Chapter 11

Cloud laid on the bed passively, his eyes misty with tears as he stared off into space. He was five months pregnant, but he looked like he was farther along. Ever since he learned about his lover's secret, his pregnancy was moving along that much faster. His offspring were almost fully developed now, another month and a half all they needed before they would come into the world.

But there was no happiness now. He was sick with the intestinal flu, and he felt like shit. He had cried when he had vomited up his lunch, but that was involuntarily. Sephiroth was at work like always, leaving Cloud alone to suffer. It was sad when he thought of it that way, but he knew if Sephiroth had the power he would have been by his side by now. Cloud smiled softly at that thought, his mood lightened just a little bit.

All alone with nothing to do, he called Zack. It went straight to voicemail so Cloud guessed he was training. He wanted to call his mom, but just when he was about to Zack called him. Cloud answered, sniffling softly.

"What did Seph do?" Zack asked instantly, Cloud smiling a little bit more. Zack had been keeping on Seph, but Cloud didn't think he would be that worried.

"Nothing, he's at work. I'm sick." Zack hummed softly, grunting loudly like he was lifting something heavy. Cloud listened silently, wondering what the hell the black haired male was doing.

"Sorry, Angeal made me pull a muscle," Zack told him, Cloud sitting up slightly so he could breathe better.

"Sounds fun. Are you in the Shinra building or in the wastelands again?" Cloud asked, Zack huffing like he had been insulted.

"It is not a wasteland, it just has a lot of sand. And no, we just got finished in the gym." Cloud smiled softly, getting up from his seat slowly. He gasped when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, holding it like his hand would keep his offspring from falling out.

"Are you okay?" Zack asked quickly, seeming to know the sounds of Cloud's of distress. Cloud was quiet for a second, holding his stomach as he waited for any sign he had gone into early labor. When none presented themselves he straightened up as much as he could, taking in a deep breath. Braxton contractions they were called, just fake ones.

"I'm fine, just a little shocked. I'm bigger now you know," Cloud told him, Zack snorting on the other line. Cloud heard Angeal yell something from where he was, Zack responding with a yell back. It was obvious he was already starting to leave, probably to check on Cloud.

"No I don't, you never talk to me anymore. I'm coming over right now though, I already asked Seph if I could visit," Zack told him, Cloud not able to imagine Zack actually asking Sephiroth if he could come over. Sephiroth was standoffish to anybody.

"When?" Cloud asked, Zack grunting softly like he was lifting something again. Probably his gym bag or something, the thing was huge.

"Today at lunch. By the way, he told me you had the intestinal flu. I'll bring you some soup my mom used to give me when I got sick." Cloud doubted he could keep it down, but the thought of eating something was enough to make him agree. Sephiroth tried to take care of him, but because he was never sick that much, unless the labs cooked something up, he didn't have much medicine. Cloud knew it hurt his pride he couldn't make him feel better, but that was probably why he invited Zack over. Zack apparently got the flu a lot when he moved from a hot climate to a colder one, so he knew every remedy out there.

"Okay," Cloud replied, waking to the bathroom to throw up again. He could just feel it creep up on him and he didn't like it. Zack told him he would be there in a second and hung up, Cloud standing because he couldn't kneel in his current condition. He felt himself pee when he vomited, a gush of water that slid down his thigh. He sighed in annoyance, having done that a lot lately.

It was not sexy when you accidentally pee on your partner who is trying to comfort you because you vomited. At least Sephiroth understood though. Cloud took off his sweats; the usual stench urine gave off not there. It smelled different but Cloud blew it off. Pee didn't smell the same every single time. He got in the shower, turning it to hot water. He wanted to sit down but didn't want to go through the struggle of getting back up, sighing softly as he let the water wash away the urine.

He gasped when he felt another sharp pain, the sudden pains not welcome. He turned the water temperature down some, suddenly having the urge to sit down. He looked to the rail beside him, hoping it would help him get back up. He turned on the bath water and used his foot to move the clogger, prepared to take a long bath. He sat down slowly, breathing through the process that was simple only months before.

He took in a deep breath as he waited for the water to rise, feeling another sharp pain. These fake contractions were starting to get on his nerves, Cloud scooting down a little bit further so he wasn't sitting on his ass. He let the water get high enough to cover his thighs, resting back with a sigh. A minute passed before he felt another contraction, his eyes closing as he tried to ignore them.

He had gone through this before, and this time he would not freak out. He took in a deep breath, holding back a yelp when he felt a stronger contraction. He held his stomach, breathing deeply through the pain that seemed to come out of nowhere. He waited a while to see if the contractions would stop, and when they didn't, he knew something was wrong. He tried to breath as he grabbed the rail to get up, his body protesting angrily. He was going into fucking labor and stuck in the tub.

Why was nobody around when bad shit happened?!

Cloud tried to breathe through the pain, closing his eyes as he sat back again. He needed to stay calm like his midwife told him. If he panicked, it would do nothing good for him. For what seemed like forever the contractions kept intensifying, Cloud crying from the pain but not allowing himself to panic. He knew if he just pushed with the contractions he would be fine, and that was all there was to it.

He nearly screamed when the contractions intensified, his ears hearing the apartment door open. Zack had finally come, Cloud hearing the bowl being put down.

"Cloud where are you?" Zack called, Cloud panting as he tried to form reasonable words. He was in pain, but he was sure he could say a sentence. The next contraction he felt didn't let him though, his throat burning when he screamed.

"Zack!" Was all he managed to scream, hearing Zack's hurried footsteps towards the bathroom. Zack opened the door, Cloud looking to him with panicked eyes. Zack made a noise of confusion and shock, Cloud shaking as he felt his entire body burn and he felt his body push.

This wasn't happening!

Cloud screamed in agony, Zack rushing out of the bathroom, screaming he would call Sephiroth. Cloud gripped the sink, not wanting to be left alone. Zack rushed back once he got his phone, kneeling by the bath and grabbing Cloud's hand. Cloud needed the touch, not caring whom it was at the moment. Zack dialed the number jerkily, putting the shaking phone to his ear.

It rang a couple times before there was an answer, Cloud trying to hold his back his screams to hear his lovers voice.

"What Zack?" Sephiroth asked, sounding kind of grumpy. Cloud tensed when his body pushed again, gripping Zack's hand hard enough to hear his bones protest. Zack didn't seem to notice the pain, looking to Cloud like he was a bomb.

"Cloud! Labor!" Zack managed to say, too shocked to respond in a sentence. Sephiroth seemed confused, Cloud screaming when he felt another push. He pushed with it this time, just wanting it to be over. Sephiroth told Zack he was on his way, hanging up quickly. Cloud panted as he tried to breathe through it all, his spine and pelvis breaking with each push. For what seemed like hours he screamed and pushed, Zack barely able to form words, but coherent enough to tell him to breathe when he started to get dizzy or weak.

Cloud felt something stretch his ass, blood staining the water. Cloud reached a hand down, feeling the barely protruding head of his first daughter. He bit his bottom lip, breaking the skin. He ignored the taste of blood on his tongue, the pain not able to rival the one he felt now.

He heard the door open, Zack rushing from his side to get Sephiroth. Cloud wasn't alone for long, but it felt like ages. He felt his baby move out more, his body suddenly getting weak. He was still sick, and the virus made itself known. He tried to breathe, his entire body sweating. When Sephiroth entered the room, Cloud thought he was going to black out.

He needed to get to a hospital.

"Cloud look at me," Cloud looked to Sephiroth, grabbing his hand when he offered it. The small embrace gave him the energy he needed, Cloud pushing as hard as he could. The midwife came when his daughter's head was about to come out, the woman yelling at everybody to get what she needed. She put a wet rag to Cloud's forehead, soothing his jittery nerves. He was getting weak fast, and he still had another baby to deliver.

"Push honey," she told him, Cloud doing his best to obey. He felt a sudden small relief, looking down to see his daughter's head was fully out. One more hard push and she was birthed into the world, Cloud's body nearly slipping into the water when he got weaker.

"Cloud stay awake!" Sephiroth yelled at him, Cloud panting softly as he just got weaker. The only thing that made him open his eyes was his daughter's screams, her ears and tail both a dirty blonde. She was so big, her skin a weird purplish red. She had no hair yet, and her eyes were closed, but she was still the most beautiful being Cloud had ever seen.

Cloud smiled softly, her presence giving him a little bit more energy. When he felt the sharp pain of his second daughter coming, he had just enough energy to deliver her. When her head was out he was told not to push, Cloud trying not to black out as they untangled the umbilical chord from around her neck. When he was allowed to push, he tried to keep his eyes open, his daughter screaming when she was lifted from the water.

She had a white tail and ears, her skin a tad redder than her sisters.

So beautiful…

He looked to Sephiroth, his eyes full of worry. That was all Cloud remembered before he lost consciousness.

:::+:::

"Will he be alright?" Sephiroth stood next to Cloud's doctor, Cloud lying on the bed behind the glass. Both of their daughter's were perfectly healthy, sleeping in the incubators in another room. Cloud was not okay though, the mix of his flu and labor having put a toll on him. Sephiroth thought he would lose him, but thanks to his midwife they managed to keep him stable till they got him to the hospital.

"He needs rest. As well as yourself." Sephiroth couldn't sleep. Not while Cloud was like this. He hated himself for not being there when it started, for putting work ahead of the mother of his children. He would make sure he didn't make the same mistake again.

"He can't breastfeed, not in his current position. He may never be able to after this." Sephiroth took in a deep breath, knowing that would make Cloud sad. He had started lactating a few weeks earlier, and he was excited to bond with his daughters in such a way.

"Sephiroth."

Sephiroth looked over his shoulder, Hojo walking up to him. Sephiroth wondered how he even got in, tensing slightly as he turned fully to face him.

"You see now why I wanted to deliver the specimen! The host is damaged!" Sephiroth did something he had wanted to do for a while, grabbing Hojo by the shirt and lifting him off from the floor. His children were not specimen. Cloud was not a host. His family was not going to be experiments like he was. He was going to give his children everything he was denied, and he would make sure everyday they smiled. They will not know the pain he suffered.

"Stay away from my family," Sephiroth growled, Hojo obviously shocked from his sudden act of aggression.

"I own you! I will own them as well!" When Hojo's head snapped in his hand, Sephiroth never felt better. He dropped the dead carcass to the ground, the doctor taking a step back in shock and fear.

Sephiroth would never be owned.

"You- You-…" The doctor stuttered, Sephiroth looking to him with stoic eyes.

"Have it cremated. I don't need him coming back." Even though everybody was shocked from Sephiroth's actions, they couldn't actually deny the strongest man in the world.

It wasn't like the police had the power to arrest him. Or the Turks. Or all of Shinra for that matter. They had made a weapon they couldn't destroy. Sephiroth was satisfied with that.

When Cloud woke up Sephiroth was by his side with their daughters, a smile on his lips. Cloud smiled back weakly, looking to their daughters who slept soundly. They woke up when Sephiroth passed them to Cloud though, letting him hold their beautiful daughters. Their eyes were the exact same way, Cloud's blue endless sky and Sephiroth's cat like pupil. They were everything Cloud had hoped for, his body overrun by tears of joy.

And everything was all right again.

The End

Author's note: The first semester of college is almost over, and I just wanted to end this story because I keep forgetting about it. Hope you all liked it!

P.S. I killed off Hojo just because Sephiroth should have done it ages ago.