A/N: Hello everyone! I'm so sorry about the delayed update, I would have updated much sooner had I organized my other stories and RL stress better .
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Summary: Cloud reflects on the time he first found Denzel outside the church and the time following after Cloud took him home. Nobody knew what the future had in store for them and with the threat closing in, he didn't know if they were all going to make it out okay. Especially when Denzel contracted Geostigma, Cloud held little hope for the boy and his days were numbered, but thanks to Tifa, Cloud may have developed feelings his heart tried so hard to deny toward the boy, toward their family...
The Man with the Blue Eyes
Tifa observed how the quiet boy she now knew as Denzel stared at his glass, filled with juice he had yet to drink. Ice clanked occasionally from within the glass and the boy followed their movements with his eyes, seemingly entrapped by them but Tifa knew better.
From what Cloud had told her, he found the boy collapsed outside of the church, the black liquid oozing from his forehead and Cloud's phone next to the boy's collapsed body.
He had been trying to call an unknown number on Cloud's phone and when the delivery man dialed it again, he found out it had been a number located where Sector 7 used to be.
It didn't take a genius to guess who the boy had been trying to call, his parents must have lost their lives during the collapse of Sector 7 and Tifa's heart clenched painfully at the thought of what the young boy must have endured thus far all alone on the barren streets of Edge, wandering through the ruins of what was once Midgar.
Tifa smiled, leaning her elbows against the polished counter as she watched the young boy barely older than Marlene lost in thought, in his own memories, not strangely, he reminded her of someone, "Do you want a different kind of juice?" she smiled reassuringly when the boy jumped, startled out of his thoughts at hearing Tifa's soft voice.
Quickly, he shook his head and to Tifa's amusement, he appeared to be thinking on what to say next, his words were rather quiet and hesitant, "No...thank you," she watched how he slowly drank a few gulps of the sweet liquid before setting the glass down again, a faraway, sad look in his eyes, a look Tifa never wanted to have to see in children as young as them.
"Um...where is that man?" Tifa was surprised Denzel decided to speak and even more when he asked about Cloud.
"Oh, you mean Cloud? He's out on deliveries, he runs a delivery business," she offered with a kind smile, noticing the boy's eyes discreetly survey the area around him.
"Oh..." he sounded disappointed and Tifa wondered why.
"But he will come back this evening, he usually comes back at about six or seven." She paused, letting the boy absorb the words. She badly wanted to know about Denzel, about his past, what made him so quiet and withdrawn but she held her tongue. She would wait until he was ready to talk, ready to trust them.
And suddenly, Cloud's words rang in her ears...
He has the Stigma...
Tifa snorted, shaking her head as she threw the kitchen rag on her shoulder, "I won't give up Strife, that much you know," her mind was filled with determination. There was no way she would give up the fight, Cloud could be stubborn, but Tifa Lockhart was worse.
No matter what he said, it was settled.
She would take Denzel in.
"Ah, thanks Cloud!" the young man of not even twenty years of age, a broad grin on his face, "I would have taken forever for the other delivery services to finally bring me my package," he retrieved his wallet from the back of his pants pocket, "Here Cloud, I know it's not easy working for so long with a family and all,"
Cloud stared at the money in the younger man's hands and shook his head, "No, thanks, I'm just doing my job," he nodded but the man only held the money out to him.
"Come on Cloud, you never take any extra cash I offer you, just this one time please!" he perked up suddenly as he remembered something, "Besides, gotta have something extra, I heard you adopted another kid," he grinned but Cloud didn't.
Frozen on Fenrir, Cloud wondered how many people saw him bring Denzel in or if they suspected the condition he had been in, "Who told you that?" he was careful to mask his emotions, lifting a fair brow questioningly.
The man smiled, "Oh, uh my neighbor did. She said one of her friends who lived around the area where Seventh Heaven is, saw a little boy with Tifa in the bar, it didn't look like he was a customer at least," he chuckled, still holding out the money with a imploring look.
Reluctantly, Cloud accepted the wad of extra Gil, storing it in his wallet and when he opened it, his gaze briefly flicked over the picture he had secretly made a copy of, it was a picture of Marlene and Tifa.
Shaking his head, Cloud pocketed his wallet, thanked his client and rode off to his next delivery in Kalm.
His phone rang briefly, another voicemail from Tifa.
Slowing to a stop, Cloud flipped his phone open, pressing the 'open' button to listen to Tifa's message, thinking it was another delivery.
Cloud, the boy is awake, his name is Denzel, he just ate breakfast and he seems to be okay now. He asked for you. I told him you would come at around seven, if something changes just call. Be careful.
Denzel, huh? Cloud looked at his phone again, before slowly pocketing it and staring straight ahead at the sandy terrain, shapes of dark towers and buildings looking blurry and small in the distance.
He revved up the engine again, driving just a bit faster, the package stored in Fenrir's compartment rattling slightly.
He didn't know why he suddenly had a sense of urgency dictate his movements, but he couldn't wait to finish up and return home.
He tried to tell himself it was not to check up on the boy.
Denzel watched how the people entered and left the bar, it was afternoon now, the morning rush was gone and he felt like he could think clearer without the commotion of people rushing in and out.
The bar seemed quieter, more peaceful and Denzel took the opportunity to wander to the front of the bar, without risking bumping into the customers now that things have quieted down.
He didn't notice the woman walking after him slowly, a good distance away, calm, curious eyes trailing after him as he walked up to the pictures lining the wall after his initial inspection of the liquors in the bar and the stools.
They were family photos and Denzel's heart gave a sharp tug, an image of his parents resurfacing in his mind and Denzel's hand automatically migrated to his pant's pocket, shoulders slumping in relief when his fingers found the tattered edges of the last thing he still had of his parents: their photo.
His eyes focused back on the pictures on the wall.
He recognized Tifa and Marlene on almost all of them, some of them had unknown people on them he had never seen before and he thought they were most likely friends from the adults. A large, dark-skinned man was standing next to Marlene in one photo, large smiles on both their faces.
Another one showed Tifa with a smile on her face standing in front of the bar, "Seventh Heaven" as he read the title on the photo, along with the dark-skinned man, Marlene and three more people. That must have been when they first opened the bar. Denzel wondered where the other people were and just how many years it passed since they opened the bar.
His eyes zeroed in on Tifa and Marlene, but in the background, he could see the man, Cloud. His stance seemed off and he was looking away from the camera, while both Tifa and Marlene were smiling. Denzel found that odd. Shouldn't a family photo be happy? Why was the man not happy? Why did Cloud look…sad?
A rustle of fabric made him jump when he looked to his right and found the familiar-looking black skirt and shorts the woman wore, now standing in front of him with a hand resting on her waist.
He looked up at her, catching a longing look in her eye before she turned her head to look down at him and smile. Denzel suddenly felt guilty, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare,"
Surprise flickered across Tifa's features and she kneeled down to be at eye-level with Denzel, "Hey, that's okay, I wasn't mad at you for looking, you can look at the pictures all you want," she giggled, gently patting the boy's scrawny shoulder, "You can also ask questions if you have any." At the doubt that filled his eyes, Tifa smiled encouragingly, "Don't worry, it's okay,"
There was a long moment of silence before Denzel gathered the courage to speak, "How comes um, Cloud isn't there on some pictures?" he wasn't sure if the question was too personal, but he was curious to know.
Tifa's face softened as old memories resurfaced, "Because we found Cloud only after we opened up this bar, that's why he isn't on some of the pictures,"
Confusion crashed into Denzel like waves and more questions popped up in his mind but he was hesitant to ask until an encouraging nod from Tifa finally spurred him on, "What do you mean… "found"?" he gave her an odd look.
Tifa giggled, "Yeah, I'm sure it sounds weird but…Cloud was away for a long time and I only met him again a few years ago, he was really sick when I found him so I brought him here with me to take care of him," she bit her lip in thought, "I guess you could say I found him again after so long,"
Denzel nodded slowly, brows furrowed, "Oh," his mumbled reply made Tifa lean down to his level.
"Anymore questions? Like I said, you can ask, it's okay," she gave him another warm smile and Denzel's own lips pulled up in a tiny smile back.
"No, I don't think I have any more," that was a lie, but he didn't want to make the kind woman uncomfortable, not after all the trouble he put them through.
He glanced out at the door again.
While they were lovingly taking care of him, he wasn't sure why he was still here. After all, nobody wanted stray dogs from the streets, more so when the threat of Geostigma circled Edge like the plague.
"Um…when can I go again?" he looked up at the woman and she glanced down at him in surprise and confusion.
She tilted her head, "Go…where?"
Denzel shrugged, that same empty feeling returning in him again, "On the streets,"
Tifa felt a pang of hurt hit her and she kneeled on one knee and placed both of her hands on the thin boy's shoulders, making him look at her in surprise, his body freezing up, "Denzel, you aren't going back on the streets. You can stay here with us for as long as you want," she nodded firmly, seeing the insecurities swarming in the boy's eyes.
His gaze shot back to the pictures and the door, "But what about…Marlene and Cloud?" he didn't understand. Did they intend to keep him? To adopt him as their own?
Tifa smiled, "I'm sure Marlene doesn't mind having someone her age spending her time with, it can get a bit lonely here with both Cloud and I working," she winked, gently tapping his nose, "Cloud is the one that brought you here, I'm sure he doesn't have anything against it,"
Denzel blinked, shock filling him, then anger, "What? But…but you don't know me!" Tifa's eyes widened slightly in surprise, "I…I'm just a kid from the streets," Denzel's anger vanished as quickly as it had come, a sense of loneliness assaulting him again, "And…I don't want to replace them,"
Tifa had a good idea of whom Denzel was referring to by 'them', his deceased parents.
The barmaid carefully approached the child again, taking him into her arms, a small smile on her lips, memories of her own family flooding back to her, "Denzel…nobody is asking you to forget about them, to replace them. Of course, nobody can replace your parents, your real family, but…" she broke away slightly to look Denzel clearly in the eyes, eyes that were so innocent and yet looked like they've seen the horrors of the world thrust harshly upon them, "A family isn't connected by blood alone. A family can be a group of friends living together, or two friends with a child, or a father and a son, an orphaned boy and a lonely woman." She smiled at the pictures on the wall, "This is my family too, none of us are connected by blood, but we feel like a family all the same," she turned back to look at the boy, "We will never ask you to forget about them Denzel, but…just maybe, you can start anew and…have this family," she smiled again, her eyes open and warm.
Denzel's small body was shaking. He didn't know what to think, this woman wasn't telling him to forget his real parents, rather to remember them and still cherish them, but move on and…have a new family. A family with these three people whom he had just met. A sour feeling spread within Denzel's stomach, he wasn't sure if he could entirely trust them, but then again, they had saved him from certain death.
How could he not trust those people?
With a small, hesitant smile, Denzel nodded.
A bright smile broke out on Tifa's lips and before she could say anything, Marlene rounded the bar of the bar counter, "Does this mean Denzel gets to stay?" she excitedly ran over to them and Tifa laughed, patting her head and resting her other hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently, reassuringly.
Tifa nodded and watched the way Marlene bombarded Denzel with how they were going to share a room and play, how she wouldn't feel so lonely anymore with him here and how they were going to have a lot fun.
Tifa watched the small smile on Denzel's face, despite his reservations and she thought he looked…happy.
Fenrir's engine rumbled softly in the cool night air, slowly driving through alleyways towards Seventh Heaven.
The food Cloud had bought earlier remained undisturbed in Fenrir's compartment, due to the slow tempo Cloud had set. After rushing through deliveries all day and going from city to city and fighting off nosy monsters, he relished the change of pace and the tranquility that set over the night when most of Edge was sleeping.
Cloud quietly parked Fenrir into Seventh Heaven's garage once he got close, opening the compartment at the back and taking out the two full bags of groceries. Cloud noticed the light was still on in the bar and he sighed.
Despite already talking about it, Tifa always stayed up to greet him, no matter how late it got and sometimes, he wondered why she went through all the effort, with how busy she was during the day, finding the will and strength to stay awake so long to make sure he got home safe.
Home – a term Cloud had thought was a long lost dream since his departing to SOLDIER and the catastrophe in Nibelheim, turned to ashes like his mother and his childhood home had.
Shaking his head to will the dark memories away, Cloud unlocked the door, pushing through with the grocery bags.
Once his eyes had adjusted again to the light of the bar, Cloud spotted Tifa walking toward him with a smile, taking a bag from him while he locked the door.
"Hey, you're early," Tifa smiled but there was a playful edge to her tone and a small smirk grew on Cloud's lips, an expression he was sure he didn't do in a long time.
It was past Marlene's bedtime, well after ten o'clock, and Cloud couldn't help but shake his head, "Sorry, I ran into some trouble along the way,"
But Tifa shook her head as he followed her into the kitchen, as she always did, "Don't worry about it," he remained silent as they organized the groceries into their respective places, the fridge or storage room at the back. They moved over and beside each-other flawlessly, almost in sync and Cloud couldn't remember when they had developed that habit.
Tifa talked about her day, the usual morning rush and how she slowly got Denzel to open up about himself. And then, she told him about her decision, "I decided to adopt Denzel,"
Cloud stopped putting away the milk and closed the fridge, turning around to look at her, she continued when she met his gaze, "He's an orphan Cloud, he won't last long out in the streets," her hair partly obscured her face and her voice turned quiet, "Maybe he won't last long at all,"
A dull ache throbbed in Cloud's chest and the warrior gripped the wooden counter behind him, "Then I don't see why you're taking him in," Tifa's fierce eyes met his and he knew he was in for a challenge, "He's got the Stigma, whatever we do won't cure him, he may live a few days, weeks, maybe even months." His eyes hardened, "He's a kid that has Geostigma, just like every third kid does nowadays and most of them pass away on the streets,"
Tifa took a step forward, "Yeah, but I won't let Denzel be just a another kid who died the same way," she begged him to understand, not necessarily by words, but by her meaningful gaze and he turned away.
"If I hadn't found you that day," his fist clenched, "What would have happened to you Cloud? Don't you see? Denzel is in a similar situation, he doesn't have anyone. And when it most mattered you found him and brought him here,"
Cloud walked out of the kitchen and Tifa followed, "You told me to bring the kid in,"
Tifa wouldn't let him have any of that, "Yeah but I know you wouldn't have left him either way," she placed her hands on her hips, "Cloud, he needs someone who cares for him, who looks out for him. Even if our time together will be short, don't you think it's worth the happy memories we will have?"
Cloud didn't answer, he stood there with his back turned to her but then, after some time, he grabbed his sword leaning against the wall and walked upstairs, leaving Tifa alone in the bar.
Before Cloud could open the door to his room, he noticed the door to Marlene's room was open by a sliver and he thought he caught faint movement from inside.
Cloud's eyes narrowed, but after several seconds of staring into the door, he shook his head and walked into his room, closing the door shut softly behind him.
Denzel's breath caught in his throat, heart thumping wildly in his chest. He thought he was caught when Cloud looked at the door, but he didn't seem to have noticed him.
He nearly jumped out of his own skin when Marlene, the girl, placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't be afraid, Cloud won't do anything to hurt you," she smiled tiredly, before climbing back onto her bed.
Denzel remained silent, wishing her a good night before he slowly walked out of her room and into Tifa's, where the woman told him he could sleep in until they provided him a bed. He felt bad for taking away her bed, but she had insisted, and he vaguely remembered Cloud going into his office, he remembered seeing the bed there. Maybe they would share it until he got a bed.
Cloud listened to the soft, uncertain footsteps thudding on the floor, he knew it was the boy, they weren't Tifa's nor Marlene's footsteps.
He listened how the boy slowly made him way into Tifa's room to retire for the night and Cloud laid flat on his back, hands crossed behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully.
He didn't know what to think but Tifa's words echoed in his ears again.
Even if our time together will be short, don't you think it's worth the happy memories we will have?
With a grunt, Cloud turned to his side and slept.
Thank you kindly for reading, I'm sorry it took so long to update!