Chapter Text
Cloud was in a sour mood- nope. That didn’t cover it. He was simmering beneath a surface like boiling water under a lid, a walking migrain with a temper hanging on by a thread and he’d drank a single cup of lukewarm coffee (he wasn’t sure who made it) which he regretted drinking. The everlasting pounding in his skull had started this morning when woke up from the morning sun coming in from the windows of the inn that he and the rest of the Turks were staying at due to how long their mission was. That pounding feeling slowly intensified through the day, now blaring behind his eyes with every heartbeat like some twisted marching band on mako infused drums.
His reward for dragging himself through the morning like a half dead chocobo?
Babysitting Reno.
He exhaled sharply through his nose, arms crossed tightly over his chest in a protective stance, body half shadowed under the low branches of a gnarled tree. His shoulders were stiff, tense, his jaw clenched. There was a dull throb at the base of his skull, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between gloved fingers in a useless attempt to dull the pain. He was trying to ignore Reno- it was impossible. The red head’s voice grated against his nerves like nails on rusted metal.
“I’m just sayin’, this is bullshit,” Reno mumbled for the fifth- sixth?- time, kicking a loose rock off the path that he and Cloud were stationed on. “Backup team? Me? Do I
look
like a fuckin’ side character to you?”
Cloud didn’t answer. He didn’t trust himself too.
That morning before they had gotten on the helicopter to fly to wherever they were for the mission, Rude pulled him aside- monotone and unbothered as always- and said something vague about “
keep an on Reno today. And don’t let him blow anything up.
”
Lovely. Babysitter duty. Because apparently he was the designated adult this week. Handling Zack was better than this!
The blonde wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed- or, better, into the arms of his four boyfriends where the world would stop spinning and he could shut his eyes and he could relax. Sephiroth would do the thing where he ran cool fingers through his hair until he fell asleep. Angeal would make tea. Gen would either read poetry or Gaia knows what. Zack would, well. Zack would just be the puppy he was- warm and solid, real, buzzing with that golden retriever energy that somehow always made Cloud feel better even on bad days.
Instead of that blissful, domestic heaven?
He had Reno.
Loud, insufferable, obnoxious, chaotic Reno, whose voice was now stabbing into his head like a shuriken. Oh my
Gaia
, did he feel like strangling him.
Cloud shifted his weight, laying his head against the tree trunk with an inaudible sigh, closing his eyes for a brief moment, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. He only opened his eyes and glowered when Reno started nagging him again.
“You’re ignoring me,” Reno whined now. “You’re doing that where you get all silent and pissy and-.”
“And shut the fuck up before I shove your EMR so far up your ass that you’ll be lighting up like a fucking Christmas tree. Don’t you fucking joke either,” the blonde haired omega growled, blue eyes baring into the other’s turquoise ones. A quiet snarl escaped his throat after he snapped at the other omega.
The red head’s eyes were full of challenge, and when he opened his mouth- probably ready for another quip. “You’re in one of those moods, aren’t you? You could technically get away with, you know, leaving me. No one would blame you. I’d just say you got kidnapped or some shit- Tseng’d believe it. Probably.”
Cloud
snarled
, blue eyes sharper than a Masamune swing. The distant throbbing in his skull had gone from pulsing to pounding- only in minutes! Each syllable Reno uttered dragging its nails down to the inside of his brain. He could feel the migraine blooming behind his eyes now, hot and jagged, making his vision blur at the edges and his stomach churn. Every time Reno spoke, it was like nails on a chalkboard, nails hammering deeping into his temples. Of course he had the audacity to say that. The younger omega snarled again at Reno before he got a word out. “One more word out of your fucking mouth, I swear to fucking Gaia.”
The omega only a few feet away from him froze, mouth open slightly, brow arching as if daring Cloud to follow through. However, Cloud didn’t wait for him to test that theory. The blonde shoved himself off of the tree, his spikes catching in the too bright sunlight, eyes sharp and deliberate. He took a couple steps forward so now he was standing in front of the taller omega.
“I am
this
close to committing a felony,” Cloud hissed, thumb and forefinger held up with barely a sliver of space between them, showing just how pissed off the omega was. “Do you want to find out how deep you’ll be buried under the ground? Because I promise you, Reno, I will make it look like an accident. Do not test me.”
Reno opened his mouth again- because of course he did- and Cloud raised his hand, trembling not just with fury but the effort of keeping his muscles from locking up completely. His vision blurred, pain twisting behind his eyes like barbed wire. This headache was really going to town on him. The younger’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Say it. Say anything. You are dead. Your mate might kill me but I genuinely don’t care.”
And for once, Reno actually hesitated.
Cloud felt it in the air- the rare moment when the weight of his presence outmatched Reno’s recklessness. Something about the tight clench of his jaw, the wild, untamed Omega scent that now reeked of pain, frustration and near-feral anger, must have finally cut through the redhead’s idiocy. Cloud snarled, stumbled back half a step, a gloved hand coming up to clutch at his forehead. His breath hitched, nausea rising up. The sun was too bright, Reno was too loud, and everything was wrong. He was in distress. Any alpha knew when an omega was in distress and he hoped Rude and Tseng would notice, hoping they would finish soon so they could get back to HQ.
Five minutes later, Cloud was still slumped against the gnarled tree stump, arm crossed over his head and eyes screwed tightly shut, praying to Gaia that his PHS would buzz. He silently pleaded it was Tseng or Rude texting that they were heading back. The air around them was too warm, too heavy. It felt like he was breathing through steam. Cloud’s uniform stuck to his pale skin, sweat starting to bead at his temples, and the intense throbbing turned into full agony. His entire body pulsed with it. The tight coil of pain being his eyes turned into the sharpness of a dagger.
He didn’t register Reno anymore, not really. The other omega had gone silent, thank Gaia. He only shifted a few times but something was unreadable in his gaze- guilt? Concern? Or pure stunned silence from having witnessed Cloud Strife- the youngest and newest Turk, the quiet one, the composed one, fall apart and snap at him.
Cloud felt a subtle vibration against his leg. He fumbled for a second before managing to grab his PHS from his back pocket, reading the message from Tseng.
|
from Tseng
Heading back. ETA two minutes.
Cloud sighed a breath of relief without realising it. His shoulder slumped just slightly, as if those five words from Tseng had peeled away a layer of pressure. Cloud hadn’t even noticed how tense he was until relief trickled in. His fingers ached from how tightly he had been clenching them. His jaw too. Everything hurt. Everything felt like it was on fire.
Two minutes.
He could hold out for two minutes more right?
The rustling of Reno shifting from where he was sitting in the dirt met his ears again, but still no words. Maybe the older omega wasn’t as thick headed as he acted. Or maybe even Reno knew now wasn’t the time to crack a joke. Cloud swallowed around the dryness in his throat, letting his head loll against the tree back again. The wind had picked up slightly, rustling the leaves above, and it cooled the sweat along his neck. It didn’t do anything for the pounding in his skull or the feverish feeling he had running through his body.
His scent was sharp with distress. Too sharp. Even he could tell, and he knew the two alphas could. Elena could if she was either an omega or alpha, but she was a beta (she and Tseng made a cute couple). Cloud squeezed his eyes shut tightly. Everything in his body ached him to be home. He needed darkness, quiet. He needed the warmth of his alphas arms around him and a cold compress, and steady heartbeats beneath his cheek. Needed Zack to talk nonsense in a whisper to him. Needed Angeal’s steady hands. Genesis’ snarky affection. Sephiroth’s wordless, calm comfort.
He needed his alphas. His mates. His pack.
The faint rumble of a helicopter reached his ears just then and he straightened up- well, as much as he could without vomiting. The sound grew louder, wind whipping through the branches as the sleek black and grey Shinra chopper lowered from the sky. The moment the landing skids touched the ground, a familiar figure dropped from the open side door- Tseng, dark eyes, sleek black hair in a ponytail, and he scanned the area like a hawk.
Rude stepped out after him, then Elena in tow. Immediately the beta knew something was wrong with her omega colleague. She didn’t know what as she couldn’t pinpoint the scent but she knew. Cloud was off. Her brown knit together as she paused beside Tseng, her sharp eyes flickered from Reno- who, for once, actually looked remorseful- to Cloud slumped against the tree. Cloud wasn’t looking at them. His arms were crossed over his head, fingers twitching faintly as if every movement sent a fresh bolt of pain through him.
Rude moved first, and the omega barely lifted his head at the sound of shoes on grass. His vision was swimming, but the alpha’s shape- his scent too- was unmistakable- solid, steady, familiar. Rude didn’t say a thing, just crouched beside him and extended a hand. Cloud let out a slow, shaking breath, allowing himself to lean into the offered hand. Rude’s arm came up around his shoulder as he helped the omega stand, bracing him against his side.
No words were shared. Reno was on the other side of his mate, managing to steal a kiss from Rude before following him, Tseng and Elena back into the chopper. The alpha carefully led the distressed omega into the seat. The lights were dimmed and the low hum of the engine vibrated the walls with a rhythmic thrum that nearly lulled Cloud to sleep the second he sat down. He knew Rude hung back just in case. Reno sat beside Rude, silent as a mouse, but was there.
Cloud curled in on himself slightly, pressing his cheek against the cool wall, arms tight around his stomach. His body was screaming for rest, his head felt like it was going to explode, but his thoughts were drifting to the moment the chopper touched down on the HQ roof. To the elevator ride down to the SOLDIER 1st Class apartments. To that warm, dark space that smelled like sandalwood, leather, old books and the comfort of them.
His alphas.
He could hang on an excruciating long three hours back to Midgar.