Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Sephiroth? Sephiroth?” A voice whispered in the General's ear. Sephiroth sprang from his sleep, reaching for the Masamune before his cat-like eyes had even fully opened. It was second nature to him-almost like breathing. With a grip on the notorious katana he opened his eyes to see Genesis Rhapsodos, who somehow disturbingly yet successfully crept into his tent at the base camp the two had set up with Angeal. The camp had been established in Shinra-Occupied territory but they were still in Wutai nonetheless and he’d spent enough years on the battlefield to know that a sleeping target was an easy target.

He found the other SOLDIER kneeling over him, auburn hair dangling in his face and partially obscuring the crisp, sky blue eyes that he was secretly so fond of. His heart rate picked up speed and his mind raced with endless possibilities as to what could be going on that Genesis had decided to wake him at this hour.

“What is it? Are we being attacked? Is Angeal dead?”

“Calm down, everything’s fine.”

“Then what the fuck is wrong with you? It’s the middle of the night and I was a second away from impaling you!”

“Easy there, do you recall our discussion the other day? About the hot spring. How you’d never seen one? And that you’d kill to wash off in anything other than the freezing cold river we’d been using the past few days? Well, I found a hot spring and I, for one, am not going to spend another day risking hypothermia bathing in that disgusting river.”

The prospect of not having to quickly rinse off in the nearby river before developing frostbite was tempting. There weren’t many things Sephiroth missed about the Shinra Building back in Midgar, but access to hot showers was absolutely one of them. Besides, it wasn’t as if falling asleep out here in nature was easy for Sephiroth as he's become accustomed to the sounds in the lab, the constant low electrical hum of countless machines and the occasional beeping from monitors that the absolute silence of Wutai’s forests seemed to echo loudly in his head. He might as well see if there was any merit to Genesis’ claim. At best, he would finally get at least somewhat clean, at worst he'd wait until they were back at camp and get his revenge on a sleeping Genesis by throwing a nice bucket of cold river water on him.

“Are you coming or not?” Genesis asked impatiently.

“I'm coming, just give me a minute.” Sephiroth got up and threw on his long, leather coat and picked up his belt and canteen from the corner of the tent. He could hear Genesis tapping his foot as he waited for Sephiroth to emerge from the tent. That was one thing about Genesis. He hated waiting.

“Is Angeal coming?” Sephiroth asked, even though he knew the answer was probably no and watched as Genesis did his absolutely spot-on Angeal impression:

“Why go to all that trouble when there's a perfectly good water source right here.”
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Sephiroth was beginning to regret that he’d decided to follow Genesis up Mt. Tamblin instead of just going back to sleep. Or at least attempting to. Even if Genesis wasn’t bullshitting for the sake of it, and Genesis had been known to do so before, the frigid mountain air made the river back at base camp seem more appealing than it ever had been. He’d spent the last two hours traipsing after Genesis through a fresh dusting of snow. Funny, neither man had expected to see snow this early in Autumn. Tonight seemed unusually brisk for an early November night, though, and Mt. Tamblin’s altitudes seemed to only exacerbate the weather conditions. Then again, Genesis is more sensitive to the cold than Sephiroth ever was. He could thank his laboratory upbringing for that. Hojo had never let the heat in the lab surpass 15.5 Degrees Celsius and Sephiroth could recall no more than four occasions in his eighteen years where Hojo had even turned the lab thermostat that high. He guessed that technically it had only been three times, as he recalled back to when he was around five years old and had made the mistake of turning up the heat himself-an action that was swiftly corrected and he could still feel the sting of Hojo’s leather belt on his back whenever the memory surfaced.

“Are you listening?”

Sephiroth had just now noticed that Genesis had been attempting to converse with him and probably for some time by now. “No, sorry. I was thinking of something else-it’s not important, though.” He didn’t exactly feel like telling Genesis about the lab. Actually, he’d made it a point not to talk too much about his own past and tried to be as vague as possible when Angeal and Genesis would ask. He’d listen with great interest whenever Genesis and Angeal would wistfully reminisce about their childhood in Banora. The two had made it seem almost like a fairytale of sorts and he could never truly understand why they would leave such a place to join SOLDIER.

“Anyway, are we almost there?”

Genesis turned around to face Sephiroth yet still kept his pace. “The wandering soul knows no rest.”

“Loveless, act 1.” Sephiroth replied without missing a beat. Genesis had recited the epic poem so frequently, Sephiroth had memorized it through osmosis.

“Correct.” Genesis nodded and smirked before he turned back around, continuing to lead the way.

Sephiroth couldn't help but notice the crunch of dried leaves on the ground. The layer of snow on the ground was much thinner as the foliage around the pair had changed slightly. Not as much snow had made it onto the ground and instead stayed suspended in the branches of the Tsuga trees. Clumps of white powder stayed wedged between pine needles or dusted thick, naked branches of leafless trees overhead. He found the crunching sound to be somewhat disorienting and maybe a little disturbing even as the sound was reminiscent of being followed. He found himself peering over his shoulder periodically whilst keeping a tight grip on the tsuka of the Masamune.

Genesis finally came to a stop at a line of Tsuga trees, where inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of needles.

“Follow me,” he whispered to Sephiroth behind him.

Snow shook from the trees as Genesis pushed his way through the low hanging branches with ease. Sephiroth followed, though had a much harder time due to his obnoxiously long blade and bulky pauldrons. When the General finally made it through to the other side Genesis couldn't hardly contain his mirth at the sight of so many pine needles lodged in Sephiroth's hair. He looked absolutely ridiculous, like a bird would swoop down any minute and attempt to make a nest in the pine laden tresses. It seemed like Sephiroth himself hardly noticed or cared at this point. He was too busy looking past Genesis at the hot spring with childlike wonder gleaming in his eyes.

“I'd told you it wasn't a rumor,” Genesis smirked and folded his arms across his chest.

“Can we - can we go in, you think?” Sephiroth turned his head and cocked it in such away that when he looked at Genesis it almost seemed as if he was asking permission.

“Well, I didn't bring you all this way to just look at it.”

Sephiroth required no further induction, and immediately started to undress in nearly record time, every article of clothing flying off his body at an astounding velocity in a black and silver blur.

“You could keep your boxers on, you know.” Genesis chuckled, watching Sephiroth collect his clothing and pile it nearly up on top of a nearby rock where he also rested the Masamune against. Genesis couldn't deny he was enjoying the view. Sephiroth did have an especially appealing backside-at least in Genesis' opinion, anyway.

Genesis (and especially Angeal, who had submitted several “anonymous” complaints to Director Lazard about unwelcome nudity in the SOLDIER locker rooms in the Tower) always thought it was strange just how comfortable Sephiroth was with nudity, chalking it up to his absolutely abysmal social skills. Genesis could count on one hand the number of people Sephiroth could be somewhat normal around, let alone carry on a full conversation with.

“Then I'd have to walk back with wet underwear.” Sephiroth countered as he knelt down and stuck a finger in the spring to test the water before apparently finding it to be an acceptable enough temperature to step in.

“Fair enough,” Genesis replied, still in the process of unbuckling his belt. “How's the water?” He continued as he began to pile up his own clothing, opting to hang the garments from the branch of one of the nearby trees. He sat Rapier, his crimson blade, next to the Masamune with care. Such a magnificent blade looked like naught but a pocket knife when compared with the sheer height of the Masamune. He pivoted towards the spring, attempting to pay no mind to the infinitesimal flutter in his chest when he noticed Sephiroth's eyes seemed to almost glow behind the veil of steam emitting from the spring. The sight caused him to harken back to the summer nights of his childhood in Banora, when fog would drift in and envelope the firebugs in a thick mist, their bioluminescence like gold flickers suspended mid-air.

Genesis pulled himself back to the present and stepped forward to join Sephiroth in the spring. He found himself a spot on the smooth stone ledge and immediately cupped his hands to cleanse his face, grateful that he did not have to rush or risk injury from the rivers frigid temperatures, nor listen to Angeal excitedly exclaim whenever he happened to spot any wildlife in or around the river as it always made Sephiroth paranoid about what else could be watching the trio. Wiping the water from his eyes, he watched as Sephiroth submerged himself, disappearing under the spring water and layer of mist that hovered over its surface. A few of the pine needles that had found their way into the notorious platinum tresses of the warrior hero, which due to the sub-aquatic physics in place were swept up in a gravity defying manner, floated up to the surface.

Sephiroth re-emerged, finding his own seat on the smooth stone ledge opposite Genesis.
“I'm guessing you're already fond of this place.” It was already apparent that Sephiroth had been enjoying himself, which said a lot about just how uncomfortable and unpleasant the river at base camp was as an alternative since out of the three of them, he was, by far, the least bothered by the cold. Something looked different about him though, and it took Genesis a few seconds to realize that this was the first time that he’d seen his comrade without his signature face-framing bangs. He could see Sephiroth's eyes much more clearly than he had before, noticing a touch of chartreuse in his irises that he previously overlooked, a Veridian sheen sparkled in the moonlight overhead. Genesis couldn't help but smile just a little at how the General’s eyelashes stuck together when wet.

“What did you say? I'm sorry I couldn't quite hear you.”

“I just said that you seem pretty fond of this place.”

Sephiroth paused for a moment, then smiled in a fashion that caught Genesis off guard. It wasn't as if Genesis had never seen the other man smile, rather it seemed that this was the first time he'd ever seen Sephiroth smile without it seeming forced or artificial even. No, this particular expression appeared to be genuine, soft even and he couldn’t help himself from letting his eyes linger on Sephiroth’s lips for just a few seconds. He'd never noticed the corners of his lips were asymmetrical until tonight and he couldn't help but find it charming.

“It's breathtaking, I've never been anywhere like it. Thank you for convincing me to come.”

The corners of Genesis’ own mouth curved upwards to form a slight smirk. His eyes narrowed just a bit before he splashed a little water at his friend.

“That was for not believing me, earlier.”

Sephiroth laughed, the sound a little odd, but Genesis found it endearing. For though he seldom heard the sound, he was probably the one person who had heard it the most.

“Okay I guess I do deserve that. But so do you, for waking me up like that,” he admitted before he returned Genesis’ splash. Sephiroth then pursed his lips, and fixed his bangs suddenly realizing that they'd been pulled from his face when he'd ventured under the water.

“Here, you're still covered in pine needles,” Genesis noted as he waded through the warm water. There was the faintest hint of a recoil from Sephiroth as Genesis approached. To say Sephiroth didn't enjoy casual touch was a gross understatement. Indelible in his hippocampus was the harsh feeling of thousands of hands that had touched his skin before. The hands of enemy combatants and scientists. The sensation always preceded some kind of harm that would be imminently afflicted with whether it was the cut of a blade or the sting of a needle. Strangely enough, though unable to completely relax, he found himself less tense with Genesis standing in front of him, face-to-face.

The shift in the air was palpable, at least to Sephiroth. He sat motionless while Genesis got himself situated on the stone ledge. He reached for Sephiroth’s bang before pulling back. “May I?” Sephiroth was caught between appreciation and confusion. No one had ever bothered asking his permission before touching him before. For his comfort to be considered, it was strange…and new. Even Glenn, the first person who’d ever hugged him, hadn’t asked for permission. He wasn’t even sure what to say and so simply nodded. Sephiroth studied Genesis’ face while he carefully pulled the stray needles still lodged in his bangs. His eyes were sharp, but kind and filled with warmth despite irises like ice which could pierce into your very soul.

Genesis had thought he pulled the last pine needle from Sephiroth’s hair and added it to the collection of the other discarded needles he’d pulled from the platinum tresses when he noticed a stray needle that had fallen on his cheek. Slowly, he leaned in, but his focus was instead shifted on the other man’s mouth, fixated on the light asymmetry in the corners, the fullness in his bottom lip and the defined cupid’s bow on top. He looked into Sephiroth’s eyes and pressed his lips to his mouth like a promise.