Maqui's eyes closed as he felt Yuj's lips press softly against his own then sliding into his warm mouth. His heartbeat increased as Yuj's sweet tongue lightly traced against his and dominated his mouth passionately, exploring his mouth stifling a light whisper of a moan against his lips. Maqui blushed and panted slightly as he felt Yuj lightly brushing their tongues together; then pouted when he felt him pulling away slowly.

Yuj looked at Maqui through lidded eyes that seemed glazed over with something that Maqui couldn't quite get a handle on. He grinned up at the taller boy, "You sure are one hell of a kisser!" Yuj laughed and ruffled his hair playfully, "you always know the right thing to say, don't you. Anyway, I'm sure you must be hungry so, how about we get some grub already!" Maqui stuck his tongue out at his now-boyfriend and ran inside excitedly. Yuj scratched his head, "hey Maqui! I thought we were gonna eat on the deck!" Maqui ran back out laughing, "Oh yeah huh! I uh. . .your kiss made me forget what we were doing." Yuj grinned and shrugged, "well that's because I am 'one hell of a kisser' right? "

Yuj joined Maqui up the stairs in the café and handed Lebreau a bag with an outfit in it. Lebreau took it happily and hid it in the storage room but quirked an eyebrow at Yuj since he apparently did not get himself something new for his date. She smiled to herself knowing that if Maqui was more important to him than fashion, then they were headed into a very blissful relationship.

Hope smiled at the boys, "we have the deck area prepared for your very special date. Please follow me." Hope tried to act formally, but he knew that acting in such a way with his friends would not last long. He gave them menus and a big fluffy blanket, then served them large mugs of creamy, rich hot chocolate with whipped cream, Lebreau's famous marshmallows, and some chocolate shavings on top.

"Wow, this looks super tasty! Even fancier than the normal cup of hot chocolate," Maqui chuckled as he drank a huge gulp. He practically burned his tongue but the chocolate was too hard to resist in the cold weather. "I think I burned my tongue. . .maybe you can check Yuj," Maqui said blushing and thinking that he had just won the 'crappiest way to ask for a kiss' award. Yuj quirked an eyebrow and leaned in for a sweet, chocolaty kiss. "I think your tongue is still nice and healthy," Yuj said with a huge grin. Hope blushed seeing the two boys kiss and snuck off of the deck figuring he could come back after they were ready to order.

Gadot entered the kitchen and grinned widely at Lebreau, "So what are the two lovebirds doing on the deck?" Lebreau smiled, "they are doing what all civilized people who like each other do. It's called a date." Gadot shook his head and chuckled, "I guess you and I aren't that civilized then." Lebreau glared at her boyfriend, "it's pretty bad that even Snow is beating you in the romance department."

Gadot laughed and gave Lebreau a big hug, "that's because our relationship is much more than just a 'dating' kind of thing. Anyway, I just came in to say hi and that I wanted to eat some of your yummy food before heading out again. Apparently, Snow got the idea that killing some Long Gui would be a great way to get some Trapezohedrons for upgrading weapons. But as far as I'm concerned, now that he's not a l'cie I think that would be a very stupid idea. But you know how the hero gets when he wants to make a gift for Serah."

Lebreau quirked her eyebrow, "so wait a minute. Snow wants to make something for Serah, like a weapon for her to defend herself with some kind of item that he can get from one of the most difficult monsters on Gran Pulse." Gadot nodded sheepishly.

Lebreau sighed, "He is getting dumber by the minute. He might have a harder time with adamantoise or adamantortoise since they have a worse drop rate, but at least he has a chance of surviving them." Gadot shrugged, "I'll just try to convince him that Serah prefers him alive and that if he wants to show off, he should do something that will result in him surviving it." Lebreau furrowed her brow, "were you going to be stupid and go with him on this Long Gui hunt?" Gadot edged backwards towards the door, "of course not! Hahaha. . .yeah. . .um. . .I'm going to go now." With that Gadot ran out of the café as fast as he could.

"Geez, now we have two morons on Team NORA," Lebreau rubbed her head trying to alleviate the headache that was forming. Hope looked back at his boss, "well, Snow has helped to defeat Long Gui before, maybe he's trying to see how much power he has now that he's no longer a l'cie. It could be that he is viewing this as a way to test himself." Lebreau looked at Hope thoughtfully, "well. . .that's possible, but even so, it's foolish to go up against something like that. At least he can try to go up against a weaker version. If he has trouble with that, there is no way he can survive something as difficult as a Long Gui." Hope nodded, "yeah. . .I know it's thrilling in a way to be able to go up and win against something as strong as a Long Gui, but times have also changed. He now has a lot more responsibilities and if he wants to help create a new government, he will have a lot of trouble doing that if he's dead.

Lebreau sighed, "This is really pathetic. You are seriously more mature than Snow is and you are only fifteen now. If that 22-year old idiot wants to kill himself, then he really is stupid." Hope laughed, "I'm sure Light can stop him if she gets word about it." Lebreau smiled, "good point, I'm sure if Gadot can't knock sense into him then she can."

Yuj and Maqui noticed Gadot running out of the restaurant and they both wondered what was going on and couldn't help but head back inside to get some information. Hope looked at the two with a smile, "don't worry, he's just trying to stop Snow from doing something stupid." Yuj and Maqui looked at each other slightly confused but the boys headed back out and snuggled under a blanket. Hope followed and turned on the heaters, "how about you two just focus on your relationship for the evening. What would you like to order?" Lebreau couldn't help but smile; here was Hope, the youngest honorary member of Team NORA and the youngest of the group of l'cie that helped save their lives, being one of the most mature boys she had ever met. She always had to smack Maqui and Yuj around, along with Snow, but Hope seemed to be very willing to work hard and be an asset to both the group and the café.

Yuj and Maqui ordered some of her famous tikka masala curry and sipped on their cocoa as they waited for the delicious fragrant curry to arrive. "Um. . .I uh. . .I got you something," Maqui smiled and handed him the gift box with color coordinated wrapping and a shiny modified maroon mp3 player on top. Maqui was not a shy boy and often spoke what he was feeling without thought. However, even though he always had been able to confide in Yuj in every way possible, he was feeling very nervous and shy about his gift. Yuj's eyes widened as he received the beautifully wrapped package and looked at the maroon player.

"You totally hacked the crap out of this didn't you," Yuj said with a grin. "Yup! You can do tons of stuff on it and I can modify it some more for you! It even works like a cell phone too. Think of it more like a computer device than an MP3 player, okay?," Maqui said with his confidence returning. Yuj continued and opened the rest of the box and saw the shirt he was drooling over earlier that day.

"Wow. . .wow. . .Maqui! Did you know this is hands down the sexiest shirt ever? Geez I had no idea you had fashion taste too!," Yuj hugged Maqui and nuzzled against his soft, fluffy hair. "Well uh. . .I just went with what I thought would look really good on you," Maqui lied as he did not want to tell him he spied on him at the store. "I absolutely love it! It's the one shirt that I really wanted to buy but did have enough gil to! Thank you so much!," Yuj stated excitedly. Yuj wanted to smack himself on the head for acting like a giddy school-girl over a shirt, but he was too excited to hold it in. He knew if Gadot had seen him at that moment, he would have made fun of him for the rest of the evening. "Oh! I also got you a little something. . .okay well a big something," Yuj grinned and handed Maqui a large box that he somehow fit into his backpack.

"I'm not even going to ask how you fit this box into that backpack," Maqui quietly said in awe. He ripped opened the intricate wrapping job and pulled off the ribbons and tape in a flurry. He then opened the box and looked inside and saw a new version of an ultracompact reactor component, along with tons of other conductors and components that he had only dreamed about. "Um. . .uh. . .," Maqui lost his words for the umpteenth time that day. "Uh. . .er. . .uh. . .this must be where all your money went. How the heck did you afford this!," Maqui was finally regaining some composure but he knew he must have spent tons of money on these components.

Yuj grinned, "well. . .I actually had a platinum ingot. . .so I sold it and spent it on these components." Maqui's jaw dropped, "you. . .you did that for me?" Maqui carefully plopped the components on floor and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. He didn't need gifts to know that there was something about Yuj that made him special, but him doing something so sweet and special for him made him feel completely thrilled with the fact that he was his boyfriend. Yuj pulled him close as he felt his hands wrap around him and he kissed his hair, then slid his hands over his back rubbing it gently. "You are far too cute for your own good, Maqui," Yuj leaned in and kissed his cheek then leaned down a little further and kissed his neck softly. Maqui squeaked and made something akin to a cute mewling sound that only urged Yuj to continue kissing his neck as he rubbed his back and held him close.

Hope stood at the door with a tray of curry along with a variety of condiments, breads and rice, blushing and trying to wait for an opportunity to bring the food over. He gulped and brought the food over trying not to disturb the boys. Maqui moaned slightly as he felt Yuj's teeth lightly graze his neck, which made Hope want to run back inside feeling like he was interrupting something that was private and intimate. Yuj could smell the rich, decadent curry and slowly pulled away, lightly licking his neck a little before he did so, "the food is here."

Maqui stood dumbfounded as Yuj smiled at Hope then sat down serving up the family style portion of curry. Maqui could feel the cool breeze against his neck and he shivered. He traced his fingers over where Yuj's mouth had been and for a moment, relished in the feeling that was taking over him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts then hopped back under the blanket and snuggled against Yuj. Yuj grinned and handed him a bowl of the rich tikka masala, "you are utterly beautiful under the moonlight." Maqui wrinkled his nose a little, "me? Pretty? Nah! You have me mixed up with someone else!" He chuckled and cuddled and thought that if he were thinking of someone else, he would be very upset.

Rosch looked up at the night sky, feeling full and content. He enjoyed Cid's laughter and positive mood, which were both filled with sarcasm during the time he was controlled by the Fal'cie. Now that he was free from those shackles, he seemed to be at peace with himself and more laid back. He wondered if he had been the same way back then. He always took his work seriously, but that ambition and volition blinded him from the reality of the situation. His beliefs had been shaken, but his resolve to save the people of Cocoon never wavered. He knew Cid would likely feel the same way.

Cid looked at Rosch through the fire and noticed the serene look on his face. He smiled wondering how a man who was so hardened in battle and almost void of feeling on the battlefield could be so content away from it.

"I think it would be best if we went to sleep early since we are going to explore ruins tomorrow neither of us are feeling optimal or in our best conditions," Rosch said practically. "I couldn't agree more. I think I'm set for the evening, but perhaps you would like assistance? I can re-bandage you if you like," Cid said with a grin. Rosch glared at the taller man, "I do not require assistance." Cid grabbed the bandages from the first-aid kit, "while it is true that you can wrap the wound yourself, I can get a much better angle for cleaning it and helping you re-wrap it. Therefore I think it is still best if I assist you." Rosch opened his mouth to argue since he hated feeling like he was incapable, but he knew Cid had a point and acquiesced.

"Fine. Just be quick about it," Rosch grumbled as he lifted his shirt up, feeling a blast of chilly air against his torso. Cid placed disinfectant and ointment on the wound with his warm fingers and skillfully placed gauze pads and dressings over the area. He ran his hands down each side of the adhesive helping it stick against his body. Rosch did not want to admit it, but the feeling of Cid's warmth against the cold air felt relaxing and slightly erotic. Rosch glared in the opposite direction of Cid, not pleased with himself for thinking of a medical situation as erotic. He knew he had difficulty reading cues of romance and possibly eroticism too, but he also knew that he was completely misreading the situation.

Cid held in a chuckle as he noticed Rosch glare as he purposefully slid his fingers over the muscular side of Rosch's abdomen. He was not sure why he wanted to tease the scowling man beyond the fact that Rosch was so easy to provoke. He loved the way Rosch always looks angry just from a simple comment or in this case, a simple gesture. Cid hadn't felt the warm of another in so long that he figured it wouldn't hurt to get a few touches in, here and there.

As Cid finished his thorough and fastidious bandage-job on Rosch, he slid his hand against his skin as he pulled his shirt down. Rosch shivered from the gesture slightly and pulled away in a snapping motion. Rosch glared at Cid, "I can pull down my shirt myself; I'm not an invalid." Cid nodded, "of course not, Yaag. I was just trying to help." Rosch's eyes narrowed, then nodded and started making the beds in a rather flustered manner. Cid placed his hand under his chin as he watched Rosch behave in a frantic manner, which only made Cid want to provoke him more in the future.

Rosch felt his heart-beat increase as he could still feel the light traces of where Cid's fingers had grazed his body. This angered him greatly, but he knew that Cid was only trying to help him by bandaging him up. Rosch felt angry at himself for becoming so flustered over someone helping him. He couldn't decipher if it was embarrassment over being helped, or the fact that he enjoyed the warm touch that made him feel so light-headed and stupefied. Rosch finally managed to get the beds ready for them to sleep in and quickly changed into soft, warm fleece nightwear while in the tent before heading out to see Cid again. He felt oddly vulnerable around Cid, and while he never cared about changing in front of others before, he felt as though changing in front of Cid would be similar to changing in front of an audience.

Cid headed into the tent as Rosch waved for him to enter after putting out the fire. "Here, take this warm fleece-wear. It's comfortable, light-weight, and warm. A good combination for sleeping under these conditions," Rosch stated. Cid took the warm garments, "practical as always, Yaag. Thank you very much for them." Cid began to take off his shirt, painfully slowly in Rosch's mind. He shifted his mind to his pillow to avoid watching Cid change. Rosch wondered to himself why he cared about the fact that Cid was removing clothing in his presence and felt the flustered feeling return. "Well when you are done, please turn off the light," Rosch stated as he got into his bed and pulled a blanket up, blocking his vision of the half-naked man in his room.

Cid wanted to tease the man more, but he was getting cold and now Rosch was acting very cutely in his mind, by hiding under the blankets. He quickly finished changing and got into his own bed and turned off the lights. While he was very interested in the ruins and the Cie'th stones he would find, he also felt a twinge of excitement about his new roommate.

TBC-

A/N: Sorry for the delay x_x I know this story is moving slowly, but I really like stories and pairings that take a while to warm up and develop rather that ones that hastily get together for no apparent reason ^^;

Thank you very much for reviews!

* G-AnakinRPG : I hope you have a chance to read it! Thank you so much!

* YourTaintedSacrifice: I am really glad that you are reading this and hopefully enjoying it ^^

* UlquiorraRoxx: Thank you very much! I think that your stories are amazing so it's an honor to have you reading this one 8D I am so glad to have another Yaag x Cid fan ^_^ They are an amazing pairing, and I hope to do them at least a little justice. (I also hope that more people write them up because I'd love to read some fics with these two also!) And Yuj x Maqui are just too cute to not have in an FFXIII story lol!