Final Fantasy 7 - Spirit Lovers
Cloud tried his best to ignore her. Gaia knew, he tried. He would rather be alone. He liked being alone.
But his friends wouldn't let him. Not since the night Tifa had found him, lying in his room, the door slightly ajar because the lock was broken, naked and asleep, reacting as though he were actually getting fucked. He was never alone anymore, and it made things awkward. Every night, Tifa stayed in his room. He hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep since then. Every day, if he had deliveries, Cid was with him. If he didn't, Tifa kept him in the bar.
"Cloud, answer me." Tifa snapped.
Cloud only flipped her the bird.
"That wasn't nice." said Marlene. "Tifa's only trying to help you, Cloud."
"I want to be alone." Cloud mumbled. It was all he ever said to them anymore.
"We can't leave you alone." said Cid. "Not since them weird dreams of yours started up."
"I want to be alone." Cloud repeated.
"You can't be alone." Tifa returned. "Now answer my question."
Cloud only fell quiet, staring at the table.
Vincent Valentine looked over from his usual corner in the bar. Of all Cloud's friends, he was probably the only one that understood the need for solidarity at times. He understood the need to be alone, and the thrill of a damned good bout of dream-sex. Vincent himself had a few of those nice, kinky dreams. "Hey, Tifa."
"What now, Vincent?"
"I was going out to Coco-Billy's soon, figured Cloud might prefer a bit of time with his bird. I'll be there with him, so it's not like he's 'alone'."
"Fine." Tifa conceded.
"Keeps him from casting a gloom over the bar." added Yuffie.
Vincent stood and walked over to Cloud, grabbing his arm. Cloud actually looked over, then sighed. Getting up, he headed up to his room, Vincent following, to get his travel bag ready. Spare shirt, pants, and two pair of underwear (one of which was a men's thong), towel, bed-roll, blanket. It was a quick pack, and before long, Cloud was riding along on his motorcycle, Vincent behind him clinging to his back.
"I'd rather be alone." Cloud mumbled.
"You'll get your chance." Vincent assured him. "Chocobos first, though. We'll need a way to smell like them after the fact, or Tifa's gonna chew us both out."
Cloud smirked. He actually liked Vincent's offhanded way of showing he cared, and to be honest, the stoic gunman was the only one Cloud was able to confide in. And that had included telling him the just of what had caused the imposed prison-like treatment from Tifa.
The motorcycle pulled up next to the barn at Choco-Billy's Chocobo Ranch, and the pair got off and headed inside.
A beautiful black Chocobo kwehed at them, reaching it's neck out as if begging to be pet.
Cloud obliged the Chocobo, scratching through the thick feathers along the neck and gleaning several happy clucks from the bird. "Hey, Zack."
Vincent smiled under his cape and reached his clawed hand out to scratch the neighboring bird, a rare red Chocobo. "Nice to see you again, too, Blood."
The Chocobo seemed to almost purr, then shook itself, letting several red feathers go flying. Vincent caught several of these, stowing them in a soft sack, along with a few of Zack's black feathers, and a few green ones from Zack's mate, a female named Aerith. The last Chocobo in the row of stalls was a gold that belonged to Cloud and Vincent, and was a confusion as to how she had come to be. It was a known fact that Aerith was the only female at Choco-Billy's, and yet everyone knew that two 'Wonderful' Chocobo was how you got a gold. So why had the mishap pairing of a green and a red gleaned them one of the fasted Golden Chocobo in all of Gaia, they had no idea. But the sight of the white-gold feathers had given rise to the Chocobo's odd name: Sephiroth. Tifa and the others still had no idea about the existence of the white-gold bird, and that was how Cloud and Vincent wanted to keep it.
Cloud walked over and gently leaned his forehead against the Chocobo's. There was something about this one Chocobo, just Sephiroth, that calmed Cloud. "Hey, Sephy." Cloud pet the bird. He noticed Vincent reach over and give the feathers a gentle ruffle, and Sephiroth purred at them before standing up. "Kweh?" She looked down into the nest, drawing Cloud and Vincent's attention.
"An egg?" Vincent asked.
"Kweh." Sephiroth watched as Vincent 'candled' the egg by shining a light directly against the shell. She seemed thrilled when the egg was returned to the nest.
"So?" Cloud asked.
"Our dear Sephiroth is going to be a mother." Vincent replied. "So, who fathered the egg?"
Sephiroth pulled her head back some and looked down.
"It's ok." Cloud soothed. "Was it the wild yellow that's been hanging around?"
Sephiroth let out a small wark, like she was embarrassed.
"It's ok." Vincent soothed. "We'll tag him for you."
Sephiroth seemed pleased to hear this, and settled down on the nest again.
Chocobo wrangling was easier said than done. Finding a particular yellow one to wrangle would normally have been harder, if the bird hadn't already been at the side of the pen. He wasn't that hard to catch, either, and after being fit with a harness and bridle, was more than happy to relocate himself to the inside of the pen on his own.
"Got what we need?" Cloud asked.
"Yeah. Any particular location good?" Vincent asked.
"Forest, probably." Cloud replied. The pair headed off again on the motorcycle, away from the farm and out towards some thick forest.
It was late by the time they stopped and pitched the two tents. Unlike what Tifa and the others thought, Vincent allowed Cloud the privacy needed to sleep, and possibly dream up a 'good night'.
Dinner was eaten in silence, and then they crawled into their individual tents. Cloud stripped out of his clothes and lay down, exhaustion claiming him soon after his head hit the flat pillow.
A finger trailed down his throat, across his chest, and lifted just before it reached his navel. Cloud moaned, his body trembled. A pair of soft lips kissed his collarbone, then his neck, his jaw, his cheek, his lips. Cloud kissed back, his fingers closing over the lapel of the man above him. He'd been blindfolded, so he couldn't see, but he could hear, he could feel. Oh, could he feel.
A hand pinched his left nipple, electing a sharp gasp from the blonde swordsman. Kisses trailed down his neck and chest, and then teeth pinched the right nipple. A skillful tongue licked the hard nub, then left a thin trail across his chest to the other side, where his chest was assaulted with more nibbles and licks.
Cloud shuddered at the feeling. "Please." he whispered breathily.
There was a wicked snicker above him, the sound of leather as it was pulled off and then hitting the ground beside him. There was something poking at his mouth. Cloud parted his lips obediently, letting the pair of fingers in. The other hand felt over Cloud's sculpted chest and abs.
Cloud worked his tongue around the fingers, making sure to coat them well in his saliva. Once the fingers were removed, Cloud parted his legs, letting his silent lover see his waiting and wanting entrance. Both fingers were inserted, making Cloud gasp and moan. His back arched some, and a hand was placed against his throat. Those callouses told Cloud who his lover was, but he didn't dare say. A pair of lips closed over his mouth, kissing him as the fingers in his ass worked at him, twisting and moving and stretching his hole, trying to prepare him for the cock that was soon to follow.
Cloud couldn't help but cry out when the fingers left his ass, and the hard cock was inserted. The rhythm was hard but loving. His lover leaned over him, arms looped under his shoulder so the hands were to either side of his neck, and that warm mouth was nipping his collarbone and kissing him. Cloud moaned, wrapping his legs around the slender hips of the male bent over him. There was hair falling over his face, soft and silky. His hands hand pulled the ribbon loose, letting the hair surround them like a curtain.
With a powerful thrust, the cock in his ass poured an absurd amount of cum into Cloud, making him cry out and cum across his own chest. The throbbing continued for a while, and then slowly left his ass. A hand caressed Cloud's cheek, sliding the silken blindfold from his blue eyes.
Cloud smiled, reaching a hand up and touching the pale face of his silver-haired lover. "I miss you." he whispered.
"I've missed you, too." the silverette whispered back. A hand rested on Cloud's toned stomach. "The Ancient wants to see you. Tomorrow, at the Lost City. It's alright to bring the gunman, love. He's being gifted as well."
Cloud nodded. "I'll be there."
He suddenly sat up, his body covered in a warm sweat that often comes after a damned good dream. Taking the towel from his bag, Cloud noticed that the sun was beginning to rise. Dressing was quick, and Cloud climbed out of the tent, his bag packed.
Vincent looked over. Not a word passed, but they both nodded. There was no going back to Seventh Heaven today. Within the hour, they were back on the road, heading for the Lost City.
It was almost predictable. As they paused at noon for a quick bite, Cloud's phone rang. He handed it to Vincent.
"Yeah?"
"Vincent? Why didn't Cloud answer?" Tifa asked.
"I want to be alone." Cloud said, loud enough for Tifa to hear him.
"That answer your question?" Vincent asked.
"Where are you two?"
Vincent glanced over at Cloud. "Chocobo hunting." he replied. "Blood's old enough to be paired, so we're looking for a good one to match him with."
"Why not just pair the bird with Aerith?" Tifa asked.
"Cloud would be pissed. Aerith and Zack are his birds, Blood's mine. He suggested it."
"Don't be gone too long." Tifa said.
"It'll be at least another two or three days. I'm picky about my birds, woman." Vincent snipped back. He could understand Cloud's desire to be out of the bar and away from Tifa whenever he could. This was just a phone conversation, and Vincent was about ready to scream! Or at least shoot something, preferably the phone.
"Fine, but hurry back." Tifa said. There was a click, and Vincent handed Cloud his phone. The object was tossed into the storage hold under the back seat, and then they were off again. The white trees came into view, and then, they were passing through them. There were a few bumps along the path, and two white trees that lay along the side, evidence of a fight that had happened out here two years ago. Cloud parked the motorcycle near one of these trees, and the two men continued on foot.
The water around the seashell-like structure was clear, and the pair looked at each other and nodded. The instructions had come when they had been bare and unconscious, so that was probably the criteria to receive the 'gifts' that had been mentioned to them.
It was still embarrassing to sit, well kneel, side by side at the water's edge wearing nothing, save Vincent's claw. He was never without the unique prosthetic, even when he slept. Lowering their heads, Cloud and Vincent closed their eyes.
A hand touched his head, and Cloud looked up. Standing in front of him was Aerith, dressed in a light white and blue sundress.
"Cloud." she said, smiling. "I wanted to give you something."
He nodded. The few times Aerith had actually appeared and spoken to him, he hardly returned speech, choosing instead to listen to her and absorb the words of wisdom she often had to share.
"I need you to lean back and look away."
He did as asked, leaning back on his arms and looking over away from where Vincent would have been. There was a sharp pain in his abdomen, and he gasped.
"There. You can look back at me, now."
Cloud did, also being allowed to sit upright again.
"It's alright, Cloud. This gift will only work within the dreams. Should it let your efforts take root, only the end result will be visible to your friends. You and Vincent are the only ones who will see otherwise."
Cloud nodded. "Thank you, Aerith."
The brunette Ancient smiled. "It's ok to wake up."
Cloud suddenly looked up, gasping again. Beside him, Vincent was also gasping. The pair looked at each other, then around them. If it wasn't for the fact that the trees glowed, there would have been no way to see around them. Somehow, it had gotten to be very late. Both men crawled into their respective tents. Despite having just spent time 'dreaming', they were exhausted, and fell asleep fairly quickly.
Cloud found himself gently prodded to lie on his hands and knees. His lover gently caressed his face, even as fingers prodded his ass. Gasping lustily, Cloud leaned into the caresses, kissing the fingers that came close to his mouth. He wriggled his ass, letting his lover know he was ready. The hand pulled away from his face for a moment, and the sweet pain of being pierced filled Cloud's ass. The soft, calloused hand came back to his face as the lover began to thrust into him.
Cloud rutted back against his lover. He wanted so much to be loved, to be caressed and toyed with and filled. He gasped and moaned, kissing the fingers that caressed his face. His lover's other hand snaked around and began to tease his pert nipples, making Cloud gasp sexily.
"Want it, love?" came the sexy voice of the lover.
Cloud nodded. "Yes." he gasped. "Fill me, please."
There was a light snicker, and then the thrusts got harder, faster. Cloud cried out, spaying his semen across the sleeping mat below him. His lover thrust deeper, and a warmth filled his body. The pulsing continued for a while, and the lover withdrew. Cloud collapsed to his side, turning his head to smile at his lover.
"I will . . . always be with you." the silverette whispered.
"I love you." Cloud whispered back.
This time, waking was slower, less needy and more of a chore. Cloud shifted and looked down. Well, he'd had a good night. Still, something felt . . . different. As he yawned and stretched, he heard Vincent struggling to wake himself up as well. Coffee was going to be a necessity this morning.
Breakfast was silent, save the occasional yawn to wake themselves up. The tents were packed, and then they began the long, silent drive back, making sure to have rolled their pants in the Chocobo hay before putting them on, and a few feathers were stuck in their clothes to give the correct illusion.
Tifa never knew better, until about four months later. A miserably broody Cloud suddenly got sick in the middle of the night. He became even more withdrawn, and in Tifa's mind, a bit more rude.
He pushed her out of his bed several times before storming out of the bar and taking a six-hour walk out to the church. By himself. He found Vincent there, looking worried.
"Vincent."
"Cloud, you too?"
Cloud nodded. Both of them were sick, and had been for a few days. It was time to 'see things with a different view'. The pair entered the church, the only place in all of Gaia where the real world and the dream one were able to overlap, but only for those who were allowed 'the gift'. For Cloud, that was the Mako that coursed through his veins. For Vincent, it was what had remained of Chaos after the events of Deepground.
Cloud stepped into the light of the church first, spotting his lover instantly. He walked over, his fingers gently tugging the silver hair.
"Cloud."
"Hey."
His lover looked at him and smiled. "Oh, Cloud." The silverette gathered Cloud close, petting the blonde spikes. "I'm so glad it worked."
Nearby, Vincent leaned into his lover. "I'm frightened." he admitted.
"There's no need to be." The figure gently caressed Vincent's tangled black locks. "She told you, didn't she? Only you and Cloud will see what is happening. To the others, you two are just ill."
"Since that night, they've been watching me, too. I can't see you as often as we used to." Vincent said, looking up into his lover's eyes.
"You and Cloud will need to stay here close to the end, love." The figure carefully cradled Vincent's cheek in his calloused hand. "I love you, so much."
Cloud leaned again on his silver-haired lover. "I'll try to come here more often." he whispered. "You can't be left out of this."
"Come as often as you want. I don't care if that bitch follows you. The time we see each other is necessary for you, and this." A gloved hand rested on Cloud's abdomen.
Cloud smiled. "I love you."
"I love you, too." The silver lover tilted Cloud's face up and kissed him.
Tifa found them, several hours later, asleep sitting on one of the pews, leaned against each other. "Wake up, you two!"
Cloud shifted and frowned at her. He was grateful she had no way of being able to enter the dreamscape. The red-head beside her, however, had a possibility of entering, given the low-doses of Mako that were in his system.
"Dude, there's a delivery for ya." said Reno.
Cloud caught the way the red-haired Turk looked both him and Vincent over. He glanced into the shadows, where his silver-haired lover stood. The male seemed to sigh and walked out into view.
Reno frowned. "Cloud, can I ask you something?"
Cloud adopted his solitude demeanor. "I want to be alone." he said.
"Dude, it's ok." Reno said, noticing a different figure walked passed and put a hand on Vincent's shoulder for a moment. "I understand some things are best left unsaid around certain company."
Cloud and Vincent both shot Tifa a 'Get the hell out' look.
"What?"
Vincent and Cloud pointed to the door. "Out." they both said.
Tifa gave a slight huff and walked out, leaning on the door and trying to listen in.
"What up?" Reno asked quietly, knowing Tifa was probably going to try eavesdropping. "There's a couple guys I know are dead walking around in here."
A figure walked over and put a hand on Reno's shoulder. "Well what do you know. Red here can see us. Must be one of the 'gifted' Turks. Blondie and Baldie couldn't see us."
Reno looked over. "You especially I know are dead." he said.
"Don't talk to him like that." said Cloud. "This area is attached to the Dreamscape." He looked over as his lover stepped close and put a hand on his shoulder. "You can't tell the others. Only those with the gift can see."
"A gift?"
"Yes." said Aerith as she walked over. "Cloud and Vincent have the Planet's Gift. You've got a small piece of it, too, it seems. Elena and Rude seem to have lost it. I doubt Tseng has, though. He was always close to nature."
"Is that why . . . um . . ." Reno indicated to Cloud and Vincent. "They look like that here, but not when I saw them two days ago at the bar?"
The figure next to Reno nodded. "Yup. And since you know, it's now your job to keep Nosey-Tits out there from following them when they have to come back here in a few months."
Reno sighed. "Fine. But for now, Spikey's needed for a delivery."
"Can't you leave Vincent here at least?" asked another figure.
"Sorry. Nosey-Tits will flip if I leave him here. She and the others from Avalanche have basically imposed a 'Do Not Leave Alone' order on these two."
Vincent nodded. "We'd best go, then."
Cloud nodded as well, reaching up to touch his lover's hand for a moment before they left the church.
Tifa let out a huff. "You know, for just getting them to leave, that took longer than needed." she said. "Get in the truck."
Cloud and Vincent climbed into the truck bed, leaning against the back of the cab. Reno climbed back with them as well, leaving the other Turk that had come along, Rude, to get into the cab with Tifa.
"Still trying to hook them up?" Cloud asked. While Reno had a big mouth on some things, he was also good at keeping the necessary things under wraps.
"Trying. Rude really likes her." Reno replied. "Hey, um . . . about that guy that was close to you, Cloud. Is he, um . . ."
Cloud nodded.
"Ok." Reno looked over and Vincent. "And who got you?"
Vincent smirked. "My secret, Red."
The red-headed Turk frowned. "Oh, come on. Not even a hint?"
Vincent's smirk grew. "Well, he's tall."
Reno sighed. "They were all tall." he groaned. "Is it safe to guess you and Cloud don't share one?"
Vincent nodded. "I don't do silver."
Reno nodded. "Fair."
Vincent swallowed nervously, hoping Reno hadn't caught the motion.
Cloud suddenly banged on the cab of the truck. Tifa stopped, and Cloud hopped off the back, making it to the grass before he threw up. He kept vomiting for a while, prompting Tifa to get out of the truck, and the two in the back to get out as well.
Already on his hands and knees from the violent upheaval, Cloud collapsed sideways into the grass. He felt wretched, dizzy, and tired. He knew when Rude picked him up off the ground and put him back in the truck bed. Someone had a hand on his shoulder, and then the truck was moving again.
"He's almost out of it." said Reno. He noticed Cloud smile just a little before dropping unconscious.
"How is he doing?" Rude asked through the window about half an hour later.
"Sleeping." Vincent replied.
"Well, at least he can't get sick while he's asleep." Tifa said. "We're almost there." She parked the truck around the back of the bar. "I'll send Cid up to watch over him."
Vincent grunted. "You know, Cid is married." he said. "I'll watch him."
"You're just as much trouble." Tifa returned.
Vincent reached out and grabbed Reno's ponytail to keep the Turk from slinking off. "Red's coming up, too."
Nanaki looked up from where he'd been lying on the floor, only to snicker and lay his head down again. He looked up as the automaton on his back shifted and placed it's hands on his head. "He's sick, Reeve." he said. He shifted his shoulders, knocking the Cait Sith off his back.
"Oi, laddie! There's no need to go knockin' me off, now."
"Go back into rest mode." said Tifa. "Cloud got really sick on the way back."
It was the next morning before Cloud woke up, groaning. Sitting up, he noticed Vincent and Reno had slept in the room with him, but only Vincent was sharing his bed. Reno was propped in the corner.
"Vincent." Cloud nudged him.
The gunman looked up. "Oh, you're awake. That good." He sat up and yawned. "Feeling better?"
Cloud shook his head. "I just want to lie here. The world doesn't spin quite as bad, then."
"You do need to eat." Vincent informed. "Or at least get something in your system."
Cloud nodded, lying down again. "If Tifa asks, yes, I'm still sick and still moody."
Vincent smirked and nudged Reno with his boot. "Hey, Red."
Reno looked up. "It's Reno, yo."
"Whatever. He's up. I'm going down to grab something he might keep down. If he dozes off, just keep an eye on him."
Reno nodded. "Fine."
Cloud sighed once Vincent was gone. "Reno."
"Yo?"
"Do you dream?"
"Sometimes."
"What about?"
There was silence for a bit. "The good days. Friends I've lost." He noticed Cloud shift so he was facing him. "Sometimes . . . I dream about the past."
"Anything particular stand out?" Cloud asked.
"Zack and his improvised weapon on the beach." Reno replied. "His sword was nowhere around, and these Genesis clones were literally coming up out of the water. Zack was wearing just his swim shorts, and he reached over and grabbed a huge beach umbrella and just started batting at them, sending them flying back into the water. It was freaking amazing to watch."
Cloud smiled, only to start coughing. He looked winded once the episode was over. "You know, I still don't remember much, but there is this one thing that kinda stands out to me."
"Oh?" Reno asked.
"Yeah. It was one of Shinra's big parties. Everyone was done up to the hilt in fancy attire. You were in a red suit, Tseng in a black one. Sephiroth looked so uncomfortable, and he'd abandoned his coat somewhere over the back of a chair."
"That was a high-up party. I don't remember any infantry being there." Reno said.
"Some of the guys had made a bet with me, and I'd lost, so I was there at the party. In a dress." Cloud replied. "Of all the people there, Zack was the only one who noticed who I was."
"Really?" Reno asked.
"Remember, I was still a teenager then. My voice was cracking, and it was my luck that it was a higher pitch that night. And for the record, wax does not feel that good on the legs."
Reno made a face. "They went that far as to wax your legs?"
"I had to look as feminine as possible. Heels, nylons, and a ruffled purple satin dress that came just below the knees. They even styled my hair with extensions so I had long curls. Then it was a simple matter of slipping me into the collection of girls that was with President Shinra, and I was in." Cloud sighed. "Zack had the nerve to ask me to dance."
Reno bit his lip. "Yeah, I remember that. You stepped on his feet a total of seventeen times. Once I think was on purpose."
"It was." Cloud replied. He sighed and rolled onto his back to look up at the ceiling.
"So, um, why silver over black?" Reno asked.
Cloud sighed. "Silver's been with me longer." he replied.
Vincent came back in just then, bringing a tray with some soup and crackers. "Breakfast, Cloud."
"Thanks."
Over the next few months, Cloud's health seemed to fluctuate. Vincent was a bit steadier, seemingly only getting sick every second weekend, for the entire weekend. The only one they would speak to civilly was Reno.
The weekends Vincent wasn't sick were spent at the church, spending time with their respective lovers.
It was the end of one of these weekends that Tifa stepped into the church and noticed the odd behavior.
Cloud was sitting on one of the benches, seemingly leaning on nothing and talking softly. His hand was resting on his abdomen like his fingers were laced together with another, but there was no second hand.
Vincent was perched on a ledge higher up, legs dangling some tree-feet above the ground. He was also looking at something and talking seemingly to himself. Suddenly, the two men fell silent, looking over at Tifa.
"What is going on?" Tifa demanded.
"Nothing." Cloud replied. "At least, nothing that concerns you."
"I'm here to bring you three home." Tifa said. She grabbed Reno's coat sleeve. She was left holding the Turk's coat, as Reno slipped right out of it. "Reno."
"Go." Reno said.
"What?" Tifa asked.
"I said, go." Reno repeated. "What? You suddenly go deaf, yo?"
"I'm not leaving those two here alone." the busty barmaid stated.
"We're not alone." said Vincent. "Reno's here."
"We'd rather be left alone." Cloud added. He smiled and whispered something to the space beside him.
In the Dreamscape, the silver-haired lover snickered and looked over the back of the bench at Tifa. "She did get bigger."
Beside Vincent, the raven that had spoken to Reno before asked if he could spit a loogie at Tifa and see if she noticed. Vincent nodded.
"Uh. Who did that?" Tifa asked, wiping the slimy wet gunk off her leather shirt.
The three men shrugged.
"I'm not leaving." Tifa repeated.
"Out!" the three men said.
"So when will you be getting back, then?" Tifa demanded. "There are deliveries to be made, Cloud."
"Send Reeve. He's not working." Cloud replied. He looked a little uncomfortable.
Reno pushed Tifa outside, closing the door and blocking it with one of the benches.
Vincent hopped down. "Cloud?"
The silver-haired male beside Cloud nodded and took Cloud's hand. "The tent."
Vincent nodded. Before long, he and Reno had one of the tents set up. Cloud and his lover vanished in the tent. Outside it, they could hear the silver encourage Cloud to fall asleep, things would be easier with him closer to the Dreamscape.
"Will he be alright?" Reno asked, looking at Aerith.
"Don't come in, no matter how loud he gets." she said. "I need to enter his dream world to help him."
The raven walked over. "Come on. Let's leave Spikey with some privacy for this, 'kay?"
Reno went and sat on one of the benches, while Vincent went and sat next to the giant pool of Lifestream water, where his lover hid in the shadows.
Cloud's muted cries were still a bit unnerving, and when they stopped, Reno feared the worst. Those fears were redoubled when Cloud's lover emerged from the tent and headed over to the pool.
"You." He pointed at Reno. "When it surfaces, I need you to get it out."
"When what?" Reno asked, getting up and walking over.
Something small seemed to be coming up in the water. As it broke the surface, Reno instinctively reached out and pulled it out of the water. A small cry greeted him, and Reno realized that he was holding a baby. "What the?" He looked down. Small, pale, with a light fluff of hair, and bright blue eyes. "This is Cloud's?" he asked.
"Yes. This way. He'll want the baby when he wakes."
Reno followed back to the tent, where Cloud was waking. "Love?"
"Reno has the child."
The Turk stepped into the tent and handed Cloud the baby, wrapped in a towel. "I didn't peek, yo."
Cloud smiled and gently moved the towel, wrapping it around the baby again seconds later.
"Well?" his lover asked.
"A boy." Cloud replied. "Love?"
The silver nodded. "Go ahead. No one but the 'Gifted' can see me, anyway. They'll just think you found him, alone and abandoned."
Cloud nodded. "Ok."
The same scenario played out a week later for Vincent. Again, Reno collected the child from the Lifestream water and wrapped it in a towel, only to have to collect a second and do the same. Carrying the twins to the tent, he handed the children to the waking raven. It was also the first time he actually saw Vincent's lover.
"Well?"
Vincent smiled. "One of each, Love."
"Hair?" Reno asked.
"Dark." Vincent smirked.
It was another week before the trio of men returned to the city of Edge. It was another three days before Tifa found out, and she immediately tracked them down to Reno's small house that sat on the border between Edge and the ruins of Midgar.
"Reno!" she shouted, pounding on the door.
The red-head answered the door, his shirt untucked and buttoned wrong, hair loose and a disheveled mess, and the fly of his pants undone. "What?" he asked as he did up his fly.
"Where are Cloud and Vincent?" she demanded.
"Sleeping." Reno replied. There was the sound of crying from behind him. "Correction, one's up."
"I'm coming in." Tifa said.
"Not unless I invite you. Otherwise, it's considered break and enter." Reno informed.
"Well then can I come in?" Tifa snipped out.
From behind Reno, Vincent called, "That Nosey-Tits?"
"Yeah, it's her." Reno called back.
"Let her in." came Cloud's sleepy voice. "She's gonna see them sooner or later."
"See what?" Tifa asked as she was let in. She paused when she saw Cloud was holding something and shaking up a bottle. "What is that?"
Cloud turned. "A baby, what's it look like?" He checked the bottle. "Perfect. Here you go." He leaned against the counter and started to feed the baby. The small, silver-haired baby with Cloud's signature spikes already forming.
"Who's baby is that?" Tifa asked. She noticed Vincent hand something off to Reno and vanish into another room. She looked over. "You too, Reno?"
"That one's mine." said Vincent, carrying a third baby out. He dropped a soiled diaper in the waste can and grabbed another bottle from the fridge, dropping it in the hot water Cloud had used previously. "So's this one."
"Who were the mothers?" Tifa asked. "I thought you were both gay."
Cloud and Vincent snorted. "We are." Cloud replied. "What, you thought because we were gay we'd never want kids?"
Reno snickered as he went and got a third bottle, switching which one was in the hot water. Balancing the baby, he shook the bottle and checked the temperature. He handed the bottle off to Vincent, then waited for the last one to be ready.
Cloud looked up when Tifa didn't say anything. Returning his attention to his son, he smiled when the boy was sucking air. Tossing a towel over his shoulder, Cloud cuddled the baby and burped him. "There we go. You have a healthy appetite, don't you Sephy?"
Tifa sputtered. "What was that?" she asked.
"My son's name, thank you." Cloud replied.
"Sephiroth was a killer. You can't name the baby after a murderer." Tifa argued.
"Too late. And Sephiroth wasn't a killer by choice." Cloud replied. "When you lose something, it's easier to manipulate you. Sephiroth told me that." He looked lovingly at the baby. "Besides, he called Sephy. There were others with that name, you know. Not all of them were killers."
"Yeah." Vincent added. "One of them's a Chocobo."
Reno and Tifa looked at him. "What?"
"Nothing." Cloud said. He gently rocked his son.
Reno started feeding the baby in his arms. "So, why'd you come over?" he asked.
"I came to get Cloud back."
"I'm not your pet." Cloud replied. "Besides, it quieter here with Reno than it is at the bar."
There was a rather loud belch from Vincent's direction. "Ok, Angel, I get it. No more bottle." He put the bottle down on the counter. Out of eight ounces, only two remained.
"Angel?" Tifa asked.
"A perfectly normal girl's name, thank you." Vincent returned. "How's he doing, Reno?"
Another loud belch. "He's a vacuum." Reno replied, wiping the formula spit-up off his face. "Aren't you?"
"So, what's his name?" Tifa asked, almost afraid of what the answer would be.
Vincent snickered, even as he put Angel down in her raised playpen. "Give him here." he said, taking his son. "This is Zack."
"You're the one who named their kid Zack. I figured that would be Cloud's." Tifa said. "Why?"
Vincent sighed. "Does it matter? It was the name his father chose."
"So, you know the father of that one, but not the other two?" Tifa asked.
"Correction. We know all their fathers." Vincent replied. "They're slightly dead."
"Oh." Tifa shifted uncomfortably. "Did I know them?" she asked.
"Maybe of them." Cloud said. "But to understand the fathers, you need to understand other things, and you and everyone else have been in such denial about the possibility it's not worth explaining."
"What?" Tifa asked.
"Give it another month or two." Vincent said. "We'll stop by the bar then."
True enough, it was six weeks later that Reno's truck pulled up at Seventh Heaven. Reno stepped into the bar first of everyone in the vehicle and told the members of Avalanche, as well as the other three Turks that were there, to shelve the weaponry. This took a good fifteen minutes to do before Reno stuck his head out of the bar and called out that it was all clear. Cloud and Vincent carried the kids in, followed by three people in hoods.
"What's with the Hoodie Brigade?" Cid asked.
"Hoo-ah! I don't like 'em!" shouted Barett.
"Piss off." said Cloud, catching the others off guard.
"Say what?" asked Yuffie.
"I said shut it." Cloud returned. "There's a reason we asked Reno to get your weapons away from you. It's to keep our lovers alive."
"I just kinda assumed you two were together." said Nanaki. "Guess I was wrong."
Vincent sighed and sat so Marlene could look at his twins.
"They're so little." Marlene said. "This one looks more like you, though." she added, touching baby Zack.
"Cloud, why's he got your hair?" Denzel asked.
"Just sit down, Denzel."
After things settled for a bit, the trio of hooded figures sat near Cloud and Vincent, with Reno sitting just a little further away.
"You said you'd explain things." said Tifa. "I'm listening."
"You know about the Lifestream." said Cloud. "There's a space called the Dreamscape. It's where the spirits of the Lifestream can interact with the living. Most people, these are just dreams, replays of the past that were shared with the spirit. But, there are a few who can actually touch the Dreamscape. The 'Gifted'."
"What kinda weird mumbo-jumbo is this?" Barett asked.
"Hush." Tseng admonished.
"Those that are 'Gifted' have received something from the planet." Cloud continued. "As far we know, Vincent, Reno, and myself are the only ones. However, there is the possibility that Tseng can touch it, too."
"Why me?" Tseng asked.
"You were a high-ranking Turk, and even now, you still keep in touch with nature." Vincent replied.
"In the process of 'Connecting' with the Dreamscape, I discovered that it was possible to control my actions within, and only have marginal movements of my actual body, but under one condition."
"Sleeping." Tifa said. "You were in the Dreamscape any time I thought you were having a weird kinky dream."
Cloud and Vincent cringed.
"What?" asked Elena.
"We were, in a certain aspect." Cloud said. "We fell in love with spirits of the departed. Because we were able to remain tethered to our bodies, but otherwise have our spirits in the Dreamscape, the lost Ancients decided to do something for us, given our circumstances."
"What was it?" Nanaki asked.
"We got pregnant." Vincent replied. "But it was only our astral bodies. You couldn't see it, but you saw the repercussions."
"There was one area of reality where the Dreamscape could overlap reality, allowing us to be fully conscious and still interact with our lovers." Cloud replied. "The church."
"That's why you were there a lot." said Marlene. "But, why can we see the babies?"
Cloud smiled. "The Lifestream. There's a pond at the church, remember? When the child left our astral bodies, the spirits carried it to the pool, where it became a physical being."
At this point, Cid snapped his toothpick in two just from the shock.
"Reno was the only other person there, so when they surfaced, he was the first one to hold them."
Reno nodded.
"So, who are these three?" Tifa asked.
"I'll start, Love." said the one closest to Vincent. He looked over the people in the room. "I guess the only one of you that might know me would be the guy chewing the heck out of his toothpick." He pulled his hood back. A mature man with black hair and a square jaw covered in stubble smiled at them, and laughed when Cid's mouth dropped open. "Told you."
Cid just stared. "You . . . but . . . I read that you died."
"I saw him die." said Tseng.
"Oh, you're still around. You've matured so much I didn't recognize you, Tseng." He smiled. "My name is Angeal Hewley."
"And you . . . with Vincent?!" asked Yuffie. "I thought he was going mope about Lucretia forever."
"I can move on." Vincent returned. "Here, hold." He handed Angeal one of the babies. "She's dirty." He stood and set about changing his daughter's diaper.
"He's good at that." Marlene said, watching with childish enthusiasm.
"So, who are the other two?" Denzel asked.
"I just kinda tagged along." said the one in the slightly shorter hood. "Well, that and I have a few dreams to finally live out for myself."
"Wait." said Tifa. "Dreams to live out for yourself?"
The hood was carefully pulled back, revealing a smiling youth about Cloud's age with spiked black hair and a cross-shaped scar on his cheek. "I remember you from Neibelhiem." He looked Tifa over. "You grew."
Tifa tried to frown, but it was hard. "Zackary Fair." She sighed and looked at the last hooded figure. "I can probably guess who the last one is, then."
"Go ahead and try." said Cloud. He looked over at his lover, a bit worried. If Reno had overlooked even one weapon, his lover would be returning to the Life Stream.
Tifa noticed the motion and bit her lip. "Sephiroth." she said.
There was shift in the seats as the hooded figure put an arm around Cloud. "How did you know?" he asked, letting the hood fall back.
"The baby. His hair is silver, Cloud called him Sephy."
"It's short for Saphire." Sephiroth replied.
There was click, and Cloud looked up. "Elena."
"That a killer." she said, holding her gun up.
Cloud buried his face in Sephiroth's chest.
"Don't take him away!" said Denzel, standing in front of Elena's gun. "Please. Cloud's lost enough. Don't take this from him."
Little Saphire wiggled and cooed, grabbing a small clump of silver hair that was hanging over him. Looking at both his parents, he squealed and let the hair go, deciding on his fingers to chew on instead.
"Elena." Tseng said warningly. "Put the gun down."
"You what that monster's capable of." Elena said. "He'll just try to kill us again."
"Do you know why I burned Neibelhiem?" Sephiroth asked.
"Because you're a crazed maniac." Elena spat out.
"No. The day before Neibelhiem was razed, I got phone call. No-one in Shinra knew I had been married. The call was from a hospital that had found my number on my wife's phone. She was dead, and our unborn child with her. It was at that moment, when my private little world was shattered on me, that Jenova took over, and I became her puppet." Sephiroth gently pet Cloud's hair. "This time, I have my lover, I have our child." He looked at Denzel. "And if he'll accept me, I'll have my lover's adopted son as well. A family I could have only dreamed of."
"Are you going to protect Cloud?" Denzel asked.
"With my life." Sephiroth replied.
Denzel walked over. "It's nice to have a family." he said.
Elena lowered her gun. "Fine." she said. "I still don't like you being with my cousin, though."
Just about everyone looked at either Elena or Cloud.
"Mother's side." Cloud mumbled into Sephiroth's chest. It felt good to be back in the arms of the man he'd idolized as a child, flirted with as an infantryman, and had grown to love as a spirit.
This was his family.