Cold shower
Squall rolled his eyes in despair. God he hated it when Seifer was acting like that! He was trying to piss off Sephiroth with his million questions… But apparently, the silver haired man was too preoccupied with his own lover to mind Seifer's interference with his private life.
- So… what does he have?
The SeeD commander had enough and grabbed the blond by the hem of his trenchcoat.
- Stop it, already! It's obvious no one knows what he has, stop harassing Sephiroth with your questions!
- C'mon Squall! I'm just trying to distract him…
Distraction? The word sank into Sephiroth's mind. He was at Cloud's bedside since the morning, he needed to do something else, plus, he wasn't very kind to his guests… They did come to keep him company, after all.
- Can you play chess, Seifer?
Both lovers stopped arguing and the blond shot Squall his trade mark grin before nodding to the silver haired man. The chessboard was set quietly in the opposite corner of the room. The first game lasted three turns and Seifer had to concede the victory. The ex-General smirked, the set it all again, waiting for the blonde to make the first move, then allowed him to set his strategy… before blowing it up to pieces with one move.
- Checkmate, I'm afraid, Seifer… but you're not bad.
- Hey! How'd he do that! Squall, you show him what the SeeD commander can do! I can't believe he beat me…
- Whatever…
Squall took Seifer's place reluctantly. He liked that game, but he wasn't sure of if he wanted to play right now, and with this man… He was an ex-general, after all. To his surprise, Sephiroth opened with a very basic pattern. Taking his chance, the brunette launched a direct attack on the Queen, trying to take her down. Unfortunately, if he did succeed, he hadn't watched the bishops… And with a terrible 'what?!' the game was over. Squall was checkmate, defeated by his own moves.
- Oh, don't worry… In fact, beside Cloud, you're one of the best opponent I've ever had. And this technique is working pretty well in war time, too. If I remember correctly, it happened that way in Wutai, an awful long time ago. I let them come to us, and it finally turned against them in the end.
The clock rang the tenth strokes of the night. Sephiroth thanked his visitors for the good time they had brought with them, saying that he would retire himself for the night. Squall and Seifer did the same, leaving for their room, but stopped when they heard quiet murmurs nearby.
- … and I know Sephiroth loves him very much, Kyros. I can't believe it, it's so wonderful!
That was followed by a muffled kiss.
- Laguna! Not here! You are impulsive as ever, try to control yourself!
- /You/ are my control. And I'm too excited about this! Can we go tell them?
- No! Zack said…
Another muffled kiss, and another… They were getting closer, so Squall and Seifer hid in the darkness behind the wall of an adjacent hall.
- Lag-mmph!! Not here I told y-
- I want one too!!!
- You have one!
- O_o Right, but I want another!
- We can try, but not here! Until then quiet down, would you?
The two dark forms passed their way. Both young men had to contain their giggles, if only Kyros had seen his face. When they made sure they were gone, they exploded. Decidedly, the President of Esthar was everything but subtle or careful.
**********
Cloud moaned pitifully while Sephiroth transported him to the examination room. His sons were there, with Adrian. Strangely, Kyros, Laguna, Seifer and Squall (after hearing his father say that it was really worth it) had insisted to accompany them. The blond was still in pain, but the shot Zack had given him was still affecting him. All he could do to express his discomfort was to moan. Sephiroth lay him very gently on the stretcher, passing a hand in his hair in hopes of relieving him a little.
- Dad? Zack asked softly to Cloud, We are going to take you into the scan room and use ultrasound to look if we can find something, okay? I promise you I won't use any needle.
A feeble nod was his answer, so he fastened a little strap containing a probe around his father's finger. It was relied to a heart monitor, just to be sure. Then, he and Adrian rolled the stretcher to the scan room, a little troop following, and a little troop waiting for them. Zack growled; Maye couldn't hold her tongue. They all massed themselves in the relative small cabinet. The silver haired doctor pulled off Cloud's shirt, undid his pants and lowered them to hips level.
- I'll just spread a gel on your belly, it'll be a little cold but it'll get warmer soon. I'll use this probe and we will be able to see inside what's wrong. If I hurt you, just squeeze my hand, okay?
- Okay.
The doctor took his father's hand in his own and a nurse spread the blue gel on his stomach. Everyone was looking at the small TV as Zack was taking pictures. Cloud wasn't looking, he was too afraid of what it could be. A low murmur started to fill the room, most of the staff couldn't believe what they were seeing. On the black and white monitor, a small bubble-like thing was displayed.
- W-What is that?, worriedly asked Sephiroth
- You said it was worth it, Father! Exclaimed Squall, It's not funny to take us here to discover he has a tumour!
- It is not a tumour, do you see? It is pulsing in rhythm with the heart beat, Adrian explained.
- Do you know what is it now, dad?
Laguna was smiling as he patted Sephiroth shoulder, giving him his congratulations. The silver haired man was agape.
- It's a baby? You mean that man is pregnant?
- It's Zack's father, he told you he could be…
- He's pregnant?!?
After the initial shock wave hit him, Sephiroth walked slowly to Zack, who was continuing to take pictures with the probe. Their family would grow again. Cloud's dream would come true. That's why he was so sick in the morning… A smile illuminated his face.
- He fell asleep after the second picture, Zack answered his unspoken question. Bring him home, make sure he eats something when he wakes up. Angel will drive you home. Here, I'm done.
Sephiroth nodded, picking up his sleeping lover and walked out of the hospital with Angel and Sky. Adrian and the rest of the medical staff couldn't believe what they just witnessed. A baby. Cloud Strife had a baby growing inside him. The brunette asked Zack how this could be possible. The silver haired doctor grinned and handed him a pile of documents and notes at least 200 years old. Hojo's notes and experiments on the clones.
- I do hope you have a good stomach. Madman Hojo had no sense of humanity. Some of the things he'd done to the early clones, he did to Cloud. The green documents, here, they never read them. Those are the experiments he did on Cloud and Zackary Hoecken, a First Class SOLDIER, their best friend at the time. Come in my office, we'll read them together.
Seifer and Squall left the room, astonished. Okay, it was worth it, after all, but still… Cloud, the hero of the Meteor Crisis, had been pregnant twice, and he was /now/ again? That was now hard to picture. How will he dress himself when his baby would grow bigger? How someone could have think of doing that to a man? But they had to admit, if it made them happy, it couldn't be bad, after all… But what had this Hojo in mind at first when he started his demented experiments?
Squall shook his head. He was thinking too much.
********
Somewhere else, warmly snuggled in each other's arms, Sephiroth and Cloud were contemplating the stars from the great window. The silver haired man was holding to him a disbelieving Cloud.
- It will happen?, he kept asking.
- Yes, it will, love. Our family will grow again. I wonder why I didn't think of it before…
- Sephiroth… Oh God, please I need to sit down. No, in fact, I need to sleep.
Sephiroth smiled as he bent down to lift Cloud in his arms. The blond, not prepared, cried out in surprise but soon settled against that smooth chest. On their way up, they heard Sky and Angel giggle in the blond's bedroom. The sheets were soft to Cloud's back, and he realized his mate had changed them for the satin set. He heard the soft 'click' of the door, the lights were closed, and a wonderful warmth washed over him as he fell asleep.
Few days later, Cloud could finally say his Mako poisoning was behind him. If only he could get rid of his morning sickness, now… But Sephiroth was always there to help him. The summer break was over, Sky and Angel were back at the Balamb Garden. Squall and Seifer were back there, too. Laguna was often coming home. He had discovered that he liked the quiet life they lived. But it was a little less quiet these days…
- Seph! We have absolutely nothing still useful for the baby, here. We'll have to go shopping…
Cloud embraced Sephiroth from behind. He knew he didn't like to go shopping in Esthar.
- Oh… Then I do hope you only have one in there, he said, turning on his heals to poke his belly.
The blond pouted and dipped his finger in the soft paste his mate was preparing, licking it afterward. Cloud smiled, grabbing a strand of silver hair and pulling it gently.
- Ginger cookies… You remembered…
- Of course, I remembered, love… you don't forget those little things that preceded a child's birth. We have nine months to prepare for him, and when he'll be there, we will be ready. And I'm sure I will have survived to your craves!
- Yes, I'm sure you will…, added Cloud, but will you survive to the death of your little studio? And the shopping session?
Sephiroth slumped on Cloud, feigning death. The blond laughed, letting himself slip on the floor. He had means to bring him back to life…
End
Author's notes
*Nosebleed* Stop doing that on my kitchen floor! Not that I care, really, but I tend to eat in there! God, those two are real bunnies on viagra, I tell you… *loud crashing noise* Hey!!!! I just finished the dishes!!! T_T Anyway… are you eager to know what that little one will look like? I know, already (hey I'm the author, the story comes out of my twisted head) and I think you will all like it! See ya in: The Materia Class