Just a prior warning, this is me trying to get back into writing. Whether its any good I have no idea. So just read and if u can, review and express your thoughts. If my muse swings by again or people really want more then I will probably continue. Happy reading! BX
By the time he finally pulled up to the back of 7th Heaven, Cloud was dead. Yeah he still breathed but he sure as hell felt like he was going to die, he was so exhausted. He managed to turn off Fenrir and kick out the stand before slumping over the bike. The delivery had been one of the worst in a long time. Cloud had been on his way to Wutai when a creature of the sort he couldn't identify attacked him. The first thing it did was dislocate his arm and rip out a chunk of flesh before it let go. Sure he killed it, but not till after it had gotten in a few good hits. And destroyed the package. So he rang the client, said what had happened then started home. No use going all that way if he wasn't going to get paid for it. And he was tired. Almost two weeks spent on the road with a 'express' parcel meant hardly any rest for the delivery boy. Wutai had been squeezed in before he went home. Because that ended well.
Letting out a pent up sigh, he slowly climbed off his bike. He crept in the back door which lead into the kitchen. No one was in there. Cloud realised it must be mid afternoon, that was when the kitchen was the least needed and most of the staff took their break. He carried on into the bar and dumped himself on a bar stool. Sure he was covered in dust and blood, and the tourniquet he'd put around his wounded arm was falling apart but all Cloud was after was a stiff drink.
Tifa made sure Marlene had finished her homework before she went back to the bar. It had been a long day for her. Denzel had thrown up in the early morning, so Tifa had had to look after him and the bar all day. Normally it wouldn't be too bad but since at the moment they were strapped for cash she couldn't afford to call in someone on their day off. Cloud hadn't been home for awhile, the Gil wasn't exactly flowing into their pockets. So she'd juggled both all day. And knew she would have to till Yuffie arrived. Tifa had rang Yuffie for some help after she'd got a booking for a 21st tonight. She kept hoping she wasn't too far away now.
So the last thing Tifa really wanted was to go back to the bar and see a filthy man asleep on the counter. Glancing around, she realised he was the only one other then her in the bar. So she sat down behind the bar and poured herself a drink. She sighed after taking a sip. The man seemed to wake up at the sound of glass against counter. His head slowly came up till he rested it on his arm.
'Afternoon,' Tifa said lightly. She thought she might as well be polite. She had no idea who he was.
'Mmh.' He didn't seem much for talking. She didn't realise he was still half asleep. He yawned and reached out towards her. Tifa shrunk back. Until she noticed his earrings. He'd stretched out, revealing his neck and more of his Face. Showing familiar earrings, and a very familiar jaw line.
'Tifa,' he croaked out, as if some sort of greeting. With the voice to match, she was almost shocked she hadn't recognized him. She'd just thought him another homeless man that had wondered in.
'Cloud?' She said lightly. He glanced up, giving her a flash of mako infused blue. She nearly smiled until she fully regestered the state he was in. Filthy, bloody and he had a red cloth tied around his left arm. Not to meantion how pale he was. Cloud was pale on his own, but this was a much worse sort of pale.
That was around about when he finally blacked out, tumbling off the chair.
'Cloud!' Tifa ran round the bar and knelt beside him. She untangled his foot from the over turned chair. His whole body was loose.
'Tifa? What's wrong?' A small voice asked from halfway down the stairs.
'Marlene go get Cloud's bed ready.' Marlene looked confused at the request but went up stairs and did it anyway. Tifa tried to wake him up but he only lightly stirred. She sigh- growled in annoyance. Today was not her day. She reached down and did her best to lift him up. He was heavyer then he looked.
Swinging his arm over her shoulder, she grabbed him by the waist and tried to get him to the stairs. His head hung loose next to hers and he didn't exactly seem to helping her much, but his legs moved when she did. Tifa managed to get him to where she wanted, then she started inching up the stairs. Again he followed her, his feet making heavy steps. All the while he was mumbling incoherent things. Tifa thought she heard her own name once or twice, she simply dismissed it as a tired mans mutterings. When they finally reached the top, Tifa didn't go straight for Clouds room. He needed a shower before he got into his bed. She wanted to get him clean, that way she could tell if he had anything that needed attention.
She lead him to the bathroom, making sure the door closed behind the pair of them. Cloud still leaned against her, mostly unresponsive. Tifa put herself in front of him, holding his hips so he didn't fall. She started to work on undressing him, making sure to keep holding him in some way so he didn't brain himself on the edge of anything. She gently pulled off the tourniquet he'd wrapped around his arm. It was thick with blood. His arm looked like someone had taken a bite out of it. Sighing she made a note in her head to tend to that later. When she undid his belt, his pants fell off on their own. Tifa didn't register she'd put her hand on his stomach till he physically shivered. He had lost a noticeable amount of weight while he'd been away. Sure he always came home a little lighter then when he'd left, but she always made sure he ate well when he was home. Suddenly his hand was over hers. She looked up in surprise.
'Tickles,' he whispered. Smiling, she'd almost forgotten how sensitive he was on his stomach.
'Let's get you cleaned up,' she said softy. He kicked off his underwear and got into the shower, moving stiffly like his joints were glued together. As soon as he turned on the water the dust and dried blood started to melt off him. Tifa stared for a minute, wanting to make sure he would be okay. When he seemed content to stand in the water, she saw to getting rid of his filthy clothes and checking on Denzel.