In case you missed; THIS IS A MALE PREGNANCY story!!!!!!!!!!!
The damn plot bunny wouldn't go away and let me do the stories I want so I'm getting this out of my head. I don't even like m-preg. Please do not bother giving me a hard time; if you don't like it you don't have to read. Polite critizism is okay.
Reviews and feedback will decide if I continue this story here.
I don't own KH, FFVII or anything else in the Nomura collection... but the crack-pot story is mine.
Inconceivable
"Cloud?" Riku's voice drifted through the wood of the bathroom door. "Do you need anything?"
Cloud Strife opened his mouth to reply and promptly began vomiting again. This had been the pattern for over a week now. For eight days, he had been throwing up almost randomly throughout the day. It was worse in the morning but at any given time, he would get that feeling and soon after be emptying the contents of his stomach into whatever was most convenient.
He did not really feel sick per say, it was more of a 'not quite right', but even that was extremely abnormal for him. Since getting 'mako-fied' as Zack liked to call it, he was very rarely ill. The only other time he got even remotely nauseous was when his motion-sickness would decide to flare up. He was beginning to think there was something seriously wrong.
Taking a moment to be sure that this latest bout was over, Cloud stood up. Still okay, he flushed the toilet and went to the sink to rinse out his mouth and clean his face. As he dried his face off, he idly noted that it looked a bit swollen in the mirror.
The bathroom door cracked open and Riku leaned in. His aqua eyes were dark with extreme concern. Seeing that his husband was past this morning's episode, he opened the door further and took the few steps to stand beside Cloud. Brushing at a few damp bangs, he smiled weakly. "Better?"
"For now." Cloud murmured. He turned and leaned against Riku, slipping his arms around the younger man's waist and dropping his head on his shoulder. "I hate saying this but if this doesn't stop soon I'm going to have to see the doctor."
Riku nodded in agreement. He had wanted Cloud to go days ago. "Think you can keep some toast down?"
"Yeah." Cloud drew away. "Light food hasn't been too bad."
"All right. Get dressed and I'll make you some."
Cloud followed Riku out of their bathroom. As the younger man left the bedroom, Cloud collected his clothes for the day. After dressing, he headed downstairs and into the kitchen. Riku was just finishing buttering the toast and the tea kettle was about to whistle.
Riku handed him a small plate with the toast on it as he shut off the stove. The blond smiled gratefully as he took the plate from him and went to sit at the table. Suddenly he was ravenous and the food was eaten before Riku finished making the tea.
"Damn." Riku set a mug down before Cloud as he sat. He began adding honey to his own tea as he chuckled lightly. "You must feel better. I've never seen you down food that fast."
Cloud merely shrugged. He wanted a few more pieces but knew better than to push it. The last thing he wanted was for his sensitive stomach to turn on him again. "Do you know where Leon wants me to take that load of office supplies?"
"I think he said it was for the school." Riku took a sip of tea. "You should probably check."
"They should know at the warehouse. I don't feel up to dealing with Leon today."
Riku frowned slightly. "What's going on with the two of you lately? All he seems to do is annoy you but I can't see why. Actually, everyone seems to be doing that."
"I don't know." Cloud shook his head with a sigh. "Lately I've just been kinda…"
"Moody."
"Yeah." The swordsman drank some tea. "I'm dreading the meeting in two days."
Riku chuckled as he set his cup down. "Yuffie made a crack the other day that you were pregnant."
Cloud rolled his eyes. "If one of us was going to end up pregnant it would be you."
"True," agreed Riku with a thoughtful look. "Though given the impossibility of that happening, what's to say it couldn't somehow happen backwards?"
"Exactly how would that work? If I'm the one inside you, how would I get pregnant?"
"I don't know. I still don't get the fascination some people have with male pregnancy in the first place. There are some things in nature that should not be messed with and that's damn near the top of the list."
Cloud snorted his agreement as he stood to put his plate in the sink. As he passed Riku, he squeezed his husband's shoulder. "You ready to go?"
Riku finished his tea and stood up. "Yeah."
--0—0—
"Cloud." Leon spoke his name harshly, snapping him awake.
Silently cursing himself, Cloud focused on the meeting. He had fallen asleep twice now and he did not know why he was suddenly so tired. Yesterday and today he had been almost narcoleptic. At least he had not thrown up today.
Beside him, Zack flicked his eyes over and frowned lightly. His best friend had been doing that a lot these past few days. He had been present for several of Cloud's random bouts of vomiting and had noted this morning that Cloud was rather pale.
Rufus concluded the meeting and everyone was dismissed. As those gathered filed out, Zack turned toward Cloud. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine," murmured the blond. He was starting to get tired of being asked that.
"You don't look fine." Leon stated as he approached them. "I can't put my finger on it but something's looked off about you for some time now."
"Yeah," Zack seconded. "It was even before you started randomly throwing up. I'm thinking something's seriously up, Spike."
Cloud sighed and rubbed at his forehead. He was surprised to find it rather warm. Upon this realization, he decided that it was getting hot in the room. He needed to get some air.
He quickly stood up and instantly regretted it. The room swirled around him before flipping upside down. His legs gave out beneath him and he faintly heard his name called out…
Then everything went black.
--0—0—
Riku raced into the medical center, followed closely by Sora. The two had been at Sora's apartment having an evening of best friend time when Riku had gotten the call from Leon that Cloud had collapsed. The silver-haired young man skidded to a halt before Leon who was waiting near the information desk. "Where is he?"
"They were drawing more blood from him when they kicked me out." Leon informed Riku as he led him to the exam rooms. Sora remained in the lobby to wait for anyone else who would be arriving. "We figured Zack would be more useful to give them information than I."
"What happened?"
"He went to get up at the end of the meeting and fainted. We were able to revive him immediately after but with everything else that's been going on with him, we felt it best to bring him here." Leon exhaled. "He's not happy with us."
That actually relieved Riku. If Cloud was able to put up a fuss, he couldn't be that bad off. He had been wanting Cloud to see the healers for several days now; to him this was a blessing. Maybe now they would figure out what was wrong and treat it.
Leon led him to one of the rooms. Cloud's voice could be heard from the cracked open door and he was clearly unhappy about where he was. Leon motioned for Riku to go ahead and waited, probably for Zack to come out.
When Riku stepped inside, he actually smiled a bit. His husband was sitting up, propped by pillows, with a scowl on his face. The humor of the scene was only tempered by the iv in his hand and the vital sign monitor he was attached to.
"None of this is necessary." The blond growled.
"I disagree." Zack retorted easily.
"So do I." Riku crossed the small room to stand at his lover's bedside. He reached over and caressed Cloud's cheek with the back of his hand. "Until we know what's wrong this is exactly where you should be."
Cloud huffed and settled against the pillows. "I've probably got some virus that the mako wasn't been able to kill right away."
"And that right there should concern you." Riku frowned. "Or have you forgotten about my little cough a few years ago that nearly killed me?"
No, Cloud had not forgotten that. That had been the single most terrifying week of his life. He had never been as afraid as he had been spending those three days at his husband's bedside, not knowing if he was going to recover.
As Cloud leaned his head back and closed his eyes, Riku sat on the edge of the thin mattress and took his hand. "Just let them run any tests they want and get their samples. If there's nothing obvious right away, I'll push for them to let you go home."
"All right." The older man reluctantly agreed, relaxing as Riku idly ran his fingers through his hair.
"Cloud." Aerith's voice announced her arrival. She came in and smiled softly. "Feeling better?"
"Just really tired."
Zack gave the woman a quick hug before leaning toward his best friend and ex-lover. "I'm gonna duck out of here before Cameron returns and starts yelling about too many of us. Call if you find out anything, got it?"
"Yeah." Cloud embraced him with one arm. "Thanks."
"Thank Leon, not me." Zack chuckled as he pulled away. "I panicked when you went down. He's the one who handled everything."
"We'll let you know what we find out." Riku smiled gratefully at Zack.
"Yep. See ya!" Zack half-waved and walked out.
Aerith wandered over to the vitals recorder and checked Cloud's status on the machine before pressing her hand to his face. "I know you don't want to be asked this again but how are you feeling?"
"Didn't you just ask me that?"
"No, I asked if you felt better." Aerith lightly chastised. "Different question so answer."
Riku couldn't help but chuckle at the look on Cloud's face.
Cloud glowered but answered Aerith. "I'm tired and a little nauseous again but no dizziness."
The healer nodded. "Well, from what Cameron told me, there hasn't been anything notable in the tests results other than your slightly anemic. That could have very easily caused the fainting spell."
"Good." Riku squeezed Cloud's hand. "Think he'll be able to go home tonight?"
"It's a good possibility. There's really no reason to keep him at this point." Aerith grinned and casually placed her hand on Cloud's abdomen and patted it a few times like a parent would a child they just put to bed. "I know how much you hate…"
She paused, her hand against Cloud's belly. Minutely tilting her head, an odd look flitted across her face for a moment. She moved her hand slightly and the look returned.
"Aerith?" Riku said her name with concern.
"Huh." She withdrew her hand and worried her lower lip. Stepping away from the bed, Aerith smiled reassuringly. "I'm going to find you something to eat."
Cloud was actually a bit hungry. That was probably causing the nausea he was experiencing. "That sounds good."
Riku was still suspicious of the woman's peculiar reaction upon touching Cloud's abdomen. Aerith picked up on small changes in people's auras and their general feel. It was obvious that she had felt something unusual about Cloud just now.
He wanted to follow her out and ask her about it in the hall but he didn't want to unnecessarily worry Cloud. The man must not have noticed it and it was likely that Riku was overreacting. Aerith had not looked concerned about what she felt; it was more of a curious/confused expression.
Cloud could tell that Riku was thinking about something. He had also seen the odd look that had crossed Aerith's face but he wrote it off to having been sick for several days now; of course he wasn't going to feel like he normally did. They already knew he was anemic, he was likely dehydrated as well.
Aerith left and Cloud squeezed his husband's hand. "Riku."
Aqua eyes fixed upon him.
"I'm going to be fine."
"I know." Riku smiled weakly. "I'm just being a bit paranoid after what happened with me."
Cloud scooted over in the small bed and tugged Riku toward him. The younger man turned himself and half-lay beside him, raising his free arm above his head to toy with Cloud's soft spikes of hair. The blond did not say anything further but he knew that Riku understood that he got why Riku was so concerned.
They lay together comfortably against each other on the narrow mattress. Cloud slowly dozed off and Riku idly continued playing with his hair. He withdrew his hand from his lover's and gently placed it on Cloud's abdomen. He knew he wouldn't feel anything but he lightly ran his fingers along it, pressing just hard enough to feel the muscles beneath the thin t-shirt Cloud wore.
When he got to the left of Cloud's navel, he paused and reran his hand over the spot. There was a slight swelling, only a few inches in diameter and maybe half an inch high. The area felt a little more solid than the skin surrounding it. It was around the same place Aerith had placed her hand earlier.
A soft tap echoed through the door before it opened and Aerith stepped back in. She noticed that Cloud was sleeping and quietly closed the door. In one hand she held a plate with toast and as she approached the couple, she chuckled lightly. "I had a feeling he'd be asleep."
"He drifted off about twenty minutes ago."
Aerith nodded and set the small plate on the bed stand. "Sleep is probably good for him. Hopefully he'll stay that way for awhile because there's talk of giving him some shots."
That would be fun. Cloud despised needles in general and withdrawing blood was always a challenge but he dealt with it and let them. Injections, however, were a very different thing. After what had been done to him in Shinra Manor all those years ago, no one could blame him for his paranoia of anything injected by needle into his body.
Riku cast his eyes down to where his hand still resting on Cloud's abdomen. "Aerith? You felt this, didn't you?"
The Cetra frowned slightly as she also looked to the spot. "I'm not sure what it is. I told Cameron about it."
"You don't think…?" The young man swallowed. "You don't think it's a tumor or something, do you?"
"No." There was certainty in Aerith's voice. "One thing I can say for sure is that Cloud's life is not in danger. In fact, his energy is more vibrant than it's ever been."
That was…strange. With how sick he's been, it made more sense for him to be slightly weakened. "What about his aura?"
The odd look from earlier returned to Aerith's face. "Well, that's what's throwing me right now."
Before Riku could ask for more details, there was another tap on the door and one of Dr. Cameron's associates poked his head in. His expression was thoroughly confused. "Aerith? Can we have a moment?"
"Sure, Chase." Aerith smiled at Riku and brushed the side of his face. "I'll be right back."
A very uneasy feeling settled in Riku's stomach as she hurried out. One thing he had learned a very long time ago was that confused doctors were a bad thing. He took some comfort in that, due to the mako and other substances Hojo had injected Cloud with, it was likely there was merely an issue with identifying one of them. He knew that they had had a hell of a time analyzing his blood and tissues when he was sick.
Cloud stirring a bit and Riku smoothed his hair. He removed his hand from his husband's belly and brushed a long spike of blond hair from Cloud's face. As Cloud slowly woke up, Riku leaned in and kissed the top of his head.
"Mmm…" A faint smile pulled at Cloud's mouth and he snuggled closer to Riku's taller body. "What time is it?"
"No idea. You haven't been asleep for very long though."
"Really?" The older man's eyes opened, still sleepy-looking. "I feel like I slept for hours."
"It's only been about forty minutes." Riku informed him quietly.
Cloud shifted into a more comfortable position and glanced up at Riku. "Aerith come back?"
"Yeah. She brought toast but it's probably nasty now."
"Ick. I don't want any more toast."
"When we get out of here, I'll make you whatever you want." Riku promised. "Or at least anything you're allowed to have."
"I want a sausage biscuit with egg and cheese and hot sauce."
A silver eyebrow lifted. "You don't like hot sauce."
"I know. It just sounds amazing right now… and that sea-salt ice cream stuff."
Riku frowned. "You hate sea-salt ice cream."
"Yeah, well…" Cloud shrugged. "It doesn't sound gross right now."
The door opened and Aerith walked back in followed by Cameron and Chase. The two doctors had put on their professional neutral expressions but the confusion was still obvious in their eyes. The Strife couple tensed up, knowing that they were not likely to be hearing good news. Aerith's green eyes were narrowed in concern as she stepped closer. The doctors hung back and it was clear they were letting Aerith tell the couple whatever information they had.
"What's wrong with me, Aerith?" Cloud asked quietly.
"Well," The woman wrapped one arm around her waist and brought the hand of the other one up to her chin. "I don't know if I'd call it wrong but…"
Riku's voice was as quiet as his husband's. "Just say it, Aer."
She bit her lower lip and looked directly into Cloud's blue eyes. "Um… you're pregnant."
--0—0—
