Author's Note: OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS. I am so so so so (10 minutes later) so sorry this is so late! I planned to have it published a lot sooner, but then some personal crap happened and I had some writer's block for a while. This whole month has been absolutely insane, but I'm so excited to share this final chapter with you all! I have loved this story so much because of how cute the concept is. I hope you've all loved reading it as much as I've loved writing it! Thanks again for being so patient with me!
Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII, nor any of its characters.
Normally, Marlene did not wake up in the middle of the night. Usually she was asleep within the first fifteen to twenty minutes she was in bed. So when she woke up to see it was still dark outside, she looked around the room in confusion. Denzel was still asleep in the bed across from hers, breathing deeply. Marlene glanced at the small clock on her nightstand: it was a little bit past midnight. She was still hours away from being woken up for breakfast. Marlene shifted her position under the covers, closed her eyes and attempted to fall back asleep.
Even though the blanket was heavy and Marlene was warm and cozy, sleep did not want to come. Marlene's mind seemed to think it was time to get up: her thoughts were going off in tangents about school, Denzel, how her father was doing, and the recent happenings between Cloud and Tifa. Marlene let out a small groan at the realization that she wasn't going to be going back to sleep anytime soon. She flopped onto her back, staring up at the dark ceiling.
Denzel said he counted to 100 or higher when he couldn't sleep, but that sounded boring. Marlene let out another sigh and closed her eyes again. Maybe if she tried really hard, sleep would come to her. I wonder what Cloud and Tifa do when they can't sleep, She thought to herself as she opened her eyes again.
At the passing thought of the two of them, the events from the past few days came flooding back to her: her and Denzel's plan, talking to Tifa, the morning when Tifa fixed Cloud's hair. It had been a few days since Denzel had talked to Cloud, and nothing unusual or new had happened between him and Tifa. Life had gone on as usual: schoolwork, helping Tifa run the bar on occasion, etc. Cloud had gone back to his normal routine of leaving the bar early and not coming back until late. He had been home for dinner a few times, but for the most part he was gone. Marlene could practically feel Tifa's worry for him at times. It's a miracle she hasn't exploded yet, Marlene thought to herself somewhat sadly.
The familiar sound of a motorcycle filled Marlene's ears. She gasped, sat up quickly, ripped off the covers and ran to the window. She pressed her nose to look outside, quickly fogging up the glass with her breath. A lone figure on a motorcycle was making it's way towards the bar. Marlene let out a small squeal as she recognized the messy blonde hair peeking out underneath the helmet. As the headlight on the motorcycle grew brighter, Marlene ran over to Denzel's bed.
"Psssst. Denzel."
Marlene let out a small huff of annoyance as Denzel continued to sleep. She reached out and shook his shoulder a little. "Denzel. Wake up."
Denzel shifted in his sleep a little, but his eyes stayed closed. Marlene shook his shoulder harder. "Hey! Denzel! Wakey wakey! This is important!"
"Huh?!" Denzel opened his eyes. Upon seeing Marlene's excited face, he slowly sat up. "Marlene? What's going on?"
"Cloud's home!" Marlene whispered excitedly.
"….so?" Denzel asked, covering his mouth as he yawned.
"So," Marlene emphasized, tugging on his arm, "Tifa's still up, too!" Denzel merely looked at her with sleep-ridden eyes. Marlene let out another sigh. "It's not that hard, Denzel! Cloud. Tifa. Downstairs. Alone."
It took Denzel a full seven seconds to understood what Marlene meant. Once the message became clear, however, all thoughts of sleep seemed to vanish. "Do you think they'll finally talk?" he asked excitedly.
"They better, or else I'm gonna have some words with them!" Marlene answered, standing up. "Now lets go! Cloud is gonna be coming inside any second!"
Denzel threw back the covers – shivering from the cold night air as he did so – and followed Marlene to the door. Once outside the bedroom, Denzel grabbed Marlene's shoulder. She looked back at him in desperate annoyance, but her face softened when she saw Denzel's finger at his lips. Marlene nodded. The steps leading downstairs were creaky in some places. If the two of them were caught Cloud and Tifa's chance to talk was over.
The two of them stepped lightly, practically holding their breath in trepidation. It seemed to take forever to get from the landing to the staircase. Marlene gently grabbed the railing as she descended, with Denzel close behind her. The light spilling from the bottom of the stairs grew brighter, and they could hear Tifa humming as she usually did when she was cleaning.
At the second to last step, Denzel stopped and sat down. He wrapped his arms around his legs, listening intently. So far there was nothing but the sound of Tifa's humming. Marlene sat on the step in front of him, leaning forward to see if Tifa's back was turned. She turned to Denzel and motioned for him to move closer. Denzel slowly scooted down, now sitting on the floor. Marlene settled for standing above him, looking outside. Denzel slowly poked his head around the side of the door, looking into the kitchen.
Tifa's back was turned to them. She stood at the counter, packing away some leftover food into small containers. She was quietly humming to herself the same little tune she always did. Even by looking at her from behind, Denzel could see the slump of her shoulders and the way her hair hung almost limply down her back. It suddenly struck Denzel just how tired Tifa must be. Here was a woman who worked tirelessly – endlessly – and yet he never heard her utter one word of complaint. She was always willing to help him and Marlene with anything they needed, even if she had a million other things to do.
Denzel's thoughts were interrupted at the opening of the garage door. He shifted his gaze to Cloud walking inside. Cloud took off the motorcycle helmet and tucked it under his arm. Tifa's whole demeanor seemed to have changed: she still looked tired, but a light filled her eyes that Denzel only saw in small moments. She immediately straightened up, walking over to Cloud with a smile on her face.
"Hi! You're home late," she said, taking the empty container he held in his hands.
"Sorry," Cloud mumbled, running a hand through his hair.
"Oh no, don't be!" Tifa said hastily. "I understand. It's fine."
Cloud shook his head. "I know I said I'd be home earlier, but -"
"Cloud," Tifa responded gently, "it's okay. Really." She walked over to the sink and put dirty container in it. Cloud didn't respond. Denzel noticed that Cloud was rubbing the back of his left hand, wincing slightly.
Tifa, meanwhile, had crossed to the fridge and opened it. She poked her head inside. "Do you want some stew? We've got a bunch leftover." Upon not receiving an answer from Cloud, she looked back at him. "Cloud?"
"Huh?" Cloud's head snapped up. He noticed Tifa looking at him in concern. "Oh, uh, yeah. That sounds good."
Tifa looked at him for a moment before taking the leftover stew out of the fridge. She scooped some up into a bowl and put it in the microwave. After she set the timer, she walked over to Cloud. Tifa simply looked at him for a moment, nothing but the hum of the microwave in the air.
"Are you alright?" She asked softly. "You look exhausted."
"I'm fine." Cloud replied.
At this, Denzel looked up at Marlene. She looked down at him, and the two of them rolled their eyes in unison. This was Cloud's typical immediate response. Whenever he said this, everyone in the room – even people who didn't know Cloud personally – knew that he wasn't "fine." Cloud had been getting better at being a bit more open with his emotions since the Geostigma incident, but he still wasn't that far from where he was before. He seemed to care more about others feelings rather than his own.
"Don't do that," Tifa said, her voice still quiet.
"Do what?" Cloud asked, his brow furrowed.
"You know darn well what!" Tifa said, chuckling slightly. As her laughter ceased, her voice turned serious. "Cloud, I know you well enough to know when you're not okay. Please don't lie to me."
Denzel felt a hand clamp on his shoulder. He looked up to see Marlene staring, wide-eyed with her mouth slightly open. Denzel could only guess what she was thinking: oh my gosh, this is like in the movies where they look into each other's eyes and slowly fall more in love with each other, and then...THE BOY LEANS IN FOR THE KISS! Denzel smiled before turning his attention back to the scene in front of them.
For a moment, Tifa and Cloud just looked at one another. Dark brown eyes looked into bright blue ones. The tension in the room was so thick – whether with an oncoming fight or hidden passions, Denzel did not know – that the two children felt goosebumps emerging on their skin. Marlene shivered involuntarily, then quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
The microwave beeped, and Tifa jumped slightly. She walked back over to the microwave, hissing slightly at the contact her hands made with the steaming bowl. She grabbed a spoon from the drawer and walked back over to Cloud, who had sat down at the table. Tifa set the bowl in front of him. Denzel looked up at Marlene, whose face looked like she was holding in a lot of swear words. Just like her dad.
"Thanks," Cloud said quietly, picking up his spoon.
"No problem." Tifa replied. She pulled out a chair and sat down across from him.
Cloud raised the spoon to his lips and swallowed. He gave Tifa a small smile. "Pretty good."
"Thanks," Tifa said, smiling back at him. While Cloud was stirring his stew she asked, "Busy day today?"
Cloud nodded. "Yeah. A few of the deliveries were way out in the middle of no where, easily an hour or more there and back."
Tifa whistled. "Dang. That's far." She paused, swallowed hard and then continued. "I'm glad you got home alright." The words came out small and quiet, so drastically different from Tifa's personality, that Cloud looked up from his stew. Tifa looked like she wanted to do nothing more than shrink underneath the chair and into the floorboards. She averted her eyes from him, her cheeks slightly pink.
"It's not like she's never said that to him before," Marlene whispered in Denzel's ear.
Denzel nodded. "Yeah, but it's the first time she's said it after what the both of us talked with them about." Marlene nodded.
Cloud very slowly and hesitantly reached out a hand. He gently laid it over one of Tifa's hands that was laying on the table. Tifa looked up at him in surprise.
"Me too," was all Cloud said. He gave Tifa the smallest of smiles. At this, Marlene had to stuff her first into her mouth to prevent herself from squealing. Her grip on Denzel's shoulder was like a vice, and Denzel tapped her leg slightly to tell her how much it hurt.
Tifa managed to give Cloud a small smile, but it fell almost immediately as she looked down at Cloud's hand covering her own. "How did you get that cut?" she asked.
Denzel hadn't noticed it before. As Cloud pulled his hand away from Tifa's, Denzel saw a long, deep cut on the back of his hand. It was still bleeding a little. He heard Marlene let out a small gasp behind him. That explains why he was rubbing his hand, Denzel thought, recalling just a few moments before.
"It's nothing," Cloud said, putting the hand in his lap. He returned to his stew, avoiding Tifa's eyes. Tifa opened her mouth to speak, but Cloud quickly cut her off. "Trust me, Tifa. It's nothing."
"Then why are you hiding it from me?" Tifa asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. Cloud didn't answer but merely kept eating, still avoiding her gaze. The silence between the two of them, once thick with the words they weren't saying, was unbearable with tension. Denzel looked up at Marlene, worry filling him up like drink. Marlene looked both concerned and a bit frightened, a stark contrast to the glee she felt only moments before.
"Did you get attacked?"
Tifa's voice was taut, like a violin whose strings were tuned too tightly. But it wasn't with anger; it was with fear. The question wasn't enough to make Cloud look up at her, but he did put down his spoon. It clinked against the side of the bowl. Cloud let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair.
"…..Maybe." he finally admitted.
"Oh, Cloud," Marlene groaned quietly. Denzel couldn't blame her or Tifa for being frustrated. There were times when Cloud came home late with random scrapes or bruises, and it was easy to put two and two together.
Tifa said nothing. After a moment of suspenseful silence she stood up, picked up Cloud's now empty bowl, and walked to the kitchen. She put the bowl in the sink and reached in the cupboard to her left. She grabbed a bottle of clear liquid, a large bandage, a tube of ointment and a clean rag. Tifa sat back down across from Cloud and opened the bottle. A strong smell of potion filled the air as she dabbed a little on the rag.
"This may sting a little," she said cautiously. Cloud nodded. When the rag made contact with the wound, Cloud winced. Tifa gave him an apologetic look as she continued to clean the cut. She was so focused, however, that she once again failed to notice that Cloud was looking at her in that soft way again.
"What happened?" Tifa asked, after a moment of silence. Her voice was still tight-sounding.
"Stray guardhound wandering around," Cloud answered, hissing a little as Tifa wiped the rest of the cut clean.
"A guardhound? In the middle of nowhere?" Tifa asked skeptically.
Cloud shrugged. "It's just as much a mystery to me as it is to you."
"Well, the good news is, I don't think you'll need stitches," Tifa sighed, spreading a thin layer of the ointment on the cut. "just keep it covered and you should be good." she handed him the bandage.
"….Thanks," Cloud said after a moment, taking the bandage from her.
Tifa nodded and walked back over to the sink. She began to wash the dishes in such a rigorous manner that even Cloud looked at her in slight confusion. Steam rose from the sink, and when Denzel caught a glimpse of Tifa's hands he saw that they were a bright red from the heat.
Cloud finished putting the bandage on his hand, then stood up. "Tifa, what's wrong?"
"...it's nothing." Tifa answered. Her voice shook slightly.
Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Don't do that," he said, echoing her earlier words.
Tifa let out a deep sigh, turning off the water. She dried her hands on a nearby towel. "Its just...do you have to do deliveries so far out? You don't get home till really late, and the last few times you've been out there you've gotten hurt somehow."
"This?" Cloud said, holding up his now bandaged hand. "this is nothing. I'm just lucky I got away when I did."
"But you still got hurt," Tifa pointed out, her voice rising slightly.
"It's no big deal, Tifa," Cloud emphasized. "you don't have to worry about me."
"No big deal?!" Tifa asked, her eyes widening. "Cloud, what if that scratch happened on your face? You'd be bleeding all the way home. Or what if that Guardhound bit you somewhere?"
"I got home quickly enough," Cloud countered, his own voice rising just a little. "and the Mako has healing properties. You know that."
"Yeah, but it can only do so much!" Tifa said, her voice hardening. "And there are monsters out there, and you could get hurt even worse than you have tonight!"
Denzel and Marlene looked at one another. They could tell they were both thinking the same thing: this is not how it was supposed to go. What had happened to the tender moment they had just a few minutes before? How did that get replaced by a potential fight?
"Yeah, there's monsters out there!" Cloud said. He was beginning to sound irritated. "And I needed to make that delivery. This one was really important, it was medicine for a sick kid. That's worth going out there," he added, seeing Tifa's stony look, "and no one got hurt, so it's no big deal."
"You did!" Tifa said loudly, gesturing to his injured hand.
"I said it's nothing," Cloud dismissed her comment with a wave of his hand. "I've had worse."
"Yeah, but it could get worse! And that's what you don't seem to understand!" Tifa threw her hands in the air. "I've asked you a million times not to do deliveries out where you get hurt, Cloud! And you just – don't – listen to me!"
"But we need the money!" Cloud shot back, taken aback by Tifa's sudden change in her tone.
"I realize that," Tifa shouted emphatically, her eyes shining and her face turning pink. "but your life is way more important than any amount of money we could possibly get!"
Cloud gave Tifa a slight glare but didn't break his gaze. Tifa swallowed hard a few times, and Denzel could see her eyes beginning to turn red. She looked away from Cloud, blinking a few times to keep the tears at bay. Cloud's eyes widened slightly. Denzel and Marlene could understand his surprise: it would be a cold day in hell before Tifa Lockhart ever let anyone see her cry.
Tifa began to speak, her voice much softer now. "I worry so much about you when you're out there. Whether you're safe or not. Whether you're an okay place emotionally. I know you can handle yourself, but I somehow still find myself worrying. I've tried to tell myself so many times not to, but I just can't." Her voice began to waver. "Because the truth is, I'm scared. I'm so scared that you're not okay, that you're not safe or something is trying to hurt you. And then I feel like I'm not doing my part by helping you, but I don't even know if you want to be helped!" Tifa furiously wiped at her eyes. "And then when you go out there, you always get hurt! Last time it was worse, and this time you may not have needed stitches, but there may come a time when you're out in the middle of nowhere...and you get hurt real bad...and...and..." Tifa couldn't seem to finish her words.
Cloud looked at Tifa as she continued to angrily wipe at her eyes. His face, so hard and frustrated moments before, had softened. There was a light in his eyes that Denzel had only noticed a few times before. A special light that only came when he was looking at Tifa. It made him look sad yet somehow happy at the same time.
In a matter of seconds Cloud stepped forward, hesitated for only a moment, and then quickly wrapped Tifa in a hug. Tifa squeaked a little in surprise as Cloud buried his face in her hair, holding her tightly. Tifa slowly raised her arms and hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder. Her own shoulders shook. Denzel could tell she was crying.
There was a small sniff from behind him. Denzel looked at Marlene to see her wiping at her own eyes. Denzel gently took one of her hands in his own and squeezed it in reassurance. Marlene squeezed back, giving him a watery smile. Denzel smiled back before returning his attention to Cloud and Tifa.
Tifa and Cloud stood there in the kitchen, holding one another. After a few moments Cloud pulled away from the embrace to look into Tifa's face. He swallowed hard before he said, in a very quiet but very firm voice, "There is no way in hell that I'm leaving you. Or the kids." Tifa sniffed, wiping at her leaking eyes. Cloud raised a hand, paused for a moment, then gently wiped away the tears coating Tifa's cheeks.
At this, Marlene was gripping Denzel's shoulders so tightly that Denzel let out a soft wince. "Watch it! That hurts!" he whispered, glaring up at her. Marlene didn't seem to notice. Her big brown eyes were practically filled with stars, and a big smile was forming on her face.
"I'm sorry I made you worry," Cloud continued, still looking at Tifa's face. "I didn't know going that far freaked you out so much."
Tifa shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "I try not to worry. I know you can take care of yourself. But I just...do. And I'm sorry. I know I've gotten on your case about it before."
"I can take care of myself," Cloud admitted, "but I don't want to make you worry. A few minutes ago I thought you were going to explode."
Tifa let out a small laugh. "It definitely felt like it." Her smile disappeared as she said, "I'm sorry I did, though. It's just..." she let out another deep sigh before putting a hand on Cloud's face. At this, Marlene gripped Denzel's shoulders ever tighter, leaning farther out of the doorway. Her whole face was illuminated by the kitchen light.
"Marlene! That – really – hurts!" Denzel said through gritted teeth. "And move your head back a little! They might see you!" Marlene simply shushed him.
"I care about you so much," Tifa said softly, "the thought of losing you scares me to death. I don't know what I would do if I did, or what the kids would do. You -" she swallowed hard before adding, "you matter so much to them. To me." Denzel knew the redness in her cheeks was not only from crying.
Cloud didn't answer right away. He had a slight crease in his forehead. He looked as if he were having a serious internal battle. Denzel held his breath. Come on, Cloud. You faced Sephiroth twice, this can't be that hard! But maybe it was. Cloud was a man of few words. He wasn't one to be open with how he felt. But Denzel, Marlene and Tifa knew how much he was trying.
Cloud brushed some of Tifa's hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "You matter to me, too." After another moment of hesitation, he added, "more than you could know." Even at a distance, Denzel could see the pink of his face.
"Here it comes!" Marlene said, her voice trembling with excitement.
And she was right. As if in sync, Tifa and Cloud leaned closer together, their eyes fluttering shut. Their lips were mere centimeters apart –
- just at that moment, Marlene (who was bouncing on the balls of her feet in pure glee) somehow lost her balance. She flailed her arms around wildly as she began to fall. In an attempt to regain her balance, Marlene grabbed the closest thing – which happened to be Denzel. The rest seemed to happen in slow motion: the two of them falling forward, Marlene letting out a yelp, Tifa's long hair practically smacking Cloud in the face as she turned towards the source of the noise, Cloud looking greatly disappointed.
"Ouch!" Marlene whined, grabbing at her right arm. "That hurt!"
"You think that hurt?!" Denzel retorted, still rubbing the very sore spots on his shoulders that Marlene had gripped so tightly.
Marlene just then seemed to notice that Cloud and Tifa were looking at them. "Uh-oh," she said, her brown eyes wide.
"What in the world are you two still doing up?" Tifa demanded, although it looked like she was trying hard not to smile.
"We wanted to say hi to Cloud," Denzel said, quickly standing up. There was no way Marlene could have vouched for him; she was still looking up at Cloud and Tifa with awe at their almost-kiss.
"….well, hi." Cloud deadpanned. He looked more frustrated at the kids than Tifa, but there was a sparkle in his eyes that was never there before.
"It's way past your bedtime," Tifa scolded gently. "now head on upstairs. You two have school tomorrow."
"….Tifa, tomorrow is Saturday." Marlene said, confused.
Tifa's face, which was already red from the near kiss and the embarrassment of almost being caught by the kids, only deepened in color. "Oh. Right. Well, still!" she pointed to the stairs, looking flustered. "It's after midnight, and you two need to sleep."
"But -" Marlene protested.
"Go on to bed, guys." Cloud said, his frustration seemingly gone as he looked at Tifa's now very flustered face, "I'll be here in the morning."
"Can we have pancakes?" Denzel asked, covering his mouth as he yawned.
Cloud shrugged. "That's up to Tifa."
Tifa closed her eyes in frustration. "Sure, fine, we can have pancakes. Now go to bed!"
"Night," Denzel said, already heading towards the stairs.
"Night!" Marlene said happily, practically skipping behind Denzel. She stopped in her tracks suddenly, looked over her shoulder and gave Cloud and Tifa a sly smile. "Oh, and don't think we didn't see anything. We were sitting there for a while."
Tifa's jaw dropped, and Cloud looked away as his face colored. Marlene giggled with delight as she ran upstairs. Denzel merely walked after her, but smiled the whole way up. We did it, he thought as he walked into the bedroom. Marlene took a running start, jumped, and landed on her bed. She grabbed her pillow and stuffed her face into it. Denzel could hear a muffled scream.
We actually did it.
Sleep seemed far from the two of them. The two of them chatted about everything they had seen:
"It's about time!"
"I thought Cloud would never say anything!"
"I can't believe Tifa cried!"
"That kiss though..."
"I know, right?!"
"So. Romantic."
"We could have seen it if you didn't trip over me."
"Shut up!" Marlene said, laughing.
After a few more words, the excitement of the moment had drained away. Exhaustion hit Denzel like a truck, and he found it hard to keep his eyes open. Even Marlene got quiet after a while. But just before Denzel was about to fall asleep, he heard Marlene calling his name.
"What?" he groaned, turning towards her.
"Um. Do you think -" Marlene paused. She played with the end of her braid, something she always did when she was nervous. After a moment she blurted out, "do you think that you and I could ever be like that one day?"
Suddenly Denzel was wide awake again. "What?" He could feel the heat rising in his face, and where he had been so warm and cozy a moment before, he now felt very uncomfortable. Denzel wanted to look away from Marlene, but he didn't seem to be able to. Or want to.
As if on cue, the two of them laughed nervously and said in unison waving a hand, "Pfft. Nah."
And yet, even as the night wore on into early morning, and Marlene's steady breathing signaled she was asleep, Denzel couldn't keep the thought out of his mind.