A/N: I know this one is super short, but I really wanted to share it. It is actually an outtake. I had planned on adding it to the story at some point, but there ended up never being a good time for it. It is just such a wonderful interaction between them though that I had to share. Please enjoy!

The 'Light' of my Life

Genesis was still unsure what to do about Clarissa. He could tell things were getting more complicated with every day that passed, but he couldn't bring himself to face what changes might happen. Not to mention that he was still so confused and angry over the things that he had found out from Hollander, that he could barely be civil during missions.

They had been assigned together to investigate a possible monster infestation at one of the companies remote sites, despite his protests to Sephiroth. He hadn't snapped at anyone yet that day, but he had made it very clear that he didn't want to speak, and most people were smart enough to give him a wide berth. Only Clarissa insisted on sticking close to him, which was why he was currently fuming about his confusion.

Once they arrived, he made an attempt to push all his anger aside for the sake of the mission. Despite popular belief, he really did try to be professional in the field. They could tell immediately that the power had been cut to the facility, so he had the infantry that had come with them surround the building and then motioned Clarissa to follow him inside.

They walked in silence for nearly half an hour. They explored most of the facility before they headed to the main lab. It was quickly apparent that whatever, or whoever, had been there had already left. They didn't find anything except for the debris left in the wake of the break in. He quietly told Clarissa to check the far side of the room while he checked the computers. They both fell into their tasks easily.

The silence was suddenly interrupted by a light chuckle. Genesis looked up with a start to find Clarissa looking right at him. When he realized that it wasn't urgent, he did snap at her finally. "And what, pray tell, is so humorous that you are distracted from your job."

Even in the dark he could tell that her face heated slightly as she started to frown. It passed quickly though, and she was soon smiling again when she answered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. It's just that I finally realized why you don't need a flashlight to see in the dark. Have you noticed how bright your eyes glow? You light up the whole area in front of you."

He stilled completely as he took in what she said. He blinked a couple of times before he managed to find the words to respond. "Did you just compare my eyes to flashlights?"

He was surprised further when she nearly doubled over as she started laughing in earnest. He let out a low growl of irritation and that seemed to make her get herself back under control, but she was still grinning when she looked at him. "Oh, don't let it ding your ego too bad. You know very well how attractive you are. Even your snarky, asshole, arrogance is attractive most days, so you're in no danger of my observation stopping that."

He couldn't stop his shock from showing as he stared at her. They had both been dancing around the issue for weeks at least, and her sudden bluntness had him floundering for a response. It was uncomfortable for him, as words were his forte. She must have realized the weight her words had finally as well. She blushed slightly and turned back to the equipment she had been inspecting before she spoke. "I apologize if that was out of line. Please forget I said anything."

Genesis found himself moving before he realized what he was doing. Her eyes widened with shock when he turned her to face him and cupped her chin so she would be forced to look into his eyes. His voice was low when he finally spoke. "I will let it pass for now, as we do have work to focus on, but do not think we will not be discussing this later. I very much want to explore exactly what you meant."

He could feel her swallow before she spoke, as he still had her chin in a firm grasp. "Of course. Later."

Her words had been confident, but he could still hear the waiver in her voice. He smirked before he let her go and turned back to what he had been doing. He was still irritated at everything else, but he suddenly found that it didn't bother him as bad. He didn't want to admit to the reason why, but he found himself smirking at his partner every time his gaze passed over her for the rest of the day.