#zackgen

Hi! I am extremely sorry this took sooooooo long to answer. I have no excuse, i genuinly forgot it was in my drafts for so long🫠. Apologies, I am a useless worm!

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If you ask Angeal and Sephiroth - hell even Zack!- They will tell you that Genesis always looks annoyingly good. In all the time Angeal has known Genesis he can't ever think of a time where Genesis didn't look completely perfect from top to bottom, and Angeal has known Genesis for a long time. There is no point is asking Cloud because he's always of the opinion he's dating literal celestial beings, and therefore cannot be trusted to give an accurate observation of how his fireiest partner looks. At least not one thats grounded in reality at any rate.

The reason being is that Genesis would rather be burned at the stake than admit he was self concious about the dark circles that perpetually sat heavy around his eyes. He would quite literally sooner be squewered by Sephiroths sword ( no he doesn't mean that in the fun way.). The problem is, it's not always easy to hide them. He's tried every technique in the book and While his lovers may be easily hoodwinked, Genesis knows they are there.

And he hates them.

The simple answer would be to go to bed earlier, get more sleep, maybe look at his computer screen less instead of typing out whole thesis worth analysis of LOVELESS at two o'clock in the morning. Alas as much as Genesis has every intention of doing those things... he never does. Instead he leaves his paper work to the last minute, gets pulled into a paralysing state of doom scrolling, or simply stares at the cieling as the world passes him by while he listens to music and detatches himself from reality for a little bit.

If he didn't have to work this wouldn't be a problem. if he could convince his brain that the day wasn't ruined for any other kind of productivity when Lazard dismissed them, then maybe (just maybe) he could do things in a reasonable way.

instead he's stuck in the endless cycle of thinking staying up late will keep tomorrow far away from him...

Goddess he's fucking tired.

Gen Reaches for his make up box by the sink. He hasn't slept again of course. He was too busy arguing with some idiot online who thought Act three of LOVELESS was a puritanical critisim of sex before marriage, when it very clearly wasn't. By the time four o'clock had rolled around it had felt like a waste of time to go to bed. So instead, Genesis had made some coffee and kept on scrolling in search of another argument.

Now, as he realised he had no foundation or concealer left, he was regreting his decision.

"Fuck," he muttered, feeling the panic rise into his throat and choke him. "Fuck Fuck Fuck, no no no no, this can't be right." He drags everything out of the bag in seach of some magical new bottle, but there isn't one. He can't hide the circles under his eyes without them, and he doesn't want to deal with the lecture he knows he'll get when 'Geal see's them.

he starts crashing around the bathroom, desperatly looking for something, anything to help cover them. He Checks Sephiroths make up supplies, but its just eyeliner and some dark eyeshadows.

Cloud had a Cover stick in his bag but when Gen opens it, it is A.) three shades too pale, and B.) literally worn down to the dreggs and possibly out of date. Fuck.

The crashing around seems to be heard from the next room, as Gen hears footsteps aproach the ajared bathroom door.

"Gena?" comes the croaky croon of their resident puppy.

Genesis has to pull back from the urge to lunge for the door and slam it closed.

Zack stands in the entry way, blinking tiredly and looking concerned. his hair is endearingly messy. Maybe a year ago that would have grated on Genesis, but now it was one of the things he loved most about mornings with Zack.

"Babe, what are you doing up?" he asks, clearly only half awake.

Genesis doesn't look up, nor answer. If he does he knows Zack will see his eye bags. If he does he knows he will likely start crying. neither option is preferable, so he continues to stare at the floor.

The footsteps come a little closer. Zacks slightly scarred feet come into his field of vision. Genesis vaguely notes he's still wearing the nail polish Genesis put on his toenails a week ago for fun. Zack had never ben one for self conciousness. He could be annoyingly upbeat about everthing; his looks included. If someone complained about his fashion choice, he would grin and wear the clothing anyway. If his hair was a mess, he'd brush it off by saying he wouldn't die from it.

It was terribly annoying, and made Genesis seeth with envy sometimes. He wished he could be that Blazé about his looks.

"Gen, you okay?" Zack touched his shoulder. He became a little more concerned when Genesis flinched at the touch.

"Hey its okay," he said kneeling by his partner. "Whatever it is we can solve it together,"

Genesis tilts his head away as Zack ducks to try and catch his eye. He was hoping his hair was casting enough of a shadow to hide the offending bruises.

Zack reaches out however, turning his face towards him so he can get a clear look and check theres no tears. There isn't but its a close call. Maybe it was just better if Genesis admit defeat. This wasn't some deluded fan after all, it was Zack.

He lets his chin be led to meet Zack's gaze, wincing as he waits for the judgement to be cast.

"There's that pretty face," Zack coo's obnoxiously. He's obviously trying to make Genesis laugh but it falls flat, so again he asks, "Gena what's wrong?"

"I-" Gen's throat feels sticky. "I could not rest..."

"Okay, but why are you crashing round the bathroom? did you have a nightmare or something?"

Genesis tried to turn away again but Zacks hand was still on his chin. he looked down instead.

"I was... looking for my concealor,"

"At four in the morning?" Zack puzzles. "What for?"

"Can't you see the dark circles that have marred my face?"

Zack tilts his own head a little. The resemblance to a confused Alsatian puppy are truly startling as his mused spikes flop with the movement. Genesis feels a surge of unreasonable irritation at the sight.

"Oh for goddess sake Zachery," he snaps and jabs at the bruises under his eyes. "There! are you blind?! They are entirely impossible to miss!"

"I see them dude," Genesis grits his teeth at the casual nickname but Zack either doesn't notice or doesn't care He persists. "I guess I'm just wondering why its an issue?"

Genesis Rolls his eyes. Of course! Of course Zack would be so blindly uncaring about these things. After all, if it were his own face he wouldn't care. But Genesis cares, which is why he shoves at the younger man growling:

"As foreign a concept as it may be to you my love, some of us have insecurities!"

Zacks expression shutters a little as his own annoyance flares. He had always found Gen's outbursts difficult to handle the most out of all of them. Despite loving him fiercly, it was simply the mark of inexperience that meant Zack reacted more to Gen than the others did. Angeal had known him long enough to know how to handle his temper, while Sephiroth and Cloud were used to handling people who's ire was easily triggered. Zack, by comparrison, was the odd one out.

That being said, he most be learning, because he did not rise to the bate as he normally would.

"I have insecurities Gen," he speaks calmly and evenly, taking purposeful breaths to sooth the irritation. "I get that your upset, but I'm just trying to help,"

Genesis deflates a little at that. Goddess he really was exhausted.

"I'm sorry," he mutters, "Just go back to bed its fine. I will be fine."

"I'm not leaving you to stew on the bathroom floor birdie,"

"I'll be fine,"

Zack lets out an aggravated sigh.

"Look," He shifts a little so that Genesis is facing him properly. "I get that you feel self concious, and I'm not saying its stupid cause its not. God's know I know what kind of lecture Angeal will probably give you about staying up late, but Gen I'm on your side okay?"

It was Genesis' turn to look confused.

"I get not sleeping." Zack elaborates. "you're looking at the king of late night thumb twiddling here sweetheart. I don't sleep most nights, I know I have dark circles and yeah, Gen, I feel self concious about them a lot of the time,"

Genesis blanched a little in suprise.

"You do?"

"Yup," Zack nods. "But I'm not the only one either. Angeal may be all high and mighty about sleep schedules but he'd have conniptions if he knew that none of the rest of us sleep properly. Cloud's usually awake until three most nights; Seph's only asleep right now because he's been awake for the past week and finally crashed, and me? I'm admittedly awake because you are but I'm usually lying in bed trying not to fidget so much because my brain's still wide awake,"

He sighs and rubs at his eye's like he's the one thats been up until four.

"I haven't had a proper night of REM sleep in weeks dude." he grumbles, and Genesis can see them now, the rings that sit heavy around Zack's own eyes like he's been punched. They mirror Gen's own, and its almost... comforting to know he's not alone.

"I apologise puppy," he reaches out and rubs a thumb under Zacks eyes. "I believe I have some eye masks that can help reduce them if you like?"

Zack snorts and catches the hand to kiss it. Genesis softens considerably at the move.

"Tomorrow, right now you're coming to bed,"

as they pick themselves up and return to the bed, Genesis thinks about the how he has been handling this insecurity of his. He feels a little lighter knowing that its something he'd not alone in, but there is also a little shame in realising he has been hiding it from the people who are supposed to love him in spite of his flaws.

He wanted to think this was a turning point in his feeling's of inadaquacy surrounding his appearence. Maybe it was, but he also knew that tomorrow he would go out to buy more Concealer before his press conferance on tuesday. He wasn't quite ready for the world to know that he was a mess underneath his fair facade.

But maybe a baby step was all he needed to stumble down the right path.

i dunno how many of you youngins out there remember the time during the nineties where every big movie, be it a regular live action movie or a disney movie, had to have this one specific love ballad pop song be part of the credits. the trope is called Award Bait Song, and it's probably best characterized by my heart will go on by céline dion after the titanic came out.

picture, if you will, a 90s movie adaptation of loveless that was universally praised by critics, but genesis being the purist he is absolutely fucking hated it, said it missed the point, it changed too many details and is just a poor adaptation overall. and of course, it had That One Song over the credits.

one day he passes by zack who's just cheerily off-key singing a few verses of the song, blissfully unaware of the movie it came from because it was a generation before him, and genesis just pelts him with a copy of loveless because how DARE you remind him that that bastardized version exists get ready for a lecture on how horrendous it is and how much it got wrong

Zack x Genesis is a slept on ship and I will die on that hill.

I combined the two, I hope you don’t mind.