Unwrapping

AN: Well, Merry Christmas! ... Yeah. I know I am late but I haven't had access to any internet for a while. Or well, the phone... Apparently my phone is good enough to let me read fanfics either way! Really good, it kept me alive these days... Okay. I am gonna stop talking now, it's 4. am right now and I am a bit tired and weird right now... XD
Er... Well, forget that part above, just blabber... Here I bring you a little ZackCloud oneshot! Just gotta love that pairing, right? Hope you'll enjoy it!

And a big thanks to my fantastic beta reader: AmaterasuItachi35, much luv to you!

Summary: Zack goes around worrying when Cloud doesn't get home the time he said he'd get back. When Cloud finally arrives, Zack is really up for a surprise, and he can't really be angry at his boyfriend, right?

Warnings: Shounen ai, ZackCloud... Nothing more I think?

Disclaimer: I don't own FF VII or any of the characters, Squaresoft does!


Zack sighed as he looked at the watch. It was 10:13 pm. He was getting a bit worried, Cloud had said that he would be back home by 10:00 pm, so why wasn't he there yet? Zack groaned as he rolled over in the couch and sighed again. Now he was just being silly... He could be late, he might have gotten held up by Shinra. The grunts could have tough work sometime and Zack knew it. But he couldn't help worrying either way.

"C'mon... Pull yourself together, man!", he told himself in exasperation, "You're only being silly, Zachary. That's what she would have told me, right?", he then asked himself as he looked up into the ceiling. Yeah, that was exactly what Aerith, his ex girlfriend and best friend, would have told him.

Yeah. Silly.

Zack groaned and turned over so he faced the back of the couch. It wasn't much more interesting than the ceiling had been. He could see that they were in need of a new couch, this one was getting slightly dirty... Probably because he had a habit of throwing himself on the couch as soon as he got back from any mission. Cloud always scolded him if he was there. Zack usually grinned and hugged Cloud to make him dirty as well. Then they could shower... Together.

"Cloud, where are you?", Zack muttered to himself as he threw yet another look at the watch. 10:19 pm. Time really went by quickly. Or not.

For sure it wouldn't have been weird if Cloud was only a little bit late, and Zack knew he had to accept that Cloud was late. But as time moved on, Zack couldn't help growing more and more worried. It wasn't like Cloud to be late. And now the time was 10:54 and it was slowly driving Zack insane not knowing where Cloud was.

"Oh man... What if he's hurt? What if he's out in the snow freezing to death? What if someone kidnapped him?!" Zack asked himself in mild panic, going through all kinds of horrible scenarios in his head. But he also knew that it was stupid to go outside since it would be hell to find Cloud when he didn't know where to look for him, "Oh God... Cloud... Where are you?", he muttered as he moved to the window and looked out into the snow.

He couldn't see much out there. Just some soldiers that walked against a building, but no blonde. He saw an older woman walking her dog. A young woman walking alone, probably on her way to see a relative. Some more soldiers happily talking. In other words no Cloud to be spotted.

Zack sighed deeply as he shook his head and turned to look at their Christmas tree. A single present lied under the tree. It was Zack's gift for Cloud and he had hoped he would have time to give the blonde his present before it was past midnight. But he knew that Cloud was out and doing something... Secret. That was at least what he had told Zack in the morning...

11:03.

Suddenly Zack was pulled from his thoughts when the door made a creaking sound and opened up, Zack almost jumped a meter up in the air at the sound and immediately turned around, as soon as he saw Cloud's blonde hair he felt relieved, and upset.

"Cloud! Do you have any idea how damn worried-,", Zack cut himself of and couldn't find himself to do anything more than to stare at Cloud with wide eyes and open mouth, "...Wow.", he then let out and blinked a couple of times.

There he stood, Cloud, in something that Zack remembered since last Christmas. Something that Zack thought he'd never get to see in his living days, Cloud had made it very clear to him that he'd never do it, but yet he was standing there. In a very exposing, short, red, hot dress, with white fluff on the end of it. And a Santa hat on his head. It would have been a sin to not notice the stockings... And the the red shoes with white fluff on. It was the outfit Zack had tried to make Cloud wear last year.

"Holy...", Zack said as he tilted his head and looked into Cloud's eyes, he saw that his boyfriend looked a bit modest and had a faint blush on his cheeks.

"I... Sorry that it got late...", Cloud started of, the blush growing stronger, "But I have never gotten something like this on before... And I didn't really have any money to buy a proper gift...", he trailed of at the end and looked up at Zack who still was staring at him. Did he like it? What if he didn't? Cloud was feeling slightly exposed and uncertain for the moment, but he really didn't have enough money to buy something that would be worth it for Zack.

"You... You're completely gorgeous.", Zack said after he was done ogling Cloud, "Shit..."

"So... You like it?", Cloud asked as he bit his lip slightly and took a few steps forward.

Zack smiled widely, opened up his arms, walked up to Cloud, and then wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, "I love it.", he said and kissed Cloud on his cheek.

Cloud smiled and let out a nervous laugh as he wrapped his own arms around Zack and then let out a sigh of relief, "You have no idea how much time this took..."

Zack blinked a few times as he stepped back and walked around Cloud to get in every view of the amazing outfit. He could've just scooped Cloud up and taken him straight to the bedroom... But he contained himself, "Well, judging by the time I had to wait I have an idea.", he said and smiled slightly as he got up in front of Cloud again.

Cloud got a blush on his face as he glanced against the window, "I... I had to go to Aerith.", he murmured and the blush on his face grew even stronger.

Zack couldn't help feel his lip twitch upwards, "You had to go to Aerith...", Zack repeated and looked at Cloud who looked really embarrassed, "Why?", he then asked, trying to hide the amusement in his voice.

Cloud mumbled something fast and incoherent that Zack didn't manage to catch. He still couldn't help himself from smiling as he looked at his very troubled boyfriend.

"Sorry, could you repeat that?", Zack asked and smiled widely, making Cloud whimper and pull the Santa hat down to partly cover his red face.

"I went to Aerith since I couldn't put on the bra myself!", Cloud rambled as his whole face went red, so red that he was almost matching the dress.

Zack couldn't stop himself from letting out a chuckle as he turned around and covered his mouth to keep from laughing at poor Cloud. Really, he appreciated that Cloud had done this for him... But he could almost imagine how Cloud had forced himself to ask Aerith to help him with a bra. He must have been deathly embarrassed to ask something like that.

"It's not funny...", Cloud said weakly as he looked at Zack who was shaking from quiet laughter, "I had no choice! Vincent and Cid didn't know how to... And Aerith is better than Tifa or Yuffie.", Cloud whimpered with a look of defeat on his face.

"S-sorry, Cloudy. I... I can't help it,", Zack choked out and forced the laughing to subside a bit but didn't really succeed when he heard that he even had asked Cid and Vincent for help. It was such fun imagining that picture. Well, he forced the laughing away and then turned back to Cloud with a smile on his face, "Well then, let me give you your gift.", he then said and got a softer smile on his face and let out a last chuckle.

Zack went up to the Christmas tree and then took the small package, walking up to Cloud again, who hadn't moved from his place on the floor.

Zack licked his lips slightly as he smiled nervously and then handed Cloud the gift and watched how Cloud carefully undid the wrapping and then put the paper aside. Now the only thing left to be opened was a box. Cloud looked up to Zack's eyes before he looked down again and gently opened the box.

Cloud opened his mouth and let out a slight gasp as he looked at the content of the box, "Z-Zack...", he stuttered out as he took out a golden ring, with a single diamond, that was hanging in a gold chain. He closely examined the ring and found an a small text engraved inside: Forever in my heart and soul - Zack.

"I... I didn't know if you were the ring type or not so that's why I got the chain as well...", Zack nervously said as he watched Cloud, he didn't have any idea of what thoughts that went through Cloud's head, "And I thought it would be most practical since we're fighting quite a lot... But if you don't like it I-,"

"Zack...", Cloud said softly as he looked at Zack.

"-can change it to something else that-,", Zack was by now nervously rambling but he got cut of by Cloud again.

"It's perfect,", Cloud then said as he smiled widely and gave Zack a soft kiss to cut him of from his nervous rambling, and it seemed to work, "I love it."

Zack smiled widely when Cloud broke the kiss, "Thank God, do you have any idea how hard it was to pick out?", he then asked and laughed.

"As hard as to put on as a bra?", Cloud asked and let out a soft chuckle as a faint tinge of red still lingered on his cheeks, "...Wanna put it on?"

"The bra?" Zack said with a confused face expression.

"No stupid, the ring!" Cloud said and laughed as he handed Zack the chain with the ring on and then turned around.

"Of course,", Zack said softly as he reached around Cloud and then got the necklace on place, "There you go...", he then murmured and turned Cloud around.

"Thanks, Zack...", Cloud said softly as he wrapped his arms around Zack's neck.

"You're welcome,", Zack said as he softly brushed his lips over Cloud's lips and then parted slightly and looked at Cloud with a smirk on his face.

"What is it?", Cloud asked with a slight frown on his face as he felt Zack's hands sneak back behind his back and finger at the lacing of the dress.

"Now that you've opened your gift...", Zack said, trailing off at the end as he lifted Cloud up bridal style and slowly walked against the bedroom, "Is it my turn to unwrap you now?"


AN: Well, that was the innocent version of this oneshot. I am almost done with the more lemony version of it, so keep looking if you want some yaoi!
So, what did you think? Reviewers get cookies! 8D