Fic: After the World's End - Chapter 18
Title: After the World’s End
Chapter: 18/19
Author: xpaperplanex
Rating: NC-17 overall
Word Count: ~4700
Pairings: Sephiroth/Cloud
Genre: adventure, hurt/comfort, alpha/omega
Warnings: non-con
Chapter 1
Summary: Offered up as payment to an alpha for ridding the town of monsters, Cloud discovers that the outside world is vastly different than he expected, and that he could play a role in changing it.
Sephiroth never wanted to mate, preferring his independence as a SOLDIER that allows him to travel the world at his leisure. When he finds himself caring for a traumatized omega, however, his values start to shift.
***
“SOLDIER units are moving into position now.”
“Copy that.” Lazard sounded so calm and collected. Cloud had no idea how he managed it. Even hearing Sephiroth’s voice on the radio wasn’t enough to quell the fear that churned in his guts as he waited in the command truck. What if it all went wrong? What if something had happened since Tifa saw Essai? What if he had been caught? What if-
“Cloud.” Tseng placed his hand over Cloud’s and squeezed. “It’s going to be okay.”
“But we don’t have a complete map or proper numbers or-”
Lazard squeezed his hand as well. “If my SOLDIERs can’t pull this off just because of a few unknowns, they don’t have any business calling themselves SOLDIERs.”
“What if they get hurt?”
“Have you ever seen Sephiroth get hurt?” Tseng asked gently.
Cloud shook his head. He hadn’t, and he knew that Sephiroth wouldn’t have okayed going in now if he wasn’t confident. As much as Sephiroth was worried for Essai after hearing Tifa’s report about his declining health, Cloud knew that, like all mated alphas, his own omega was his priority. He wouldn’t risk leaving Cloud alone for anyone. It was why Lazard didn’t really like SOLDIERs mating.
“It’s going to be okay.”
He nodded, trying his best to believe it, and put on a brave face as the various units began to report that they were in place.
“Ready to move on your orders,” Sephiroth said over the radio.
Cloud took a deep breath. “All units, begin Operation Storm Cloud. I still think that name’s ridiculous,” he added under his breath.
“I love it,” Tseng said as they watched the dots on the screens that represented that SOLDIERs begin to move into the old mining tunnel carved into the side of the mountain. Some began to drop their signals, but they quickly reappeared when one of Scarlet’s signal boosters was put into place. They moved fast and began to branch out, separating to go down what must have been diverging corridors. “You’re taking the world by storm.”
***
Essai squeezed Sebastian's hand so tightly his knuckles crunched. "Sorry," he whispered, but didn't loosen his grip. Any moment now. If the past two months hadn't just been a bunch of lies, it was going to happen any moment now.
The omegas in the dorm were all noticeably tense. It had been such a relief when he had been allowed to tell them what had actually been going on when he was requested by the sadistic beta woman. Nobody had balked at the plan. Nobody had argued. Now he just had to hope that nobody had betrayed them. He was sure they wouldn't. The idea of leaving … the idea that there was somewhere better than here … it had gripped them all like a fevered dream. They were getting out.
"Open up, hole. I'm bored."
He didn't resist as one of the guards approached and unzipped his pants. He opened his mouth and let him fuck his face. He didn't choke or try to keep him from going too deep. He didn't care. This would be the last time. They were getting out.
"What the fuck is wrong with everyone today? Come on, work, bitch." The guard pulled out and slapped him across the face hard enough to make his ears ring, then shoved back in. "Suck it properly or you’ll be cleaning the toilets with your tongue."
Out of the corner of his eye, Essai saw someone’s head dart out briefly around the door frame, then several people in black ran quickly past. They were keeping low to the ground and had weapons in their hands. SOLDIERs. That had to be them. He looked straight ahead and focussed on keeping the guard's attention, sucking his cock like it was Sebastian's. Several minutes passed, during which Essai lost track of how many people went past their door. He knew from Tifa that they were trying to get in as far as possible before they attacked.
"This is SOLDIER,” someone shouted in a booming voice. “Step away from the omegas and put your hands in the air."
Essai bit down as hard as he could.
Blood sprayed over him, filling his mouth and choking him, but he kept his teeth clamped down as the guard screamed and hit him. It was only when his fist connected with his nose that he let go. As he started to spit, his eyes went wide as Sebastian flew past him. He pummelled the screaming guard until Essai came to his senses and pulled him away, dragging him towards the relative safety of their beds.
SOLDIERs were flooding into the room, and he heard banging and shouting from outside. They moved faster than Essai could process, pulling guards away from the omegas and tackling them to the ground. They cuffed their hands behind their backs and shoved gags in their mouths before dragging them to the corner by the entrance.
"It's okay. We're okay," he whispered in Sebastian's ear, hugging him close. "We're going to be okay."
A uniformed man approached them, staring at the guard with wide eyes. "Nicely done!" he exclaimed. "Are either of you hurt?"
He shook his head. His nose was throbbing, but he didn't think it was broken.
"Dorm room C is ours." The man spoke into a device on his shoulder. "No injuries in the attack, but we might eventually want to send a medic along if we're feeling nice. One of the guards seems to have misplaced his penis."
"Zack, do you need a medic or not?" The voice that replied sounded annoyed.
"Sorry, Cloud. Yes, but it's lowest priority."
"Rodger. If the dorm is secure, take your unit to the lower levels. Angeal needs backup."
"Understood."
"That was Cloud?" Essai couldn't help but speak. The mysterious omega who was organizing everything actually existed? Tifa had told him so many stories about him while he was resting after the surges of his heat that he seemed more like a hero out of a book than a real person.
The man tilted his head curiously. "You Essai?" When he nodded, a smile spread across the man's face. "Man, I've heard so much about you. Seriously, nice fucking job with the biting! I'm SOLDIER First Class Zack, and yeah, that was Cloud. He's looking forward to meeting you. And you must be Sebastian. Thanks for helping Essai out. We've been so worried about you all."
He turned and addressed the room at large. "Listen up, everyone, I understand that you're probably frightened, but we're here to help you. I need you to stay here until the entire place is secured. Five of us will remain as guards to protect you. If you need anything, if you're hungry, injured, or going into heat, anything at all, tell them. They will not hurt you. Everyone not on guard duty, regroup in the hall. We're backing up Angeal's unit."
One of the SOLDIERs came over and looked down at the guard Essai had bitten. "Are we sending him with the rest of the prisoners?"
Zack sighed disappointedly. "No, I called for a low priority medic. Just cuff him and make a passing attempt at keeping him from bleeding out."
"Fuck you," the guard spat out. "Get me a fucking medic now."
The second man just laughed and roughly handcuffed him. "Now, now, take your punishment for putting your cock where it doesn't belong like a good little boy, you piece of shit." He dragged him away from Essai and Sebastian, then returned with a cloth and a bottle of water. "You okay? Can I help wipe you off a bit? I saw him punch you and want to check out your nose."
Essai trembled as he let the SOLDIER, who introduced himself as Kunsel, get some of the blood off and inspect his nose. He couldn't smell him like he could the blankets Tifa had brought, but assumed that was due to the blood clogging up his nose. Sebastian didn’t seem frightened of him, at least, and was even sniffing at him curiously. "Looks like it's bleeding, but not broken. That's good. Just pinch it like this and keep your head down to let the blood drain. It should stop soon."
Two of the other SOLDIERs who had remained behind were moving around the room, checking injuries and wrapping blankets around shoulders. One stood watching over the guards. His entire posture was menacing, and it looked like he wanted to hurt them. The final SOLDIER watched the door. He had a radio as well, and Essai could hear a few bits of the reports that were coming through.
What they called the rape rooms were being secured. Essai suspected those were the entertainment rooms where they would serve clients. Someone was asking for help with the omegas in heat. Cloud's calm voice responded that the heat team was on its way and to not touch the omegas. A while later he informed them that all the dormitories had been secured. Sometime after that, Essai hadn't been able to hear what was said, but the SOLDIER turned to the room.
"Sephiroth found Corneo! He's got the scumbag in custody!"
The SOLDIERs gave a loud cheer, and even the omegas murmured amongst themselves. Essai could hardly believe it. Don Corneo was practically a god, and yet …
"Did he manage to fall on Sephiroth's sword?" one of the SOLDIERs asked.
"I fucking wish. I know they want to do the whole trial thing to keep us from looking like mass murderers, but I really just want to kill them all now. Slowly." The man watching the tied-up guards pointed his sword at one of them. “Skin them alive or something fun like that.”
"My vote's for Essai's method," Kunsel said. "Let these guys get a little revenge."
Sebastian nodded, making Essai laugh. It was probably the most responsive he'd been towards anyone other than him in years. "I dunno, I don't think I want one of their cocks near my mouth ever again."
"Good point," Kunsel said. "Tell you what, I'll bite them off in your stead. You're a hero, after all. You deserve a reward, and if you’d like it to be in the form of bitten off cocks, I’ll lend my teeth to the cause."
"Fuckin' right," the SOLDIER by the guards said. He snapped his teeth at them. "I don't mind some rapist’s dick in my mouth if I get to chomp down."
"Settle down," the one at the door said. "They've taken the nursery. That’s the last place. Turks will be moving in soon."
***
Reno ran with his team, following the trail that the SOLDIERs had left. Second Class Amin was waiting for them, and he waved them down the correct hall. “This way. We’ve found six in the area we’ve got secured. Nobody’s touched them, just got the betas out. We’ve been trying to talk to them, though, telling them that help’s coming.”
“Thanks, we’ve got it from here.” Rude directed each of them to the different rooms Amin pointed out.
Reno accidentally stepped on the naked beta who had been hauled out of the room he was assigned to, grinding his heel into his ankle a little as he passed. The beta had been shouting about how he had paid good money and they couldn’t do this to him, but Reno greatly preferred his scream of pain.
The omega in the room was desperate, in his presentation pose and bucking his hips frantically while he begged to be fucked.
“I’ve got you, baby.” Reno slung his bag off his shoulder and ripped the sterile packaging off one of the dildos in it. He lubed it up and didn’t hesitate before inserting it into the omega. “There you go. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”
The omega sobbed as he was penetrated and Reno began thrusting. He kept his pace steady and pulled out a thin blanket with his other hand, draping it over the young man to preserve a bit of his modesty. He attempted to get the cuffs that bound the omega’s wrists to the headboard off him, but couldn’t manage it one-handed.
“I’ll get those off as soon as you’re comfortably knotted, don’t you worry.” The omega nuzzled against him, relaxing a little bit, then he came with a soft cry. “There we go. Good job. Another couple and we’ll get you knotted. You’re gonna be just fine.”
“Everything okay in here?” Rude stood in the doorway with a young omega balanced on his hip. He had a blanket wrapped around him and was clinging to Rude with his nose firmly planted against his scent gland. He couldn’t have been more than eleven or twelve, and Reno nearly sobbed at the sight. Tifa had told them about how clients were allowed to rape the trainees who were sent in to help when an omega was knotted.
“Yeah, I, uh, I can’t get these cuffs off him.”
His mate, who was even more taciturn than usual due to him purring for the kid he was carrying, approached the bed, and between the two of them, they managed to get them undone. They rolled the omega over into a more comfortable position, and Rude took a thicker blanket off a shelf and tucked it around him before heading for the door.
“Good job, baby,” Reno said when the omega came a second time. He frowned when he heard a small whimper. “Do you need another or …”
Rude turned back and lifted the blanket covering him for a moment. “Knot him now, he’s ready.”
“Okay.” He fully inserted the dildo, then inflated the knot. Once it was fixed in place, he turned back to his bag and got out the heat suppressants and a bottle of water. He stroked the omega’s cheek with his finger. “Hey, baby, can you understand me?”
The omega gave a frightened nod.
“Good. I’m so sorry for the lack of introductions and permission, but you were in a lot of pain and needed help. My name is Reno, and I’m a Turk from Shinra. Did you know we’d be coming?”
He got another nod.
“Wonderful. I’m glad Essai was able to get the message to you. I’m sorry we didn’t get here before your heat started though. Did he tell you about the heat suppressants?”
Another nod.
“Would you like to take them? Finish your heat sooner and get out of this hellhole?”
“Please.” Tears began to stream down the omega’s cheeks, and Reno rocked him in his arms after giving him the pills.
“There we go. It’s okay now. I’m going to take care of you until we get you to safety. You’re never going to go through that again.”
***
Cloud’s boots echoed off the walls of the tunnels. Closer to the entrance where the paying rapists were served had been a bit nicer. Here, however, it was just stone tunnels under the mountain. Gaia, it would be cold and miserable in winter.
“Cissnei, report,” he said to the Turk as he approached what he assumed were the dormitories.
Cissnei glanced up from her clipboard. “Five dorms here consisting of about fifty to sixty omegas each. Two hold the omegas who were rented out within the business, and three have post-pubescent, pre-heat omegas. From speaking to them, it appears that one dorm was destined for private sales, and the other two were for replenishing the population here.”
“Okay, and you’ve started a list of names and prioritizing the order we’re moving them out in?” They simply hadn’t been able to arrange enough vehicles to move everyone at once, so they were going to go in stages, from the most urgent cases to the least.
“Doing my best. It appears that their names are extremely limited, and the pre-heat omegas don’t have names at all. I’ve got six Essais in here alone. They’re passed on from older omegas once they enter the … final dorms.” She took a deep breath, allowing them both to process the fact that they were final because the unmated omegas most certainly died. The mass grave Angeal’s unit had discovered deep in the caverns would be evidence of that, among other crimes. Cloud was certain that any beta babies wouldn’t have been allowed to live. “I think the initial ones must have had names, but after that, they just recycled them … They all have unique numbers, though, so I’ve been using them as additional identifiers for now.”
Cloud made a face. “I don’t like that, but I guess it will have to do.”
“I’ve got eleven who are beyond needing to mate, including Tifa’s Essai. She was right about that. I put them as a top priority.”
“Okay, I’ll have Vincent get the alphas back in Midgar ready so they’ve at least got a few options. Doctor Gast says their heats will trigger pretty quickly once they’re exposed to unmated alphas, and neither the suppressants nor the inhibitors will do much, so make sure you keep them separated. I don’t want anyone having to mate here.”
“Understood. I’ll arrange for Elena to fly them back with a strictly beta or mated team to accompany them.”
“Is it okay if she goes without you?”
Cissnei gave him a blank look. “We’re married, Cloud, not mated.”
He blushed, feeling embarrassed. Marriage still seemed a lot like mating to him, and he couldn’t imagine being okay with going so far from Sephiroth, even if he didn’t need him. “Right. I’d like to meet Essai first. Where is he?”
“Just in here. Don’t worry, the blood mostly isn’t his.”
Cissnei led him slightly further down the hall to a room full of uncomfortable-looking beds. Turks milled around the omegas, who were wrapped in Shinra-issue blankets and cuddling with each other.
“Do your best to make sure that friends stay together,” he said as he took in the prison. “Their lives have been disrupted enough.”
“Yes, sir. Essai is there.”
Cloud made his way through the beds to the pair that Cissnei pointed out. One was licking the other’s scent glands, and they didn’t notice him coming until he was right next to them. The one being licked opened his eyes partway, then they went wide.
“Cloud? Are you Cloud?”
“Oh, um, yes.” He glanced down at his chest and laughed, having forgotten about the name badge sewn to his combat uniform. “Are you Essai?”
The omega nodded, and his friend finally seemed to take notice of him and looked up. “You’re really an omega?”
“I am.” He looked around curiously at the attention they were attracting from the others. They were murmuring his name and pointing him out to people out of hearing range. They all started creeping closer. “I wanted to thank you for your help. We couldn’t have done this without it.”
Essai shook his head as he began to cry. “Tifa said, but … I thought for sure … you’re really real? You really did all this for us?”
“Essai …” Cloud reached out and cupped his cheek. What kind of hero had they built him up as? “I’m real, and I’m so grateful to you.”
He gave a loud sob. "I'm too old. I don't know what they do with us when we get too old, but we never see them again. I was so scared. I didn't want to leave Sebastian all alone. Then Tifa said … she said you were coming. That you'd save us and that I wouldn't have to. She said you'd take care of Sebastian too. I didn't-I was so scared to believe it, but-"
"Shh, it's okay now." Cloud crouched and wrapped his arms around the two omegas. "We'll take care of both of you. You don't need to be scared anymore. Neither of you will be alone. But Essai, has anyone explained to you about mating?"
The omega shook his head. "Not other than what Tifa said. That alphas and omegas mate with each other, but I don't really know what she meant by it."
"Okay, can I sit down?” He sat next to Essai, and Sebastian cuddled up against his other side, going back to licking his scent glands. It was odd behaviour. If Sebastian were an alpha, he’d assume that he was preparing to mate. Tifa had told them that Essai and Sebastian had a sexual relationship, but that wouldn’t lead to mating urges between them, would it?
Cloud quickly rethought his world view when he leaned in to inhale Essai’s scent. The remaining blood on him had masked it, but the omega was definitely going into heat, despite it having just ended eight days ago when Tifa saw him to explain the plan. Sebastian pushed him aside and eased Essai down onto his back.
“Sorry, I don’t … I think … feels like heat.” Essai clutched tightly to Sebastian, looking confused, but definitely like he wanted the other omega there.
“Shh, it’s okay. Sebastian, I need you to wait. Keep licking him if he likes it, but don’t do anything more.”
The silent omega glanced at him briefly, then went back to ignoring his presence. Cloud backed up and got on the radio. “I need to speak to Doctor Gast,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir. It’ll be a couple minutes to connect to him.”
“I don’t have a couple minutes; this is an emergency.” He looked around the room and waved Cissnei over. “Essai’s going into heat,” he explained. “Go find a volunteer to mate him.”
She looked at the bed and her eyes widened, then she nodded and ran out, shouting orders to the other Turks. In the brief moment he had looked away, Sebastian had gotten Essai out of his clothes and was in the process of undressing himself.
“Sebastian, I need you to wait,” he repeated, but the omega wasn’t listening. “Essai needs to mate. He needs an alpha.”
He was considering whether or not he should pull Sebastian away when his radio crackled to life. “Cloud, Gast here, what’s the problem?”
“Can an omega mate with another omega?” he asked quickly.
There was silence for a few moments, then the doctor replied. “I suppose it might be possible if the pair has a strong enough bond to begin with. What’s the situation?”
Cloud explained as briefly as he could. “What should I do?”
“Let them proceed for now. Have an alpha ready to take over if it becomes apparent that it’s not working. It might, however, and if they want to be together, I don’t think we should deny them the chance to try. It would certainly be better than being stuck with a total stranger. Sebastian will have to use a dildo to knot him when the time comes, of course, and you might need to guide him. The alpha is always the one to initiate the mating, and so Sebastian might not know what to do.”
“Okay, he has to bite first, right?”
“Correct, the alpha will bite as he’s ejaculating, and then allow the omega to reciprocate when he begins to knot. It might be difficult to time, since being castrated means that Sebastian may not climax and probably won’t ejaculate, but do your best to gauge when Essai is nearing needing the knot. It might help to have a mated alpha assisting as well.”
“Okay, thank you. I'll keep you updated.” He looked up as Zack ran in.
“Second Class Kunsel has volunteered, should I bring him in?”
“Not yet.” He went over Gast’s instructions as a few people set up some makeshift curtains around the pair, giving them some privacy. “Will you stay and help me?”
“Of course. Let me just tell Kunsel what’s going on.”
Cloud was greeted with a loud growl from Sebastian when he ducked around the curtain. Essai was fully lost in his heat, and Sebastian was already fucking him.
“It’s okay, I’m not going to stop you, but I need to make sure that everything’s okay.”
Zack got growled at as well when he entered, but Sebastian was distracted again when Essai came.
“Fuck, I hope this works,” Zack whispered. “I do not want to have to force them apart.”
It was an awkward wait. Though Cloud knew that neither of them really cared at the moment, he felt bad for watching what should have been a private event. Zack looked equally uncomfortable, but he was paying close attention despite it.
“Okay, I think it’s about time,” he said after over half an hour.
Cloud moved up to the head of the bed while Zack got the dildo ready. Essai had his neck exposed, but it seemed that Gast was right, and Sebastian didn’t actually know what he needed to do.
“Sweetheart,” he said softly, touching Sebastian’s face to get his attention. “You need to bite him. He needs you to mate him.”
He guided the omega’s head down, but while he nuzzled and licked Essai’s scent gland, he didn’t bite.
“Shit, he’s not-”
Sebastian suddenly cried out. His hips jerked like he was coming, and then he sunk his teeth into Essai’s neck. Cloud glanced around to see that Essai had a couple fingers in Sebastian’s ass, and he laughed in relief.
“Guess they learned to make do,” he said to Zack.
“Thank fuck,” Zack said. “We should’ve thought of prostate stimulation. Okay, good job, Sebastian. He needs a knot now, so ease up.” Zack gently pulled Sebastian’s hips back just far enough that he slipped out, then set the dildo at Essai’s entrance and wrapped Sebastian’s hand around it. “There you go, give him what he needs.”
Sebastian let go of Essai’s neck and pushed it into him, and Zack pressed the button to inflate it. The budding knot made Essai come again, and Cloud didn’t have to guide Sebastian to expose his scent gland. The omega willingly tilted his head to the side and lifted Essai’s head to him, cradling him gently as Essai reciprocated the bond. As soon as Essai let go, Sebastian shuffled up and slipped his new mate’s erection into himself before cradling him close and beginning to purr in a remarkably similar manner to an alpha.
“Good job, you two,” Zack murmured as he wrapped a blanket around them. “I don’t have much experience in confirming these things, so we should probably get Tseng to make sure, but they both smell properly mated to me. Reversing their positions is probably helping mimic the connection they can’t get while the dildo’s in. Let’s get them some water and something to eat, then give them some privacy.”
Cloud emerged from the makeshift room to see that the dormitory had been cleared out, but Tifa was waiting with a tray of food and water.
“Is he okay?” she asked immediately.
“I think so. I think it worked.”
“Oh, thank Gaia. When Cissnei said he’d gone into heat, I couldn’t bear it if-He really does love Sebastian, so that’s wonderful they can be together.” She held out the tray. “Here. I’ll contact Doctor Gast and let him know.”
“Thanks, Tifa. Can you ask Tseng to come up as well when he has a minute? I think he’s still in the nursery.”
Sebastian remained silent, but Cloud was relieved to see him otherwise caring for Essai the way an alpha would. He tasted everything before giving it to his mate, but didn’t eat or drink anything else until Essai had had enough and snuggled up with his eyes closed.
“Doing okay, Sebastian?” Cloud asked.
The omega looked up from his mate and nodded before exaggeratedly miming pulling Essai towards himself. Cloud wasn’t certain what he meant, but took a guess.
“We’re not going to separate you. You’ve set a new precedent, but you’re mates now. Zack and I are going to continue to help you get him through his heat just to make sure that you know what to do, but we won’t interfere.”
Sebastian gave him a small smile, then kissed the top of Essai’s head, stroking him gently.
“I’ll leave you alone now, so try to rest a bit as well. You’re doing a good job.”
***
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Chapter: 18/19
Author: xpaperplanex
Rating: NC-17 overall
Word Count: ~4700
Pairings: Sephiroth/Cloud
Genre: adventure, hurt/comfort, alpha/omega
Warnings: non-con
Chapter 1
Summary: Offered up as payment to an alpha for ridding the town of monsters, Cloud discovers that the outside world is vastly different than he expected, and that he could play a role in changing it.
Sephiroth never wanted to mate, preferring his independence as a SOLDIER that allows him to travel the world at his leisure. When he finds himself caring for a traumatized omega, however, his values start to shift.
***
“SOLDIER units are moving into position now.”
“Copy that.” Lazard sounded so calm and collected. Cloud had no idea how he managed it. Even hearing Sephiroth’s voice on the radio wasn’t enough to quell the fear that churned in his guts as he waited in the command truck. What if it all went wrong? What if something had happened since Tifa saw Essai? What if he had been caught? What if-
“Cloud.” Tseng placed his hand over Cloud’s and squeezed. “It’s going to be okay.”
“But we don’t have a complete map or proper numbers or-”
Lazard squeezed his hand as well. “If my SOLDIERs can’t pull this off just because of a few unknowns, they don’t have any business calling themselves SOLDIERs.”
“What if they get hurt?”
“Have you ever seen Sephiroth get hurt?” Tseng asked gently.
Cloud shook his head. He hadn’t, and he knew that Sephiroth wouldn’t have okayed going in now if he wasn’t confident. As much as Sephiroth was worried for Essai after hearing Tifa’s report about his declining health, Cloud knew that, like all mated alphas, his own omega was his priority. He wouldn’t risk leaving Cloud alone for anyone. It was why Lazard didn’t really like SOLDIERs mating.
“It’s going to be okay.”
He nodded, trying his best to believe it, and put on a brave face as the various units began to report that they were in place.
“Ready to move on your orders,” Sephiroth said over the radio.
Cloud took a deep breath. “All units, begin Operation Storm Cloud. I still think that name’s ridiculous,” he added under his breath.
“I love it,” Tseng said as they watched the dots on the screens that represented that SOLDIERs begin to move into the old mining tunnel carved into the side of the mountain. Some began to drop their signals, but they quickly reappeared when one of Scarlet’s signal boosters was put into place. They moved fast and began to branch out, separating to go down what must have been diverging corridors. “You’re taking the world by storm.”
***
Essai squeezed Sebastian's hand so tightly his knuckles crunched. "Sorry," he whispered, but didn't loosen his grip. Any moment now. If the past two months hadn't just been a bunch of lies, it was going to happen any moment now.
The omegas in the dorm were all noticeably tense. It had been such a relief when he had been allowed to tell them what had actually been going on when he was requested by the sadistic beta woman. Nobody had balked at the plan. Nobody had argued. Now he just had to hope that nobody had betrayed them. He was sure they wouldn't. The idea of leaving … the idea that there was somewhere better than here … it had gripped them all like a fevered dream. They were getting out.
"Open up, hole. I'm bored."
He didn't resist as one of the guards approached and unzipped his pants. He opened his mouth and let him fuck his face. He didn't choke or try to keep him from going too deep. He didn't care. This would be the last time. They were getting out.
"What the fuck is wrong with everyone today? Come on, work, bitch." The guard pulled out and slapped him across the face hard enough to make his ears ring, then shoved back in. "Suck it properly or you’ll be cleaning the toilets with your tongue."
Out of the corner of his eye, Essai saw someone’s head dart out briefly around the door frame, then several people in black ran quickly past. They were keeping low to the ground and had weapons in their hands. SOLDIERs. That had to be them. He looked straight ahead and focussed on keeping the guard's attention, sucking his cock like it was Sebastian's. Several minutes passed, during which Essai lost track of how many people went past their door. He knew from Tifa that they were trying to get in as far as possible before they attacked.
"This is SOLDIER,” someone shouted in a booming voice. “Step away from the omegas and put your hands in the air."
Essai bit down as hard as he could.
Blood sprayed over him, filling his mouth and choking him, but he kept his teeth clamped down as the guard screamed and hit him. It was only when his fist connected with his nose that he let go. As he started to spit, his eyes went wide as Sebastian flew past him. He pummelled the screaming guard until Essai came to his senses and pulled him away, dragging him towards the relative safety of their beds.
SOLDIERs were flooding into the room, and he heard banging and shouting from outside. They moved faster than Essai could process, pulling guards away from the omegas and tackling them to the ground. They cuffed their hands behind their backs and shoved gags in their mouths before dragging them to the corner by the entrance.
"It's okay. We're okay," he whispered in Sebastian's ear, hugging him close. "We're going to be okay."
A uniformed man approached them, staring at the guard with wide eyes. "Nicely done!" he exclaimed. "Are either of you hurt?"
He shook his head. His nose was throbbing, but he didn't think it was broken.
"Dorm room C is ours." The man spoke into a device on his shoulder. "No injuries in the attack, but we might eventually want to send a medic along if we're feeling nice. One of the guards seems to have misplaced his penis."
"Zack, do you need a medic or not?" The voice that replied sounded annoyed.
"Sorry, Cloud. Yes, but it's lowest priority."
"Rodger. If the dorm is secure, take your unit to the lower levels. Angeal needs backup."
"Understood."
"That was Cloud?" Essai couldn't help but speak. The mysterious omega who was organizing everything actually existed? Tifa had told him so many stories about him while he was resting after the surges of his heat that he seemed more like a hero out of a book than a real person.
The man tilted his head curiously. "You Essai?" When he nodded, a smile spread across the man's face. "Man, I've heard so much about you. Seriously, nice fucking job with the biting! I'm SOLDIER First Class Zack, and yeah, that was Cloud. He's looking forward to meeting you. And you must be Sebastian. Thanks for helping Essai out. We've been so worried about you all."
He turned and addressed the room at large. "Listen up, everyone, I understand that you're probably frightened, but we're here to help you. I need you to stay here until the entire place is secured. Five of us will remain as guards to protect you. If you need anything, if you're hungry, injured, or going into heat, anything at all, tell them. They will not hurt you. Everyone not on guard duty, regroup in the hall. We're backing up Angeal's unit."
One of the SOLDIERs came over and looked down at the guard Essai had bitten. "Are we sending him with the rest of the prisoners?"
Zack sighed disappointedly. "No, I called for a low priority medic. Just cuff him and make a passing attempt at keeping him from bleeding out."
"Fuck you," the guard spat out. "Get me a fucking medic now."
The second man just laughed and roughly handcuffed him. "Now, now, take your punishment for putting your cock where it doesn't belong like a good little boy, you piece of shit." He dragged him away from Essai and Sebastian, then returned with a cloth and a bottle of water. "You okay? Can I help wipe you off a bit? I saw him punch you and want to check out your nose."
Essai trembled as he let the SOLDIER, who introduced himself as Kunsel, get some of the blood off and inspect his nose. He couldn't smell him like he could the blankets Tifa had brought, but assumed that was due to the blood clogging up his nose. Sebastian didn’t seem frightened of him, at least, and was even sniffing at him curiously. "Looks like it's bleeding, but not broken. That's good. Just pinch it like this and keep your head down to let the blood drain. It should stop soon."
Two of the other SOLDIERs who had remained behind were moving around the room, checking injuries and wrapping blankets around shoulders. One stood watching over the guards. His entire posture was menacing, and it looked like he wanted to hurt them. The final SOLDIER watched the door. He had a radio as well, and Essai could hear a few bits of the reports that were coming through.
What they called the rape rooms were being secured. Essai suspected those were the entertainment rooms where they would serve clients. Someone was asking for help with the omegas in heat. Cloud's calm voice responded that the heat team was on its way and to not touch the omegas. A while later he informed them that all the dormitories had been secured. Sometime after that, Essai hadn't been able to hear what was said, but the SOLDIER turned to the room.
"Sephiroth found Corneo! He's got the scumbag in custody!"
The SOLDIERs gave a loud cheer, and even the omegas murmured amongst themselves. Essai could hardly believe it. Don Corneo was practically a god, and yet …
"Did he manage to fall on Sephiroth's sword?" one of the SOLDIERs asked.
"I fucking wish. I know they want to do the whole trial thing to keep us from looking like mass murderers, but I really just want to kill them all now. Slowly." The man watching the tied-up guards pointed his sword at one of them. “Skin them alive or something fun like that.”
"My vote's for Essai's method," Kunsel said. "Let these guys get a little revenge."
Sebastian nodded, making Essai laugh. It was probably the most responsive he'd been towards anyone other than him in years. "I dunno, I don't think I want one of their cocks near my mouth ever again."
"Good point," Kunsel said. "Tell you what, I'll bite them off in your stead. You're a hero, after all. You deserve a reward, and if you’d like it to be in the form of bitten off cocks, I’ll lend my teeth to the cause."
"Fuckin' right," the SOLDIER by the guards said. He snapped his teeth at them. "I don't mind some rapist’s dick in my mouth if I get to chomp down."
"Settle down," the one at the door said. "They've taken the nursery. That’s the last place. Turks will be moving in soon."
***
Reno ran with his team, following the trail that the SOLDIERs had left. Second Class Amin was waiting for them, and he waved them down the correct hall. “This way. We’ve found six in the area we’ve got secured. Nobody’s touched them, just got the betas out. We’ve been trying to talk to them, though, telling them that help’s coming.”
“Thanks, we’ve got it from here.” Rude directed each of them to the different rooms Amin pointed out.
Reno accidentally stepped on the naked beta who had been hauled out of the room he was assigned to, grinding his heel into his ankle a little as he passed. The beta had been shouting about how he had paid good money and they couldn’t do this to him, but Reno greatly preferred his scream of pain.
The omega in the room was desperate, in his presentation pose and bucking his hips frantically while he begged to be fucked.
“I’ve got you, baby.” Reno slung his bag off his shoulder and ripped the sterile packaging off one of the dildos in it. He lubed it up and didn’t hesitate before inserting it into the omega. “There you go. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”
The omega sobbed as he was penetrated and Reno began thrusting. He kept his pace steady and pulled out a thin blanket with his other hand, draping it over the young man to preserve a bit of his modesty. He attempted to get the cuffs that bound the omega’s wrists to the headboard off him, but couldn’t manage it one-handed.
“I’ll get those off as soon as you’re comfortably knotted, don’t you worry.” The omega nuzzled against him, relaxing a little bit, then he came with a soft cry. “There we go. Good job. Another couple and we’ll get you knotted. You’re gonna be just fine.”
“Everything okay in here?” Rude stood in the doorway with a young omega balanced on his hip. He had a blanket wrapped around him and was clinging to Rude with his nose firmly planted against his scent gland. He couldn’t have been more than eleven or twelve, and Reno nearly sobbed at the sight. Tifa had told them about how clients were allowed to rape the trainees who were sent in to help when an omega was knotted.
“Yeah, I, uh, I can’t get these cuffs off him.”
His mate, who was even more taciturn than usual due to him purring for the kid he was carrying, approached the bed, and between the two of them, they managed to get them undone. They rolled the omega over into a more comfortable position, and Rude took a thicker blanket off a shelf and tucked it around him before heading for the door.
“Good job, baby,” Reno said when the omega came a second time. He frowned when he heard a small whimper. “Do you need another or …”
Rude turned back and lifted the blanket covering him for a moment. “Knot him now, he’s ready.”
“Okay.” He fully inserted the dildo, then inflated the knot. Once it was fixed in place, he turned back to his bag and got out the heat suppressants and a bottle of water. He stroked the omega’s cheek with his finger. “Hey, baby, can you understand me?”
The omega gave a frightened nod.
“Good. I’m so sorry for the lack of introductions and permission, but you were in a lot of pain and needed help. My name is Reno, and I’m a Turk from Shinra. Did you know we’d be coming?”
He got another nod.
“Wonderful. I’m glad Essai was able to get the message to you. I’m sorry we didn’t get here before your heat started though. Did he tell you about the heat suppressants?”
Another nod.
“Would you like to take them? Finish your heat sooner and get out of this hellhole?”
“Please.” Tears began to stream down the omega’s cheeks, and Reno rocked him in his arms after giving him the pills.
“There we go. It’s okay now. I’m going to take care of you until we get you to safety. You’re never going to go through that again.”
***
Cloud’s boots echoed off the walls of the tunnels. Closer to the entrance where the paying rapists were served had been a bit nicer. Here, however, it was just stone tunnels under the mountain. Gaia, it would be cold and miserable in winter.
“Cissnei, report,” he said to the Turk as he approached what he assumed were the dormitories.
Cissnei glanced up from her clipboard. “Five dorms here consisting of about fifty to sixty omegas each. Two hold the omegas who were rented out within the business, and three have post-pubescent, pre-heat omegas. From speaking to them, it appears that one dorm was destined for private sales, and the other two were for replenishing the population here.”
“Okay, and you’ve started a list of names and prioritizing the order we’re moving them out in?” They simply hadn’t been able to arrange enough vehicles to move everyone at once, so they were going to go in stages, from the most urgent cases to the least.
“Doing my best. It appears that their names are extremely limited, and the pre-heat omegas don’t have names at all. I’ve got six Essais in here alone. They’re passed on from older omegas once they enter the … final dorms.” She took a deep breath, allowing them both to process the fact that they were final because the unmated omegas most certainly died. The mass grave Angeal’s unit had discovered deep in the caverns would be evidence of that, among other crimes. Cloud was certain that any beta babies wouldn’t have been allowed to live. “I think the initial ones must have had names, but after that, they just recycled them … They all have unique numbers, though, so I’ve been using them as additional identifiers for now.”
Cloud made a face. “I don’t like that, but I guess it will have to do.”
“I’ve got eleven who are beyond needing to mate, including Tifa’s Essai. She was right about that. I put them as a top priority.”
“Okay, I’ll have Vincent get the alphas back in Midgar ready so they’ve at least got a few options. Doctor Gast says their heats will trigger pretty quickly once they’re exposed to unmated alphas, and neither the suppressants nor the inhibitors will do much, so make sure you keep them separated. I don’t want anyone having to mate here.”
“Understood. I’ll arrange for Elena to fly them back with a strictly beta or mated team to accompany them.”
“Is it okay if she goes without you?”
Cissnei gave him a blank look. “We’re married, Cloud, not mated.”
He blushed, feeling embarrassed. Marriage still seemed a lot like mating to him, and he couldn’t imagine being okay with going so far from Sephiroth, even if he didn’t need him. “Right. I’d like to meet Essai first. Where is he?”
“Just in here. Don’t worry, the blood mostly isn’t his.”
Cissnei led him slightly further down the hall to a room full of uncomfortable-looking beds. Turks milled around the omegas, who were wrapped in Shinra-issue blankets and cuddling with each other.
“Do your best to make sure that friends stay together,” he said as he took in the prison. “Their lives have been disrupted enough.”
“Yes, sir. Essai is there.”
Cloud made his way through the beds to the pair that Cissnei pointed out. One was licking the other’s scent glands, and they didn’t notice him coming until he was right next to them. The one being licked opened his eyes partway, then they went wide.
“Cloud? Are you Cloud?”
“Oh, um, yes.” He glanced down at his chest and laughed, having forgotten about the name badge sewn to his combat uniform. “Are you Essai?”
The omega nodded, and his friend finally seemed to take notice of him and looked up. “You’re really an omega?”
“I am.” He looked around curiously at the attention they were attracting from the others. They were murmuring his name and pointing him out to people out of hearing range. They all started creeping closer. “I wanted to thank you for your help. We couldn’t have done this without it.”
Essai shook his head as he began to cry. “Tifa said, but … I thought for sure … you’re really real? You really did all this for us?”
“Essai …” Cloud reached out and cupped his cheek. What kind of hero had they built him up as? “I’m real, and I’m so grateful to you.”
He gave a loud sob. "I'm too old. I don't know what they do with us when we get too old, but we never see them again. I was so scared. I didn't want to leave Sebastian all alone. Then Tifa said … she said you were coming. That you'd save us and that I wouldn't have to. She said you'd take care of Sebastian too. I didn't-I was so scared to believe it, but-"
"Shh, it's okay now." Cloud crouched and wrapped his arms around the two omegas. "We'll take care of both of you. You don't need to be scared anymore. Neither of you will be alone. But Essai, has anyone explained to you about mating?"
The omega shook his head. "Not other than what Tifa said. That alphas and omegas mate with each other, but I don't really know what she meant by it."
"Okay, can I sit down?” He sat next to Essai, and Sebastian cuddled up against his other side, going back to licking his scent glands. It was odd behaviour. If Sebastian were an alpha, he’d assume that he was preparing to mate. Tifa had told them that Essai and Sebastian had a sexual relationship, but that wouldn’t lead to mating urges between them, would it?
Cloud quickly rethought his world view when he leaned in to inhale Essai’s scent. The remaining blood on him had masked it, but the omega was definitely going into heat, despite it having just ended eight days ago when Tifa saw him to explain the plan. Sebastian pushed him aside and eased Essai down onto his back.
“Sorry, I don’t … I think … feels like heat.” Essai clutched tightly to Sebastian, looking confused, but definitely like he wanted the other omega there.
“Shh, it’s okay. Sebastian, I need you to wait. Keep licking him if he likes it, but don’t do anything more.”
The silent omega glanced at him briefly, then went back to ignoring his presence. Cloud backed up and got on the radio. “I need to speak to Doctor Gast,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir. It’ll be a couple minutes to connect to him.”
“I don’t have a couple minutes; this is an emergency.” He looked around the room and waved Cissnei over. “Essai’s going into heat,” he explained. “Go find a volunteer to mate him.”
She looked at the bed and her eyes widened, then she nodded and ran out, shouting orders to the other Turks. In the brief moment he had looked away, Sebastian had gotten Essai out of his clothes and was in the process of undressing himself.
“Sebastian, I need you to wait,” he repeated, but the omega wasn’t listening. “Essai needs to mate. He needs an alpha.”
He was considering whether or not he should pull Sebastian away when his radio crackled to life. “Cloud, Gast here, what’s the problem?”
“Can an omega mate with another omega?” he asked quickly.
There was silence for a few moments, then the doctor replied. “I suppose it might be possible if the pair has a strong enough bond to begin with. What’s the situation?”
Cloud explained as briefly as he could. “What should I do?”
“Let them proceed for now. Have an alpha ready to take over if it becomes apparent that it’s not working. It might, however, and if they want to be together, I don’t think we should deny them the chance to try. It would certainly be better than being stuck with a total stranger. Sebastian will have to use a dildo to knot him when the time comes, of course, and you might need to guide him. The alpha is always the one to initiate the mating, and so Sebastian might not know what to do.”
“Okay, he has to bite first, right?”
“Correct, the alpha will bite as he’s ejaculating, and then allow the omega to reciprocate when he begins to knot. It might be difficult to time, since being castrated means that Sebastian may not climax and probably won’t ejaculate, but do your best to gauge when Essai is nearing needing the knot. It might help to have a mated alpha assisting as well.”
“Okay, thank you. I'll keep you updated.” He looked up as Zack ran in.
“Second Class Kunsel has volunteered, should I bring him in?”
“Not yet.” He went over Gast’s instructions as a few people set up some makeshift curtains around the pair, giving them some privacy. “Will you stay and help me?”
“Of course. Let me just tell Kunsel what’s going on.”
Cloud was greeted with a loud growl from Sebastian when he ducked around the curtain. Essai was fully lost in his heat, and Sebastian was already fucking him.
“It’s okay, I’m not going to stop you, but I need to make sure that everything’s okay.”
Zack got growled at as well when he entered, but Sebastian was distracted again when Essai came.
“Fuck, I hope this works,” Zack whispered. “I do not want to have to force them apart.”
It was an awkward wait. Though Cloud knew that neither of them really cared at the moment, he felt bad for watching what should have been a private event. Zack looked equally uncomfortable, but he was paying close attention despite it.
“Okay, I think it’s about time,” he said after over half an hour.
Cloud moved up to the head of the bed while Zack got the dildo ready. Essai had his neck exposed, but it seemed that Gast was right, and Sebastian didn’t actually know what he needed to do.
“Sweetheart,” he said softly, touching Sebastian’s face to get his attention. “You need to bite him. He needs you to mate him.”
He guided the omega’s head down, but while he nuzzled and licked Essai’s scent gland, he didn’t bite.
“Shit, he’s not-”
Sebastian suddenly cried out. His hips jerked like he was coming, and then he sunk his teeth into Essai’s neck. Cloud glanced around to see that Essai had a couple fingers in Sebastian’s ass, and he laughed in relief.
“Guess they learned to make do,” he said to Zack.
“Thank fuck,” Zack said. “We should’ve thought of prostate stimulation. Okay, good job, Sebastian. He needs a knot now, so ease up.” Zack gently pulled Sebastian’s hips back just far enough that he slipped out, then set the dildo at Essai’s entrance and wrapped Sebastian’s hand around it. “There you go, give him what he needs.”
Sebastian let go of Essai’s neck and pushed it into him, and Zack pressed the button to inflate it. The budding knot made Essai come again, and Cloud didn’t have to guide Sebastian to expose his scent gland. The omega willingly tilted his head to the side and lifted Essai’s head to him, cradling him gently as Essai reciprocated the bond. As soon as Essai let go, Sebastian shuffled up and slipped his new mate’s erection into himself before cradling him close and beginning to purr in a remarkably similar manner to an alpha.
“Good job, you two,” Zack murmured as he wrapped a blanket around them. “I don’t have much experience in confirming these things, so we should probably get Tseng to make sure, but they both smell properly mated to me. Reversing their positions is probably helping mimic the connection they can’t get while the dildo’s in. Let’s get them some water and something to eat, then give them some privacy.”
Cloud emerged from the makeshift room to see that the dormitory had been cleared out, but Tifa was waiting with a tray of food and water.
“Is he okay?” she asked immediately.
“I think so. I think it worked.”
“Oh, thank Gaia. When Cissnei said he’d gone into heat, I couldn’t bear it if-He really does love Sebastian, so that’s wonderful they can be together.” She held out the tray. “Here. I’ll contact Doctor Gast and let him know.”
“Thanks, Tifa. Can you ask Tseng to come up as well when he has a minute? I think he’s still in the nursery.”
Sebastian remained silent, but Cloud was relieved to see him otherwise caring for Essai the way an alpha would. He tasted everything before giving it to his mate, but didn’t eat or drink anything else until Essai had had enough and snuggled up with his eyes closed.
“Doing okay, Sebastian?” Cloud asked.
The omega looked up from his mate and nodded before exaggeratedly miming pulling Essai towards himself. Cloud wasn’t certain what he meant, but took a guess.
“We’re not going to separate you. You’ve set a new precedent, but you’re mates now. Zack and I are going to continue to help you get him through his heat just to make sure that you know what to do, but we won’t interfere.”
Sebastian gave him a small smile, then kissed the top of Essai’s head, stroking him gently.
“I’ll leave you alone now, so try to rest a bit as well. You’re doing a good job.”
***
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