Loveless

Chapter 17

They called Reno, and he arrived quickly. During the flight back, Genesis sat stiffly in his seat, glaring at the empty space in front of him, while Eloise was seated ahead, next to the pilot.

Truthfully, Genesis was already getting tired of Reno's voice.

"We should go out later tonight, yo," the younger redhead said for what felt like the tenth time.

Eloise tilted her head slightly, mildly amused, but didn't answer. Instead, she turned her attention to the view outside the cockpit window, still shaken from what had happened in the desert.

"She has more important matters to attend to," Genesis cut in sharply.

Reno raised an eyebrow and glanced back at him. He had never liked Genesis much, and judging by his attitude, that wasn't going to change anytime soon. The man gave off an air of superiority that made him hard to trust, and even Sephiroth or Angeal didn't seem particularly close to him.

"And how would you know that?" Reno asked, surprisingly calm.

Genesis crossed one leg over the other and smirked.

"Because it concerns me."

Reno looked at Eloise for confirmation, clearly expecting her to deny it. Instead, she merely rolled her eyes and rested her head against the window.

"Probably," she said flatly.

That didn't convince him in the slightest. He watched her for a moment longer, then gave up with a small shrug and turned back to the controls.

When they landed back in Midgar, Genesis immediately grabbed Eloise by the hand and pulled her toward the building. He was clearly done with Reno's constant talking, and even more irritated by the way the Turk kept hovering around her. Eloise didn't protest, though—not because she agreed, but because she was exhausted. All she really wanted was to get to her room and sleep. The mission had gone smoothly on paper, yet neither of them felt satisfied by it.

Instead of letting her go, Genesis dragged her straight into his room and locked the door behind them. He turned to face her, crossing his arms as if waiting for an explanation. Eloise, however, said nothing. She wandered around aimlessly, inspecting his small kitchen, then the bathroom, and finally the narrow sleeping area.

After a moment, she sat down on the edge of his bed, shifted once or twice, then lay back and closed her eyes as if she had every right to be there. Genesis raised an eyebrow and approached her slowly.

"We need to talk about what happened in Sector 8," he said sharply. "What did you see?"

"Nothing," she replied flatly.

He studied her more carefully. Eloise was stubborn, and he knew that being gentle would get him nowhere. If he wanted answers, he had to push. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up against him, forcing her to meet his gaze. Their faces were close enough that they could see their reflections in each other's eyes.

While Genesis focused on forcing the truth out of her, Eloise felt her breath falter. Up close, he looked different—less sharp, more human. His eyes, usually burning with irritation or arrogance, seemed tired. For a moment, she noticed small details she had never allowed herself to notice before. The thought startled her, and her gaze lingered on his lips longer than she meant to.

Genesis didn't notice. He was too focused on his frustration, on making her talk.

"A wolf," she finally said, her voice quieter. "It had red eyes. Every time I hear his growl, I lose control. It's like something corners me from the inside, and the energy takes over."

He stared at her, searching her expression for any sign of exaggeration or deception. His grip loosened slightly.

"Maybe it was an illusion," he said, though his tone lacked conviction.

She blinked and pulled herself back, irritation flashing across her face.

"Maybe," she snapped. "Maybe I imagined it. Maybe I'm losing my mind. Is that what you want to hear?"

His frustration flared.

"Then start talking, Eloise! No one knows what's happening to you because you don't say anything. How are we supposed to help if you keep everything to yourself?"

"You can't help me," she shot back. "It's in my body!"

Genesis froze for a moment, then grabbed her wrist again and pulled her closer, his voice dropping.

"Do you even know what's happening to my body?" he snapped. "I'm degrading. Slowly falling apart. And it's because of Shinra. People like us don't get to live normal lives."

"People like us?" she repeated sharply. "Stop saying that. We're not monsters."

His grip tightened as he pulled her toward the bathroom, pushing her in front of the mirror.

"Look at yourself," he said harshly. "Look properly. There's nothing human left in us. We're experiments. Tools. Puppets made to destroy whatever Shinra points us at."

Eloise stared at her reflection in awe. Her skin looked paler than usual, her lips almost too red, and her eyes—her eyes were shifting, flickering between their normal blue and that unnatural turquoise. She had never seen it happen before, only felt it.

"You're part of Project Jenova," Genesis continued, his voice low and bitter.

Her chest tightened. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the dizziness only worsened. The room tilted, the sounds dulling around her. Her legs gave way, and before she could say anything else, everything went dark.

She fainted.

When Eloise woke up, she found herself in the same room, lying on the bed.

Genesis was sitting on the nearby couch, a book in hand and a glass resting loosely between his fingers. He was reading Loveless, looking far more composed than she expected. He wasn't wearing his uniform, and without it, she noticed details she usually ignored — his height, his build, the way he carried himself even when relaxed. Annoyingly enough, he looked... attractive. That realization caught her off guard.

She must have stared a little too long.

"Are you done staring?"

He didn't look at her when he spoke. He closed the book calmly and stood, setting it aside before walking toward her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, instinctively shifting back.

Genesis stopped in front of her, studying her with an intensity that made her uneasy. Without warning, he leaned closer and reached out.

"You're glowing."

Eloise frowned and shoved his hand away. "Don't be ridiculous."

His eyes narrowed slightly as he observed her more carefully.

"You're not glowing now."

He sounded almost puzzled. He had seen it before — that faint blue light that appeared when she used too much mako, the same reaction she had during combat. But this was different. There had been something else earlier, something subtler. A flicker of yellow, appearing and disappearing without warning, as if it answered to something inside her rather than to energy output.

Genesis straightened slowly, his expression unreadable, but his attention remained fixed on her in a way that made her ears redden.