Chapter Text
"Your eyes have been everywhere but where they should be today."
Mona winced as her train of thoughts got disrupted by the sudden voice behind her. She let out a sigh of relief, noting that it belonged to her co-worker.
"Oh it's you, Evelyn. You gave me a fright!"
"Better than you potentially giving the boss a heart attack." The redhead replied and reached over to lower the temperature of the stove. "The asparagus soup is supposed to simmer on low heat, not boil to death."
Mona sighed. "I am so sorry. My mind has been a bit occupied lately."
"I have noticed. What's the matter?"
"It's my notebook. I use it to write down ... well, this and that. I lost it two days ago and have been unable to find it since then."
"Oh. Have you been to the lost-property office yet?"
Mona nodded. "Nothing. They only had some keychains, expired coupons and a single airpod lying around there."
"I see." Evelyn clicked her tongue. "Why don't you wait for a few more days? Whoever found your notebook might not have had the chance to drop it off at the office yet. In any case it's not something someone would be interested in keeping unless it contains a secret treasure map."
Mona chuckled. "Of course not. It has personal value to me, that is all."
Evelyn patted her shoulder. "Cheer up. I am sure you will get your notebook back. And now: Back to work! I heard the firsts are coming back from a mission today so food and service need to be impeccable."
With that Evelyn disappeared to another section of the kitchen and left Mona alone in front of the simmering pot.
She put a hand on her chest to calm her rapid heartbeat.
It had been a week since they had departed for their mission in Junon, a week since she had last seen him sitting here and quietly eating his food while everyone else talked animatedly around him. Sometimes he would crack a smile or two and she would feel the corners of her own mouth lifting automatically. Sometimes he would wipe a droplet of water from his mouth or chin and she would get flustered and look away.
She looked ahead to the empty place where he usually sat, anticipating those fleeting moments of looking at him in the midst of the chaos that was the Shinra cafeteria during lunchtime.
The first months had not been easy. After spending a couple of unhappy years in an office fighting for her clients' rights and her boss' approval, she had thought that manual work could be a positive change in the sense that it would be less mentally straining. Get up, get your work done, go home. Get up, get your work done, go home. Repeat five days a week. It was that monotony that she had been seeking after experiencing so much unexpectedness in her life, starting from her parents' divorce and ending with her boss dropping her plans to give her more hours.
But of course it had not been that simple.
The fast pace had been a challenge to Mona who was used to starting her morning leisurely with at least a cup of coffee in her belly. Head chef Henry, her new boss, was micromanaging the kitchen in a way that oddly reminded her of her old boss. He was also very outspoken and knew many creative ways to tell someone that they are cutting celery in the wrong way.
Pressure, anxiety, the exploitation of one's capacities, putting in maximum effort for minimal or no acknowledgement. Somehow not much had changed after all and Mona had to accept that all paths she took led to the same dead end. So instead of pursuing yet another, she painted her ideal world in the form of random texts and stories, such in which she could lead a life with purpose.
And she drew her biggest inspiration from him.
Soldier first class, Sephiroth.
Mona had been so immersed in her thoughts that she had not noticed the crowd that had gathered at the cafeteria. Normally everyone would rush to line up at the serving counter to get their food but not today. People were standing on each side of the entrance, loudly whispering amongst themselves.
At some point, the door opened and everyone errupted in cheers.
"Make way for the firsts!" Someone shouted and in came the three men that many would agree had celebrity status within the company: Soldiers first class Angeal Hewley, Genesis Rhapsodos and of course the great Sephiroth. One Soldier second class named Zack Fair, who was said to be Angeal's exceptionally talented mentee, trailed behind them with a big grin on his face.
Mona watched as the men (minus Zack Fair, who trudged more than he walked) elegantly strode towards the service counter. While Angeal and Genesis sent appreciative smiles and nods to the crowd around them, Sephiroth kept his gaze downwards. She had long noticed that he was not much of a people person so his reaction did not surprise her but neither did it make her admire him any less. He was a dream of a man with his tall and athletic frame, his long silver hair and handsome face. To her and many others, he was otherworldy beautiful.
"Get ready, Mona! You are in charge of the soup today." She heard Evelyn shout from another counter.
Pulled out of her thoughts once again, she armed herself with a ladle and waited for her turn to serve the men, silently praying that she did not look constipated while trying to mask her nervousness with a polite smile.
Angeal and his mentee were first.
Uncomplicated.
Next were Genesis Rhapsodos, followed closely by Sephiroth.
Complicated.
Mona's hands shook slightly as she took the first bowl and filled it with soup.
"What kind of soup is this?", Genesis asked.
"A-Asparagus soup, Sir."
"Asparagus soup.", Genesis repeated and sighed dramatically. "In more ways than one this company knows how to not give me the recognition I deserve."
"Oh ... I hope the other dishes will be more to your liking, Sir. Would you like me to take-"
"Whatever." Genesis waved his hand dismissively and made his way towards the salad bar.
Mona barely had time to process the awkward exchange when a barely covered chest with crossed-over leather suspenders blocked her view.
She did not dare to look up further, afraid of messing up and having to move out of Midgar as a consequence. She took a bowl and filled it with uttermost concentration before safely placing it on his tray, only then allowing herself to steal a glance.
To her surprise, his eyes were on her.
It was brief but his eyes seemed to focus on the area of her right shoulder before shifting back to his soup bowl.
"Thank you."
"You, too. I-I mean enjoy your meal, Sir."
Mona felt her entire face heat up in embarrassment.
She might have imagined it but one corner of his lips seemed to have moved up slightly before he walked away.