Delightful Yet Poisonous

Chapter 3: Sports and Women Don't Go Together

~ Too bad he didn't have time for this. ~

Rule 1. Sunday = Sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

Cloud had to shield his eyes with his arm for the third time that day. Thank heavens he wasn't driving on Fenrir now, because the last thing he needed was having an accident. The thought of a total-loss Fenrir made him shiver, even more than imagining himself with a few broken bones. After all, his bones could heal, but poor Fenrir wouldn't be that lucky.

Despite the fact that a thick pack of snow was covering the ground, the sun decided to peek through the clouds, making the white substance blinding. But it also meant that the kids were outside, most likely having an epic snow fight with the other children in the neighborhood.

As if their squeals don't say enough, the blonde thought with the tiniest of smiles.

He started walking around the house, leaving new footprints on the snow. Cloud took his time doing so, because he loved the way the snow would crunch under his heavy boots. Knowing Tifa, she'd probably already made hot chocolate for the whole family and she was waiting for him to come home before she would reveal that fact...

Needless to say, the man hadn't expected to find the raven-haired bartender playing with the kids; she was helping Denzel and Marlene with building a rather impressive snowman. He paused to watch her. Little droplets of water (or were they snowflakes? He couldn't see it from this distance) were glistening in her hair like diamond dust. Tifa looked absolutely beautiful, what with that radiant smile and the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She's always been this breathtakingly beautiful, but now that her black hair was a stark contrast with all the white around her, he could barely breathe...

Cloud was vaguely aware how his heart tap-danced wildly across his chest at her sight. Not to mention all the butterflies that he felt swarming in his stomach. It was nothing new, but it happened more often now. And yet, it always managed to take him by surprise. It was as though he could never get used to how stunning his childhood friend really was. Too bad he didn't have time for this, for he'd love to admire her for a little longer...

But alas, his favorite sports channel was waiting for him.

At that moment, a snowflake dropped softly on his nose, bringing him back to reality. With a slightly surprised look adorning his handsome face, he wiped it off his nose. This sudden movement caused Tifa to look up and she smiled.

"Hey, Cloud!"

The blond waved back, before turning around and going inside. And that was the first mistake he made...

Tifa hid her disappointment by chewing on the inside of her cheek. She got up with a silent, "I'll be right back," and left the children alone to play in the snow.

With that, she went inside, after Cloud. Even when he's not running away, I still have to chase after him, she thought.

Seventh Heaven was quiet, cold and empty, but Cloud knew that the other rooms were a little warmer. So he didn't worry at all when he grabbed a cold beer from the refrigerator and headed for the living-room. He'd barely had the time to open his beer and turn on the television on his favorite sports channel when Tifa stepped into the room.

For a moment, all she did was watch him not give a damn about anything. Quite frankly, Cloud thought she was just enjoying the basketball match with her. However, when the dark-haired woman started tapping her feet impatiently, he inquired calmly, "Are you alright?"

At once, Tifa countered with, "Why didn't you bother to join me and the kids?"

"...Are you mad?"

"Are you going to answer the question?"

Cloud winced inwardly, because that was definitely a 'yes' from her side. It was a good thing that he'd learned to speak 'Tifanese' fluently, otherwise she might have skinned him if he accidentally said something wrong.

"I'm not in the mood," was his simple reply.

However, this answer was anything but satisfying to the woman he shared a room with. "What do you mean, 'not in the mood'!? It's not like it's going to snow every day. You should enjoy it now that it's still possible... Denzel and Marlene would love it if you joined them."

Except that he didn't like snow and the cold that went along with it. At least, not as much as he used to. Where it used to be fun to go on adventurous road trips when he was younger, it only looked stupid now. The roads were slippery and dangerous, his fingers and toes would feel numb no matter how many gloves he wore, and he was done with building snow forts years ago. What else was there left for him to do outside? Making snow angels in the backyard?

He sighed, his electric blue eyes piercing right through her. He cared about Tifa, he really did, but sometimes she could be such a royal pain in the butt.

"I'm tired, Tifa. I've slept about ten hours in three days. My clients are giving me hell at work and it's been a very long week. Give me a break. All I'm asking is to be left alone so I can watch this. It's Sunday, after all."

She narrowed her wine-colored eyes dangerously at him. "You mean you'd rather watch sports than have fun with us?" He didn't reply, but his silence was enough answer for her. She crossed her arms with an angry huff. "I can't believe this! Fine then, be that way. But I don't think that watching TV instead will relieve some of your exhaustion. On the contrary; you'll feel more tired afterwards."

"Okay."

If he'd thought that she would leave him alone now, he was terribly wrong. If anything, his curt reply only made her blood boil even more.

"Honestly, why do you have to be so selfish, Cloud? If I didn't know any better, I would think you don't care about the children at all."

By now, Cloud had heard enough and his patience was wearing thin, too. "Is this even about the kids? Because I don't hear them complaining. Who's calling who selfish here when all you do is think about yourself?"

Admittedly, it was a mean thing to say, but right now, he didn't care. It had been a tough week and the only thing he needed right now was a good basketball match, preferably with lots of blood. Didn't she understand?

Tifa opened her mouth to reply, but when she couldn't think of a fitting response, she had no choice but to close it again. The angry woman clenched her hands into fists and she shook uncontrollably. If Cloud had looked up at that moment, the thought that she was trying not to attack him might have crossed his mind. She promptly turned around and walked away, slamming the door shut behind her with a loud BANG!

"...Women."

They were impossible to live with, but you couldn't live without them, either. So he was doomed anyway.