Universe: FFX
Timeline: Post Dissidia / Post X-2
Status: Established Relationship

The night air was warm in the village of Besaid. It was quiet except for the high-pitched chirping of crickets off in the distance. The town was full of sleepy villagers, putting out the fire-pits, and getting ready to turn in for the night. Amongst them were Tidus and Cloud, who were just settling down in their bed together. Tidus smiled as Cloud curled in against him, tugging the light blanket up around them-they didn't need much in the way of covers when Besaid was so muggy, but it did make the bed awfully cozy.

They had come for a weekend to spend some time with Wakka and the gang. The long trip was definitely worth it. They had all spent a wonderful day at the beach. Yuna, Paine, and Rikku had prepared a picnic lunch for everyone, Tidus and Wakka had tried their best to include everyone in a game of catch-the-blitzball, and Cloud had gotten to try surfing for the first time. Truth be told, though, he and Tidus were pretty exhausted now; it had been a pretty exciting afternoon.

"Warm enough?" Tidus teased, wrapping an arm around Cloud's waist as Cloud lay his head upon his shoulder.

"Oh yes. Definitely," Cloud chuckled, lightly. Cloud took in a deep breath, and let out a contented sigh as he stared at the tent walls around him. The familiar smell of canvas inevitably stirred up memories in Cloud's mind, but unlike a good many of Cloud's memories, these ones were pleasant.

"This is nice, isn't it? Reminds me of Cosmos' world," Cloud spoke up, voice light and dreamlike. Tidus thought he sounded pretty sleepy, which wasn't surprising after the day they'd had.

"Yeah, we spent our fair share of nights in tents, huh? At least this one has a bed," Tidus grinned.

"I agree, those sleeping bags didn't cushion me much from the ground," Cloud smiled, letting his hand fall upon Tidus' abdomen, where his thumb traced small circles.

"Na-uh," Tidus shook his head, still grinning. He gave Cloud a squeeze in his arms, and Cloud let out another soft sigh.

"I've missed this."

"Sleeping in a tent?" Tidus asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah," Cloud nodded, lifting his head off of Tidus' shoulder so he could look him in the eye. "I mean, my fondest memories of Cosmos' world were... like this. The end of the day when I could relax, and curl up next to you, and just listen to the sounds of the night around us," Cloud explained. He could feel his cheeks reddening a little at that confession, but the soft smile that now graced Tidus' lips was worth the embarrassment.

"Guess we've got that in common," Tidus nearly whispered, trailing a hand through Cloud's hair as Cloud continued to stare down at him.

"What's nice is that here... We don't have to worry about upcoming battles, or whether or not we're going to be separated when the journey's over," Cloud went on. He paused when he saw the way Tidus was staring at him, his eyes so full of adoration. There was also that little hint of amusement that made Cloud realize he'd gone into what Tidus liked to call 'sap-mode.' Cloud cleared his throat, and averted his gaze, but his eyes flickered back to Tidus' when he felt a hand on the side of his face.

"Sounds pretty perfect, doesn't it?" Tidus smiled, softly. Cloud nodded, briefly closing his eyes as he soaked in the feeling of Tidus' touch.

"Mm-hmm. Perfect," Cloud agreed. Tidus grinned wider. The gleam in Cloud's eyes told him Cloud wasn't talking about the tent anymore-to his delight, he was talking about him.