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Cloud had really, truly, fucked up.
He had promised Tifa he would visit her on the shores of Junon this year for Yule; she had been planning to start a family with Aerith, and travel would soon be difficult for them. Cloud’s own heat wouldn’t be due until April, so it should have been safe. Unfortunately, he had not considered how tropical climates would affect his cycle, and decided to take a shortcut through the strait between Gongaga and Corel, rather than risk the predators off and on the shores of the Northern Continent. His traitorous body had decided all on its own that warmer waters must mean Spring had sprung, and he was only halfway through the Meridian Ocean when preheat started to creep up on him.
Knowing there was no way he would make it to Nibelheim in time, but desperate to avoid having his heat in warm waters, Cloud booked it northwest. He’d get as far north as his flippers would allow, and try to find a secluded cove to wait out his heat. In theory, he should have two weeks before his heat hit, if he managed to avoid any alphas who might quicken the process.
In practice, however… things didn’t go quite according to plan.
He should have paid more attention. The ocean was three dimensional, but in his desperation, his mind was only focused on one: forward. He swam near the surface, making sure to come up for air every thirty minutes. So he didn’t notice passing other merfolk moving at a leisurely pace as he sped past them—but they certainly took note. It wasn’t until he came to the surface a few minutes later that he noticed one of them had kept pace with him—and was now surfacing just a few feet away, swiping his mane of spiky black hair away from his eyes with a shark-toothed grin.
’Oh, no. He’s hot.’
“Hey!” the stranger exclaimed. “Where ya off to so fast? I’m Za—”
Cloud bolted. Now above water, Cloud immediately knew the stranger was an alpha. Without being able to rely on smell in the water, he relied much more on more subtle signals to identify others. It was a feeling, in his gut, the same way he instinctively knew the way north and the way home, no matter how far he floated when he slept a little too deeply and wasn’t secure enough in his water bed. Distracted by his determination to speed, Cloud hadn’t been paying attention.
The stranger followed, smile now a little more hesitant, a furrow between his brows. Cloud glanced to observe him, trying to maintain his pace. He was longer than Cloud by a couple feet, with smooth yellow scales, paler on his front, and perpendicular fins. A shark. Too small to be a danger, and he wasn’t rotting like the sharks that preyed on his kind in the North. But still. An alpha.
“Hey, sorry, I’m Zack! I just wanted to chat. Big ocean, and all, didn’t expect to see anyone here!” Zack rambled, easily keeping pace with the much smaller mer.
“Not interested,” Cloud grumbled, facing forward to break eye contact with Zack.
To his chagrin, Zack just swam ahead, turning to face him so Cloud had no choice but to look at him. “No, hey, it’s not like that, I promise! I’m with my mates. You look pretty tired, and we just finished fishing, and you could rest with us for a bit!”
At the prospect of food, Cloud couldn’t help but slow down a little. It felt like he hadn’t stopped swimming in days. He wasn’t even close to the shore yet, much less the North, and if he kept this pace he wouldn’t have time to fish for himself before he was forced to rest. He begrudgingly turned to look over his shoulder, assessing for danger.
Two mers followed leisurely, the larger obscuring the other from view. He was twice Cloud’s height and very broad, his scales a deep blue dotted with stars, and a perpendicular caudal fin. He had long black hair, brushed backwards, and a strong jaw. Whale shark. Not close enough to tell his designation, but not large enough to be an omega. Nonaggressive, not a threat.
The other mer caught up, long silver hair trailing behind him. His green eyes looked feline, and his skin was almost as pale as his tail, the white front bordered by curves of stark black. Parallel caudal fin. A Killer Whale.
Cloud chirped in distress. “Not interested!” he shouted, zipping past a confused Zack. He didn’t dare look back until he was far ahead, the three other mers fading in the distance.
~*~
“What’d I say?” Zack whined, turning to his mates. “He seemed interested for a second.”
Angeal rubbed his temples. “I could have predicted that, Zack. I know you’re used to making friends with everyone you meet, but the ocean is a dangerous place, he’s alone, and we outnumber him.”
Zack rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, he’s small, but you guys kept a good distance, and I thought seals were supposed to be social.”
“Not all of them,” Angeal sighed. “We’re both sharks, but that doesn’t mean we’re the same.”
Sephiroth hummed. “He was in preheat. Close, too. I wasn’t able to identify how close at that distance, but I wager he’s strongly motivated to find somewhere safe to nest.”
Angeal groaned. “The open ocean, with nowhere to hide, heat on the way, about as small as merfolk get, and he gets chased by three alphas, one of which is an orca.” He puts a comforting hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder. “Sorry, Seph. He doesn’t know you like we do.”
Sephiroth frowned, leaning into Angeal’s grasp. “Are my kind a danger to his? Like they are to sharks? He looked terrified.”
“Merfolk orcas aren’t… kind to them. Not a direct danger, and I haven’t been far enough north to see it myself, but I’ve heard migrating pods brag about knocking them about on ice floes, and separating pups from their parents. It’s a game to them, something inherited from their animalistic counterparts—which have always hunted seals. We know you’re not like that, but you know how nervous you get anytime you see a boat?”
Sephiroth’s brow furrowed and tilted his head so his bangs covered his eyes. Zack launched himself onto Sephiroth, grabbing on to nuzzle Sephiroth’s mating gland. “Hey, no brooding. You don’t have to be like them, or like the humans wanted you to be. You’re our mate, and you’re perfect. Even if you’re better at cracking hulls than hunting fish.”
Sephiroth nuzzled him back. “You always know how to put things in perspective, Zack. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”
Zack grinned, teeth sharp against the juncture of Sephiroth’s neck. “Nah, you’d have the world at your fins without me slowing you down… Once you figured out how to catch your own food without humans to feed you, at least.”
Angeal cleared his throat. “Anyway. We’ve diverted course enough. We should probably circle back so Genesis can still find us when he’s done scoping out that wreck.”
“Or!” Zack perked up, pushing himself up Sephiroth’s shoulders, tail still wrapped around his mate. “This guy’s heat is close, right? He might get to shallower waters in time, but it’s not gonna be very safe, and he may not have time to catch everything he needs. We could follow him at a distance and keep predators away from his nest. Bring him fish. It’s the least we could do for scaring him.”
“He’s scared of us so you want to follow him and then try to give him food while he’s vulnerable? You’d just scare him off again, and he’d be even worse off.”
“Oh.”
“Mhm.”
Zack thought for a moment, tapping his chin. “Well… Seph is the real scary part, right?” He winced. “Sorry. His heat won’t affect me or you nearly as much since we’re not mammalian. Different signals and all. And we could… I don’t know, throw the fish close to his nest? Seph could go get Gen and meet up with us when the coast is clear.”
Sephiroth perked up. “We could use kelp to tie the fish to something heavy, and drop it to him. Genesis and I might be a couple days behind you, but if he’s amenable, he could take over. He’s mentioned other omega are a comfort during heats.”
Angeal groaned. “That’s if he’s amenable. Genesis is flighty at the best of times, and quick to make rivals.”
Zack laughed. “Yeah, but once he decides he likes someone, he’s better than any of us at keeping them. He convinced your solitary ass to join a whole pod. And he knows a thing or two about making nice with predators,” he said, nuzzling Sephiroth’s hair.
“Sephiroth gets credit for that one,” Angeal snorted. “He followed us like a lost pup for weeks before Genesis took pity and threw a fish in his face.”
Sephiroth smiled softly. “He said I was too pathetic to be scared of. I think he just doesn’t like to acknowledge his more caring instincts. The seal seems like a firecracker himself; I bet they would get along. And Genesis always complains about being the only omega in a pod of four.”
“You’re suggesting mating him? That’s a bit much, don’t you think? We don’t even know his name.” Angeal grumbled.
“Courting. If he can see past my heritage.”
Zack could barely contain his excitement, practically vibrating and jostling the still grappled Sephiroth. “He’s cute! You two didn’t get as close, but he’s adorable. A grump, but he won’t be alone in that in this pod. Please? Besides, it’s not fair to Seph to be the only mammal in the pod. And mammals are so warm. Please, ‘Geal? Can we keep him?”
“He’s not a damn hermit crab,” Angeal groaned, rubbing his face. “Fine. Zack and I will follow just close enough to stay on his trail, and set a perimeter around the nest. Sephiroth, get Genesis and send him our way. Don’t approach. When Genesis arrives, he can take care of the omega, and we’ll join you at a distance so the two of you don’t rile each other up. Happy?”
Zack launched himself into Angeal’s broad chest, pushing Sephiroth backwards in his attempt the smother the larger shark. “Have I ever said how much I love you?”
“Only every hour of every day.”
~*~
Cloud barely made it to a reef in time to find a set of rocks close enough together to be a secure waterbed. He certainly did not make it far enough north to be comfortable, especially with his winter fur grown in. If merfolk could sweat, he would have lost buckets of water.
His stomach twisted in pain and hunger. Heats weren’t supposed to feel like this. He should have been comfortably cool in icy waters with plenty of food prepared ahead of time. A fellow omega would have made things even easier, dopamine and bonding hormones leaving him relaxed and happy.
He didn’t have any of that. What he did have, however, was a prickle at the back of his neck alerting him to alphas nearby. Never for long; either passing by or (god forbid) circling. Cloud had to fight back the impulse to whimper for help, knowing he was hundreds of miles away from anyone he could count on. He was used to pairing up with another omega, either nesting together or nearby and able to warn each other about predators and keep watch while the other ascended for air.
He had no such luck now, and it had been an hour since he last surfaced. He could wait longer, but it had been a few minutes since he had sensed an alpha nearby, and he didn’t want to risk having to surface while one was near. Weighing the odds, Cloud shot upwards, taking a deep breath at the surface before squirming back into his water bed, heart racing. The rocks were rough against his overheated skin, so he did his best to wedge just his heavily furred tail between the rocks. The tawny blonde winter coat may have made him much too hot in the warm water, but at least it protected his sensitive skin from the rocks, to some degree.
A fierce tingle erupted at the back of his neck and in his gut, a rival to the wrenching pain, almost soothing, but equally terrifying. He could tell one of the circling alphas was getting closer—much closer. He froze, trying not to move or make any noise, as his eyes darted rapidly, looking for danger. When a shadow passed over him, he couldn’t help but squeeze his eyes shut, praying to not be noticed.
When he sensed the alpha moving further away from him, he peeked an eye open, only to freeze once again. There was a trail of blood in the water above him. When he felt something heavy hit his chest, he scurried out of his water bed, heart racing, to hide behind a large mass of coral and peer around to observe his nest.
The offending projectile sat in front of his abandoned water bed: a beheaded fish tied by its peduncle to a heavy rock by some plant matter. It was too large to be native to the reef; it looked more like the large tuna he saw in open waters. ’Where…?’ It didn’t matter. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate during his mad dash to shore. Cloud wriggled back into his water bed, unable to completely quiet his happy chirps as he scarfed down the delicious meat.
~*~
Genesis huffed as he approached the two alphas hovering a short distance from the reef. “Yes, yes, I’m here to save the day. Update me on the situation. Surely you haven’t scared the poor boy too bad.”
Zack rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe a little… I think my aim was a little off on the food drop off and I startled him a bit.”
“He’s been a little overeager. I’ve been keeping him grounded,” Angeal said with a frown.
“I have to do everything around here,” Genesis sighed theatrically. “I’ll at least scope him out. Where is he?”
“North of here, hiding in some rocks. Just past some red coral,” Zack gestured. “Can’t miss him. Not as strong as another shark, but you can smell the heat on him. Been getting stronger; he probably only has a day or two left.”
“Very well. Sephiroth is a ways behind me; didn’t want to risk getting too close. Meet up with him and keep your distance.”
Angeal handed him a net bag with a few fish left, and Genesis sped off into the coral reef, following the distinct smell of omega and heat. Before long, he found the little omega, snuggled cute as could be between two rocks. Genesis winced; that couldn’t feel good during a heat. If Cloud’s fur was a little paler, or the sand a little darker, Genesis would have missed him completely.
Genesis approached carefully, pulling himself through the coral to get slowly get closer. The omega’s face was pinched with pain, nearly inaudible whimpers muffled by his arms over his face. “Hello, little seal. Could you use some company to dull the pain?”
The mer jolted, eyes wide and arms clutching the rocks. Before Genesis could react, the omega shot out of his nest with a harsh growl, tackling Genesis and then using him as a springboard, launching himself in the opposite direction to hide in the reef. After righting himself, Genesis slowly followed, looking for the little mer.
“Shhhh, it’s okay, I’m an omega too,” Genesis murmured, approaching the seal’s hiding spot. “My mates have been leaving you fish.” He smirked as he saw the little omega peek out behind a mass of coral. “Wouldn’t you feel safer with another omega to watch for danger? Or to hold you to drive the pain away? Those rocks can’t feel very good on your skin right now, darling.”
Genesis smiled when the omega popped out of coral, an inquisitive chirp slipping out, his eyes wide and bright blue. Goddess, he was too cute. Genesis could feel his bitter heart melt. “I’ve got you. What’s your name, little seal?” he said, arms outstretched.
The blonde slowly approached. “Cloud,” he said. “You’re sure…?”
Genesis had to force his grin not to turn too eager. “It would be my pleasure, Cloud.”
Genesis was surprised how tightly Cloud latched on, purring loudly. His cheeks were red as he hid his blush in Genesis’s shoulder. The little seal was positively burning up, the heat wresting the ache from his travels as Genesis nearly went limp from relaxation, the warmth and heat hormones working in tandem to activate those pod-building instincts.
~*~
Gaia, but were heats downright pleasant when you had a living pillow, soft and cool and tickling his brain just right. If only Genesis would just leave him be. He was always trying to feed him or bring him to surface for air. Every time they surfaced and Cloud breathed deep, Genesis smelled like safety and home. Cloud was starting to pull out of his heat little by little, and he was holding Genesis above water so he could chase those happy hormones further out of the gland at the juncture of Genesis’s neck.
“Hey now, if you keep that up, this is going to get a lot less platonic,” Genesis whined. At Cloud’s possessive growl, Genesis sighed shakily. “Fine, you can have a few more minutes, but I’m keeping you for good after this.”
With Cloud’s happy purr, Genesis didn’t think Cloud would mind. This damn seal was going to give him cavities.
Cloud clung to Genesis as they drifted lazily to the seabed, having long abandoned Cloud’s water bed. He felt so safe in the larger shark’s arms. Genesis was fast as a bullet; every time he determined Cloud needed air, Cloud had barely blinked before he was above water. At the first signal of a predator nearby, Cloud had full confidence Genesis could get them halfway around the Earth and back.
“Cloud,” Genesis started, petting Cloud’s hair lazily, “we should talk about my pod.”
Cloud grumbled. “Wh’bt’m?”
“Pardon?”
Cloud yawned. “What about ‘em?”
“We’re a mixed species pod. Me and three alphas; two sharks and a whale. I’ve gotten quite fond of you, and I hope you can give them a chance.”
“Alrigh’,” Cloud mumbled. “Tell me about ‘em.”
“I’ve been with Angeal the longest. He’s a whale shark. They’re not known for forming pods, but we grew up in the same area, and he fell for my dashing personality.”
“You mean you bothered him until he gave up?”
“Hush. The newest is Zack, a lemon shark; he was just setting out after leaving his birth school. He was used to large schools, and assigned himself to our pod. He wore us down eventually, but that boy could charm the shell off a crab, and we love him very much.”
Cloud pushed up from where he was laying on Genesis’s shoulder. This was starting to sound a little too familiar. “The last one. What kind of whale.”
Genesis wrapped his arms around Cloud’s hips, running his fingers through the fur in case he needed to clamp down to prevent an escape. “Angeal and I found Sephiroth when he was escaping from his human captors. He took one look at us and grabbed us, thinking we were trying to escape, too. It was a lucky thing; we could have gotten caught in their nets, and they could have taken us as well. He was with them his entire life; they had been training him to sabotage ships and submarines, and they intentionally trained a dependence on them for food. He still struggles to catch fish, much less anything larger, faster, or smarter. He struggles socially, but he means well.”
Cloud narrowed his eyes. “What kind.”
Genesis hugged Cloud tighter, both a reminder that he was safe and that he wasn’t going anywhere. “He’s an orca. But—” Genesis held the squirming seal tighter. “He would never hurt you. I know how you feel. It scared me too; orcas hunt sharks as well. Above all else, he wants companionship. He should have grown up with a pod that loved him, but he was alone.” Genesis pulled Cloud closer, cuddling into his hair. “Besides. Orcas are matriarchal. He practically worships me, at times. He could worship you,” he whispered into Cloud’s ear.
Cloud flushed, hiding his face in Genesis’s shoulder. “Tomorrow-Cloud’s problem.”
“Love,” Genesis laughed, “Your heat broke a good bit ago. We’re nearly there.”
Cloud bristled, pulling himself out of Genesis’s arms. “And you let me keep using you as a water bed this whole time?”
“I thought you knew,” Genesis said, chuckling behind his hand. “You looked like you could use some rest, and I’m loathe to give up my new toy.” He wrapped Cloud back in his arms, pulling him onward. “Indulge me a little more, dearest? You’ll love them.”
~*~
Angeal had to grab Zack’s wrist to keep him from shooting off as soon as Genesis was in view. Genesis was wrapped around the little omega, and Zack was practically bouncing in excitement. “C’mon, ‘Geal! They’re all wrapped up together, Genesis is clearly attached,” Zack whispered loudly.
Genesis groaned. “We can hear you, you overgrown pup.” Cloud swam around to hold onto Genesis’s back, peering at the alphas from behind his shoulder. “This is Cloud. Cloud, you’ve met Zack, Angeal, and Sephiroth. I was away on a project when your paths crossed. Sephiroth retrieved me while Angeal and Zack followed to guard your nest.”
Angeal cleared his throat. “We apologize for frightening you before. It must have made your journey more perilous, and we thought it was only right to make sure you were safe.”
A pause, and Angeal elbowed a distracted Zack. “Oh! Yeah, man, I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have chased you like that. I just wanted to help out, but I know better now,” Zack pleaded, hands together and channeling his strongest puppy eyes. “Forgive me?”
Cloud crept out from behind Genesis, still keeping close. “Yeah. Okay.”
Sephiroth swam a bit closer, but stayed a bit further than the rest of the group. “We would like to get to know you, and you us, if you are amenable. Though I… understand if I make you uncomfortable.”
Zack, loathe to leave anyone out, retook his position as Sephiroth’s backpack and nuzzled his mate. “He’s harmless, promise. I was kinda scared too, when I first saw him, but Angeal’s a much bigger meal and he was way closer, so if anyone was gonna be dinner, it wasn’t me. Oooh, and he’s comfy!” Zack poked Sephiroth’s hip as the orca groaned below him. “See? Blubber. Best pillow you’ll ever get. I could hibernate on that ass.”
Cloud giggled as Genesis pulled his arm. “You haven’t been up for air in at least thirty minutes, come on.”
“You know I only need to surface every hour or two, right?” Cloud groaned.
“You’re recovering! I won’t allow my reputation as a capable attendant to be slandered.”
Sephiroth smiled. “I need to surface, regardless.”
“Fine,” Cloud grumbled, heading to the surface. Out of the water, the heavy smell of alpha felt like a warm blanket over his shoulders. The sharks were unaffected—they could smell below water, not above it—but Cloud swore Sephiroth’s cat-slit eyes dilated, turning dark. His heart skipped a beat, but the alpha made no move to close the distance. He was handsome, in a strange way that made him unsure if he wanted to fuck or fight. Genesis winked at him and his face went red. When Zack started making lewd hand gestures over Sephiroth’s shoulder, Cloud gulped and dove beneath the waves.
When the others joined Cloud beneath the surface, Angeal put a large hand on Cloud’s shoulder. “Don’t let them pressure you. We would appreciate the chance to get to know you, but you don’t owe us anything.”
Cloud couldn’t stop looking at that large hand, covering so much of his shoulder without even trying. He wondered how it would feel to be wrapped in those arms. Angeal was so big, even if he was mostly tail, with spots like stars in clear night skies.
Cloud shook himself out of distraction, trying desperately to ignore how the giant shark’s gaze heated. “I have to get to Junon. I probably missed Yule, and my friends are going to worry. But… I wouldn’t mind company.”
Angeal smiled warmly. “We would love to travel with you.”
None of the mers reacted quickly enough to stop Zack from tackling the little seal, but they all relaxed when Cloud started to laugh as they roughhoused. “We’re gonna be best friends! Gaia, I’m excited to not be the shortest one around here!”
Cloud groaned, but the smile never left his face as he allowed Zack to playfully nuzzle him. He had a feeling these four weren’t leaving his side anytime soon.
That night, after a long day of travel, they all cuddled together in the middle of the open ocean. They put Cloud in the middle—the safest spot, they said, but he had a feeling Zack and Genesis just wanted to sleep on his soft winter fur.
Zack was right, though. Sephiroth made for an amazing pillow.