Chapter Text
Rufus was the son of President Shinra, the founder and leader of the very company Cloud was working for. When the president resigned, or died, Rufus would take over. If he was the mystery guest, that meant he was working against his own father, and in the long run, his own company.
And right now he was waiting for his drink. Cloud had already gotten the beer bottle the other guest had ordered, and was now watching as the annoying bartender, Roche, took his sweet time making Rufu’s drink. While leering at Cloud all the while.
”Hurry up,” Cloud finally snapped.
Roche grinned. ”Now, now, making drinks is an art, beautiful.” He slithered over to the counter, spinning the shaker in his hands. He took a glass and began pouring, not taking his eyes off Cloud for one moment.
”So, are you into motorcycles, I… shit!” Of course he spilled some of it. Idiot. He swore and went for a cloth, and Cloud snatched the glass and hurried back to the back room.
”I’m sorry for the wait,” he apologized as he set out the coasters and placed the drinks on them.
He tried to take as long as possible, wanting to remain in the room for as long as he could. Not that he gained anything from it, since the men sat in silence. Rufus regarded him with cold eyes. It was unnerving, but Cloud pretended to not notice.
”Don’t worry about it,” Rufus said, picking up his glass with those long, slender fingers of his.
He swirled the amber liquid inside and took a sip. A lock of almost white, blonde hair fell down on his forehead. His gaze shifted to Cloud again.
”Can I get you anything else, sir?” Cloud asked.
”No, you’re dismissed. Thank you.”
Well, that didn’t leave him much choice. When he had closed the door behind him, he sighed irritably and crossed his arms. In theory, the mission was complete. Or at least he supposed so. He had found out who the mystery guest was, and could report to Tseng. But the discovery had led to so many more questions, and Cloud had wanted answers to at least some of them.
His shift at the bar was over, so he changed back to his own clothes and left. On his way to the hotel, he saw Zack and Kunsel wave excitedly at him from an alleyway and went over to meet them. They seemed a bit rugged, clothes wrinkled and even torn in a couple of places. As soon as he got close, Zack pulled him into a hug. Cloud let himself lean into it, taking in his soulmate’s scent with a deep breath. He smelled a bit dusty. Looked a bit dusty too, up close like this. Cloud wrinkled his nose.
”Are you okay?” Zack whispered into his hair, his breath brushing over Cloud’s ear.
Cloud nodded. Then he pulled back with a little sigh. As nice as it felt, this was no time for cuddles.
”How did you guys get out?” he asked.
”The air ducts were awesome!” Kunsel exclaimed, eyes sparkling. His t-shirt had a long tear over his chest and he had a black smudge on his cheek. ”They went all around the building.”
”We saw you,” Zack filled in.
Not liking the sound of that, Cloud tensed up and narrowed his eyes. ”What do you mean?”
”The ducts went over the backroom,” Kunsel explained.
Oh. Crap. Cloud ran a hand through his hair. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Zack, he did, of course he did. But this was a secret mission and he wanted everything to go according to plan. So far almost nothing had, or at least it felt that way. Suddenly he was very tired.
”Hey, so…” Zack said, tilting his head. ”You guys are trying to catch a pretty big fish, huh?”
Fuck it. They knew this much. Cloud slumped against the nearest wall, not bothering about the sticky surface.
”We didn’t know it’d be him,” he mumbled. ”I don’t really know what’s going to happen now.”
Kunsel hummed.
”You know, you kind of look a bit like him,” he said.
Dumfounded, Cloud just stared at him.
”Like Rufus,” Kunsel clarified.
Cloud could only shake his head. So what? He had much bigger issues than being some random dude's look-alike.
He sighed. At least he wouldn’t have to put on that dumb bikini anymore.
—
He said goodbye to Zack and Kunsel outside the hotel. Back up in the room, he found Reno and Rude, but no Jessie.
”Don’t worry,” Reno said when he saw the look on Cloud’s face. ”She’s not in any danger.”
With a tired huff, he decided to trust the Turk. Besides, they had more pressing matters to attend to. When he explained the situation, Reno whistled and Rude pulled his face into a deep frown. They were as baffled as Cloud by who their target had turned out to be.
”So, our mystery man is Prince Charming himself?” Reno mused.
”Yeah,” Cloud sat on the bed, elbows on his knees.
He watched as the other two mulled the information over. They seemed to be as clueless as he was about what they were supposed to do. At least that made him feel a little less like an incompetent dumbass.
”Well, we need to tell Tseng right away,” Reno said. Rude nodded in agreement.
Not wasting any time, they made the call and put the PHS on speaker. Tseng answered immediately.
”Report,” his voice was cool and collected over the speaker. You could never have guessed he was being called in the middle of the night, by his soulmates nonetheless. He didn’t sound the least bit disoriented, as he had just woken up, or worried. Straight to business.
Cloud felt a pang, suddenly missing his own pack immensely. He thought about how Angeal would have sounded if Cloud had called this late. The husk his voice took on when he was sleepy, laced with concern. He would have let Cloud talk for as long as he needed, only offering kindness and warmth in return. Maybe he could give him a call after this? Cloud shook himself and forced himself back to reality. He was an adult. A Turk. He needed to focus on the job, not daydream about his soulmate like some lovestruck teenager.
”Yeah, so Blondie got a look at the target,” Reno said, he turned to Cloud. ”Tell him.”
Bracing himself, Cloud leaned a little closer to the PHS.
”It’s Rufus Shinra.”
At first, he thought the call might have been disrupted, it was completely quiet on the line. Then he heard a small cough.
”Are you sure?” Tseng asked, a sharp tone to his voice that hadn’t been there before.
Cloud frowned, a little annoyed by the question. ”Yeah, I’m sure. I was standing like two feet away from him.”
”I don’t get it”, Reno broke in. ”Why would he want to hurt his own company?”
Tseng didn’t answer.
”How should we proceed?” Rude asked.
A sigh rustled through the PHS. Reno and Rude exchanged a look that Cloud couldn’t decipher.
”We need to proceed with caution,” Tseng said. ”Continue the mission until further notice.”
Wait, what? Continue the mission? But then…
”You mean I have to go back there?” The desperation was apparent in Cloud’s voice, but he didn’t care. Polkadots were flashing before his eyes.
It didn’t escape his notice that Reno had to stifle a laugh and he shot him an angry glare. He’d like to see him wear that stupid bikini.
”Yes, Strife,” Tseng’s voice allowed no objections.
They finished up the call. Seething, Cloud kept his mouth shut while the others talked. Looked like he wouldn’t be rid of the bikini just yet, after all.
—
To his surprise, Jessie was back at work the next day. Even more bewildering, she was apologizing to Cloud.
”I must have scared the crap out of you,” she said tilting her head and giving him a concerned look. ”Those medics told me I had some sort of seizure and then just passed out. But they said it shouldn’t happen again, so you don’t have to worry.”
Medics, huh? Cloud had a pretty good idea about who Jessie was referring to, and they sure as hells weren’t medics.
”Uh-huh,” he mumbled, not wanting to push his luck by asking follow-up questions. At least she hadn’t mentioned anything about a syringe. He had to make the other Turks tell him how they managed to convince her of that story.
It was a slow night, with only a few guests that were all unusually reasonable. It was almost boring. Cloud was wiping off a table that had just been emptied when the front door opened and a scent he was a little surprised to already recognize hit his nose. Him.
He saw how Mukki came to the door, jovially greeting Rufus who was once again dressed in that ridiculous disguise. Without delay the two men went to the hallway leading back to the backroom. Jessie had spotted them too, and quickly started to finish up what she was doing. She clearly expected to be called in. Would he have to sedate her again to get into the room? Should he try to get into the room again? This time Rufus was alone, he’d hardly be able to overhear him relaying secret plans. Unless he was prone to talk to himself.
Mukki came back out and Jessie hurried up to him, but he shook his head.
”He wanted the same waiter as last night,” he said. ”Cloud, come along.”
Throwing the cloth on the table Cloud obeyed without hesitation, even though a jolt of surprise went through him. He could feel Jessie’s curious eyes on his back as he followed Mukki into the hallway.
”I don’t know what you did last night, but you must have made him happy so just keep it up,” Mukki stressed.
Cloud had no idea either, but he definitely didn’t want to blow this opportunity so he’d do what he could. He wished he had the time to text or call the other before he went inside, but Mukki was watching him expectantly so he just ducked inside the room with a nod of understanding. It would just have to work itself out.
Rufus was sitting on one of the couches this time, looking more relaxed than the day before. His eyes locked on Cloud as soon as he slipped inside.
”Welcome back, sir. What can I get you?” The alpha’s lingering gaze made him self-conscious. He wasn’t leering, like other guests. There was no desire in his eyes or his scent. Instead he seemed to examine Cloud, searching for something.
”The same as yesterday,” he finally said, apparently confident Cloud would remember. Which he did. But it was still presumptuous.
Thankfully Roche refrained from any antics this time, and Cloud quickly returned with the drink. He handed it over, careful not to let any of it spill.
”Anything else, sir?” he asked.
Rufus cradled the glass in his hand. He watched as Cloud tried not to fidget, hoping he wouldn’t be dismissed as quickly this time. Keep him happy, huh? Maybe he could do a little dance… Stop it. His nerves were getting out of hand.
”What is your name?”
The question startled him, but since he had asked for him specifically, maybe it wasn’t that strange that Rufus wanted to know his name. Besides, it was hardly a secret. If he didn’t answer, Rufus could just ask Mukki.
”Cloud, sir.” When the alpha seemed to expect more he added, ”Strife.”
Rufus sipped his drink. ”And where are you from, Cloud?”
”Uhm, Niebelheim, sir.” The personal questions made him wary, what was Rufus angling at? Maybe Cloud had misjudged the looks before, after all. It probably wasn’t too unlikely that someone like Rufus would go after an omega even if they were mated. After all, half the guests at the bar didn’t seem deterred by that fact.
”Niebelheim … There’s a reactor there, isn’t it?”
”Yes, sir.”
”How old are you?” Rufus crossed his legs and slid an arm over the back, regarding Cloud thoughtfully.
This was getting more and more strange. Was Rufus suspecting something after all? But he didn’t look malicious, only curious.
”I’m twenty-three, sir,” Cloud answered.
He was getting restless. He was supposed to be the one extracting information, but so far all he’d done was give it himself. Not that he could see the point of all these questions.
”Thank you, Cloud, that will be all.”
And just like that, he was dismissed. Again. Failing to find a reason to straggle, he left and went straight to his locker, texting the Turks an update. There were still a couple of hours left on his shift, so when he was done, he returned to the bar area with an uneasy feeling in his gut.
Jessie was waiting for a round of drinks that Roche was preparing.
”There you are!” she exclaimed. ”What took you so long?”
He shrugged. ”He wanted to talk.”
Roche gave them a curious look as he slid a glass over the counter.
Jessie gave Cloud an incredulous look as she started to put the drinks on her tray. ”Talk? About what?”
”Nothing special,” he said dismissively.
She didn’t seem convinced but didn’t press the issue further. They continued working, and after a while, Cloud saw Rufus leaving. He had stayed by himself in that room for quite some time.
What a weirdo.
—
The night was warm, a mild breeze tinged with the smell of saltwater mussing up his hair as he stepped outside. Finally, his shift was over. There weren’t many people out this time of night, and the street seemed deserted as he started walking in the direction of the hotel. He had texted Reno and Rude after Rufus left, letting them know they didn’t need to be on stand-by anymore, so he didn’t need to wait for them to approach him.
When he passed a dark alleyway, a noise came from the shadows. It was probably just a stray cat, he told himself, but still felt a prickly feeling run down his spine. He adjusted the sports bag that he had slung over his shoulder, making a mental note of what he had that could be useful.
Before he could come to any conclusion, a hand was clamped over his mouth and another grabbed his arm and twisted it up to his back as he was being pulled into the alley. Then several things happened at the same time.
Being attacked wasn’t a big issue for Cloud, being well prepared for situations like this through his training. He did startle a bit at the sound of a punch somewhere behind him and someone yelping in surprise. He could hear feet hitting the pavement in a run. A familiar voice yelled, ”Hey, get away from him!” and growled.
What the hells?
Not letting his surprise slow him down, he threw his head back, earning a crunching sound and a grunt from his attacker. Then he was able to maneuver himself away and in turn grab hold of the person behind him. When he was sure his grip on the other was secure, he took a moment to take in what was going on around him.
Apparently the attacker hadn’t been working alone. While Cloud had managed the one that had grabbed him, his supposedly called-off backup had arrived. So had Zack and Kunsel. And in the background, a Wutaian man with long, dark hair and a black suit observed the scene with a blank expression. Tseng.
Cloud felt a little embarrassed that he had thought there was no one around. His perceptive skills definitely needed some honing.
Zack was sitting on the other assailant, pinning the man to the ground and baring his teeth. There seemed to have been some momentary confusion, since Rude had Kunsel in a headlock. Reno looked dumbfounded, staring between his soulmates, Zack and Cloud.
The man Cloud had captured squirmed and snarled. ”Let me go.”
Cloud ignored him.
”W-where did you all come from?” he stuttered, slightly out of breath from the struggle.
Realizing he posed no threat, Rude let Kunsel go. ”We were preparing to leave when we saw these two lurking.” He said, gesturing to Kunsel and Zack.
”Yeah, they hid in the shadows so we couldn’t tell who they were,” Reno elaborated.
Kunsel rubbed the back of his neck.
”Zack just wanted to keep an eye on you,” he explained.
”Sorry, Spike!” Zack called apologetically. ”But hey, this time it was a good thing, yeah?”
Cloud didn’t answer, but turned to Tseng, the only one who hadn’t explained his presence yet.
”We need to talk,” he said, pulling out his PHS. ”We should go back to your hotel. I just need to make a call first.”
—
The room was crowded with seven people in there. Cloud was sitting on the bed, staring in disbelief at the man who was leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest. He still hadn’t gotten an explanation as to why Rufus Shinra had been waiting outside the hotel when they got there, but apparently it was Tseng that had told him to come. When they showed up with Cloud’s attackers he had told them to release them, and even though Zack threw a fit over it, Tseng forced them to comply. Then they all went up to the hotel room, and now they waited for the explanation they had been promised.
Zack sat down next to Cloud, putting a hand on his knee and squeezing lightly, making sure Cloud knew he was there for him.
”Are you okay?” he asked quietly. His face was still tense, and it was obvious he wasn’t happy about having to let the men that had assaulted his soulmate go. But Cloud was under Turk jurisdiction right now, and the head of the Turks had ordered they be released. There was nothing Zack could do about it. The frustration rolled off him in waves.
”Yeah.” Cloud tried to sound reassuring, but the truth was he was just as frustrated. The sooner they could get some answers, the better.
Reno was standing in the middle of the room, glaring with his arms crossed. ”Well I sure as shit am not,” he declared through gritted teeth. ”What the hells is going on, Tseng?”
The head of the Turks was sitting on one of the two chairs in the room, legs crossed and leisurely leaning back, even if there was something tense in his posture that betrayed him. He looked at his redheaded soulmate, with something soft in his eyes that Cloud had never seen before. Not that he cared. It was obvious that Tseng had lied to all of them, or at least omitted something. Revealing a softer side was not going to make Cloud ease up on him.
Tseng seemed to be at a loss for words.
Rufus cleared his throat, straightening up a bit.
”Perhaps I should explain…” he started.
”Perhaps you should,” Rude bit out from his place in the other chair in the room, with uncharacteristic heat. He was obviously not happy about the situation either.
Tseng sighed. ”Rufus has been working with me,” he said.
”What?” Reno snapped.
”Tseng and I have an understanding,” Rufus filled in. ”I have been funding the Turks, the omega program in particular, in exchange for loyalty.”
Realization started to dawn on Cloud. He could see the cogs turn in Zack’s head for a moment longer before he also understood the implication.
”So what, you’re taking over the department?” Reno asked suspiciously.
Raising one eyebrow, Rufus smirked. ”I guess you could say that. As a start, anyway.”
”You want to take over Shinra.” Cloud stated, he didn’t need to ask.
”Yes.” Those pale eyes locked on him again. ”I’ve been making different arrangements to undermine my father's authority. When the time is right, I’ll have him unseated and take his place.”
That explained why he had been meeting with eco-terrorists. They were notoriously anti-Shinra, and had gained a lot of popularity lately with all the talk about how the reactors harmed the environment. If Rufus could convince them he would be a better option than his father, they could be a means to sway the public in his favor.
”So why send us on this mission?” Reno’s question was aimed at Tseng, accompanied by an accusing look
Tseng glared at Rufus with a small frown. ”Well, I wasn’t aware of this operation. Our collaboration has been strictly about the Turks. And I couldn’t call Rufus once you told me your findings, since his PHS is likely bugged. That’s why I came here.”
”Yes,” Rufus agreed. ”This little ordeal has highlighted that we might need to rethink our partnership, to avoid future misunderstandings. Going forward, there should be a closer collaboration and more open communication.”
Tseng hummed in agreement, while Reno scoffed and rolled his eyes. He clearly wasn’t satisfied with the explanation, and Cloud could understand. At least he was only working for Tseng, being kept out of something like this by a soulmate must really sting.
He exhaled deeply. What a mess this all was. Zack hugged his knee a little tighter, he was still tense.
”What’s all this got to do with the attack Cloud?” he asked, evidently more bothered by that than all the politics.
”Ah, that was ordered by me.” Rufus said. ”I didn’t know he was a Turk. Which really is a compliment, I can usually spot them quite easily.”
”You did that?” Cloud asked incredulously, disregarding the praise. ”Why?”
Especially if he hadn’t figured out Cloud was a Turk, but actually bought into the whole waiter charade.
Rufus shifted as if he was a bit uncomfortable, even if his face remained neutral.
”Yes, right. Last night I noticed an… striking resemblance between the two of us,” he explained, almost timidly.
”A-ha!” Kunsel breathed from his place on one of the other beds.
Without acknowledging him, Rufus continued. ”When I had learned a little more about you, I looked up some details. You were born not long after my father had stayed at the mansion in Niebelheim to oversee the building of the reactor there. I thought it best to collect a DNA sample to make sure.”
”Y-you think we’re related?” Cloud sputtered.
Zack slung an arm around his shoulders and held him tight.
”If that’s the case, why didn’t you just talk to him?” he was growling protectively, which Cloud usually despised. This time though, he didn’t object. He welcomed feeling a little protected right now.
Rufus clicked his tongue, as if the question was unbelievably stupid. ”Well, I wasn’t thrilled about a potential half-brother working as a waitress in a dubious bar,” he explained. ”And I didn’t want to risk him trying to take advantage of my suspicions.”
No, of course that pompous bastard didn’t want to tarnish his reputation with some white trash waiter. Cloud felt even more self-conscious about the bikini now. But even more so, he was mad.
”So why bother at all?” He spat. ”Why not just leave me alone?”
The question actually seemed to perplex Rufus, just a little bit.
”We could be brothers,” he said slowly, with emphasis on the last word, as if Cloud perhaps was a bit dense.
As if that mattered. If anything, Cloud knew that family was about how you treated each other, that you had each other's backs. It didn’t have to be about blood. He leaned into Zack, who still had his arm around him. He had all the family he needed.
”I don’t care,” Cloud bit out. ”And I won’t agree to any DNA testing either.”
With a dismissive huff, Rufus shrugged. ”It doesn’t really matter now. You’re an employee of Shinra, there’ll be some sample or other saved from your lab works. I’ll just use them.”
Apparently deciding that was the end of the matter, he turned to Tseng again.
”We’ll need to discuss our partnership further, but I think this will have to do for tonight.”
And then he left.
—-
”No offense, but even if it turns out to be your brother, that guy’s an asshole.”
”Mmm.”
It wasn’t the first time Zack had brought the subject up after the bizarre meeting, even though it was unclear what prompted him to bring it up now. Right now, Cloud didn’t really care. He was too warm, too relaxed, too content to bother about anything other than enjoying the feeling of Zack’s skin flush against his own, their scents mixing together in a wonderfully familiar way.
After Rufus had left, Tseng offered Zack and Cloud the room he had booked for himself. It could be because he felt bad about the whole thing, but more likely he just wanted to be able to stay with his own pack now that they didn’t need to keep up appearances anymore. Not that Cloud thought he’d had a pleasant night, judging by the dark expressions on both Reno and Rude’s faces. It didn’t matter much though, because the day after he had offered Cloud and Zack to stay a few days and spend a bit of free time together. Since Zack’s boss was Sephiroth, he had no trouble getting a couple of days off. Sometimes a little nepotism could be a good thing.
”Hey, he asked me to tell you he wants the same thing as Gen for his birthday,” Zack had said in a puzzled tone as he hung up, causing Cloud to blush furiously.
”Oh, and he wanted to know if you could keep the bikini?”
Which Cloud had explained that he could not. Not because he had returned it, but because he had plans to burn it ritualistically on the beach before going home.
They had spent the next two days on the beach, swimming in the ocean, exploring the town and enjoying the sights. Cloud made sure they stayed far away from the bar though. He didn’t know what excuse Mukki had been offered as to why he quit without notice, but he had no intention of running into anyone from that place anyway.
And then there were the nights… which they spent together in bed, exploring each other, enjoying the sights.
He felt Zack worm an arm around him, tugging him closer, and smiled. Gaia, how he had missed this. The last few days had been all about work, and now that the mission was finally complete he could admit to himself how much the lack of intimacy and touch had affected him. He could almost feel every cell in his body squirming in delight at being pressed up against his soulmate like this.
Zack buried his face in the back of Cloud’s neck, nosing and nuzzling.
”You smell amazing, Spike, is your heat coming up?”
Cloud huffed through his nose. ”No, that’s weeks away and you know it. You’re just horny.”
Not protesting the accusation in the least, Zack only chuckled and started placing smooth, warm kisses on his shoulders and neck. Cloud sighed contentedly and reveled in the sensation, a low purr vibrating through his chest. It was true, his next heat was still a good way down the road. It was almost too bad. Before, he always suppressed his heats and dreaded ever having to go through one unsuppressed. After bonding with his soulmates he had started to share his heats with them and now, he actually looked forward to it. Instead of days filled with fever and pain, he got time off from work to have incredible, mind-blowing sex with his gorgeous alphas. It was awesome.
Not that he needed to be in heat to have amazing sex. He turned around in Zack’s arm, leaning in for a kiss and making sure his intentions were conveyed through slowly sliding their lips together. Zack’s breath hitched and the streak of arousal in his scent spiked. Cloud smiled against his mouth. Another mission accomplished. He was clearly on a roll.
”Hey, what time do we need get up tomorrow?” he whispered.
The next day they were supposed to go back to Midgar. Cloud should probably make sure to get enough sleep so he’d be able to deal with his motion sickness. But if they didn’t need to get up too early…
Zack’s eyes were dark and his breath heavy.
”Uhm, I don’t think the ship leaves until noon?” He seemed to struggle to string the words together.
Cloud smiled. That meant they could sleep in.
He leaned back in and captured Zack’s mouth again, kissing him honey-sweet and slow. They had plenty of time.
—-
It was strange how smog and concrete could scream ’home’ at him like this. Cloud doubted Niebelheims crips air and dusty roads would make him feel the same. Partially because that town didn’t really hold any warm memories for him, partially because his pack didn’t reside there. He looked longingly at Shinra Tower, rising against the gloomy sky. Slamming the door of the taxi behind him, he started walking towards the entrance.
”Come on, Zack, hurry up.”
”Yeah, yeah, hold on,” Zack mumbled as he caught up. ”Are you sure you’re all right?”
”I’m fine, stop fussing.”
The motion sickness had been bad, sure. But having Zack there helped, and right now he doubted anything save death could slow him down. Every fiber of his being wanted to go home.
The elevator ride seemed to take forever. Cloud tapped his foot impatiently. Almost every floor it stopped to let people on or off, some of them chatting with Zack who seemed to know just about everyone in the building. When they finally arrived at their floor, he bolted out of the elevator and towards the apartment. As soon as he opened the door all the familiar scents and smells of his pack and their apartment washed over him. He wrinkled his nose. There was another, unexpected smell there.
”Cloud, Zack, you’re back,” Angeal came into the hall, his smile not quite as cheerful as expected.
He gave them each a quick hug and a chaste peck on the cheek. ”Someone’s here to see you, Cloud.”
With an uneasy feeling in his gut, Cloud followed him into the living room. Sephiroth and Genesis were on the couch, their postures wary and attention locked on their guest. Standing by the windows, cooly regarding the black spot on the wall they still hadn’t painted over was the person he least wanted to see.
”You.”
”Hello, little brother.”
Cloud regarded Rufus warily, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeming startled or surprised. Zack didn’t manage that well, a loud gasp coming from behind Cloud. He felt rather than saw the tension spike in his mates.
”You ran the test,” Cloud said without emotion.
”I did,” Rufus went over to one of the armchairs and took a seat, like he felt right at home.
Gen frowned. ”Cloud? What is he talking about?”
”Cloud is the son of my father,” Rufus said. ”We’re half-brothers.”
A heavy silence lowered itself over the room like a wet blanket. Angeal put a hand on Cloud’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.
”We ran into each other in Costa del Sol,” Cloud muttered reluctantly.
Gen narrowed his eyes, looking between the two of them.
”I guess there is some resemblance,” he murmured.
Cloud scowled. ”So, what? What is it you want?”
”Can’t I just want to get to know you?” Rufus tilted his head.
Cloud crossed his arms. Even if he had seemed to hint at that as his motive in Costa del Sol, there was no way on Gaia he would trust Rufus to actually care.
Zack obviously shared the sentiment and snorted mockingly. ”Oh, please.”
Rufus relented. ”And, I have a proposition for you.”
That made more sense. Of course he wouldn’t be here for sentimental reasons.
”What is it?”
”Well it’s actually for all of you,” Rufus clarified. ”Especially you, general.”
He inclined his head in Sephiroth’s direction.
”I repeat Cloud’s question, then,” Sephiroth's voice was tinged with steel. ”What is it you propose?”
Zack went over to the couch and sat down between Gen and Seph, sliding an arm over the back seat so his hand rested behind Sephiroth. Cloud thought about remaining standing, but decided against it. He slowly approached the other armchair and sat down. He could hear Angeal walk up and stand behind him, silent and steady as a rock.
”I suppose you’ve been filled in about my situation with the Turks,” Rufus said.
”You suppose wrong,” Gen said shortly.
Zack glanced at Cloud. They had agreed to wait to tell the others until they were home. Partly because they wanted to enjoy their vacation together, partly because they didn’t know what to say. After all, Cloud needed to be loyal to the Turks, who seemed to be all but under Rufus’ control, but SOLDIER was still subject to president Shinra. It seemed Rufus didn’t have the same qualms though, since he proceeded to lay his plans on the table. The SOLDIERs listened in silence.
”You do realize this is treason?” Sephiroth asked when Rufus had finished.
Rufus smirked. ”I’m aware,” he said lazily. ”But seeing as we’re all family, I wanted to propose SOLDIER join my cause, like the Turks have.”
So that was it. A rising suspicion told Cloud that Rufus might not have been completely upfront with them at the hotel, he must have known more about Cloud than he’d acknowledged. He was less concerned with having a brother and more with having an inn with the elites of SOLDIER.
”What’s in it for us?” Gen asked.
Rufus turned his palms up in an offering gesture. ”That is up for discussion. You don’t need to answer now. Think it over and get back to me. I trust you see the need for discretion.”
He got up to his feet and started towards the door. When he passed the armchair where Cloud was sitting, he paused.
”I believe we should do some catching up, as well, Cloud,” he said. ”I’ll be in touch.”
”Don’t bother,” Cloud bit out through gritted teeth.
Ignoring him, Rufus continued to the door. As he opened it, he revealed two young women on the other side, one of them holding her fist in the air.
”Oh!” Aerith yelped, and stumbled forward when the solid wood she had anticipated knocking on disappeared.
She fell toward Rufus, who grabbed her wrist to avoid her crashing into him. He drew a sharp breath.
”You,” he managed to get out before Tifa hit him straight on the nose with her fist, sending him into the wall behind him.
Tifa had been an avid martial arts practitioner since her early teens, and being bonded to an omega without an alpha meant she had developed lightning-quick reflexes to defend Aerith from pushy alphas who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. Rufus slumped against the wall, cupping his bleeding nose and staring at the two women with wide eyes. They looked back at him, the color draining from Tifa’s face and Aerith’s mouth forming a small ’o’. There was a strange tension in the air.
Cloud looked between them, trying to figure out what was going on. Behind him, Gen started to cackle like a maniac.
”Well, that has to be the first time someone bonded through a blow to the face,” he cried with spiteful glee.
Cloud’s jaw fell to his chest. No, that couldn’t be. He looked at his friends, who were still staring at the blonde heap on the floor. A heavy feeling dropped in his stomach. Rufus was their last soulmate. Fuck.
Finally, Aerith snapped out of her temporary paralysis.
”Well, hello!” she said cheerily. ”I’m Aerith!”
Rufus blinked. ”Hello.” That was apparently all he could muster.
”I’m a doctor,” Aerith giggled. ”Let me take a look at that nose. Best make sure you didn’t get a concussion too. Tifa packs quite the punch!”
Tifa gaped as her soulmate helped their newfound alpha to his feet. She shook herself and went to help Aerith.
”Uhm, we just wanted to see if you were home,” she said to Cloud, a dazed look on her face. ”But, uhm… I’ll call you later?”
”Yeah,” Cloud nodded.
When the door shut behind them, he found himself surrounded by his soulmates, being pulled into a huddle.
”Are you okay?” Angeal murmured in his hair.
”No.” He groaned. ”I can’t believe I’m related to that asshole. And it’s even worse that Aer and Tifa are stuck with him.”
Gen chuckled and pushed Cloud's bangs away from his face. ”Well, don’t worry too much about that last part, I have a feeling the two of them will be quite capable of reining him in.”
”Nhn,” Cloud grunted. Maybe that was true, but he didn’t want to bet on it.
”And if not, you have four SOLDIERs in your pack,” Sephiroth’s pointed out. When he spoke Cloud could feel the vibrations against his back, as he was pressed against Seph’s chest. ”Just say the word and I’ll have him intimately acquainted with Masamune.”
—
The water was warm, and despite all the tension Cloud could feel his muscles relax. Gen had been right, a grooming session was just what he needed. He smiled as he felt gentle hands in his hair, skillfully massaging his scalp. Sephiroth’s arms tightened around him.
”How are you feeling?” he asked.
Cloud shrugged. ”I don’t know,” he admitted.
”That’s all right,” Angeal said and carefully rinsed the shampoo out of his hair, making sure none of it got in his eyes. ”It’s a lot to process.”
When he was done, Cloud scooted up and leaned back on Sephiroth's chest.
”You know,” Gen said thoughtfully from where he was lathering Zack up. ”Even if he’s a condescending dickhead, he is going to take over the company sooner or later anyway. And the president isn’t exactly a paragon of virtue himself.”
Sephiroth hummed behind Cloud.
”You mean you want to agree to collaborate with him?”
Gen shrugged. ”I think we should at least consider it.”
Thinking about it, Cloud remembered Rufus had claimed to be responsible for the program that allowed omegas to join the Turks.
Zack groaned. ”Come on guys, if Cloud wants to talk about finding his long-lost asshole brother, that’s one thing. But otherwise, could we not talk about work and politics right now?”
Laughing, Cloud splashed some water at him.
”Hey!” Genesis complained when some of it hit him.
”Sorry,” Cloud said. He actually wasn’t really up for talking more about all that complicated stuff. All that could wait. He just wanted to enjoy being reunited with his pack, and told them as much.
”All right, then,” Sephiroth said. ”In that case, I have something to say.”
They all turned their attention to him.
”As some of you know, I have been doing some research lately,” Sephiroth squeezed Cloud’s shoulder reassuringly when he squirmed nervously against him. ”And I think we should get a cat.”
The end