AN: Revised as of 22 January 2009. Set before the side-story, "Twas the Night Before Christmas."
Chapter 04
Something was…different.
It wasn't different in the sense that whatever was different was bad, that wasn't the case at all. It was just – for lack of a better explanation – weird. And as if that weren't strange enough, this weird difference was weird in a good way. There just wasn't a way to describe the situation with greater clarity. Though this was especially true of the two children pondering this turn of events, it was also often true of adults who found themselves at a complete and utter loss for words. Adults tended to complicate things too much as it was.
Five months had passed without incident since Reunion. The initial excitement had worn off only a couple months previous, and the people of Edge, including its children, were once again leading normal lives. Adults went to work, the children went to school. At the end of the day, they all went home to good food and each other. It felt nice. Things were the way they were supposed to be.
But the hum-drum monophonic tune of normalcy wasn't what occupied the minds of the two children who called 7th Heaven home. Had Denzel not lost his parents when Shinra dropped the plate on Sector 7 in Midgar, he might have continued to enjoy that dull lifestyle. Marlene had been too young to remember her parents; for so long, she'd only known Barret, then Tifa, and finally, Cloud, and the lifestyle that her adoptive father and surrogate parents led, as well as the sadness it brought them. And until five months ago, only one of those surrogate parents had been tangible. The other had been, at best, an undead, ghostly shell whose presence – or lack thereof – was marked by but a handful of memories and a young woman's sad ruby eyes.
That had been their life before between the events of Meteor and Reunion.
Immediately following Reunion, that depressing existence had been changed, the routine disrupted.
Denzel now walked to school with Marlene every morning. Every afternoon, they would walk home together. But the sad ruby eyes that greeted them upon their return now sparkled happily, and their owner's voice positively sang rapturously as the children eagerly inquired about their other guardian, where he was, and when he would be coming home. Though the answer varied by the day, it satisfied the children enough to silence them for the time being, and they would happily race up the stairs to their rooms, where they would change out of their school clothes and start on their homework.
Their other guardian, the man who had been the undead, ghostly shell five months ago, would walk in through the door leading to the garage while they were in the middle of supper. His arrival often coincided with the time the evening regulars – the lawyers, the corporate businessmen, other white-collar office-types – filtered in through the bar's front entrance for their evening drinks. He never walked out into the bar, venturing into the kitchen only briefly to greet his housemate and their two young charges before disappearing upstairs to shower and thus cleanse himself of the disgusting things he'd gotten covered with in the course of his day. Following his shower – which, depending on how filthy he'd gotten, took between twenty minutes and an hour – he would walk into the kitchen and help himself to whatever had been prepared for their evening meal.
During a lull in the bar's action, which always occurred around eight o'clock every evening, the little family would sit around the kitchen table, each member sharing his or her experiences from that day. Denzel and Marlene talked about things that were normal for children to talk about. Mrs. Filmore was a bad gym teacher because she took all the fun out of kickball, and Mr. Foster was the best music teacher in the world. The principal finally suspended his own son after Joachim kicked Patrick after the former's friends shoved him, and Trisha stopped being friends with Lacy because Samner gave Lacy flowers at lunch. Denzel liked to complain about Mrs. Trammel, the teacher in charge of his third-grade class, while Marlene sang Miss Harris' praises, claiming there had never existed a first-grade teacher as wonderful as her.
Cloud's accounts always included the towns and cities he visited, the people he met, and the monsters he'd slain while out on deliveries. His tales inspired awe in the children, who only got to see him in the evenings during the week; Cloud awoke no later than four o'clock in the morning, at least three hours before the children got up. His housemate was interested in knowing how his day went, but he knew that she wasn't particularly concerned with the different towns and monsters. Cloud wasn't offended, though, for he understood why she wasn't as awestruck as the children. She'd been to those towns, fought those kinds of monsters, and had even met some of the people before. When she asked questions, she only inquired about the changes in each of the towns they'd been to together, and the health of some of the people she knew that he'd met with.
In comparison to the tales told by Cloud and the children, Tifa's description of her day was incomprehensibly boring. In fact, she only told her family that she slept well, because she wasn't awake during the day. She would wake with Cloud when his alarm went off, even if she had only been asleep for three or four hours. As such, she was the only member of the household who saw the quiet man in the morning. They cooked and ate breakfast together, and just before Cloud left, they always shared a quick kiss. Following his departure, she would return to the soothing warmth of her bed for another couple hours until it was time to wake Denzel and Marlene at seven. The kids would always leave for school around eight-thirty, and after checking the doors and windows, Tifa would retreat to her room one last time to nestle under the covers until one o'clock in the afternoon. The children came home from school at three-thirty, giving Tifa two-and-a-half hours to herself to wake up and get ready for the night ahead without having to worry about anyone else. Rinse, repeat.
There were days where Cloud got to sleep in and Tifa got the night off. Cloud took weekends off, provided he didn't have an important delivery that carried him away from home for more than a day, and Tifa would close the bar. Then there were parent-teacher conference days. Parent-teacher conferences were always held on Thursday evenings and during regular school hours on Fridays, and there were always two parent-teacher conferences per academic semester. 7th Heaven would close at one o'clock in the morning on Thursday and not reopen until five o'clock Monday evening. Cloud took Friday off.
And now, in the middle of December, the routine had been disrupted even further. Cloud was staying home for the winter, rather than run deliveries. Tifa had been the one to suggest it; his clients, evidently, shared the fighter-turned-barmaid's sentiments, and told him to stay home, rather than risk his health and life just to ensure their packages reached their destinations. Though he would not be making any money until March, Cloud had assured his family that he was in good shape financially. He was more a miser than a spendthrift, something he proved to Tifa when he received his bank statement in the mail at the beginning of the month. Four months without income wouldn't hurt his wallet in the least.
But it was still so strange!
Denzel laid his pencil down with a frustrated groan. He understood that things were different in a good way because Cloud was home, and he was happy about that. What he didn't understand were the changes in Cloud and Tifa together. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Obviously, Tifa was happier, and at first, Denzel thought it was because she had proof on a mostly-daily basis that her best friend was okay. Cloud also seemed to feel better. Like the young woman they all lived with, he had also changed. He was happier, he smiled more, and he even laughed with them. As the months progressed, though, Denzel noticed that Tifa was happy for a different reason, as was Cloud. He also noticed that in spite of the familiarity shared by the two adults, there existed a sense of awkward shyness.
The last time Denzel checked, best friends didn't kiss each other on the lips like in the movies.
If there was one thing Denzel did know, it was that a boy didn't kiss a girl unless it was on a dare or unless he really, really liked her. And Cloud wasn't taking any dares, so he had to like Tifa. Even though this romance was unfurling right in front him, Denzel still had a hard time imagining Cloud and Tifa in love the way the grown-ups in the movies and the teenagers he saw around town looked. Cloud may have only been home for five months, but the way he just fit into their lives and filled the void created by his absence, it was as though he'd never been away from them. He and Tifa just seemed so…natural.
"Denzel! Marlene! Bedtime in an hour!"
The boy groaned again as his eyes drifted to the digital clock on his nightstand. Upon seeing that he truly only had an hour left until he had to be in bed, he scowled darkly and trudged to the bathroom to clean up and brush his teeth. Cloud the Bedtime-Nazi, he told himself for the umpteenth time, was definitely not as cool as Cloud the Monster-Slayer. Bedtime-Nazi Cloud had enforced the nine o'clock bedtime while school was in session, which Denzel understood. What he didn't understand was Bedtime-Nazi Cloud's continued enforcement of the bedtime rule during winter holiday. It wasn't fair.
Marlene was waiting in the hallway when he exited the bathroom. "Hey, Marlene?"
The girl stopped just as she was about to shut the door. "Yeah?"
Denzel shifted his weight uncomfortably. This whole thing with Cloud and Tifa was starting to make him feel weird. He wasn't even sure if he should even bother asking about his guardians' behavior, because Marlene knew both adults better than he did, and maybe Cloud and Tifa had acted like this in the past. But what if they hadn't? Wouldn't Marlene also think it was weird? With only one way to find out, Denzel breathed shakily, and mustered his courage. "D'you think Cloud and Tifa are acting strange?"
That certainly got Marlene's attention. She blinked, brow furrowed in concentration. Meeting Denzel's curious gaze, she said, "Let me brush my teeth, okay?"
Satisfied without being completely satisfied with her response for the time being, Denzel nodded. "I'll be in my room."
After what seemed like an eternity had passed, Marlene finally finished in the bathroom and joined Denzel in his room. Though the children got along beautifully, their guardians decided they needed separate rooms. Denzel was given one of the two spare rooms, conveniently located directly across the hall from the bathroom. It had taken some getting used to, but both children were happy with the increase in personal space.
And the best part of having the room directly across the hall from the bathroom was that Denzel could watch for the person he wanted to talk to. There was no way to escape the boy's keen eyes unless he was asleep.
Marlene sat at the foot of Denzel's bed while he sat with his back against the headboard. "Why do you think they're acting strange?"
Denzel shook his head. "I'm not sure. They're best friends, right? Best friends don't kiss."
The reaction his statement inspired was not quite what Denzel had been expecting. In fact, he found it rather frustrating that Marlene would laugh at him for not knowing something that apparently was extremely obvious to the girl. "What?" he asked sourly.
"They're in love with each other, silly!" Marlene continued to giggle, irking Denzel further. "Cloud and Tifa have always been special to each other. They're just stubborn." Her laughter subsided when she noticed how put-out and confused her best friend looked. "They don't like being...oh, how did Tifa explain it? Open! They don't like being open with their feelings."
"But they're open about it now, aren't they?" Denzel asked, and became even more confused when Marlene shook her head.
"Nuh-uh. We can see that they're happy and in love because we live with them. Daddy and Cid and all the others can see it because they know Tifa so well and because Tifa's sort of like an open book." Marlene grinned brightly. "Cloud's a lot better at hiding his feelings, because everyone else except Vincent and Nanaki doesn't know they have to look him in the eye. Other people, like the ones that come to the bar, can't tell that Cloud and Tifa are together, because they don't know them like us and Daddy."
Armed with this new information, Denzel crossed his arms over his chest as he began to consider what Marlene had told him. It made sense now, as he also thought about what he'd seen with his own eyes. His guardians didn't necessarily say what they needed to tell each other with words unless the situation necessitated verbal communication. They used gestures and other forms of body language instead. Their actions spoke for them most of the time. There was a saying Tifa sometimes used whenever Denzel got into a fight, one she started using not long after Cloud came home to stay. Actions speak louder than words, but the pen is still mightier than the sword. Did Tifa speak from her personal experiences in her relationship with Cloud? She had to be, for it to make sense the way it did. Tifa never said anything unless she knew it to be true.
He then began thinking about Marlene's claim that the regulars to the bar couldn't tell that Tifa was taken. That also made sense. Some of the more amorous types kept trying to ask the young woman out, even then she turned them down. Denzel knew Cloud was annoyed by it, but Cloud wasn't one to just stake his claim like other men. Cloud wasn't overly possessive. He knew that Tifa could take care of herself and would actually object to his stepping in when the situation didn't call for it. They were a team, Cloud explained softly, yet firmly, when the children asked him why he didn't chase the suitors off, and part of being in a team meant trusting one another. Cloud trusted Tifa, and if he stepped in, he would be telling her that he didn't trust her.
Denzel sighed. "Okay, I think I get it. They're taking their time."
Marlene nodded enthusiastically. "Yep!"
"So do you think Cloud will ask Tifa to marry him?"
"When I do, it will be when the time is right."
The children jumped at the sound of Cloud's soft tenor voice. Sheepishly, they looked up to see not only Cloud, but also Tifa, standing in the doorway. Tinges of pink colored the adults' faces, but they didn't seem too flustered otherwise. Embarrassed at having been caught discussing their guardians' love lives, the children blushed bright red. It was awkward, more so for the children than for Cloud and Tifa.
Cloud walked into the room and sat on Denzel's bed between the two children. Tifa sat next to him, encouraging Marlene to come sit on her lap while Denzel all but plastered himself to Cloud's other side. The swordsman looked between the two youngsters. His expression was firm, but his eyes were full of affection and amusement. "It's okay if you have questions. If you're not sure of what's going on, I want to you ask me, or Tifa, or both of us. To the people who don't know us, we're not a normal family, but what matters is that we know we're a family. Okay?"
The children nodded, understanding what Cloud was telling them, and understanding that it was important to Cloud that he explain this to them. Even with his family, with whom he was most open, Cloud still wasn't one for much verbal communication. Every question he asked, and every answer he gave, was short and to the point. He rarely let on that something mattered greatly to him, and when he did, it was always best to do as he said or asked.
The swordsman offered his young charges a small smile, something that was slowly becoming more frequent around the house. He then looked at Tifa, his own way of asking if she had anything to add to what he'd already told the children. She smiled softly and shook her head. No, she was saying. You said everything that needed to be said.
It never ceased to amaze the children how their guardians could say so much with very few words, or even no words at all. But perhaps that was the magic of their relationship. They knew each other so well that they knew what the other was truly saying with all the physical gestures and signs, almost like they were reading each other's minds. It was neat, it was weird, and it was romantic, all at the same time. There was suddenly no question at all that these two were meant for one another. Cloud was right; he would ask Tifa to marry him when the time was right, and they would then take it from there. There was no need to rush. As long as he and Tifa still loved each other, they would go at their own pace.
Denzel realized he was okay with that. Even if the early bird always caught the worm, good things still came to those who waited patiently for them.
But another nagging question that had been bothering him chose to rear its ugly head. It was one he didn't want to ask, as he feared one of the possible answers Cloud and Tifa might give him. It was also a question he needed to ask, because he needed to know. "What'll happen to me when you do get married?"
His question appeared to have caught Cloud and Tifa by surprise. Even Marlene seemed horrified that he would ask something like that. Before the boy could begin to regret asking, Tifa came to the rescue. "What makes you ask, Denzel?" Her voice was gentle, and Denzel ducked his head. He seemed to think he'd hurt them all with his innocent question. But Tifa and Cloud weren't hurt by it. Instead, they were actually glad he asked; it meant he was concerned about his place in their lives. He wanted to make sure he wasn't going to be thrown away. Denzel didn't know that, though, and Tifa wanted him to know the truth. "Cloud and I were wondering when you were going to ask if you were going to stay or be sent to another home." She smiled reassuringly when the boy finally looked up to meet her eyes in wonderment. "As long as you want to stay with us, Denzel, we want you to stay."
"As…" Denzel trailed off nervously, hopefully. "As your adopted son?"
Cloud patted his back before bringing his hand up to rest easily on Denzel's shoulder. "That's what we were thinking. You're part of the family, aren't you?" When the boy nodded slowly, Cloud squeezed his shoulder a little and pulled him into a one-armed hug. "Then you're staying." He chuckled lightly when Denzel all but tackled him in a tight, delighted hug. This time, he brought both arms around the boy to fully enclose him in an affectionate hug. Without having to say anything at all, Cloud was able to convey what he felt with greater accuracy than he would have been able to with words.
Denzel felt Marlene attempt to hug both him and Cloud, and then he felt the soothing, motherly comfort of Tifa's arms as she too joined in the family group hug.
"Something tells me you two won't be falling asleep any time soon," Tifa observed, the laughter in her voice sending the children into a fit of giggles.
Her boyfriend grunted, the noise sounding more like a laugh than an actual grunt. "I suppose they can stay up an extra hour." He looked down at the two children clinging to his front. "You're still getting up at eight to help decorate the tree."
"We'll wake up." Denzel asserted confidently.
"I'm holding you to that, young man," Tifa warned. "Okay, let's go downstairs, but you have to stay in the living room, alright?"
When two little heads nodded enthusiastically, the adults stood up, Cloud carrying Denzel piggy-back. Tifa, meanwhile, carried Marlene against her hip, the little girl's arms wrapped loosely around the martial artist's neck.
Resting his chin on Cloud's shoulder, and leaning his head over just a little so it rested against Cloud's, Denzel sighed contentedly. They weren't a normal family to outsiders, as Cloud said, but they were a family. Tifa technically owned the bar, therefore the house. Cloud, her childhood friend and crush, was her live-in boyfriend with loads of baggage. Marlene was their best friend's adopted daughter who lived with them because her father couldn't take care of her just yet. And Denzel was an orphan Cloud rescued and brought home with him because he couldn't bear to abandon an innocent child to starvation and death. They were all broken in some way or another, but they had each other. And they were family.
"Something on your mind, Denz?"
Denzel smiled sleepily. "Yeah. I think we're lucky."
Tifa cast a gentle smile back at Denzel while Cloud snorted bemusedly. We are lucky, they were telling him in that nonverbal language they always used with each other. Their responses caused Denzel's grin to broaden. He was so high in the clouds that he failed to notice when Cloud set him down on the couch with Marlene before following Tifa out into the bar for a moment. It was just so unreal. He had a family. He had new parents, ones who loved each other and him. The uncertainty in his life was now gone.
And all three of his biggest questions had been answered.
Cloud came back into the living room and sat in his overstuffed reclining easy chair, inviting the children to join him while he watched anything that happened to catch his eye on the TV. Denzel snuggled in against the swordsman's side, while Marlene took up her usual position on his lap.
They fell asleep that way, the young father, his son, and the little girl who very well could have been his daughter.
Tifa made sure to capture the scene with her camera. Yet another photo for the set of frames above the mantle, another image burned into her heart. Another moment captured to remind Denzel that he was right where he belonged. It was all the proof they needed that they were, and always would be, a warm, loving family, regardless of what anyone on the outside said or believed.
AN #2: I used names of teachers I had in my primary and junior high years; Miss Harris was actually my 3rd grade teacher and Mr. Foster was the instrumental music teacher. I loved them both and have fond memories of my days under their instruction. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I thoroughly detest Mrs. Trammel (7th grade math/history teacher) and Mrs. Filmore (girls' PE teacher/girls sports coach) to this day. I wanted the kids to have teachers they liked and teachers they didn't like so much.
