Disclaimer: If I owned them Zack would still be alive…..
Of War and Bubbles
"How did it go?" Tifa called out when she heard the door shut and the familiar sound of footsteps.
Cloud had gone earlier that morning to assist Vincent with something. Tifa didn't know the details but Cloud did not sound too happy about the thing. A grunt was the only response she received, this was of course the normal response she received when greeting Cloud. She smiled to herself and continued to go through the cupboard she had been sorting.
"Marlene wants to spend some time with you." She said, not bothering to glance behind her. "I thought if you were not busy tonight-"
Tifa tailed off as she heard a splat from behind her. Unsure of where the noise was coming from she quickly turned. Her eye quickly landed on a glob of mud lying on her freshly washed floor.
"Uh! What is that-"
As she turned t glance at Cloud the words died on her lips. There stood Cloud, standing tall, covered from head to toe in what appeared to be mud. She was momentarily too stunned to comment, simply staring at the man before her. After a few moments of silence in which Cloud offered no explanation as to his current state Tifa broke the silence.
"What happened?" she asked.
Cloud shrugged his shoulders, causing more grim to fall to the floor, his eyes falling down ward.
"Had a little accident." He said simply.
"An accident?" Tifa repeated, silently demanding more information.
Cloud's eyes flickered to hers momentarily then reverted back to the floor. He nodded sheepishly.
"How?" she asked.
Cloud shifted uncomfortably, causing more mud to fall to the floor. Cloud seemed oblivious to this. He mumbled something too quietly for Tifa to hear.
"What was that?"
Cloud lowered his head until his chin was resting against his chest.
"I was running to keep up Vince, and wasn't watching where I was going."
Tifa stood quietly for a moment eyeing him. He looked like a child who was being punished for stealing the last cookie. She shook her head.
"Come on out side really quick and we can wash some of that before you tail it all over the house."
Both Cloud and Tifa glanced at the grim already surrounding where Cloud stood.
"Any more then you already have." Tifa added in an after thought.
Cloud cringed as Tifa stepped around him to head out the bar. From where Cloud stood to the door was a trial of mud. Tifa let out a low sigh and walked stiffly to the door, not looking back. Cloud fallowed her a moment later.
Tifa hosed him down outside for a good five minutes. She would rather have him walk wet through the house then have him trail mud. After determining that this was the best she could do at the moment she turned off the hose and handed him a towel.
"You need a bath." She stated.
Cloud let out a sigh and nodded his agreement, toweling his hair first, and then wrapping the towel around his shoulders.
"Yeah a nice long shower." He said eyeing his wet clothes.
"No, a bath."
Cloud turned to look at her.
"What?"
Tifa turned off the hose then turned to regard him, hands on her hips.
"You're going to take a nice long bath. I can put in some lavender smelling salts, maybe a few bubbles-"
"No!" Cloud said sharply taking a step towards her. "A shower will be fine."
Tifa let out a laugh and took a step back away from Cloud.
"If you ever want me to be in the same room with you again, you're taking a bath."
Cloud opened his mouth to protest, but Tifa spoke again before any words could come.
"This is not an argument, it's and order."
With that Tifa headed back into the house, Cloud followed silently behind her. She stepped over the trail of mud and headed for the stairs.
"You can clean up the mess you made while I get your bath ready." She called down to him from the top of the stairs.
Cloud sighed and head around the bar to find the mop.
Ten minutes had passed before Tifa reappeared.
"The bath is already." She said grabbing the mop from his hands.
"Go in up I'll finish up here."
He nodded his head and headed up the stairs, towards the bath room.
As he opened the door he was greeted with the strong smell of lavender. The lights were off, but candles had been lit, lining the edge of the tub. The tub itself was covered in what appeared to be pink bubbles. Cloud froze in his tracks. She couldn't possibly think he would agree to this did she?
"Get in the tub; I'll be up in a few moments." Tifa yelled from the stairs.
Cloud sighed and striped out of his wet clothes, piling them against the edge of the tub, and then entered the bubbles. Once in he sat rigidly against the back of the tub intently watching the bubbles.
"Ah, good, you're in."
She eyed him for moment noting the how tight the muscles in his shoulders were.
"Cloud, just lean back and relax, it will do you good."
She turned to leave.
"I'll bring you back some clothes to change into in a bit, enjoy!"
With that she left the room, closing the door in her wake.
After watching the door latch closed cloud shifted until he was lying in the tub, only his head was above the water leaning against the edge. After a few moments the warm water began to loosen his muscles. He had to admit Tifa was right, this did feel nice, especially after the day he had had. His mind and body both began to relax and soon cloud started to drift off towards sleep.
"Cloud?"
Cloud jumped, his eyes snapping open. His eyes quickly swept the room before finally coming to rest on the young girl standing beside the door, a curious expression on her face.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
Cloud quickly looked down in the tub to make sure the bubbles were truly concealing him from the child, and then turned his eyes back to the girl.
"Uh, Tiffa wanted me to smell nice." Cloud inwardly cringed at his use of words but did not let it show.
Marlene Smiled broadly at him. Much to Clouds dismay she walked further into the room until she was standing nest to the edge of the tub.
"Tifa makes me take baths all the time." She said happily eyeing the pink bubbles on the surface of the water.
Cloud nodded vaguely recalling Tifa ordering the children to take baths before bed.
"You're doing it wrong."
Cloud raised an eyebrow looking at the girl quizzically.
Her smile was gone and was replaced with a look of deep concentration. Her eyes finally met his.
"Haven't you ever taken a bath before?" she asked.
Cloud shook his head. He was doing it wrong? What more was to a bath then sitting in the water?
Marlene smiled and turned to leave.
"Don't worry I'll be right back!" she said quickly running out of the room.
Cloud sank lower into his bubbles.
"Great, can't even take a bath right." He muttered to himself.
A few moments later Marlene came rushing back into the room a triumphant smile on her face and a small box in hand. She set the box down onto the ground and began rummaging through it. Cloud raised himself up in the tub to try to catch a look at what she was doing; unfortunately her body was obstructing his view. He sighed and relaxed back into the water, closing his eyes once again. Suddenly there was a splash as something hit the water, then another one, then another. Cloud quickly snapped his eyes open. There floating in his bubbly water were three brightly colored rubber ducks, one yellow the other two pink.
"There!" Marlene said triumphantly. "Now it's perfect."
Cloud stared at the ducks in silence watching them float aimlessly among the bubbles. This day could not get any worse, first falling into a sewer, now surrounded by pink bubbles, and now pastel baby rubber ducks. Marlene seemed to since his discomfort.
"Is something wrong?" she asked glancing from him to his ducks.
He glanced at her and did his best to give what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
"No, it's-er- great, thank you."
Marlene looked thoughtful for a moment. Maybe he wants a different toy, she thought to herself.
"I'll be right back." She said quickly before racing from the room.
"No that's ok!" Cloud called after her, hoping to dissuade her from bringing him anything more. Then again what could be more humiliating then his current state?
A moment later Marlene came running back into the room. She skidded to a halt nest to the top and dropped something into the water. It happened so fast the Cloud's eyes were momentarily unable to determine what she had added to his bath. He sat up straighter in the tub and eyes the bubbles wearily, his eyes finally coming in contact with a large grey object. Cloud hesitantly reached out and pick the object up. Upon closer examination it appeared to be a plastic replication of a ship.
"Denzel always plays with ships when he is in the bath." Marlene said cheerfully. "It's a boy's toy."
Cloud turned his gaze to her, an unreadable expression on his face.
"You don't like it? He has other toys."
"No, no this is great, really thank you." He quickly reassured her, fearing what else she would bring.
She smiled broadly at him clapping her hands together.
"Good!" She exclaimed.
She watched him in silence for a few moments before turning back to the door.
"Enjoy your bath!" she called as she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Cloud turned his eyes back to the bubbles once again. The ship was slowly floating towards the purple rubber duck. Cloud sank in the tub causing the water to shift in waves moving the ship closer to the duck. Cloud eyed the duck wearily for a moment, assessing its worth. The duck seemed unaware of the danger moving in on the left flank, simply content to bob in the bubbles. The two pink ducks had moved down by cloud's feet, huddled together in fear, not nearly as naive of the dangers of bath time as there little purple friend. Cloud reached out and slowly began moving the ship closer to the duck. The duck finally noticing the danger began heading in the direction of his comrades, but unfortunately a moment too late. Cloud moved the ship in cutting of the ducks run for survival. The duck, naturally panicking began head towards clouds chest. The ship, anticipating such a reaction moved to intercept. The duck not realizing its deadly mistake ran headlong into the ship. Cloud let out an evil chuckle before slamming the ship down on the duck forcing it under the pink bubbles of death.
"When Marlene said she had given you toys, I would have thought you would have just pulled them out of the tub."
Cloud quickly straightened and glanced at the door. He had been so absorbed in stopping the way ward duck that he had not heard the door open. Tifa stood in the door way hands on her hips eyeing him curiously, a giant smile encompassing her lips.
Cloud, to embarrassed and startled to say anything turned his attention back to the purple duck, which had resurfaced while his attention was on Tifa. Cloud angrily eyed the insolent duck before dunking under water again.
Tifa raised an eyebrow watching him punish the purple rubber ducky, her smile becoming broader.
"Dinner will be ready in an hour." She said.
"I'll send Marlene to come get you."
Clouded nodded, his attention on the duck who once again resurfaced.
"Have fun punishing your ducks!"