Chapter Text
"I'm sorry."
Sid discarded another rock. "Hm?"
"About what happened with those water freaks," Diego clarified, tail drooping as they walked. "It was too close."
"It wasn't your fault - you can't swim. That looks like poop but it could also be a good fire rock, do you think I should risk it?"
Diego sighed. "I should have tried to help you. That thing could have swallowed you whole without breaking a sweat."
Sid looked confused. "But...in the heat of the moment, you can't help what your emotions stop you from doing. I would never blame you for that. And you shouldn't blame yourself either."
"That's...actually surprisingly good advice. When did you become the level-headed one?"
Sid poked his shoulder. "What do you mean, I always have been."
Diego snorted. "In your dreams. At best, you're the smelly one."
"You're a bully, that's what you are," Sid insisted, putting on an air of superiority, undermined by him dropping all the rocks he'd picked up.
Diego stalked behind him. "Oh, am I?"
Sid chuckled nervously. "Diego - what - what are you doing?"
"Apparently, I'm a bully," Diego said matter-of-factly, backing Sid up against some rocks.
"Well, that may have been a...rash...choice of words," Sid squeaked.
Diego raised his hackles and put on a menacing growl, advancing and pinning him with one powerful paw.
“Although - on the other paw - this isn’t - exactly friendly!”
Diego released him but didn’t back off, nuzzling at Sid’s neck.
“Hey - hey, that’s...not fair. Ah - Diego! They could be back any minute.”
“All the more reason to savour the moment.”
“Do you really want Crash and Eddie to walk in on this?”
Diego paused. “True. But…”
“Nope. They’d never let it go. We’d have to spend this whole trip listening to them talk about it.”
“Fine,” Diego muttered, lying down beside Sid’s unlit pile of rocks.
Sid followed, hands on hips. “Don’t sulk, grumpy fur.”
Diego shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep while Sid got a fire going. He cracked his eyelids. Sid was sitting nearby, shivering. He wrapped a paw around his waist and pulled him nearer.
“Thanks, Diego-poo.”
“Ugh. God, please, pick another nickname.”
“Sourpuss?”
“No.”
“Fluffy?”
“No.”
“Mr Whiskers? I like that one.”
“....Definitely not.”
“What about...wait, I think I hear them coming back.”
Sid scooted slightly away from Diego, who sulked but understood, as the mammoths returned from their walk.