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 32: Recuperation

Cloud watched his brother sleeping next to his lover. No, he's not sleeping, is he? He's unconscious again. He hasn't come through this as well as Reno has. Rufus lay sprawled in an utterly undignified position that almost made Cloud grin.

The sheer stillness of his body and his shallow breathing kept the image from being funny. Lying next to the twitchy Reno, he resembled a corpse. Rufus was too thin. He'd been more solid than Reno when he'd moved into the suite with them, but now, the blond was little more than skin, bone, and spent ejaculate.

Cloud's nose wrinkled, and he rose with a sigh. Reno smelled better than he had, but Rufus stank. His big brother desperately needed the bath he proceeded to run. There was no way the blond would be able to stay upright long enough for a shower.

The transfer from the bed to the bath was easy enough, but Rufus didn't show any signs of regaining consciousness. Cloud bathed and dried him before wrapping him in one of the oversized robes. He checked on Reno before carrying Rufus back downstairs to the couch.

"I promised you cuddling, didn't I?" he murmured softly into the insensate ear. "I promised you I'd cuddle with you after each time, but I haven't done that, have I? Just moved you out of the way once you stopped moving yourself.

"I can't even remember how long it's been that I've had to move you because you'd just collapse when you finished fucking him." Cloud curled comfortably on the couch and cradled his brother. "I don't know when I realized you'd stopped eating. I don't know why I didn't make sure you did eat something. I made Reno eat."

He feathered his fingers through damp hair. "I don't want to lose you, either, not now that I… that we aren't enemies anymore. Not now that there's a chance for us to be … to be friends. Maybe… maybe we might even be able to be a family, if you ever forgive me."

Cloud shifted them slightly, resting his chin on his brother's head. One arm supported Rufus' slight weight easily. Cloud's fingers trailed over his body absently, pausing briefly whenever they passed a pulse point. "You're so weak now. You had the treatments: You had Mako and Jenova injections. Why are you so… why am I so afraid that you'll die before I get to know you?

"Reno too." Cloud sighed, his eyes closing as he leaned his head back against the couch. "Now that I know myself, now that his heat is over… I've got to get to know him, too. I've got to know… to know… that it wasn't… being like father. That that's not why. That it's real, that he can accept me, that I can accept him. That… that you two …"

Cloud heaved a sigh, and threaded his fingers through Rufus' hair. He leaned forward, resting his forehead on top of Rufus' head. "I love you."

Reno took a step back from the doorway which led down into the living area of the room. He'd only heard part of the monologue but that part was just enough to make his heart twist in sympathy. Instead of going downstairs, Reno went back to the en suite and climbed into the shower.

Cloud had cleaned him up earlier, but he was once again covered in spunk and that wasn't how he wanted to look when he went to see his baby. Already the overwhelming need that had consumed him over the last months was fading. As he washed up, he mused over the bits and pieces that he could remember—which were very few, sadly.

He remembered that first round with Tseng in the living room; another later on with Rude in the shower; Rufus on the balcony; Cloud against the wall; and a few painful memories of hearing Tempest calling out for him. Other than that, all of the memories were a blur. Except for this last round, of course. Even giving birth to Tempest hadn't hurt as much as Cloud forcing himself into the birth canal, or at least, he couldn't remember it if it had been.

Clean once again, Reno left the bathroom toweling his hair and only remembered at the last second to wrap it around his hips before going in to his and Tempest's room to get clothes.

"Mama!" Tempest lurched to her feet, arms immediately reaching for the long-missed redhead. "Up, NOW!"

"Hey, kiddo," Reno murmured and went quietly to the playpen, hoping not to wake Rude. The poor man looked haggard and drawn—definitely not the cool and collected Turk that had worked alongside Reno for the last ten years of his life.

"Gotta be quiet. We don't wanna wake Big up." He reached into the playpen and hauled Tempest into his arms, snuggling her close and just breathing in the sweet baby scent. "I missed you," he murmured into her hair and ignored the tugging at his own damp mop.

"No go away again," Tempest grumbled and tugged harder at the tangled red strands. "No leave Tempie."

"Shh, baby, I'm not gonna leave you again. Cloud figured out how to fix me so next time I shouldn't have to go away, okay?"

"You has more babies now?"

"Yeah, I guess. You want a little brother or a sister, right?" At her nod Reno continued. "Well, I think you just might get one in a little while."

"You has a vanina, but has pensis, too; Cloudy tell me." Reno winced and Tempest's grin became one of utter delight. "Pensis and vanina make more baby Tempies. You make for me."

There was a grumbling sort of snort from the bed. Rude levered himself up on an elbow, bleary gaze not quite focusing on them. "My turn?" he asked scratchily.

"Big need snugglies, too!" Tempest crowed, tugging Reno's hair as though it were a set of reigns. "Want down. My Big."

"No more turns, aibou. I think this last time took. At least, I sure as f—" Reno glanced down at Tempest's expectant face, "—heck don't want a repeat of that."

"Get the kid out of here then. We're sleeping." Rude tucked himself back against Tseng and pulled the blanket over his head.

Reno chuckled and took Tempest downstairs. He put her in the playpen and went back up for clothes. And, after a few minutes thought, grabbed the stroller and diaper bag. Might as well take a walk with Tempest while everyone else recuperated, because, strangely enough, Reno felt really good; No tiredness, only a little soreness, almost perky.

Cloud looked up as a bouncy Reno appeared with Tempest, and promptly disappeared upstairs again. He smiled slightly. "Hey, Tempest. Looks like your… mom's doing better."

"Mm, mama give good snugglies and say no more go away. You fix him, make more baby Tempies. They look like me, yes?" Tempest asked then frowned, slim black brows drawn low over her eyes. "Not replace Tempie; I be mad."

Cloud's smile became pinched. "No, Tempest. This baby won't look much like you. You look more like your daddy, and you're… you're his last baby."

"Zack wiff flowie lady; he not daddy. You daddy." Tempest grinned wide, looking very much like Zack in that moment. "Zack make Tempie, but Cloud daddy."

The smile fell away completely. Cloud bowed his head, lips brushing Rufus' hair. "No, Tempest. Hojo made you. Zack's your daddy. I'm… I'm just… I'm…."

"No," Tempest returned firmly. "Hoho bad, hurt mama; force mama have Tempie. Zack make Tempie wiffout mama. Cloud mine daddy. You always here; mine daddy. Gamma tell too."

Reno hopped down the steps and hefted Tempest up into his arms. "What did you say to make him sad, Temp?" he asked, frowning at the blonde pair concernedly.

"Tell him mine daddy. He say no. Say Hoho make Tempie, Zack daddy, Cloud not. Fix daddy! Make Cloud know him daddy," Tempest demanded and yanked at a damp red strand of Reno's hair.

"Oh, ouch, Uhm, Temp, how about we let Cloud decide if he's okay with being your daddy, and if he says no then we leave it alone."

"Not fair. Want Cloud be mine daddy. Zack not mind." Tempest glared up at Reno, but the redhead was looking at Cloud worriedly. It was fairly obvious, even before Hojo's experiment broke Cloud's mind up, that Cloud was very close to Zack, and that was probably not the conversation to be having at the moment.

"I'm daddy to Zack's other children," Cloud said dully, not raising his head, "and to Reno's new baby. But I'm not your daddy, Tempest. It doesn't work that way. I can be your… your Ahda… but I can't be your daddy."

Hurt shone in lavender eyes and Tempest pillowed her face against Reno's chest, obviously done with the conversation. Reno, however, figured that he should try to make peace since Cloud was emotional and Tempest couldn't really convey what she meant properly.

"Uh, I think she means that she wants you to stand in as her daddy since Zack's with Aerith and can't be here," Reno said gently, smoothing Tempest's wild hair in an attempt to calm her down. Her little shoulders shook with accompanying whimpers of distress. "But, we'll talk about that later on. Right now, I'm gonna take Temp to the park for a few hours and let everyone rest. I've got a belated birthday party to plan, too."

"I know what she meant!" Cloud's head snapped up. "But I'm not… I won't replace Zack. He's her daddy! I'm Ahda… I've been Ahda since she was able to start talking." He drew a deep breath, and dropped his head back down to give his brother an apologetic kiss for the unintentional squeezing he'd just received. "Just… go on to the park. You're right… we're all too tired for this now."

Reno's lips thinned but he remained silent and put Tempest into the stroller, buckling the little straps before checking to make sure that there were enough diapers, wipes, powder, cream and a few changes of clothes in the diaper bags. The little girl shifted onto her side, her back to Cloud, and stared off to the side as Reno wheeled her out the door.

"Get some sleep, yo. Both of you look like hell." Reno closed the door behind him and started off toward the elevator with a silent Turk close on his heels.

The park was a welcome sight after so many months shut indoors, and Tempest tried to play and enjoy her time with Reno but it was obvious that she was still hurt by Cloud's refusal. In all honesty, Reno had sort of thought that Cloud would like the gesture or at least agree to spare Tempest's feelings.

"Hey, Temp?" Reno asked softly, pulling Tempest's attention away from the halfhearted sandcastle she was making. "Cloud still loves you, baby, he just can't—" a handful of sand stalled the rest of the sentence and Reno sputtered, spitting the foul tasting grit out again.

"Shut up. Cloud want only his babies. Not Tempie," said the tearful little brunette. "Not want Tempie no more now him babies coming."

"It's not like that, Temp. Cloud loves you as though you were his own, but I think he wants to make sure that you know that Zack is your biological parent." Reno hefted Tempest into his lap, petting her hair and trying to calm her down.

"No. Cloud not love Tempie no more!"

"Ms. Strife, we should be getting back now. It's getting late."

"Yeah, gimme a minute." Reno turned his attention back to the little girl in his arms, trying to think of a way to make her understand, but it did seem that Cloud was fobbing her off in favor of his own, biological, offspring. A frown wrinkled his brow. "Ask your Gramma about this, kid, because I don't know and she's been in his head so she knows how he works."

Lower lip poked out, Tempest closed her eyes and lay limp against Reno's chest. Gamama?

Yes?

Why Cloud not love Tempie no more?

Who says he does not love you?

Tempest frowned and tightened her grip on Reno's hair and shirt. He not wanna be my daddy no more.

Ah. Jenova sighed. Perhaps her bloodline truly was defective? No, it was all due to Hojo's meddling. Did Hojo's tampering damage you so much even before your birth?

I know Zack was bio… bio-logic-al data to make me, Tempest replied. Him gone and Tempie wants a daddy here instead of in Wifestweam.

You will break what little remains of my son's heart if you persist in calling him daddy instead of Ahda, Jenova scolded. You are the only one of Zack's children to survive that thing's experimentation.

Not fair! I wanna daddy too! Other kids have daddies! They play in the park with babies, but none for Tempie. None for me. I not wanna hurt Cloud, but I hurting too. Tempest burst into tears against Reno's chest and pulled away from the presence of her grandmother.

"What happened?" Reno demanded fiercely, squeezing Tempest to his chest as he got up and stalked to the stroller, shoving it at the Turk on duty before heading back to the hotel. "What's wrong?"

"Gamma say hurt Cloud by call him daddy. I wanna daddy!" she wailed, beating on Reno's chest in frustration.

Reno sighed heavily and stopped at the edge of the park, watching families leave. They were all holding hands, laughing and talking; some with three and four kids, but there seemed to be more paired parents than single ones, and the single ones wore rings indicating a married partner.

"Tempest, look," he eased her back so that he could look her in the eye, "In your heart, Cloud is the closest thing to a father you're going to have unless someone manages to shove Zack back into a body and send him to us.

"But, you've got to remember that Zack and Cloud were… they were close, probably in love, long before I was on speaking terms with Cloud and hell and gone from when I was pregnant with you." Reno scrubbed a hand over his face and slapped his hand against his thigh.

"Zack is still Cloud's most important memory but you take first place among the living along with whatever kids Cloud and I will have together. Rufus will always take second to you and your brothers and sisters. But, just because Cloud wants you to call him 'Ahda' instead, doesn't mean he loves you any less."

Tempest blinked, trying to follow the convoluted logic. "You stupid."

"Yeah, I know, which is why I'm not on the list!" Reno said with a smirk. "Can't love stupid people, right? They always make things harder. Stop thinking Cloud doesn't love you, because it's stupid. Be the smart little girl I know you are and you won't have anything to worry about."

*.*

Cloud stretched out on the sofa, careful not to jostle Rufus too much. He finger-combed his brother's hair, carding out the few tangles. "It's so stupid, really," he murmured. "Reno thinks he loves me because I kept him trapped and dependent on me. Tempest thinks I'm her daddy because her biological father is dead and can't be here for her. You don't even know who I am, and I'm not sure I ever really want you to… but at the same time, I want to know what I missed not getting to…."

His voice trailed away for a moment. "But that wouldn't have happened anyway, and I know enough from after we met to know that it wasn't how everyone believed it was. It was just as horrible as mine, wasn't it, your childhood. Only worse, because they were always there, always with you, always able to do whatever they wanted to you."

Rufus stirred uneasily, prompting Cloud to sit up a little and pull the older blond more upright. "You awake now?"

Rufus groaned, twisting to cuddle more against Cloud's chest. "Cold," he whispered.

"Just a sec." Cloud reached for the blanket on the back of the couch and shook it out over them. He tucked it around his brother. "Better?"

"Yeah. You… did it? It's over?" Rufus tipped his head to look up at Cloud. "Please tell me it's over."

Cloud laughed slightly, dropping a brief kiss on begging lips. "It's over. He's back to normal; took Tempest to the park. They've been gone awhile now, so they'll probably be getting back soon."

"What were you talking about?" Rufus blinked, tired eyes clearing just a little. "You said… it wouldn't have happened anyway? What did you mean?"

Cloud looked hopefully towards the door. Now would be the perfect time for Reno to come waltzing back in to save him from this conversation. He wasn't ready. "Well, um…"

A knock sounded on the door. "President Strife, the woman and child have entered the building and are on their way up." The voice was muffled through the door, but clear enough.

Cloud blinked. "Oh, that's right. He wore one of his dresses. I thought all the Turks had been briefed on his condition. Remind me to take that up with Tseng, will you?"

Rufus chuckled weakly. "I will."

"Thanks." Cloud sighed, letting his head drop against the back of the couch. "Hey, Rufus?"

"What?"

"If you loved a guy, and he died…." Cloud bit his lip, brow furrowing. "Tempest doesn't want me to be Ahda anymore. She wants to call me daddy. But that… that's not right. It's… I already stole his life. I don't want to steal his last child."

Rufus remained silent, gazing up at Cloud sleepily. When he finally opened his mouth, the door opened.

Reno breezed through, still holding Tempest to his chest. "Gonna put the kid down for a nap," he announced as he hiked up the steps, only shooting a quick look at the still entwined pair of blondes before turning his attention back to Tempest.

"The child was crying at the park. Miss Strife only barely calmed her down before we left." The Turk gave his report and then went back into the hallway, closing the door quietly once he was finished.

"Crap."

"Let me guess. You told her you didn't want her to call you daddy." Rufus sounded faintly amused.

"Yeah, she wasn't real happy."

"Mm." Rufus rubbed his cheek against Cloud's chest, shifting a little to get more comfortable. "Let me sleep?"

"Yeah," Cloud answered softly. His gaze moved to the top of the stairs. Reno would be coming soon.

Reno came down the steps a short time later, his hair crimped in places where Tempest had clung tightly. "Hey," he said quietly, gesturing with his jaw at Rufus, "Is he gonna be okay?"

Cloud glanced down at Rufus' slack features. "I hope so. He needs to eat, but he's so exhausted right now that I doubt he'll wake up for another couple hours."

"Might need to see about getting a nurse to come up and start him on an I.V. so that he can get some sleep and nutrients at the same time." Reno stood back from the pair, just watching them with a brief wistful expression before planting a smirk on his lips and erasing the look all together. "You can put him in my bed upstairs. I can call the maid up to change the sheets, or just have her give us a few sets?"

Cloud blinked. "Mamma…. Reno! Why didn't Mamma ever come?"

"Shh, shh, not so loud. The last I knew, Sheila's lab burnt down and she was busy overseeing the rebuilding. After that, I don't know, but let me call her right quick to see if she's okay." He went to the kitchen and grabbed the phone, flipping through Cloud's address book for the number.

He called, got the machine, and frowned. "She's not picking up. Is this her cell number?" Reno asked as he peeked around the corner at the blonde.

"Yeah, but she never answers that. You have to leave a message."

"Oh." Reno called again and left a message for her to call back as soon as possible. That done, he closed the address book and dialed housekeeping for a few sets of sheets, then, finally, ordered an early dinner from room service.

"Gonna have some soup and sandwiches brought up in a few, some ice cream too. Sheets will be here shortly, and I'm gonna go check to see what we've got as far as potions go. Tseng and Rude need sleep, but maybe a potion will help them long enough to get them home? Or, are you and Rufus gonna take the other bed and leave me and Temp with the pull out down here?" Reno took a seat on the chair to Cloud's right so that he was close enough to talk quietly and keep from waking Rufus.

"Oh. I'm not… I don't think…." Cloud shook his head. "I'm still too tired to make sense. Why the hell are you so perky?"

Reno shrugged with a wry smirk curving one corner of his mouth. "I've got a theory about that but you're tired and need to rest, so I'll get around to telling you once you've got enough working brain cells to think about it."

"Rufus and I will stay here. Tseng and Rude looked pretty comfortable together last time I saw them. Potion… oh, no." Cloud shook his head, frowning. "We've overdosed on those things enough. We all just need to sleeperate and recover. Why are you bouncing?" The last question was almost a wail.

"Sleep first. I'll answer questions later." Reno hopped up from his chair and all but skipped into the kitchen, immediately setting about putting the mess back into order.

Cloud's pants were still in the dishwasher, which drew a strange snorting giggle from Reno's throat as he tossed the soggy pants into the sink and reran the dishwasher. He tried to stay quiet, really he did, but he ended up humming along to an odd tune in his head as he scrubbed Tempest's highchair, the table, and the counters.

Cloud blinked after him before looking down at his sleeping brother. Shrugging helplessly, he snuggled down, tangling his limbs with Rufus'. He was asleep three breaths later.

Reno swept the kitchen floor, but decided that it wasn't good enough despite the fact that housekeeping had been in only hours before. In the end, the redhead was on his hands and knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor, humming a light, merry tune as he did so.

Rude opened his eyes. Stared at the messy tangle of black hair that stank as badly as it tasted, and spluttered trying to get it back out of his mouth. Tseng scrunched into the covers when he got up, making a discontented noise. Rude smoothed the blankets back up, tucking them tightly around the lithe figure. Tseng muttered something unintelligible, and snuggled into it.

Rude stared at him a moment longer before deciding that if Tseng's hair smelled that bad, and he was still smelling something awful, it had to be himself. A glance around the room confirmed Tempest was sleeping in her crib, so he headed for the shower.

Clean and swathed in a bathrobe, he made his way downstairs to find something to eat. "Why are you scrubbing the floor?"

"Hi!" Reno replied in a peppy voice, looking up the length of Rude's bathrobe to find his former partner's face. He grinned cheerily. "It's night, I'm bouncy, and everyone's asleep. This is the quietest thing I could think to do."

He blinked at Rude. "Oh, I guess I should go clean the bathrooms, too," Reno murmured to himself, sitting back on his heels and frowning thoughtfully. "Think that the maid service will let me use some of their cleaning supplies if I asked? Oh, and soup and sandwiches are on their way up. They should be here soon if you wanna go get dressed?"

"Robe's enough," Rude retorted, "and no, they won't. They get paid to clean, so stop taking their paychecks."

Reno frowned at Rude and finished up the last area he'd been working on when Rude came in, just to be spiteful. "If I don't do something, I'm gonna go nuts. It's almost as bad as when Hojo was giving me those altered injections and I was so fucking hyper that I ended up not sleeping for days on end. But, I know how it happened this time."

Rude blanched, remembering those days well. His eyes narrowed, looking over Reno's form. "Maybe you should try some things that are considered more geared for women this time," he suggested.

"Yeah," Reno snorted as he got to his feet and poured his wash water down the drain. "I don't think it would be a very bright idea to go on missions where I'm dealing with psychotic jerk-offs and explosives while I'm pregnant." He washed up his hands and then went over to the kitchen table, legs bouncing almost as soon as he sat down.

Rude eyed him thoughtfully. "You could always take up sewing again," he offered, remembering the time Reno had tried that. "You could make clothes for yourself, Tempest and the baby. Or quilts."

"It's not active enough. Maybe once I calm down a little bit I'll give it a shot again, or when I'm the size of a house and can't even see my own dick for the Heidigger sized baby-belly bein' in the way. Right now, I've got the energy of four men plus all of the potions they were taking to keep them awake and hard enough to fuck me for a few months. I've gotta burn it off or I'll drive everyone insane." Reno got up again from the table, pacing around it a few times.

Room service knocked and Reno bolted for the door, both to keep the knock from waking Rufus and Cloud as well as to have something to do instead of pacing in circles. He thanked the man, pushed the cart in, and accepted the spare sheets he'd brought up from housekeeping.

"Here, get some food in your belly. I'm gonna go clean the bathrooms, make the bed, and see about giving Tseng a bath." Reno flit over to the steps and was halfway up before he realized that he'd forgotten the sheets on the table and had to go back for them.

Rude sighed and took a sandwich. He was halfway through swallowing when he got the mental of Reno bathing Tseng and choked on his food.

It turned out that making the empty bed came first. Reno tossed the dirty sheets out into the hallway and went to the spare room Tseng and Rude had been sharing. The first whiff of the Wutaiian swiftly rearranged the ideas further. There would be no sense in cleaning the bathroom if he was only going to turn around and cart a grossly unhygienic Tseng in there to dirty it up again.

Reno didn't even bother to wake Tseng up; he simply hefted the slim brunette into his arms and carted him into the bathroom. Tseng woke once Reno started the water, only to find himself seated on said redhead's lap like an invalid. He scowled at Reno but only received a bright smile in return.

That was a bit too strange. First, Reno only smiled like that when he was about to go on a mission that would result in serious explosions and a high mortality rate. Second, there was no malice in it, which caused the stoic brunette's brow to rise in silent question.

"Yeah, yeah, I know; scary, right?" Reno snorted and settled Tseng into the tub. "Yet another wonderfully fucked up present from our lovely mad scientist. Now, stop looking at me like that."

Reno washed Tseng to within an inch of his life, dragging more than one startled and indignant yelp from him. By the end of the twenty minute washing, Tseng almost literally squeaked when he moved. Not a single crevice had been passed over. The thick black hair had been washed twice. Reno even brushed Tseng's teeth for him, despite the Wutaiian's protests.

While Tseng was drying off, having ordered the redhead to allow him at least that much dignity, Reno ran into the spare bedroom and changed those sheets and blankets too, tossing the soiled ones out into the hallway to join the other set.

"Now," Reno said, grinning at his former boss as Tseng emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips, "You need to take your skinny ass downstairs and eat. There's soup and sandwiches down in the kitchen."

"You realize that I'm nude," Tseng protested.

"You realize that you're going back to bed after you eat," Reno retorted.

"Good point. But, I still require clothing."

"I'll lay out some jammies while you eat."

"Jammies?" Tseng quirked an eyebrow.

"Shut up. I've got a two year old."

Tseng turned and went downstairs to join Rude at the table while Reno went to do as he'd said and laid out a pair of pajamas for both Rude and Tseng.

Rude looked up, eyed him, and returned to his sandwich. He made no attempt to hide his smirk.

"Just shut up," Tseng remarked primly and settled on the chair across from Rude, taking up a sandwich and biting into it to discourage conversation. He finished it quickly, finding that he was hungrier than he'd thought.

"What is wrong with Reno now?" he asked as he grabbed a bowl and ladled some of the soup into it. "He grinned at me," he said with a twist of his lips, the only tell as to how much it had affected him.

"Pregnant," Rude offered.

"I'm moving back to my own home if he's going to continue in this vein for long. Was he like this… oh, I suppose you wouldn't know. I'll have to ask President Strife when he wakes." Tseng shot a quick look over at the blonde pile on the couch and shook his head. "It's no wonder he was as mentally strained when he came back if this was what he had to deal with when Reno was pregnant the last time."

"Whazzit?" came a muffled voice from the blond in question.

"Nothing important at the moment, sir," Tseng replied with an assuring glance over his shoulder. "Just curious as to whether Reno was quite as… energetic, the last time he was expecting."

"Horny," Cloud muttered, shifting carefully. He eased out from under his brother and stretched, giving the two Turks a hell of a show. He looked around uncertainly. "Don't I have a bathrobe around here? Reno was horny, almost every time I saw him. And he rearranged the furniture in the cave a couple times, too, I think."

"The rearranging might've just been nesting urges; he's always been horny, so I don't consider that a symptom of his pregnancy." Tseng stood and called up the steps for a robe and caught it when Reno tossed it down. The redhead had been armed with a filthy washrag when he'd appeared, so it was safe to assume that he would remain upstairs for a time yet.

Tseng tossed the robe to Cloud and went back to his seat, taking up his spoon for a sip of the chocobo noodle soup.

Cloud pulled the robe on and belted it loosely. He shuffled into the kitchen and flopped into one of the chairs. "Lemme guess, chocobo salad sandwiches and chocobo noodle soup?"

"Reno's favorite sick foods," Tseng remarked with a small smirk. "He brought some over to my apartment several years ago when I'd taken ill. He was almost mothering. But, now I'm assuming that it was yet another symptom of what Hojo was doing to him."

"Maybe." Cloud tried one of the sandwiches, winced, and set it on his plate. "Think I'll pass on those."

"Dry," Rude agreed. "Soup's tolerable."

Cloud had a bowl of the soup. "Tseng, one of the Turks referred to Reno as a woman. See that the memo goes around again, will you?" Tseng, mouth full, nodded his acceptance of the task. "We've got a call in to Mamma, since she never showed up for some reason. Either of you get a call from her?"

Twin headshakes. Cloud's frown increased a bit. "And, well… Reno wore us all out. This won't happen again for another three years or so, depending on how long he nurses and barring illness. If my cousins haven't discovered how to reverse the process, or lessen the heat…?"

Tseng looked up from his soup. "You wish to know if we will cooperate with impregnating him."

"Yeah."

Rude grunted an assent around a mouthful of sandwich. Tseng took a bite of his, chewing thoughtfully. "The company is somewhat disarrayed," he pointed out when he'd finished. "Both the President and the two top Turks have been unable to fulfill their normal duties to the company. It will very likely take some time to get things straightened out.

"However," he held up a hand, forestalling Cloud's burgeoning protest, "if certain measures are taken to ensure that such disarray is avoided, I will certainly lend my assistance."

"The next heat shouldn't be as bad or last nearly as long," Cloud informed him. "This one only lasted so long because of that passage being sewn shut after Temp's birth. He got pregnant right after it got opened up."

"Even so, given that you and Rude have…" Tseng paused delicately, "ah, certain issues, and that Rufus is even more worn down than I myself; it would be prudent to ensure there are at least four others available to provide us time to rest and attend to our duties."

Cloud sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face. "Reno only had three others he thought he could trust. Reeve refused to meet with me; Vincent wasn't interested; and Cid…," another sigh, "is the reason I needed so many pilots trained for the delivery service."

"I see." Tseng frowned. "That does present… complications."

Low sounds of frustration drifted down the steps; Reno's irritation with a supposed stain on the bathroom floor rather vocal for such a small thing. Tempest called out to the redhead and stomping footsteps crossed the hallway upstairs, followed by unintelligible crooning.

Cloud glanced towards the stairs and sighed. "I suppose you're right. I suppose…." He leaned back, pushing his empty bowl away, and chewed at his lower lip as he thought. "I suppose those partners had better come from the Turks. If we pair up the male Turks, and put them on month-long rotations guarding Reno, he should be able to get to know them."

He shot a look across the table at Rude. "You'd still be assigned as his permanent guard, though." Rude nodded, looking glumly at the dry sandwich in his hand before taking another bite. "Tseng, I'll leave it to you to work out the scheduling, and to make sure all the Turks are fully informed of the situation, the possibility that they'll be asked to assist during the next heat, and given the opportunity to opt out."

"Sir," Tseng agreed and refilled his bowl. "Perhaps you should wake Rufus and feed him." He offered the bowl and a clean spoon to Cloud, then took his plate and the half-eaten sandwich to the sink to be cleaned later.

Cloud accepted the bowl and headed for his brother. He set the food on the end table within easy reach before resettling himself on the couch and his brother in his lap. Rufus woke during the jostling, and gave him a sleepy glare. "I've got food. Eat some of it before you go back to sleep."

"Nnhh… don't wanna."

"You can eat it, I can feed it to you, or…" Cloud's eyes lit with mischief, "I can tell Reno that you're sick and let him ta-"

"I'll eat!" Rufus interrupted hastily. "But I don't want to move, and I don't think I can eat much."

"So I'll feed you, then." Cloud shifted them a bit more and started spooning soup into his brother's very reluctant mouth.

Reno tiptoed down the steps, exaggerating his movements comically. He was still wired and bouncy, so most of his movements were exaggerated. "Awww!" he cooed at the pair of blondes, giggling oddly as he watched them. "You two are so cute! Rude, aren't they cute?" he called over his shoulder, yet kept his gaze pinned to the blondes staring at him as though he'd grown another head.

Cloud shook his head slightly. "Here have another bite." He offered a half-spoonful to Rufus.

"No, I don't think it will stay down if I try to eat any more."

"Hn." Cloud examined the bowl. "That's fine then. You can have some more later." He set the bowl aside and looked at Reno. "Tempest go back to sleep?"

"Yeah, I woke her up growling at the freaking stain on the bathroom floor." Reno rocked back and forth on his feet, from ball to heel, hands clasped behind him, and all but beaming at the vision the two made. "She made me snuggle her to sleep."

Reno tipped his head to the side, the giga-watt smile slowly drooping. Instead he watched the two blondes curiously, obviously working something out in his head. A wry grin curled his lips and he sighed, shaking his head before joining the other Turks at the table. "So, anybody got some cards or something?"

Rufus turned his head to watch Reno walk to the Turks. "Hey, Cloud?"

"Hmm?" Cloud had been watching the three at the table as well, but turned his attention back to Rufus.

"He seems… different."

"Mmhm. Have to take some samples to the cousins tomorrow." Cloud yawned, and amended, "Or maybe the day after. I think I'll sleep tomorrow."

"Could you call for my car? I should go home, now that he's pregnant," Rufus said softly.

"No one is going anywhere. You and Cloud get the bed upstairs, Tseng and Rude get the bed they've been sharing, and I'll bring Temp down here with me." Reno didn't bother to turn around; he simply stirred the soup with the ladle and watched the noodles dance in the thin broth.

Tseng stood and touched Rude's shoulder briefly, motioning him up the steps. They'd been finished eating for awhile, simply enjoying the fact that there wasn't a pressing urgency to copulate with the redhead again. Now, though, tiredness made itself known once again and they made their way upstairs. Reno stared down into the soup for a moment longer and then stood, heading upstairs to bring Tempest down so that Cloud and Rufus could go on to bed.

"Stop, all three of you," Cloud ordered. "Rufus and I are fine where we are. Tseng, you and Rude sleep in his room, and Reno, you sleep in your room with Tempest. All any of us needs is another day or so of sleep and enough food to feed half the planet, and I'm not inclined to move again." An expression of dismay crossed his face, and he amended, "Except to go to the bathroom."

"I don't wan' get up," Rufus slurred, head lolling on Cloud's shoulder, already nearly asleep again.

"It's okay," Cloud murmured, "I won't make you move."

"Mrfpgp." Rufus' lolling quit as he snuggled more into the younger blond and tugged the blanket around his neck. Soft snoring started immediately.

Cloud smiled down at him for a moment. It was gone when he looked back up at Reno. "He's in no shape to be climbing stairs, Rei. And I'm too tired to want to move."

Reno's lips tightened but he nodded curtly and spun on his heel, stalking to the door. "I'm going to the roof," he gritted out tersely and slammed the door behind him, picking up a Turk bodyguard on his way to the elevator.