"CLOUD!"
Cloud looked up from the maps strewn across his office desk. Marlene and Denzel darted into the room from the hallway. Marlene scurried to Cloud's desk as Denzel peeped around the corner into the hallway to check if all was clear before shutting the door and locking it for good measure.
"Cloud, what did you get Tifa for Christmas?" asked Marlene. Cloud looked at her in confusion.
"Why do you two want to know?" he asked in return.
"Because we need to know if you got her something! Also, Denzel needs help wrapping her present. He can't wrap a present to save his life," Marlene chirped. Denzel shot her a glare. Cloud smiled slightly.
"Sure, I can help."
Tifa sat on the couch in the family room reading a magazine. Across the room from her sat that year's Christmas tree. Silver tinsel was looped from branch to branch and around the many ornaments hanging from the branches, some of which had been made by Denzel and Marlene themselves. Small twinkling lights flashed through the branches, leaving little dots of light on the walls and floors. A five point star sat at the top of the tree, radiating a golden light.
As she flipped a page, she heard the sounds of thuds and laughter coming from upstairs. Curious, she dog-eared the page she was on and shut the magazine and went towards the stairs, dropping the magazine on the coffee table as she passed it. Walking up the stairs, she heard more sounds coming from the room Denzel and Marlene shared. Tifa peered around the doorframe of the room. She was met with the sight of wrapping paper scattered around the room. Denzel sat on the rug with a half-wrapped present on his lap as he tried to pull several strands of tape from his hair. Marlene was on her back laughing at the poor boy as a piece of the tape came loose with some of his hair. They turned and saw Tifa. They both gave a shout (or a shriek in Marlene's case) and Denzel shoved the present under his bed.
Before Tifa could get a better look at what they had been doing, her vision was blocked by a very ruffled looking Cloud. He had a stick-on ribbon stuck in his hair. Tifa giggled at the sight and earned a blush from Cloud. Before either could comment, he suddenly pushed her backwards, darted back into the room, and shut the door. Tifa just stood there in shock. She regained her composure and tried to open the door only to find it locked.
"Sorry, Teef. You can't come in." Cloud's voice was muffled by the wood door.
"Why not?" she shouted through the door.
"Because you can't see your present before Christmas!" Marlene shouted back. Tifa gave a laugh and turned to head back down the stairs.
"I hope it's nice!" she called over her shoulder at the closed door.
"It is!" chorused the two children.
Tifa loved Christmas. She really did. But she loved it even more as she watched her family slowly pile presents under the tree four days before Christmas. She would be working in the bar and hear the children sneaking into the room and darting back out in an effort to not let Tifa or Cloud know they were putting their guardians' presents under the fir tree. Cloud was a little more open about it, but not much. Tifa only caught him once. He was putting a present under the tree late at night after returning home from deliveries. As she was about to head upstairs to turn in, she had so happened to walk past when his spiky blonde hair had caught her attention. She watched him from the shadows as he confidently walked into the family room, placing a box with chocobo wrapping paper under the tree. As he straightened up, she hurried up the stairs.
Cloud loved Christmas. He really did. But he loved it less when people decided to swamp Strife Delivery Service with last minute Christmas deliveries. He had spent the last few days rushing about the east continent delivering to multiple families. As much as he couldn't stand the amount of frantic scrambling he was doing to delivery everything given to him before Christmas, he did appreciate the spike in profit he was making. He also quietly enjoyed the reactions many of the package recipients' reactions to the presents being sent from far off friends and family. Many houses had children around Denzel and Marlene's ages who would squeal in excitement as they took the package from him and darted back inside their houses.
It was the day before Christmas Eve. He had made his last round for the day and was driving through the outskirts of Edge, shivering in the cold despite the sweater, scarf, two shirts, and gloves he was wearing. He was stopped at a light, impatiently waiting for it to turn green. The sooner it turned green, the sooner he could get home and out of the cold and snow. He looked around at the shops surrounding him. All of them had their Christmas decorations displayed in all their glory. Lights shone through the dark, snow caught on the wreathes hanging from the shop doors, and he could see a few Christmas trees through the windows of a few shops.
His wandering eyes fell upon a small jewelry store. He read the sign above the entrance. In elegant script were the words Midgar Materia Jewelers. Struck with an idea, Cloud turned Fenrir into the small parking lot in front of the store. Kicking down the kickstand for the bike, he walked into the store. As he opened the door, a small bell rang above his head. A short old man with snow white hair popped up from behind the counter.
"If you need help finding something, just let me know!" he said cheerfully. Cloud nodded and started to wander the store. He came to a glass case filled with necklaces. As he admired them, a particular one caught his attention.
It's perfect, he thought. Then he looked at the price tag. Hmm. Expensive, he thought to himself. Then he remembered the money he had made from the deliveries. After a few quick calculations in his head, he turned to the old man at the counter.
"I'd like to purchase this."
Tifa happily hummed as she finished cleaning up the kitchen. She and the children had baked cookies for Santa before bedtime. A plate of chocolate chip cookies and some carrots (Marlene had insisted Santa's reindeer needed treats too for their hard work) and a tall glass of milk sat on the mantle over the fireplace in the family room. The Christmas tree had an abundance of presents sitting beneath it. It seemed everything was in place except one thing.
Tifa's humming trailed off and she gave a small frown as she read the time on the clock: 11:30 p.m. Where was Cloud? He had said he would try to be home early on Christmas Eve. The children had been disappointed that he hadn't been able to spend the evening with them, but they had cheered up when Tifa had told them he would be there in the morning. But it was getting late, where was he?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the roar of a familiar motorcycle. The sound pulled up into the garage and suddenly shut off. Boots thumped up the wooden garage stairs and Cloud opened the door, walking into the warm air of 7th Heaven. Large snowflakes were sprinkled in his hair and across his shoulders, standing out starkly against the black of his jacket. As he hung up his goggles and boots, the large flakes melted into small drops of water.
Cloud was turning to walk to the stairs when he caught sight of Tifa and gave her a tired smile. He changed course and went to sit on his usual stool at the bar. He crossed his arms on the counter and his head fell onto them with a faint thump as he gave a tired sigh. Tifa walked up next to him and began rubbing his back and shoulders.
"Long day?" she murmured. A faint grunt came from Cloud. Tifa softly spoke up again.
"You didn't make it home as early as you hoped. What happened?"
Cloud tiredly raised his head and started picking at the small wolf emblem on the cuff of one of his gloves.
"I skidded on some ice on my last delivery. I fell and hit my head hard enough to get knocked out." Embarrassment colored his tone. "The last house I was delivering to had a bunch of ice on the stairs. After I knocked myself out, the family pulled me inside and let me recover on their couch. By the time I woke up, it was ten thirty," he finished softly, letting his head fall back onto his arms.
Tifa gave him a sympathetic look and stood up. She walked behind the bar, grabbed a ziploc bag and opened the freezer door. She pulled out a couple handfuls of ice and dropped them inside the baggie which she wrapped in a clean washcloth before returning to Cloud.
"Where does it hurt?" she asked as she felt around his head. Her fingers brushed against a lump at the back of his head and he gave a hiss of pain. "Right there, apparently," she mildly commented before pressing the icepack gently against the bump. The two sat there for a moment before Cloud spoke up again.
"'m so tired…" he mumbled. Tifa smiled and set down the icepack as she got up and headed to the mantle where the cookies, carrots, and milk lay. Cloud raised his head to look after her.
"What are you doing?"
"I think 'Santa' won't mind if you eat these cookies and drink some of this milk," she replied as she returned to the bar with the plate and glass. She set them down in front of Cloud and pulled up a bar stool next to his, watching as he quietly munched on the cookies. He picked up the glass and drank all the milk in one go before setting it down. He eyed the carrots suspiciously.
"Yes, you have to eat them," said Tifa before he could speak up. "We need to make sure Marlene's treats got to the reindeer, right?"
Cloud gave her a sour look. She replied with a little smirk as he started to crunch on the carrots. Finally the plate was clear of food.
"Go set it on the mantle," Tifa ordered. As Cloud walked to put down the dishes, she called out to him.
"Also leave a thank you note!"
Cloud smiled and shook his head as he went to find a pen and some paper.
Denzel and Marlene looked at their secret trick hanging from the entrance to the family room.
"Do you think it will work?" asked Denzel.
"Of course it will!" Marlene replied, grabbing her brother's hand and dragging him up the stairs. The two of them streaked into Cloud and Tifa's room. Denzel was reserved enough to stop at the foot of the bed, but Marlene took the more exuberant approach and launched herself onto her guardians.
"TIFA! Tifa, it's Christmas, you gotta get up!" Tifa sat up and rubbed her eyes, giving the two children a smile that quickly turned into a yawn. As Marlene bounced up and down, she suddenly stumbled and fell onto a lump still under the covers. A low groan came from underneath. The little girl started excitedly pulling at the covers, revealing a very tired blonde swordsman. She quickly hopped off the bed and started tugging on his arm.
"Cloooooud, it's time to get up!" she yelled happily in his ear. Blue eyes blearily watched her for a few seconds before he turned his head back into his pillow.
"Idontwanna…" he mumbled into the pillow. Marlene gave a humph and jerked the covers off of him. Cloud quickly curled in on himself at the sudden cold.
"Get up!" Marlene crowed. "It's Christmas!"
The two kids darted back out the door and down the stairs as Cloud pulled on a warm shirt and Tifa wrapped herself in a fuzzy robe. The two headed down the stairs and stopped in the doorway to admire the two children laughing and shouting as they divided their presents. All the noise suddenly stopped as the two kids turned to look at their guardians, evil grins growing on their faces.
"HA! They fell for it!" shouted Denzel. Marlene burst into giggles. Cloud and Tifa looked at each other in bewilderment, not sure what Denzel meant until Marlene, clutching her side, pointed at the doorway above them. The two adults looked up and spotted a sprig of leaves and white berries. Mistletoe! They both looked down at each other, faint red blushes appearing on their faces. Marlene gave an evil cackle.
"Now you two have to kiss! Do it!"
Cloud glanced at the ground, rubbing the back of his head. Tifa looked away, biting her lower lip and clasping her hands together. Cloud made the first move, though. He leaned in close, his eyes on Tifa's red ones the whole time. She finally leaned forward to meet him. The two shared a quick heartfelt kiss. It was short but full of feeling.
As their kids cheered, the two of them thought how wonderful this Christmas was going to be.
Several hours of paper tearing, joyful squealing (from the girls), and some awful sing along Christmas songs found the 7th Heaven family resting on the couch. Denzel's head was resting on the arm of the couch as he snored and clutched his Bahamut action figure. Marlene was fast asleep, her head leaning on Cloud's thigh. In her arms she cuddled two plushies: a chocobo and a moogle. On the other side of Cloud sat Tifa. Her legs were curled up beneath her as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"This was such an amazing Christmas," she murmured.
"Mm," hummed Cloud in reply. The two gazed at the glowing Christmas tree. Cloud suddenly remembered something. Being careful to not wake Marlene, he reached into the pocket of his sweat pants and pulled out a long box.
"But it could be a little more amazing."
"What?" asked Tifa as she sat up. She froze when she looked into an open box resting in Cloud's hand. A gold chain rested on black velvet. A small red orb pendent set into gold hung from the chain. Her mouth hanging open, she reached and picked up the necklace and held it in front of her face. Upon closer inspection, the orb was the same red as her eyes. In its depths was a flickering brighter red. Tifa was sure it wasn't from the tree lights. She looked up to see Cloud's blue eyes smiling back at her.
"It's actually a fire materia," he explained quietly. He made a spinning motion with his finger and Tifa turned around. He took the necklace from her and opened the small clasp. He delicately looped the necklace around her neck and shut the clasp. Tifa's hand rose to touch the small pendant.
"I thought it matched your eyes," Cloud continued quietly as she turned around. "The fire materia will keep you warm when you're out in the cold and snow—"
He was cut off as Tifa's lips connected with his. He didn't mind, though. The two shared another kiss that day, this one with a little more appreciation and passion than the first. However, as Cloud shifted, he woke up Marlene. The two adults broke off the kiss and watched as the little girl sat up and yawned. Tifa leaned over the two of them and shook Denzel awake.
"I think you two should finish your nap upstairs," she said with a gentle smile. The two children nodded and clambered off the couch to head up the stairs, leaving the two adults alone in the family room. Denzel changed direction at the stairs, though, and headed into the bar.
"Hold on, Marlene! I'm gonna get Santa's note!"
Tifa and Cloud shared a glance when a sudden shout came from the bar. Denzel ran up the stairs with a look of horror on his face.
"MARLENE! Cloud ate all of Santa's cookies and left a note pretending he was Santa!"
Tifa laughed. "I think he recognized your handwriting."
Cloud smiled in return. "I guess so."
Hey everyone! Thank you so much for reading this oneshot! I originally wrote it for a contest on dA by TheSOLDIERSPromise. I was going to make it a little longer, but I thought, hey it's short and sweet. Let's stick to that.
This story is pretty similar to how my family used to go about Christmas. My dad and I would always bake cookies for Santa, but we also left out the carrots for the reindeer. Turns out, it was my dad who would eat all the cookies and carrots. I found out it was him at about age 10. "Santa" left notes on the napkin we left with the food and milk, saying things like "Thank you! Rudolf loved the carrots!" Finally on that Christmas I recognized my Dad's handwriting. xD My reaction was nothing like Denzel's, though.
Have a lovely Christmas! :D