A/N: Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update but I finally found some inspiration to continue, thank you for waiting :)

Enjoy!

A Different Routine

Cloud's eyes slowly cracked open when the sun's rays shining through the gap between the curtains hit them.

He grunted and rolled on his back, rubbing away at the dry crust around his eyes until he could see clearly again.

The air was warm, stuffy, it smelled of old papers and leather and of something stale that always seemed to be present whenever Cloud stayed away for a longer while.

Tifa claimed it was because of the fresh air not getting in often enough but Cloud thought he knew better, it was because he started staying away on longer deliveries, which offered a better payment. Sure, he still slept here, but he rarely ever stayed longer in his office like he used to, drawing pathways on his maps and dealing with paperwork.

Somehow, he had slowly stopped doing that as frequently. Somehow, Tifa had taken to handling the paperwork and it left a sour taste in Cloud's mouth.

While it was correct that the Strife Delivery Service was theirs just how Seventh Heaven was also a part of their family business, it was him that went on deliveries and putting his paperwork on top of the bar's responsibilities on Tifa was something Cloud thought he would have control over.

At least until now.

With a sigh, Cloud sat up, rubbing the back of his neck and rolling his stiff shoulders. It had been a while since he took a day or two off. Weekends have started becoming less days off and more normal delivery days, something Cloud appreciated for the extra Gil but loathed for the additional physical and mental burden it put on him...but if it meant supporting them, then it didn't feel so bad anymore at the end of the day.

Pulling the thin blanket off himself, Cloud stood up, silently making his bed before heading for the door, only to stop when his hand was already on the doorknob.

Cloud watched the darkened room, the dim darkness only disturbed by the few rays of sunlight peeking through the curtains.

Bright light suddenly bathed the office in color again, slightly faded, but there and Cloud noted his barren desk, save for paperwork and the telephone.

Perhaps a picture would add more color into it as well.

When Cloud stepped into the small hallway, he found the bathroom door was open, the lights on.

Cloud rose a brow, who could be awake now? Tifa usually woke up even sooner than him, she must be checking on the bar's supplies by now. Marlene couldn't be it either, she slept in until either Tifa or Cloud went to wake her up. It was far too soon to be up anyway. Cloud was sure the boy was sleeping as well.

Cloud's gaze narrowed and he quietly made his way toward the bathroom, body unconsciously preparing for a possible battle until his gaze settled on the figure in the bathroom once he reached the open doorway.

It was Tifa.

"Tifa?" confusion settled over him as he rose an eyebrow in question, realizing he hadn't checked the time. Was he the one that woke up too early?

The barmaid smiled but it seemed tired, she was still dressed in her night clothes and a comb was in her hand, "Good morning, you're up earlier than normal," she smiled again.

Cloud cleared his throat, slightly dismayed at the fact that his voice came out rough due to the slight dryness in his throat, "Yeah, I didn't check the time," and then, Cloud felt foolish, making a move to step out of the bathroom, "I'll wait downstairs until you're done,"

But before he could leave and maybe make coffee for them both, Tifa suddenly stopped him, "It's alright, you can stay, there's enough room for Marlene to come here and join us," Tifa beckoned Cloud to enter and the bathroom really was big enough to fit two adults and perhaps a child, but...

Ever since his younger days, Cloud had lacked any real father figure due to his father's absence. Ever since joining SOLDIER, his mother's presence in his life had been drastically reduced and after the Nibelheim incident completely removed, still Cloud's, however limited, knowledge of women made him think it was rude intruding upon her privacy like this, "I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable," his statement was followed by Tifa's amused laugh.

She shook her head, "SIlly, you're not making me feel uncomfortable. Now come on, you have to shave," absentmindedly running a hand over the curve of his jaw, Cloud found she was right. There was a slight stubble, a consequence of the past few stressful days being out on deliveries and neglecting other hygienic rituals other than a quick shower.

Entering the bathroom, Cloud stood beside Tifa, both facing the mirror and he noted their height difference, now that they stood side-by-side, it wasn't as big as Vincent and Yuffie's were, but he was still noticeably taller than Tifa. He noticed her attire, her nightwear, rarely ever seeing her in them.

Now that he thought about it, Tifa was always the last one to go to bed. Even when he was the one coming home from deliveries, Tifa would always wait up until he returned until she turned in for bed.

He tried not to stare, focusing on reaching for his razor and shaving foam on her side.

Their conversation from last night resurfaced in his mind as Cloud applied the foam onto his jaw, the motions more thoughtful than focused.

Even if our time together will be short, don't you think it's worth the happy memories we will have?

Cloud's jaw tightened and he nearly nicked himself with the razor.

Tifa's voice, quiet to not wake Marlen-the kids up, sounded in the small bathroom, "I'm... sorry about last night, I shouldn't have gotten angry like I did," Tifa paused in her hairbrushing, the strokes of the comb growing slower as she spoke, "You were right, there are a lot of children in Edge with Geostigma but..." the comb paused as did Tifa's speech.

Cloud wanted to say she shouldn't apologize, but he remained quiet and listened to her, waiting for her to finish.

After a few seconds, she continued, "...but Denzel is different, I know he is. There's... something familiar about him," Cloud sensed there were words she didn't want to say out loud and he wondered if he should pry or not.

He found himself too curious not to, "Familiar?" Cloud paused in his shaving, eyes looking down at Tifa.

She hesitated briefly, "He reminds me of you...I don't want to imagine what would happen had I not found you back then and I don't want to imagine what would happen to Denzel if we threw him out," despite her soft voice, Tifa's eyes were fierce, just like they had been last night.

Cloud stopped mid-shave, turning his head to look directly at Tifa, it was clear she wouldn't waver from her decision, but the same could be said for him.

Then, for a moment, her gaze softened, "Why are you so afraid to keep him Cloud?"

Cloud opened his mouth to retort, but before he could a soft, tired voice echoed in the bathroom, "Tifa? Cloud?" both adults turned around to look at who spoke.

It was Marlene.

Clearly tired, her eyes weren't fully open, had they woke her up?

"No matter what feelings Cloud and I have between us, we can't drag Marlene into it." Tifa thought and smiled, leaning down to be at eye-level with her, "Good morning sleepy head! You're up earlier than you have to be, you can still sleep Marlene, it's too early,"

Cloud remained silent, turning back toward the mirror, continuing to shave and Marlene looked between the two adults, "Are you sure you don't need help in the bar, TIfa?" Marlene rubbed at one of her eyes tiredly.

Tifa smiled and shook her head, "Don't worry, I've got Cloud with me, go to sleep Marlene," gently pushing the girl in the direction of her room.

Marlene looked back one last time at the adults before making her way towards her room, closing the door with a soft click behind her.

Tifa waited for a few seconds before she dared to speak, her voice low but more confident, "I know it will be tough for a while but..." she met Cloud's gaze in the mirror, "I don't want to add another sin to my burdens and so shouldn't you Cloud," with that, Tifa left the bathroom, leaving Cloud alone.

The swordsman paused, finally dropping the razor in the sink and when he looked in the mirror, he saw a truly terrifying sight.

Those familiar yet terrifying mako blue eyes, mixed with a sickly green and Zack's features instead of his own.

He blinked, trying to rid the image of his mind but a different image appeared.

It was Aerith.

Auburn locks, innocent, kind green eyes.

Blood dripping from her mouth.

Cloud shook his head violently, muttering a low curse and shutting his eyes tightly closed.

Hearing the soft curses, Denzel froze in fear, before slowly peeking behind the rim of the doorframe, spotting the adult with a hung down head and eyes tightly squeezed shut and Denzel wondered if he should ask if he was okay.

He didn't look okay at least.

He had been up in a while, a habit he had picked up after a while of living in the streets, scared to be assaulted at night.

He heard Tifa and Cloud in the bathroom, their talk and he found himself wondering why the man would be afraid, he certainly didn't look afraid of anything to him. So, why would possibly adopting him be so terrifying?

Denzel absentmindedly touched his forehead, where the black liquid had oozed from earlier. It was dry now, but had an odd texture to it, as if it was dried, soft liquid but unable to be rubbed away, at least that's what Denzel attempted to do last night before going to bed.

The washcloth had been smudged black, but it didn't remove the stain on his forehead.

But Denzel wasn't a fool, he knew why the man was against keeping him here.

He had that disease, he had Geostigma, that's why.

There was a possibility he could infect Marlene and Tifa too.

Denzel's fists clenched and he silently walked past the open bathroom, heading for downstairs.

He forgot Tifa would be down there.

She greeted him with a surprised, but pleasant smile, walking over to him and resting her hands on her knees to be at eye-level with him, "Good morning Denzel! Do you usually get up so early? You know, not even Marlene is awake yet, it's far too early for you to be awake yet," she grinned softly, such a contrast to her mood with Cloud in the bathroom.

Denzel frowned, adults were all the same. They all hid things from kids because they thought they didn't understand.

Denzel bit his lip, looking at his feet, "I...couldn't really sleep," he didn't plan on telling he heard a single word of their conversation.

Tifa assessed him carefully, eyes slanted in concern, "Would you like to eat or drink something? I can fix you a hot chocolate for breakfast and a sandwich," she offered ever so softly and with a painful tug in his heart, Denzel was reminded of his mother, how she used to cook him hot chocolate on special occasions.

Denzel squeezed his eyes shut tightly, the memories of his parents flooding his mind and making his head ache and pound, he tried placing his hands on his head to lessen the pain, but another pair of hands beat him to it.

Tifa gently rubbed at his messy tresses, soothingly running her cool friends across his heated skull, "Denzel, are you alright?" she kneeled down and held him steady with one hand on his shoulder while the other rubbed his head soothingly.

He panted, feeling his heart pound against his chest and the headache starting to lessen just slightly.

He exhaled long and hard and finally shook his head, "I...I'm fine," Tifa gently ran a hand up and down his back, it reminded him of his mother's touch and it calmed him down.

His mother...

Denzel's shot open and he roughly pushed Tifa away, scrambling to get away from her, "Leave me alone!"

"Denzel!" Tifa went to reach for the frightened boy but he kicked at her in rage, face a mask of pain and anger.

"You're not my mom! I shouldn't be here! Why won't you just let me die on the streets?!" finally, all his silent, pent up thoughts were released, "Why would you pick a random kid off the streets who's going to die soon anyway?!" tears started streaming down his face, along with a black liquid, "I'm not your son! You already have a daughter to take care of! My parents are dead but I don't want to kill a family just because I lost mine! I-I'm just gonna die alone anyway from this stupid Stigma so just-just leave me alone!" Denzel shakily stood up and raced off, prying the door open and fleeing outside.

Tifa made to dash after him, "Denzel!" she was just a few steps from the door when a hand firmly pulled her back.

She nearly collided with a half-dressed Cloud, "Let me go, Cloud! Denzel just-!"

"Stay here," without another word, Cloud released her wrist and was out the door in seconds, the bell chime the only indicator he had left.

Tifa's mind was in a haze from Denzel's episode just now. Had she gone too far? Had Denzel gotten angry at her for trying to comfort him? He said she wasn't his mother...

Her fist quivered by her side in anger, angry at herself for being so helpless. She couldn't even help Cloud nor herself, how could she hope to begin even helping Denzel?

The barmaid didn't hear the soft footsteps stopping just shy of the stairs, Marlene gazing sadly at her back.

"Denzel..." she could only hope Cloud would find a way to comfort him, if that was his intention.

It wasn't every day that a half-dressed Cloud Strife rushed down the streets of Edge, arguably 'rushing' seemed a bit of an overstatement, more like brisk walking, still it elicited not only one pair of eyes to follow him.

Their neighbor, a young couple, waved at his passing figure, "Good morning early bird!" the man reluctantly lowered his hand, "Hey, wait, where's Cloud going...and why is he in a undershirt and...are those boxers?"

His wife blushed, clutching at her husband's arm tighter, "Did Tifa get mad? But he seems unharmed..." she fanned herself slightly, "Say, when's been the last time you worked out hm?" she poked her husband playfully in his chest, slightly soft muscle tissue.

He tugged at his shirt collar uncomfortably, "I could say the same about you," he gently, affectionately poked her growing, pregnant belly and they both giggled over their antics.

Focused mako eyes scanned the streets carefully, checking for each narrow alley way and asking a few passing people if they'd seen a small boy with brown hair run past.

Finally, an elder man directed him toward a small alley, Cloud thanked the man and was on his way, gazing down the narrow alley and waiting silently, listening.

He could hear faint sobbing coming from the back and he slowly made his way deeper, the mako in his body helping him navigate over bulky objects on the ground and thrown trashcans in the darkness.

And finally, he spotted Denzel's shape shivering on the ground.

When Cloud kneeled down at his level, the boy shied away, "Go away!" the boy cried, curling closer to the wall behind him, away from Cloud's touch.

Cloud frowned, moving his hand away, "Listen kid, you can't stay out here, it's going to rain soon, you'll catch a cold-"

Denzel turned, furious blue eyes boring holes in Cloud's skull, "Why do you care anyway?! You're the one who doesn't want me there!" before Cloud could say anything, Denzel spoke again, "I heard your conversation with her in the bathroom! I'm not dumb alright? I...I-I know I have the Stigma and I'm gonna die soon and...you just don't want a dying brat under your roof...it's fine," Cloud frowned, watching how the black liquid oozed down the child's forehead and neck.

Gently, he rested a hand on his shoulder, he felt the boy was about to fight but he spoke first, "You heard our conversation, do you remember what Tifa said then?" Cloud positioned himself so he leaned against the wall next to Denzel, bending his legs so they fit through the narrow space.

Denzel's brows furrowed in concentration, recalling the conversation, "She...said something about you and me..."

Cloud nodded, despite the boy not being able to see him, "We're similar..." Cloud had to smile slightly, in hindsight, Cloud saw what she meant with that, "We were both picked off the streets, rescued of certain death," memories of Nibelheim coursed through his mind, then still-blurry images of Tifa, "Everyone has a past and it's their problem dealing with it," he could feel the boy shift beside him uncomfortably, "But...a family supports each-other, Geostigma or not,"

It was his fault to begin with, while it was true that it was a threat letting someone infected with it potentially infect Tifa and Marlene, it was wrong to reject a helpless child.

Denzel's quiet voice spoke softly, Cloud barely picked it up, "...You still hate me...you don't want me there,"

Cloud leaned his head back against the brick wall, seeing the first few droplets of rain falling around him, "I don't hate you kid," there was a bit more light and he could see the top of Denzel's head a bit clearer now, "...I was just..." Cloud sighed deeply, "...scared,"

He could see Denzel raise his head and look at him incredulously, "Scared? You? You look like you scare people but be scared? Yeah, right," he snorted in disbelief.

Cloud smirked, amused at the child's evaluation of him, "Everyone is afraid of something, including me," he glanced down at the boy, "All of us," he remembered Tifa's words, "It's alright to be afraid, but it's more important to overcome your fears,"

Denzel remained silent, pondering his words, "...What were you afraid of? Me?" he tilted his head in confusion, his previous bitterness slowly ebbing away.

Cloud shook his head, catching Denzel's gaze, raising a hand to wipe away the dark liquid smudging the child's face and Denzel understood.

It was Geostigma, not him.

Denzel shied away from his touch but Cloud gently, but firmly grabbed a hold of his shoulder, making the boy look up at him, "It's not you Denzel, understood?" slowly, the boy nodded. Cloud's gaze cleared, the blue in his eyes even brighter than before.

It was the first time Cloud had called him by name, not 'kid'.

Cloud slowly stood, reaching a hand toward Denzel, "Let's go home Denzel," Cloud offered him a small smile, his hand still outstretched.

The rain was faint around them, but their clothes started getting soaked, slowly but surely.

Denzel stared at his hand, then at his face for a few tense seconds.

His heart still ached with the loss of his family but...

Denzel grabbed the man's larger, warmer hand and allowed himself to effortlessly be pulled upwards.

Slowly, Denzel nodded, "Yeah...let's go home," he smiled, it was small but it was a start.

Cloud nodded and they both exited the alley, walking back toward the bar.

Denzel briefly looked up at him, this man, that had brought him away from death's clutches and was now bringing him back home.

Home.

It sounded nice, saying it again, even if it would take some time getting used to it. To everything.

Denzel's small hand clutched Cloud's tighter and the swordsman faltered, looking down at the boy before staring straight ahead again.

In just a few minutes, they arrived back at the bar and Tifa immediately rushed toward Denzel, cautiously kneeling down to look at him, "You're alright, thank goodness,"

Denzel stiffened, avoiding looking her in the eye, "I...I'm sorry...for earlier," he clutched at his pants leg tightly before a soft hand touched his own.

Tifa's soft smile greeted him, "Hey, it's alright. You have a right to speak your mind," she gently rubbed his shoulders, the warmth seeping into him, "Whenever you feel uncomfortable or need to talk, you can to any of us,"

Denzel looked up at Cloud and the man nodded in agreement.

He smiled and nodded, "Yeah..."

And then, a weight barreled into him from behind, "Denzel!"

"Woah!" Denzel tumbled to the ground, narrowly evading falling onto Tifa as Marlene bombarded him with questions.

"What were you thinking?! Of course we want you here silly! Why would you run out so suddenly? Tifa got upset! I got upset too!" as Marlene continued fretting over Denzel, Tifa turned toward Cloud, handing him a towel.

"I'm sorry..." she mumbled quietly, watching how he ran the towel through his hair.

Cloud adjusted the towel so he was looking at her, "Don't apologize. I was wrong,"

Tifa placed a hand on his arm, "We both were," Cloud paused, looking at her.

Then Marlene nearly bumped into their legs, "Oh sorry!" before she raced upstairs, possibly to fetch Denzel a towel.

Tifa went into action too, "Come on you two, you'll catch a cold," she directed them both upstairs.

Cloud and Denzel shared a look before succumbing to the woman's orders and following her upstairs.

Thank you for reading!