Cloud's phone ringing woke him from a strange dream about elephants and Nutella. He shifted against the mattress, pulling away from Riku's loose embrace to reach over and answer the call. Two weeks had passed since he had learned the impossible news that he was pregnant and in that time, very little had actually changed.

They still had not told anyone.

His hand finally fell upon his phone on the nightstand. He hit the receive button as he brought it to his ear and mumbled a hello. He would decide once he knew who it was if he was going to kill them for calling on a rare Friday off.

"Hi, Cloud." Aerith's light voice was slightly apologetic. "It's nine-thirty and they need you to come in earlier today for your lab work."

Grumbling, Cloud rolled onto his back. "When?"

"Ten-thirty."

"Fine."

She said a quick good-bye and he disconnected the call. Flicking the phone to skitter across the nightstand, Cloud turned on his side and attempted to go back to sleep. He had another half hour before he had to leave for the healers.

"Who was that?"

"The vamps need my blood early today."

"Ah." Riku scooted closer and draped his arm around the shorter man's waist. His hand automatically went to Cloud's lower abdomen. "She's gotten bigger."

"I noticed," the blond whispered, giving up on sleep. In the past couple of weeks, the lump in his abdomen had spread out a few more inches and had risen up about a quarter of an inch more. It still was not enough to be noticeable to someone who didn't know about his condition but he had taken to wearing his more loose shirts to be on the safe side.

So far, it appeared that the baby's growth was going to be normal which meant he wouldn't have a notable baby bump for another month or two. It would simply look like he was gaining weight which he was fine with. Tifa had been complaining for years that he was too thin anyway.

Riku kissed his shoulder. "Want me to make some eggs in a baskey?"

That sounded really good. The morning sickness had for the most part passed last week; he only had the occasional bout of nausea and random swooning episode. Sadly, he still had the hot sauce and sea-salt ice cream cravings but those were tolerable. "Yeah. If you want, I'll make dinner tonight. You've been cooking and doing everything for two weeks now."

"I don't mind." The silvered one got out of bed and slipped on a pair of jeans. He found a shirt and pulled it on. "But if you want to I won't complain. Country fried steak sounds good."

Cloud sat up and rolled his shoulders. "I can do that with some potatoes and gravy."

"Kay." Riku smiled at him and left the bedroom.

Running a hand through his more disheveled than normal hair, Cloud reluctantly left the comfort of the sheets. He twisted his waist and felt a pull that was rather uncomfortable. Glancing down at the area it came from, he frowned deeply. Apparently the implantation site did not want him moving that way.

He had a moment of concern that he had inadvertently done something that would harm the baby. What if he just detached part of the placenta? What if he tore the embryonic sac? What if he had just killed the baby?

He took a breath and calmed himself down. If he had done any damage, he was certain that he'd be in more pain. Outside of that single pulling sensation, there was absolutely nothing. He felt exactly as he did before it happened.

The baby was okay; she had to be.

"Cloud?" Riku's voice drifted upstairs.

The blond went to the closet to find clothes. "I'll be down in a minute."

-0—0—

Cloud sipped at the bottle of orange juice the lab tech had given him after collecting the day's two veils of blood. They always made him drink orange juice after blood draws, which he didn't understand but didn't really care about either. It probably had something to do with vitamins and blood sugar levels.

Riku had immediately left after to help Axel put the final touches on his proposed structure for an active fire department. Apparently, Leon and Rufus had decided that all of Axel's proposals and reports were to be reviewed by an established member of the committee; supposedly it was to keep from wasting their time with any potential idiocy the former Nobody might sneak in. While Riku, or Cloud for that matter, were never actually in any way officially part of the restoration and now government of Radiant Garden, both had been involved enough to be counted.

Now Cloud was on his way to pick up the latest order of sea-salt ice cream. Since it was not an overly popular flavor, Scrooge only made it on special order or for specific events in town. At first Cloud had been concerned about someone noticing Riku and his sudden increase in orders but nothing had been said so far. Of course, it was usually Riku who ordered and picked it up so Cloud could easily just not know if anything was being said.

"Hey, Cloud!" Sora greeted brightly as he stepped out of the Moogle shop. The spiky brunet fell into step beside Cloud. "How's everything going?"

"It's fine." Cloud murmured, flicking his eyes at the young man. Sora had been amazingly supportive since he had been told about Cloud's delicate condition. He picked up Cloud's slack when there were issues and covered for him when he had his appointments. Cloud was extremely grateful to the Keyblade Master for all of his help.

"Good. Reno asked how you were last night when I saw him and Demyx." Sora frowned. "He gave me a kinda weird look, too. It was like he was trying to hint at something…"

Cloud paused for a moment. He was still extremely unhappy that the Turk knew about the pregnancy. Reno had given his word that he wouldn't say anything and so far had been true to his word, the fact that Sora didn't know he knew attested to that, but there were no guarantees how long that would last.

"So you going to Scrooge's?" Sora asked as they resumed walking. "Riku and I have been taking turns picking up your ice cream to keep suspicion down."

That was one mystery solved. "Thanks."

"Aw, no biggie." They made the turn to the ice cream shop. "Scrooge doesn't even bat an eye at me anymore when I ask for strange things. I told him that cookie dough ice cream would be huge and he didn't believe me. Now it's his best seller! Of course, Sephiroth buys a lot of it but either way."

There was a line at the shop and Cloud sighed in mild exasperation. He hated lines normally and loathed the idea of standing here surrounded by people. Maybe he would come back later; he did not need the frozen treat that bad… He saw Sora disappear through the back door and raised an eyebrow.

A minute later, the brunet re-emerged with two cartons of ice cream. He motioned with his head for Cloud to get out of line and when Cloud joined him, they began the walk back through the marketplace and toward the neighborhood Cloud and Riku lived in. "They're going to be closed for a few days because Scrooge and the nephews are going to visit Donald and Daisy."

Cloud nodded; that was why Sora had two cartons. He had picked up an extra so Cloud wouldn't run out. He felt wave of gratitude toward Sora again.

"Cloud!"

He turned his head to the right. Sitting outside the noodle shop were Leon and Irvine. Irvine had been the one to call out. The honey-brunet grinned at him as he and Sora came over. "Good to see you out an' about. No one's really seen you unless you're workin'."

Cloud gave him a slight shrug.

"Aw, he's just been kinda anti-social lately." Sora laughed. "After several days of being asked how you're feeling, I'd be avoiding people, too."

"Well, I ain't gonna ask." Irvine leaned back in the metal chair. "But you look healthier than you did. Whatever you've been having done at the healers every week is workin' for ya."

Cloud felt his body go stiff. He had hoped that no one was noticing his frequent visits to the healers but apparently they were. If Irvine had noted it, then it was a guarantee that Leon, Zack, Tifa and Aerith had also. A covert glance at Leon told him that while Leon had left him alone about it up until now, that would not be lasting.

This meant that he and Riku really could not avoid telling their friends the truth for much longer. Questions would soon be asked and by people they simply could not lie to. Even if they evaded giving honest answers, their extended family was not stupid by any means and would call them on it. Then there would be a confrontation.

…Cloud wanted the truth to come out under his terms.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," muttered Cloud, wondering at Irvine's frown. He felt Sora subtly nudge him and flicking his eyes over, the young man indicated to look down. When he did, he inwardly sighed and moved his hand from his abdomen. "Just a…twinge."

Sora suddenly hefted the ice cream he held. "This stuff is gonna melt if we don't get it home."

Cloud sent the brunet another silent thank you for providing an exit for this conversation. However, Cloud knew that this was not the end of it. They were only delaying the inevitable and the sooner he began telling the truth, the less issue there was going to be later.

Worrying his lower lip, Cloud glanced at Leon. "You and Zack should stop by tonight."

"….." Leon's steel-colored eyes were curious and mildly concerned. "Sure. We'll come by after dinner."

Nodding, Cloud began walking away. Sora hesitated and the swordsman knew he was looking after him. After a beat, Sora hurried to catch up with him. Neither one spoke the rest of the way home.

At the end of the walk, Sora handed him the ice cream. He smiled assuringly at Cloud and the older man had the feeling that Sora knew why he had asked Leon and Zack to come over. "If you and Riku need anything, call."

"Thanks, Sora."

The young male waved and jogged off. Cloud turned up the walk and went inside. The dogs greeted him as he closed the front door, telling him that Riku was still gone. The stillness of the building indicated that Sephiroth was out also.

He put the ice cream in the freezer and got a glass of water before heading into his office. Sitting at his desk, he began catching up on his paperwork. He did not want to think about what he was going to do tonight until Riku came home and they decided together what they were going to say.

-0—0—

"Cloud?" Riku called as he shut the door. The dogs had not come running so someone was home and Sephiroth had said this morning he was going to be gone for the night. It had been completely pointless for Riku to check over Axel's proposal; the redhead liked to cause trouble but wasn't an idiot by any means. Most of Riku's time had been spent trying to find out what Axel had gotten done at the healers two weeks ago.

"In the office."

Riku traversed the hall and rounded into the combination office and study. He paused inside the doorway and observed his husband for a moment. Cloud was sitting at his desk, completing order requisitions, and he appeared to have been doing it for some time now. He was slouched forward, his shoulders tense and expression a mix of concentration and concern.

Coming further into the room, Riku frowned. "What happened?"

Cloud set his pen down and leaned back. His neck angled backward so that his head rested on the top of the chair as he breathed out slowly. "I told Leon and Zack to come over tonight."

Riku froze, understanding what his husband was not directly saying. "You did."

"People are starting to notice things and I know that Leon at least knows something is up. I don't want this to become some big deal revelation and to create any drama; I want to be the one to tell the people who need to know. I want to decide who knows and how to tell them."

As he listened, Riku became increasingly troubled. Everything was about what Cloud wanted; his desires, his opinion, his decision. His and his alone, as if Riku had no say in any of this. Maybe he did not; Cloud was the one who was pregnant, after all. In the end, Riku really did have little to do with the pregnancy itself.

Turning his face down, Riku worried his lower lip. "Whatever you want, Cloud."

Cloud turned his head toward Riku, hearing the painfully sad tone of his voice. He had thought that Riku would be happy about his decision. He knew that his lover wanted to tell their loved ones they were going to have a child. Why was he acting so… Oh.

Holding out a hand to Riku, Cloud modified his earlier statement. "You have a say in this, too. I didn't mean to sound selfish."

The younger half of the couple nodded.

"Come here." The blond prompted. When Riku complied, he took hold of his waist and pulled him to him. "You're as much a part of this as I am, Riku. I haven't forgotten who our baby's father is."

Aqua eyes gazed down and a tiny smile tugged at Riku's mouth. "Do you have any idea how weird it is to hear that?"

"Not as weird as it is to realize I'm this kid's mother," answered Cloud dryly. "We both have some serious adjusting to do."

"I think we should go into therapy."

"I think our friends will have that covered."

Riku couldn't argue that point. He ran his fingers through Cloud's soft spikes. Softly, he asked, "How are we going to do this, Cloud?"

"The same way we do everything." Cloud stood and slipped his arms around his tall husband's waist. "Tell ourselves to get over it and just do it."

Laughing, Riku pressed his lips to the other's forehead. He was nervous as hell about this evening and he knew Cloud was also but they had to do it. They had chosen to keep their baby and it was time to start spreading the news.

"I'm gonna start fixin' dinner."

Riku pulled away but did not release Cloud's hand as they left the office. "I'll help you. I'm still trying to figure out how you get those potatoes to taste so damn good."

"It's a country boy thing."

-0—0—

They were nearly finished cleaning up from dinner when the front door opened. "Hey, Spike! Where you at?"

Cloud glanced at Riku and was certain they had the same nervous expressions. "We're in the kitchen."

A moment passed before Zack and Leon entered the room. Zack was grinning but Cloud immediately saw the curiosity and concern in his violet eyes. Leon's attitude was casual and the couple took up positions near the table.

Zack looked at Riku and his jaw dropped when he saw what he was putting in the fridge. "You made your mom's fried steak and didn't invite us to dinner? I'm hurt, Cloud. You know how much I love it!"

"You can take what's left home," murmured Cloud, setting the frying pan into the drying rack.

"Awesome." Zack's tone abruptly changed and the concern overshadowed the curiosity in his eyes. "So, what's up, Cloud? Are you really okay cause you still seem a little off and both Leon and Tifa noticed that you keep going to the healers and I know Aerith's hiding something which she only does for you."

Cloud flicked his eyes toward Riku. The young man met his gaze briefly before glancing at the other couple. "Cloud's fine… well, healthy…"

"We need to tell you all something." Cloud studied the tile floor. He had no idea how he was going to say this.

Riku stepped closer and took his hand. Quietly, he suggested, "Let's do this in the living room. We may want to sit for this."

The Strifes both noticed the glances Leon and Zack gave one another and their nervousness increased. Neither had a clue how the other two were going to react to the news they were about to give. Regardless, they were going to have to tell them and hope they believed them without too much questioning.

Leon took the lead out of the kitchen, followed immediately by Zack. Still holding hands, Riku and Cloud followed. As they entered the main room of the house, Zack was settling on the floor and petting the dogs while Leon picked a spot near the entertainment center and casually stood.

Riku gently pulled Cloud with him to the sofa and sat down. Cloud placed himself beside him and swallowed thickly. Riku squeezed his hand and placed his attention upon him. His eyes silently asked if he wanted Riku to explain.

Taking a shallow breath, Cloud knew there was no easy way to do this and he needed to be the one to say it. It was the only way that Zack and Leon would not automatically assume it was some kind of joke. They were more likely to take it seriously if it was him. "This is going to sound insane and completely impossible but… apparently I'm pregnant."

Neither Leon nor Zack reacted. The pair simply looked at him with incomprehension. An un-measurable span of time passed before Leon shifted but remained silent. Zack blinked a few times.

Then together they asked, "What?"

For some reason, it was easier for Cloud to repeat the statement. "I'm pregnant."

Another span of silence.

Abruptly, Zack laughed manically. "That Jenova jizz must be something fierce."

"That's not how…" Riku reflexively began to defend himself.

"Now I'm glad I never got a chance with Sephiroth."

"I didn't do it!" Riku flushed. "Well… I did but it wasn't because…"

The moment passed and Leon folded his arms. "You're serious about this."

"Yes." Cloud confirmed. "Sephiroth, Sora, Aerith and Reno already know."

"Reno knows?" Zack started." You told Reno before us?"

"He found out by accident a few days after I was released from observation."

"Oh." Zack slumped for a second then jumped onto his knees and pointed at Cloud. "So, wait, you're really knocked up?"

Cloud placed his free hand on his belly. "Yeah."

"That's, that's…" The First Class sputtered, falling back on his butt. "Really messed up, Cloud."

"Tell me about it."

Leon was studying the Strifes analytically. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking or what he was going to say about this. Both Riku and Cloud were more concerned with his reaction than anyone else.

Very casually, Leon stated, "And this is why we don't let Riku top."

"I already forbade him from doing it again." Cloud spoke in the exact same tone.

"Wow, guys." Breathed out Zack, his brain clearly trying to wrap itself around what had just been told. "Uh… congrats?"

"How did this happen?" Leon asked.

Cloud glanced at Riku to explain. He really did not want to sort through it all again and it was embarrassing enough to just tell them he was with child. It was not that he was ashamed or anything like that; it was just…well, awkward.

"Long story short," said Riku. "Hades has been stewing on his vengeance and finally decided to modify a Greek god pregnancy spell which reversed Cloud's reproductive physiology to a female orientation along with a few other charges that allowed for him to become pregnant."

"Why does everyone assume you top?" Zack shook his head. "I knew the minute I saw you, you were uke as hell."

"We all know that he gets in moods and I don't know many gay couples that are one or the other all the time," murmured Leon. "Even if Hades was wrong, which he was, eventually it would work. I hate to admit it, but it's a brilliant plan. Hades could have exacted his revenge on several levels."

"Yeah," Cloud agreed.

"So…" Zack drew out the word. "Are you keeping it? Actually, can you even keep it?

Cloud glanced again at Riku. "We decided to keep the baby. Dr. Cameron doesn't see any reason I can't carry to term. I get my hormone levels checked every three days and there should be enough room for the baby to grow where it's at."

"When she's ready, Cloud will simply have a c-section." Riku finished, smiling lightly. "Hades revenge has become a gift."

A muscle in Cloud's jaw twitched. He did not know about the gift part but if that's how Riku saw it then that was okay. Cloud would have been just fine with his life if he had never gotten pregnant. Now that he was, he was determined to take the necessary steps to keep it healthy and he would love the baby and care for it with everything he could give but it would not have bothered him if it never had happened. Having a child was never one of his top priorities; he was doing this for Riku.

"Can I see it?" Zack suddenly asked.

"What?"

The raven-haired man grinned. "I wanna see where my future niece or nephew is growing."

Sighing, Cloud lifted his shirt and repositioned himself so that it was easier to see the swelling in his abdomen. Zack's eyes widened and he crawled over on his knees. Upon getting close enough, he reached out and gently touched the area.

"Oh, that's weird, Spiky. And the doc thinks there's enough room there? I mean, Tifa got huge."

"Tifa had twins, which I guarantee I'm not."

Leon was examining the spot where Zack's hand was from his spot near the TV. "How far along are you?"

"Ten weeks." Riku replied for his husband. "They gave us a folder with information about the baby's development and the changes we might see in Cloud. So far everything's been on target with the baby. Some of Cloud's symptoms are showing up early but that's kinda to be expected."

"Is that the reason for all the sea-salt ice cream?" Leon smirked. "You and Sora did a good job trying to hide it but I saw how many cartons you were ordering."

"He's also addicted to hot sauce now."

"I'm not addicted!" Cloud softly shouted in exasperation. He motioned to his stomach. "Your kid here keeps demanding it."

"And you give it to her."

"She makes my life hell if I don't."

Zack snorted a laugh and leaned back. "Oh, the next seven months are gonna be fun."

"They're going to be interesting." Leon shifted his weight. "Any idea what's going to happen as you get further into the pregnancy?"

"It's wait and see with what his body handles." Riku flicked his bangs. "Obviously, no one is entirely sure how this is going to play out."

"I want to work for as long as I can." Cloud declared easily. "Riku and I don't really agree on the details of all that yet but we're playing it by ear with what the doctor says."

Nodding, Leon pursed his lips. "Just tell me anything that needs to be done. I'll start looking into an assistant and they can eventually fill in for you when you have to take leave."

"Just let Sora keep doing it." Riku shrugged. "He doesn't mind and complains he doesn't do any real work around here anyway. He already knows what's going on so we won't have to explain anything to him either."

Cloud's phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. He quickly answered and Bobbi informed him that everything was still within proper range. He thanked her and ended the call, tossing his phone on the end table after.

Riku reached over and toyed with the short hair on the back of Cloud's head. "Everything normal?"

"Yeah." Blue eyes slipped shut as Cloud enjoyed the feel of Riku's fingers in his hair. He really wanted some ice cream but he would not give into the craving in front of Zack and Leon.

The silver-haired Strife worried his lower lip and looked between Zack and Leon as he continued with Cloud's hair. "This probably goes without saying but we need you both to keep quiet about this for now. We're slowly telling everyone but we need to do this our way."

"Sure." Zack shrugged. "We kept Tifa's pregnancy quiet for weeks."

Leon nodded. "If you need help with anything, you know we're here."

"Yeah." Riku's fingers moved to Cloud's neck. "One of the only things we haven't had to worry about is the support of our family and friends. Sora and Sephiroth have been amazing."

"Oh, man!" Zack chuckled, standing up. "I didn't even think of Seph's reaction to becoming an uncle! I know Sora's gotta be excited!"

"I don't think he's the only one." Leon commented, eyeing his lover in amusement.

"Oh, heck no!" Zack spun on his heel. "This is gonna be awesome. I always wanted kids and now I'll have one by proxy. I'm gonna be the best damn uncle ever!"

Cloud opened his eyes. "My child is going to be spoiled as hell."

"Probably." Riku laughed. "She's at least going to be doted on by pretty much everyone."

Sighing in defeat, Cloud rubbed once at his belly and got up. "I'm getting some ice cream."

As he went to the kitchen, he heard Leon snicker. "And Cloud's going to end up spoiling her the worst."

Both Riku and Zack agreed with 'yep's.