Happy Family

Title: Happy Family
Author: Psycho D-Girl/Psycho Babble/Pho
Archived: FF.net, adult-fanfiction.org
Rating: R
Pairings: Cloud/Reno
Feedback: reviews are good
Story notes: Slash, Ki'ara is a almost a year old in this chapter.
Status: WIP
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the FF characters, they are the property of squareenix.

(Line breaker)

Cloud walked into the kitchen to find Reno already starting dinner. He came up behind the redhead and wrapped both arms around his lovers waist, leaning in to kiss him.

"Have fun at work?" He asked.

"Tseng had me in the office most of the day doing paperwork, which is boring I might add. So no, not really," Reno grinned at Cloud as he turned away from the bubbling pot of pasta sauce.

"How about you?"

"Deliveries all over Midgar. Sometimes I think that people order things just so they get something delivered to their doors. Good to be home," Cloud crouched down by the kitchen table.

"How's my favorite daughter?" He asked. Ki'ara was crawling around under the table with a silver saucepan on her head and a wooden sppon clutched in one hand. She crawled towards him with a happy squeal and banged her saucepan covered head against his knee, both arms going around his leg as she lifted herself up on both feet. Cloud lifted the saucepan off and kissed her forehead, before lifting her up.

"And how was your day, honey?" He asked seriously. She waved the wooden spoon around, nearly hitting him in the face with it and babbled a long stream of gibberish at him. He smiled, ruffling her bright red hair.

"That good, huh?"

"The doctor rang and left a message, he has to reschedule the transfusion appointment for tomorrow instead of the day after that," Reno said as he put some pasta in a pot of boiling water on the stove. Cloud made a face. Reno snorted a loud laugh as he looked at the both of them.

"What?" Cloud asked. Reno pointed at Cloud and Ki'ara.

"Matching looks. I don't think she likes it anymore than you do," he replied. Ki'ara shook the wooden spoon in Reno's direction and spouted some more gibberish.

"Yeah, shut up, mama," Cloud said. Reno rolled his eyes good naturedly. Cloud put her in the high chair next to the table and strapped her in, while Reno filled the toddler cup with milk and put it in front of her.

"Dinner's almost ready, can you set the table?" He asked.

"Best silverware?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, right, if we had any," Reno muttered as he drained the water off the pasta and put the pasta into a large bowl with the sauce on top, then set the bowl on the table and sat down. Cloud sat opposite him. Reno had set aside a small bowl of pasta and sauce to cool off a bit for Ki'ara, before spooning some onto plates for himself and Cloud and they started eating.

"Tseng has a mission for me and Rude tomorrow evening so I don't know what time I'll be back tomorrow night. The appointments at three," Reno set the bowl of food on the high chairs table and gave Ki'ara a plastic spoon; not that she'd use it, she preferred her hands for eating and making big messes.

"No problem, me and my date will have fun at the hospital, won't we, sweetie?" Cloud asked Ki'ara. She was trying to stuff a piece of pasta up her nose. Reno reached out and took it off her.

"Fuck it," he muttered.

"None of that, eat your food," he told her. She grinned and crammed a fistful of food in her mouth.

"You get to teach her table manners," Cloud said.

"I love you to," Reno said. They continued eating in companionable silence for a while.

"Where are you going on that mission?" Cloud asked.

"You know I can't tell you that. Tseng would have my ass," Reno said.

"If I didn't know better I'd think he doesn't trust me," Cloud said.

"Yeah, but to be fair, Tseng doesn't really trust anyone, yo," Reno stated. Cloud shrugged, still eating.

"This is good," he said. There was a happy yell and Cloud's head turned to see that Ki'ara had somehow managed to unbuckle the straps in her chair and was now standing up in it, with another yell she launched herself off it and towards the floor. Cloud leaped to his feet and caught her as she fell. He lifted her up to eye level.

"I'm going to have to start chaining you in," he said. She blew a raspberry at him and laughed. He sat down with her in his lap.

"Fuck it, how are we meant to stop her from doing things like that. When I brought her home I went to put away my weapons and when I got back she'd got out of the stroller and was after climbing on the sofa," Reno said. Ki'ara laughed again and wriggled to be put down. Cloud set her on the floor and she crawled under the table.

"Foo, foooo..." she said from under the table. Reno looked at Cloud and both of them bent to look under the table at her. Reno picked her up again, a big grin on his face.

"Father...dada," he said clearly and slowly.

"Foooooooooo," she said again.

"Father," he repeated. Her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Fooo," she said, then tried again.

"Fooooo...fuuu," she looked at him. He nodded encouragingly.

"Father," he repeated exaggeratedly, making sure she saw how he moved his mouth when he said the word.

"Fuuu...fuckit!" She said triumphantly.

"Fuckit, fuckit, fuckit!" She said happy at finally getting the words right. Reno's grin dropped away. Cloud sighed and covered his face with his hands.

"Her first word is a swear word..." He muttered. She kept repeating the phrase over and over and cackled manically at the look on Reno's face. Cloud looked at his boyfriend.

"I think you need to stop swearing when she's around you," he said. Reno sighed and looked down at Ki'ara who was grinning up at him.

"Thanks, get us both into trouble," he said, a slight note of sarcasm in his tone. She giggled and patted his face with her hand. There was a knock at the door, Cloud stood up.

"I'll get it as you two seem to be busy," he said. He walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway, his daughters voice saying 'fuckit' followed him, opening the door he was surprised to see Vincent Valentine.

"Vincent, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm your daughters godfather, I thought I might try to live up to that role. May I come in?" He asked. Cloud stepped back and gestured him inside.

"Of course," he led the way into the kitchen were Reno was still trying to eat dinner, while Ki'ara kept trying to grab his fork and laughing everytime she succeeded. She looked up curiously at the stranger entering with her father. The last time she had seen him was just after she was born, so she didn't know him. Nevertheless she waved at him with one hand. Cloud pointed to a free chair and Vincent sat down.

"Would you like something to eat?" Reno asked. Vincent shook his head.

"At least she's stopped saying that word," Cloud muttered, as he to took a seat.

"She's speaking already?" Vincent asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, her first word," Cloud told him, starting to eat again.

"Bright kid; what was it? 'Dada'?" Vincent asked. Cloud stopped with the fork halfway to his mouth, considering whether he should say.

"Fuckit!" Ki'ara answered for him. Vincent raised one eyebrow.

"How...charming," he said drily. He looked at Reno for a long moment.

"Hey, it's not my fault, yo!" The redhead declared.

"Don't lie, Reno, you've already thought her how to swear, she doesn't need to learn how to lie yet," Cloud said.

"Fuck off," Reno told him.

"Fuck off," Ki'ara repeated cheerfully.

"Reno..." Cloud sighed. Reno looked down at the toddler in his lap.

"Dammit, would you stop?" He asked.

"Dammit," she said back at him. Reno gently put one finger over her lips.

"Stop," he said.

"Fuckit!" She said, her voice a little muffled by his fingers. Reno sighed loudly, shaking his head.

"At least the training of the next generation of Sinclair's is going well," Vincent said, somewhat sarcasitically.

"Sinclair-Strife," Cloud said quietly. Vincent glanced at him, a serious look on his face.

"Not with a mouth like that," He said.

"Da-" Ki'ara said, before Reno managed to put a hand over her mouth to stop her from swearing again. She slapped at his hand.

"Stop," he said again warningly.before removing his hand.

"Da," she repeated. Reno looked down at her, inwardly cursing himself at teaching her some words she shouldn't know, but stopped when he saw her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Dadaaa!" She said with a huge grin on her face. Cloud smiled back at her.

"That's right," he put a hand on his chest.

"Dada," he said.

"Dada!" she repeated. Then grabbed at Reno's red hair tail. Her brow furrowed again, he nodded down at her also smiling, waiting for her to say it. She looked at Cloud and giggled a little bit. She patted Reno's cheek with her hand.

"Mama!" She crowed. Cloud couldn't help but laugh and she joined him when she saw the look on Reno's face. Even Vincent managed to crack a smile.

"No, dada," Reno said. She babbled incoherently at him, pointed with one finger at Cloud.

"Dada," she said, then patted Reno's chest.

"Mama," she said again. Reno glared halfheartedly at Cloud.

"Thanks a lot, Cloud," he muttered. Cloud smiled across the table at his boyfriend.

"You deserved that for teaching her how to swear...mama," he said. Ki'ara giggled again put her arms around his neck and hugged Reno.

"Dada," she said, then pulled away and patted him on the top of his head.

"I think you know exactly what you're saying...at least partly, don't you?" He asked. She blinked at him and then put a hand on her own chest as if to say 'who me?'.

"Smart kid," Vincent murmured.