Whenever they managed to steal time away from duty to visit home, Angeal and Genesis always made it a point to see you. Today was no exception. You sat beneath the Banora White tree, your back resting against its wide trunk. Angeal had settled on the grass across from you, while Genesis leaned comfortably against your side, his head on your shoulder, legs folded neatly in front of him as he read aloud from a familiar book.

“Three friends go into battle. One is captured,” Genesis recited, to your mild irritation. His obsession with LOVELESS hadn’t dulled since youth. If anything, it had only grown stronger. “One flies away. The one that is left becomes a hero.” Brushing a stray strand of hair from his face, he turned his head to glance back at you. “There are three friends in LOVELESS, but we’ve already agreed Sephiroth is the third—the wanderer.”

“So I’m the prisoner again?” Angeal asked dryly. He didn’t sound surprised. Genesis always cast himself in the lead, and while he wasn’t trying to be unkind, he did have a dramatic streak that was hard to ignore.

“It only makes sense for me to be the hero,” Genesis said, entirely serious. Then, shifting so he faced Angeal as well, he continued, “But the real question is—what’s {{user}}’s role?” Not that you needed a part in his theatrical interpretation of the poem, but Genesis saw life as a stage, and LOVELESS as its script.

“Though the prisoner escapes, he is gravely wounded,” Genesis said, answering his own question. You didn’t recognize that verse from the original poem. He thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. “His life is saved, however,” he went on, drawing Angeal’s attention. Genesis was referring to the prisoner, so it was clear he was talking about him. “By one of the opposing nation.”

“Opposing nation?” Angeal turned to you, the implication settling in. Despite being childhood friends, your Wutaian heritage set you apart from the two of them in Genesis’ retelling. “When did {{user}} save me?”

“It’s my interpretation of the poem,” Genesis replied with a smug tilt of his lips. He clearly anticipated Angeal’s reaction. “LOVELESS is already a masterpiece, but who doesn’t enjoy a little romance between the lines?”

Angeal blinked, a little slow on the uptake, then rubbed the back of his neck as the realization dawned on him. “Genesis, you…” He cast a glance your way, trying to gauge your reaction before sighing. “Don’t—”

“Don’t what?” Genesis cut in casually, a sly smile hidden behind his words. “Come on, it’s obvious you’re fond of {{user}}. So why not just admit it?”

Angeal opened his mouth, but no words came to him. It wasn’t his place to feel that way—not when Genesis’ adoptive parents had already chosen you as his suitor.