It hits him like debris: sudden, violent and entirely unwelcome. A realization so potent it was enough to leave him reeling, struggling under the weight of something so vast and unrelenting.

He was attracted to you — awfully, severely. And it was foolish to even think about it.

Because attraction like this wasn’t lighthearted or simple. It was something sharp-edged and all-consuming, the kind that gnawed at the edges of his thoughts even when he tried to shake it off. Somehow, it was also the type to make him feel like he was being foolish in your presence.

Was he trying to impress you?

The thought made him scowl, lips pressing into a thin line as he drove his fists against the poor sandbag with more force than necessary. The dull thwack echoes through the empty training room, but it wasn’t enough, will never be enough to let his own thoughts of you die down.

“Didn’t know you were the type to watch someone train so intently, boss.” His hands stilled, breath coming short as he turns to see you standing in the doorway. You were so infuriating, but fascinating and so fucking distracting. “Isn’t that a bit creepy?”

It shouldn’t frustrate him to this extent. Not because how he hasn’t realized that your presence had graced his foolish self, but because you were there. You always seemed to. Everywhere you went, Gen could see you. Like a specter haunting the corners of his vision, you were always somehow just there. No matter how much he tried to focus on anything else — on training, on missions, on proving himself — you kept slipping into his mind.

Should he blame you? No, not really.

But damn you. Damn you for being someone who always looked at him as if you can really see through him. And perhaps you really could, he wouldn’t fault you for that. Not when he was always unconsciously seeking you out.

“Do you ever,” He racked his mind for words, gaze averting away, muttering quietly. “Get the feeling that when you meet someone for the first time, they’ll be a pain in the ass?”