A/N: I have like five stories almost done and a couple more in the planning stages. Can't get them finished. Frustrating.
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy 7 & 8
Summary: Visiting Hours
Pairings: Cloud/Leon-Squall, Sephiroth/Zack, Cid/Vincent
Warnings: AU, OOC, Non-Canon, Homosexuality, Potential/Past Mpreg due to Mako, Swearing, Rinoa is a villain, Vincent Valentine from FF7. (He is Sephiroth's Father and Riku's Grandfather in my head canon.)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fan fiction. In certain cases incidents, characters and timelines have been changed for dramatic purposes. Certain characters may be composites, or entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
XXX
Radiant Rehabilitation Center
(A Few Years Before)
Officer Cloud Strife stood at attention behind the two-way mirror to the interrogation room. His rapturous gaze remained fixated on the young man cringing on the other side under the double weight of an impending jail conviction and crushing drug withdrawal. "What can I do to help?"
Detective Cid Highwind snorted from behind Cloud's shoulder. "Whut can ya not do? His twue wuv, Rinoa, is already slated for probation and community service. Sure helps when hated Daddy Dearest has the Mayor in his back pocket. Ah won't hold mah breath, though. Girl ain't nuthin' but bad. She'll get hauled in fer something else. Ah give it a month tops."
Cloud nodded in Squall Leonhart's direction. "And him. Who's around to help him?"
Cid rested an elbow on Cloud's shoulder. "Not a soul Ah can think of. Boy's from good stock. His pappie was a City Councilman and his Mama owned a small restaurant. Both were killed in a car accident. Ah first met Squall at the Boys' Club. Little kid already had his life planned out. Military, a big family, then a restaurant jest like his Mama's. Damned shame he met a drug-dealin' witch along the way."
Cloud ran a finger down the mirror, tracing Squall's pale reflection. "No public defender, Cid. Use Reeve's contacts and get him the best lawyer possible. I'm good for it. I never use any of my military pay. I'll get Squall settled at your house. I heard you call Vincent to get the spare room ready."
Cid chuckled. "Squall was the one kid Vincent warmed up to. Those two could talk guns and military history all day. Speakin,' of guns, yer gunna be deployed back inter the desert in a couple of months. Think it's enuff time fer courting?"
Cloud stepped back from the mirror. "I'm counting on marriage. If anything happens to me, I want Squall to get my full medical benefits and life insurance."
Cid tilted his head in awe. "Spiky, where's all this comin' from? Me and Vince got years of history with this kid. To you, he's jest a name on a piece of paper."
Cloud's focus veered away from Cid's piercing stare. "Yuffie may have been the one assigned to go undercover. Who do you think did all her paperwork and helped with surveillance?"
Cid clapped a firm hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Can't say Ah'm surprised. Yuffie never could spell to save her life. So yer the mysterious guy Squall keeps bringin' up."
Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "Yuffie was undercover. I wasn't. He never saw me in uniform. You remember how lost I was when I came back from the last tour. When I first saw Squall's face, I finally felt like I was home. He doesn't know me, but he's given me a reason to hope. To give life another try. Do you know what I mean?"
Cid directed Cloud to the connecting door to the interrogation room. "Fuck yeah. You always ask me how it was when Ah first met mah Vincent. There ya go. Now get in there and show that boy whut True Love actually feels like. Backstabbin' drug-dealin' witch bitches not included. Ah'll let Vincent know to leave the light on fer ya."
After closing the door behind him, Cloud slowly made his way to Squall's side. His vision filled with beautiful, wide blue-grey eyes. "We've never been introduced, Squall Leonhart, but I'm Officer Cloud Strife. You don't have to worry about counsel. Cid's getting you a top lawyer."
Squall couldn't help but guffaw. "With what? Unlike my now ex-girlfriend, I don't have a rich, influential daddy to bail me out. I don't have anything anymore."
Cloud gently clasped one of Squall's shaking hands. "You have me."
Squall attempted to pull his hand away to no avail. "I don't know you! I thought of Yuffie as a little sister, only to find out she was an undercover cop. I believed you were a weird stalking homeless man, instead you're a highly decorated Special Forces reservist."
Cloud drew slightly away in surprise.
Squall's wan face lit up with a small smile. "Yuffie may be a cop, but she'll always be the little sister I never asked for. She also may have spilled your whole life story during the car ride here. Yuffie was right about one thing. You look really nice in your police uniform. So clean and shiny. Losing the fake beard, stinky clothes, and permanent dirt tan helps. I've been informed I will be staying at Cid's while I'm withdrawing. Will you be stalking me there too?"
Cloud bent over to kiss Squall's hands. "Count on it."
XXX
(A Few Years Later)
Cloud kissed his newborn baby's forehead, then sat back on one of the Visiting Room's couches. "Cid, I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't have brought Sora. Squall was sicker than a dog during my last visit and that was after two weeks in withdrawal."
Cid slumped in the metal chair he had dragged over earlier. "Kin needs kin, Spiky. Jest 'cause he's sick doesn't mean Squall can be without his baby, though Rinoa did her darndest to convince him otherwise."
Cloud ruffled Sora's hair. "Squall stayed clean for years until she showed up again. Herbal tea. A baby gift from one old friend to another. That bitch had my Light drinking hardcore synthetic drugs for months before she confessed what she'd been slipping him. We're just lucky Sora was born healthy. That he was born at all. If Squall or Sora had died because of her… Doesn't matter. She'll get hers."
Cid leaned in to whisper. "Cloud, yer an officer of the law. You lose everything if you get caught."
Cloud bristled with barely hidden rage. "If you're going to tell me to let it slide and forgive her-"
Cid hooted and slapped his knee. "Fuck no! Ah'm jest sayin' when things get done, make sure to do it yerself, and leave nuthin' fer the bloodhounds to sniff back to you."
Cloud deflated with relief. "Noted. Where's Zack and Riku? They walked across the park with us, then disappeared after we signed in."
Cid crooked his thumb towards the outside hallway. "Zack's been marchin' back-and-forth non-stop since we got settled. Riku's hangin' on like a noose. Some strong arms on that boy."
Hearing the locked door behind them open, both men shot up and turned around.
Zack ran in and came to a skidding stop. His muscular arms straining to contain his squirming two-year-old. "Riku! Quit with the wiggling. If you're rowdy, we'll get kicked out and we won't get to see Mama."
Riku instantly quieted and stuck his fingers in his mouth. "Maaaamaaaa."
Zack's face lit up when a wavering Sephiroth entered the room with Vincent carefully guiding him. "Ask and ye shall receive. Over here, Angel. Cid saved us our usual couch. Thanks, Vincent."
Vincent nodded a hello and made Riku giggle with a tight hug and an uncharacteristic loud raspberry to a red cheek. He waved to Cloud as he sauntered over to Cid's warmth.
Focused on the still open door, Cloud flinched when a unsure hand clasped his shoulder from behind.
Whirling around, Cloud relaxed when he viewed Squall's tired beautiful face. His smile turned into a frown when, instead of accepting Sora into his arms, Squall crossed his arms against his chest. "I forgot you had been moved to the other wing. Don't be this way, Squall. Sora missed you."
Squall shook his head and backed away. "I'm a horrible, weak mother. I don't deserve either one of you. I would've stayed in my room, but Aerith wouldn't leave me alone."
The temporary stand-off came to an end when Aerith came around from the nurses' station, took Sora from Cloud, plopped the newborn into Squall's arms, and pointed towards the one empty couch left. "Visiting time isn't forever. Quit acting stupid towards each other and make up."
After sitting down, Squall quit resisting and littered Sora's sweet face with kisses. "This is what I hate the most. He's already grown so big. I've missed so much. If Rinoa had her way, Sora wouldn't be here at all. I always remember her laughter when I collapsed in the kitchen. Damned tea. The drugs she fed me. I don't think she cared what it would do to the baby."
Cloud ran his fingers along Squall's tear-stained cheek. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I promised to love and protect you from all harm."
Squall lowered his head further. "You're wrong. Her lies about sobriety and redemption. I believed in all of them. As soon as Rinoa smiled at me, I reverted back to an eighteen-year-old moron. I should've known it was because Seifer had finally ditched her for good. He's lucky Zell took him back."
Cloud scooted over to embrace Squall's shaking frame. "Rinoa's in custody. Like you warned, she ran straight to Seifer. Zell contacted us and Seifer kept her occupied until the cops showed up. Of course, her father's lawyer arrived at the station before she did. Since she's a flight risk, she's on temporary house arrest."
Squall rested his exhausted frame against Cloud's firm body. His precious baby's scent filled his senses and strengthened his resolve to heal and return home. "As long as Rinoa's alive, Sora and any other children I have will be in danger. I don't need to know the details. Just tell me when I don't need to worry anymore."
Cloud's electric-blue gaze wandered over to Zack's across the way. Their mutual nod was silently acknowledged by Cid, Vincent, and Aerith. "Okay. Lookee there. I think our baby boy's hungry. I'll get his bottle out of the bag."
XXX
Zack continued to run his hand up-and-down Sephiroth's arm while his love rocked their son to-and-fro. "No, I'm not mad. I knew what I signed up for when I married you. Hell, we first met on the psych ward."
Sephiroth smiled into Riku's silky hair. "Except you weren't a patient. You were the new orderly tasked to keeping me in line until you were called back into military service."
Zack ran his fingers through the long silver hair of Sephiroth's ponytail. "Good times. Had more sex than in high school and I was prettier back then."
Sephiroth swayed into Zack's caresses. "Impossible. When you were deployed, I counted the days until your return. When you came back to me, unbathed for a week, still covered head-to-toe in desert sand. I never wanted you more."
Zack sniggered in remembrance. "Riku was truly made with love."
Sephiroth settled Riku between them, so the toddler could play with Zack's phone. "Yes, he was."
Zack freed Sephiroth's hair from its plastic band. "I still don't understand it. The pregnancy stabilized your mental problems and you went back on your meds right after. Since Riku's birth, you fought and kicked to stay out of the hospital. Why would you drop your meds cold turkey?"
Sephiroth tipped his head forward so his silvery locks hid his troubled face. "A poor decision for the best reason. I'm pregnant again. Except for Cid, I believe you are the one person who knows the full extant of my mother, Lucrecia's, misdeeds. My sanity is nothing compared to our new baby's health."
Recovering quickly from the shock, Zack flung his arms around his lifelong partner and mother of his children. "Come here you! Of course, you'd never hurt our babies. You're nothing like your mother, Lucrecia. Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. Fancy-pants way of saying she was slowly killing you and Vincent softly."
Riku squawked at being squeezed between his parents. Wiggling himself free, the little boy slid down to sit on the floor with a grin and continue his game.
Zack drew Sephiroth's arms away from his belly to cover the tiny baby bump with kisses. "And I thought I would be the one with all the good news. I finally received confirmation from Tseng. You are now being showered with belly kisses from the newest employee of Shinra Personal Security. No military reserves, either. I'm done. Just like I promised."
Sephiroth sunk sideways on the couch in relief. "Thank God. Our family has already sacrificed enough to the military. I was so worried. I truly believe I would not have been able to get through this pregnancy with you gone again. Since I've been stabilized, my father and I will be released by Friday. Please make sure the house is clean. Not 'shoved-under-the-bed-and-closets' clean."
Zack moved his kisses from Sephiroth's belly to his cheek. "I'll have Tifa spot me. She'll remind me what clean actually looks like."
XXX
Vincent continued to soak in Cid's love through his secure embrace. His crimson eyes darting to-and-fro, ensuring his surroundings remained safe for his family. "Cid, is there something you need to tell me?"
Cid refused to raise his head from Vincent's soft neck. "You're beautiful."
Vincent snorted and wiggled the fingers of one hand towards Riku across the way. His parents engrossed in talks about redoing the nursery. "Tell me something I don't know, Highwind. Perhaps something to do with my ex-wife and her non-stop unwanted correspondence to you, my husband of twenty-years."
Cid turned his head to return Riku's grin. "Radiant Rehabilitation's sprung a leak. Lucrecia or one of her rich stooges has a snitch on the payroll. She knows about Seph's new baby. The bitch is already writing about the vulgar 'imperfections' the baby could inherit from Zack. Of course, all would be well if Sephiroth just gave custody of Riku and the new baby over to her. Crazy bitch always forgets she's on Death Row for crimes against humanity."
Vincent drew Riku up to settle on his lap, while Cid breathed in Vincent's cherished scent. "Zero in in the current Director's actions. While my old friend, Veld, procured the necessary blackmail material to ensure I was roomed with Sephiroth, the Director kept an ongoing record of my daily caretaking of my son."
Cid hummed against Vincent's smooth collarbone. "Director it is. Although, on paper, you and yer demonic personalities can still pass fer crazy. It was never documented y'all get along fine and decided to not integrate into one."
Vincent's eyes spiraled between crimson and gold. "Nonsense. The others encased inside my soul feed my fire to protect my friends and family. I commit myself whenever Sephiroth needs my help. Crazy is easy to fake. It is the actions of the truly insane which chills my bones."
Vincent tipped Cid's head, so he could see his beloved's sky-blue gaze. "Lucrecia has been on Death Row for twenty years. The lawyers will make sure justice will never be served for my son and the others she terrorized. The love for this new baby already fills my heart. If anything should happen to the baby or Riku…"
Cid ran his fingers along Vincent's mouth to shush his love. "Ain't gonna happen, Vince. Consider our problem taken care of. Ah'll make sure of it. Heck, I had a plan in place five minutes after Ah first met ya. Jest waitin' on yer say so."
Vincent sealed the deal with a deep kiss which curled Cid's toes and a deep whisper. "It's not murder if it's self-defense."
Cid sniggered. He thought he held his kin close to his heart. "Lucrecia's been haranguing the Governor for a transfer to a better facility for months. Be a damned shame if she escaped custody. Damned miraculous but doable."
Vincent cuddled both Cid and Riku closer. "Worry not, my love. I may be retired, but I shall always be a Turk. The Turks will ensure Lucrecia escapes to a destination of your choosing."
Cid surveyed the room and received an affirmative nod from both Cloud and Zack. His boys had planned on being mercenaries from the get-go, Cid had only killed in the line of duty. Well, justice was justice.
Cid whistled through his teeth. "Was a good man befer Ah loved you, Vincent Valentine."
Vincent repositioned Riku on his lap and kissed Cid's chin. "You were good. I made you better."