"In case you ever foolishly forget: I am never not thinking of you"
[♥]
Your feet feel as if they are encased in cement as you stumble down the hallway, heart racing and eyes wide. After so much time lying in bed thinking of nothing but him, now that it's finally time to see him... you're terrified. His bedroom door looks equally like an oasis and like a forbidden treasure – something just out of reach, beyond your grasp.
But, you realize with a small smile, this is real. Your fingers trail down the perfectly polished dark wooden door, knowing what's waiting just past it.Your future. Without a thought, you grab the doorknob and yank it open.
"Hey... oh."
You trail off rather lamely, a frown gracing your features. Genesis' room is empty, with no trace of his presence. All that's left is the furniture and a rather large bag perched atop his perfectly made bed.
"[Name]?"
You jump in surprise as you turn around as quickly as your injured hip will allow. A relieved sigh escapes your lips as your eyes land on the tall auburn-haired male standing in the doorway. His blue eyes are wide in a mixture of shock and delight.
"Hey," you greet with a smile, feeling like you're going to throw up as he walks towards you. "Genesis, I –"
You're forced to trail off as he cups your face in his hands, crashing his lips to yours in a surprisingly passionate kiss. Your hands desperately clutch as his jacket as he pulls you impossibly close, as if he's afraid that if he lets go you'll disappear.
"Hi," he mumbles against your lips, causing you to laugh lightly as you pull back slightly to study to him. Somehow, he had grown even more handsome since the last time you saw him. "This isn't a dream, is it? You're really here?"
"As far as I know," you reply with a sly smirk, causing him to grin in return. "I'm sorry I've been MIA this week."
He subtly shakes his head as he starts to play with the ends of your hair, twirling a strand between his fingers.
"Don't apologize. You had some traumatic injuries."
"Yeah, but..." You stop talking, glancing out the window as a small bird flies past. "That's not an excuse to shut you out."
"All that matters is that you're here, now. You picked a good day to emerge from your cave."
You turn your attention back to him, tilting your head in confusion.
"What do you mean?" you ask.
"I'm leaving today," he explains.
Your eyes widen, subconsciously pulling him closer by the collar of his jacket.
"Leaving? Where?!" you hurriedly press, suddenly feeling slightly frantic.
He chuckles, resting a hand against your cheek. His thumb brushes against your skin, causing you to flush at his touch. After all of this time, it still felt so new, so perfect, being touched by him.
"Work. You didn't think we'd all stay at Headquarters forever, did you?" he asks in amusement.
You blanch a bit, not wanting to admit that actually yeah, you did think you'd stay there for the foreseeable future.
"No," you finally lie, resting a hand on his chest. "So, where are you going?"
He merely smiles as he places his hand over yours, his fingers linking through yours. You bite back a smile as he brings your hand up to his face, brushing his lips against your knuckles.
"How are you come with me and find out?" he offers, eyebrows raising suggestively.
Cue you devolving into a fit of giggles as he pulls you flush against him, his lips finding yours in a sweet, rough, desperate kiss.
[♥]
The rest of the day is an absolute blur. Terra wrote out a list of exercises for you to do in order to get your hip back into working condition. Ven had hugged you so many times you thought his arms were going to fall off. Yuffie cried more than you thought possible. And Roxas... Sweet Roxas had given Genesis his blessing, and both of you his well-wishes. Your heart had never felt more full as you left Headquarters with Genesis, ready to face your new life together.
"So, where are we going?" you ask as you buckle yourself in to the passenger seat of the Gummi Ship Sephiroth had loaned the two of you.
Genesis smirks, glancing at you out of the corner of his eyes as he flicks the ship on.
"You'll see," he replies mysteriously.
With a huff you slink back into your seat, crossing your arms over your chest as you all but devolve into a pout. Genesis chuckles, resting a hand on your knee as he guides the ship off the ground and into the air.
"C'mon [Name], let me surprise you. It's the least I can do."
You sit up slightly in your seat, resting your hand over his.
"What do you mean?" you ask.
"I want to make you feel as special as you make me feel," he explains, his eyes locking with yours as he turns his head towards you.
"Oh," you murmur, unable to stop the smile from creeping up onto your face. "Of course. Thank you, Gen."
His only response a small nod in agreement, eyes locked ahead as he leads the ship out of the atmosphere and into the darkness of space.
[♥]
"Can I open them yet?" you ask for what has to be the hundredth time, your hands covering your eyes.
"Not yet," Genesis replies with a light chuckle, and you can practically see him rolling his eyes in frustration.
Upon landing he had forced you to cover your eyes, gently leading you off of the ship and into the unknown world. Needless to say, you were dying to know where you are.
"How about now?" you press.
"Nope."
You let out a groan of frustration as he pulls you to the right. Silence falls over your figures as he once against leads you down the undetermined path. It feels like you're inside... somewhere, but you're unsure where. Suddenly, he comes to a stop, forcing you to as well.
"Okay, now," he tells you.
Within less than a second you rip your hands away from your face, eyes wide when they land on Ansem's computer.
"Hollow Bastion?" you ask softly, turning around to look at a grinning Genesis.
"Well, my unofficial job has been going through Ansem's computer, to make sense of Kingdom Hearts. Sephiroth has arranged for us to live here, in the castle, until I'm done. And you'll be helping me, of course."
You let out a squeal of excitement, throwing your arms around his neck. His arms settle around your waist and his chin rests on the top of your head as he holds you against him.
"Are you happy?" he adds, a tone of uncertainty in his voice.
"More than," you clarify, turning your head so that you're looking up at him. "I'm... ecstatic. I can't think of anything better than this."
He smiles, placing a hand on the back of your neck as he leans closer to you, his forehead resting against yours. His blue eyes are practically searing into yours with red-hot intensity.
"I love you, [Name]."
Your cheeks heat up as a grin takes over your face, happy tears forming in your eyes as your heart swells.
"Not as much as I love you," you reply softly.
His fingers dig into your hair as he pulls you towards him, his lips pressing against yours in a kiss that makes you both melt and catch fire. You giggle into the kiss as he pushes your back against the wall, tilting his head as he deepens the kiss. His hips press into yours as you pull off his jacket, desperate to feel more – no, all – of him.
"Where's our bedroom?" you ask as he breaks for air.
A positively dangerous smirk flashes across his face as he leans down, his mouth resting next to your ear.
"Who says we need a bed?" he asks, a hand running down your waist as his lips again find yours in a feverish kiss.
You had lost yourself in Genesis ever since meeting him – and, despite his stoic exterior, he had lost himself in you, too.
[♥]
THE END [OF GENESIS' JOURNEY]
NEXT: RENO SINCLAIR