back pocket and pulled out his PHS.

"What are you…"

"I'm borrowing this." He said, waving goodbye with the hand that held the device as he started making his way out the door. The two remaining crows turned in Cloud's direction questioningly and the Halfling merely shrugged his shoulders.

A few moments later and Cloud's PHS went off.

'There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess. Hero of the dawn, healer of worlds.'

Cloud couldn't help but smile a little, despite the small voice at the back of his mind telling him that he still needed to erase Genesis' memory, he decided to just ignore it. Maybe Aerith was right. He needed someone to confide in and Genesis, despite his original dislike for him, might just be that person.