The Experiment

Authors: Yahnkehy and The Prince's Jewel

Notes: This is a collaboration fanfic, not role-play, per se, but similar being as it is a joint effort.

Genre: Final Fantasy VII, post AC, post DoC

Spoilers: Possibly a few, but mostly just mentions of major happenings in the original FF7 game, some for Advent Children.

Warnings: Uniquely done MPREG *ducks rotten tomatoes*, angst, broken Cloud, pissy Reno, slight OOC, hurt/comfort, yaoi, kissing, brat.

Pairing: Cloud x Reno

Disclaimer: Not mine; there'd be more yaoi if it was.

Chapter 10: Comings and Goings

Cloud woke before Reno, and slipped from the bed. "Mamma?"

"Here, babydoll. You sleep yourself out?"

Cloud cocked his head slightly. "I think so. What do we do now, Mamma?"

"Now, you get used to being that little girl's daddy." Knitting needles clicked a counterpoint to Cloud's chopping as he began preparing a meal. "Your young man looks a great deal like Rena. I hadn't realized how much until I saw him."

"Reno is… was… is going to pose as Rena, but I'll be calling her Rei. I guess she changed her mind after I left last time." Cloud shrugged, dumping vegetables into a stew pot. "They're close enough in appearance most anyone who met Rena won't know the difference."

"It will be a good six weeks before that youngling should be doing much more than feeding the baby," Sheila mused. Cloud grunted agreement as he cubed a steak. "You'll not be wanting to go off and leave them by themselves, I shouldn't think."

"No, not really." The knife paused as Cloud looked over at her. "But I've got to get you back home, don't I? You only came prepared for overnight."

"True." Needles clacked as the newly assembled chair squeaked to her rocking. "But, there's no need for you to take me. I can cast a Float quite handily, and I would feel much reassured if you stayed with your family whilst I was fetching what your lady-wife will be needing these next few weeks."

"If you're sure, Mamma, I'll send you with Goldie. She's the fastest and the smartest." He covered the stewpot, and began fixing something more breakfast-y for when Rei woke.

A mewling cry woke Reno up and he bolted upright in bed, startled at the strange sound. Pain knifed through his hips and nether regions and he groaned as memory fit back into place. Tempest. A goofy grin curved his lips as he eased himself up out of bed.

"Oh, uh, mornin', Ms. Sheila." He hadn't realized that anyone was there until the quiet creaking of the rocking chair filtered into the baby's cries. He moved to the bassinet and bent, lifting his screaming daughter into his arms.

It took a minute to figure out what he needed to do first; he simply stared down at the crying infant and then thought to check her bottom. "Oh, ew! Where's Cloud? He'd got a messy… gods, that's disgusting!" The smell, while not strong, was decidedly excretory. He cradled Tempest as far from his body as possible, head turned to the side as if to escape the smell.

"Gone down to the stream, he has. Washing laundry. You'll be needing to change her." The click of the knitting needles didn't even pause despite the wailing baby, but Sheila was grinning.

"You suck." Reno grumbled to himself and looked around for the diapers and wipes. He had no idea whatsoever how to do this, but, damnit, he'd have to know someday. Might as well start. But, if it was too disgusting, he was going to puke.

Diapers and wipes found, Reno sat on the bed and laid Tempest gently down. He tugged the blanket off and grinned at the pink sleeping gown with cartoonized Caul kittens frolicking over the front. The mittens over the baby's hands sort of surprised him, but figured they were there for a reason and didn't bother them.

The dressing gown went up and the diaper unfastened and Reno turned his head, almost heaving. How the hell did women do this shit! This was disgusting! "I'm so gonna give him Hell for this," he muttered under his breath as he went about trying, unsuccessfully, to get the wipe close to the baby's bottom to pat away the mess. He flinched each time he touched her, face screwed up in a look of disgust.

"Just wipe her down, youngling; if you get some on you, there's soap and water. It's not toxic."

"I'm tryin' okay? Gimme a minute." Finally, Reno gave in and wiped her down, quickly but gently. "This is sick. When can she do this on her own?"

"In about two years."

"You're shittin' me."

"Afraid not. You'll get better."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Reno fastened the clean diaper onto the baby and tugged the dressing gown down gently, tossing the dirty diaper into the pail sitting beside the changing table. "There, clean." Unfortunately Tempest was still crying. "Uh, food?" He tugged the bottom of his shirt up and lifted the baby to his chest, twitching when she latched on. "Greedy little shit."

It was kind of cute to watch Tempest hungrily suckling, despite the fact that it felt weird. Usually, mouth on his nipple meant pleasure and sex, and right now it didn't. But, he couldn't figure out if it was because he knew he was feeding a baby or if that had simply changed.

"I'm gonna hold you to your promise, Tempest. He says he loves us, so you get to drive him crazy. I'll cheer from the sidelines and try to keep ya from killin' each other," Reno whispered, settling with his back against the wall. "And when ya get big, you promised to go to Daddy for the hard questions, and ask for pictures. Mama knows jack about that kinda stuff, anyway."

It really hit him then. In the past, referring to himself as 'Mama' had only been an attempt to siphon off some of the worry, but now… "I'm a mama." A teary-eyed grin curved his lips and he cuddled the baby closer. "I can't wait to hear ya call me that, Hellion." His heart fluttered and flopped in his chest, swelling with an indescribable feeling. He was a mama.

"Ms. Sheila, can ya keep a secret?"

A brow rose but the knitting needles didn't pause. "What sort of secret?"

"Not dangerous, just… I don't want Cloud to know."

This time the knitting needles stopped and the blanket she was knitting was folded into her lap. "What is it?"

"I've been cryin' at the drop of a hat lately, and…." Reno looked up, wet streaks over his cheeks. "Don't tell him? It's not exactly the manliest thing I could do, ya know."

"Our secret."

"Thanks, yo."

"Ms. Strife, stop saying 'yo'."

He laughed and shook his head. "Yes, Mama."

Sheila flipped the blanket back out and set back to her knitting just as Cloud walked back in. "Hey. You hungry?"

A quick check found Tempest sleeping, still latched on. Reno hooked a finger between her mouth and his nipple to make her release. "Starving. You wanna hold your daughter for a minute while I get some food?"

"Hn." Cloud gathered up the plate he'd left warming on the stove when he'd gone to do the wash, as well as the dish of sliced fruits and cup of juice from the cooler. "I fixed you some of that breakfast casserole you liked, fruit, and some juice."

He laid his offerings out at the table before heading over to deftly pluck the baby from Rei's arms. The little girl was fast asleep, wisps of spiky black hair going everywhere. Cloud studied her for a moment, then laid her carefully in the crib. "I'm gonna finish hooking up the pump and running the water lines in here, Rei. If I can get it all done before noon, the waterbed might be warm enough to sleep in tonight."

Reno eased up off of the bed, taking care not to move too quickly and aggravate his aching bottom. "Sounds good. We'll be cozy, at least." He hobbled over to Cloud and hugged him. "Thanks for comin' back when ya did. Tempest would've been pissed if ya missed it." Not to mention Cloud might have found a pair of dead bodies; Reno had bled a lot when he'd torn and there were no potions to be had. Not that he mentioned it to the blonde.

A quick peck on the lips saw Reno headed for the food that was calling out to his stomach. It seemed like ages since he'd eaten. He dragged the plate over to the end of the table, closest to the crib, and sat down. It became a bit of a routine; bite, look over at the baby, swallow, repeat.

Cloud shot a look towards Sheila, who motioned him off without stopping her knitting. He went back outside. He shot quick glance at the bed sheets he'd hung to dry, contemplating if it would be best to clear the bushes and hang a proper clothesline. He'd have to remove some of them anyway to put in a garden, after he finished getting the cave set up for running water.

He swung himself up into the wagon, pulling out the pump and the tools he'd need to attach the pipes he soon had to remove from the outer walls and roof of the wagon. He'd start with the holding tank, and the water heater next to the cave, and work his way to the closest section of the stream. Plan decided, he set about implementing it.

Reno's routine changed as soon as Cloud left; baby, doorway, food. A frown settled over his face as he finished the meal Cloud had given him. "He doesn't sit still much. Think he's still wigged about almost stabbin' Tempest?" He looked over at Sheila, assuming that Cloud had told her about the incident

"He was quite upset over that," the woman returned, her needles never missing a stitch. "But yon boy is not one to be sitting idle when things are to be done, and he has three wagons to unload, and their contents to assemble. Those things which will make life here easier firstly, especially those which also cater to your comfort, youngling; and then he will set about making this cave a proper homestead."

A quick glance into the crib and Reno got up, hobbling over to Sheila's side with a chair under his arm. He sat it down and eased into it. "So, he's plannin' on keeping us here? Indefinitely? I dunno if I can deal with that. Tempest can't grow up with just me an' Cloud as her only company. Even if we can have another baby later, that's still not enough human interaction. We're like birds in a cage; beautiful setting, but we're not free.

"I had enough of that with Shinra, but at least I could talk to other people and go to different places, shop for junk food or, hell, go to the bar for a beer or two. I know he's tryin' to keep us safe, but not like this. Why the hell else would I purposely dress like a woman, teach myself to put that goop on my face, and answer to 'Rei Strife'? I want outta here, preferably soon. I've been here for months."

"And you will be here at least another month and a half, recovering from birthing that baby-child," Sheila returned complacently. "Longer, perhaps, if you do not keep yourself clean and so become infected, or if you overexert yourself and cause yourself more damage than I have already fixed. Why you carried that chair here when a perfectly good sofa is there to sit on, or the recliner there, I do not understand." She gave him a look that left very little doubt as to her opinion of his current level of intelligence.

Cloud worked quickly, but carefully. It would be obvious, now, to anyone flying over that the crater was in use, but he had made sure that the people who didn't want to show up had an excuse to not investigate. The Turks wouldn't be rappelling in to see why a water holding tank had suddenly popped up, or why a small clearing with a clothesline and garden appeared. He fastened the last bolt over the screen, and jumped to land lightly beside the pile of pipe.

By the end of the first hour, he had the holding tank and the water heater assembled, secured, and together. He ducked back into the cave, heading for the cooler. A draught of the semi-tart juice Rei favored made his nose wrinkle, but refreshed him. He shot a quick glance over to find Reno cooing over Tempest again while Sheila watched and knitted. Satisfied the three were okay, he started back out to start laying the pipes to the stream.

"Cloud, wait." Reno hefted the baby, gave Sheila a sour look, and then headed to the cave entrance. "Any chance I c'n sit outside with Tempest? Maybe get ya to take a break for a bit so I can take a bath?" Sheila's comment about his hygiene reminded him that he hadn't exactly been able to take a bath in the last couple of days and he was in desperate need of a bath. And the last thing that he needed was to get sick and end up stuck on this godforsaken island even longer. "Please?"

Cloud glanced around. "I don't see any reason you can't sit out, but if you wait until I'm done, you can have a proper hot bath in a tub, instead of a cold one in the stream."

"Oh, is that what you're doin'? Fine, I'll wait, but I've gotta get outta that cave for a while. Your Ma's knitting is gonna drive me batty. She hums and the clacking never stops." This last he said a bit quieter, showing at least a little respect for the woman that helped deliver his daughter.

"I got some yard furniture, but it's not up because I haven't got a clearing made yet. Want me to grab some cushions for the two of you, and you can watch me slave over getting you a nice hot bath?"

"I'll get—" Reno shot a quick look over at Sheila and sighed in frustration. "I'll be real damn happy when I can do for myself again. But, yeah, a couple of cushions would be nice. You're cute when you're slavin' away, might as well enjoy it, right?" He smirked, patting the baby's back lightly.

Cloud snorted and went after the required cushions. He got Rei and Tempest settled comfortably under one of the trees before hunting out the machete he'd bought to spare his swords the indignity of being used for manual labor. Moments after that, he was leveling underbrush in a direct line to the closest portion of the stream – which wasn't the nice pool they were using for bathing and laundry.

The fresh air was much better, in Reno's opinion, and the view was one he enjoyed; Cloud had that determined expression on his face again and he'd bend over when clearing out the underbrush. "Much better, isn't it, Tempest? Daddy watching is gonna be our favorite pastime, isn't it?" he cooed at the baby sleeping peacefully in his arms. "And just as soon as Granny leaves, Mama's better, and Daddy learns how to sit fucking still, Daddy and Mama are gonna…have a 'talk'."

While Cloud worked, Reno fed Tempest again and managed to keep the kid awake long enough to burp her. That was an experience he could have done without. Now, he really needed that bath being as how he hadn't managed to remember to bring one of those burping cloth things and was now wearing some of Tempest's meal. "Hey, Cloud! Your daughter just puked on me. How much longer do ya think it'll be?"

Cloud reappeared from the path he'd cut. He glanced at the pile of pipes, down the path, and at Rei. "Not soon enough to suit you. Hour or two yet to get the pipes together and the water heated."

"Not tryin' to rush ya, but sittin' here with puke in my hair and runnin' down my back isn't what I call fun. I know you're workin' hard, but I kinda need to wash up. So, take a breather, hold your daughter, and it'll take me ten whole minutes to wash and change. Deal?" Reno struggled to his feet, a shiver of disgust wracking his frame as the puke-soaked hair brushed over his cheek and stuck.

Cloud nodded, tossing the machete casually into the back of the wagon he'd pulled it from. He gathered the sleeping baby from Rei, then helped her to her feet. "Shower should be ready," he said thoughtfully. "Been long enough for the water in it to get warm."

Reno just nodded and headed back to the cave. "Oh, by the way, you get the next shitty diaper, mister. She pulled that shit on me earlier and I almost heaved. I'll swap with ya, but you've got to help out with that, yo."

"No saying 'yo'," Cloud sighed. He shifted the baby, grabbed one of the long pipes with his other hand, and got back to work. "Your mamma's gonna be here a lot longer than she wants to be, if she can't keep herself from being Reno. I don't dare take him away, but I can take Rei," he informed the little girl. "Don't see why he – she doesn't understand that. I know she's lonely, but a slip like that would put her – and you – in that bitch's lab."

Reno hurried into the cave and gathered up the things he needed for a shower, all the while grumbling at his slip. And he'd been doing so well. The way Cloud was so protective of him meant that after that slip, Reno might as well add a few more weeks to his sentence.

Almost eagerly, Reno got into the shower stall that Cloud had set up so long ago and turned the water on to wet himself down before taking a seat on the stool with the washcloth and soap. He scrubbed vigorously at the puke on his skin and hair. The lower portion of his body, though, he had to be much gentler with.

Curious, Reno gently prodded the stitches, running his fingers along them to gauge how long they were. He felt a little sick touching the wound; it felt really long and ugly. His next exploration was the bulge left behind by the baby in his lower belly. He hadn't realized that he'd had so many stretch marks and, for some reason, had expected to go back to normal once the baby was out. With a sigh he dropped his hand and stood, turning the hot water on and rinsing off.

He dressed in a loose dress, grimacing about the need to continue wearing it, but it was comfortable and it didn't put any pressure on his stitches. Reno pushed his way out of the shower stall and gathered up his dirty clothes, dropping them in a basket at the foot of his bed. He then went back out to gather his baby from Cloud. He'd only been gone for a few minutes, but he was anxious to get back to her.

Cloud had rigged the blanket into a carrier so that he could use both hands to fasten the pipes together. He headed back up for the cave mouth to collect some more pipes, and found Rei waiting. "Feel better?"

"Much, thanks." Reno grinned and then cocked his head to the side. "You just couldn't wait ten minutes for me to wash before ya went back to work? What, are you allergic to takin' a break every once in awhile?"

"I'd just taken a break," Cloud protested, "and we need this done. Well, I do, anyway." He grimaced, knowing his bitterness had tinged the last sentence.

Red brows rose in irritation and Reno's lips thinned. "Fine. Give me my daughter and I'll get out of your way. Gods know it would fucking kill you to, oh, I dunno, actually spend a fucking minute enjoying having a fucking kid." He cradled an arm under his daughter and tugged angrily at the makeshift sling.

The loose knot parted easily; Cloud had wanted to be sure he could get her someplace safe if something attacked. He just hadn't expected Rei to be the attacker. "But I didn't just have a kid, you did," he pointed out, bewildered.

"I know that!" Reno snapped, tucking the blanket around Tempest and checking to make sure she was okay. "I just—" he sighed and ground his teeth. "Fuck, I just want to spend a little time with you. You left for fuck knows how long and when ya came back the baby came, then you started in dragging everything into the cave. You've been fucking avoiding me. I'm still pissed about ya stabbin' me, and I wanna bitch about it for a minute but you won't fucking stand still long enough!"

He kept his voice level, cool. "I was gone for the two weeks I told you it would take, and I think you going to build yourself a shelter in the forest adequately expressed your views of me stabbing you. I am not avoiding you, I am making this place more habitable for the weeks remaining of your incarceration." He'd heard Reno's complaint about his pretty cage. "Now, I have to finish doing that." He turned, grabbed two more of the pipes, and headed down the path he'd cut.

"FINE!" Reno bellowed, "Leave! That's all you fucking DO!" The yelling woke the baby and she started to cry. "Yeah, I know how ya feel. Daddy's enough to make me cry too." He strode over to the cushions and took a seat, gingerly. Reno rocked Tempest, grumbling about men and their idiocy.

Cloud's hands shook as he tried unsuccessfully to match up the ends of the pipes he couldn't see. He dashed the tears away again, cursing under his breath. He really wasn't fit to help anyone, and the voices were back, mocking the attempts he made to help Reno. To help himself. To help Tempest. He was an utter failure, but he could at least put the pipes together, couldn't he?

He could make his own home here. The pipes connected. He fastened them. He could make his home here. Take Reno back, leave him at the Wutai house with the addresses of the others, come back here. He couldn't mess up anyone else's life if he wasn't around anyone else. So, instead of hiring someone, he'd move here himself, once he got Reno out. Six weeks. He just had to keep busy for six weeks, stay out of the other man's way. Once back in society, Reno would thrive. Trapped here with him… they'd kill each other, and then Tempest would starve to death.

His bitterly morbid musings were broken by his phone. Cloud answered it unthinkingly. "Strife Delivery Services."

"Hello?" A short pause. Cloud started back towards the cave.

"What?!" A much longer silence as he listened to the man at the other end. "Are you insane?" Apparently, his listener didn't think so. Cloud walked into the cave and plopped down on the sofa.

"How much?" Cloud pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it a moment. He glanced at Reno before replying. "Fine. But not for another six weeks. My wife just had her baby… no, not Reno! He wouldn't be due for ages yet! My wife's name is Rena. She just had the baby, so she can't travel for another six weeks. No, I'm not leaving them behind for this; I don't care how important you think it is. Huh? Baby shower? Well, yeah, but we're at the crater. The baby – her name's Tempest – wasn't supposed to be born for another month, and she wanted to be here to see what I was going to do. Well, it was gonna be her vacation home, wasn't it?"

He shot a glance at Sheila. "I could send a proxy," he suggested. "No, and you'd better believe she'd go over the fine print with a magnifying glass. Then double-check it with a microscope. Because Hojo did her wrong, that's why!" Sheila's knitting was in her lap, and she was giving him a very curious look. "Then I'll ask her. Hold on."

Cloud tucked the phone against his chest. "Rufus is still looking for a way out of the contract his old man made with Hojo. He's been over all the fine print, and the only way is to outright sell the entire company, lock, stock, barrel, and all holdings. He's willing to sell to me, but I can't take off right now to look at the contract he's worked up to sell it. You wanna go look for me?"

Sheila's right eyebrow went up. When Cloud kept staring at her, the second rose. "You expect me to work with Shinra?"

"No, I expect you to make sure I don't get screwed by this deal."

"Okay. I will leave when I have finished this blanket," – Cloud noticed it was a different one, nearly complete. – "and have brought the medicines back for your lady wife."

Cloud put the phone back to his ear. "My proxy will be there by the end of the week. Dr. Sheila Wuggenisterin. Yes, that one. No, she won't eat you. I don't care what your father told you, she won't eat you! Goodbye, Rufus." He snapped the phone shut. "The wagon that had the furniture in it is empty. I'll get Goldie hitched to it for you."

A tiny trickle of relief rolled over Reno's back when he heard Cloud refuse to leave him so soon after the baby was born. He'd thought about things a little bit in the hours Cloud had been gone and decided to try to talk to the man again, without yelling if at all possible.

The fact that Shinra might be sold to Cloud, though, took away the worry over being caught by a mad scientist and impregnated for the rest of his life, but it added a lump to Reno's throat. Now, Cloud wouldn't have a reason to put up with him. That on top of the utter fear of being a parent and the depression that seeped in opened a hollow pit in the bottom of Reno's stomach.

As soon as the deal closed, Cloud was going to leave him. He might drop Reno off in Midgar-Edge, but he'd still leave. And why shouldn't he? Reno hadn't given Cloud a single reason to stay. He got up, put Tempest down in her crib and headed for the door. There was no way he could talk to Cloud right now without crying at the blonde about all of his problems.

It wasn't Cloud's job to worry over things like that, despite inferring that he might give a damn. Reno still didn't believe it and was too overwhelmed by the sudden, irrevocable change that slept so serenely in her cradle. He headed out to the spring and took a seat on the shore, staring at the slowly moving water, unblinkingly.