Just a funny short story. Read and enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not owe FF7 or anything from the FF7 universe.
Cloud stopped Fenrir and dismounted. "Shht Cloud" whispered a voice behind him, he truned. In front of him stood, Cloud was not too sure what exactly stood in front of him. "Marlene?" he took a guess because of the size. "Yes. Can you help me?" Now Cloud took a closer look at her. "What happened to you?" Marlene asnwered "Denzel, Billy, Tamara and I played at the playground. First we played hide and seek, then catch and then we made mud pies." Cloud nodded and begun to grin. "That I can see. Now why do you need my help?" Marlene hung her head. "If Tifa sees me like this, get I house arrest." Cloud sighted "Stay put!" and stepped into the bar. The bar was deserted and he spotted a note on the counter. He went over and read it and then went back outside. "Marlene we have luck. Tifa is coming home late tonight and Denzel sleeps over at BIllie's. So it's just you and me here. Come I help you." She flug herself in his arms, now Cloud was wearing mud too.
An hour later was Marlene clean und Cloud re-dressed in Jeans and T-Shirt. Then Cloud discovered he had a problem. "Marlene I don't know how to braid your hair." She giggled "You don't know how to braid hair?" He shook his head. "No I did not have a sister and I'm a man so I never need it." She looked at him. "Then I show you!" with this she disappiered. 10 Minutes later was she back with an armful of things. "Come in the living room then I show you." In the living room directed she him on the floor and begun to comb his hair. "Marlen what are you doing?" "I only can do it on someone else so I have to show you like that." "Marlene then we need an mirror so I can see what you're doing!" said Cloud. "Good thinking" said Marlene and was gone again.
Soon she returned with a mirror and put it in front of Cloud. "Now watch!" She began again to comb his hair and to separate it in to strands. "Cloud your hair." She giggled again. "Is it always like that?" Cloud sighted "Jep! It alway is and always was unruly! Now show me!" With her tongue peeking out between her teeth braided Marlene the hair and put a pink ribbon in it. "Have you seen what I've done?" she asked Cloud who nodded. "Yes sit down in front of me. I try!" A few minutes later admitted Cloud his defeat by Marlene's hair. "Great I fought Sephirot and Kadaj and kill every monster that comes along, but I can't braid heir." he thought and said. "Marlene can you show it me one more time, please?" Soon he wore a second ribbon this time a blue one on the other side. Then he took the taskon on of Marlenes hair again. A half an hour later asked he Marlene "Are you hungry?" she nodded.
Three hours later returned Tifa and found the bar lit. She let herself into the bar and stepped inside. Then she stared at her kitchen, who she had left earlyier sparkeling clean. Now the kitchen looked like Behamut had fought with Cloud, if Behamut used a red sauce as weapon. "I guess Marlene talked Cloud into making spaghetti for them." she thought and stepped into the kitchen. Something dripped on her arm, she looked up. "How in the world..." whispered she as she noticed the sauce at the ceiling. "Someone going to die for this!" then she noticed a plate on the stove who had her name on it. But on top on the stove stood also almost every pot she owned. "Why do man need at least six pots to cook water?" mumbled she as she remembered how Barrett used to cook.
Now she went on search of the culprits upstairs. First she checked the childrens room, it was empty but a messy chaos. "What did they do?" She went in the bath next to clean the sauce off her arm, then noticed the tub. The formerly white tub was now dark brown and in front laid something that looked like it escaped a swamp. Also noticed she two pair of footprints, one large one and a small one. "I'm going to kill him and to spank her." Now Tifa got angry. She went in Cloud's room, he was not there, only his uniform laid there muddy and wet. The only room left was the living room, so she went there and carefully opened the door. She looked inside, afraid of what maybe she see there and stared at the picture in front of her. Marlene's crayons laid everywhere in the room, a few of her dolls who had pigtails sat on the floor and seats and paper littered the floor and the table.
And in mitts of all this chaos laid Cloud on the floor and in his arm Marlene, both sound asleep. Marlene's hair was tousled and Cloud wore two pigtails with different colored ribbons. Next to them laid a picture, she picked it up. It showed four figures. The two smaller one resembled Denzel and Marlene, the two other one were taller, so Tifa thought by the color of their hair it was her and Cloud. Underneed the picture stood in Cloud's handwriting "My family by Marlene". Her anger subsided. She looked at Cloud, then shook her head, he looked so peaceful and wore a smile, she hated to wake him, but...
"Cloud." she said softly. His eyes snapped open and fastened on her. "Tifa! I'm sorry! I wanted to clean up, but Marlene wanted to draw a picture for you..." "Shhht Cloud. Don't wake her up. Bring her to bed, I help you clean up." Then she giggled "Nice hairdo!"