Chapter Text
The impact of his feet slamming into the ground was more than he had expected, sending sharp vibrating pain all up his shins as he dropped to his knees and rolled forward, slamming into his shoulder with a painful crack that jolted pain up his neck and down his back. Scrambling up with his hands, the blonde sprung up, breaking in an immediate sprint as bright lights weaved over his back, followed by the shouts of men. His bare feet crushed the grass as he ran, the legs of his government-issued cotton pants scraping together as he bolted forward, chilled by the midnight air. Blue eyes swiveled around in every direction, though he dared not look behind as the sound of boots and gear clinking and creaking hit the air behind him.
“Stop!” The men repeated as their lights danced all around the blonde. His heart raced and twisted in panic, his breath scraped from the back of his throat with a nearly painful sensation. He wouldn’t be able to keep up his hard sprint. Already his ankles were starting to totter as a new but quickly understood heat began to rapidly build throughout his body. The drugs were wearing off, and a hoarse curse panted from his dry throat as the blonde blindly charged forward.
“Cloud!” The blonde took a quick glance to his left where a familiar voice had cracked. Surprise seized his fluttering heart to see Dave there, running in his matching pajamas. He had thought the brunette had decided against this reckless plan, even if he had been the one to whisper it into Cloud’s ear over breakfast the day before. Assailed with pumping adrenaline Cloud reached out his hand and the brunette reached forward; their fingertips scraped together when Dave suddenly gasped, his voice cut off as his eyes flew open wide and he froze, falling face first into the ground. Cloud nearly fell over before coming to a stop as he hurried back to grab the brunette only to find the young man with a dart in his back.
“I can’t move! Just go!” Dave cried as he sluggishly moved his arms and legs upon the grass.
“Remember, the entrance is under construction, it will be easy!” Dave cried, the octaves of his voice reaching cracking highs that dug into the base of Cloud’s spine and forced him to turn and run. As he turned to move, his eyes dared to scan behind them where the team of armed guards converged after them. Behind the rushing collection of bodies, the blonde could have sworn he saw a guard down on one knee, taking aim. Cloud broke into another hard sprint, panic twisting his face. He could not be caught, he couldn’t! It was starting to feel impossible, he didn’t even know exactly where it was though blonde had done his best to make an educated guess.
As Cloud bolted across the grassy plain the bouncing flashlights glinted off something metallic and he nearly shouted in joy upon making out the open pipe plastered with posters and caution tape. He nearly tore through the tape with just the momentum of his body, but he stopped long enough to rip at the tape, hearing the voices behind him increase in urgency. So close he could almost feel the ground shake from their heavy footfalls before he threw himself down the large pipe.
Luckily Cloud managed to grab onto one of the bars of a service ladder and slid the rest of the way down, the muscles of his biceps and hands straining to keep hold until he hit the ground. As expected the putrid smell of sewage wafted into his nose and runaway cadet gagged as he pinched his nose and followed quickly along the wall to his right with his right hand as a guide against the wall. He had to hurry, they would be right behind him. After nearly running off the cement ramping into the water, Cloud turned around a corner and pressed himself against the wall. The air was humid, increasing his nausea. It didn’t help his resistance to the building heat in his body, the sensitive tingle of his flesh, and the sharpening of his sense of smell. Pinching his nose as tight as he could, he waited, trying to hear over the rushing and pounding in his ears. Were they coming? But he heard nothing. No footsteps, only the slow churn of the sewer water. Knowing he could not linger, Cloud pushed from the wall and walked, hoping to find an exit as soon as he could.
It didn’t feel real. Like he was wading through a dream without a real body, even as his body continued to shiver stronger with each passing moment. It was awful. But so long as he was able to avoid alpha pheromones it seemed he might be able to endure it. At least until he could find some way to get his hands on suppressants. The fact that he needed them, including his frustrating current condition, it could not be denied, (though Cloud had tried quite fiercely to deny it), that he was an omega. Of all the situations, of all the rare chances. He was 18, how could he not go into heat until he was 18?! It was practically unheard of! 14-16. He heard it all his pubescent life! So much so that when he was diagnosed, the doctor had been surprised. The fact that he was at the top of his class of betas in basic training only made it more unusual.
~~~
“Your family has been a long line of betas it seems,” the doctor mused as he looked over his clipboard, appearing bored.
“Y-yes,” Cloud said, his breath stuttering from where he sat in a swivel chair, shoulders forward and hunched down. Why did this guy… they had met before when Cloud had taken a hefty blow to his gut during practice. The guy was just… a guy, not ugly or anything, but not attractive either. And yet… at that very moment… Cloud felt a powerful ache in his pants, he was hard as a rock and each inhale he took through the nose made his entire body feel electrified. So he opted for breathing through his mouth while trying to hide his erection. What the hell was wrong with him? Cloud had never once felt much of a desire to be in contact with others, being a rather solitary guy, but for some reason, he really wanted to feel hands on his skin. And it was terrifying. It started almost as soon as he walked into the office.
“What are your symptoms?” the man asked.
“Fever, shakes, I’m sweating like crazy. And it’s… it’s like everything everywhere is hypersensitive, even my nose,” Cloud muttered while suppressing a shiver when the doctor stood and walked over to him. Instinctively Cloud felt he should move away, but he found to his surprise that he also wanted to lean closer.
“It could be a severe infection, or perhaps you consumed… something. We’ll draw some blood and swab your mouth,” the man explained and Cloud failed to resist a hard shudder. Every time the doctor moved his coat caused a small wave of air to come the blonde’s way. Oh, God, his mouth was suddenly watery even though his body felt like it was burning up inside.
The tests were difficult to endure. Having his mouth swabbed was embarrassing with how much he was conscious of his watering mouth, and everywhere the doctor touched tingled like electricity, making his cock throb harder. And though he tried to ignore the notion, the blonde wanted to be touched more. Those hands felt too good, all of which made Cloud thankful for how baggy the military pants were. Usually being prodded with needles were of no consequence but with how sensitive his flesh seemed to be, it hurt, almost burned the whole time it was in. There was definitely something wrong. Maybe he was drugged with something?
“Wait here. The results will be ready in 15 minutes,” the doctor informed before he paused and brushed his long ponytail of brown hair back over his shoulder. “You really look overheated. Would you like some water?” Cloud nodded perhaps a little too quickly, for it made his whole world wobble.
15 minutes later and finally more in control of himself, Cloud was greeted by the doctor. And almost immediately the more humiliating symptoms returned, screaming to be mentioned though the young cadet refused to admit to anything so embarrassing. Only a soft, barely audible groan passed his soft pink lips as the doctor sat down and leaned forward, staring very hard at him, which made the blonde tense and recoil some.
“Cloud Strife. You are, from a family of betas, correct? Has there ever been any alphas or omegas in your bloodline not listed?” he asked and Cloud looked up, eyes hazy.
“N-no. Why?” The doctor’s brow creased as his lips pinched together while he looked down at the clipboard in his hands.
“It’s just… it’s extremely rare for there to be a deviation when the entire stock for generations has been the same class. Alpha families breed alphas, betas breed betas,” the doctor said as he looked up at Cloud who stared, a look of clear confusion and frustration twisting his brow.
“What are you saying?” Cloud said in a burst of breath which he quickly regretted when his heart rate accelerated and his breath suddenly left him, forcing him into another dizzy spell as the heat suddenly skyrocketed. “W-we’ve always been betas. Wh-what are you telling me?”
“I’ll get right to the point then. Despite your lineage you are an omega,” the doctor declared and any wind in Cloud’s sails deflated as he choked for a second while his heart rate soared, jumbling up his thoughts as his vision distorted.
“What?” he gasped when a ring suddenly went off in his ears.
“It’s almost hard to believe. While it does happen, there are mutations that sometimes occur in homogeneous gene groups, like your family of betas. The chances of a line of betas turning out an omega are about 12%, a lottery you almost never win. And though not as rare, but still quite up there, are omegas who flower late, having their first heat in their late teens and early twenties. You, Strife, have managed to win both of these proverbial lotteries.”
Cloud stared down at the floor between his legs, hands gripping his thighs so tight his fingertips began to ache.
“You’ll have to be put on suppressants as soon as possible. However, since omegas are not allowed to join the ShinRa military we do not have much of that sort of medication on hand. You’ll have to be isolated until we can medicate you. And then you will be discharged back to your family.”
Cloud’s ears burned at such words as his heart twisted in throws of deep, painful aches. He was an omega? How could he be one? How could he… have such horrible genetic luck? It couldn’t be true!
“Could you test me again?” the blonde asked, his voice a strained whisper as hot heat built up behind his eyes. Were his dreams dead? Really? Just like that? It couldn’t be true, it had to be a mistake.
“Test you again? It’s not necessary. It would be a waste of resources. The test was performed properly, and we double checked the results. It’s unfortunate that omegas test the same as betas until they have their first heat, triggering an influx of hormones and rapid change of the body’s physiological environment. We could perform a scan of your abdomen and confirm whether you have the internal parts, though I am absolutely confident it will only confirm our findings,” the doctor explained, his words a little bothered. Cloud’s jaw clenched as the painful twisting in his heart only grew more violent and heavy, filling his stomach with dread. It wasn’t… it really couldn’t. It couldn’t be true.
“I would try to think of the more positive aspects of this new change for you. You are the only omega to have such high marks in all the categories in which you were tested and trained while here at ShinRa. You were even above all the other betas in your class. You might have even been able to make SOLDIER third, which as an omega, would have been a historical moment. Take pride in your superiority. And think of the genes you will be passing on, your children could be quite blessed.”
“Superiority?” Cloud repeated, his words tense, working to come from his mouth.
“Ah, perhaps that was not the best choice of words. You are an anomaly Strife. Stronger, faster, and more mentally stout than most omega. I wouldn’t be surprised when we compare your charts to find you rather at the very top as far as omega performance. Strife?”
~~~~~
Cloud’s hands hit a long, cool metal rail and his heart flipped in his chest as he moved over and grabbed another, finding to his delight the horizontal bars that made up what could be none other than a ladder. Grabbing the ladder the blonde quickly ascended. To his surprise the ladder was incredibly tall, but the higher he climbed the more he could feel a slight crisp brush of night air. He was so close. Upon reaching the top Cloud found the handwheel and grabbed hold. It took much effort to turn it, the way it creaked and scraped its dry gears together was painful in its bite to the ears. And the horrible flaring heat and the weakening of his muscles as his heat grew worse with the exertion of his body made him nearly falter once before he finally managed to unlock and push the manhole open. As soon as the barrier gave way the chilled night air rushed in eagerly around Cloud, chilling his sweaty body and tussling his piked blonde hair while blasting away the remaining stench of the sewer.
Crawling up out of the manhole the blonde turned and closed it before he leaned back on his hands and stared up at the polluted sky. He was still on the upper plate it seemed, to be expected since he didn’t go down particularly far. Cloud looked at the business buildings around him, most of them closed though there was a bar a little down the road that was active. What sector was he in? With a grunt, Cloud stood up and wiped his hands on his pajama pants before finding and taking a narrow alleyway. It was hard to believe, but he had escaped. Now he had to figure out where to go. But first, he needed to find a place to hide and keep out of contact with other people until his heat passed. It was only his second heat, but he was figuring out how it affected him and had ideas on how to handle it until he could medicate.
“I’ve been waiting for you. Your midnight excursion ends here,” the deep rumble of a male voice made Cloud’s chest lock up tight. The blonde froze when his heart suddenly raced and flooded him with adrenaline. On the breeze at his back, a scent of indescribable pleasure drifted towards the blonde and his body was suddenly seized with intense heat while his mouth humiliatingly salivated. Cloud gasped and jerked to look behind him, nearly falling over when the horrible shivers returned. Standing tall at the alley entrance, haloed by the light of a foggy moon as his long hair fluttered in the breeze was the tall frame of a man who stood still, sharp eyes locked on Cloud. Any coherent thought in the cadet’s mind ceased, replaced with a stupor as the evident figure of his childhood hero, his role model, stepped into the alley.
“I wouldn’t bother running anymore. I will catch you,” the man declared. Suddenly the gears in Cloud’s mind spun, sputtering out of control. How could he be here? Why was he here? The man’s scent carried over on the wind, bathing Cloud as his cock once again hardened and the heat burned hotter than fire through his veins. A sickly expression creased the blonde’s rapidly flushing face as he stumbled back.
“No,” Cloud rasped as the General of Legend stepped forward. “I don’t want this.”
“I don’t either. I was quite set on a peaceful night until I happened to pass by during your escape. While commendable, you should not try to escape a fate you chose. If you weren’t certain you never should have signed the contract,” Sephiroth declared and Cloud whipped his head up, dizzying his vision as his breath left him. What was he talking about? Confusion bloomed in the blonde’s mind, battling for supremacy of his thoughts, dizzying him further before he did the only thing he could think of. Cloud gave a cry of defiance.
“No!” He turned and ran. But he did not make it far.