A/N: Thanks for the input!

Seventh Heaven: Diner and Bar. Ber.

Marlene couldn't remember the last time Cloud had been so angry at Tifa. She watched with observant eyes at the way his brows twitched. His face was red, lips pursed, eyes low and arms crossed. Well, she couldn't see if his arms were crossed or not, but she knew they were. To put it simply, Cloud was very, very mad.

She sipped at her hot chocolate, sparing occasional glances at the two adults that were situated at the center of the bar. Denzel had been smart enough to stay in his room, but Marlene was curious. She wanted to know how it would turn out.

"You know what?" Tifa snapped, waving the pair of scissors in the air. "I've had enough of your attitude! If you really don't want to—"

"It's a bit late for that," Cloud muttered. Marlene noticed another twitch in his eye.

"Cloud! You're being so stupid! It's just a haircut!" Tifa barked. "You know you need one, and you could at least thank me for taking the time to cut it for you! In case you haven't noticed, I closed the bar just so that—"

"I honestly think I could have managed without a haircut," Cloud mumbled.

Tifa let out a loud "ugh!" and dropped the scissors on the floor. "Marlene! Don't you think he needed a haircut?!"

Marlene swallowed. She casually took another sip at her mug and shrugged her shoulders. "Yes and no," she muttered.

"See?!" Tifa and Cloud snapped simultaneously.

Tifa waved a fist furiously, forcing Cloud to wince slightly. "And it's not like I'm shaving your head or anything! I'm just giving it a trim!"

"You cut off two inches of my bangs," Cloud retaliated.

Tifa hissed. "That was not two inches! That was like half a centimeter!"

Cloud turned his head. "Marlene, does that look like half a centimeter to you?"

"Yes and no," Marlene repeated, ignoring the line of sweat that traced down her cheek.

"Why are you being so dumb about a stupid haircut?! I honestly don't understand why—"

"I didn't need a hair—"

"Stop interrupting me!"

Marlene sighed.

"I'm just saying I didn't need a haircut. I don't see why you're being so—"

"So what? So what?! I'm being so what?!"

Cloud swallowed. "So…intransigent."

Tifa lowered her brows. "Intransigent? Intransigent?! I'm being intransigent? Don't think I don't know what that word means, Cloud Strife! You're the one who's being intransigent!"

Marlene raised a brow. "What's intransi…whatever you said?"

"Stubborn," Cloud muttered.

"Actually, Cloud, it means uncompromising."

"Inflexible or unyielding would be more precise," Cloud snapped.

"And that's exactly what you're being!"

"Tifa. The last time you said I needed a haircut was two weeks ago. I trimmed—"

"Cloud, you wouldn't be arguing with me if you had seen that cowlick you had the other night."

Marlene felt her lips twitch.

"Don't bring the cowlick into this," Cloud mumbled, eye still twitching erratically.

"The cowlick has everything to do with this! You'd be begging me to cut your hair if you had seen what it—"

"Tifa. Leave. The cowlick. Out of this."

"You know what, Cloud? Fine! Keep your long hair! Don't come barging into my room, asking me to finish the job when your customers start to comment on your deformed Chocobo head!"

Marlene held her breath as Tifa stomped off from the bar, ascending up the staircase and slamming the door behind her. She almost pitied the way Cloud looked right then: His hair half-trimmed, half still long, his eye still twitching, his lips pursed.

"How come you hate haircuts so much, Cloud?" she asked, setting her mug of cocoa on the side table.

"I don't. I just didn't need one."

"But I think you should still appreciate the fact that Tifa was willing to give you one. Haircuts aren't cheap, you know."

Cloud raised a brow. "Marlene, how do—"

"I pay for my own haircuts!" Marlene barked.

"Oh," was all Cloud could say.

"Plus, I think you look great with a haircut."

"Which half? The trimmed side or the 'deformed Chocobo' side?"

Marlene sighed. "Cloud, do you like Tifa?"

Cloud's eye twitched once more, then widened. "What?"

"You like her, don't you?"

"Marlene, what does that have to do with—"

"I think you hurt her feelings, Cloud. To be honest, I really can't understand why you can't just thank her for what she's doing. She's only trying to help."

Cloud turned his head, placing his gaze on the young girl for the first time. "Yeah, but…"

"So," Marlene cut. "Do you like her?"

"I…I don't see how that would—"

"Ah ha! Yuffie told me that if a boy tries to avoid the question, it means he likes her."

Cloud lowered his brow. "Yuffie would know, wouldn't she?"

"If you like her, then I think you should apologize."

"But I didn't do anything wrong. I was just dragged in to getting a haircut I didn't need."

"Cloud, you're being intransigent."

Cloud raised a brow. She was a quick learner.

"To win a woman's heart, you have to be a gentleman," Marlene said, arms crossed.

"Where did you learn that?"

Marlene grinned. "Papa used to watch a lot of soap operas on TV."

Cloud nodded. "That's kinda disturbing."

Marlene shrugged. "I know, but that's beside the point! You need to tell Tifa how sorry you are for being so…"

"Intransigent?"

"Yeah! And tell her you love her!"

Cloud almost fell off the chair. "What?! Why?"

"That's the only way she's going to feel better. Honestly, I don't think just a simple 'sorry' will fix this mess."

"Marlene, I don't think that's—"

"Oh fine, I knew you'd be too chicken anyway. I guess Yuffie was right."

Cloud raised a brow. "Right about what?"

"Yuffie says that you two will be the first couple in which the girl asks the guy out first."

Cloud lowered his eyes. "Marlene, you're not allowed to spend time with Yuffie any more."

"What you should be worrying about right now is whether or not you'll be spending any more time with Tifa!"

Cloud sighed. How was it that he was getting lectured by a child sixteen years younger than him?

"Oh come on, Cloud! Even if you don't tell her the mushy stuff, at least apologize! And plus, I don't think you'd want to go out with half a haircut. Tifa's the only one who can finish what she started! Unless you really do want to have a deformed Choco—"

"Okay, Marlene, alright. I'll tell her I'm sorry."

Marlene grinned. "Good!"

Cloud dusted off the strips of hair that were stuck to the black cloak over his shoulders. "I was being serious about Yuffie, Marlene."

The girl shrugged.

"What do you think I should say?"

Marlene sighed. "Sorry!"

"I know but, how should I say it?"

"You should be like, 'Tifa,'" Marlene held her hands up in the air and wore one of the most dramatic expressions a child could ever impersonate. "'I'm sorry, Tifa. You were right. I needed a haircut. I was being intransigent and dumb.'"

Cloud lowered his brows.

"'I'm sorry, I really am. You were just being helpful and kind and considerate, whereas I was being stubborn and selfish and—'"

"Okay, Marlene, I get the point."

Marlene giggled. "Something like that. That'll work."

Cloud nodded once and patted the girl on the shoulder before climbing up the stairs in a slow pace. He didn't notice Denzel in the children's room, but merely walked on to the room on the far right. He tapped his knuckles against the surface, and held his breath.

There was no answer.

"Tifa," he mumbled. "Tifa, can you open the door?"

Silence answered him.

"Tifa, I'm sorry. I…" Cloud scratched his head. "I was being intransigent. I guess I was just a bit irritated about getting another haircut."

"I told you to stay away!" Tifa's voice snapped from the room.

"I know, but you know I can't stay away from you for too long," Cloud said, a bit shocked at his own words. "I made a mistake, Tifa. Can you forgive me?"

After a brief moment of silence, Cloud heard the footsteps approach the door.

"To be honest with you, I really like how this haircut's turning out. I guess I really did need a trim."

The door opened slightly, and Tifa's ruby eyes peered out from the small crack. She stared at him for a while, scanning his visage intently, then said, "Isn't it a bit silly how all of our fights are about the dumbest things?"

Cloud grinned. "Last time, we argued about how much salt we needed to put into the soup."

Tifa giggled. "But I swear, I only cut half a centimeter from your bangs."

Cloud shrugged. "I know, you're right."

Downstairs, Marlene placed the empty mug into the sink and filled it with water. She wiped her small hands on the rag and placed two fists at her waist. Sometimes, those adults were so immature. Honestly, what would they do without her?

About five minutes later, she heard a door slam upstairs. She wondered what it was about, but soon after, she heard Cloud's voice yell, "Denzel! Come out right now! You need a haircut!"