Natures Call
The rain lashed against the window Marlene and Denzel where pressed against above them a thunder storm raged with spectacular forked lightening flashing across the growing city.
Over their shoulder Tifa glanced out, her fingers twisting in anxiety. Out there somewhere in the elements Cloud was driving home. Already he was two hours late for dinner; soon it would be time to put the children to bed. She knew they would protest loudly to not seeing Cloud, but that could not be helped.
She had not told the children that Cloud had promised he would be home to time for dinner and to tuck them in, she was glad now that she'd kept that information to herself for they would have been heartbroken that Cloud had broken another promise.
Denzel let out a squeal of delight as another flash of lightening lit the room.
"Cloud's coming!" he squeaked clutching Marlene by the arm.
Tifa knelt beside them staring into the darkness.
It took a couple seconds for her eyes to adjust to the gloom, the street lights were like candles in a strong breeze – next to useless. Shapes began to appear out of the darkness; parked cars, road signs, litter bins and the bent, damp figure of a young man pushing a heavy powerful motorbike.
There are something about the way he was walking, the way his mouth hung open, gasping for air that made Tifa stand to attention. As he drew nearer she could see from the lights of the house the blood and mud on his form, singed hair and sooty face.
In a flurry of hair and splashes Tifa flew out the door to meet him, he was shivering uncontrollably as she held him close after his bike had fallen to the ground, forgotten. Up close he looked terrible.
Over the sound of the storm overhead Cloud whispered; "Sorry I – I'm late,"
She half carried, half dragged him into the house struggling up the three stairs and into the dry bringing in the smell of singed clothes and damp hair. Without a word one of the children obediently closed the door shutting out the weather as Tifa gently eased Cloud onto the nearest sofa.
With a soft groan Cloud slid deeper onto the soft fabric and closed his eyes. Tifa turned sharply to the waiting children standing close by in silence drinking in the sight of their hero.
"Marlene go and fetch some towels and blankets," the small girl dashed off towards the stairs. "Denzel, find me some dry clean clothes for Cloud," nodding he too dashed off towards the stairs.
Cloud continued to shiver as Tifa gently peeled away his sodden clothes she felt her face redden slightly as she undressed him but was able to suppress her girly embarrassment and focused back on the task whilst taking great care to remove his slightly burnt boots.
As she filled a bowl of warm water Cloud spoke again his teeth chattering: "I'm s-sorry Tifa I-I didn't mean to-to be so late,"
"Hush, don't be so silly," Tifa came back over to sooth him. "All that matters is that you'll alive and in one piece" she smiled gently dabbing the sores on his bare feet gently.
Marlene and Denzel reappeared with the towels and clothes. Tifa instructed them to wrap Cloud in the towels and tuck him in. The children found the role reversal slightly unusual but did not complain as they small hands gently folded the fluffy towels around Cloud's still shivering body. They even climbed onto the sofa arms, sliding down to sit close even leaning to hug him to keep him warmer.
"What happened to you Cloud?" Marlene asked quietly snuggling deeper into the towels, Denzel twisted his head to see Cloud clearer and Tifa stopped cleaning his pink toes.
Cloud blinked as if trying to recall what had put him in such a sorry state, "I was heading home across the plains," he said relieved he voice was steady and his teeth no longer chattering. "The storm was growing worse by the minuet, I was nearly at the outskirts into safety but I didn't make it…" he voice faded and his eyes softened.
Silence broke over the group until Denzel prompted Cloud to carry on.
"That's the thing I don't really know what happened," Cloud replied. "There was a deafening crash of thunder and blinding flash of lightening. I remember flying through the air and landing again but not much else," Cloud looked around at the children's wide eyes. "I think I was hit by lightening!"
It was nature calling that woke Cloud from his sleep. It took him a feel seconds to realise he wasn't sleeping in his bed and a little longer to remember why it felt he had weights places all over his body.
He was still on the sofa with the two children draped around him, Denzel was laying across his lap, Marlene sleeping on the floor resting on Cloud's feet and Tifa leaning against his shoulder, her arms stretching across his chest in a strange embrace.
He treasured this moment for several moments not wanted to move any of the sleeping group but sadly he knew they had to be moved.
Carefully he lifted Denzel off his lap, but the boys fingers clung tighter to the towel that lead underneath Tifa. She too shifted but did not wake.
A little firmer Cloud tried again only to have Denzel tighten his grip more and Tifa to slide down from Cloud's shoulder.
With a start she woke before she fell on Denzel still lying stubbornly on Cloud's lap.
Cloud smiled apologetically, "I didn't mean to wake you," he whispered. "I've defrosted enough to need the little boys room, but I'm trapped under the weight for sleeping children," he looked down to Marlene who at that moment decided to wrap an arm around Cloud's ankles.
Tifa laughed softly rising from the sofa she gently scoped up Marlene and headed towards the stairs but stopped and said over her shoulder: "A bath wouldn't go a miss either,"
Cloud smiled, "Alright I get the message," looking over to her fleeing back.
One child left to go, and with a deep breath Cloud lifted Denzel clear of his lap and placed him on the vacant seat beside him.
Unfortunately the sleeping boy was still clinging tightly onto the warm towels so when Cloud untangled himself he was utterly naked!
Praying that Tifa would not catch him he looked quickly around the dark room for this clothes the children had bought down earlier. But in the darkness he stumbled over his burned shoes and tipped over the bowl of now cold water Tifa was using and gave up as a lost cause.
Above he heard Tifa's feet move in the children's room, quickly Cloud raced across the room and leaped up the stairs taking two at a time hoping still that he could make it to the bathroom unseen.
At the top of the stairs he became to regret his swift movements for his legs and groin burnt painfully, they'd been pressed against the metal when the lightening had stuck Cloud remembered agonizingly as he shut the bathroom door.
He was in for a painful few days.
Still standing in the doorway of the children's room Tifa stood with her eyes closed preserving the sight she'd seen of Cloud waking half staggering past her completely naked.
Silently she chucked to herself remaindering herself to tease him about it at parties of how Cloud Strife savour of the world walked around brandy-legged utterly naked completely sober!
A/n: brandy-legged I think is wide kneed. Just think cowboys always walking with their legs apart. It happens after you've been horse riding sometimes because the muscles in your leg have spasms and refuse to work as normal for a few minuets.