~

Night had fallen, the chocobo was tethered to a tree branch and I leant on the tree trunk hugging my torso, finally now that I wasn’t hot I wished that I was. I watched the tent stopped rise as Seifer fixed it up again for the night. It didn’t really provide a lot of warmth or comfort but it was protect from the wind at least it stopped bugs crawling over us in our sleep.

“Okay.” Seifer’s head appeared from the erect tent. “I think that’s it.”

“Younk? nk? What if it falls on us while we’re sleeping.”

“We’ll wake up.”

I frowned at the obvious answer. He chuckled. “And we’ll fix it, it’s not going to kill us if it does fall on us.” He gestured to me. “Now, in you go.” He picked me up and put me at the flap to the tent so I could shuffle in backwards and lay on my side. Seifer followed me into the tent and zipped up the door though the wind was still getting in through the ripped corner, chilling our bare feet. I lay on the material floor of the tent it wasn’t very comfortable but betthanthan it was.

Seifer settled down beside me. “Good night then.” He told me and lay on his side, facing me. His eyes closed.

I watched him before shuffled up to his side. “Don’t get any ideas.” I told him as I pushed back his trench coat slightly so I could rest my head on his warm chest and pull the coat around us both. I settled against him. He felt tense under my hand that lay flat on his chest. He felt warm and strong under my palm. He was watching me when I looked up at him. He shook his head and my nose brushed his chin.

I chuckled.

“Glad you think this is so amusing.” A cool hand pressed to my forehead for the fortieth time that night and slid down one of my cheeks.

“You feel better?” He asked me.

“I think so, I don’t know I’m not so tired anymore.”

“That because you slept the day away.” His hand still rested on my cheek, finger tips stroking slightly.

“I didn’t realize you were such a mother hen.”

“Hmm?” He asked.

“You, never thought you’d mother anyone.”

I think he just pouted. “I don’t mother people.”

“You do!”

“I don’t- it’s called protecting people.” He nodded, looking happy with his definition. “Like white knights.”

I smiled. “So you’re my white knight then?” It was a joke, I think… I don’t know what it was, I just said it, okay?

He smiled back. “Do you want me to be?” The hand on my non-tattooed cheek had moved down my neck with his fingers stroking my jaw bone and throat absently.

“Maybe- till we get to Timber and I can walk again.”

He grinned. “Does that make you the damsel in distress?”

“No” No damsels, I a- err peasant boy.”

“Peasant?”

“Yeah you know like in movies when the hero finds a side-kick earlier in the movie.”

“What movie’s this?”

“Umm- Robin hood?”

“But he was a boring old thief and I’m a cool white knight.”

I sighed. “You’re missing the point, the point is-” I frowned. “What was the point again?”

He sighed into my hair, his warm breath hitting my skin. I wrapped an arm around his shoulder to get more comfortable so I could press my face into his shoulder.

“Go to sleep Chickie.”

“Not tired.”

“Then let me go to sleep.”

I nodded my head slightly. “Okay.”

He rested his head on the ground, still lying on his side now with me pressed against him. I glanced up at his handsome face, I can say he’s good looking right? He’s my friend. I frowned. Butt he isn’t really, Seifer’s not a friend it’s only recently that I started to think of him that way, I guess he’s grown on me. Today we managed a whole day without arguing and he hasn’t said a bad word against me all day. I’ve decided it’s either because I’m his own company especially if we never get to Timber and I’m the last person he’ll ever see or he was still feeling guilty about the whole thing and blames himself. Probably the latter.

I had slept all day so I wasn’t at all tired. Absently my fingers moves over Seifer’s chest and stomach. I traced the lines of muscle and along his ribs. He had quite the six pack not that I was surprised, I couldn’t walk around with a lump a of metal attached to my waist all day, every day. I wonder is he’s hung. I squeaked. No need to be thinking that, I didn’t want to know. Well okay I did want to know but only out of curiousness.

I continued to explore Seifer’s body with my fingers,der der what he was dreaming of, I hoped I was doing anything to influence he’s dreams. Staring in another man’s wet dreams was not on my to do list, especially Seifer’s dreams. How would I be able to look at him again? I studied his face, absently moving my fingers over his body, a finger brushed a nipple and I quickly pulled my hand away, scared the’d e’d wake up but he didn’t. I smirked and while watching his face in case he stirred I brushed my fingers over one nipple. He gasped in his sleep and I smiled as it hardened under my touch. I moved my fingers to the other one pausing to instead breathe warm breath over the pink nub. I also haed ued up and I grinned. This was fun.

The blonde made a noise in his sleep. Maybe I was influencing a few dreams now but in dreamland I could be anyone.

“Who are you dreaming of?” I whispered to the sleeping man.

Okay I know I should have stopped there but I was hooked and I really needed a name so I continued to tease him, running my fingers down his hard stomach.

That’s when he whispered my name. At first I panicked, I thought he had woken up but he still looked peaceful. I instantly removed my hands from his body and studied him in confusion. That means he’s thinking of me right? In what way? I started to think of all the things, must be a sex thing, got to be a sex thing, why does it have to be a sex thing, I really don’t want it to be a sex thing. I turned over with my back to him to try and calm down. Okay don’t panic, this could be perfectly innocent. On the other hand that was all my fault, stupid boredom now I’ve gone and made Seifer like me. I froze when he rolled over in his sleep to hold me, his chest pressed to my back, arms around my waist and chin in my hair. I sighed, trapped by his arms and shut my eyes, lying my head on the floor.

~><~

I awoke slowly, bits and pieces of my dream still fresh in my mind. Zell was there, not surprisingly, not a sex dream this time just a nice dream, a me and Zell being together sort of dream. Shame I had to wake up really. I stared at the tent material above me, I tried to move my arm but it wouldn’t movew otw other one moved but it was lying on- something. I felt the weight on top of me and raised my head to see fluffy blonde hair. Zell lay on top of me and now I was lying on my back, how did that happen?

My right arm was trapped beneath him, his face was buried in my chest with arms laying on either side of my body.

I smirked, I would have pushed him off me before waking him if I could move, don’t want to traumatize the poor chickie. I shook him gently. He groaned in his sleep and shifted to press his face into my throat and gave me a face full of .