Chapter Text
When Cloud and Sephiroth stepped inside their cabin, most of their belongings had already been packed away. There was something melancholy about seeing their shared home so sparse and quiet, but his alphas were all sitting in the living room.
The sight of them would have been comforting, but every one of them was taut with anxiety and poised for action.
It was almost unsettling how quickly every eye in the house focused on Cloud, and, more importantly, what he had in his arms. Genesis’s mouth was already opening to speak, but Cloud hiked one child up his shoulder so that he could lift a hand to silence their questions.
“We’ll talk later,” Cloud assured. “Sephiroth can fill you in, but maybe you should go to the aircraft to talk.”
Cloud’s eyes narrowed as he looked over his mates. It was a silent means of conveying that this wasn’t the time to argue or explain, and the air craft was a less than subtle way of asking that they take the discussion where the children wouldn’t hear.
Angeal was the first to nod his understanding.
He got to his feet and attempted to pull Genesis and Zack out of their seats while Sephiroth rushed out the door again. Cloud wished the silver alpha wasn’t so eager to get away from him, but he knew it wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
Zack proved difficult to move, even with his mentor herding him. The youngest alpha’s eyes were wide and bright as he stood on his toes to get a better look at Cloud’s precious burdens. The children still had their heads tucked into the omega’s shoulders, so Zack couldn’t get a good look at either face.
It comforted Cloud to know that he wanted to see. The omega could already tell that keeping them was going to be an uphill battle.
Letting Sephiroth own the night’s narrative was already risky, but Cloud trusted the alpha to give their pack all of the information they needed. In the meantime, he had two living, breathing kids to settle in.
His kids, who had presumably been experimented on for as long as they’d been alive.
Cloud had been in captivity for only a few days, and the experience would haunt him for as long as he lived. It was the last thing he wanted for anyone, let alone his own progeny.
They weighed so little that it was making his instincts go haywire. Every instinct seemed to scream that he needed to get them to safety. He wanted to swaddle them in warmth and comfort and cover their scent with his until his claim was unmistakable.
Even before the door had shut behind his alphas, Cloud was carrying his children to the second bedroom. He set them down carefully on the bed, and the two boys sat close to each other and looked up at him with owlish eyes.
Cloud reached for the quilt at the end of the bed and wrapped it around them both. That seemed to quiet some of his instinctual worry. They looked less exposed this way, and the little blond was already turning his face to nuzzle his cheek into the textile.
“Do you have names?” Cloud asked as he knelt beside the bed so that he could speak at their level. His voice remained soft even as his pulse raced.
Both children continued to blink at him for a moment, then they began pulling up their sleeves. Cloud’s chest ached at the first sight of the tattoos on their shoulders. The silver-haired child’s tattoo read “A2” and the blond’s read “O2.”
Cloud could already guess. He had two sons now - alpha and omega.
“Can you speak?” Cloud tried again.
The children glanced at each other. Cloud watched the subtle pursing of lips and furrowing brows as the two seemed to communicate. After a moment, they looked up and nodded.
“Do you want to ask questions?” Cloud offered.
He reached out and gently ruffled their hair, and his heart began to calm as the touch left his scent behind. The boy marked O2 looked up at him with wide eyes, and Cloud smiled in return.
“Are you O1?” The silver haired child asked.
“Who?”
“O1. We were made from O1 and A1 - Sephiroth.”
The boy’s brow furrowed with suspicion as he leaned forward to examine Cloud critically. He would have succeeded in feigning confidence if his hand wasn’t gripping his brother’s so tightly.
“If Sephiroth is A1, then I am O1, but numbers are not names. You can call me Cloud.” The omega leaned just a little closer. “Is there anything else they call you?”
Both children blinked a few times in confusion, but the blond child finally shook his head after a moment. Born in captivity and given only numbers. Cloud wished he’d burned the mansion down with the scientists inside.
“We’ll figure that out later,” Cloud promised. “You don’t ever have to back to that place again, alright?”
The blond child’s eyes widened further in surprise. He fidgeted in his spot with a sort of anxious excitement, but his brother didn’t look convinced.
“They will take us back,” The little alpha argued, but he looked down at his feet and scowled as he spoke.
At least his loyalty seemed to be to his brother instead of Shinra. Cloud wasn’t sure what he would have done if they’d wanted to go back.
“I won’t let them,” Cloud promised. He leaned forward to rub his face over their small heads. Despite any misgivings, both children leaned eagerly into the comfort of the omega’s embrace.
“You are my children. I’m going to protect you with everything I have.” Cloud got to his feet and brushed off his pants. “You two will be safe here. You should rest, and I’ll be back after I talk to my pack.”
He turned to walk away but froze at the sound of the little omega’s voice.
“Don’t go.”
It was so quiet that Cloud would have missed it if not for his enhanced hearing.
He turned back toward the sound and looked them over intently. The two were so small and pale. They were huddled together and gripping the blanket with tight, little fists.
His children were terrified. Of course, they were. Cloud had just taken them from all they’d ever known and brought them to a den of strangers.
“I won’t go anywhere until you two feel safe,” Cloud promised.
He returned to the bed, but this time he went directly to the headboard and began fluffing pillows and pulling back blankets. He thanked his lucky stars that everything had been recently cleaned. There were lingering pack scents, but the bedding was mostly fresh.
“Do you want me to sit with you for a while?” Cloud offered as he began to remove his gear. He slid into bed and pulled the thick blankets over his lap before patting the spaces next to him in invitation.
His alpha son gave him a half-hearted glare for his trouble, but the omega nodded eagerly. He let go of the quilt to crawl to his mother. The boy slid under the blanket and cozied up to Cloud’s side, and the alpha followed reluctantly after.
Once they were both under the blankets, they gave up resisting. Cloud wrapped a protective arm around each and let them settle against him until they were comfortable.
“Where were you until now?” The alpha child asked nervously. He couldn’t seem to sit still, so he was playing absently with the blankets while he spoke.
“I didn’t know you existed. I’ve been in hiding since I escaped the labs,” Cloud answered. He carded his fingers through his omega child’s hair, and smiled as the boy pressed into his side.
“You smell nice,” O2 commented.
He looked up at Cloud with big, blue eyes. In that moment, he looked eerily like a young Cloud. A2 was definitely an even mix of Cloud and Sephiroth, but the omega boy was nearly Cloud’s double.
“You smell nice too,” Cloud answered.
The low, rumbling sound started in his chest again. He hadn’t meant to start it, but the sudden desire to comfort them coaxed it out. He watched, amazed, as both children went still. Their eyes widened for a moment, before they relaxed fully into him.
It was a mothering sound.
This felt like something that was just for his children; something instinctual. Cloud rubbed their small backs for a while, and his heart clenched when he heard a small, answering purr rise from O2.
The alpha’s expression was still concerned as he watched his brother sleep. Cloud focused his attention on stroking the little alpha’s hair in an attempt to sooth him, but soon Cloud ended up nodding off himself.
The alpha child was still awake when Zack pushed the door open to check on them a couple hours later. Sometime after Cloud had fallen asleep, the alpha had crawled out of the blankets. Now he sat at the end of the bed watching Zack with mako-bright eyes.
When Zack stepped in the room, the boy tensed where he sat. He put a hand against the blankets and gripped, as though he planned to pull it and wake the sleeping omegas at the first sign of trouble.
“You know, you could sleep if you wanted. Cloud wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” Zack promised.
“He fell asleep. I have to keep watch.” The boy’s voice spoke as though it was an obvious truth, and Zack’s heart ached at the implications.
Is that how they’d handled the labs? One of them was always awake to alert the other when the scientists approached?
“I can keep watch, if you want,” Zack offered.
He wanted both children to have the chance to sleep. He knew the rest of the pack was worried that these were experiments, but Zack couldn’t be unkind to children on the chance that they might bite him later.
“Why should I trust you?” A2 asked.
The boy’s body was small, but he still squared his shoulders when he asked. The stance reminded Zack so much of Sephiroth. It made him want to coo, but he knew better than to insult the boy’s pride.
“Because I’ll make a promise,” Zack answered instead. He lifted his hand and offered the boy his pinky.
“A promise?” The boy mused while looking at Zack’s finger with open suspicion.
“Yeah. Cloud is my mate, so you and me are going to be family. How does that sound?” Zack prompted. He knelt further down so that his elbow rested against the mattress and his offered hand was at the boy’s level.
The smaller alpha took Zack’s hand in both of his smaller ones. He ignored the outstretched pinky as he turned Zack’s fingers over curiously.
“The scientists say Hojo is our father; that he’s the father of science.”
Zack winced at the comparison. Maybe he should have started at the very beginning and explained what a ‘promise’ was.
“No. Not like that. Uh… Out here, mothers and fathers are people who love and protect you,” Zack tried to explain. The boy still looked doubtful, so Zack hurried to add, “Maybe I should just say we’re family.”
“Like… O2 and I?”
“Yes! Just like that. I want to be your family, and promises between pack members are important, you know?” Zack explained.
He did his best to keep his voice down, but he saw that one of Cloud’s eyes cracked open to check on them.
“I am tired,” A2 admitted. He scooted a little closer, and his grip on Zack’s hand tightened. “Is it a promise? You won’t fall asleep?”
Zack reached out with his free hand to pat A2’s head and marveled when the boy leaned into the touch.
“It’s a promise. I’ll be here when you wake,” Zack agreed. He began lifting his hand, but A2 surprised him by pulling it back.
The little alpha’s grip was surprisingly strong. Zack had never seen a child with SOLDIER capabilities before, and it was doing something to his instincts. Pride swelled in his chest as the boy sniffed at his knuckles.
“You smell like Cloud,” A2 noted.
“Cloud and I have been together for a very long time,” Zack explained. The boy nodded his head in understanding, but he still seemed to be deep in thought. “Why don’t you go cuddle with him and your brother?”
A2 looked at the resting omegas doubtfully, but Zack watched as the boy let him go and crawled over. Once he’d reached the other side of the bed, A2 turned back toward Zack and looked at the older alpha as he settled into Cloud’s side.
He scowled, as though daring Zack to ridicule him for the way he clung to his mother.
Zack looked away so that the kid wouldn’t be too embarrassed, but he couldn’t stop smiling when the little alpha tucked closer and tangled his small fingers in Cloud’s shirt.
Zack’s heart had been unprepared for what it would feel like to look at Cloud resting with their children. The omega curled an arm around the small alpha seemingly on instinct, and the boy tucked his face safely into Cloud’s chest as he settled.
These were definitely Cloud’s kids. Zack could already see the bond growing between the three of them. Sephiroth wasn’t going to like it, but Zack could see that this was permanent.
As promised, Zack moved to the small chair in the corner of the room and started his watch. He wasn’t going to give his new sons any reason to doubt his sincerity.
When Cloud woke the next morning, Zack was still keeping watch from his chair. He was slumped forward in it and lazily blinking at them, but he hadn’t abandoned his post. The alpha watched curiously as Cloud checked on each child before smiling up at his mate.
Cloud had to momentarily lift O2 to get out from under him, but he managed to crawl out of bed despite the clinging children. They stirred for a moment, but they were exhausted and happy to cling to one another instead after Cloud tucked the blankets around them.
“Would you watch them while I go talk to everyone?” Cloud asked as strode over to Zack and leaned down to press a kiss to his lover’s forehead.
The alpha smiled brightly up at him. The little kiss had been a very protective and maternal gesture. Already, Zack was thinking that motherhood looked good on Cloud.
“Sure. I had to pinky promise to keep an eye out until Sephiroth Jr. wakes anyway,” Zack admitted. He brushed his hand over the back of his head bashfully and glanced toward the bed.
He was starting to hope that fatherhood would look good on him too. It wasn’t the first time he’d thought about it. Almost as soon as they’d realized that Cloud could and potentially would get pregnant, Zack had started daydreaming about it.
This situation didn’t match his daydreams.
He hadn’t gotten to watch Cloud’s stomach swell or feel their baby’s first movements under his palm. He hadn’t gotten to watch as anxiety turned to anticipation on his lover’s faces either, but Zack was still excited.
“Thank you,” Cloud purred as he leaned down to claim a quick kiss.
The words were heavy with meaning.
Zack reached up and pulled Cloud down for another, slower kiss. This time, lips moved lazily together and strong fingers kneaded blond spikes until Zack was sure that Cloud knew that he understood.
More than a babysitter, Cloud needed an ally in this, and Zack was ready to support him every step of the way.
The alpha grinned and waved his mate off as Cloud pulled away.
The omega tried to be quiet as he left the room to avoid waking the children, but he knew that the rest of the pack would hear his footsteps. He wasn’t surprised to find his pack mates waiting for him.
All three former generals were sitting around their living space. The area was torn apart with boxes and bags everywhere, but they looked unusually well put together amidst the chaos.
Sephiroth was the most tense. He barely glanced at Cloud as the omega approached, and so Cloud knew he wasn’t going to find any support there.
Genesis was Sephiroth’s mirror. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his legs were crossed in front of him. It was a sure sign that he was feeling pensive and agitated.
Only Angeal looked expectant. The alpha leaned forward with his hands resting over his knees. The smile he offered Cloud was tight and tired, but there was genuine warmth there.
“I’m sure Sephiroth explained what we found last night?” Cloud questioned.
He already knew the answer, but he had to break the ice somehow. He was entering a sort of battleground, and it was best to start slow if they were going to avoid bloodshed.
Genesis nodded his agreement, but Angeal took the time to reiterate.
“Sephiroth told us that Hojo had been working on projects A and O here in Nibelheim, but that he moved to work on a new project B in Midgar. Supposedly, standards became lax at this lab after Hojo stopped closely overseeing the project to focus on his B subjects,” Angeal summarized.
Cloud swallowed. There was information there he hadn’t heard yet. If what Angeal said was true, then he probably had other children waiting for him in Midgar. He’d have to go back to the damned city if he wanted to save them.
Before the omega could even begin to panic, Genesis cut in. “We saw the first two projects walk in with you.”
“They’re not projects anymore. They were made from me, and I’m reclaiming them,” Cloud responded. He stood still and straight as he braced himself for the argument that he knew was coming.
“Cloud, those are experiments. They look like children, but Hojo has only had your samples for a couple of years! He made them that way. If he left them here in Nibelheim with so little security, then they were put here so you would find them,” Genesis argued.
Sephiroth’s eyes flickered to the ground, and some of the tension eased from his shoulders. He was clearly grateful that he hadn’t been the one to say it this time, but the sentiment made Cloud sick to his stomach.
“I don’t care,” Cloud answered.
His tone was harsh - cutting. He knew it was, but he couldn’t care about that. If the children sleeping in the backroom brought hellfire down on his head, then he’d just have to pull them out of it again.
“What do you mean, you don’t care? This could endanger us all,” Sephiroth challenged. His tone deepened into something dark as he regarded his omega, but Cloud showed no signs of backing down.
“Those are our children you’re talking about,” Cloud reminded.
“You haven’t seen what I have, Cloud. Hojo has created thousands of projects using my DNA. They degrade, go insane, fall apart, go feral… We’ve never tried to take in any of those, so why should that change now?” Sephiroth continued.
There was a rumbling growl behind his words now, but Cloud didn’t want to return the challenge. He knew just as well as anyone that Sephiroth was scared.
“I can’t say I know what you’ve been through, or why you made the choices you have. But I will not abandoned them,” Cloud stated. He knew how it might sound, but he had to stand firm.
“I didn’t ‘abandon’ those experiments, Cloud. I was smart enough to know a trap when Hojo put one in front of me,” Sephiroth hissed.
“It’s not negotiable,” Cloud answered clearly. “I will raise those kids; whatever the risks involved. You all have the right to choose whether or not you want to do that with me.”
“Can’t we compromise?” Genesis asked. He sounded breathless, and his eyes had gone wide as he considered this newest piece of information.
Cloud growled low in his throat, and Angeal lifted a hand to quiet him.
“None of us are a danger to your children, Cloud,” Angeal reminded. At the concerned look on his mate’s face, Cloud forced the growling to quiet.
“I don’t think any of you have realized that this is why they never chased us,” Cloud began.
“Shinra didn’t need us. What happened to those children is our fault. We just left, and made happy lives for ourselves while they suffered.” His voice grew in volume and severity as he spoke. “We didn’t solve anything. We just left it behind.”
An uncomfortable silence settled over the room while they all digested Cloud’s theory. It lasted far too long. Cloud’s hands were clenched angrily at his sides by the time Angeal broke it.
“All we’re asking is that we keep a close eye on them for a while. You have to admit… It’s too convenient,” Angeal placated.
Cloud nodded slowly. It was too convenient; that much couldn’t be argued.
“As long as you keep an eye on them kindly,” Cloud insisted. “Riku and Roxas have been through enough, and I don’t want them to feel unsafe in their own home.”
“This is our home,” Sephiroth reminded quietly.
Cloud might have hissed at him, but he could see how much Sephiroth was already struggling. His brow was furrowed with worry, and they all knew that he cared about this more than anyone.
“Riku and Roxas?” Angeal offered to change the subject.
“They should have names,” Cloud answered. “I’ve been mulling those over.”
“I like them,” Angeal admitted. He stepped into Cloud’s space and wrapped an arm around his back. Cloud relaxed into him and let his eyes flutter shut. “When can I meet them?”
Cloud leaned into Angeal’s embraced and rubbed his blond spikes under the man’s chin. The rumble of the alpha’s chest under his fingers was soothing, and Cloud reveled in it after a difficult night.
He still flinched when Sephiroth slammed the front door on his way out, but Cloud knew that Sephiroth needed some time. He only hoped there would be enough time to convince him before the pack was forced to move on.
