Where Are You, Cloud?
Author's note: this one-shot Strife family fluff is set shortly before the events of the Advent Children movie.
It was 1am in the morning and Tifa was wiping the last traces of alcohol from the tables in the Seventh Heaven bar. She paused and wiped her brow with her forearm. Phew, almost done.
When she had finished mopping the floors down and ringing out the mop she flicked the lights off for the bar area. The only illumination was now from the streetlamps outside; it penetrated in through gaps in the windows' blinds.
Before heading to bed she thought to check on the children. She liked to occasionally. She peaked in through their door, pushing on it gently so as not to cause much noise. She spotted Marlene in the far bed sleeping silently on her side, ponytail facing Tifa. Yet when she looked for Denzel she couldn't see him. Her brow furrowed.
She pushed through the door and began scoping about the room, ensuring to move about silently so as not to disturb Marlene. The other side of the bed? No. On the rug? No. In bed with Marlene…? No. Tifa tapped her lips absent minded with her right index finger as she puzzled over where he could be. She even checked the children's wardrobe, but he wasn't there.
An idea struck her. She left the children's room and closed their door silently behind her.
She walked steadily and softly to avoid the floorboards creaking and came to the door of Cloud's room. Cloud was away and she hadn't seen him for a long time. He had left and not come back not long after Denzel had joined their family. Things had been getting tough between her and Cloud and then he had just upped and disappeared from their lives. She missed him now and Denzel had been missing him too, she could tell despite how closed Denzel could be with his emotions.
She pushed down on Cloud's door handle and stepped inside. Her eyes scanned the room, starting at the grey walls closest to the door, round to Cloud's desk and then to his bed. Lying in the bed was a small lump of a person. Tifa smiled and approached the side of the bed.
Denzel was sound asleep. Somehow he had ended up the wrong way round on the bed so that his feet rested at the end with the pillow and his head by the foot. In the darkness of the room she could make out all his main facial features although her vision couldn't distinguish his geostigma blemish from his pale skin. Her heart hollowed out for a moment. Without being able to see his blemish he looked like any healthy boy. She wished then more than ever then that Denzel could be healthy. More upsetting thoughts began to rise to the surface of her consciousness but she pushed them down.
She went into the small laundry room further down the corridor to find a sheet she could place over him. When she came back he was rubbing his eyes with his right wrist and propping himself up on his left arm. Tifa came to kneel by the bed.
"Hey, Denzel. You fell asleep in Cloud's bed," she said softly.
He looked up at her groggily. He arranged the words he wanted to say in his head for a few moments before he spoke. "Is Cloud… ever coming home?"
Tifa looked at the floor. "I hope so," she said honestly.
He slowly swung his legs down to the floor. Tifa figured he wanted to head back to his own room. Right then his hand snapped up to his forehead and he winced and cried out in anguish. Tifa popped onto her feet, grabbed the blanket that she had placed on Cloud's desk after spotting Denzel was awake, and held it against his forehead. All the while she held a reassuring hand on Denzel's other arm.
Once the attack had subsided he became almost floppy due to the energy it drained from him. Tifa placed aside the stained blanket, let him flop gently round and down so that his back was now facing her and slipped her arms around him from behind. He wasn't heavy and she was far from weak so she lifted him up easily. He flopped back into her chest and face. His brown shaggy hair tickled her face. He groaned weakly. "Let's get you back to bed," Tifa said into his hair.
She carried him to the children's room. Unknown to him as she held him in her arms so close to her tears escaped her eyes. She savoured hugging him this close. Denzel always acted so strong and did not seek hugs from her despite his pain. Just the smell of him made her want to well up. She hated that children like him everywhere were dying from the stigma.
Almost unwillingly she let go of him when they reached his bed. With his remaining energy he arranged himself into a comfortable sleeping position and she pulled the bed covers over him. At least he was now the right way round and his head was resting on a pillow, she thought to herself. Marlene had stirred due to the noise.
"Teef?" Marlene spoke quietly, still in bed. Her voice was laced with tiredness.
"Hey, Marlene."
"Is Denzel okay?"
"He's okay. He strayed into Cloud's room and fell asleep, that's all."
Marlene made a small acknowledgment sound and then fell immediately back to sleep. The room was silent again. All Tifa could hear now were the sounds of sleeping.
Where are you Cloud…?
She turned on her heel and shut the door gently behind her.