"Tell me again, how I got myself into this?"

"You wanted to go to the ball."

"Yeah, but how exactly did I manage to get into *this*?"

Cloud gestured to himself, indicating his state of undress and the various women surrounding him, trying to get his measurements. Zack smiled and leaned back into his chair, enjoying the sight. He didn't bother to answer, as his reply would probably send his lover into a sulk. Not that it wasn't cute when he did, but he'd been seeing a lot of it lately. Especially today, when he'd finally managed to get Cloud to the dressmaker's for a fitting.

After Madam Theron, the dressmaker, had understood exactly what it was that they wanted, she had gotten Cloud stripped and standing for measurements in a matter of moments. Zack still wasn't sure how she'd done that. She would've made a natural general, the way she directed all the action going on.

After a lot of whispered conversation, Madam Theron finally allowed Cloud to cover himself with a robe. She then went into the back and came out with a large book, which she opened.

"Now, good sirs, what style of dress were you looking for?"

Zack shot a questioning look at Cloud, who returned his look with a confused expression and a shrug of his shoulders. "Don't look at me, I have no clue."

Stifling a chuckle, Zack turned to the Madam. "I'm thinking something long and fitted, to show off his slenderness."

Madam Theron nodded and started flipping through the book, stopping at a picture of a long evening dress with a high neck and long-sleeves. Zack shook his head, "No. Keep his arms and shoulders bare. He's got beautiful definition on his shoulders, let's show that off."

"Yes, but not strapless. He needs something to draw the eyes inward to de-emphasize the breadth of his shoulders."

For the next few minutes, Zack and Madam Theron flipped through the book while Cloud looked on with a look of bemusement on his face. The only time he joined in was with a "No, absolutely not!" when they were discussing cleavage. Finally, they decided upon a design that both of them could agree on and turned to regard a slightly dazed Cloud.

"What do you think?" Madam Theron asked him gently as she showed him the design.

Cloud simply nodded, thinking privately that pretty as the dress looked on paper, there was no way it would look that nice on *him*. He just hoped that he didn't embarrass himself too much.

* * * * *

"Dammit!"

Strong arms caught him as he fell, his ankle twisting painfully when he tried turning *and* walking at the same time. How women could walk in these contraptions without killing themselves was beyond him. "What're you doing?"

Cloud lifted a leg to show Zack one of the torture devices currently strapped on his feet. "The General came by and dropped these off earlier saying I should get used to walking around in them."

The small blonde took one look at his lover's face and drew his brows down into a scowl, "You laugh at me, Zack, and I swear I'll hurt you."

Zack quickly wiped the emerging grin off his face, though his silver eyes still twinkled in laughter. Cloud sighed and supposed that would have to do. He didn't blame Zack for wanting to laugh at him. He looked ridiculous teetering around on the high-heeled shoes Sephiroth had given him.

The thought of the General made Cloud scowl even more. It was bad enough that Zack was laughing at him, but the fact that Sephiroth obviously found the entire thing more amusing than a herd of chocobo running rampant through the ShinRa building really made him embarrassed. But, since the idea had been both his lover's and the General's, there really wasn't a way that he could keep their 'project' a secret. Especially since it was Sephiroth who was going to provide the people to do his make-up and hair on the night of the ball.

The ball. The stupid, idiotic ShinRa annual ball that had started this entire fiasco was now only a couple days away. Several times over the past week, Cloud had thought of just telling Zack to forget about it, that he didn't have to go to the damn ball. But then he would have a mental image of his lover surrounded by a sea of simpering girls all vying for his attention and Cloud would firmly keep his mouth shut. There was no way in hell he would let Zack go to something like that without him.

Cloud wasn't proud of the jealousy and possessiveness he felt, but he couldn't help himself. It still took him by surprise that someone as popular and well-liked as Zack had fallen in love with *him*. He was constantly expecting his dark-haired lover to look at him and laugh, saying it was all a mistake, and that their relationship was over. It wasn't even that he had no faith in Zack, but that he knew the silver-eyed man could do so much better than a pale and scrawny little blonde like himself. Cloud carefully kept all his insecurities to himself, because he knew that if Zack ever found out, his lover would kick his ass for even thinking such nonsense.

Zack's voice was shaking with suppressed laughter as he asked, "How's it going?"

Cloud shrugged, "I think I'm going to end up killing myself when I attempt stairs, but other than that, everything's just peachy."

His lover set Cloud back on his feet and turned him around carefully, pulling up his chin for a light kiss on the lips and Cloud wrapped his arms around Zack's waist, snuggling against him as he groaned, "I'm going to be so glad when this thing's finally over."

Zack chuckled and rubbed Cloud's back gently. "Oh, I don't know. I may decide that I like you in a dress and keep you in one indefinitely."

Cloud growled and poked Zack in his side, "Shut up."

Laughing, Zack pulled Cloud back into his arms and spun him around by the waist, "Hey Cloud, you know how to dance right?"

Cloud looked up at his lover and blushed, a look of consternation settling on his face, "Uh…"

Zack stopped twirling him around and blinked down at him, "You don't know how to dance?"

Cloud scowled and looked away in embarrassment, "Yeah, I learned it inbetween my lessons in comportment and discourse."

"Alright, I get the picture. When Sephiroth gets here, we'll teach you."

"The General?"

"Yes, the General. You know anyone else named Sephiroth?" Zack laughed at the look on his face and tickled his ribs, making Cloud to squirm in the SOLDIER's arms.

Cloud swatted at Zack's hands, "Stop that!"

"Make me," Zack snorted and started tickling the small blonde in earnest, causing Cloud to shriek in helpless laughter. Several minutes later, a knock interrupted their play and both Cloud and Zack looked towards the door.

"Come in, Seph," Zack called out and tightened his grip on Cloud's wrists as he tried to twist away.

Sephiroth walked in, closing the door behind him. He silently took note of a blushing Cloud held against the wall, his wrists gripped in one of Zack's hands above his head and raised an eyebrow, the corner of his lips twitching in laughter. "I could come back later when you're not so busy."

Zack pulled Cloud from the wall and gave him a playful swat on the rear, "Nah, we were finished, anyway."

Sephiroth shook his head in wry amusement and chuckled, "Don't you two ever stop?"

Zack grinned unrepentantly as Cloud reddened even more, "Nope."

The silver-haired General turned laughing green eyes on Cloud. "How are you doing with the shoes?"

"How the hell do women *wear* these contraptions? My feet are killing me!" came the blonde's answer.

"I'll take that to mean you're doing alright," Sephiroth chuckled. "Has the dress been delivered yet?"

Cloud shook his head, "Not yet. I talked with the dress-maker, though, and she said it'd be here sometime tomorrow."

"We need to teach Cloud how to dance."

Sephiroth blinked. "Excuse me?"

Cloud heaved a sigh. "I don't know how to dance."

"That is easily solved," Sephiroth smiled.

Chapter 4 (coming later ^^;;)