I bring new chapter! Hah, that took a while, sorry! It is entirely my fault, because I had to finish my master's thesis (which I FINALLY did, thank Gaia XD).
We hope you like it and we'd like to thank the awesome aubrieta/danslalune for the terrific betaing, as well as hypnoticaa, soyna, Shadow Haloed Angel, Anonymous Banana, Eva and botanthegrimreaper89 for their wonderful comments! You keep this story going! *kisses*
Chapter 8
The next few days were mainly spent in silence. Sephiroth gave Genesis the silent treatment, because he had nothing nice to say anyway. It wasn't made easier by the fact that he had to take care of Genesis due to the latter's injuries, but they didn't exchange more words than absolutely necessary. It was also because of Genesis that Sephiroth didn't get the weekend off, which only added to the tension between them. On Saturday morning Sephiroth helped Genesis with his morning hygiene, then dropped the redhead off in their room and just as wordlessly got back to the bathroom to take care of his own stuff.
The red-head had by now come to terms with being ignored and was doing quite well with being on his own. Sephiroth would eventually notice that he was right, no matter how long it might take and he would not be the one backing down. He hated being unable to do things for himself and hated even more that he needed the man's help. He also knew that Sephiroth would have loved to spend time with his brothers at home, since it was supposed to be his week off. Yet it had not been Genesis' decision and he would not allow himself to feel sorry for the man.
While the redhead pondered their fight, three little figures inquired their way through the grey halls. Outside the sky was pregnant with dark clouds that cast everything into a depressing, dull light.
"We're lost," Kadaj declared for the umpteenth time, one second short of stomping his little foot on the ground and refusing to go any further. Only Yazoo's morose, warning look stopped him from throwing a tantrum.
"I'm not lost!" Loz objected hotly, to play down the fact that he had no idea where in this endless maze of equally dark hallways they were. Eventually he huffed and rapped at one of the doors to ask for the way, unaware that he had found the right one by accident.
Stomping in and asking rather rudely where SOLDIER Second Class Sephiroth's room was, Loz stood in the doorway, when he noticed a familiar bundle of vibrant red sitting on the bed near the door. He was looking at him with amusement twinkling in his eyes, laying a book down that appeared to be quite old and worn-off, yet precious.
"I found them," he said proudly, straightening his back and crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Kadaj rolled his eyes and crossed his little arms over his chest, before curiosity got the better of him and he walked towards the bed where Genesis sat. "Hi. Remember me?" he asked, his eyes scanning the book. Yazoo bowed in greeting, searching the room for their brother and then tilting his head in question.
"Yes, Kadaj... am I right?" Genesis replied, hardly able to refrain from tousling the boy's hair. It was tempting, he had to admit. Seeing Yazoo's confused glance, he nodded towards the bathroom door. "I guess he'll be right back."
"Right!" Kadaj beamed. "What's that?" He pointed at the book, ruthlessly getting straight to the point like only children dare to. Loz grunted and fell onto his brother's bed. He was a bit disappointed at how plain the room was and that their brother hadn't put up a picture of them. Yazoo remained by the door quietly.
"It's a book, you know." Genesis replied with faked awe. "There are words in it which you can read, can you imagine that?" The grin on his lips gave him away though, but it was just too tempting to tease the little boy. Turning towards the middle brother, who seemed to be a bit dislocated, he smiled encouragingly. "Sit down somewhere. I promise nothing will bite you here."
Kadaj's lips pursed into a soft pout but then he just flopped down beside Genesis. "What's it about?"
"Oy brat, leave him alone," Loz grunted, stretching his arms behind his head. Meanwhile Yazoo pulled back the chair in front of Sephiroth's desk and gingerly sat down. Since their phone call he was careful what to say to Genesis.
"Ah, Kadaj, on the day I can tell you exactly what this book is about, I wanna have a crown and a scepter and be called the King of the World," the red-head said, leaning back slightly and looking at the book almost lovingly. "It's a poem about heroes."
"A poem?" Kadaj's face crunched up in distaste; he didn't like poems, they were so full of difficult words. "I like stories about heroes," he declared, "but only the cool ones. Some day there will be a book about Sephi. I think it will be soon." He purposefully ignored Loz, who turned to roll on his belly, bored.
"Don't pull such grimaces when mentioning poems little boy. They are the most beautiful works of art on earth," Genesis said in an almost lecturing tone. "But don't worry, I'm sure there will be some about your brother soon." Even though he didn't really like Sephiroth – at the moment anyway – he couldn't be so cold-hearted as to disillusion Kadaj about his brother. The boy reminded him of himself, hot-tempered and full of hopes and pride.
The thin, creaking sound of the door interrupted the light atmosphere and Genesis' form hardened automatically.
When Sephiroth entered the room, his wet towel draped around his neck, the shirt he had worn before washing himself stuck to a corner of his waistband he was surprised to say the least. Not that he wasn't happy to see them.
"What are you doing here?" he asked slowly as Kadaj attacked him in a hug already.
"We discussed poems and Genesis said that there will be many about you too, because you are a hero!" he announced breathlessly, beaming proudly up at his big brother.
"Not exactly what I said, but well…" Genesis retorted, while laying Loveless on the nightstand before facing Sephiroth again. He didn't say anything else, just watching the taller, trying not to focus on his all too exposed chest. No, he would not be caught staring now.
Kadaj sensed the tension between the two older men, but he still continued to cling to his big brother. Let Yazoo and Loz do the smart-ass talking!
Loz had gotten up as well, but he possessed more self-control and did not cling when he hugged Sephiroth. Tightly.
"We came to visit you!" Kadaj babbled, finally letting go of Sephiroth's leg to take his hand and drag him to the bed to sit down. "We wanted to surprise you, are you surprised?"
"I am surprised," the elder replied stiffly, stealing a wary glance at Genesis. The tension had risen a few notches. Yazoo kept sitting on his chair, distanced. They were not done yet and he knew it, which was why he had been reluctant to come here.
The red-head waved dismissively. "I'm not here at all, just ignore me." He knew this would not be too hard for Sephiroth, since the other had already done so the whole week. Genesis would never admit it, but it caused his stomach to curl in a painful motion, a feeling he was neither fond of nor used to.
"We nearly got lost when trying to find your room because Loz was too stupid to remember the way, but eventually we found the room because he stormed in and demanded the way to your room without noticing we were in the right room to begin with." Kadaj continued, waving his small arms to emphasize his story, ignoring Loz's indignant, 'Hey!'
"I see," Sephiroth said, finding the situation extremely awkward. "How did it go this week? Any trouble?" Of course he was hinting at the problem that had caused the fight with Genesis.
Kadaj shook his head slowly. "No, no trouble at all. Even the carpet is clean again." He didn't know if a smile was appropriate right now, so he suppressed it. He threw a helpless glance at Yazoo, then turned to look at Genesis, who was busy staring holes into his blanket.
"Yeah, everything's peachy," Loz mumbled. He was a very sensitive guy and the tension between Sephiroth and Genesis hadn't eluded him. Nonetheless, he didn't quite know what to do about it. Yazoo wasn't a big help either; he continued giving the silent treatment since he felt that everything that he might say would be used against him anyway.
"You are a hopeless bunch, really…" Genesis said from the opposite bed, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "You are beating around the bush without really getting to the point. I'm sorry to do so but somebody has to say it." He looked up again, straight into four pairs of identical eyes. It was unnerving somehow.
"Don't you have somewhere to go?" Sephiroth snapped, just as unnerved. Kadaj flinched, uncertainly pulling at his sleeves. He hated it when people fought...
"You know... he might be right, maybe we should talk about it or somethi-" Loz piped up, but he was instantly silenced by a dead glare from Sephiroth. The tension in the room was reaching a new peak and the three boys had the suspicion that it was their fault.
"No, I do not have somewhere else to go." Genesis shot right back. "And stop forcing your opinion on everybody around you. I don't care what everybody sees in you, you are just as we all are, so quit treating the whole world as inferiors already." He was fuming now. The way Sephiroth had so easily silenced Loz had pushed a button inside of him. He couldn't believe that the tall warrior would do this to his family, but he obviously had. "And now get yourself together and talk about it, man. How old are you? Four?" The venom in his voice was pure and dripping.
The angry red-head sucked in some air to go on bitching when something caught his attention. All of a sudden the wrath bled out of his features as he noticed Kadaj standing there next to Sephiroth, silently shedding tears behind the fringe of his hair. Genesis could only see a hint of the soft wetness that fell from his eyes, but it was like a dagger stabbing through his very core.
Sephiroth swallowed his own anger down as well, because he was one second short of giving Genesis a good piece of his mind; it was absolutely none of the brat's business and how DARE he forcing his way into family issues when it was anything but appreciated! Had Sephiroth called his damn mother to inform her about Genesis' injury? No, he had respected the youth's right to take care of that himself and now this imperious bastard, who had absolutely no idea how to manage a family, acted up whenever he spotted an opportunity! Actually Sephiroth was beyond furious and their fighting would have gone on for hours and hours, but the trembling boy beside him stopped the argument before it had even really started. Crouching down, Sephiroth sighed and pulled the edge of his towel to carefully brush away the tears.
"What's wrong, hm?"
"I hate it when you… when any of us, are fighting." The boy sniffled, still not looking up to meet his brother's eyes but rather examining the carpet. "I don't want you to be angry and yelling and …" His voice went quieter towards the end, his hand gripping harshly onto the edges of his shirt.
Genesis lowered his head at that, the feeling of guilt preoccupying his mind when he heard Kadaj's weak plea. He hadn't wanted the brother's to feel bad, he had only wanted to help, even though he was certain that he had no right to offer or force it.
"We are not fighting," Sephiroth tried to appease the boy and Yazoo and Loz came as well, crouching down and embracing the smallest one, offering support with their bodies as well as with their general presence. The bond between them was strong, despite their occasional quarrels. "We were just... discussing different views on the same matter, right?" The silver haired man looked up at Genesis, his gaze sternly ordering Genesis to confirm what he had said to help rectify the situation. At the same time it was a silent offer for a ceasefire.
"He's right," the red-head said, standing up and walking over to the small boy, bending down in an attempt to catch his eyes. "People sometimes have different opinions on something that they need to discuss. I'm sorry we scared you." He leaned his head to the side, offering a small smile to Kadaj, who finally raised his gaze to look at his brothers first and then at Genesis.
"I was not scared," he said defensively, a pout forming on his lips, "and discussing is something entirely different! Discussing is when you are calm and collected, but you… you acted like you hate each other…" Now there was this heart-breaking look in his green eyes again, which were not directed at Sephiroth.
The kid is far too smart, Genesis thought with a sigh.
"No, we don't hate each other," Sephiroth stretched, but his brothers instantly picked up the lie. Yazoo rolled his eyes not-so-subtly and Loz couldn't suppress a snort.
"You are going alpha male on each other like there's no tomorrow," Yazoo observed wryly, taking out a tissue and brushing away some snot from Kadaj's nose.
"Well he does have a point there…" Genesis acknowledged dryly while shrugging his shoulders. "I guess we are just not getting along with each other's antics." He sent Sephiroth a blank glance that revealed nothing about its purpose whatsoever.
"So you do hate each other…" Kadaj said, when Yazoo was finished with his nose. His tone was a bit crestfallen, not quite understanding so far why people couldn't live peacefully together.
Sephiroth remained quiet but that said far more than any words could have. "I don't understand why," Loz stammered, just as confused as Kadaj in a way. "You saved Genesis and Genesis helped us out with dealing with that... problem we had." He lifted his shoulders in a helpless gesture. "Isn't that good actually?"
Genesis definitely pitied Loz now. The boy had tried to put something into words and obviously nobody had understood them fully. His glance drifted over to Sephiroth, trying again to ignore that the man was still half-naked. He didn't want to urge the other into answering just now, but it was something he himself was wondering about, too. Not that he expected the taller man to be overly happy about everything he did, yet they were only fighting and nothing else, no matter what he actually did.
The way Loz had put it made their behavior seem silly indeed. Why was it that Genesis got under his skin so much, infuriating him when barely anything mattered? His family could drive Sephiroth crazy like that, but that was because he cared about them, because he was worried and, more often than not, their antics brought him close to a heart attack!
"Human relationships are complicated sometimes," he finally replied, hoping that no one would pry further.
It was an answer none of them would have expected and Genesis couldn't suppress a smile at it. It was so typically Sephiroth somehow and made clear that he did not know the real reason either.
"They are indeed." Genesis eventually said, straightening slightly, before putting his hands on his hips.
Kadaj – having finally recovered from his small, emotional outburst – frowned at his brother's reply, obviously unhappy with it, which he showed through a prompting look towards the silver warrior.
"What?" Sephiroth lifted a brow, daring Kadaj to ask a question and make the situation even more awkward. Fortunately Yazoo came to his rescue. Sort of.
"Kadaj," he murmured, cleaning Kadaj's nose one more time and stating with a straight face, "Adults are complicated sometimes, especially when they are attracted to each other. They tend to behave the opposite of what they are feeling because their brain capacities get blocked by hormones and there is no way you can reason with them. The only way to release them from their misery is a shot through the head."
"Whoa, whoa, hold on. Who says I'm attracted to him?" The red-head shrieked immediately, looking at Yazoo like he thought he had lost his mind somewhere around the moon. He helped the guy out with his big brother and now he was betrayed so thoroughly! Uh, now he wished he hadn't interfered at all!
"So there is no hope for them?" Kadaj asked, utterly serious, eyeing the middle brother with big, hopeful eyes before turning towards Genesis – whose face had turned red, much to his embarrassment – and then to Sephiroth.
Sephiroth had been too shocked by the blatant statement to react for a few seconds. His first impulse was to vehemently deny it of course, though he resisted the inclination because he knew it would make him look 'guilty'. His second impulse was to say something really nasty to Yazoo about his own messed up 'love' life.
He couldn't resist that.
"Look who's talking. I am sure you are speaking from your own deep experiences with hormone induced stupidity, aren't you?" It was a low blow and he regretted it instantly. Yazoo looked up at him for a long, silent moment, tilted his head and then stood. "At least I am not bitching about it and pretending to be above mundane needs for company. You are just afraid of letting anyone close and if you ask me, that is even more pitiful."
Genesis' first impulse was to get in between the two of them, since Sephiroth looked like he was going to strangle Yazoo at any moment. He couldn't quite contain a hiss at the elder's statement and Yazoo's answer. They were both right to some extent, yet he doubted that either of them would ever concede to the other's opinion.
"Are you done with accusing one another? We could be doing this like normal, civilized human beings, you know?" he said carefully.
"Oh?" Yazoo's head shot around, his icy gaze piercing Genesis' head. Kadaj started to quietly mess with his sleeves again. "Then go ahead please. Meanwhile we will go and search the cafeteria for something to eat." He took Kadaj by the hand and shared a look with Loz ,who nodded, and they escaped the room, leaving the other two alone.
Genesis' eyes were following the three of them as they left the room, the door falling into the lock rather rudely behind them, causing Genesis to twitch slightly. He didn't know what was worse...being alone in a room with a fuming Sephiroth or… well, no appropriate comparison came to his mind. Being in a room with a fuming Sephiroth… alone, was already the worst scenario he could imagine right now.
"That didn't go too well…" He said at length, bravely facing the taller man while trying to bury his discomfort.
"No, that didn't go too well," Sephiroth affirmed through gritted teeth. At least his anger wasn't directed at Genesis anymore. "I didn't raise them to be so bratty..."
"I don't think that's something you can raise them to…" He answered honestly. "He's obviously just hurt… I don't believe he means what he has said…" At least he hoped that was true. The last thing they needed now was another argument adding to their already long list.
Sephiroth went over to sit on his bed, tiredly rubbing his hands over his face. He was exhausted and this wasn't how he had intended to spend his weekend. Also, he was now feeling immensely guilty for his harsh words.
"Oh, he means what he says." All three of his brothers had their particular strengths: Loz was immensely sensitive and protective, Yazoo was quiet, but a brilliant observer and Kadaj, it turned out, had developed a strong sense of justice and a keen mind. He trusted them and as young as they were, he also believed that there was truth in their observations, whether he liked it or not. "So tell me, again: why do you hate me?"
The other thought for a moment, turning his head from left to right in a thoughtful motion. "I never said I hated you. Hate is such a strong word… I think I do not even hate my parents and they are worse than you could ever be so… Let's say I dislike you…"
He was walking on thin ice and he knew it. There was no way he was ever telling Sephiroth that he did not like him because he was jealous of all that he was, because there was this silly idea of being a hero deep inside of him, still alight and burning since his childhood years, when he had thought that rescuing the neighbor's cat was the most heroic thing ever. "You do not like me that much either, so where's the problem?"
"The problem is that I cannot afford to waste my energy on something as ... childish as this. I do not dislike you per se, you have potential and you are not a bad person. I do dislike your attitude outbursts however." The moment he said it he knew it was true, which was a bit of a success because now he knew what they had to work on so that the rest of the year could be spent in peace. A ceasefire was very much needed.
Crossing the arms in front of his chest, the red-head took a defensive stance. "I do not need to like you to be able to work with you, nor do you have to like me," he said wryly. Yet he couldn't keep the anger up for long when he heard the Second Class telling him that he at least liked him a little bit. "We should be able to get along without being best buddies, so yeah… Is this the moment where I should tell you what I do not like about you?"
"Shoot." Sephiroth decided to ignore that very 'attitude' he had just criticized as it flared up again. Maybe that just was how Genesis was. Maybe he didn't mean to be offensive, even if he was.
"I do not appreciate that you treat me like I'm an inferior and, please don't tell me that I am, because I know. But I just hate it when you are this arrogant around me, okay? I just cannot deal with it." He knew this wasn't the way they would eventually come up with a solution, but the topic was sensitive to him.
There was an impulse again, to deny that he was behaving arrogantly and Sephiroth was very tempted to act on it. The last time he had followed that impulse it hadn't gone too well, so he held back. Besides, he hadn't become Second Class so quickly just because he was stronger, faster and more disciplined. Though he was not exactly a social person, he was professional and he could take criticism and adapt to it. He was getting some unpleasant feedback here, but it was too easy to just discard it. "I see. Care to explain how I am so?" He spoke calmly. He wanted to know.
"You…" Genesis' voice died down, the wrath he had felt with it. "You want to know? For real… like as if you cared?" He asked this incredulously, eyeing his counterpart with something akin to calculation. "See, that's exactly it… right from the beginning you treated me like you'd treat some nameless grunt, ordering me around and being just yourself… I mean… I know I'm not different from them but…" Okay, this was getting nowhere, he didn't even know what he wanted to say. Damn me and my big mouth, he thought sourly.
"That is the way I treat everyone. Or so I was told." Sephiroth massaged his temple, closing his eyes for a moment. "What I want to say is that I had certain expectations that were not met, due to circumstances you know well. My anger had to be directed at someone and you were an easy target, I suppose." There was also the fact that Genesis was quite the brat at times, but mentioning that would lead nowhere. Sephiroth had mentioned the attitude problem several times and it had only proven to be counterproductive.
A sharp, short laugh filled the room; then Genesis sighed and shook his head. "I guess we both had expectations that were not quite… met, as you put it so nicely. Perhaps we started off on the wrong foot." He knew this was a lie, he would never have a good feeling about Sephiroth because he himself had issues with him.
"Perhaps," Sephiorth said non-committally. "I propose we keep it simple from now on. Don't get too involved." Which basically translated to each of them minding their own business.
"Fine with me…" The red-head answered, turning to sit down on his own bed, too.
There was a long moment of silence, where they only heard each other's even breaths, before Genesis looked up to meet Sephiroth's gaze again. "You know… perhaps you should put some clothes on…?" he suggested quietly.
Sephiroth blinked, blankly.
"...Sure."
Sometimes he really didn't get the redhead. Most of the times. He stood, walking over to his wardrobe to pull out a simple black shirt that had the ShinRa logo at the back but was so washed out that it was barely readable. It was a brand new shirt but Sephiroth had washed it till the logo was half off. As he quickly pulled it over his naked upper body, he turned his head at Genesis. "I am going to the cafeteria. Do you need anything?"
"Mind if I come along? Or would you rather… you know… be alone with them? All family stuff…" Genesis asked, being a little more at ease now that the other was fully dressed. At least it helped. He also hoped his arms would be ready to use again some time soon because it was getting on his nerves how he couldn't manage anything at all.
The redhead looked a bit lost, sitting hunched on the bed and all. That friend of his, Angeal , was away on a mission that all of their class mates had had to partake in, except for them, because Genesis was hurt and Sephiroth was his nurse. The man inwardly groaned.
"...No. You can come along." Apparently his subtle suggestion had been too subtle. Whatever. This was a good test to see if their compromise could actually work out. They went to the cafeteria in silence, their footsteps echoing through the empty hallways. The sky outside was still dark and far at the horizon thin tendrils of lightening crawled over the thick clouds. How Genesis hated this kind of weather. To his guts.
They found Loz, Yazoo and Kadaj at a plain table decorated with plates of half finished cake. When the youngest spotted them he smiled shyly. "We got cake for you too..."
Despite himself he smiled at the kid's remark, sitting down beside Loz to leave the place next to Kadaj for Sephiroth. "What did we do to deserve a cake?" he asked mockingly, accepting the piece Loz slid over to him with a thanking nod.
"Nothing. Cake does not need to be deserved." Kadaj answered, his eyes gleaming with pride.
Sephiroth sat down as well, accepting the piece of cake that Yazoo pushed towards him. He stuck his fork into it, chewing on it a moment later. "It's good," he said in approval.
"I know! I chose it!" Kadaj beamed. Sephiroth smiled, and continued eating. At least they were all by themselves here; only a bored, kitchen staff guy loitered behind the register. "So, did you make up?" Loz asked curiously, finishing his own cake.
When seeing the brothers interact, Genesis couldn't repress a smirk. It was something he had never experienced at home, since he had no siblings. The only thing that came close to this was his friendship with Angeal, yet it was something basically different at the same time.
While nibbling on his own cake, he threw a glance towards Sephiroth at the question, nodding then, still smiling. "Yeah, we did." was all he said.
"I'm glad!" Kadaj smiled a satisfied smile. They still didn't seem like the best buddies yet but at least they weren't bitching at each other anymore.
They sat together for some time, annoying the poor employee and generally talking about everything and nothing. Kadaj was totally content with the situation, grinning and obviously being happy that nobody was arguing at the moment.
When it got darker outside, the two soldiers walked the brothers to the front gates, seeing them off before turning to get back to their room. They talked a lot that evening, yet about nothing in particular. Their ceasefire seemed to work and Genesis was somehow looking forward to their next mission, hoping that his arm would heal soon. It was his last thought before falling asleep that night.
tbc?