Chapter Text
Cloud Strife had never considered himself lucky: he didn't consider himself lucky when he joined the Shinra military because there were a few omegas alongside him to do so as well (which he found quite comforting). He didn't consider himself lucky when he became the first omega in Shinra history to join the elite SOLDIER, and he didn't consider himself lucky when he quickly climbed the ranks to 1st Class in the span of a year. Cloud merely believed it was only skill and nothing more. However, others beg to differ. During those first few months, there were rumors running around that Cloud had seduced the director into raising his ranks or even allowing him to join SOLDIER to begin with. That in turn just gave him a worse reputation, despite his successful track record that even the president himself acknowledged, but he ignored it nonetheless as he carried out his missions.
If Cloud had seduced anyone, he would confidently say he had seduced the one and only 1st Class SOLDIER, Zack Fair. Or rather, it was the other way around. Cloud had first laid eyes upon him when he was a beginner 3rd Class. He had heard what Zack was like from other cadets and fellow SOLDIER: he was friendly and kind to whoever he met, something you wouldn’t typically see in an alpha, and he was referred to as a puppy from a close friend. When the two met for the first time, he was exactly how people described him. They became fast friends and talked whenever they could, even going out for drinks a couple of times just to be in each other’s company. It wasn’t a surprise when the two became lovers.
Cloud awoke one morning with a strong wave of nausea accompanied by light-headedness. He pressed a few fingers to his temple with a wince, wondering if he had enough time to run to the bathroom before it was too late. He took in a few breaths before pausing, slowly feeling bile rise in his throat. “Screw it.” He muttered before throwing the covers off of him and skidding across the hall towards the bathroom.
Cloud pushed the spikes out of his face with a shudder, leaning against the wall for support in case the urge came again. He wrapped his arms around himself with a lowered head, already feeling drained despite just waking up. He closed his eyes, trying to keep his mind off of the squeamish feeling still pooling in his gut. The pain in his skull had faded immensely, but he had no idea when it would return.
If this was how pregnancy was at ten weeks, Cloud wasn’t looking forward to the rest of it. He couldn’t begin to imagine how his body would adapt, but he was more fearful of the mood swings that might cause him to lash out at his superiors. It’s not like he wanted to hide his pregnancy, not like he could to begin with since people would notice the change in his scent and pick it up right away. Professor Hojo had been more eccentric about it since the news broke out across Shinra HQ, and he was trying his best to get Cloud alone to run some tests. Unfortunately, Cloud was never willing, and Zack would so much as snarl at the mere sight of a needle.
A pair of hands placed themselves on his hips, and he felt lips pressed against the nape of his neck sweetly. A familiar alpha scent entered his nose and he couldn’t help but relax into the figure behind him. Thumbs drew small circles on his waist and a nest of black spikes rested itself on his shoulder. “You good?” Zack questioned softly, keeping his hands where they were.
Cloud shrugged his shoulders before tilting his head back to glance at him with half-lid eyes. “I’ll manage. We have another seven months to get through this, right?”
“Another seven months of trying not to be probed by mad scientists.” Zack turned his figure and wrapped an arm around the blonde’s shoulder to pull him close. Cloud couldn’t help but curl into his chest with a nuzzle. Being in his mate’s arms comforted him to the point where he could forget about everything going on around him; just being near Zack was enough to help him cool his head.
Unfortunately, he had to lunge himself out of the alpha’s arms to vomit a second time, and he felt hands rub his back and shoulders gently. He wouldn’t know what to do if Zack wasn’t around to soothe his nerves, and he honestly didn’t know where he would be.
Of course, there were others who weren’t trying to insult Cloud every chance they got: one was a Turk named Cissnei who Zack had befriended some time ago. She was one of the first people to find out about the pregnancy, fully content with supporting the two in whatever way she could. She even went so far as to cover for Cloud if he was needed for something he couldn’t handle. She was also one of the first to come to Cloud’s aid when the rest of the organization found out. Since then, Cloud concluded he could continue to count on her when he needed her.
“Can you stand?” Zack whispered in his ear, and Cloud took a minute to nod in return before slowly getting to his feet and making sure his hand didn’t slip into the vomit-filled toilet as he was guided towards the sink. He spit the last of it with a cough and rinsed his mouth out with water to hopefully get rid of the taste. During this, he received feathery kisses across his shoulders and neck and sweet whispers in his ear. The two soon stood in silence for a moment as Zack’s calloused fingers trailed themselves across Cloud’s stomach and chest, coaxing him into tilting his head with a sigh and giving the alpha more skin to kiss.
“Didn’t you get enough of me last night? Cloud croaked when he felt fingers dip under his pajama pants to stroke his sides. He shuddered and guided the hands back towards his abdomen.
“I never get enough of you,” Planting another kiss on his cheek, Zack pulled away to flush the toilet before leading Cloud out of the bathroom. “I heard there’s something going on in Modeoheim. Something about the reactor there.”
“I thought the reactor was abandoned.”
“It is. But apparently there’s a surge of mako energy that no one’s ever seen before.”
“So, you’ll be sent to check it out.”
“Unless the job is given to the Turks, yeah.” Cloud smoothed out his hair after pulling on a shirt and turned to see a breakfast bar almost shoved in his face. Zack gave him a gentle look. “You know you gotta eat, Cloudy.”
“And risk throwing it back up? No thanks,” The omega pushed his hand away and turned his head. He heard a light whine and looked back before freezing. Zack’s eyes were swelled with tears and he was sporting a pout on his lips. Cloud groaned as a result, knowing too well it was hard for him to resist the alpha’s signature puppy dog eyes; another reason why everyone called him Zack the puppy. “Okay, fine.”
Zack blinked away his fake tears and grinned, slipping the bar into his hand and pecking his lips before turning on his heel and heading to their closet. Cloud grimaced before taking a bite, hoping it’ll stay down long enough for him to get a decent meal. He sat on the bed quietly as he listened to the alpha rummage through his clothes, quietly humming to himself with a lowered head and quickly finishing the bar. He stared at the ceiling while watching Zack undress out of the corner of his eye.
The couple remained silent, merely enjoying each other’s company as they proceeded through their morning routine: Cloud made his way into the kitchen to cook breakfast for the two of them (he was hoping the smell of bacon wouldn’t cause him to vomit) while Zack entered the living room to watch the latest news. Automatically, his ears perked at the sound of the reporter talking about Modeoheim, and he leaned back in his seat. “Guess the rumors were true.” He said blankly.
Cloud peeked from the kitchen doorway in response with a lifted eyebrow. “Looks like too much for the Turks to handle. You’ll probably be called in.”
“Question is who,” Zack scratched the back of his head. “If it’s that bad, it would probably be best to send Sephiroth and some infantry to deal with it. Unless it’s something he can’t handle alone.”
“They’ll probably send you too,” Cloud lowered his gaze with a pause before softly stroking his stomach with his thumb. “Or me. Wait, no. The director basically put me on house arrest. Said he wasn’t taking any risks.”
“I'm actually kinda glad,” Zack laughed. “I wouldn’t know what I’d do if you got sent out. I’d be restless for days.”
“No wonder they call you a puppy,” Zack’s pout only caused him to chuckle before he returned to the kitchen once again. “You think they’ll need you?”
“Like I said, it depends on how bad the situation is,” Zack kissed his cheek and began to fix his plate. “Who knows. Maybe it’s probably nothing.”
“I hope you’re right.” Their conversation shifted away from Modeoheim to their plans for the future regarding themselves and the baby, some plans they were discussing a second time to keep themselves and each other on track. It eased their minds and had them forget about the dreaded topic before.
A phone rang once breakfast was finished and the couple glanced at each other cautiously. Cloud averted his gaze quickly before nodding to the alpha. With a breath, Zack took the phone in his hand and held it to his ear. Cloud sucked in a breath with a nervous gaze as Zack remained emotionless listening to the voice on the other line. He knew neither of them would be happy when they find out who’s on the Modeoheim mission, and they also wanted to know who would be going with them.
If Cloud was somehow chosen despite Lazard’s order, he hoped he wasn't partnered with Genesis. Cloud believed that man would be the death of him one day, and that was something he wasn’t looking forward to. If not with Zack, he hoped to be paired with Angeal. Sephiroth wasn’t usually one to talk and tended to keep to himself, but he could be counted on when it came to a mission. Angeal was practically family to the two of them —being a father figure to both of them— and had been an active part of their relationship. Aside from Zack and a few others, there wasn’t anyone else who Cloud trusted his well-being with, and Angeal was near the top of that list.
Zack ended the call a moment later and gave the other a concerned look. Cloud’s heart sank as he waited for whichever of the two were going on the mission. Zack released a sigh and placed a hand on his hip. “He asked me to come in.”
Cloud was both relieved yet afraid at the same time, and there was still the question of who was going with them in his mind. Knowing that Zack would be there told him he shouldn’t be too worried about what might happen. The addition of Angeal would make the mission more successful, and he also didn’t mind if Sephiroth went as well.
Cloud turned on his heel and headed back to the bedroom to grab the alpha’s sword. Next to it was the Fusion sword, a gift from Zack to celebrate being promoted to 1st class. He stepped out of the room, kissing Zack’s cheek and handing him the sword. He followed Zack to the front door, smiling at the soft kiss. Then, Zack winked and headed down the hall with Cloud waving from the door.
For some reason, Cloud had an unsettling feeling resting in his gut, and he knew for a fact it wasn’t another round of nausea. The voice in the back of his mind was telling him to follow Zack, to go to the briefing to get an idea of what exactly the mission was, to ask why he was being sent to an abandoned reactor. It all seemed too fishy.
Unfortunately, Cloud knew all he could do was wait. He wasn’t the one going on the mission, so it shouldn’t consider him. At least, that’s what Lazard would say. Cloud huffed and closed the door. He hoped he wasn’t being paranoid. Zack will be fine; it’s just a recon mission.