A/N: Did you guys see the new trailer!? Forget cautious optimism, I'm so excited.

XXX

The apartment building was tall, though not as tall as some of the buildings in the cluster that Sephiroth said was owned by Shinra. He wondered how many people lived in it. They left Birdy and Pippin at the stable next to the building. Sephiroth told the young alpha working there that Cloud was allowed to visit his chocobos any time, and not to worry about him going in the stalls or yard with them.

"Even with Birdy?" the alpha asked, looking shocked.

Sephiroth just laughed as they turned to go. "Even with Birdy. She has a bad habit of biting people who annoy her, but I think we can safely say that you don't."

Inside, they rode in an elevator up to the tenth floor. Sephiroth showed him which buttons to push to get there and back down again, then it was a short walk down a hall to a door with a big red triangle on it.

"This is your apartment. The triangle is to tell people that there's a new omega living here, and so they need to be mindful. It's also a handy way for you to know that you've got the right place before you've learned your way around."

Cloud nodded. That was nice of them. The button on the elevator was easy enough to remember, with just a line and a circle, but the label beside the door was long, and he had a feeling that there'd be a lot of new things to learn and remember over the next while.

Sephiroth pressed a button beside the door and just a couple seconds later, an omega with bright red hair opened it.

"Hey, you made it! I'm Reno. Welcome home, Cloud." He took Cloud's hand and shook it up and down.

Home … "Nice to meet you."

"Come in, come in. Take off your shoes and put them here beside mine. Thanks for dropping him off, Sephiroth. You can go now."

"I wanted to show him where my place is," Sephiroth protested.

"I'll make sure he knows when he needs to, don't worry."

"But—"

"Tseng sent orders ahead. Alphas leave him alone for today and tomorrow. That means you too."

"Cloud, do you—"

"Get out, yo!" Reno gave Sephiroth a shove. "Give him a chance to get the stink of overprotective alpha off him. I promise I'll take very good care of him, and if he needs you, I'll call right away."

Cloud remained frozen by the shoes, watching in awe as the omega physically pushed the alpha out the door. Reno was unmated—he'd have been able to tell even if he hadn't been told—but he didn't seem remotely intimidated by or attracted to Sephiroth. He slammed the door in Sephiroth's face and turned to Cloud.

"Lesson one. Alphas are pushy. Push back. Have you eaten lunch?"

Cloud shook his head.

"Let's eat, then. Doctor Gast's office called to say that you'd be getting your meals delivered, which I figured would be the case. The first will be dinner tonight, though, so I made sandwiches for lunch."

"Oh, thank you."

Reno just waved him further in. "We share the kitchen, dining, and living areas. Here, take the plates to the table and have a seat." He handed over a large plate stacked high with sandwiches and two smaller ones, then pointed him towards a round table with four chairs. "So yeah, I'll keep the kitchen stocked until you're ready to help with the shopping. Help yourself to anything you want, any time. If there's something I'm saving or want specifically for myself, I'll put a pink sticker on it. Please don't eat it. Your stickers are yellow. Whack them on anything you want to rescue from me, 'cause I eat a lot. If we run out of something, just leave the empty container on the counter for now so I know to get more."

His roommate put a glass of something white in front of him, then sat down and grabbed a sandwich.

"Go on, don't be shy," he said around a huge mouthful.

The sandwiches were good. It was impossible to keep up with how much and how fast Reno ate, but Cloud ate as much as he could and had two glasses of the drink called milk, which was apparently good for him. When they finished, Reno showed him how to put the dishes in the dishwasher and had him wipe off the table.

"I'm not actually a very tidy person," Reno admitted, "but they make us show you stuff like that so you can build good habits."

"They? The Turks?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna be one, but I want to wait until I'm mated. A job like this in the meantime gives me good experience and a better chance of getting in."

"Why do you have to wait?"

"I want to work in the field, and for my own safety when I'm around outsider betas, it's important to have a mate. Don't get me wrong, I can take care of myself, but it's better to be safe. I'm in no rush, though. I like my freedom, and being someone's roommate isn't a half-bad job."

"So you don't need to mate soon? How old are you?" Reno seemed like he was around his age.

Reno gave his head a shake. "Don't need to, don't want to. I'm twenty, but I only started going into heat a year ago. My doctor thinks I won't need to mate for at least a couple years."

"Only a year?" Cloud stared in shock.

"Yeah." Reno's cheeks turned red to match his hair. "I'm actually part of a study. It looks like omegas who are raised in Midgar and Wutai start their heats later than people from other places, though even for here, I'm a really late bloomer. When did you start?"

"I think I was around thirteen."

"Shit … that's brutal. The lady doing the study thinks that if an omega's being abused, his heats will start sooner and last longer each time because his body is trying to attract an alpha. They can notice us from a much bigger distance when we're in heat, so it's like your body was screaming for help and hoping someone would hear." Reno reached across the table and gave his hand a squeeze. "Come on, I'll show you the rest of the place."

"My room is here. If the door's open, just come in if you need something or want to hang out. If it's closed, knock first 'cause I might be jerking off or fucking. The insulation's pretty good, so we shouldn't disturb each other too much. And this is you."

Cloud's room was on the other side of the apartment, and he opened the door on a room that was vastly different from his room in Nibelheim. A big bed was against the far wall. It had a thick blanket and lots of fat pillows. There was a large window that overlooked the city, a chest of drawers, a desk and chair, and two more doors. Pretty pictures hung on the walls, and there was a mirror as tall as he was beside the door.

"Sephiroth said you like lots of blankets, so I got a bunch extra. They're just in the closet. I wasn't sure what kind of styles you'd like, so I didn't get many clothes, but I got you some basics that will hopefully fit if Sephiroth's guesses at size didn't suck, and we can go shopping together when you feel up to it. Your bathroom is here. It should have everything you need." He opened one of the doors and turned on the light.

The bathroom was bright and clean, with a separate shower stall and bathtub.

"Do you know about shampoo and toothpaste and stuff?"

Cloud nodded. Sephiroth had showed him how to wash his hair with shampoo and conditioner instead of a bar of soap when they were at the cabin. He liked how nice it made his hair feel.

"Okay, great. If you have any questions, just ask. I don't mind explaining. We'll go through how to keep things clean and tidy over the coming days so you can develop a routine. Oh, and I got you a few dildos since Sephiroth said yours wasn't any good." He turned back to the main room and opened the drawer in the table by the bed. "They're just in here. They're pretty self-explanatory. This button controls the knot. Press it once to inflate it and again to deflate. This one vibrates. On/off, intensity up and down. Recharge it using this cable. This one doesn't knot if you want something plain when you're not in heat. Don't use any lubricant other than this with them. And this soap is for cleaning them. Your next heat is in about two weeks, right?"

"Yes." Cloud was fairly certain his face had caught fire.

"Cool. If you don't want an alpha with you, I can help you through it. Mine's in three weeks. I've got another omega friend who helps me, but you're welcome to watch and help out as well. Sometimes it's good to see someone else in heat so you can have a better idea of what it's like when your head's on straight."

"You don't have an alpha with you?" Cloud asked.

Reno shook his head violently. "No. Totally not ready for that. I like sex, but to be honest, I'm kinda scared of being so out of control with an alpha, not to mention being knotted. I know it's not supposed to hurt, even the first time, since I've been using a proper dildo since my heats started, but I don't know, it just seems so intense. Being … attached." He sat down on the end of the bed and patted the spot next to him. "Sephiroth knotted you, right? While you were travelling? What was it like?"

Cloud blushed again as he sat. "Intense is a pretty good word. It hurt the first time, though nowhere near as much as it did when I was using my old dildo. After that … it felt good. Really good. I don't know if it's different than using one of those dildos though."

"I've heard it is. I mostly just feel relieved when I knot myself, not particularly good. Some people say getting knotted by an alpha makes them come, but I never have with my dildo."

"I did. By the third time and every time after."

"Huh. Well, I guess I'll find out eventually." He paused and laughed. "Sorry, this is probably a really weird conversation for you, isn't it?"

Cloud grinned and nodded. "Little bit."

"Tell me to fuck off if I make you uncomfortable. My friends and I are pretty open about this stuff. I figure it's good to share our experiences, but it's okay if you don't want to."

He paused and thought for a moment. It was a little embarrassing, but it also felt quite natural talking with Reno. He wondered if it was because he was an omega as well, and also not the president of the company that had taken him in. Rufus was something else entirely. "It's kind of nice, actually. I—I've never had someone to—never met someone who understood what it's like."

Reno draped an arm over his shoulders and pulled him close. "I understand, trust me. Sometimes my body'll do something and I'll be like, 'am I a fucking alien?' And I'll tell my friend and he'll be all, 'holy shit, that freaked me out too, but it's totally normal.' Clear, but kinda goopy discharge, by the way, totally normal."

Cloud laughed. "Good to know."

"Totally gross when it gets all over your balls, but there we have it."

"It is, isn't it?"

"So what do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

"What are my options?"

Reno thought for a moment. "Well, if you're tired, you can chill out here. Take a nap, or we can watch a movie or play a game. If you feel like going out, I can show you around the neighbourhood and maybe introduce you to some of my friends. Or we can just do a little tour of this building. There's a community floor upstairs that we can check out, and I can show you where Sephiroth's apartment is. Show only, though. You really do need some space from him or the other alphas will be too intimidated to talk to you. I don't know if he's doing it on purpose, but he's definitely marking his territory."

Cloud blushed and rubbed at his scent glands. "You can tell?"

"Hoooo yeah. Big time. But Tseng wanted you to have some no alpha time anyway, so it's no big deal. Gotta take a breather before jumping into the mating pool."

No alpha time. That was … that was good. So much had happened in the last few weeks that a bit of time to stop and process it was probably a good thing. He had no clue if he was attracted to Sephiroth because he actually liked him, or if it was simply because he had rescued him and had been kind. "Can I rest a bit? I don't know if I feel like going out."

"For sure. You've got some pyjamas in this drawer if you want, and this is a radio if you want to listen to music or something instead of sleeping. Just press this button to turn in on and turn these dials to get different stations and change the volume. Or you can come out to the living room to watch TV. I won't bother you if you need some space."

"I think … I think I want to sleep."

"All right. Have a good nap, then. Do you want me to wake you up after a certain time or would you rather just wake up on your own?"

Cloud shrugged. He honestly didn't know what to do with himself other than sleep to pass the time. But Reno had mentioned those other things, which sounded like they might be more interesting than just lying in bed all day and night.

"How about I wake you up in an hour and a half if you're not up before then? That way you can have a good rest, but you'll still be able to sleep tonight."

"Okay." He supposed that it would be good to try to stick to the schedule Sephiroth had set of being awake during the day and sleeping at night. That was probably what most people did.

"All right. I'll knock before I come back in."

He changed into the pyjamas Reno had taken out for him and lay down in the dark. The bed was so comfortable and the blanket was heavy. It felt a bit like Sephiroth was hugging him. He couldn't believe this was his life now. Yes, everything he had had been given to him, and he supposed it could be taken away. But Reno had called this his home. And welcomed him to it like he was actually wanted. This was his room, and he was wearing his clothes. With no talk of how much it cost and how much of a burden he was. And Reno wasn't just babying him, either. It was clear that once he knew how to do things, he'd be expected to help contribute and care for himself. He didn't want to be useless, he just didn't know what to do. But he knew he could learn if somebody taught him.

Cloud took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Sephiroth hadn't lied. Midgar was safe. Exhaustion tugged at him and he snuggled deeper under the blanket. He was safe.

XXX

Sephiroth was fairly sure he was going to leave a path on his living room floor showing exactly where he'd been pacing all afternoon. He couldn't help it. He hadn't thought he'd be completely cut off from Cloud as soon as they arrived. Was he settling in okay? Did Reno understand how fragile he was right now?

He growled lowly and turned to the packs he had simply dumped by the door when he got in after being kicked out by Reno. Dealing with them, he supposed, would at least be a small distraction.

"Shit!"

The first thing he saw when he opened his main pack was the stethoscope. He hadn't had a chance to give Cloud any of his things. Well, Doctor Gast had wanted him to have it, so Reno couldn't prevent him from bringing it to him. He set it aside and dug out the remainder of the items Cloud had accumulated during their travels. Mostly clothes, but Sephiroth had also carved a crude wooden chocobo for him over the course of a few evenings, and Rufus had taught him a dice game on the ship and given him a set to play with.

As he was gathering them up, his attention was caught by the Midgar history book on his bookshelf. It had a bunch of good pictures in it. Cloud would enjoy looking at it. He grabbed it as well and headed down the hall to Cloud's new apartment.

Unsurprisingly, Reno was the one who answered the door.

"Dude, you have to leave him alone. He's doing great."

Sephiroth looked past Reno's shoulder and saw Cloud sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. The TV was on, but Cloud was looking at him curiously.

"I just want to give him his things."

Reno sighed and stepped out, shutting the door behind him. "I'll pass them on."

Sephiroth grumbled to himself, but it was clear that Reno wasn't going to let him near Cloud. And he did look okay.

Reno raised an eyebrow at the stethoscope and x-ray, but nodded when Sephiroth explained. He snorted with laughter at the chocobo, however.

"He'd never been given a single fucking thing that wasn't absolutely necessary to keep him alive, Reno," Sephiroth snapped. "I worked with what I had."

"I get it, it's just so fucking cute. Look at 'is wonky little head! You've really got it bad for him, don't you?"

Sephiroth blushed and ducked his head. "Just give it to him."

"I will, don't worry. I think it's really sweet, to be honest. Keep those clothes until they've been washed, though. He's just showered and I don't want you stinking him up again. And what's with the book? You know he can't read yet, right?"

"I know, but it's got a lot of pictures. I thought he might like seeing some of the omegas during the geostigma crisis."

Reno nodded slowly. "That's cool, but why don't you take him to the museum when Tseng lifts the ban instead?"

"I—"

"You are planning on taking him on a date or two, aren't you? Take him there, they've got those same pictures, just bigger. You can explain what he's looking at. Give him the book after so he has a nice keepsake."

"I didn't think of that. It's a really good idea," Sephiroth admitted.

Reno just shook his head. "Well, I don't have an omega I want to mate making me crazy, so I'm bound to have better ideas than you. Thanks for the stuff, I'm sure he'll be happy that you were thinking of him. Now fuck off, he's going to watch his very first movie and he's hella excited."

Sephiroth smiled, only feeling slightly disappointed that he couldn't share the experience with Cloud. "Thanks for taking care of him."