Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, characters and everything associated with the Final Fantasy world belong to Square Enix.
Summary: In which Marle pays a visit and interrogates Cloud.
Warnings: Please note that some of the stories will contain spoilers or reference to the original game, Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus, Crisis Core and Remake.
~Questioning~
Marle had surprised them with a visit one hot summer day. The last time he saw her was almost three years ago after the Sector 7 tragedy.
She kept in touch with Tifa over the years, and had long since moved from Sector 7 to the Sector 5 slums where Aerith's foster mother Elmyra lived, to help with the orphans.
While Tifa and Denzel were preparing drinks and snacks in the kitchen, Cloud was left alone to keep Marle entertained, much to his dismay.
He could tell that Marle still didn't approve of him, even after all these years when he had helped and kept Tifa's safe as promised after Meteorfall.
Cloud recalled his first encounter with Marle and the words that she made sure to burn into his thick skull, "Tifa is the granddaughter I never had. And if you hurt her, I'll take it out of your hide. You hear me?"
Marle did not hesitate to interrogate Cloud's intention toward Tifa, especially since they were both young opposite-sex adults, single and living under the same roof. There was bound to be some type of between intimacy between them, Marle could tell.
This made him rather uncomfortable, to talk about such intimate details with an elderly who appointed herself as Tifa's guardian.
She had the look of a scornful grandmother-in-law—even though Cloud knew she wasn't really Tifa's grandmother—who was just being protective of the Seventh Heaven Barmaid.
Tifa was a strong fighter and would never allow a man drag her down. Cloud was different, Marle had pointed out, and described him as a "heartbreaker". Marle warned her grandaughter about the too-good-to-be-true handsome boy with mako eyes many times, but Tifa did not take heed of her words of course.
"So when were you gonna tell me you both have a son together?" She demanded an immediate answer, as she began drumming her fingers impatiently on the wooden square table.
Cloud nearly fell from his seat, eyes bulging at the unexpected question. "S-son?! Wait, I swear to you we—"
"Sorry it took so long!" Tifa exclaimed happily from the kitchen, interrupting Cloud's reply. "Here's the tea you asked for." Tifa placed a porcelain teacup in front of Marle with a warm smile, settling the tension in the room...for now...
Cloud let out a sigh of relief, glad that Tifa was finally back to save him from saying something he might regret.
Denzel walked by a minute later, carrying a tray of finger sandwiches and home-made chocolate chip cookies.
Marle glanced back and forth between Cloud, Tifa and then Denzel, eyes lingering on at the young boy for several minutes in silence.
She narrowed her gaze, took a sip of her teacup and then turned her sharp piercing eyes back at Cloud.
"So, this is the child?"
Cloud bit his bottom lip nervously. It was quite unusual for him to feel so apprehensive like this.
He was an ex-SOLDIER, trained to fight on and never falter. He never cared what other people thought of him. But at this moment, given the situation and his relationship status with Tifa and the family, he wanted to avoid the scourge of Marle.
With trembling fingers, his hands found their way toward Tifa's under the table, and she clasped them back in a tight grip, as if she knew what he was going through, "Sorry Cloud, you know Marle…"
Marle abruptly pushed herself away from the table, causing Tifa and Cloud to jump in place, and pulled Denzel to the side to get a full good look.
She took hold of Denzel's chin, inspecting him from top to bottom, left and right, comparing his features to Cloud's. She glanced over to Tifa for a slight second and then back to the young boy with chestnut wavy hair.
Her face, which was at first stern and full of disapproval, eventually softened to that of adoration.
The elderly lady's smile widened and she began caressing and pinching the boy's cherub face, "Ah, it doesn't matter! Child, come give your Great-Meemaw a hug!"
She opened up her arms wide and pulled Denzel into a tight embrace, before showering him with gifts and kisses as any normal great-grandmother would have.
Tifa and Cloud shrugged, smiling at the sight of Denzel actually giggling in excitement, something they have not heard in a long time. As long as Marle and Denzel were in a good mood, everything else didn't matter.
Cloud would eventually find a way to answer Marle, without cracking under her taunting gaze, and let her know that he was definitely not going anywhere. He would remain by Tifa's side.
~owari