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It was Sephiroth’s fault. The man had all but admitted his guilt with the first sniffle, and so he would die for what he had done to him. Done to them. It would require patience that he was loath to grant, but once his plan was enacted he would not rest until Sephiroth was brought to his knees before the goddess to plead mercy for his crimes.
As it was, he was currently in no condition to enact justice to his satisfaction and so he was left to stew while the disease ravaged his body. But the instant he was capable of leaving this infernal bed he would-
“Stop thinking about murder,” Angeal murmured, the nasally tone almost enough to make the words indecipherable as he pressed a sleepy kiss to his hair. “It’s not Seph’s fault.”
Genesis bristled. “Excuse me, but which of the three of us returned home with the plague and proceeded to fuck everything in sight?” His ‘fuck’ didn’t have quite the bite he’d desired, his throat too sore and too full of mucus and who knew what else to properly express his annoyance.
“I was unaware that I was ill at the time,” Sephiroth said, his normally smooth baritone unnaturally raspy after all the coughing. He kept his back to Genesis as he squeezed his hoard of pillows to his chest. “And if I remember correctly you kissed me.”
“He did kiss you,” Angeal agreed, eyes closed but not yet sleeping.
Genesis itched to grab his materia and fix that problem. Angeal’s opinion was clearly not needed.
Unfortunately, Fair had exhibited a truly stunning amount of sheer audacity when he’d taken his materia earlier and hidden them. He’d claimed it was for his own good, pointing out that allowing his MP to drop while he was recovering would only mean his body would have to work to recover that as well, and Genesis couldn’t afford to put that extra strain on his system.
Genesis had been, admittedly, impressed with his bravado. More so after he’d taken Masamune from a dumbfounded Sephiroth after the silver idiot had attempted to go to work while unable to walk twenty feet without turning green with sickness. Where Fair had hidden that monstrosity was a true mystery.
And on the topic of one Zack Fair...
“Why is your puppy in our kitchen?” Genesis hissed. The sound of cupboards and drawers being rapidly opened and closed as Fair nosed around for whatever he was looking for was distinct enough that even his clogged ears could pick it up.
Angeal shrugged a single shoulder. “I guess he’s making something.”
The thought of even the most mild soup made Genesis’ stomach turn.
“If he brings food into this bedroom, I will vomit on him.”
Angeal didn’t respond as he rolled onto his side and wrapped his arm and leg around him, runny nose pressed into his shoulder as he snuggled. Genesis grimaced, though he was certainly no more pleasant at the moment. He could feel the snot trying to sludge its way down to his upper lip.
He poked Sephiroth in the shoulder. “Hand me a tissue.”
Sephiroth handed him the entire box.
He jerked his arms free from Angeal’s hold - Angeal’s only protest a body-wracking cough - and brought one of the tissues up to blow.
Nothing came out. How nothing could come out when his nose was leaking-
Fair threw open the door before he could become too upset with his body, the world at large, and Sephiroth.
“Guys?” he said, the word quiet and full of more energy than should have been possible for a whisper. The bandana he’d wrapped around his mouth was unlikely to stop whatever super bug had made it its personal mission to remove all three of Shinra’s top SOLDIERs from active duty, but it was more of an attempt than Genesis would have expected considering he’d come at all. Most of SOLDIER had scattered the instant it’d become known that even their mako-enhanced systems were no obstacle for the virus.
Genesis pinched Angeal on the hip. Angeal let out a scratchy huff and proceeded to pretend to be asleep. Sephiroth hugged his pillows tighter.
Genesis rolled his eyes. Cowards, the both of them.
“What do you want, Fair?” He eyed the three mugs he had precariously balanced on a slick cookie sheet.
“I brought you something,” he said, keeping his voice low. He held the sheet up and one of the mugs went sliding along towards the edge. Fair managed to steady it before it went toppling over onto the carpet, but it was only a matter of time before he dowsed something or someone.
Sephiroth scooted back into him. Whether for safety or warmth, now that the open door was allowing cooler air into the bedroom, was uncertain.
Fair seemed to take the movement as an invitation to step further into the room.
“It’s good, I swear. When I heard you guys were sick, I called my mom right away and asked her to send a package here as fast as she could.” He held the tray out to him.
Genesis reluctantly finagled himself into a sitting position and took a mug. Peering inside, he found a thick golden concoction that looked like someone had poorly puréed a squash and then poured hot water over it in an attempt to fool it into thinking it was a liquid. It didn’t seem to have a smell - or perhaps his nose was simply too stuffed to pick up on one if it did - so it could have been worse.
Stomach suddenly queasy, he sat the cup back on the tray. “I do believe I’m already ill enough.”
“Angeal?” Fair asked softly, still obviously operating under the delusion that his mentor was sleeping and not merely doing as Genesis should have done: ignoring him.
Angeal let out a suspiciously timed snore.
Fair deflated. Genesis might have felt bad if not for the fact that he had no idea how he’d even gotten into their apartment in the first place. Surely Angeal hadn’t given him a key.
It was surprisingly Sephiroth who took up the challenge. Perhaps out of some obligation to right his wrongs after he’d attempted to murder them all.
He sat up with a sigh, which quickly turned into a wracking cough as his throat told him exactly how it felt about such things, his entire upper body curling in on itself as he gave into the coughing fit.
Fair patted him on the shoulder. “There, there, uh, sir.”
Genesis snatched the tray from him as it began to list to one side. The liquid sloshed around in the mugs, and his stomach clenched as a wave of nausea rolled over him. He shoved the tray back towards Fair, no longer caring if it spilled.
“Can. I need-“
Angeal gave up the pretense of sleep as a small garbage bin was abruptly deposited into his lap just as liquid began spewing out of his mouth and nose.
The room grew quiet as Sephiroth got over his coughing fit, only Genesis’ retching breaking the silence. Angeal ran a soothing hand down his back as he leaned farther into the bin while Sephiroth laid a bottle of water against his thigh.
“I’ll just set this here,” Fair said as he sat the cookie sheet on the nightstand beside Sephiroth. “I, uh, I should-” Genesis glanced up as he pointed towards the door. Another wave of nausea hit him and his gaze went back down as he retched again. “-I’ll go.”
Fair slunk out of the room, gently closing the door on his way, and they were once again left alone in their den of disease.
Sephiroth held the tissue box up for him once he was done ridding himself of what meager food and drink he’d managed to take in earlier. He took one and blew. He pointedly didn’t look at the paper before tossing it into the garbage, not wanting to see what else might have come out of him. Taking the bottle, he swished some of the water around his mouth before spitting that into the bin and handing it back to Angeal. Angeal made as if to get out of bed before seemingly deciding against it and merely placing the bin somewhere on the floor out of sight.
“I’ll ask Zack to take care of that.” He moved in to kiss Genesis’ hair a second time, but pulled back before he made contact as he abruptly turned to sneeze into his elbow. The tissue box shifted as Sephiroth directed it towards him. Angeal silently wiped the snot off his arm.
There they were: the elite of Shinra. The elite of the world. Quite the sight, weren’t they?
“I’m not drinking that,” Genesis said once he’d gotten himself back under control. He chugged the rest of the water and tossed the empty bottle somewhere onto the floor on Sephiroth’s side. Of the three of them, he was the least likely to accidentally slip on it later when one of them inevitably made a mad dash for the toilet.
“He was only trying to help.”
Genesis shot Angeal a dirty look.
This situation was still entirely Sephiroth’s fault, but Angeal bore the blame for bringing Fair - and as a result, Fair’s strange jungle concoctions - into their lives. Angeal had the decency to look apologetic as he settled back down under the blankets. Which was more than Genesis could say about others in the room.
Sephiroth, as if sensing his ire and determined to spite him for it, picked up one of the mugs and took a drink. Genesis couldn’t help but laugh at the face he made, which in turn meant he couldn’t help but cough, but it was worth it as Sephiroth’s expression shifted into one of betrayal.
“This will help?” Sephiroth asked dubiously.
“No.”
“Maybe.”
“Well,” Angeal amended, “it probably won’t hurt you at any rate.”
He considered the mug for several seconds before tilting his head back and downing the rest. The resulting full-body shudder was enough to ease some of Genesis’ irritation, and he gently tugged on a strand of sweat-slicked silver hair as he slipped back beneath the covers, inviting him down beside him and Angeal. Sephiroth obliged him and the three of them - between unrelenting coughs, sneezes, further uses of the trash bin, and abrupt scrambles towards the bathroom - eventually drifted off to sleep.
&&&
The next morning Genesis felt less like death and more like he’d fallen off the back of a chocobo into a patch of razor weed. It was disgraceful that such a thing could be considered an improvement.
Angeal felt little better, judging by the warmth of his cheeks as he nuzzled his face into Genesis’ neck and shoulders and the wet coughs that sometimes made their way directly into his ear. Genesis numbly swatted at him whenever it happened, but he had no leg to stand on when it came to virus-induced annoyances considering he’d accidentally sneezed into Sephiroth’s hair sometime in the night.
Sephiroth hadn’t even seemed to notice.
They continued to doze on and off until well into the afternoon. Ill and exhausted as he was, it took Genesis a shamefully long time to notice that one of his companions had disappeared, replaced by a hoard of pillows.
“Sephiroth?” he mumbled, not quite motivated enough to lift his head from said pillows. They were so soft and he was so tired. He couldn’t hear him moving about the apartment, but he could barely hear anything at the moment.
“Sephiroth!” he tried again after a minute had passed, louder this time. He poked Angeal when there was no answer. “Sephiroth’s gone.”
Angeal peered over his shoulder as if to confirm that he was indeed missing. “Seph?” he called softly, his voice almost completely gone.
Sephiroth didn’t magically appear before them, and so Genesis began drifting back to sleep alongside Angeal, who’s eyes had already closed. Neither of them had the energy to begin a search.
He’d just about fallen back asleep when their missing man wandered in from the living room.
“Did one of you call me?”
Genesis’ eyes narrowed. He looked…well.
“I see you’re feeling better,” he said, not bothering to hide the accusation in his tone. First he’d infected them and now he had the gall to be up and moving while he and Angeal continued to be bedridden.
“So it would seem. I’m uncertain if it’s because I became ill earlier and have had more time for it to work its way through my system, or if Fair’s potion actually helped. I suppose we won’t be able to tell unless you or Angeal drink some as well.”
Genesis’ gaze flitted towards the mugs, still there from last night. They looked even less appealing now that sunlight had filtered in through the blinds, revealing just how yellow they truly were.
“Perhaps later.”
He’d force one on Angeal first and see if he showed any improvement.
Sephiroth walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Do whatever you’d like. I’ll have my PHS on me if you need anything and can’t call out.” He nodded towards Angeal with that last part.
“You’re leaving?” Was he truly so cured?
Sephiroth shook his head. “Fair’s here again. We’re in the process of watching a movie.”
Genesis blinked. Sephiroth? Watching a movie? With Fair.
“It was the least I could do to repay him.”
And he’d likely been bored now that his body no longer craved unending rest.
Sephiroth gave him another kiss before leaning over him to kiss Angeal’s temple.
Genesis buried his face into his pillows as he headed out.
It was still Sephiroth’s fault, and he would get his revenge. Just…later.