Chapter 29: Truths by Firelight

Cloud stirred in the messy pile of sleeping bags Sephiroth had left him in, reaching for the Alpha and frowning as his hand only touched cold air. "..Seph." He inhaled, trying to catch his mate's smell, but there was only the faint scent from their lovemaking. "Seph?" He said more clearly, sitting up with a wince as he pressed a hand to his stomach.

It was dark now—how long had it been dark? He frowned at the empty tent, grabbing for his jeans as he slipped them over his hips and pushed his way out of the entrance. He blinked at the heat from the fire at the camp, looking around to see all the tents set up for the night, and a roaring fire near the middle.

He knew he should have grabbed shoes as he padded across the rocky ledge, only seeing Zack at the fire as a familiar longing passed through him. "Where is everyone?"

...Where was Sephiroth?

He came to sit by the fire, glancing nervously around as it had been quite awhile since he had been alone with Zack. The SOLDIER in question just raised an eyebrow at his obvious skittishness, taking a drink of his flask. "Sleeping, I guess. I got put on the first round of guard duty. Lucky me…" He took another drink, wincing as he held it out for Cloud, seeming to forget himself as he laughed and pulled it back. "Oh right...None for you."

Cloud's hand instinctively went to his stomach, watching the other with a frown. "Are you okay?" Even as he asked it, he didn't know how the answer to that question could ever be yes—not after all they had gone through. Yet, Zack seemed particularly on edge. "Did something happen?"

Zack glanced over at him. "Did something happen?" He repeated, the words a dark mockery on his tongue. "Do you mean besides getting back to the area covered in the scent of Sephiroth's semen?" His eyes flickered up and down Cloud's form. "...Your semen...your scent. Let's just say it wasn't all that hard to agree to take first watch."

His head hung in shame and his stomach roiled with guilt as he could only imagine the impression their campsite had given off. Though, hadn't he known it would? It's not as if he hadn't been aware of just why Sephiroth had decided to take him in such a public forum. "I'm sorry. I had to calm him down. He was on edge."

"Please don't…" Zack breathed out, taking another drink. "When you talk about yourself as a cockwarmer, it makes me rather ill."

Cloud reacted instantaneously, slapping Zack's face hard as the sound resounded throughout the canyon they were camping in. Blue eyes lit up with fury as he resisted the urge to hit him again. "Don't ever talk to me like that." Even if he deserved it. Even if Zack was absolutely right...he wouldn't let one of the people he loved the most disgrace him in such a fashion. "Where is Sephiroth?" He asked angrily, almost desperately as he had to get away from the accusal...from the shame.

Zack watched him, calmly wiping at his split lip from the slap, wincing as he took another drink. "I thought he was in there with you."

"Well he wasn't." Cloud pushed himself up, practically shaking as his hands clenched at his sides. "When did you see him last?"

"I didn't," Zack replied, not seeming to be feeling the panic now welling up in Cloud's soul.

Cloud glanced up the mountain, towards the reactor as his stomach began to heave in panic. "Why would he go on ahead?" Anger lit through him as he didn't need an answer to that question. His stubborn mate wanted to see in the reactor before he did.

"You shouldn't be going at all, you know," Zack responded. "Do you remember what happened when we went down to that basement?" His head tilted as he watched him. "Did you like learning all about your past?"

"I don't think you liked learning about it." The words were practically whispered as he knew that was when everything had gone wrong between them. "You've never looked at me the same."

"That might have had something to do with the fact that I had just learned you were cheating on me." Zack mused bitterly.

"Or that Hojo was my father...that the person you had befriended was a lie." Cloud motioned up towards the mountain. "Are you not worried about the fact that he went on without us?"

Zack followed his hand, taking another gulp as he stared up towards the mountain. "I hope he burns the entire reactor to the ground."

He frowned at the SOLDIER, walking closer to him to reach down and grab the flask. "You're drunk. Be serious."

"I'm very drunk, and very serious," Zack assured him, reaching back up to grab the flask back.

Cloud sighed, resigning himself to anxiety as he sank back down next to Zack on the log. "I have a bad feeling about this. He's not himself."

"No," Zack agreed, taking another drink. "He isn't." He sighed in resignation, looking over to Cloud. "We're not going to catch up to him tonight. We'll have to leave at first light." He frowned as he reached out to Cloud's grey sweater. "What did you do, roll in mud?"

"What?" Cloud questioned, seeing where Zack was staring as he frowned. "Just a bit of blood."

"Blood?" Zack grabbed for him then, tugging at the loose sweater as he took in the multiple dark stains reflecting almost black in the firelight. "What are these?"

Cloud blushed a deep red, not willing to admit how just having Zack's hands on him was affecting him. "It's nothing. Just a...It's just a sex thing…" Zack growled at that, ripping him close so that he was practically sprawled over his lap as he tore at the sweater, tugging it down over his shoulder as the growling increased.

"A sex thing?" Zack question, and Cloud could feel his chest vibrating in fury. "You're covered in bites." The SOLDIER ripped at the sweater, revealing his bare back and shoulders as Cloud tried to shove at his strength. "I'm going to kill him."

Zack pushed him back, stumbling up to his feet as he reached for his sword. Cloud scrambled to his feet as well, trying to cover up his slowly healing back as his sweater hung off him in ribbons. "Stop it!" Desperation filled him as he rushed over, grabbing the sword before Zack could swing it upon his back. "It's not what it looks like!" He shook his head in embarrassment, not wanting to explain this to someone he was still in love with. "He does it all the time. It's not a big deal! He's not doing it to hurt me!"

"No," Zack agreed, eyes glowing as he showed him his teeth. "He's doing it to control you. Do you know what's in an Alpha's bite?"

The question took him off guard enough to let go of the sword, but Zack seemed to be in no hurry to swing it over his back as he watched him. "What are you talking about?"

"Alphas know how to claim." Kadaj emerged from his tent, staring at the pair wearily as he looked between them, before landing on Cloud's bruised and bloody back. "An Alpha's bite is binding...claiming...they do it so that they can have us, big brother. So that they can make us submit."

Cloud glared at Kadaj and the implication. "Sephiroth doesn't know that." He dragged the ruined fabric up over his shoulder. "He would never do that if he knew."

"Because he's so noble?" Zack questioned, voice shaking in rage.

"Because he loves me!" Cloud screamed, over pulling the rags up onto his shoulder as he pulled it all the way off, revealing every wound as he threw it at Zack. "Give me another shirt since you deemed it fit to ruin mine."

Zack watched him with hard eyes, walking over to his pack and throwing Cloud a dark t-shirt. "He loves the idea of having you so much that he would change every last thing about you. Take away your freedom." He motioned to the slight swell of his stomach. "Give you something in return that makes you even more dependent on him. Is that love?" Zack rubbed at his eyes. "Did I not love you in the right way, Spike? Should I have just forced you to submit?"

Cloud shook his head in denial. "He doesn't force me. I'm sorry about what happened between us, Zack, but he doesn't force me!" He stalked back to his tent, yanking out his boots as he began to pull them on.

"What's the plan here, Spike?" Zack asked from behind him. "You're not going up the mountain in the middle of the night." Most of the fury in his tone had faded, and in its place a resigned exhaustion had taken hold.

"I'm going to find Sephiroth." Cloud glared him down, shoving as much stuff as he could in a pack as he didn't bother to repack their tent. "I can't just sit around and hear you villainize him."

"He's hurting you!" Zack tried, obviously frustrated as his eyes pled at him to just understand.

"Yeah?" Cloud questioned, pulling on a jacket over the t-shirt Zack had provided him with. "Well maybe I deserve to be hurt." He crossed his arms, staring the SOLDIER down. "I don't want you to come with me. I know how it's going to end, and I don't want something like what happened down in the village to happen up there. I can bring him back."

"Like hell."

"I can make it okay again." Cloud ignored Zack's interruption. "This isn't your problem anymore, Zack. I'm not your problem anymore, and honestly you should feel relief."

"Relief?" Zack asked incredulously. "Babe, the last thing in this world I feel when it comes to you is relief. Why can't you see what he's doing to you?" He rubbed at his forehead in frustration. "You're making me come off as some jealous ex-lover. I love you. Of course I love you...but if you don't want to be with me I understand...but that!" Zack flung his arm in a motion towards Cloud. "That's him knowing exactly what he has to do to keep you."

"Tell him." Cloud's head snapped back as Genesis emerged from his tent, feeling caged as the three were now surrounding him. "Tell him about the shot."

Zack growled as he glowered at Genesis. "Keep your mouth shut."

"No!" Genesis barked back. "I'll admit that I've been more than a little complicit in this situation, but it's enough now. It was fun watching the two of you fight over a pretty twink, but people are going to get hurt. People are going to die." He exhaled through his nose as he looked between the two. "My friends are going to die. Zack is the only reason you have that baby."

"Genesis!" Zack barked, gripping his sword as the sclera in his eyes was expanded and glowing.

"Whatever it is that Sephiroth bit you with, is what they've been injecting you with." Genesis explained. "From Zack."

"Bravo, Genesis," Zack growled. "Bravo."

Cloud felt sick as he watched the Alphas...violated as he now realized what Sephiroth had meant when he said they had sex before the medicine. His mate knew. ...They all knew. They kept it from him...like a sick joke.

"Well here it is," Cloud managed, eyes glued on Zack as he remembered just what it had felt like to have those injections running through him. "And I hate you both." His eyes were shining as he stalked passed Zack, grabbing for Kadaj's hand. "Come on. We have a long walk tonight."

"Cause that's a good idea…" Genesis spoke under his breath.

"Nobody asked you!" Cloud screamed back, ignoring the way Kadaj flinched as he clenched his hand tighter. "I release you from whatever responsibility you think you have towards me."

Zack sighed, hanging his head as he shook it back on forth. "I guess we're going up the mountain. Let's hope the monsters aren't too bad at night."

"I told you that you didn't have to," Cloud argued, not about to admit his relief as he longed to fall into Zack's arms after what he had learned about what Sephiroth had done. Not for sex. Not to be unfaithful...but just for comfort. "I don't want you to get anymore hurt because of me."

Genesis scoffed. "He's not just going to let your pregnant crazy ass just up and leave by yourself to some haunted ass reactor."

Zack snorted, grinning as he looked over at Genesis, and then back at Cloud. "What he said."

"Do you promise not to fight with him?" Cloud questioned, staring the other Alpha down as he met those glowing violet eyes.

"No," Zack scoffed at the ridiculousness of the suggestion. "Absolutely not...I don't promise. This isn't something that's swept under the rug."

"Zack!" he tried, feeling desperate as he did everything to protect his mate.

"Cloud," Zack mocked right back, swinging his giant sword over his head as he sheathed it against his back. "We're wasting moonlight."

Genesis glanced around to their messy campground. "What about all of our stuff?"

"We'll grab it on the way back." Zack didn't even look back as he began to walk on the trail and towards the reactor.

Cloud watched him go, stomach aching with his anxiety as Kadaj wrapped his arms around his neck from behind, laying his chin on his shoulder. He reached up, grateful for the support as he placed a hang on the Omega's forearm. "This is a nightmare."

He felt Kadaj nod, hugging him closer. "It's not going to get better, but Cloud?" He turned his head, seeing the sadness in the Omega's face. "You shouldn't let him hurt you like that."

"He wasn't…" He tried, but the words failed to leave his lips as he laid his forehead against Kadaj's. "I'm glad you're with me."

"Why do you want to know what's in the reactor, Brother?" Kadaj asked softly. "Do you think it will help?"

"Maybe not...but…." Cloud hesitated. "I just need to know. What's Sephiroth going to find in the reactor?"

Kadaj raised an eyebrow, shocked at even the question. "Sephiroth?" Kadaj laughed, grabbing Cloud's hand as he began to pull him up along the trail. "Mother of course."

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

A/N- Not too many chapters left! Thanks for sticking with me. I feel sorry for Sephiroth, because he really does love Cloud, but has handled the entire situation wrong. It's all a very sticky situation. I know this chapter is short, and I apologize, but I really just wanted Zack and Cloud to have some alone time. ...Not that it ended very well. I promise to update soon! Thanks again for the kudos and reviews! They really keep me going.