Universe: FFVII
Timeline: Post-Advent Children
Status: Previous Relationship

"Will you play with me, Cloud?" Marlene asked, as the spiky-haired man reached the bottom of the stairs. The child was perched on one of the bar stools, her wooden blocks scattered across the counter.

"Tifa's still upstairs getting ready," she added. Cloud smiled softly.

"For a few minutes," he nodded, fully entering the bar and taking a seat next to the little girl. "But then it's off to work for me, and off to school for you. Is Tifa taking you there?"

"Yeah," Marlene grinned, pushing a pile of blocks in front of Cloud. "Here. You can help with the tower."

Cloud eyed the shaky-looking stack of wooden bricks that Marlene had started. Its thick build was missing blocks in places, like a Jenga tower. Cloud analyzed the haphazard creation carefully before deciding on the first gap to fill.

"You haven't played with these in a while," Cloud observed.

"Yeah. Not since..." Marlene trailed off, continuing to add bricks to the very top of the tower. "Cloud, when will Tidus come to play with me again?" Marlene asked. Cloud swallowed hard at the unexpected question, but Marlene didn't seem to notice his shock. Cloud suppressed the sigh that so desperately wanted to escape his lungs. He supposed it was only natural for the girl to ask such a question. Tidus had been one of her favourite playmates.

"Tidus won't be coming around anymore, Marlene," Cloud explained, gently. He was never one to mince words, even with children. He knew Marlene was smart for her age, smart enough to understand and accept what he had to tell her.

"Why not?" she asked, turning her head toward Cloud, and staring at him with her big, curious eyes. Cloud shyly averted his gaze, and placed another block into an empty space in the tower.

"Because Tidus and I broke up."

"Oh," Marlene nodded, slowly. "So, you don't love him anymore, Cloud?"

"No, I still—" Cloud came to an abrupt halt. He was surprised by how automatic the response had been, like his brain had brought those lingering feelings to light before Cloud had a chance to think about them. He still wasn't over Tidus—not in his heart, nor in his mind.

Cloud let out a heavy breath, and stuffed another brick into the two-foot-tall mass before him. He decided not to finish his previous sentence, and he couldn't find the right words for a new one. Instead, he remained silent, but Marlene picked up on his emotions without having to be told another word.

"Then, you don't need to be apart anymore, do you, Cloud? Now that your geostigma is gone?"

"Huh?" Cloud frowned, turning toward Marlene, and ducking his head a little to address her. "What do you mean?"

"That's when you told him to leave, isn't it?" the girl asked, innocently, looking Cloud straight in the eye. Cloud recoiled a little, and shoved a hand through his hair.

"I don't... How did you know?" Cloud stuttered.

"Denzel told me. He heard you talking. You didn't want Tidus to know you were sick, right?" she asked, turning her attention back to her blocks. Cloud sat dumbstruck, his mouth parted as if he were about to say something, but he was utterly and completely speechless. Smart was an understatement. That child had a greater understanding for the world around her than most adults gave her credit for.

"Cloud?" she asked, looking worriedly at her older friend. Cloud shook his head to rid himself of the shock, and forced a tiny smile. Marlene smiled back as Cloud gently rubbed a hand over her head.

"You're a good girl, Marlene," Cloud praised, causing Marlene to giggle softly. Cloud's hand soon fell away from the girl's hair, and they turned their attention back to Marlene's toys. Cloud selected a block from his pile, and tried to wedge it into a space in the tower.

"You should call him," Marlene spoke up. Cloud's hand jerked nervously at the comment, causing the entire tower to come crashing down. Cloud still clutched the damned block that had caused the destruction, and felt it shaking in his trembling hand. He set it down on the counter as gently as he could.

"I'm so sorry, Marlene," he said, eyes scanning the messy clump of tiny bricks.

"Don't worry. We can always build it again," she replied, with a smile. Her small hands eagerly reached for the blocks, and she quickly began stacking them up again. Cloud was amazed to see such determination in such a small child. She may have been young, but Cloud found himself wanting to take after her, to learn from her example.

Tifa bounded down the stairs, hair flouncing with each step, and she entered the bar with a soft smile.

"Ready to go, Marlene?"

"Yeah," Marlene grinned, hopping off the stool, and running toward the door.

"Good morning, Cloud," Tifa greeted, giving Cloud a wave as she followed Marlene to the door, and tugged her sneakers onto her feet.

"'Morning," Cloud nodded, watching the two as they readied themselves for the outdoors.

"I'll probably be back before you leave. See ya soon," Tifa smiled, pushing the door open.

"Bye, Cloud!" Marlene shouted, excitedly.

"Bye," Cloud said back, giving a tiny wave as they exited.

The door closed behind them, and the bar became silent. Cloud released another sigh, and his eyes wandered back to the jumble of fallen blocks, then to the small mound of a tower that Marlene had begun repairing. Can always build it again, huh? Cloud mulled over Marlene's words for a moment or two before his hand fell down toward his pocket. He withdrew his phone, and flipped through his contacts. There was Tidus' name. The fact that he hadn't deleted him from his phone was a sign in itself that Cloud hadn't been ready to break things off.

I hope you're right, Marlene, Cloud thought to himself as he pressed the call button. He held the phone up to his ear and listened as it rang. Two times. Three times. The man probably wouldn't answer. Cloud wouldn't blame him.

"Hello?" came Tidus' voice. Cloud froze for a second, not quite sure what he should say, or what he should be thinking. All that registered in his muddled brain was how soothing that voice was to him, even after so long.

"Hey, Tidus," Cloud softly greeted.

"Cloud. This is... a surprise."

"Yeah. I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?" Cloud asked, quickly, his nervous stomach tying itself in knots.

"No, it's um... It's actually really good to hear your voice," Tidus admitted. He released a small chuckle, and Cloud's mouth turned upwards at the sound.

"Yeah. Yours, too."

Notes: I love this ficlet a lot. I'm not even a big fan of kids, but I adore Marlene, and I love how insightful she is in Advent Children Complete. Thought I should bring some more of her awesomeness into my writing. I'm also saddened by the thought that Cloud would shut Tidus out during the geostigma epidemic, but I like the thought of them getting back together afterwards and Cloud swearing he will never, ever, EVER break Tidus' heart again.