Any fears of heading in the wrong direction were tempered once Drexel returned down from the sky, nodding his little head and confirming the direction of home.

"Oh great," Bambi said, feeling relieved despite the heavy exhaustion in his legs. "All these trees keep looking the same to me."

Ronno nudged his shoulder, "wow, tired already eh? That's fine," he galloped a little, smirking to himself. "Guess I'll just have to carry you."

"Carry m- ... are you even strong enough to do that?"

"What, you kidding?" he said, faking hurt through the peeling smile on his face. "I could carry you for miles, maybe even more." Arching his back a little, Ronno made a big show of stretching out his limbs.

Stifling a giggle, Bambi puffed his fur in admiration. "Alright, sure."

"Wh- wait what?" Ronno's body stiffened, his eyes widening with surprise. "Like... actually?"

"Yeah, you offered, and I'll take that offer?"

"You... actually want me to carry you?" came Ronno's staggered voice, blinking with disbelief.

Bambi leaned up to him, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Well, you offered, and given all the hours you spend boasting about your own strength, I'd say you're more than capable."

"I- wow... you actually want me to-?"

"Can you or can you not?"

"Of course I can!" Ronno suddenly fluffed himself, holding his head high and circling the prince. "I wouldn't say I could do something if I couldn't do it! Now hold still."

While Drexel looked back at them in confusion, Ronno dipped his head under Bambi's arm, letting his fluffy body fall upon his shoulders. "Ghh-" he grunted in exertion, regretting every last word that ever left his mouth. Keeping a firm hold on the ground, he pushed himself up and lifted the great prince from the ground.

Their dove friend watched from a branch, wearing a blank expression. "You alright?"

"Fine-" Ronno was visibly struggling to not collapse upon himself, legs shaking and tightly gritting his teeth. Bambi's limbs fell loose around him, although tightly clung to the sides of Ronno's torso. Never in Bambi's life had he felt so smug, the victorious grin nearly burned onto his face. But if Ronno could carry him, as he so constantly and feverishly claimed, then why not let him? Clearly he must've been hinting at something if he wasn't shutting up about it for last few hours.

Unable to resist, Bambi nuzzled the top of his carrier's head, feeling the tips of Ronno's small antlers itching his cheeks; it was quite the wondrous feeling. He smelled rustic, like finally peeled wood on a spring morning.

"What the hell are you doing?!" came Ronno's agonized gasp, sounding as if he were on the verge of death just walking forward.

"I like it up here."

"I can tell..."

"Are you wanting to put me down?"

"No, no no," Ronno quickly straightened himself, pushing his quivering muscles to the ultimate test. "Drexel, move your tail, we're continuing forward."

The dove merely rolled his eyes, hopping off the branch and taking flight.

It was a rather ethereal experience to have their bodies pressed upon one another, Bambi felt lighter than air as that mesmerizing smell soared through his nose, leaving a mark in his mind he'd never let go of. Faline didn't smell like this, nor did any of the other deer he ever knew, how had he never taken the time to just bury his nose into Ronno's fur? Not his fault, that was sure, the hotheaded idiot would rather hit a rock with his own face if it meant displaying strength. If they had never taken jabs at one another all that time ago, they'd probably be better friends by now. His smell, oh his intoxicating smell, Bambi let his head rest upon Ronno's forehead, closing his eyes and savoring both the chill of wind brushing through him, and the loving warmth underneath of being carried.

Sure, he was on the brink of getting crushed to death, but drastic measures had to be taken to prove a point. He'd carry Bambi from here all the way home if it meant proving himself, even if his body was practically buckling under his weight. He could do this, he could do this, there was no reason he couldn't do anything, especially in front of Bambi. Showing even the smallest bit of weakness before the prince was not an image he wanted to keep; nothing but the best in front of Bambi, even if his "best" was slowly killing him. He could feel him playing around up there, his nose sniffing into his head, the gentle nuzzles around his antlers, it was all gratingly annoying. Annoying, yes, that was the word to use here, all so terribly annoying. The growing heat in his fur was just from Bambi's body warmth, certainly not boiling from within. He wasn't enjoying this, he had to repeat the phrase in his mind, not enjoying it at all. Not enjoying the ticklish sensation of Bambi's nose rubbing his head, not enjoying the comfort of his legs gripping so close and tight around his body, and absolutely not enjoying the zinging butterflies swarming in his stomach. Just ignore it, just ignore it, ignore the zapping feelings of pleasure, ignore the rampant longing to have Bambi even closer.

"Hey Ronno, you okay?" Drexel glided down low, hovering beside his face.

"Yep, why do you ask?"

"You've turned almost completely red."

"He has?" Bambi opened one eye.

"Wha- no!" Ronno almost stumbled, immediately averting his gaze. "I- I'm not! Sh-shut up!"

The dove tilted his head, raising only a single, knowing eyebrow.

"Don't look at me, just... fly, go fly."

"Fine, fine," Drexel barely suppressed a chuckle threatening to spill through his beak, flapping his wings into the air.

The forest was still far, but not hopelessly, tauntingly far as Drexel had said. Never in Ronno's life did he think he'd put so much trust into a bird of all things, let alone be happily -yet painfully- carrying along his greatest enemy.

It was a long while before someone spoke again, Bambi looking up into the trees with sleepy eyes. "The forest is much prettier this way, taking it slow."

"I feel like a turtle," Ronno said, brightening slightly at Bambi's voice.

"Well... you're the best turtle I've ever seen," said the prince, giving his transport a gentle nibble on the ear.

Ronno only laughed in response, but the tiny wet spots newly pressed on his ear felt as if they burned through his skin. He expected to be annoyed but shivered as the feeling turned into pleasureful bliss. Foreign feelings took him by storm, his mind filling to burst with Bambi's soft love bites. Could he do that again? Was he allowed to ask Bambi to do it again? It certainly felt nice, a gentle tickle that ran down his ear and under the skin, coursing with heavenly waves he desired to feel more of. How in the living hell was he supposed to tell him that?

Drexel glided down after a while, "hey guys, I'm gonna go find something to eat if that's okay?"

"What kind of stuff do you eat anyway?" Ronno shifted himself a little, stabilizing Bambi's fluffy body.

"Eh, mostly seeds; berries if I'm lucky," said the dove. "I'm gonna fly up and circle around, go hunt for anything."

"I'm kinda hungry too," Bambi picked his head up, looking down at the grass.

Realizing he'd have to put his friend down, Ronno felt slight relief yet was disappointed to let him go. He lowered his haunches and let the brighter deer stand up.

"Sorry," said the prince, giving an apologetic smile. "I'm not too heavy, am I?"

"Heavy? Pfft," Ronno waved it off, amused that he could even imply such a thing. "Light as a flower."

He was heavy, absolutely heavy, likely one of the heaviest things Ronno ever dared to carry. His shoulders and legs were screaming with ache, but against all odds he refused to fall in front of the prince.

Giggling at Ronno's visible strain, Bambi passed by him, letting his tail slide under the buck's chin. "Well good to know you're one of the strongest deer in the whole forest..." He'd have to apologize for real later; it was a funny sight but still unkind to make someone carry him around like that. Even then, Bambi found that a sassy tone of voice fit him quite nicely.

Drexel flew up into the sky, leaving the fawns alone to search for their own food. A challenge with little to no difficulty, as the very ground for miles was blanketed with their signature green meal.

"Ugh, people grass," Bambi said with a grumble, leaning down to smell a leaf.

Ronno only just now snapped out of the trance he was locked in, having been mesmerized by the feeling of Bambi's soft tail. "I- uh, yeah. Well there's more than just grass. Why don't we find something a little more real?"

"Like what? There's nothing else out here."

"We're surrounded by trees, dummy. I'm sure there's saplings or something around, maybe berries like Drexel said." He came to Bambi's side, glinting with pride. "Why don't we go for a walk? Look for something tastier?"

"Tastier?"

"Look, I wander around the forest all the time, pretty easy to find special little snacks."

Bambi looked mournfully at the glowing horizon, frowning at the massive distance. "I don't really want to travel anymore right now."

"It's not travelling, per se, or do I have to ask like this?" Ronno leaned right to the brighter deer's widened ears, grinning with mischievous desire. "Shall I escort the fine prince... on a walk?

His words came in slow motion initially, then penetrated Bambi's ears with such shaking melodies that his vision tinted into a rose color. Complete disbelief shut down all mental process in the prince, and Ronno couldn't help but laugh.

"Heh, you gonna stand there like an idiot?" he said, putting his leg over his mouth. "Come on, let's go."

Life quickly returned to the other deer, even more colorful and joyful than before. Shaking himself back into reality and ignoring the burning heat in his fur, Bambi jumped directly over his escort and landed on his other side, bouncing with glee. "Well if you're gonna put it that way, by all means; lead on, hotshot!"

"Race ya!" Ronno lowered his chest, waving his tail in the air with playful competition.

Bambi happily mirrored the stance, readying himself in the sunlight, "I outrun dogs, buddy. Think you have a chance?"

"A chance to be left in my dust maybe, see ya!" Without warning, Ronno launched off the grass and sprinted off, kicking up dirt in his galloping.

"Wha- oh you little-" Bambi broke into action, seemingly flying along the ground with the wind blessing him along.

He appeared behind Ronno in seconds, weaving over the rocks and rivers, overtaking him with a smug grin. The darker deer's fierce determination quickly shifted into gawking awe as he was passed by. It wasn't the first time he'd seen Bambi run like this, and for some quizzical reason, he couldn't take his eyes off the graceful fawn.

But he never played conventionally; shifting his gears, Ronno eyed at Bambi's rear and narrowed his targets, bracing himself to lunge. Bambi wasn't slowing, but not speeding up either, happily relishing in the petty victory of just being faster than someone else.

Until Ronno jumped, springing from the ground with the last of his strength and tackling Bambi from above. A cloud of dust tore from the field as the deer crashed into one another, tripping over their own legs and tumbling across the fields. Ronno unexpectedly rolled over his target, coming to a skidding stop on his back, and Bambi fell right on top of him.

"Oof-" came the prince's grunts, his face collapsed into Ronno's chest. "Not fair... that's cheating."

Laying in a crater of his own exhaustion, Ronno let himself relax under Bambi's weight. "Not cheating... the term is 'outsmarting.'"

"How is jumping me supposed to outsmart me?" said the prince, breathing heavily.

"I have my ways."

"Ways of being an irrational pain, maybe," Bambi pushed himself up, looking down at the deer under him. In that moment, gazing down at the darker animal, he saw the whole world looking back at him. He felt so lost, not wandering the unknown, but lost in the cheering shine of Ronno's eyes. His hearty laugh, his woodsy bold fur color, even the chip on his ear, Bambi felt lost in a whole world filled with meaning to him. His mouth went on autopilot, "an irrational... terminally annoying... handsome pain."

"Heh, you uh... you think I'm handsome?" Ronno said, mildly confused yet genuinely taken aback. He was completely trapped under Bambi's pinning legs with no escape in sight, "well... you're the pretty one... princess."

"You call me that quite often," Bambi leaned down to him. "What's it to ya? Am I just a... cute little doe to you?"

"You ain't a doe," Ronno leaned up slightly, and spoke without realizing. "But you're sure pretty like one."

Everything stopped for a hot, electrifying second, both deer oblivious to time passing them by. Bambi's eyes narrowed by a mere hair, gazing down at Ronno's contemplative expression.

"We, uh..." Ronno snapped out of the trance, looking aside and gently nudging Bambi away. "We shouldn't... we shouldn't be doing things like this."

The deer on top let a frown slip as he stepped off, "why? I liked it."

"You-" the older buck stuttered into a flustered mess, hardly believing the words he was hearing. "E-even if you did... we're both... males." He hated to say that last word, great shame coating him through to even explain why he felt the way he did. "Do- do you understand why that's something to be concerned about?"

"Not really," Bambi said, innocent bliss blinding him the fears circling his partner. "Does anything need to be said? I kinda just figured we were already here and..."

"Here... where?" Ronno tilted his head, narrowing his eyes slightly and furiously suppressing the butterflies spiraling in his stomach. "What do you mean by that?"

Averting his gaze in a frown, Bambi kicked his leg a little on the grass. Graciously the sunlight cast its spotlight upon them, almost trying to keep them enraptured to each other with its mischievous glee. "I... I'm sorry, I guess I was being too subtle," he said, his once-cheerful demeanor fading. "If you want me to stop-"

"No, no you don't have to stop anything, I just... want to know what's happening here."

"I... uh," the vast discomfort was on full display in Bambi's weakened expression, his gaze fixated on the ground. "I don't really know how to say this, I thought it went without saying."

A faint piece of Ronno could already feel what was coming, sending his heart into crazed flips. "Say... what?"

"Well you'll probably think it's silly, and I'm not good at these things so I'll probably just look dumb but..." a deep flush burned through Bambi's fur. "I... really like you."

There it was, the words that deafened all other meaning to Ronno's dumbfounded eyes, focused only on the most beautiful deer he'd ever seen. Like a headless chicken his voice spilled all over itself, tripping through his flustered expression. "I- I... I actually, um... I have uh..." He wore a face of uncertainty but within his heart the most elated of celebrations were firing off in cheer, roaring with victory and screaming for him to make the final move. It was on him to make the move, wasn't it? Wasn't he supposed to do something in response? His mind could hardly get a single word out the longer Bambi gazed at him with those brilliant eyes of his, staggering Ronno into an awkward frozen state.

Bambi could read his apprehension, "is it... a bad thing?"

"A bad... well yea- no! It- uhh..." still the darker buck was unable to form a coherent sentence, muffled by the celebratory joy flowering through him. "To... some it- ... can be. I- I don't know, we're both guys and... that complicates things."

"Why though?" Bambi fluffed his fur, annoyance rising in his voice. "Why is it so terribly evil to just love someone!?"

"Lov- woah hey!" The usage of that L-word shook Ronno to the core. "That's a little extreme, don't you think? You can't really be sure of what you're saying and-"

"Oh I can't be sure?" Bambi said, growing agitated. "Why not? Says who? I finally found someone I like and apparently there's a bunch of bullshit rules against it!?"

"I didn't say that-"

"Why are you being this way, I literally like you! I've had a crush on you for... well probably a while, who knows, and I finally stretched my courage to the limit to say something and that's how you respond!?"

"Bambi-"

"No!" The deer said fiercely, flattening his ears. Stray tears drifted from his eyes, his voice on the verge of breaking. "Just forget it! I shouldn't- I shouldn't have said something, that was stupid of me!" He sharply turned and started walking off, wanting to escape his own embarrassment.

"Wha- no! Bambi wait," Ronno shook his head of the lovesick static dancing in his head, starting after the one deer he couldn't let slip through his hooves.

"Leave me alone!"

"For the love of... just stop!" He gave a running start and jumped over the prince's shoulders, landing in front and blocking the way. "I... feel the same way, okay?"

Bambi was unconvinced, raising in eyebrow in a sneer.

"Look, I'm sorry it's really difficult for me to understand how to talk and act in certain situations, this is just as hard for me to say as it was for you," said the exasperated deer. "But I... I like you too. For me, everything is about you, I've been obsessed with you ever since we first met. And maybe I thought it was envy at first, typical jealousy, but it wasn't that at all."

He looked aside for his moment, struggling to put his words together while Bambi watched with awestruck eyes. "You're... the son of the Great Prince, the most beautiful deer I had ever seen. And I guess I... knew how taboo it was for two males to be together, and hell, you're a prince and I'm just... some plain loser. The idea of us being..." his voice hesitated, scrambling for a word to use. "Together... it just felt impossible, and you know how much I hate being undermined. It just made me so angry... seeing you all with Faline and... well at first I thought I could shift my feelings to her and forget everything, but I couldn't."

He bowed his head in shame, submitting himself in defeat to the future Great Prince. "Because I... wanted you. I wanted you, and no amount of denial could change that."

Left completely breathless, Bambi was dumbfounded at the speech, looking down at his once-sworn enemy. Any thought of their animosity in the past was forgiven in a heartbeat. A gentle smile spread upon Bambis face, speaking in a soft whisper. "I want you too."

Within the singing sunlight of the forest clearing, both deer stood up and faced each other with all vulnerabilities laid bare. They gazed upon each other for a few seconds, lovesick smiles forming and eyes softening in their expressions.

Ronno was the first to say anything, "I... hardly believe your dad will approve of this."

Thinking it over for a heartbeat, Bambi shrugged and leaned in to his beloved mate. "Screw him." Giving in to all desire, he kissed him softly, intertwining their feelings together while the leaves and petals danced around them. Ronno responded promptly, releasing his repressed emotions like a swarm of doves from the grip of man, kissing the prince back with everything he had and holding utterly nothing back.

They pulled apart as softly as they connected, their bodies coursing with elevated sensations like lightning itself was trapped between them.

"I liked that," Bambi said, unable to control his fevered blushing.

"Yeah I... I liked that too," Ronno soared under the bliss in his veins, feeling a happiness unlike any other.

Drexel loudly chirped from the branch he perched on, "stellar performance, guys. If I were more into romantic shows, I'd likely be bawling my eyes out."

"Gahh- fuck!" Ronno nearly jumped four feet in the air, startled in reddened embarrassment. "How long were you there!?"

Bambi simply turned at his dove, giving him an amused smile.

"Long enough to say 'good for you,'" said the bird, flapping his wings and gliding down. "Touching moment, should I leave you two alone?"

Struggling to say either an insult or a flustered excuse, Ronno's voice completely failed and he loudly stuttered all over himself. Quickly saving his lover from more embarrassment, Bambi giggled and waved his tail. "Don't worry Drexel, we just got a little... distracted."

The bird took one look at Ronno's flushed expression, "I can tell..."

"Sooo where are we on the food situation?" The prince swiftly changed the subject, but subtly fluffed his tail for Ronno to see.

"Didn't you just eat a bunch of grass?"

"Well we could've, but we're honestly looking for something... tastier."

Drexel gave an understanding nod, pointing his wing on the horizon. "Well, I passed by a pear tree a little bit away, ever eaten one of those?"

"A pear? Never had one," Bambi said, his curious mind shining with imagination of foreign meals.

"Oh boy, you gotta try them," Drexel landed on Bambi's head and pointed with his wing. "That way."

"On it, come on Ronno!" The prince called to the still-malfunctioning animal behind him, prancing off with newfound joy in his step.

As they traveled to promises of rich snacks and savory bites, Bambi couldn't help but send a whisper to his avian friend. "You left us alone on purpose, didn't you?"

The dove puffed his feathers with gleeful eyes, "I certainly thought I could play matchmaker, heh. Well? Did it work?"

Sneaking a look back at the dreamy buck following them, Bambi fell into a hopeless trance. "Yeah... I think it did."