After watching the episodes King Igthorn Part 1 and 2 again, I realized that I really like the interactions between Gusto and the Barbics. Too bad this is the only time in the show where you actually get to see it. I have read other fanfictions about this interaction before that were very well-written, and usually the plot involves the Barbics teasing Gusto for being an artist, sensitive and creative.

As a writer I try to push myself out of my comfort zone and I really wanted to challenge myself. So, I decided to create a story based on the opposite situation: A Barbic in need of learning how to be a little more sensitive, and gentle with others.

Please R&R. I hope you will enjoy this one-shot!

Summary: Ursa heads to the Glen to seek advice for the only battlefield she is not comfortable in: Romance. Much to her own dislike, there is only one gummi bear, who can give her the right advice. Rated T just to be safe.

Unexpected Gentleness

Ursa smashed the door open. The sudden noise drew the attention of one of the Glen gummies to her in an instant.

"Hi, Ursa," Gusto said, moving his gaze from her to the door. He frowned when he saw the look on her face. "Are you feeling all right?"

She exhaled. This was not going to be easy.

"No… I'm in a bad mood."

She walked through the dining room area, into the living room and stepped closer to the couch, in which Gusto was resting under a warm blanket. He closed his sketchbook, put down the pencil and just looked at her. The wood was burning comfortably inside the fireplace. She sat down on the edge of the couch and glanced at him for a second. He was beginning to look well again. Even though his fur was sky-blue and therefore very light, his face had been even more pale for the last few weeks.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm okay, I think," he answered. "Grammi says I don't have a fever anymore."

"Well… is it safe to be near you?" Ursa asked.

Gusto chuckled.

"Yeah, I think so," he answered. "I just wish I hadn't caught that cold to begin with. But yeah… the waterfall froze up again." He paused for a few seconds. "So, what is this about?"

"What?"

"Your bad mood?"

"Nothing, it's…" She paused, then lowered her voice. "It's about the problem we talked about the other day." She looked over her shoulder and into the dining room. It didn't seem like any of the other Glen gummies were nearby. "Do you have the time to help me now?"

"Sure," he said and sat up more straightly. "Where do we begin?"

"It's actually just… one thing I need to know. If I'm doing it right." She looked down for a moment. "And I need you to tell me."

"Well, what is it?"

"I can't tell you. I just need to do it."

He nodded, thinking he understood, what she meant. Ursa tried to look at him, but her gaze shifted. Suddenly she leaned forward quickly, placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed him on the lips. Gusto closed his eyes but being very surprised by her roughness, frowned as she pushed him down against the couch. He tried to kiss back, but her lips were very harsh against his. After several seconds Ursa pulled her lips from his, both of them being out of breath. For a moment, it felt like everything had paused. Ursa sat up in the couch again.

"Well?" she said impatiently.

The sky-blue bear blinked up at her, still lying with his back pressed against the couch, his hands up in what now looked like a somewhat defensive position. Then the surprised expression turned into a smile.

"Thank you," he replied.

"I don't need you to say thanks, Gusto! I need your opinion."

"The truth?"

"Yes!"

Gusto sat up again and looked at her. He rubbed his neck.

"Well… you were being a little too harsh. The pressure could have been lighter," he said and touched his lower lip. "And you seemed nervous, so that makes it harder for me to relax in it."

Ursa bit her lip in embarrassment and looked away.

"Gosh, I'm sorry..."

"It's all right, we can work on that," Gusto replied. "Um… try to come closer, please."

Ursa moved closer to him on the couch. However, she was avoiding eye-contact and seemed generally uncomfortable.

"Look at me, Ursa," he continued gently. "Just… look me in the eyes."

She sighed and then did as he told her; and she kept looking. Now, when she really studied his eyes, she could tell that his irises were in fact such a dark shade of brown that the color almost blended in with his pupils. Gusto did the same; he looked back at her. He smiled a bit, then lifted one hand up to move a few strands of her blonde hair up behind her ear. His hand then slowly moved down to her face; his thumb caressed her cheek very lightly. Then he leaned in, tilted his head to one side, closed his eyes and kissed her very gently. He placed his other hand on her arm and could almost immediately feel the light shivering disappear. This time she kissed back slowly, trying to immerse herself into it. He moved his hand from her cheek and back around her neck, drawing her deeper into the kiss. It lasted way longer, than any of them had planned. Then he gently let go of her.

"Better?" he said softly, sending her a small smile.

She just looked at him, stunned, as she touched her lips with two of her fingertips. Gusto raised an eyebrow, the way he usually did when he wanted an answer from someone. Finally, Ursa spoke up.

"How in the name of fur are you still single?!"

Her comment made Gusto burst into laughter.

"I take that as a yes," he giggled.

"Seriously, how did you do that?" she asked.

"Because I did the opposite of what you did," he answered. "I felt comfortable enough to make the first move and I was gentle with you. I even gave you a chance to pull away from me."

"I clearly need to take some notes," Ursa said in surprise.

Gusto just smiled warmly to her.

"I think we have concluded by now, that you can be rough in situations where it is needed," he said. "And that's good. It's just the way you are. But when kissing someone, that is just one of those situations, where you need to take it down a notch… you know? Gentle wins the race."

"See, I knew there was a reason for why I asked you for help with this!" Ursa chuckled and padded him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, well, you also seem less tense now, so I think it worked."

"Well… thanks," she said, smiling at him.

"Anytime."

"And I thought I had seen everything!" The sound of Gruffi's voice made Ursa jump up from the couch. Her cheeks suddenly got very warm very quickly. Zummi, Grammi, Gruffi and Tummi were standing in the doorway that led from the dining room to the living room, all with very different expressions on their faces.

"What?! You've been standing there this entire time?!" Ursa exclaimed, pointing at them.

"Not the entire time, dear. Just long enough to see Gusto kiss you," Grammi chuckled.

"Oh, my stars… I never thought I would see Gursa and Usto… eh, I mean, Ursa and Gusto do that," Zummi said, almost zoning out in shock. He shook his head and looked at them both. "That was unexpected."

"And that's a fair reaction, Zummarino," Gusto replied.

"You didn't feel like actually giving us some privacy?!" Ursa growled, stepping closer to the Glen gummies.

"If you really think we're leaving after seeing that, then you are sorely mistaken," Gruffi said, crossing his arms over his chest. He smirked. Ursa seemed irritated to get a comment like that, but Gusto just ignored him.

"So, are you ready for your date now?" he asked, looking up at her.

Suddenly her tension melted away. She looked at him and smiled.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Wait, you have a date with someone else? And you just practiced on Gusto?" Gruffi asked in surprise, eyes widening.

"Yeah," Ursa replied, looking like the answer to that question was painfully obvious. Gruffi still looked skeptical. "I wouldn't want you to face something difficult, without at least being trained first! That's just how things work for me. You need to train first, before getting into the real deal."

"And what exactly are you getting out of this?" Gruffi asked, turning his attention to the sky-blue bear.

"I just got kissed, so I think I'm good," Gusto replied and smiled, leaning back against the couch. "No, I'm honestly just helping a friend feel surer of herself. But if her date goes well, then she has promised to teach me some fighting techniques. I am a little rusty in that area."

"And on that note, I better get going," Ursa said and walked past the others. Though as she went towards one of the doors that led out of the Glen she stopped and looked back at Gusto. She smiled sincerely. "Thanks. You really are a good friend."

Then she shut the door behind her.

"Now, would you mind explaining to us, what that was all about?" Gruffi asked the artist, as he and the others walked into the living room and sat down.

"I thought we just did?" Gusto said unsurely. Gruffi looked a little mad by getting that response, so he quickly continued. "Look, Ursa needed some advice on romance. And you know her, she likes to be practical. To train if you will. So, she thought she would ask me and now seemed like the time to do it."

"Why you?" Gruffi asked.

"You sound a little jealous, Gruffi Gummi! Besides, did you not notice how she reacted, when Gusto kissed her?" Grammi asked.

"Grammi has a point. I think Ursa was caught off guard," Zummi said, as he touched his glasses. "But in a good way."

"To be honest, I was also very surprised, when she kissed me first," Gusto answered.

There was a moment of silence between them for a few seconds. Then Tummi finally had the courage to say, what was on his mind.

"Can you teach me how to get a reaction like that?"

He looked shyly at Gusto, who just now realized that his friend probably had felt a little weird witnessing all this. Sometimes he could be very insecure, without having any reason to be. Gusto then smiled at him.

"Well, I think I can give you some pointers… try to push you in the right direction," he said. Then he winked. "But I'm not kissing you."

The rest of the Glen gummies laughed. Then they continued relaxing and chatting by the fireplace. On occasion they could hear the winter wind blowing outside in the white landscape.

While the others were talking about some interesting subjects, Gusto had a little trouble concentrating. Kissing Ursa the second time had felt surprisingly good. No romantic feelings, no big commitments. Just good.

He smiled to himself. He needed to enjoy that feeling as much as he could. Because she would probably be anything but gentle to him during their upcoming training session. After all, that was the type of battle that fit her personality the best. Fierce and strategic. He on the other hand would probably end up with a few bruises… and getting treated way rougher than when she had first tackled him on the couch.

Author's comment:

Well, would you look at that!

Just to be clear, I don't ship Ursa and Gusto. They are too different for anything else to happen. But I enjoyed writing this story – it was a fun challenge.

I hope you liked it as well.