Sharing Is Caring, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core (Sephiroth/Angeal/Genesis) Title: Sharing Is Caring Author: sphinxofthenile Rating: PG Warnings: Horrible horrible crack. With some added sugar. Word count: ~2560 Prompt: Sephiroth/Angeal/Genesis: Living together – He was becoming surprisingly fond of the houseplants and LOVELESS advertisement posters. Summary: All is well that ends well. A/N: This fic was actually due on the 10th... Please don't kill me?
---
"A pipe broke," Sephiroth deadpanned.
"I'm afraid so," Tseng gave a little nod, black hair flowing with the movement.
"A guest room shall do then."
"All occupied at the moment. Li Wong and his cohorts," he added in response to a silver brow arching.
Sephiroth growled low in his throat as Tseng reminded him that the Wutai delegation was to stay throughout the peace negotiations they all knew were bound to fail at this stage anyway.
He just arrived back from a rather demanding assignment, and running into Tseng on the corridor just to be informed that he couldn't return to his quarters for an indefinite amount of time didn't really help his mood. Neither did his options.
"You can either move in to one of the Second Class dorms or room with Hewley and Rhapsodos."
"They are Hollander's projects," Sephiroth's brows creased, and Tseng shifted slightly to clasp his hands behind his back.
"I guess that is why Hojo made a scene when Lazard suggested it."
"Is that so?" Sephiroth asked flatly, already reaching for his bag.
"Room number thirty three."
"Tseng? If I get wind of it that Reno is behind this little accident, I..."
"I assure you, you would be doing me a favor."
---
It was Hewley who opened the door with a small smile on his lips and his redheaded friend in tow. Neither seemed to be surprised to find Shinra's prized General standing there. Right now, it was too late to ponder that, and he entered with the slow determination and friendliness of a glacier, albeit with considerably more grace.
"I'm staying here until my quarters are fixed," he announced, even though it appeared the two already knew that, and Sephiroth made a mental note to have a little talk with Tseng later. Considering that he was so hungry he could've eaten rusty nails at this point if necessary and there was a mouthwatering scent from the kitchenette he decided that the aforementioned talk could wait.
"Welcome," Angeal offered his hand after wiping it off on his pants, the meat fork still in his other hand giving Sephiroth a good guess what prompted the action and he decidedly ignored the gesture.
"When Tseng said you were coming, we've got everything ready," Genesis chimed in, smile all secrets and promises. Sephiroth wasn't sure he liked it, though he wasn't convinced about the contrary either. "But how impolite of me! This is Angeal and..."
"First Class Angeal Hewley, age twenty-two, born in Banora, Northern Mideel, blood type A," Sephiroth interrupted flatly, green gaze flicking back to the redhead. "First Class Genesis Rhapsodos, age twenty-three..."
"Okay, we get the point, you've seen the files," Angeal laughed with a certain amount of unease, patting Sephiroth jovially on the shoulder, and pulling his hand quickly away at a look from those mako green eyes. "Come let me show you around."
"Unnecessary. I'll be taking a shower now and join you later," Sephiroth replied coldly. The First Class quarters had the same layout, did they honestly think he couldn't find his way around? What a ridiculous notion. There were no more than three rooms not counting the bathroom and the kitchenette, and one of them obviously functioned as a living room, so there wasn't much to go around about, he thought with a frown.
He had to wonder why despite all this it was Angeal who looked mildly surprised and Genesis confused and angry as he walked away and simply left them standing there.
---
The hot water was glorious and he sighed a little. He sagged against the tiles, eyes closed for a long blissful moment before he reached for the shampoo bottle. He will have to requisition his supplies to be transferred here, though a closer inspection of the bathroom made it clear that the plan would meet a few obstacles. Mainly in the form of brushes, shampoos, conditioners, color protectives, styling gel, vitamins and whatnot.
Looking at the labels, he had a growing suspicion that the bottles taking up all that space didn't belong to the younger of the two.
SOLDIER apartments were a far cry from being luxuriously spacious, designed to be functional rather than anything else. The two could consider themselves lucky that there had been no new additions to First Class in a while, and they could have for themselves what usually would be shared by four people if they didn't have the dubious privilege to go by the nameSephiroth, of course.
Only now, he was about to spend the next few weeks with them.
Sephiroth had no illusions about Shinra bureaucracy. A week until all the reports and repair requests land on the office desks, another one while they are pushed around, a third while they are processed and approved, a fourth while the repairs are done. So, by rough estimation, he was stuck with two people he barely knew for a month. It was all just grand.
---
Well, dinner tasted amazing, he had to admit that one. The meat was tender without the compulsory indigestible parts of regular canteen food, saucy and wonderfully spicy. He had no idea what the little green leafy things were, but the whole thing was delicious, so he wasn't going to complain. Ah, and the potatoes! He never really considered new possibilities for preparing potatoes, but the slices fried in the same pan as the meat were obviously an ingenious idea.
"So, umm, Sephiroth..."
He looked up at Genesis who never got to finish his sentence, words dying out with a sharp hiss and a look of pain passing those delicate features as Angeal landed a well-aimed kick to his shin.
"Hey! I wasn't going to say anything wrong!"
"Of course you weren't," Angeal glared at him, then shot Sephiroth an apologetic look.
"I just like conversation at the table," Genesis pouted, and Sephiroth could see Angeal's resolve being shaken as if by an earthquake with a magnitude of ten.
"I'm sure he's tired and talk can wait." Somehow, the man managed to make it sound like a joke, a plea and a command all at once. Then he turned to Sephiroth almost hopefully. "Right?"
"I'm calling it a night," Sephiroth polished up the rest of the potatoes and watched as Genesis retreated into insulted silence and Angeal altered between trying to coax him out of it and pretending nothing had happened at all. That didn't really change until he finally got up and left for his room, and if he ever thought that actually spending some time with supposedly normal people might do him good, it was time to revise that idea.
Not a second later he could hear the noises of an argument intensifying by the minute, only cut off by the pointed slam of his door that threatened to crack the wall.
Normality was clearly overrated.
---
The morning after didn't exactly serve to cement his decision, even though it was a day off, and usually, that would guarantee that he was in a generally good mood. However, he had to learn quickly that this apartment and his style of living were, in fact, mutually exclusive.
Especially since the two decided that they would take a day off too, to "help him settle in" as they said. It was quite ridiculous in his opinion. It wasn't like he had many things to find a place for (except the shampoo bottles, which provoked quite an exchange between him and Genesis, which was only resolved by Angeal reorganising the towel racks) and definitely nowhere near as much as what the two possessed.
How they managed to move all that stuff into the bedroom they now shared was beyond even Sephiroth's highly praised logistics abilities. The sheer amount of Loveless merchandise Genesis owned could've filled a small boutique, not to mention the clothes and accessories he seemed to be collecting for no obvious reason, as one was rarely off duty with Shinra, thus minimizing the chances of actually wearing them anywhere.
And the plants. Angeal was obviously just as crazed about them as Genesis was about fashion. They were absolutely everywhere, larger ones, smaller ones, plain ones, exotic ones, emerald green ones and faded grayish ones, in the kitchen, in the living room,Ifrit's breath even in the bathroom there was one in a fancy blue pot that matched the tiles.
But it didn't stop here. Oh, no.
With the plants came tools, bags of soil and seeds in colorful little paper bags, different chemicals and books and journals on gardening spread out everywhere in the apartment.Sephiroth couldn't really decide if the inappropriate breach of functionality in having newspapers and journals in the toilet with an annual gardening calendar taped to the inside of the door mortified him more or the caterpillar that decided to get better acquainted with his cup of tea.
Just where was his right mind when he decided to room with these two? Oh yes, too busy wanting to pick sides and piss Hojo off to care.
---
"Lazard, this has to stop," Sephiroth bought both gloved hands down on the immaculate glass table of the man's office.
"And what exactly that might be?" the director leaned back in his chair, arching an eyebrow at Sephiroth's unusual behaviour.
"I'm moving out."
"Oh," Sephiroth couldn't really decide if Lazard seemed more amused or relieved that it wasn't some issue of greater importance the general decided to discuss with him. "May I ask what prompted that decision?Angeal assured me that you were getting along fine."
Well, technically, that was true. Both Angeal and Genesis did everything to make him feel welcome, and he appreciated it however confusing it was at times. But they honestly cared about him, making sure he didn't skip meals and didn't stay up until the early hours of morning slaving over paperwork. From day one Genesis declared that the three of them shall be friends, and they did treat him as one. It was rather perplexing, but that wasn't the problem.
No, the problem rather was that the second morning he found Angeal in the kitchen in boxers, drinking milk from the box. The burnt cheese in the microwave. The dirty socks he found under the couch. Genesis' frequently changing post it notes on the fridge and the mirrors with quotes of Loveless. Or the fact that the redhead loved to sing when in the bathroom. Not like he didn't have an amazing voice, but for one and a half hours?
No, giving it a second thought, this probably wasn't the best way to approach the situation.
"They distract me from my work."
Well, at least that wasn't a lie either. Both were determined to engage him in some sort of past time activity, and when it became obvious that Sephiroth didn't really care for gardening and literature other than books on warfare, they quickly moved to other subjects and in the end settled for food and movies. Sephiroth found it irresponsible to sacrifice some good hours of work for something like this, but after a while he just didn't have the heart to turn them down.
Though he had to admit at least to himself that couch wrestling was actually... How did Genesis put it? Oh, yes. Couch wrestling was definitely fun.
If only he could forget the strange feeling at having Genesis pinned under him. Or the way Angeal's breath hitched just then.
"Your work is as excellent as it ever was," Lazard smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Besides, I'm not convinced that being in a Second Class dorm of eight would prove much better."
Well, that was something not even Sephiroth could argue with.
---
"Stop doing that!" He just couldn't help it. Genesis was being his usual self again, just even louder and obnoxious after a bottle of sake the three of them had shared. And since the method he learned from Angeal seemed to be working just fine every time, he ignored the choking sounds the redhead made and continued the tickling and only stopped when Genesis was entirely out of breath.
"Satisfied, you brute?" the redhead managed to pant out, sounding anything but offended.
"As a matter of fact, yes I am."
"So, when are you moving out?" Angeal asked from the safety of the armchair.
"Probably soon. Depends on the administration."
"But what would you do without us, Seph?" Genesis asked, face flushed.
"Have some peace?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.
"You would die of sheer boredom in a matter of days!" Genesis laughed, throwing an arm on the backrest of the couch and ignoring the pointed looks sent his way.
Sephiroth had to admit at least to himself that he was becoming surprisingly fond of the houseplants and LOVELESS advertisement posters. And the presents he got for his birthday for the first time in his life. ---
"What is it?" Genesis peeked over his shoulder. Sephiroth knew by now that the redhead held little to no respect towards other's secrets and didn't even flinch, not used to having secrets of his own anyway.
"Official notification that by the end of the week the repairs will be finished. I have the weekend off to move."
Though he tried to do his best to hide it, it was still quite obvious that put a damper on Genesis' mood. "So soon?"
"It's been four and a half weeks already."
"Well, yeah," Genesis' tone changed to spiteful in less than a heartbeat. "I'm sure you couldn't wait."
"Perhaps," Sephiroth allowed himself a small smile.
---
"Angeal, I ha..." Genesis paused in the hallway, eyes wide as he took in their apartment. "What had happened here?"
"That is what I'm starting to figure out too," Angeal replied rather calmly, though obviously a little ruffled himself.
"Why is everything gone?" the redhead walked around the apartment still not believing his eyes. It was gone, all their furniture, books, clothes, even the little souvenirs they bought back from faraway missions. The rooms were empty like a whirlwind swept away everything to drop it all off somewhere else.
"My scripts, my notes! All gone!" he exclaimed with a few wide gestures, expression becoming more and more threatening by the second. "I bet this is the work of that fat pig, Heidegger..."
"It actually would be me," came the familiar voice from the doorway, and Genesis knew who was there before he turned, eyes narrowing to thin lines.
"Sephiroth! I demand an explanation for this!" a sweeping arm gesture indicated the room around them, but Sephiroth seemed unfazed.
"Follow me."
It wasn't like they had much chance, so they did, Angeal thoughtful, Genesis glaring daggers at Sephiroth's back. It didn't take much, just a short ride with the elevator and a few corridors before they stopped before Sephiroth's quarters.
"What did we come here for?" Genesis asked still somewhat irritably, though certainly intrigued by the prospect of getting to see thegeneral's personal rooms. A quick swipe of the keycard and the door swished open. They stepped in, but all the words got stuck in their throats the moment they spotted the very things missing from their own apartment.
"But..."
Sephiroth hid another rare smile with his hair.
"Maybe I would be bored to death without you two."