Cloud muffled a sob and a moan as he pressed Corneo's head closer. He couldn't believe how much he relished the feeling. Yet we wanted to die.

Corneo let out a small pant of arousal, then bent his head to Cloud's nipple again, tracing it with his tongue and tantalizing him with every move. He sensed 'Jessica' was ready now. He began to kiss lower.

Cloud squirmed painfully underneath him as he realized Corneo was heading for lower areas.

Biting his lip, he gave into his tears, even though he had already begun to sob, his whole body shaking with fear and pleasure. He never knew such shame.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

Cloud looked up, and he wanted to die. As if the situation wasn't bad enough—there in front of him was the vision of hope… and she gave him the most disgusted look…

Cloud opened his eyes.

Going over it in your head isn't going to make things better.

Sighing in disdain, Cloud rolled over. He was lying in Aerith's guest bed, and there had never been a more comfortable room.

However, Cloud couldn't sleep. They had just gotten out of the sewers and were staying at Aerith's to rest up. Everyone else had gone to bed, but he stared into oblivion, unable to shake the shame in the deep pit of his stomach.

Curling up to try and lose the burning sensation, Cloud's mind again traveled to the incident at Corneo's. He swallowed hard as he remembered the look on Aerith's face when she burst into the room. He never wanted her to see him like that. Letting Corneo… do that to him.

Cloud let out a random sob. He could still feel the old bastard's hands on him, as if he was there at that moment.

Aerith sat in her room. She, too, wept for what happened.

I can't believe Cloud would do that for me… She shook her head. No, no… he did that for Tifa. He never would have done something like that for me…

Looking away, she remembered the fear his eyes held when she came into the room. It was her fault he had to undergo that kind of torture. She couldn't stand it.

More tears fell down her face.

Cloud sighed exhaustedly and turned over once more. Something caught his eye. I hint of purple. Focusing, he saw his purple dress hanging on the doorknob. He laughed, thinking of how Aerith laughed when she saw him in it. His smile soon vanished as he glanced at the collar of it, and remembered his fat, hot fingers sliding into the hem and pulling it down to his hips carefully.

Cloud jumped out of his bed and walked briskly over to the dress. Wrapping his fists around the each side of the collar, he prepped to rip it just to think of this instead of Corneo.

However, just as he began to pull, he remembered something else.

"You're face puts me in awe… it really does…"

Slowly, he released the dress. The sick bastard.

As nasty as it was, the sincerity of it tempted him. He placed one hand along the smooth silk.

Had anyone ever said he was attractive? Had anyone ever fell in awe over his beauty? Cloud had never known such reactions to his appearance. Was it because of the dress…?

He pulled it off the knob and held it up to him, glancing at the mirror on the back of the door…

Aerith wiped her tears. She never really thanked him. How pathetic was that?

Smiling, she thought of them at Wall Market, and how they held hands and flirted. This brought a giggle to her voice. Surely he didn't only choose to save Tifa. Maybe… maybe he was trying to watch out for her, too.

Biting her lip, she sighed. She closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around her bare arms as the night breeze set in.

If only these arms were Cloud's.

Cloud slipped off his pants, leaving him in his underwear and socks. He looked shyly upon his reflection, and turned to the side. He was quite attractive, though he had never before noticed. But no one had ever said he was, so he shrugged and passed it off as lack of his lack of taste.

Sliding one leg into the silk dress, he gingerly toed in the second and began pulling it up slowly. The material felt good against his skin, though he was blushing for pure embarrassment. He wasn't actually going to wear the dress—he just wanted to see how it looked, and if it really was all the more attractive.

Her eyes shot open. Well, why not?

He held my hands, and flirted with me, wore a dress for me—why wouldn't he put his arms around me? She stood in revelation. I should just go in the right now… I should tell him how I feel about him! And kiss him!

Walking to the door, she had made up her mind. As it opened, she peered at Cloud's door, and took a deep breath for good measure. She stepped lightly, as to not disturb anyone else.

Cloud smoothed out the dress, and looked at himself from all different angles. He just didn't see himself more attractive in the dress than he was with his normal clothes. He rolled his eyes. Corneo didn't' know what he was talking about. Taking a breath, Cloud decided the whole thing with Corneo shouldn't matter. He had Aerith and had saved his stupid friend once again, and sometimes you just have to pay prices for those kinds of things.

A smile broke out on his face. Aerith wouldn't have to see him broken, and that's all that really mattered anyway.

Aerith stopped outside of his door. She locked her hand on the doorknob…

Cloud reached behind him, contorting his arm so he could reach the zipper in the back of the dress, when out of nowhere, the door burst open to reveal Aerith in her satin night gown. Cloud blushed at the sight of her, then immediately realized she was gaping at his lovely satin dress.

She let out a shriek, as did Cloud.

"I—I—" She stammered, backing towards the door, speechless in awkward embarrassment.

"No—no! It's—not like it looks!" He blurted and picked up the edge of the dress to take a step towards her.

"I—I didn't mean—to intrude—I—oh my god!" Aerith placed a tremulous hand over her mouth as she stepped away.

"No—l-let me explain…" He tried, but couldn't think of a good explanation for the life of him.

"No—Cloud, I-it's ok—I-I'm sorry—I didn't mean to come—um—bursting in like that… uh… I'm—" She turned hurriedly to the doorframe.

"Aerith, please—I can explain this! Oh—oh Aerith, don't go, please! I—" Cloud bolted to the door but tripped over the end of his dress and fell face-first onto the floor.

Aerith reached down to help him, but it took her a split second to change her mind and make a mad-dash for her room.

Cloud lifted his head and saw Aerith had gone. He rested it on the floor once again and began weeping in embarrassment.

Not only did she have to walk in on me while Corneo was on me, but now this?!

The day couldn't possibly get any worse.

Why don't I just die.

The next morning, Cloud waited for Aerith to come out of her room first so she wouldn't have to see him first. He got no sleep—he was too embarrassed and shamed.

Tiptoeing down the hall, Cloud crept along the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast.

He looked up to meet Aerith's eyes, from which he quickly looked away, as did she.

Cloud looked around. He was dismayed to find that Aerith and he were the only two awake. Sitting gently, he glanced at the floor to avoid staring at Aerith in her thin little nightgown, and dwell over how beautiful the woman who thought he'd turned gay was.

"Morning." Aerith's tiny voice came hesitantly.

"M-morning…" Cloud uttered, biting his lip.

Aerith looked around, also trying to avoid Cloud's gaze. Not only was she mortified, she was crushed.

"…do you want some toast…?" She questioned gingerly.

He sighed in agony—he knew he's have to make eyes contact and give her a polite response.

Glancing towards her face, he was surprised to find a smile on her face. He blushed and quickly looked down. It was obvious she was as embarrassed as he was, but there she stood, smiling at him and offering to make him breakfast. He swallowed a forming lump in his throat. Why did she have to walk in?!

"Y-yeah, thanks…" He managed to breathe.

"Alright then." The hesitance in her voice was gone, leaving only a thick undertone of lament.

Cloud put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on the table.

A soft sweet melody rose above the sound of impenetrable silence, rising with it Cloud's head from its hovered stance. He shot his head in the direction of the wondrous sound, his gaze falling on Aerith, whose back turned to him swayed with her song. His pulse quickened. He swallowed hard again, but this time for a different reason.

She's so beautiful…

Aerith turned around to the fridge to meet Cloud's eyes. His face went red as he whipped his head around the other direction, hoping she wouldn't see him.

She smiled sadly as she pulled a box of orange juice from the fridge.

Continuing to hum, she poured it into two cups and brought them to the table.

Finally, Cloud couldn't bear the lack of words. His heart was becoming so entranced he worried that he might forget that she saw him in a dress long enough to say something to rub it in or something like that.

"What are you humming?" He forced his voice to sound above a whisper.

"Hm?" She turned to him, her own trance broken.

""That song… what's it called…?" Courage gathered in his tone.

"Oh, it really doesn't have a name. I just always end up humming it when I'm upset—it soothes me, for some reason." She smiled emptily.

"You're… upset…?" He asked, concerned.

Her eyes widened as she turned hurriedly around.

"D-don't worry… I won't tell anybody." She blurted, trying desperately not to offend or embarrass him. "What I saw last night is just between us."

She sat down as the table, handing him his toast.

Cloud sighed.

"Aerith, you misunderstood." He tried to explain.

"Cloud, it's all right. I don't mind. If that's what you like to do, then it's none of my business." She kept her eyes on her toast alone so her lying eyes wouldn't betray her.

"No, you don't understand. What you saw me do last night—"

"Cloud, it's none of my business."

Cloud huffed in frustration.

"You're right. It's none of your business." He said finally, in an angered tone. Standing up, he tried to ignore the hurt look on her face. "It's none of your business, and it's none of Tifa's business, and it's none of Barret's business. And you know what? It's none of my business."

"What?" Aerith gave him a confused look.

"That's right—none of my business. Because, Aerith, I wasn't trying on the dress because I liked it and I was trying on the dress because I'm a cross-dresser, and I wasn't trying on the dress because I'm gay."

She sat in speechless awe.

"I was trying on the dress," his tone softened, "-because yesterday was the first time anyone's ever said I was beautiful."

Aerith opened her mouth to speak, but could only utter a pained response.

"…oh, Cloud…"

"Yesterday way the most shameful and disgusting day of my life. I had to have this fat, old greasy guy… that doesn't matter…" He glanced away, not wanted Aerith to have to hear what happened. "But what's worse is that I had to have you … come in… a-and have to see that…"

He bit his lip.

Aerith's eyes filled with tears.

"But on top of that, you have to see me in a dress—a fucking dress, Aerith! And now you think I'm gay that I have some fucking fetish with old guys and dresses—"

"I never said that." She whispered, hurt.

Cloud raised his eyes to hers. His heart softened at the pain they held.

He turned away to close his heart from the guilt he felt about making those eyes hold such sorrow. "I-I'm sorry…" He choked out. "What I wanted to say, was that I've never been beautiful to anyone except last night. And… as sick as it was, he made me feel loved for the first time by anyone since my mom died. And, I don't know, just made me feel like someone might want me, that I was desirable. And I was just wondering if it was the dress, or if I really was beautiful; if I really am worthwhile."

Aerith just stared at him, shaking her head.

"You are, Cloud…" she whispered, not even realizing it.

Cloud's eyes shot to her mouth, from which she quickly noticed her slip, and turned bright red.

Suddenly, something inside Cloud strengthened. Something was urging him to ask a certain question... as question he had been thinking about since she burst into his room…

"Aerith…" He bent down to where she sat, her eyes trying hard to avoid his, knowing she had let it slip—and couldn't guess the consequences.

"Y-yes…?" She looked embarrassedly to him, and was startled at how close he was. He bent down over her knees, staring into her face intently.

"…what were you doing when you burst into my room last night…?" He asked tenderly.

Her eyes grew wide—she was stuck.

"Um… I-I was…" She stammered, growing redder as he inched closer.

"Aerith…" He uttered, almost cooing.

"…yes…?" She whimpered. She could feel the heat of his body above hers, only inches from brushing gently against her. She licked her lips, noticing his were only a short couple of inches away.

"…were you trying to tell me something…?" He voice lowered.

"—uh, um… I-uh—" Her voice began to shake, not knowing what he was doing with his words or body. He had quite a few reasons to be mad at her right now, and his larger body over hers was slightly to his advantage.

"…what were you trying to tell me, Aerith?" He whispered, the warm air of his breath brushing against her lips. He leaned in, stroking the tips of her lips with his, pursed and determined.

Aerith's body quivered. Cloud's legs now pressed against hers, and his sweet scent rose to taunt her. She wanted that kiss that he refused to give her, and now knew his intent.

"I… oh, Cloud…" She breathed, exhaling her response before she could speak it as his hand brushed her hair to her ear and lowered to her collarbone, resting on her tender neck.

"…yes…?" She felt his body shake with his pounding heartbeat, and noticed hers was, too.

"I… I wanted to tell you…" Aerith paused to relish in his lips being so tantalizingly close, then continued. "…that… I was thinking of you…. and…. that I think… that I'm falling in love with you…"

Cloud's lips went to pulse forward to reward her for her answer, but couldn't move. This beautiful creature, totally lovable and worthy of praise, was… falling in love with him…? His heart swelled with love for her.

He pressed his lips against hers lovingly, welcomed by a satisfied coo. He pushed his body closer, although making sure he wouldn't make this sweet piece of heaven feel any more pain—whether it was physical, or emotional.

Aerith placed her hands on the back of his head, and tried to pull him even closer.

Cloud's tongue delved into her mouth impatiently. Her back arched slightly at this and matched his kiss with fervor.

"Hey-hey!" A voice came from the stairs. Cloud ended their kiss abruptly. Aerith whimpered at the discontinuation until she realized there was someone there—she hadn't heard the voice.

Barret stood at the bottom of the stairs and gave Cloud a look.

Cloud shrugged.

"Is there any more toast left?" He asked bluntly. Sitting down in Cloud's seat, he began to eat his.

"Not anymore." Cloud huffed.

Lol I hate ending stories cus I suck at it! ^-^ Unless it's a cliffhanger—those are fun beans! Aghghhghhhh, this wasn't originally supposed to be all passionate-kissy thing… it was supposed to be, like, G rated fun for those slackers who can't handle booby-fondling… man! I guess the whole Corneo scene ruined that to begin with, didn't it… ~_~* Can't help that, I guess. Well that's it for this story, sportsfans. Maybe I'll hav another funky idea to do. Dunno. I'll eat choclate and get fatter and let u know. Ja