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You could hear him quietly reading LOVELESS under his breath while you sat in one of the many common areas. There were a few red couches that accented the white walls as well as a number of tables accompanied by uncomfortable chairs. A few large potted plants dotted the area. You were sitting at one such table trying to do your work, and here he was, sitting on the couch behind you and reading that cursed book yet again.
It was a slow day, and you were in need of a change of scenery. You thought the empty common area might work. You were wrong, and it made you want to dropkick that book into oblivion.
You didn’t hate Genesis, god no. There were quite a few things you liked about him. He was a very talented swordsman, part of the small and elite 1st Class division of SOLDIER, with a knack for magic. He never flourished his rapier in battle, but even still, his style was entrancing, something you couldn’t help but to watch. He kept to himself and was a bit too cocky for his own good (and for your temper), but he was all around a nice man who would make polite conversation when needed. You loved the way his auburn hair framed his face, the way he spoke and artfully phrased his words, the way he dressed. You even loved the non-tangible parts of him like his loyalty and his commitment to honesty most often seen around his two friends, Sephiroth and Angeal. He was even studious and appreciated the arts. If only he could have appreciated something else about them.
But no, he had to appreciate LOVELESS, the tragic tale of three friends as one sets out to find “the gift of the goddess.” He carried it with him everywhere and would read it constantly. In one hand he’d have a pencil, and in another, he’d have LOVELESS. He would quiz his friends on which passages were from which acts, and was worshipped by his fan club Study Group who idolized his interpretation of the epic as well as Genesis himself. To his credit, he was of the belief that everyone should interpret the poem for themselves and was creeped out by the idea of a fan club.
“Infinite in mystery is the gift of the godess”—SHUT UP
You ground your teeth in annoyance. You’d heard Genesis recite Act I so many times, you’d started to mentally finish the lines whenever you heard them. You weren’t safe from this torture, even in your own head!
“We seek it thus and take to the sky”
God damn it STOP
Unfortunately for you, once you’d started, you couldn’t stop until you’d recited the whole stanza.
“Ripples form on the water’s surface”
Genesis, this all your fault! Genesis was staring too lovingly at his book to even notice you seething and glaring daggers at him. He was never going to be able to have a relationship with you an actual person with the way he always drooled over those printed pages regardless of how badly you he wanted it.
“The wandering soul knows no rest”
You slammed your hands down on the table, mentally screaming. Genesis raised an eyebrow at the racket.
“You doing alright, Y/N?” He asked it so nonchalantly and of course, without even looking up from his book that it made your skin crawl.
You’re right, I won’t know rest until that stupid book is no longer in your dumb, gloved hand!
Genesis wasn’t going to like it, but you didn’t care. You’d decided.
The book had to go.
-
You calmly walked through the halls towards the dorms, and tried to look as unsuspecting as possible. You knew Genesis was off with Angeal and Sephiroth for the time being, which meant his room was fair game. LOVELESS was usually on his person at all times, but you had to double check it hadn’t been left defenseless. When did he put the book down anyway? Where did he put the book when he wasn’t reading it? Did he have multiple copies of LOVELESS?
A shiver went down your spine at that last thought.
This wasn’t going to be easy. Genesis wasn’t 1st Class for no reason. They all had ungodly instincts, and if you didn’t treat his space with the utmost respect, he would know you’d been in there. You hadn’t thought very far ahead, you had to admit, only that you had to get in and find that freaking book.
Lucky for you, your high-ranking position in the company meant you had a universal keycard to get into every room, so at least that was one less obstacle. A quick swipe, and you were right into Genesis’ room. You nearly threw yourself inside so that no one would see you and started your hunt. His room was about what you’d expect from someone like him. It was very tidy and orderly with some LOVELESS paraphernalia spread around the room. A small poster, a theater ticket stub, a playbill…The more you looked at his stuff, the worse this idea was making you feel. This book meant so much to him, and here you were trying to take it away from him. You were starting to feel riddled with guilt.
My friend, do you fly away now?
To a world that abhors you and I?
Annnd the guilt was gone. Back to business.
You found the book on his nightstand without much trouble. Of course he’d keep it nearby so he could read it before bed. Book in hand, you wondered what the hell you were going to do with it now--
All that awaits you is a somber morrow
No matter where the winds may blow
And with that, you all but kicked the haunting book out of his open window and left.
-
You didn’t feel right about what you’d done. How could you be so insensitive? His poem was annoying, but it made him so happy. The smile that ghosted his face when he read was so pure and sweet and you’d just RIPPED IT AWAY FROM HIM. This was eating you up way more than you thought it would.
You saw Genesis walk past you in the hallway and looking around. He knew his book was gone, and he was obviously searching for it. Not only that, he was reciting the words to LOVELESS under his breath. You should’ve known better than to think getting rid of the book would get rid of the poem. He had the whole thing memorized anyway. Obviously.
You had to make things right. You gritted your teeth as you realized what you had to do.
-
Two days later, you approached Genesis, taking a deep breath in.
“Genesis, I have something for you.” You stopped in front of him and chewed on the inside of your lip.
“You do?” He turned his attention towards you. Wow, his blue eyes were so pretty, the way they twinkled in the light and nearly glowed in the dark—Oh wait. He’s probably going to hate you now. Never mind.
“I heard from Angeal that you lost your book, and I know how much it means to you.” You pulled the new copy of the Collector’s Edition of LOVELESS from behind your back and placed it in his hand. It had a black leather cover, the title written elegantly in cursive with gold detailing along the border that continued onto the spine and lined the edges of each page. “I wanted to make sure it was really special though.” You reached over and opened the cover of the book. Inside were the signatures of all actors currently appearing in the play. How painstaking it had been to wait around for each of them to sign the cover, but you knew he’d appreciate it. It was a kind detail you just couldn’t let slide once you’d thought of it. He was worth it, after all.
Genesis stared at the book, delicately running his fingers along the cover as he examined the signatures. While he did, you pulled two tickets out of your pocket. “I also got you these. Now you can go see LOVELESS twice. One for each day you were without the book.”
“So, it was you.” Genesis pulled his eyes from the book to stare straight at you.
“H-Huh?” You were taken aback by his sudden statement.
Genesis shook his head. “You realize that I can see which card was used to access my room, right? The computer inside keeps a brief log of the last several uses, and each card in the building had a unique ID.”
You gawked. DAMN HIM. WHY WAS HE ALWAYS SO GOOD?
Genesis smiled and laughed, carefully pushing your lower jaw up and closing your mouth.
“Thank you for the book. It’s beautiful, and I appreciate the effort you put in to make things right.”
Why was he being so civil? You didn’t deserve this.
He held up a hand as you opened your mouth again to speak.
“I will accept your apology for going through my personal items and defacing my precious book if you accompany me to the play. I have two tickets, after all.” He raised his eyebrow and smirked a bit as the color drained from your face.
Wow, okay. Apparently, he had you figured out and knew it was you all along. He might as well have played you. Fine. Great. That was just rude.
You let out a long sigh. You’d just been such a dirt bag to him, and all you had to do was sit through a few painful hours of the stage performance for LOVELESS. You could hardly stand the idea, but he was letting you off with a slap on the wrist. You definitely didn’t want him to be mad at you, and besides…you were doing it for him. And when that sank in, the idea wasn’t so bad anymore.
“…Yeah, okay. I’ll go with you to see LOVELESS.” You nodded, sealing your fate.
Genesis smiled. It was an adorable, genuine smile that just about made your heart melt.
“I know you hate it, Y/N.”
“You’re not wrong.”
“That’s why I appreciate you coming with me so much. In the future, I suppose I could make more of an effort to read to myself when you’re around.”
You closed your eyes at the thought. You didn’t deserve to hear that glorious proposition. “That would be just divine.”
“It’s a date then.”
-
You rubbed your face irritatedly, seated in the theater during intermission. You were trying so hard to be on your best behavior. You were doing this for Genesis, you reminded yourself, and kept yourself from saying anything negative about the play. That didn't stop you from just about crying tears of joy when the first half of the play ended though. Genesis was sitting next to you and grinned like an idiot when he saw your knotted, twisted expression.
“I still hate you and your dumb play.”
He only smiled more and softly kissed your forehead.
“I know.”