His eyes gazed over that powerful body as it trudged through the snow against the freezing wind. That body was enough to keep him, Sid, the constantly talking sloth that seemed to annoy all that came into contact with him, silent, if only for five seconds. Five seconds was enough to cause concern for the others in the herd.

"It seems oddly quiet. You okay, Sid?" Manny questioned over his shoulder from his spot in front.

Diego turned his head to look over Sid. No physical damage. Probably just reverse psychology to get them to pay more attention to him by making them think that he's depressed or something. That brought a small smile to his lips, which he quickly covered up. Sid was like a kid, just wanting to be paid attention to. Diego reminded himself to thank Sid extra tonight for the fire.

Sid, who was dragged out of his admiration of the wonderful and powerful being that is Diego, was only able to utter an unintelligent, "Uh-huh.", before he was dragged right back in when Diego turned his head to gaze at him for a second. A second of having those gorgeous green-golden eyes turned onto him was enough to make him turn into goo.

Even when they had first met and Diego was a threat to Sid's meager and unimportant (or so it seemed at the time) life, those eyes pulled him in, along with those powerful, well muscled shoulders, razor sharp fangs, light brown fur, and every other part of Diego, from his muzzle to the hairs on the tip of his tail. He was addicted from the very beginning, but he had good sense to keep this addiction to himself, even after they became friends and the threat was gone. He didn't want to lose another herd because of his abnormalities.

Diego glanced back at Sid to find him staring. When Sid saw that he was found out, his face heated up and he looked away quickly and began complaining of how tired he was of the whole Ice Age scene and couldn't wait for the weather to break. Diego was a little baffled at this. This had not been the first time he had found the sloth staring at him lately. It was happening increasingly, actually. He wouldn't mind it if he knew why. Was Sid becoming uncomfortable with having him, a carnivore, around? Was he neglecting his grooming to the point where he always had something on his face? Was Sid so lazy that he was going to ask for Diego to carry him on his back? None seemed likely, well, not except the last one, which if it was the case, Sid wouldn't usually have a problem asking for a ride.

Diego was becoming a bit concerned about his friend's behavior. Sid was always the most outspoken out of the herd and he was never one to hold back. If there was something on his mind, he usually told them as soon as it came to mind. It hurt Diego a bit to think that Sid was uncomfortable of telling him something. Diego loved Manny as his brother, but Manny could take care of himself. Sid, however, depended on Diego and Manny for protection. This caused Diego to feel an odd sense of duty towards the sloth, a feeling of protectiveness and concern, like one would a…mate. Diego shook his head. Sid wasn't the only one whose mind was a mystery lately. Diego himself had been having some disturbing thoughts lately. Some just gentle interjections of the mind such as replacing words like friend with mate to more extreme thoughts like pinning down the sloth and ravaging him like he had never been ravaged before, which wouldn't be hard really because from what he could tell, Sid was a virgi…Diego shook his head again to rid himself of these unwanted thoughts.

"We should make camp soon." Manny voiced this thought into a thick veil of silence.

Manny's only reply was a grunt from Diego and a, "Finally!" from Sid. Manny was becoming a bit concerned for his friends. Both Sid and Diego were acting odd as of late. Manny saw the two staring at the other when the other wasn't looking, like two love sick puppies. Manny was becoming exasperated with the two. He had known from the beginning that Sid was obsessed with Diego. He stared at him ALL the time, so it was hard not to see it. Sid also made sure to be as close to Diego as possible, to 'accidentally' move closer to him in his sleep, and also dragged Diego into conversations and aimed questions at Diego while talking to himself when no one else would humor him. Diego's obsession was a bit later, but it wasn't a surprise. Manny saw it coming. Now all he wanted was for the two to hook up and be done with it. He was tired of the silence, surprisingly, and the awkward tension that was surrounding them.

They walked in silence for a bit longer until they found a place to make camp. There was still some daylight left, so they sat for a while before the need for firewood arose. Manny watched in silence as the two glanced at each other periodically, waiting until the other looked away to look themselves. A small smile twitched at Manny's lips. This display was almost cute, although weird. He didn't care, though. There love was no odder than their herd. Besides, the two were made for each other once your thought about it. Sid was weak, but he was social. He was always happy and did his best to make others happy as well. Diego was strong, but he wasn't very open. When he had a problem, he kept it to himself, even though it usually popped up later on and interfered. They were balanced together. They needed to be together, but they also needed a little push along.

"Would you guys care if I liked to sing?"Manny asked rather randomly.

"No…"Diego answered slowly, dreading the thought that he would have to deal with a four ton mammoth that randomly broke into song.

"Would you care if I took a wolf as a mate?" Manny asked.

"No. Are you dating a wolf? When do we get to meet her?"Sid questioned, a bit confused.

"Would it matter if it was a girl? Would you guys care if I preferred men?"

"What…no! Not at all." Diego answered a bit alarmed and confused himself.

"Of course not. We're a herd. We wouldn't care if you were dating a whale named Ted, as long as you're happy."Sid told Manny, while watching Diego. Diego smiled and agreed. They were a herd, and they would accept each other no matter what.

"Exactly!"Manny burst out, startling his companions.

"Exactly what? Are you gay with a whale named Ted? If that's the case, we will totally accept you. You can tell us. We won't judge you!"Sid said, hoping to comfort Manny, and hugged him to the best of his abilities.

"No, I am not dating a male whale named Ted." Manny said a bit exasperated.

"Then…wait…what?"Sid tried to get what Manny was saying but couldn't.

"Manny, what are you talking about?"Diego asked, his brow furrowed.

"I'm saying that we're a herd, so we should accept each other no matter what, no matter if one of us is a carnivore, or if one of us talks constantly, or if one of us is a bit moody, or if one of us is interested in someone that goes out of the area of what is considered normal."Manny explained, trying to hint that he knew about their obsessions with each other.

"Wait…so you are gay?"Sid asked, nor getting it.

"What? No! I'm not gay! Listen that's not the point here…"Manny tried to explain, but Sid interrupted.

"Then what is the point?"Sid asked, confused again.

"The point is that we would accept each other if we were gay."Manny tried again.

"Well, are you gay?"Diego asked, confused as well.

"No, I'm not gay!" Manny said, putting emphasis that he wasn't.

"Well, then what are you talking about?"Sid asked, not getting.

"Manny…who is gay?"Diego asked slowly, the dots connecting in his mind. Manny figured him out. Manny found out about his interest in Sid.

"You guys are!"Manny all but yelled at the two.

All was silent for a beat or two while the words sunk in. Diego was a bit embarrassed that he was found out, but a bit relieved that it wasn't a secret anymore. He wasn't very good at expressing himself, so it would have taken a while for him to get around to telling Sid that he was in love with him. Perhaps a couple months…or years…or never. He turned to see how Sid took it until what Manny said fully hit him. Guys, meaning more than one. Did that mean…? Sid stared at the ground, looking…what was it? Ashamed? Sid looked to be almost in pain. His arms crossed around his shoulders and he bit his lip lightly as it began to quiver and his eyes brimmed with tears.

There goes it all, Sid thought. Everything was gone now. He would be abandoned again and would probably die by being eaten alive by some poisonous reptile or something. The thought of being alone again was enough to plummet him into thoughts of depression and make him cry. He tried to hold back the tears in his eyes and regulate his breathing, but it was hopeless. His shoulders began to shake and tears began to dribble down his face. This alarmed Diego and Manny, who quickly move to his side and began to comfort him

"Don't cry, Sid. Please don't cry. I'm sorry. It wasn't my place to say that. I'm so sorry. I just wanted you to be happy."Manny soothed while rubbing Sid's back with his trunk.

"Come on, Sid. Don't cry. Don't cry."Diego whispered and nuzzled Sid on the side of his face affectionately. Manny saw this and smirked. Diego saw the smirk and glared, nodding to Sid, who was the one they needed to focus on.

"You guys are gonna leave me now. I'm gonna be alone again. I don't want to be alone again. I'll die if I'm alone."Sid sobbed out, ignoring the two, only focusing on the thought of being alone again.

"What?" Manny and Diego both asked alarmed.

"Sid, that's crazy."Diego said softly nuzzling Sid again, at a loss of what else he could possible say to make him feel better. He had a couple thoughts of what he could do, but…he shook his head. Not the time for those thoughts.

"Sid…,"Manny began, but then shook Sid's shoulders to get his attention. Sid pulled his hands from his face and peeked up at Manny and over to Diego briefly before gazing to the ground.

"Sid, listen to me. We are a herd, right. Herds accept each other, and we are no different. We will accept you no matter what. If you can accept the thought of me with a whale named Ted, then I can accept the thought of you with Diego."Manny said matter-of-factly. Sid gave a start and gazed around quickly.

"What are you talking about?"Sid questioned quickly, his body shaking slightly again.

"That's not my place to say. I'm going to get some fire wood. Diego can explain it to you." Manny said while giving Sid a squeeze on the shoulder and walking away. He gave Diego a nod towards Sid. Diego just nodded.

After Manny left, the two sat together in awkward silence. Sid shifted slightly and finally looked up to Diego. He gazed at Diego for a second or two, his face surprisingly blank, before opening his mouth.

"What is he talking about?"Sid asked in a small voice, his eyes searching Diego.

Diego was silent for a moment, just gazing at Sid. He could lie and say he had no idea, but he knew right away that that would probably be the biggest mistake of his life. He needed to tell Sid to his face. Sid would accept what he said, he knew it. That didn't make it easier to tell him though.

"Sid, I'm gay."Diego began.

Sid's eyes widened a bit, but then he nodded his head and watched Diego to see if he was going to say more.

"Sid, I've never felt any desire for any male…until I met you."Diego said softly.

Sid's mouth fell open slightly, but then he snapped it shut. Was Diego telling him…that he loved him? That he loved him as Sid loved him? That would make him the happiest mammal on Earth. But he needed to hear it.

"What are you saying?"Sid asked softly.

"I guess I'm saying that I'm in love with you."Diego chuckled and gave a small smile.

"Wow."Sid breathed out slowly.

"Yeah."Diego agreed.

Sid swallowed and breathed shakily. That did it. He was now officially the happiest mammal on Earth. Time to make Diego the second happiest mammal on Earth. Tears sprang to his eyes again and he gave a somewhat alarmed and concerned Diego a big, lopsided grine.

"I love you too." Sid said softly.

"You do?"Diego asked hopefully.

"Yeah."Sid nodded.

Diego gave a full smile. Sid smiled back. They stared at each other a minute, just smiling at each other. Finally, Diego leaned in a bit and Sid leaned forward to meet him and their lips connected in an abnormal yet perfect union. They stayed this way until air forced them apart and they leaned their foreheads against each other and smiled at each other, their new found mates.

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What do you guys think?! Review if you want! Do you think I should try a SMexy scene? If so, tell me.