A/N: Revised edition. More detail on environments and immersive descriptions.
The world froze the moment he was with him. The gentle winter breeze sent a soft chill across his fur, but was later covered by the feel of the powerful saber's paws tracing over his body. Diego wrapped his arms around Dylan, knowing how much he loved enjoying his warm touch. Dylan earnestly wished that moment would stay forever. It felt like all his life he was waiting for this one moment to come... and now he was in it. And it felt like more than just a moment or a second passed. He was drowning in an eternity of love.
He felt safe. He felt comfort. He felt loved. It was like they were the last two tigers on earth, and that no one else was there to say anything about them. No one who would bat an eye the other way, or kick him onto the dirt. Right now they were together. That was all that mattered to him. Everything didn't matter as much as they did to each other.
Dylan looked at Diego, and he stared back with those dashing hazel-colored eyes. The two leaned their lips closer towards each other until-
Dylan gently opened his eyes to see the dreamy saber-tooth sleeping face-to-face with him. The saber remained aghast, speechless and astonished without making a single movement as he kept staring into Diego's gentle sleeping face. Dylan stayed shocked for the moment when suddenly Diego yawned, causing him to flinch and involuntarily jump up in surprise.
The proud sabertooth let out a long yawn, rubbed his eyes before finally opening, and sat up to see Dylan's surprised face. "Huh? What?" Diego asked. "Did… something happen?"
"Oh n-n-no! No, no, nothing. Nothing happened!" Dylan jittered nervously, faking up a smile. Diego looked at him wonderingly but shrugged it off.
Diego got up and did a little bit of stretching. "Did I oversleep? How long was I out?" he asked as he popped his neck.
"A-actually, I-I just got up too," Dylan replied, slightly blushing about the thought of how close he probably was to him while they slept.
Diego made one long stretch on his front legs until a few bones popped cracked. "Oh," he said lazily, before looking around their surroundings. "Think we got carried away and slept too far from the herd. Maybe we should head back before they start getting worried."
Dylan simply nodded, still blushing from his entire experience. "And my dream was just getting good too," he thought before snapping out of some sort of trance. "Wait a minute… what?" Diego walked past Dylan, and Dylan could feel a slight hint of nervousness. This really was getting dangerous for him, if his emotions got the best of him, it might end up badly for him. He breathed, took out a large sigh before following Diego back to the herd.
The saber-tooth tigers had arrived back to the herd exactly when the sun had already risen above the horizon. Diego and Dylan didn't seem to talk much on the way back. Diego would try initiating a conversation, but Dylan didn't felt like replying much, in a desperate attempt as not to say something unexpected. Like always, he overthought about almost everything, leaving him thinking about it over and over.
"They're back!" shouted Peaches as she saw the two sabertooths approach towards camp.
"I told you guys they'd be fine," Eddie hissed towards Ellie as the Diego and Dylan approached. "They are tigers."
"Well, I guess at least nothing bad did happen to them," Ellie said.
"Hey guys!" bellowed Diego from a distance. "Hope we didn't make you worry!"
"Where were you guys?" asked Sid, who in Dylan's opinion was perhaps smelling a bit fouler than the day ago. Maybe the fungus in his fur were starting to grow.
"Me and Dylan were out hunting and we kind-of got carried away with things," Diego replied. "I guess we got too tired, so we went ahead and crashed the night in the woods. Right, Dylan?"
Dylan was still in deep thought. Sleeping with someone you had a crush on, who might be straight and worse, could even be homophobic. Dylan wasn't sure if it was okay spending more time with him. If this went on, he might eventually get kicked out again.
No… Dylan didn't want that. Not again of course. And this family certainly made him look up on things. Perhaps it was he'd just forgotten himself. He couldn't have just been born straight. His feelings for other male tigers were different than what he had expected. It seemed… just natural. He never felt like that whenever females were around back at the pack.
"Dylan?" Diego repeated. "Dylan?"
Dylan took a while before assessing what he heard a while ago and nodded. "Gee, how very inconspicuous," Dylan hissed in his mind.
"Are... you okay?" Manny asked.
"Yeah... just a little dazed out," Dylan replied in a convenient lie. "I'm… just a bit sleepy I guess."
Manny made an odd look at Dylan before going on ahead at what he wanted to say, "So how was everything?"
"Well, for starters. It was a lot fun, wasn't it." Diego said as he turned to Dylan.
Dylan didn't reply. In fact, he couldn't. He felt like the closer he got to Diego, the worse things might get for Diego, or himself.
"Sorry," Dylan apologized. "I think I need to rest a little bit more, so if you'll excuse me-". The saber-tooth tiger walked away from the rest of the herd and lay down in his usual resting spot and tried sleeping it off. As he slumped on the floor of rock, he felt how breezy and cold it was without Diego being near him. "Ugh, I do not want to think more about him than I already am," Dylan said to himself.
Before he could fall fully back to sleep, he sat and contemplated his thoughts. "What am I doing..." he muttered to himself. "I know this won't end well, for either of us. But still I keep..." Resist as he may, the thought of that handsome sabertooth keeps popping up in his mind. He felt like he needed convince himself not to think about him.
Okay, first of all, he's got too much pride. It's okay to be proud and all but just scratching his pride could easily turn his ego around.
And then, there's the fact that he can be a bit of a narcissist. He's pretty overconfident of himself.
He even has such a short temper! That's definitely something I shouldn't go for in a guy.
Oh oh! He can even be pretty cold. Oh, but then, he's also got a soft side to him.
Which is strange, given how tough and steady he looks.
And that daring look he has. Sometimes, it's really intimidating, but you can't help but admire that part about him. That strong confidence he has.
Yeah... and he's handsome to boot. Bet he was popular back in his old pack.
And that smile of his...
As he drifted off into sleep, Dylan could hardly recognize what he was thinking off. The shadow of his honesty plunged his true feelings along in his dreams.
"Dylan! Dylan wake up!" Crash and Eddie shouted in unison as they ran towards him. The drowsy saber-tooth rubbed his eyes from the sudden flash of light the sun shone and got up to see what it was about.
"Huh?" Dylan said groggily.
"The meadow is on fire!" Eddie yelled dramatically.
"What?!"the sabertooth shouted surprisingly. He immediately looked around him however to see everything was perfectly.
"Hehe, got 'ya!" The twins laughed in a riot.
"Haha, very funny..." Dylan rubbed his eyes. "You seriously woke me up just to do that? "Ugh… how long have I been asleep?"
"For about an hour or two," said Crash before jumping to what he had in mind. "Okay, listen up dude," he said as he gestured to make Dylan lean closer.
"We are about to undertake a top secret mission that requires utmost courage and bravery, and we need your help."
Dylan looked at the two possums and saw the excited mischievous looks in their faces. "You want me to help you guys pull a prank on Sid again, don't you?"
"Nope, not Sid!" Eddie corrected. "Diego. It's been a while since we've pulled a good one on him."
"Urf…" Dylan moaned. "You woke me up for this? Do you never get tired of doing these things?"
"Yup!" said Eddie, answering either one or both of the questions. "Think about it! Seeing Diego's face full rotten fruits wiped all over him"
"Or rhino gunk all over him!" Crash added with their common banter of finishing each other's statements. "Come on! Don't you want to get back at him for something or anything?"
Dylan thought about it carefully and found out that there was something he wanted to get back at Diego for. He still wanted to get back at him for their race at the pond – even though it was entirely his felt for being humiliated that way. The thought entered playfully into his mind, providing at least something else he would mentally visualize other than those he'd seen his dreams recently.
"I could use the sanity check. I'm in." Dylan said, stretching a grin across his face.
The two possums gave each other high fives and high-fived Dylan's large paw. They secretly made their way to their secret spot where they discussed their plan.
"Okay, here's what we're gonna do." Eddie sketched on the snow a diagram of their devious plan. "We'll be staying at the tree branch here. We're going to lure Diego on this spot right here (pointing to an X symbol) and the moment he's there, we're going to drop down a bag of disgusting sap."
"Where'd you get that much sap?" Dylan asked when they showed him the filled turtle shell.
"From our secret source," Crash whispered. In a sudden flashback, the two were trading some berries to Fast Tony, who provided them with it.
"Wait," Dylan cut in. "How do we get Diego to this spot in the first place"
"Easy," Eddie answered. "You are going to lead him there."
"Wait – me?" Dylan said surprisingly.
Eddie rested his arm on Crash's shoulder. "We've been thinking, and we think you're finally ready for it."
"It's time you've moved up along the ranks of the ways of the prankster, and be initiated as a master." Crash clapped his palms together and bowed down. "Welcome to our ranks, brother."
"As part of your initiation, you'll finally get to see results of your planned catastrophe!"
"That's right!" Crash said enthusiatically. "That's what you've always wanted, right! Now show us that team spirit!"
"Alright, let's do this!" Dylan hopped about excitedly and jumped out of the bushes to proceed with the plan. Little did he know that getting to see Diego's face really up close wasn't really the twins' prime motive.
"He has no idea what Diego's reaction might be, huh?" Crash whispered to his twin.
"Totally," Eddie replied, sniggering in the background.
"Hey Diego!" shouted Dylan as he ran towards him, half nervous yet completely mischievous.
"What is it Dylan?" asked Diego who was resting peacefully under the sun just a while ago.
"Come over here! There's something I want to show you!" Dylan enticed before starting to walk towards the direction he wanted to lead him to. "Come on!"
Diego had no idea what the big surprise would be, but he got and followed Dylan anyways. Dylan secretly led Diego towards the particular spot until Diego was finally standing there. Eddie gave a signal from the bushes that they were ready and the plan went on.
"So? What is it?" he asked.
"Try holding your breath," Dylan sniggered, trying to hold off any potential fit of laughter for the while.
Diego raised his eyebrow before Eddie and Crash let go off the rope and the sap fell all over the unsuspecting saber-tooth.
"Bleugh!" Diego yelled in disgust as the smelly and sticky sap got all over his fur. Dylan and the twin possums laughed their hearts out enough the squeeze all the air out of their lungs. Diego could hear all the laughs from the bushes that were obviously from the possums. Crash was almost teary-eyed but managed to see the face on Diego. And it wasn't nice, not one bit.
Diego growled angrily and caught the attention of the three pranksters. He glared at Dylan and slowly approached him.
"Uhhhh… easy Diego… easy…" Dylan tried calming him down. But the twins knew that it was a useless attempt as his temper was as short as his patience. "C-come on, it was just a joke-!"
"Ruuuuuuuuun!" the twins shouted at Dylan. Dylan however still felt like laughing but tried his best to try and run from Diego as fast as he could. The two saber-tooth tigers suddenly got into a high speed chase. Dylan was sprinting as fast as possible and Diego kept on chasing him, still glaring at him angrily.
It was like a dream. An insane twisted dream where he was being chased the person he liked, only not playfully but with the intent of hurting him. Dylan knew he probably shouldn't drag him closer just so he'd fall down the edge. But just being near it with Diego seemed to change everything. He didn't know how long they might stay friends. No, perhaps Dylan had already crossed that line between friendship. He wished they could be more, but fear and insecurity just didn't want to risk it.
His laughed uncontrollably still as Diego kept on with the chase. "It was the twins' idea!" Dylan shouted back, but Diego's temper clogged his ears.
Suddenly, Dylan tripped from rock and started rolling down a hill. Diego couldn't see it fast enough and trips as well, following in pursuit. The two started rolling downhill and Dylan was still laughing about things. They both tried to get their bearings but the soft snow didn't provide any friction. The laughs started to get the best of Diego, and his anger calmed towards a mild desire to just punch him.
Dylan landed his back on the end of the small hill, and Diego ended right on top of him. Dylan had his eyes closed and was still laughing - until he opened them to see Diego's eyes staring right into his. The feel of the sap being wiped into his fur didn't seem to matter. Dylan imagined having a moment like this. He just never imagined it to be something this senile, nor would it be Diego he'd be with. And yet in that moment, he couldn't help holding his breath in surprise.
Though Diego looked like he was really pissed off at him, his entire body just wanted to kiss right then and there, all his emotions and hormones were jumping off saying, "Yes! Do it already!" Their lips were simply just inches away. The world suddenly started to slow down as his heart raced against time. The more he saw him, the more he wanted to be near him. To be close to him, his body, his scent, his warmth.
Everything that made sense in the world didn't seem to matter anymore. Dylan just wanted to be close to Diego forever. Maybe it wasn't just a crush. Perhaps it developed into something more dangerous and even uncontrollable. That tiny spark suddenly rising to a fire.
But suddenly, in a split second, something got Diego and pushed him off of Dylan with a loud roar. Dylan looked towards his left to see not just one, but two saber-tooth tigers growling at each other.
"Hey!" shouted the mysterious saber-tooth. "Get away from my little brother!"
"W-what?" Diego blurted, who was still dripping with sap.
"A-Adam!" Dylan bantered in surprise. "Wha-what are you doing here?"
Dylan had almost forgotten the world he lived in. A world that could never stop revolving completely in utter madness.