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You think he'd know if he wanted it anyway?

[ Tidus isn't sure - but when it comes to affection, he couldn't say for certain what a guy like Taiki might like, not like Inigo. He has more room and personal experience; they're a different kind of friendship. All Tidus knows, is that Taiki doesn't go out of his way to ask for it, but he's usually ready to offer it. Always for someone else's benefit before his own.

But when it came to Taiki himself, and what he actually wants? Tidus doesn't want to speak out loud too much about their mutual friend, other than... ]

You don't know what you like or want you want until you try it. So... he just needs a hand to. And someone who won't take advantage him - and I know you won't, [ he says, despite it really being pointless to voice. ]

He's just a guy who deserves a lot more than he'll ever believe. But he's never gonna aim for anything personal without help.

[ Not with how worthless he's been made to feel his entire life. ]

[ Inigo presses his lips together, quietly thinking for a moment about those words. ]

I think.. Taiki does know what he wants. Maybe not always, but.. [ He has been deprived of a lot during his life, after all, so Inigo can imagine there's cases where he might not know. As to whether cuddling falls on the knowing or not knowing side of what Taiki may want.. that Inigo can't say for sure, though. ]

He expressed some things before to me that he wanted to do. [ Inigo shifts a little as he talks. ] Mostly with lord Gyousou. But he seemed too worried about it to ask.. Too worried about what lord Gyousou may think of him. So I've helped him ask.

[ With Taiki's permission though, of course!! Inigo isn't just going behind his back for that. ]

He never told me anything that he was too worried to ask you about though.

[ So would it apply to them too? Would Taiki want anything from them that he just doesn't dare to ask them for? ]

Me and Gyousou are pretty different on the worry scale for Taiki.

[ There's a pinch of humour, but it's more reassuring that Tidus's thoughts on the situation aren't turning inward and paranoid. And though there's a fancy of the idea of asking what this thing between Taiki and Saku was about, it doesn't settle. What's it got to do with him? Nothing. ]

Has he ever asked you for anything? Sit with him, keep him company?

[ Anything personal, intimate? ]

I don't know, I was pretty worried about asking you for this. [ Grumble, grumble. Though it seems to be much more of an embarrassed and shy grumble than an annoyed one. It's just hard to ask people for cuddles, no matter how much he wants them, okay. And with Tidus there's the added layer of the other guy not being used to them, so it makes him feel even weirder.

So maybe the two of you are on the same worry scale here with Inigo! ]

But with Taiki.. He has asked me to sit with him before. Although I'm not sure if he was just doing that to keep me from running off by myself.

[ Eheh- ] I'm as scary as Gyousou?

[ He could let it go, but he whispers low, suggesting, a smile not clear in this dark, but Inigo can hear it. Meaning nothing more than a continuing distraction from Inigo's low mood.

Still, the conversation isn't entirely light. ]

That sounds like something he'd do. [ Ask someone to stay for their benefit... ]

But that's what I mean about him. He'll do anything for Gyou, but himself? [ No way.

Tidus's hand slips down to Inigo's arm, sitting on its elbow. ]

Taiki isn't as scary as me though, is he?

[ There's a soft sound - it's hard to tell what exactly it is. It may be a bit of a grumble, though there seems to be something more flustered about it than that. He doesn't move away though. ]

It's not like that. You're not scary. [ Not even jokingly! ] I know that you don't mind this.

[ They've been over that enough by now, after all. Though it's usually in the slightly lighter hug territory than this outright cuddling. ]

But there's still a big gap between not minding and enjoying something. Maybe you just wanted to sleep, and then there comes big old Inigo demanding cuddles.

[ He can't stop it - he lets out a snort of a laugh at that big old Inigo for a description, takes his hand and finds the mess of Inigo's hair to start ruffling at. ]

The big old scary Inigo's coming to town and cuddle your king's kirin. [ Yes, it comes with a deep voice and all, the perfect impersonation of the child's storybook monster.

He drops it before he goes on, stops the hair messing too. ]

But that's why all you can do is ask, and figure it out! Maybe he'll say no, you don't know. And that's fine. [ Taiki has that right! ] Or he'll say yeah, and I know you'll check he isn't looking awkward.

It's not like it's gonna be an everyday thing. Just a sometimes thing.

[ u-unless...! ]

Who says I'm not going to use cuddling with him as an excuse to escape you every night?

[ UGH, take that dagger to the heart, Tidus! Because why are you ruffling his hair like that, huh! And making fun of him!

Not that it's a real dagger to the heart when it's very obvious - if not just from knowledge of how Inigo is - that he's not being serious about it. Just flustered grumbly. He's not even grumbly enough to get go of the other. ]

Huh, oh! I see how it is! [ As Tidus feigns offence, feel as that hand by your shoulder leaves it, Inigo. And as the rest of Tidus seems to pull back too, inching away from Inigo's grasp...

(which isn't very easy, when Tidus is already so close to the wall.) ]

I'll just have to get used to sleeping without you, I guess. No night time hugging anymore. [ Insert sigh here. ] You better go back to your top bed, then.

[ By the light pitch and the playful delivery, it's more of a dare for Inigo to go through with it than Tidus needing to do anything. You going to go through with it, bro? You gonna stop cuddling this bro?? ]

[ EXCUSE YOU?

There's no way Inigo is going to act on that bluff. He's not competitive enough for it, especially not over something he really cares about like physical contact with his bro.

And it's obvious too. The moment Tidus pulls away like that, there's a half-choked sound of protest from Inigo, and a moment later he's already moving forward.

Practically squishing Tidus between his body and the wall now. ]

I'm not going anywhere! [ Said maybe even a little too intensely for this dumb joke, but Inigo has a lot of feelings about this, okay. ] Anymore of this and I'm going to start demanding cuddles even more!

[ The horror. ]

How can you ask for more hugging? You're hugging me already! You can't hug me more!

[ More than he was. Or is? There's nowhere really for Tidus to move now and stop Inigo from doing anything, but he sure doesn't know how this whole thing can get more 'huggy'.

Because Tidus is an ignorant fool who perhaps shouldn't have asked that question in the first place... ]

[ Be careful what you wish for, Tidus. Or what you.. challenge.. someone for? Who knows what kind of phrasing would apply in this kind of situation, but Tidus is still playing a very, very dangerous game here. ]

We'll see about that.

[ More dangerous words have clearly never been said.

A moment after Inigo says them, he moves away a bit - enough to un-squish Tidus so he's properly lying on the bed again.

And then Inigo is just straight up flopping down on top of him. No side cuddling, nope siree. This is full on Inigo just using Tidus's ~~pecs~~ ~~chest~~ body as his own personal pillow. Nuzzling his head against it and all. ]

You know, this is more comfortable than I thought.

[ b-bro!!

bro!!!

BRO!!!

The full effect of what is going on - that he didn't get simply flopped on, but that his chest is being used as a pillow!! - doesn't hit Tidus until the nuzzling part. And then he yelps, a pitch higher than the small grunt that came from the heavier force before, hands grabbing for Inigo's shoulders to try and shove him off. ]

H-h-hey! Come on! Time out! Time out!

[ Mercy, Inigo, mercy!! ]

[ HEHEHEHE.

It's not often that Inigo can get one up on Tidus like this. So there's something about that flustered reaction that makes him feel instantly victorious. He's even doing his best to cling on tight for a few moments more, just to make Tidus squirm a bit! No mercy for the wicked!

.. Or maybe some mercy, because a few moments later Inigo finally lets go, flopping over towards the side so he lands on his back right next to Tidus on the bunk.

He's smiling. ]

You know, I feel a lot better now.

[ Broooo! What is he supposed to think or feel about you getting all comfy on top of him?!

Tidus sinks into the bed, or tries to, since there isn't a lot of room to go one way or another on the tight space. But an attempt is made, along with the groan (read: the whine) that Tidus lets out at Inigo's expressed delight. ]

You're a leech. You come and hug me with those arms - [ cue him making exaggerated gesturing of arms coming to hug from above ] and suck out all my good vibes for yourself!

[ Listen to this crime! It's a crime! And Tidus is absolutely being over the top on purpose, but his point is still true and real!! ]

Maybe that is how it works, huh?

[ Inigo, completely unbothered by this exaggerated accusation, just laughs. Seemingly just way too amused about this still. But it certainly beats feeling bad about Bucky's weird reappearance. ]

In that case I should do it more often. [ He's staring up at the bottom of the bunk above, since it's not like there's a whole bunch of space to turn his head and look at Tidus, but he's smiling. ] It's not like you don't have enough to share around!

[ Look at this threat of regularly being turned into a pillow for Inigo, Tidus. How terrifying. ]

[ Excuse you this IS terrifying!! Inigo can't see him, but Tidus is absolutely putting his arms across his chest. ]

Why don't you get a friends with benefits 'cept for hugs? [ Huh?? ] Go put up an ad somewhere on the train! Make a hug club!

...

[ Hang on, Tidus. We need to interrupt your shame and terror program for a moment for Inigo to wonder something as he's still staring up at the bottom of the other bunk. ]

Wait, what are the usual benefits you get from friends if they aren't hugs? [ That just went five miles over his head, huh.

At least he does genuine seem less sad now. ]

Uh. [ Uh. ]

... What do you call people who get together for sex and nothing else? [ it's ok they're both adults, they're dudes, they can talk about this! ] It just means-- get a hug friend.

[ There, see! That's the point here! ]

[ Can they really talk about this.

Because now Inigo's cheeks are rapidly starting to grow red, though he's trying to put a halt to it before he gets too flustered-- ]

Anyway!! [ Subtle. Smooth. A champion of smoothness. ] I have plenty of hug friends I'm actually friends with! And we talked about it before, and you told me you didn't mind me hugging you either!

[ Don't think he has forgotten that whole fiasco. ]

[ Was that a scoff you heard, Inigo?? Maybe it was just the wind.

... but now Tidus has to say more. And the smile may be slow to lift on his face, but- ]

Yeah, but when you're a friend with benefits, it's the full package, no strings attached, you know? [ Here's some real smooth going on here. Sweet, sweet implications. ] All the cuddling, hair stroking you could ask for. Maybe you can agree on a few kisses too - just on the face?

Just think of all the positions you could be trying out.

[ HEH. ]

[ Inigo sounds like he's about to shriek, though thankfully - for the sake of everyone involved here - he manages to smother it behind his hands at the last moment. This is too much. He tries to cuddle Tidus's ~~sweet manboobs~~ chest one time, and this is what he gets?! ]

I already kiss Taiki on the face, thank you very much!!

[ He says it like it's some sort of defense against what Tidus is saying here, though Inigo just seems to be making himself get more worked up as he says it.

STOP MAKING THIS WEIRD, TIDUS. ]

Oooooooooooooo.

[ Is this a teenager sleepover because Tidus is breaking out the scandalous sounds. Tidus cannot be deterred, and he's even shifting over onto his side, facing a Inigo he can barely see. ]

Did you like it?

[ By the deep tone there, he is definitely messing around. ]

Yes.

[ Maybe it's exactly because Tidus is jokingly making this into some ~scandalous~ thing that Inigo decides to just dig his heels in. There's no winning from Tidus anyway when he gets into this sort of mood, so whatever! P-Pah!!

Not that he's moving. Inigo is still on his back, staring up, like he's trying to avoid looking directly at Tidus. Even if it'd be in the dark. ]

So what, huh? [ You can't get him with this messing around!! ]

[ Why thanks for asking. ]

So you wanna do it again?

[ What else, Inigo. Where else was that question going to lead Tidus! ]

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