Disclaimer: I still own nothing!

Note: This is what happens when you're sleep deprived and the power is out.

First Time for Everything

This could not be happening, yet it was. What had he done to deserve this?

Best not to go there, Cloud Strife thought to himself, as he stared at his reflection in complete shock. One part of him just wasn't him this morning. His arms were still perfectly toned, his chest sculpted, and his eyes still glowed electric blue from Mako energy.

The defect was even more important than any of those things. To him, at least.

For the first time, Cloud Strife's hair, his blond, gravity-defying hair, was flat.

He shook his head, wincing at the fact that his hair actually moved, and ducked under the cabinet below the sink. I can fix that, he thought, as he rummaged for hair gel. But, it wasn't there.

Ok, don't panic. He then looked in the medicine cabinet. Tifa may have moved it to keep Marlene and Denzel out of it. He frowned, still not finding gel. Not even hairspray. Like that would hold, Cloud thought.

He felt the shock creeping in on him. Flat hair plus no gel equals me not making any deliveries, he thought worriedly. He was not going out in public like this! He had a reputation to maintain!

Cloud nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Tifa's footsteps coming up the stairs. Quickly, he stuck his head in the cabinet under the sink again.

She stopped at the doorway, which he was grateful for.

"Cloud, are you okay?"

"No…" he replied truthfully.

"What's wrong?" He heard her take one step toward him.

"NO!" Cloud threw one of his hands out dramatically to stop her approach.

"Cloud, what—"

"Look, Tifa, this is a serious emergency!"

"Ok…" For some reason, her voice sounded as if she were questioning his sanity. "What is it?"

Cloud took a deep breath and with as much dignity as he could, said, "I need hair gel…"

Tifa laughed out loud. "So, go to the store."

He scoffed, "Hell no! Not like this! Tifa, will you please go for me?"

"And the kids?"

"Trust me, I'm not going anywhere. They'll be fine."

"What kind do you use?" she asked him calmly, but he could hear that she was trying not to laugh again.

"Uh, um…" He'd never told anyone that.

"Cloud?"

He muttered something inaudible.

"What was that?"

Cloud sighed in defeat. "Super-Ultra-Mega Hold…"

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After half an hour of Marlene and Denzel's questions, Cloud finally heard Tifa coming back upstairs.

"Tifa! Cloud locked himself in the bathroom!" Marlene squealed in amusement.

"And he won't even say why!" Denzel added in disappointment.

Cloud heard Tifa giggle then say, "Cloud's just having a little issue."

He sighed again, wrapping a towel around his hair and unlocking the door for Tifa. She came in, gave him the bottle, and went back downstairs with Marlene and Denzel.

Cloud spent the next twenty minutes fixing his hair before going back to his room and properly dressing himself. Downstairs, he saw the kids playing checkers and Tifa chatting with a few patrons.

"Feeling better now?" she asked, as he went over to her.

"Tons," he admitted, accepting the mug of coffee she offered him and taking a sip. "Thank you," he added sincerely.

She just smirked. "You know, Cloud, you have weird moments, but I love you anyway."

He chuckled softly. "Tifa, me without hair gel is like Sephiroth without a hair straightner."