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Tidus doesn't have to ask more than once. All he has to do is use the word 'pillow' and Inigo is in. Please, usually he has to be the one to beg Tidus for cuddles. If he's getting them here and now so easily, he's not going to complain about anything. Not about him being the pillow, not about the tone Tidus says it with.

Instead he just does lay back down virtually instantly, touching his own chest with his fingertips for a moment, like he's putting it on display.

"Are you saying you want to rest your head on my manly broad chest?"

(Keep on dreaming about the specific qualities of your chest, Inigo.)

"You wish." The arm curls around that chest though, from one end to the other, tucking in where it can. Tidus then, ever so picky and particular as he can be, bosses at Inigo - "Scoot up" - to get his back to his chest.

Like a pillow he can grab and hold onto. ...or more like a plush toy than pillow, maybe - a job for Inigo Junior - but nevermind the details. Who needs fluff or toys when you can have a guy who likes cuddling to play the part instead?

"This sucks as a beach."

Grumble mumble complain complain.

That's why there's absolutely no objections to any of this. Because Inigo has finally won his position back from Inigo Junior. This is what he wanted all along - to be the plush toy in this hug equation, no matter their positioning.

So Tidus is free to boss Inigo around as much as he wants. Inigo tries to move along while making himself comfortable as well, practically curling up against Tidus while he's being held like that.

Then, once he's sure he's comfortable, he just hums with a smile on his face. Like he's thinking, but obviously the kind of thought where a joke inevitably follows.

"I don't know. This is the beach with the best beach guys I've met so far."

"Oh? Poor Taiki!"

Tidus sing-songs the name almost, a laugh in his throat. Nevermind that Taiki isn't what you would describe as a beach guy, but-! "After he taught you swimming - bet it'd be a lot better with him in here."

Which he speaks like truth, but at the same time, Tidus knows it wouldn't be exactly the same. Is that for reasons of nerves, though? Of embarrassment, being this comfortable with another guy, the brush of sexuality that doesn't come up when they're with Taiki. But he isn't going to dismiss or throw the guy out - and the reality of a real beach surrounding them.

"Second best," Tidus offers. "And then Gyueran's beach iiis...somewhere way back."

With far too many fiends.

"Aw, come on."

Inigo smiles as he says it though, no part of that 'aw' genuinely upset. He's not going to get all fussy for Gyueran's sake, okay. Not even if it offers him good seafood.

"I bet that place is much nicer when it's not absolutely crawling with monstrous sealife. Maybe we'll end up being sent back there one time for a vacation when the world isn't busy ending over there, and it'll turn out to be a really great beach." It's only a possibility though - and a very unlikely one at that. What are the chances of that actually happening? Inigo has been on this train for about a year now, and how many vacations has he had? Only about three, and they only lasted for a few days at best.

".. though I will admit to not being the best beach judge, since I've never even been to the beach back in Ylisse."

"Okay, okay," Tidus concedes, for Gyueran's benefit. "It's hard to think about that beach without remembering anything crawling around it 24/7. The train let us stay for a lil' while after that mission, but I couldn't enjoy the water at all - I thought crabs were gonna come out and pinch at me all the time!"

Not fun. But he did enjoy the kids, getting to teach them ball games. Wonders about them, now and then...

He hums, a thought that drifts away.

"Wonder what the beaches are where you are like? You can get really rocky beaches... never been around many of them." He pauses. "You should ask Roland about the beaches where he's from though, right? That's where you're heading. Not a very beachy situation," or in one where you'd want to enjoy the beach.

Inigo, too, wonders what the beaches are like back in Ylisse. He's seen a few different ones now thanks to traveling all over the place with the train, and yet it still doesn't make him sure of what they would look like back there. What would make them similar, what would make them different.

But he's paused in the thought by the extra part the other guy adds on.

"Do you really think Roland knows what a beach looks like in his world?"

Inigo feels like it would be a small miracle if he had ever been to one. It's not as if Inigo's own father had time to just lounge around on the beach back home, and Roland must have been a workaholic even before the guy ever became president.

".. I guess maybe he saw one before on a screen."

(Look, Inigo doesn't know how to differentiate all these weird screen-y technology things, so he's just going to say 'on a screen'. Pick a screen, any screen, it works.)

"Maybe." Listen to these people, not looking outside and having an ocean waiting for them nearby. But it's not so bizarre to Tidus by now, a world so far from water. Fortunately, 'a screen' works to his ears, putting on a believable picture. "I bet he knows where the ocean is, anyway. You can know that kind of stuff - 'information at your fingertips'." Oooo, how advanced.

"I know there's a view of the sea near the Kingdom he ended up. Evermore? I saw it in the book I got of it."

That book that he forgot up to this book that he ever ordered. But hey, he totally flipped through it once!

".. do you think he ever went to the beach there?"

Probably not, since from what it sounds like everytime they do force some facts about himself out of Roland, he's been pretty much throwing himself into constant work there too, ever since he showed up in that odd other world..

But there's a shot. He was traveling with other people, after all. They met Tani, no matter how briefly, and she did seem like the fun type. Maybe the type who would drag Roland out there.

But who knows.

Inigo shifts a little, tilting his head so his smile is visible to Tidus, even from their cuddling positions.

"Maybe he's just lacked people in his life who call him an old man and drag him around, regardless of his own protests." Yes, he's mostly refering to Tidus. Not that Inigo hasn't done the same for Roland to an extent, but Inigo truly believes no one can match the other guy when it comes to excitedly dragging people around and getting them into stuff.

"You don't know! The prince-king guy there was pretty young too. Between him and Tani? I bet they went to the beach once!"

There's a chuckle in the belief, a nudge that follows from Tidus's arm onto Inigo; the bump of a foot against the back of Inigo's leg, just because he can. Two guys in a resting position, but maybe one not entirely looking to stay still at this moment.

"I'm not the only one who knows how to have fun. A kingdom has to be busy though, so I don't imagine it was a lot. But they moved around the place - maybe they got to go on a boat."

He then hums, tilting his head into the pillows.

"Mmm... going on a boat would be nice."

That's very much like Tidus. Mention a boat, and he's immediately dreaming away about it. Even when it's he himself who's mentioning the boat in the first place, apparently!

But Inigo understands why. He gets the appeal. Tidus grew up on a boat, after all. It's like home to him.

He hums, the sound vibrating in his chest and against Tidus's skin. "What's the first thing you'd want to do if we went on a boat?"

Oh. This subject might be a good one by the way he squeezes his arm around Inigo, closing himself in.

"Are we controlling the boat?" Trick question, he decides the answer. "I'd want us to ride out in the middle of nowhere! Or...just some ways out." That's also good. "Then...we can go swimming, or hang out on the deck! Listen to the waves, some music... and just... hang out!"

Simple, easy. Enjoy themselves with the sound of the waves and sea. Move and go wherever they like - do whatever they like. Who needs to do anything on a boat if they don't want to? That was the pleasure of being in Zanarkand, on his houseboat.

And, also a plus: "You can get to anywhere from a boat too. Pretty cool, huh? You wanna go another side of an island - then just do it!"

Magical.

Inigo lets out a soft laugh.

"You really know how to sell these things."

Though it's not even that that Tidus really is doing here, is it. The excited tone and the way he comes even a bit closer to Inigo seems all genuine, like they just come into existence the moment Tidus even thinks about going around on a boat. About freedom, and the sea, and doing what he wants.

If only there was an actual point to having a boat here, Inigo would have spent all his points on it just to see the other this happy.

"Though I guess traveling that way doesn't sound so bad.. Just a few people on a boat have got to have a whole lot more space than all these people on this train, huh?"

"Boats aren't that big," Tidus explains. "Or, not the one I was thinking of. But it's not really about how big the boat is itself, y'know? It's about everything else."

An everything else he has to lay and think about for a few seconds, the outline of Inigo's face within his view. The ends of his fingers lightly brush against the blankets.

"Having the world around you, knowing you can move as you please... being in control, and being able to go outside?"

There's a small huff, a scoff that doesn't escape his throat.

"The void's real bad with 'going outside'."

"Wow."

There's a pause, and then it's repeated, as if for emphasis: "Wow. First you promise me fun boat adventures, and next you tell me that the boat isn't that big?"

Please, Tidus! Though every single hint of offense in Inigo's tone is obviously just mock offense, just him joking around with the whole thing - especially since he does receive the main point that Tidus is trying to make here, but he doesn't want the other to sink into the lack of control hole that this train is so good at dumping people into.

"I thought you'd at least arrange the absolute biggest boat possible to go around with an actual prince."

"If a smaller boat's good enough for me, it's good enough for a prince!"

Bold takes coming from this blitzball player, but Tidus speaks confidently, not about to back down (in this very safe environment of putting a prince on his level). It comes with another nudge to Inigo's shoulder, but this time by Tidus's hand, a friendly slap, and Tidus shifting to lay on his back. His mood for cuddling is apparently now over. He is a free man, in his tiny houseboat fit for any prince or king.

Or blitz ace.

"Who wants a big boat anyway? Then you have to watch out where the stern is, that it isn't hitting into anything."

N-NO.

Curse you, joke! How could you take Tidus away from him, just when Inigo was getting ultra comfortable in the middle of this cuddling?! There's a definite whine on Inigo's part the moment he realises that he's losing all of this physical contact, and he doesn't even bother to hide it.

Tidus is such a cruel god.

"Am I not getting cuddles anymore because of that?" Bro. Bro!! Look, if they're being in a relatively comfortable mood, then Inigo doesn't feel really bad about openly whining about it like this. Especially since it's just the two of them here, anyway. "Is a pal who doesn't know what a stern is not good enough for you to hold?"

Is that it, bro. Is it his lacking knowledge of boats? He can change, bro!!

"Huh?" It's a confused sound, a puff of laughter too. Objections he didn't know he was going to receive, but he probably should have been wiser.

Still: "What? I stop hugging you for five seconds and you complain? You come here then, I wanna lay this way!"

Because apparently, Tidus isn't over with being bossy about how they lay in bed, about as still in bed as he is in life. And if Inigo wants to cling on, then he'll have to turn over and get clinging.

Speaking of clinging. "You ever heard of barnacles?"

No reason for asking, bro.

".. maybe?"

But as Inigo answers that question - sounding entirely unsure - he's already moving over to come and cling to Tidus. It's not like he minds having to make an effort, after all. What's important is that the other is still okay with doing so, and considering Inigo has permission right now, he is entirely going for it.

So he is rolling over, then shifting a little until he's fully at Tidus's side again, wrapping his arms around the other's torso to cling to him much in the way a koala might. Inigo's legs are even drawn up a little, and his head is this close to just resting on the other's chest.

But he's at least giving Tidus that tiny bit of leeway here, apparently.

"I feel like you might have mentioned those before."

.. but that's exactly the sort of answer that means Inigo has no idea what the word means, though.

Tidus invited him, and he knows better than anyone (at this point) Inigo's preferences for cuddling when he gets them. So the only adjustments he makes is to let his arm go comfortably around Inigo's shoulders - if they're going to be set like this.

"Maybe," Tidus responds idly, like he isn't making a joke on Inigo's behalf. But he's feeling nice(?), and so- "They're tiny. They look like seashells at first, but they're actually something else. Theeey're..."

He drags the world into nothing, then shakes his head. "I don't remember. Anyway, they cluster together on everything! And sometimes, if an animal's real old, they cling to them too. You find them on turtles, or on whales! People have to help scrap them off to get 'em clean again. Guess nobody wants a bunch of tiny guys living on them rent free."

Wow.

Wow.

This isn't going over Inigo's head. At first he's just trying to visualize these things inside of his head, since he figures that's going to be the important part. But then Tidus keeps going on, and the more the other guy goes on, the more Inigo feels like there's a little something more to this.

He's definitely not letting go in offense though. No, if anything, it's like he's clinging even a little tighter to Tidus when she speaks up to whine.

"Are you trying to tell me something, Tidus?!"

W-Well, bro? Are you?

"No?"

That high note, the tone of innocence. So, so innocent. It comes out automatically, and Tidus can do nothing but double down - keeping that sweet note, nudging plaaaayfully against Inigo's body with his.

"I'm just telling you about barnacles! Lil' sticky guys, clinging everywhere, hard to get off... nothing weird about that, is there?"

(Even if Inigo wanted to pull away, like Tidus would let him, with the arm now a barnacle, to keep Inigo in his chosen place. No sulking by going away allowed!)

Inigo isn't really trying to pull back. Mostly since he only just got to cling to Tidus again, and that's a much coveted position that he isn't going to give up on so easily.

But it doesn't mean he won't get huffy and whiny about it all the same. The only saving grace - on Inigo's end here - is that he can only barely feel that arm tightening around him.

Oh. So it's going to be like that, huh. Bro. Pal.

"I don't know, but it sure seems like someone here doesn't want this barnacle to be peeled off!" H-Huff! "So what's it going to be? Do you want me gone or not?!"

Gasp! "Who said you were a barnacle? I never called you a barnacle - do you think you're a barnacle?!"

Tidus treats it with the most utter bewilderment; nevermind the smirk on his face that he inches closer to Inigo's direction, but the other guy is lower than face level, unless he looks up. But does he want to both hear and see how devilish Tidus is being to this poor Prince of Ylisse?!

"Geez - you tell a guy about sea facts, and he takes it the wrong way."

Can't ever do anything nice around here!

Please, like Inigo needs to be able to see that smirk to know it's there. It's practically dripping from Tidus's tone, and Inigo knows the other is only being 'surprised' on purpose! Because this is what Tidus has been after all along!

It's so cruel. He's truly getting bullied here. First a guy cuddles you, and then he bullies you - what's up with that hot and cold attitude, huh?

"O-Oh yeah?!"

Watch it, world. Here comes the greatest comeback possible.

"H.. How about you take this the wrong way!"

And before Tidus has any time to even think about what 'this' is, Inigo is shifting upward enough for his head to be on an even level with Tidus's own again, moving however he has to mid-cuddle to be able to kiss the other again.

Yeah, bro! How about you like that, huh! You can't possibly recover from that one!!

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