Hey, I'm not dead. I'm steadily plugging away at stories when I can. Finally finished this chapter, so it'll be on to the next story. There's a lot I need to work on.

So, reminder: I only own the story, everything else to it's respective creators.

Exactly as predicted, nearly everyone in town knew of Cloud's 'delicate condition' within two days of their announcements to Cid, Irvine, Tifa, and Denzel. Already, Cloud and Riku were getting stopped randomly to answer questions and dispel the insane rumors that were beginning to form. Overall, the town was more morbidly curious than anything.

Their friends' reactions had been varied. Yuffie would not shut up with the questions and eventually the couple pushed her off on Aerith. Zell was disturbed by the whole concept and didn't talk about it. Marlene was ecstatic about having a 'sister' or 'brother' and was already making plans to throw Cloud a baby shower. Riku had called Kairi, who had told everyone on Destiny Islands, and she and Selphie were promising daily calls for updates.

Whenever Cloud and Riku were faced with someone, either to answer questions or accept congratulatory remark, Cloud would let Riku do most of the talking. Obviously there were times he was alone and had to do it himself but he preferred to let Riku have the attention. The younger man was infinitely more excited about becoming a father than Cloud was.

At the next healers' visit, Bobbie had smiled as she carefully drew Cloud's blood, and he didn't flinch. He supposed it was only a matter of time before he was all right with the action with how often he was having it done. Despite this, he really hoped that eventually the frequent draws would become unnecessary. He scheduled the next actual check up before leaving.

He hadn't seen Tifa since the visit at her house, and he wasn't sure what the cause for that was. He tried not to stress it much for he had it set in his mind that even if she never could accept the pregnancy, he had made the right decision and once the baby was born, she would lighten up. Tifa would never take her feelings out on a child.

Cloud was at eleven weeks now and still felt disbelief. Now that the morning sickness had for the most part passed, he felt completely normal. If it weren't for the blood draws and the vitamins every morning, he could very easily tell himself that he wasn't pregnant, that he wasn't the victim of a strange spell and convoluted plan for revenge by a crazy god. There were mornings when he wanted to forget all of that.

But Riku wouldn't allow that. The younger man was excited for their baby, already talking nurseries and designs. While Cloud smiled at his husband's enthusiasm, it did nothing to make him feel more connected to the child inside of him. It was always Riku's baby when Cloud talked about it, never his, or even theirs. He knew that this was likely a serious problem that he was going to need to address, but didn't make any effort toward doing so.

"Hey, Cloud." Sora greeted as the blond returned to work. Sora had been at the warehouse everyday for a week now, learning what he could to eventually take over Cloud's job. "How was the healers?"

"Same as always," Cloud muttered softly, walking across the large space to the desk that Sora was sitting at. "Did you find out about the shipment?"

"Yeah, there was an issue with the manifest and they were delayed three hours. They'll be here in about an hour."

"Good." Cloud nodded. Sora was doing a really good job, and fulfilling every task given him quickly. Looking over the order documents, Cloud was pleased to see everything in order. All that was left was to wait for the things to arrive. "You're doing good, Sora."

The young man beamed. "It's kinda fun, actually. Harder work than I thought though… I'm sorry for ever thinking you had an easy job."

Cloud shrugged dismissively. "It's a common thought. Did you call the others?"

"Yep! They'll be here by the time the gummi arrives."

The blond nodded again, rubbing at his chest and suddenly feeling uncomfortable. It felt like he had heartburn, but he didn't normally get heartburn and hadn't eaten anything today that could even remotely cause that. Annoyed, he turned back away from the desk. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Scowling, Cloud left the warehouse and entered the busy street of the shipping center. He was going to have to go back into town to get something to help the heartburn, and that was just…annoying. He was barely into this damn pregnancy and it was already a huge inconvenience.

Upon entering the marketplace, he spotted Aerith and Marlene working on one of the flower beds that lined various sections of the street. Not up to a conversation with either of them, he quietly passed them by and continued on to the small convenience store for a bottle of milk, hoping it was enough to counter the heartburn.

When he turned back to return to the warehouse, Aerith was looking at him. She smiled at him with a touch of concern and he inwardly groaned. There was no way he was getting out of a conversation with her now and she'd likely want to know all about his current discomfort. Deciding to just get it over with, he crossed over to the females.

Marlene looked up at his approach and grinned. "Hi, Cloud!"

He nodded back, uncapping the milk to take a quick drink.

Aerith tilted her head slightly. "Heartburn?"

"Yeah," he admitted quietly. "Just started today."

"I can give you some herbs for that after work. I wouldn't be surprised if you have it through the rest of the pregnancy."

"Neither would I," he muttered darkly, taking another sip of milk. So far, all of the annoying side-effects of pregnancy had effected him more strongly than usual and earlier than normal; probably because he was a man. "Thanks."

Marlene brushed some dirt from her hands, beaming. "Just remember all of the discomfort will be worth it in the end. I can't wait to have my own kids."

"Hopefully," he returned softly. Annoyance at his condition was still stirring within him and he had the fleeting thought of why he was putting himself through this. A voice that sounded disturbingly like Sora answered cause you want you and Riku's baby, duh. Right.

"If that's the only real complaint you have, you're doing pretty good." Marlene noted, brushing her hands together.

"It's the only one I'm currently vocal about," Cloud said dryly."It will change weekly."

"Probably daily." Aerith chuckled.

Taking another sip of milk, Cloud didn't respond to the statement. "I have to get back."

"Sure." The older female nodded. "I'll check in with you later and bring you those herbs."

"Thanks," he murmured, face turned down. "I appreciate your help with all this mess."

Aerith touched his arm. "Not a mess, Cloud. A baby."

"Yeah." Cloud broke away from the females, intent on heading back to the warehouse. He ended up taking the long way, following a twisted path through alleys and between buildings. No one ever traversed these pathways, giving him some measure of privacy.

When he finally made it back, Sora was siting in his desk chair, spinning around while tossing nuts in his mouth. Irritated, Cloud rounded his desk. "Out."

"Where'd you go?" Sora stopped turning and hopped out of the chair.

"Why does it matter?" He returned, taking the vacated seat. "Any changes?"

"Uh, nope." Sora eyed him. "You feeling okay?"

"Go see who's here and have them go ahead and start prepping. Maybe we can get things sorted as we unload and save some time."

"Yeah, sure." Sora left quickly, glancing over his shoulder as he did.

Cloud sighed, leaning back. The heartburn was still there but tolerable, and he wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep. He didn't know if that was due ti his condition or his suddenly very anti-social mood. Maybe he could stay in his office and let Sora handle shipment. The boy had taken well to the job so far, and Cloud would be here if there was a problem. This wasn't even a particularly large one.

But Cloud wanted to work. It had been important that he do so for as long as he could. No, until the day he was physically unable, he would do his job. There was already too much he no longer had control of due to this parasite, he wasn't giving up what little he still had. He stood back up, cracking his neck. There was work to be done, and avoiding people was not going to get it done.

-0-0-

Cloud bypassed the rest of the house by going in the back door to head straight to his study. Sealing himself in, he sat at his desk, slouched back and stared at the little picture of himself and Riku... Reaching over, he turned it away. That was going to change, and he didn't need away, and he didn't need the visible reminder.

It was nearly ten minutes before Riku knocked on the door. "Cloud?"

"Door's open."

Cracking it open slowly, Riku appeared by sticking his head through the space and after some hesitation his body followed. "I thought I heard you come home."

"Yeah."

"How was your day?" Riku reached to touch his hair but Cloud subtly shifted out of the path of his hand.

"Uneventful. Sora's gotten really good with everything."

"Yeah? Riku moved to lean on the corner of the desk. "Going to be able to trust him when you go on leave?"

"Sure."

"Good."

"Yeah." Cloud really wasn't up to talking to Riku, or anyone for that matter. "How much milk to we have?"

"Um...maybe half a gallon? I'm not sure... Why?" Cloud didn't care much for milk.

"Been having heartburn. That's the only thing that helps." Take the hint...

"Ah. I can run out and get more."

"Probably a good idea."

"Sure." Riku moved away from the desk. Walking for the door, he paused before it. "You know, next time, if you want to be alone just say so."

"..."

Riku sighed and left the room. He wasn't stupid, and he wasn't blind. Cloud had withdrawn into himself. Riku had no way of changing that, either. Cloud needed space so he would give it for now. He didn't know what else to do.

-0-0-

The heartburn was worse at night, keeping Cloud awake long after Riku was soundly sleeping. A week had passed since it began and it was becoming something he would need to address at the check-up in two days. Milk no longer did anything for it, but sitting upright kept him it from rising into the back of his throat and making him want to vomit. A spiteful thought entered his mind that he should wake Riku up to share his misery.

Cloud slipped free of the covers, deciding if he was going to be up, he might as well be doing something. Maybe it would take his mind off of things. At the least, it could distract him from the heartburn. In near silence, he left the bedroom and descended the stairs.

They had a decent sized work shed on the back of the property since a garage wouldn't fit properly on the long lot. Already the neighbors were too close for Riku. To Cloud, ti was the same as being home where the houses barely had space enough to walk between them.

The shed was where Fenrir was kept- there was just enough room for her and a very narrow table to store tools and parts, not only for her upkeep but basic home repairs. Cloud's beloved motorcycle had been badly neglected for some time ow, first due to being sick then the distraction of learning why he was ill.

Cloud ran a hand over her upon entering the shed. Though it was dark, his enhanced vision could see clearly enough to notice the fine layer of dust that was collecting. "I'm sorry, Fenrir. There's been things... Not that that is unusual."

Going for the bench, pulling the chain for the light overhead in the process, Cloud followed the action by pulling out a cloth and some fiberglass polish from a drawer. "I'll give you a more thorough treatment soon. Right now, I'm not feeling to well." People likely would think him crazy, but he found it much easier to talk to Fenrir as opposed to most people.

"Too much happening that I don't have control of." He greased up the cloth and began wiping down the motorcycle's body panels. "I thought those days were over, but here I am again. Something else has total say in what happens to me and my body."

Crickets chirped outside in the darkness. For several minutes Cloud worked, the occasional squeak from a spot that didn't get enough polish interrupting the muted sound of night. The hot, unpleasant taste rising from his esophagus remained, coating the back of his throat, but remaining focused was enough to avoid the nausea from earlier.

More time passed, until the sky began to lighten from the hues of midnight to the shades of dawn. Hints of pink broke up the deep blue as bids gradually started to awake, singing to indicate the change from night to day. Above this natural commotion, footsteps grew increasingly louder.

Cloud glanced away from his work for only a moment. "What are you doing up?"

"What are you doing out here?" Riku appeared angry. It was obvious that Cloud had been in here for hours. The air was damp and chilly... "You'll get sick in this."

"Already sick." If Riku had bothered to notice. "It's not that cold, either."

"You're sick?" His husband didn't appear ill... Tired, definitely. "Then why the heck are you out here making it worse? The last thing the baby needs-"

"I'm really tired of all your damn concern about the baby, Riku," snapped the blond man. "I ain't selfish enough to risk your kid's life. It's fine where it is and how it is. I'm not becoming a passive incubator for six more months!"

Riku was completely taken off-guard. "Whoa, wait... Where the hell did that idea come from?"

"I may be in a messed up state, but I don't have to act like it. I'm going to keep doing what I want until I physically can't."

"I...figured you would," said Riku in a cautious tone. "No one said you had to do differently."

"No, they didn't."

"Is that the impression you're getting, though?"

"...sometimes."

With a sigh, Riku shook his head. "Cloud, I don't want you to give up anything."

"I'm giving up everything."

"Do you really feel that way?"

"Usually." He admitted, though he did feel a bit of guilt with it. He knew Riku wasn't purposely doing anything of the kind. That didn't change how he felt.

"Cloud... Riku moved closer. "I'm sorry. There isn't anything I can do about that, is there?"

"I don't know." He wished he had something to tell him that would fix everything.

"I guess... not worrying so much about the baby would be a good start, huh?"

"Could be." Cloud stood up. He turned to the workbench to clean up. "I'll come in. This chill can't be healthy for it."

The damage would already be done. "I can make you some coffee." Riku offered, right hand coming up to hold his left elbow. "Unless you want to try to sleep."

"I'll end up napping later." He did that fairly frequently now. "But some coffee would be nice." He wouldn't say it, but his hands were a bit cold.

"Sure."

Cloud faced Riku, head turned down. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

The silver-haired man touched his chilled cheek. "Please, try to remember it's not just the baby I'm concerned about. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I know." On a conscious level. "The damn hormones are still messing with me."

Riku knew that was an excuse. "Hopefully, everything will settle soon."

"Yeah."

"Come on. Let's warm up and find something fun to do together today."

-0-0-

"Cloud!" It wasn't a shout, but it was raised, intended to get the man to wake up. Riku re-entered their bedroom and crossed over to the bed. Voice quieting, Riku reached for Cloud's shoulder and shook him. "We're supposed to be at the doctor in twenty minutes."

Reluctantly, Cloud opened his eyes. He was so damn tired, had been all week. However, it had been stressed that the fifteen-week check up was one of the important ones. Grumbling, he untangled himself from the sheets and sat up, feet hanging off the edge. Absently, he rubbed at his stomach as he rolled his shoulders.

The bump where the baby grew had increased in size so that it was visible to the eye when he went shirtless. Clothing still concealed it, however, which was fine by him. He dreaded the day he wouldn't be able to hide it.

Riku chuckled, affectionately threading his fingers through Cloud's blond spikes. "You can sleep the rest of the day away when we get done."

It was a nice notion. "I have to go in this afternoon. Sora doesn't know how to do the monthly audit."

"You need to make sure he learns that." Riku withdrew his hand. "You'll be gone at least two months."

Well aware. "Yeah." Cloud stood, padding over to the closet to dress.

"Do you want anything to take with? There isn't enough time for breakfast unless it's to go."

"I'm not hungry." Cloud searched for underwear. Locating those, he slipped them on and reached for his pants.

Riku frowned. "You need to eat."

"I will when I'm hungry."

"..."

Cloud sighed. "You know that I'll be starving in a little while."

That was true and good enough for Riku. Nodding, he turned to exit. "I'll be waiting downstairs."

Cloud didn't reply and Riku left. Even he recognized he was rather crabby, but that was usual when he was made to wake up when he didn't want. Before all this, a few cups of coffee would break him of the mood. Maybe he could sneak one in on the way to work.

This lifted his mood considerably. Cloud had to work at fastening his pants -they were getting very snug- but once done, he quickly pulled on a T-shirt. After a rushed brushing of hair, he joined Riku downstairs.

Together, they walked to the healing center, and blessedly no one approached them. Cloud was tired of the stares and whispers, the open curiosity that met him anytime he came for his blood draw. The center staff was often as bad as the people on the street.

Upon arriving, Cloud signed in, managing a civil smile for the receptionist who had always been genuinely nice to him. He couldn't care less about the rest of them. They just grated his nerves and made him resist the urge to go on a murderous rampage of Sephiroth's level. That had to be the hormones.

He blamed those for a lot of things.

Riku had been quiet most of the walk, occasionally flicking his eyes over. Cloud was visibly tired and Riku was almost certain he wasn't sleeping well. He hoped Cloud would say something to the doctors about it, but doubted that would happen.

"I still hate this waiting room."

Riku briefly looked over. "Yeah. The paint is ugly and these chairs suck."

Not what he meant. "I guess comfort isn't their main concern."

"Well, they do try to get everyone through as fast as possible."

Ten minutes passed before Bobbi appeared in the doorway, smiling brightly. She was always so damn cheerful. It wasn't natural. Cloud stood just after Riku and followed him, ignoring the subtle stare of a woman near the door to the back.

"Good morning, Misters Strife. Time for the weekly weigh in and checkup." Bobbi took lead to a scale and small alcove, likely for the triage of patients.

Cloud stepped up on the scale without prompting, going so far as to slide the weights while she entered information to his electronic chart. He knew what he should weigh-

"Looks like you're up three more pounds." Bobbi noted, typing the numbers in. "So far, your weight gain has been good."

Riku grinned. "That's awesome."

Cloud backed off the scale, following Bobbi to an exam room. Inside, he climbed onto the exam table to wait out the rest of his vitals. He already wanted this visit over. Bobbi quickly finished taking his vital signs and ducked out with the words that the doctor wouldn't be long.

"They always say that." Riku leaned against the wall. "The concept of 'long' must be subjective."

"Yeah."

"...what's wrong, Cloud? And don't give me some vague answer or dismiss my question."

The blond sighed, fingers laced before him. "I'm having a bad day, Riku. That's all. I really didn't want to do this today, and everyone's been staring."

"I haven't seen anyone stare."

"Then you aren't paying attention."

Riku didn't care who stared, but he recognized that it was largely due to it not being him getting the attention. Cloud valued his privacy, but since the public was made aware of their situation, that privacy was virtually nonexistent. Moving from the wall, he stroked the column Cloud's neck comfortingly.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of at least one of the doctors. It was Chase who appeared, relieving Cloud. Of the two doctors, this one was the more practical, less annoyingly optimistic. This may have been due to Chase being a man and able to comprehend what all of this was doing psychologically to Cloud.

"Good morning. Let's try to get this over with." The male doctor greeted. To anyone else the statement would have been rude.

"Please," said Cloud gratefully. "I still feel mostly the same. I get heartburn on occasion, and my stomach is bloated enough that my clothes are getting tight."

"He's also tired most of the time," added Riku. He wanted to say more, but doubted Chase cared that Cloud was being an ass.

"That's expected." Chase did a basic exam before prompting Cloud to lay back. "Even women begin feeling fatigued at this stage. Increasing your protein will help."

"Tell my husband to buy more red meat." Cloud fell back, lifting his shirt as he did. That was what the doctor wanted to see anyway.

"You get plenty of red meat," retorted Riku with forced patience. "I'm not letting you get away with only eating deer and goat."

"I don't mind the beans." If he would add more salt.

"Well, you do need to keep up on the folic acid," interrupted the doctor, pressing his fingers along Cloud's abdomen. "But, increasing the meat a little wouldn't hurt. The key is balance. You're taking the vitamins, right?"

"Twice a day."

"Good." Taking his hands away, Chase took a step back. "Well, from what I can tell, everything feels right. The cavity the baby is attached at seems to be expanding to accommodate the growth. We're going to have to really watch it from now on."

"Great," muttered Cloud inaudibly. Thankfully, Riku didn't seem to hear it.

"I want to get another ultrasound, then you can have blood drawn and get out of here."

"Sounds great."

"I'll be back shortly."

Upon the doctor's departure, Riku moved close again. "You want to get something to eat after this, or just go home?"

"There's food at the house." Cloud lay at an angle, and when he looked down, he could see the raise in his skin. "I'm not really hungry, anyway."

Riku sighed. "Cloud... You can't avoid being seen."

"No, but I can limit it." Gently, he ran his fingers over the swell. "And I just don't want to be out. Can you accept that?"

"Yeah." Riku took a step back, face turned down.

Cloud exhaled, holding out his hand. "Come here, Riku. I don't mean to be short with you."

"I know, and I get that you're frustrated." Riku wanted to help with that, only he seemed to make it worse. It was with some surprise that he watched Cloud bring his hand to rest on his abdomen. "I don't know what I can do."

"There's nothing you really can do." The blond looked at how Riku's hand covered the swell almost entirely. "When the warehouse closes, come by and if I still feel good, we can go to that sandwich cart we like."

There was a little, secluded area close to it, rarely traversed by people. It was something. "I like that idea, if you're up to it. I think some fresh air, away from work would be good for you."

"Maybe," he agreed, eyes down at their hands. "For such a tiny thing, it's certainly making a mess of our lives."

"Yeah, I guess so. But, I hear that will be true when not so little."

Cloud made a noise. "Think she'll be worth it?"

"I know she will be."

Cloud decided he'd believe Riku on this one.