An experiment that was ruined. An experiment that changed the lives of 5 men in SOLDIER. Hojo had thought of a new experiment, to create a son that would be the parented by either Genesis or Angeal but one mistake took a turn in the wrong direction. A new assistant had ruined the experiment. Now, Hojo didn't know what gender the child will be or who'd be the father. They now had to wait until the child was fully developed. Hojo leaves his lab and gathers Genesis, Angeal, Sephiroth, Zack, and Cloud.
"I have some unexpected bad news," Hojo starts as everyone glances at Hojo.
"Bad news seems odd coming from you," Sephiroth blandly states as he reads over a report, deciphering Zack's horrible hand writing.
"The experiment I was conducting for Genesis and Angeal got ruined due to a new assistant," Hojo said, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Meaning?" Genesis asked looking up from Loveless at the crazy scientist.
"Gender and parentage is unknown. We now have to wait for 9 months to find out the gender and who's the father," Hojo finishes. Everyone freezes.
Any one of them could be the father and raising a girl would be difficult. Angeal and Genesis were the ones who would originally be the parents of a boy but now those two things were unknown. Sephiroth would be terrible as a parent, not sure what to do, Cloud would be good but he was too young, and Zack would be the 2nd worst person when it comes to parenting. Hojo left without saying another word and the awkward and eerie silence dominated the room. Only the ticking of a clock could be heard.
"Well, this sucks," Zack blurted out. All eyes turned toward him.
"We now have to wait 9 months, thanks to an idiot," Genesis was irritated.
"There's nothing we can do now," Angeal said calmly as Cloud blushed.
"Well, I wouldn't mind being a parent," Cloud fidgeted as his face was bright red.
"Let's just hope Sephiroth isn't the father," Zack said before Sephiroth glared at him but remained silent.
Everyone went back to what they were doing. After two months, Angeal was looking over a name book and choosing names for both male and female. Zack looked over his shoulder and wrote a name between male and female. Angeal glanced at the paper.
"No. Zack," Angeal sighed as he crossed out the name.
"What? It works for both genders," Zack protested.
"Chocobo is not a name. Period," Angeal countered as Genesis looked at his childhood friend and the puppy.
"Chocobo? Seriously, Zack?" Genesis asked with an are-you-serious look on his face.
"It would be perfect if Cloud was the father," Zack said.
"If you were the father, it would be Puppy," Genesis teased.
"Genesis," Angeal said as Sephiroth came over snatched the list away from Angeal and looked it over. His expression was neutral as he picked up a pen and circled one female and one male name.
"Nashriel and Eudora. Those are unique," Angeal commented as he looked at Sephiroth who quickly strode out of the room.
"He secretly cares, how unusual," Genesis commented as he went back to reading Loveless. Angeal smacked him in the head.
A few more months went by and one of Hojo's assistants gave them an update of the child by only saying that the child was healthy and was developing well and then left. It always left the 5 sighing and anxious.
"Shouldn't they be able to tell the gender now?" Genesis complained as he leaned back in his chair.
"Maybe he knows but wants us to be surprised," Zack said as Genesis sighs irritably.
"Uuhhhh, I hate waiting!" Genesis replies as he closes his eyes.
"I'm glad the baby is healthy and developing well," Cloud says as Angeal agrees.
"A healthy child is good and the development is also good since it has been termed as a test tube baby," Angeal said as Zack thought.
"But at this stage, the baby wouldn't fit in a test tube, it's to big now," Zack said as Sephiroth rolled his eyes.
"From what I heard, the child was conceived in a dish and put into an artificial womb so it could develop. It was supposed to be Genesis and Angeal as parents of a boy but due to an idiotic assistant, we are now forced to wait 9 months until the child is born. How idiotic can you be?" Sephiroth says as no one says anything. Zack looks at the General with a clear display of being baffled and speechless at the harsh insult of being called an idiot.
"That was harsh, Sephiroth. Apologize," Angeal said as Sephiroth dismisses himself by walking away. Angeal sighs.
"A child should always have a mother though. I don't know how I would turn out if I didn't have my mother," Cloud said quietly.
"Come on, Cloudy, let's go train in the training room," Zack announces cheerfully as he pulls a reluctant Cloud out of the room and into the training room.
"That so went over his head," Genesis said as he was still leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed.
Angeal let out a tired sigh at Genesis's comment. "Restless like a puppy. Nothing can bring him down."
A month out from the expected birth, all 5 of them were getting restless. It was hard to concentrate on anything. Zack was nervous yet excited, Cloud was super nervous, and Genesis and Angeal were nervous but tried to stay calm and focused; Sephiroth seemed unaffected by the upcoming birth.
"I can't wait to welcome the baby into this world," Zack said as he was practically bouncing around the room. "I'm going to spoil them and get them to love chocobos."
"I don't think spoiling the baby is a good idea and why are you so stuck on chocobos?" Cloud asks as Zack grins.
"Cause then you'll be introduced as a chocobo and besides, who doesn't like chocobos?" Zack asks with a shrug and grin before everyone looked at Sephiroth. "Ok, besides Sephiroth not liking chocobos." Everyone sighs at Zack.
Sephiroth heard what everyone said. He was nervous about the baby and he did care but him being a father was considered laughable. The General being a father? It was laughable and he knew nothing about caring for a baby. He had been reading parenting books recently and found it hard to understand with the basic needs of caring for an infant. He found it odd at how complicated materials were easy for him but the simplest reads were the most difficult.
The day of the birth finally came and Genesis was furiously pacing while Angeal watched him. Zack was bouncing in place with Cloud beside him fidgeting with the rim of his shirt and Sephiroth leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed. The morning passed by slowly and the eerie silence was broken when they heard a baby cry. Everyone froze. Now was the time they had all waited for. They had decided that the names Sephiroth circled were good names whoever the parent was plus a second name. Nashriel Lune and Eudora Aileen were the choices.
The crying stopped and an assistant held a bundle and Hojo walked out of the room. Sephiroth opened his eyes.
"We have good and bad news," Hojo said as everyone looked at him.
"Let's have the good news first," Angeal said.
"Well, the child has 2 of you as parents," Hojo started.
"What's the bad news?" Cloud squeaked.
"There's two parts to the bad news. First off, the gender is a girl," Hojo said.
"Eudora Aileen was the name we came up with," Zack said.
"What's the other bad news?" Sephiroth asked, the tension in the room was raising.
"The second part is the 2 who will be responsible for the child," Hojo took the baby from the assistant and held it out to Sephiroth.
Puzzled, Sephiroth just stared at the baby who was looking at him with big and round ice blue eyes, the same shade as Angeal, Genesis, and Zack and silver hair. Everyone froze as Sephiroth took the child. Not sure how to hold her, Sephiroth held her under the arms before holding her by the diaper she wore. He then held her upside down by her leg making her cry and coughing as she couldn't breathe. Gasping, Genesis quickly took Eudora from Sephiroth and cradled her in his arms. Eudora coughed a few times before she settled and smiled up at Genesis.
"So, Sephiroth is dad number one? Then who is dad number two?" Genesis asked as everyone looked at Hojo.
"Hehehe, Angeal's cells are also in her," Hojo said before he and his assistant disappeared back into the lab.
"Here you go, Angeal," Genesis said, holding out Eudora toward him.
"She is tiny," Zack commented as Eudora reached out her hands toward Angeal.
"She weighs about 6 pounds which is a healthy weight," Angeal said lightly bouncing her. Eudora laughed.
"Sephiroth, come back here," Genesis said as he grabbed Sephiroth who was trying to get away and pulled him back. "You need to take care of her as well."
"We all share an apartment but whose room gets the crib?" Genesis said.
"It has to be either Sephiroth or I," Angeal said. A smirk came to Genesis's face.
"Since Sephiroth has the cleanest and biggest room, the crib should go in there," Genesis said as Sephiroth glared at him.
"I don't know anything about caring for a child," Sephiroth said. "I refuse to be a parent. It's a waste, caring for an infant," Sephiroth said as Eudora broke into a cry.
"That's insulting," Zack frowned. "She is so cute and just wants love."
"You can calm her down," Genesis said as he put Eudora into Sephiroth's arms. He made sure Sephiroth was holding her correctly.
"How do I do that?" Sephiroth asked.
"Softly rock her back and forth or lightly bounce her and whisper comforting words to her," Angeal said as Sephiroth looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow.
"Say 'Shh' or 'Its okay, daddy's here' or something along those lines," Genesis added as he lightly held Sephiroth's elbows and lightly rocked his arms back and forth while saying Shh.
Genesis let go as Sephiroth lightly rocked her and Eudora calmed and laughed as if nothing happened. She reached up toward Sephiroth. Some of Sephiroth's hair fell into her face tickling her nose. She let out a small and cute sneeze. Sephiroth's stare softened as he stared at Eudora. In a few seconds, Sephiroth's icy and neutral stare came back over his features and he shoved Eudora into Angeal's arms and quickly walks away.
Angeal stares after him before he, Genesis, Zack, and Cloud go up to their joint apartment. They set up the crib in Sephiroth's room before Eudora starts crying due to her being hungry. Genesis makes the formula as Angeal holds her. Genesis hands him the bottle and Eudora sucks on the bottle as she looks around at everyone.
Thanks to them getting 9 months to prepare, they were able to stock up on the essentials. After Eudora was finished, Angeal helped her burp before putting her on a blanket Zack laid out. Eudora looked at everyone as if she was trying to look for him. She frowned when she couldn't find him. They picked up on who Eudora was looking for. Sephiroth.
"Why does she want Sephiroth?" Zack asked.
"Maybe she knows that Sephiroth is her other dad?" Cloud suggested.
"It's quite possible. You'll see him when he gets back, Eudora" Angeal said as Eudora looked at him.