(A/N) Yay, another Fire Emblem fic! I always seem to ship the strange same-sex pairings that hardly anyone else seems to like, so I've dedicated myself to slowly filling the internet with stories of them xD And first off is Yarne and Gerome! Even if barely anyone will read this, I still enjoyed writing it immensely, and I hope that anyone who does read it likes it! Who knows; maybe I'll convert some of you non-believers ;D

Anyway, enjoy Gerome's and Yarne's antics, based off of their DLC conversation in the Hot-Springs Scramble!

Thanks for reading!

Gerome rested with Minerva in a rocky outcrop near the back of the hot springs. Most of the Risen had been defeated, and he had to admit that he was looking forward to soaking in the water just as much as everyone else (though he would definitely be sitting in a corner of the pool away from the others). However, at the moment, he was worried about Minerva. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth like a dog and she kept shuffling uncomfortably.

Cooing in sympathy, Gerome scratched under Minerva's chin. He knew his poor Minervykins was built to sustain the cold of the high altitude mountains from where she was born and that the long-time exposure to the mugginess of the hot springs was becoming hard on her.

Ironically, as if it'd heard his thoughts, a voice called out, "Gah, all this steam! The mugginess is killing me!"

Immediately straightening (and stopping his cooing), Gerome felt a flush creep under his mask that wasn't from the heat. He knew who had spoken even before the taguel dragged himself over to where he and Minerva were hiding out. His ears were drooping, and he looked about ready to strike the same pose as Gerome's wyvern.

Swallowing, Gerome shifted uncomfortably as he tried to control his rapidly beating heart. Yarne had been his best friend growing up; they had spent almost all of their time together. Yarne knew him better than he knew himself, and that started to frighten Gerome as he reached his teens and realized that what he felt for the taguel was more than just friendship.

He knew they could never be together, even if the taguel did feel the same way (which Gerome doubted). Yarne was the only taguel left besides his mother, which meant the whole species depended on him settling down with a girl and starting a family. To come out and say that he loved Yarne would be the end of the taguel, and Gerome knew he could never be selfish enough to do that. Yarne was terrified of dying as it was; he didn't need more pressure on him.

And so, Gerome began to wear his mask to separate himself from Yarne. He couldn't afford to feel the way he did, and he couldn't afford for Yarne to figure out he did feel that way. The mask had also become his security blanket to hide his pain whenever he saw Yarne's sad expression when he would avoid him.

They had to be separate, for the sake of the taguel.

But now Yarne had approached him, and Gerome knew he couldn't just run away at this point, especially with Minerva in the condition she was. Besides, he missed talking to his best friend; one conversation couldn't hurt, right? So he would take pleasure in the conversation but remain distant enough to make sure Yarne didn't get the wrong idea.

"You're surrounded by hot springs," Gerome finally answered when Yarne began looking at him uncertainly. "Best you resigned yourself to a little humidity."

Yarne pouted. "Don't give me that tough guy act; you wouldn't say that to Minerva, and look at her! She's as pooped as I am!"

Gerome flinched at being caught and looked guiltily away. He felt a slight flash of impatience as Minerva growled her thanks to Yarne for defending her; however, that annoyance soon turned to a snort of humor as he saw the taguel cower from her. Yarne couldn't understand her, and didn't know that Minerva had gotten over her long ago tendency to try and eat him. It was entertaining to watch him get scared of her after all this time.

As he watched their interaction, a flash of movement came from the mountains behind where they were resting. Gerome looked around Yarne to see what was approaching them. "…Hm? What is that?"

"What's what?" Yarne didn't dare risk taking his gaze off of Minerva, causing Gerome to sigh in exasperation.

"Behind you." He touched Minerva's head, making her finally turn away from the taguel and go back to panting from the heat.

"Behind…" With Minerva's attention off him, Yarne turned to look behind him and immediately screeched in fear. "GAH?! M-m-monkeys! A whole pack of them! Why are they here?!"

Gerome watched in concealed astonishment as, true to Yarne's statement, a whole pack of monkeys streamed down the mountains. They were tiny little critters with yellow fur and black faces. Their long tails streamed out behind them as they ran, seeming eagerly focused on something in the boys' direction. The wyvern rider could only wonder what could get a bunch of monkeys to risk running towards a full-grown wyvern.

"Seems they're coming down the mountain in droves," he commented. He could barely stop a smirk coming onto his face as he watched all of the monkeys crowd around Yarne. "That's quite the little army forming behind you."

"Eeep! What are they all crowding around ME for?!" Yarne screeched in fear as he jumped back towards Gerome. Gerome took an automatic step back as the taguel cowered against him, his face starting to flush again under his mask.

Ignoring his erratic heartbeat, the wyvern rider watched as the lead monkey began to approach Yarne. It didn't seem to be threatening and an idea suddenly came to his head. "Maybe they think you're one of them?"

"Ugh, RUDE!" Yarne sent the monkey approaching him an offended glare. "I'm a bunny, not a monkey!"

While he'd been addressing the lead monkey, another monkey had snuck up behind him and was now reaching up to pick through Yarne's back hair. Gerome couldn't stop the snort of amusement that escaped him as he watched the ridiculous scene. "Tell that to the fellow picking through your back hair."

"That's back FUR, thank you very— OUCH!" Yarne complained, whirling around in a vain attempt to get the monkey off him, the creature stubbornly clinging to his back fur instead. "Hey, quit tugging, you little flea trap!"

"Quite the scene, really. I don't suppose I've ever seen a monkey groom a rabbit before." Gerome was outright chuckling now, finding it unnecessarily hard to control himself. This was just too funny! Minerva was also huffing in amusement beside him, and the wyvern rider was glad to see that she was feeling better enough to laugh at the antics going on in front of her. "It's rather charming, actually!"

"I'm so thrilled you think so…" Yarne snorted sarcastically before more monkeys jumped on top of him and he fell to the ground in a heap of snuggling monkeys. When he could get his head out from under the sea of fur, he called out desperately, "Now GET THEM OFF ME, GEROME!"

"What?" Gerome's mirth faded as he walked over and kneeled before Yarne's head. His friend seemed to be struggling desperately, but the monkeys looked like they were having a good time and the wyvern rider couldn't keep a smile off his face. "Why? They're just being friendly."

"I'll stick with human friends! And I—" Yarne called out before he was interrupted by a larger monkey that jumped onto his face. As he tried vainly to free his arms out from the other monkeys trying to pick through his body fur, the monkey on his face began tugging on the taguel's ears, as if he couldn't figure out what their function was. "ARGH! That REALLY hurts! Stop yanking at my ears, you monster! I need those attached, thank you very— OW!"

Gerome sighed. Though he had enjoyed the scene before him, he now realized that it was beginning to get out of hand. The monkeys were actually starting to hurt Yarne, just by their sheer amount, and if it went on any further Yarne might have to live the rest of his life as an earless taguel. The wyvern rider wouldn't let those monkeys hurt his friend like that. "Fine, I'll help. Hold still a moment."

As Gerome worked to get the big monkey's hands off of Yarne's ears, Minerva let out a ferocious roar that made all of the other monkeys jump. Screeching in fear, they chattered to themselves as they dashed away, streaming back up the mountain from which they'd come. However, the big monkey was being stubborn and the wyvern rider had to yank it off his friend, causing the taguel to whimper in pain as his ears sustained more damage. They eventually succeeded, though, and Gerome set the monkey down on the ground, expecting it to run back up the mountain with the others.

Turning his attention away from it, Gerome faced Yarne and inspected him for any serious injuries. He seemed to be fine, despite the fact that some of his fur had been plucked out in some places and his ears were a bit red from the monkey's pulling. "You alright?"

"Yeah." Yarne sounded more confident as he sat up and rubbed his sore ears. "Whew, thank the gods they're gone! And thanks, Gero— AHH!"

Confused at the taguel's sudden screaming, Gerome looked out of the corner of his eye soon enough to see a yellow blur fly at him. Jerking back, the wyvern rider let out a surprised scream as the big monkey he had pulled off of Yarne's face attacked his own face. He tried to put up his arms to defend himself, but he soon found the effort unnecessary as the monkey merely scratched his cheek and then ran off. However, he soon realized that his vision wasn't obscured as it usually was and that he could feel a cool breeze on his face. Wait, what—?!

"It just snatched your mask and ran!" Yarne cried out, looking behind Gerome as Minerva walked over to where the wyvern rider was sitting and sniffed him. When she found he was unharmed, she licked Gerome's cheek and breathed her relief.

However, Gerome didn't process any of this. All he could think about was how he was in Yarne's presence and completely exposed. He wouldn't be able to hide it if his face flushed, and Yarne would be able to read his every facial expression. The two just knew each other too well. Gerome's heart began to beat faster and as the heat closed in on him he felt he was going to pass out.

"Gerome!" Yarne was suddenly in his face and the wyvern rider flinched back in surprise. He tried to hide his face as it began to flush by looking away, but the taguel wasn't even paying attention as he grabbed his hand. He dragged him towards the mountain, pointing up at the monkey that had snatched Gerome's mask. "Don't just stand there—after that monkey!"

As Yarne led him towards the mountain, and Minerva jumped into the air to track the monkey, Gerome was grateful that the taguel couldn't see him in that moment. His face was such a dark red that he knew it would be unexplainable and he couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Yarne was holding his hand. His palm was strangely cool, though when Gerome twitched his fingers he could feel the soft fur on the back of Yarne's hand. I-it…felt really nice…

Breaking himself out of his thoughts, knowing he had to remain calm and collected, the wyvern rider focused on his breathing. When he thought his face had cooled down to a regular shade, he called out to the taguel running in front of him. "Yarne, you don't have to help me! Minerva and I are perfectly capable of—!"

"Of course I do, Gerome; it's my fault your mask got snatched in the first place!" Yarne looked back at Gerome and sent him a beaming smile. "Besides, you've been avoiding me lately; I'm not going to ask why, but I'm also not going to let you take away my Gerome-time!"

Gerome flushed with shame, wishing with all of his heart he could explain to Yarne why he had cut the ties. He hated avoiding him, but he knew it was necessary if Yarne was going to lead a happy, taguel life. The survival of the taguel race left no place for Gerome. And so he just ducked his head, unable to meet Yarne's gaze, and said no more as they ran further up the mountain.

After a while, they came to a stop and Yarne sniffed the air before going a little bit further to see if he could pick up the monkey's trail. When he apparently didn't find anything, he called back to Gerome, "Did you see which way that thieving ape ran? I've lost all sight and scent of him…"

While Yarne had been searching the area, Gerome had calmed down enough to remember his spare mask. He always kept a spare in his pocket for emergencies like this, but he had forgotten about it in his flustered state. Relieved that he could hide his emotions from Yarne again, he took the poorly crafted mask out of his pocket and put it onto his face.

Though it suddenly became ten degrees hotter, the mask brought immediate relief to the wyvern rider and he released a deep sigh.

When he heard Yarne call out to him, Gerome looked up at Minerva and saw her circling over an area that was a bit west of where they were standing. He pointed up at the wyvern when Yarne glanced his way and answered, "Not this way, it seems, though I think Minerva has found him."

"That dirty rascal," Yarne huffed as he joined Gerome. The two began to trek over to where Minerva was circling, but they hadn't gone far when the taguel seemed to realize that something was amiss. "Wait a minute; how are you wearing your mask?!"

Yarne had stopped, forcing Gerome to stop as well, and he looked accusingly at the wyvern rider. Gerome looked down at his feet. "I always keep a spare with me for emergencies."

"If you have more than one, why are we even chasing after that stupid monkey?" Yarne threw his arms up into the air in exasperation as he looked back down the mountain. He shivered. "I'd rather not see those monkeys ever again if I don't have to…"

"Because," Gerome replied, getting defensive. Did Yarne really not notice how poor of a replacement the mask he was currently wearing was? Wasn't he supposed to have better senses than humans? Gerome sneered as he felt the cheap plastic cut into his cheek bone. "This backup is a pale comparison in quality."

Yarne still didn't look convinced, so Gerome continued, "The one it stole was bespoke, Yarne. I refuse to let some filthy primate run off with it."

Sighing, Yarne looked at him with a tired expression. For a moment, Gerome was worried that the taguel would refuse to help him and would trek back down the mountain and leave him alone to wrestle with a monkey. The thought saddened him, and the wyvern rider realized that, no matter how he acted, he missed his Yarne-time. He had never been close to anyone as he had been to the taguel, and after so long apart he didn't want their rare encounter to end so soon.

However, to the wyvern rider's surprise, Yarne turned back in the direction of Minerva and began walking through the brush again. "If you say so… But it looks the same to me."

Suddenly the taguel stopped walking again and stomped towards Gerome. The wyvern rider flinched in surprise as Yarne suddenly thrust his face into his own, staring intently into his eyes. Gerome's face immediately flushed at the close proximity, and he hoped that his mask covered the worst of it.

"I swear there's no difference, looking at the one you're wearing now," Yarne finally said after a few awkward moments.

Gerome struggled to control his breathing, wondering why he felt so disappointed that the taguel had been staring at his mask and not into his eyes. He should be relieved! "Well, stop. I don't want anyone looking too closely. The craftsmanship is terrible."

"More importantly," Gerome continued as Yarne remained where he was. He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to control himself, and he had just thought of something that would help redirect Yarne's attention, "they've obviously accepted you as one of their own, the monkeys. Can't you use that to get my mask back?"

"Hmm…I don't really see how…" To Gerome's relief, Yarne stepped backed out of his personal bubble as he thought over what the wyvern rider had just said. The taguel then suddenly snapped his fingers with a satisfied look on his face. "Ah! No, that's perfect!"

Before Gerome could question him, Yarne suddenly blurted out. "Take me hostage, Gerome!"

"W-what?!" Against his will, images of Yarne handcuffed to a bed popped into Gerome's head. As his face flushed, the wyvern rider shook his head hard, disturbed. He wasn't into that kind of thing, he swore! Clearing his throat to calm himself, Gerome continued in a lower voice as he saw Yarne's true meaning, "So we propose a trade? My mask for your life?"

As Yarne nodded enthusiastically, Gerome became skeptical. "I'm not convinced monkeys can be negotiated with. They can't speak, for one." He was also worried about the fact that he'd have to hold Yarne against him, to make it seem like he'd been taken prisoner, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself in that kind of situation (especially if the previous images were what his brain was stuck on at the moment).

"You never know!" Yarne continued cheerfully, apparently unaware of the real reason behind Gerome's hesitancy. "I hear monkeys are quite smart, actually!"

As Gerome remained indecisive, Yarne walked over and poked the crappy mask. Gerome's face flushed again and he couldn't help but frown; he really had to stop getting so flustered every time Yarne came close to him. "We may as well give it a try, right? Your mask is really important to you, and it's not like we have a better plan."

"Fair point…" Gerome finally relented, realizing that Yarne was right: his mask was important to him. And if Yarne found out how he really felt because he couldn't control himself, he wouldn't really need the mask anyway, so the worst-case scenario wouldn't be that bad… The wyvern rider met Yarne's gaze with a determined look on his face. "I suppose we've nothing to lose."

"That's the spirit!" Yarne yelled, obviously happy that he'd gotten his way.

Without another word, the two set out again towards where Minerva was circling. Gerome was suddenly very thankful for his wyvern; she must've been circling up there for at least ten minutes, but she had never gotten impatient or changed course. He was also thankful that she was so smart, because he knew she realized that if she landed she would scare the monkeys, and if she left they might really lose sight of them.

"Thank goodness for Minerva, huh?" Yarne spoke up, as if reading Gerome's thoughts. The wyvern rider nodded his agreement, a small smile coming onto his face as the taguel continued, "I just hope she doesn't eat me when we get there!"

Gerome had to chuckle. "She hasn't tried to eat you for ten years or more, Yarne. She knows you're important to me."

Yarne looked over at the wyvern rider in surprise, and it was only then that Gerome realized what he'd said. As his face flushed for the millionth time, Gerome tried to stammer his way out of what he'd just revealed.

However, Yarne soon interrupted him, a smile on his face. "Thanks for saying that, Gerome. It means a lot to me to know that you still consider me your friend."

"I'll always consider you my friend," Gerome whispered before he quickened his pace.

Yarne said nothing more, just followed after him as they broke into a small clearing. In the clearing sat the whole group of monkeys. The two boys lingered back, not wanting to startle the monkeys into running away again as Minerva dutifully circled above, and scanned the group. Eventually, through the sweat clouding up his vision due to the poorly constructed mask, Gerome spotted the big monkey that was playing with his mask.

"There! That's the one!" He whispered to Yarne, who'd been looking in the other direction, as he pointed out the monkey. "He's still got my mask!"

As the monkeys began to notice their presence, Gerome knew they had to act quick. Momentarily forgetting about his troubled feelings towards the taguel, the wyvern rider called out to him, "Hurry, Yarne! Come here!"

"R-right!" Yarne replied, startled at first. He then nodded at Gerome and turned around as he backed into the wyvern rider. Gerome pretended he couldn't feel his face heating up, and hoped Yarne couldn't feel his heart beating against his back, as he wrapped his arm around the taguel's chest in a tight (but not too tight) hold.

Then, focusing on the plan, Gerome glared at the monkey thief. "All right, listen up, you flea-bitten felons! I've taken this monkey prisoner! Return that mask immediately, or the big ape gets it!"

Yarne originally huffed at being called a big ape, but then redeemed himself by jumping into his role as hostage and crying out, "O-oh, no! The horror! Help me, my simian cohorts!"

It was silent and everything was still for a moment, minus Yarne's whimpers. The monkeys seemed confused, and for a moment Gerome didn't think it would work. Bah, what were they thinking, thinking monkeys would be smart enough to understand what was going on…

However, soon the big monkey broke away from the group and began to trudge towards Yarne and Gerome. He tugged the mask along with him, causing the wyvern rider to laugh in disbelief.

"I can't believe it! He's actually bringing it here!" Gerome continued to chuckle. "I'm not sure whether this proves they're intelligent or incredibly gullible… But they really do think you're a real monkey."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Yarne complained, his gaze never once leaving the big monkey.

"That's it…just a bit closer…bring it here…" Gerome muttered to himself, trying to coax the big monkey along. Eventually it came closer and the wyvern rider let go of Yarne as he leaned down to take his mask out of the monkey's grasp. "There! Got it!"

"Yes!" Yarne jumped up and down in excitement. "Our plan's a brilliant success!"

Suddenly, however, the big monkey screeched loudly. The two boys jumped, startled, as they both whirled around to face it. Before either one of them could react, the monkey had leaped up onto Yarne's face and began scratching it as the taguel screamed in pain.

"Yarne!" His mask still in his hand, Gerome moved towards Yarne to try and help him. However, the monkey dropped off before he could get there and ran off to join his pack. Then, to ensure the whole ordeal wouldn't happen again, Minerva flew lower and let out another roar straight at the monkeys. With screeches of fear and anger, the entire monkey group ran farther up the mountain; only when they were out of sight did Gerome relax and return his attention to Yarne.

"Oww…" Yarne muttered, licking a hand and rubbing his face. Gerome kneeled in front of him and didn't even notice as the string of his crappy mask snapped and the whole thing fell off his face. With a clearer vision, he moved Yarne's arms from his face and inspected it. There was a large scratch down his cheek, but it didn't seem to be deep. Gerome sighed in relief.

"As soon as he figured out I wasn't a monkey, the little monster attacked me!" Yarne complained as Gerome called to Minerva. The wyvern landed next to the two boys and Gerome stood up to dig through a small bag that was wrapped around her neck. Out of it he took some healing ointment, which he then spread on Yarne's scratch. Meanwhile, the taguel continued to mutter to himself, "Got me right in the face, then ran off…"

Once he was done cleaning up his wound, Gerome looked into Yarne's face. "Are you all right?"

Yarne just nodded, before laughing a little. Gerome found himself smiling, wrapped up in the taguel's mirth. "Injuries aside, your idea worked flawlessly. I owe you one, Yarne."

"Don't mention it!" Yarne replied, his face shining. "Despite everything, it was kind of fun! I'm happy I got to spend time with you again; it was just like old times! Though I never want to see another monkey in my life!"

"Apologies," Gerome replied guiltily, knowing it was his fault that Yarne had been so scratched up by the monkeys.

"Ah it's fine! I'm just glad you got your mask back." Yarne waved it off before seeming to realize something. "Hey, where did your mask go? You're not wearing it!"

Suddenly realizing why everything was clearer and cooler, Gerome jumped and looked around him. He then saw the broken mask on the ground, next to his better mask. Sighing in relief, glad it hadn't been taken by another monkey while he hadn't been paying attention, Gerome reached for his good mask. "Bah, the string must've broken on that other mask and it just fell off! I told you it was crappy…"

"Hey," Yarne interrupted as he placed his hand over Gerome's, preventing him from picking up the mask, "You said you owed me one, right?"

The wyvern rider stared at him uncomfortably, wondering what Yarne could possibly want. He was getting exceptionally nervous without his mask on and the taguel's hand on his. "…Yeah?"

"Then please," Yarne looked directly into Gerome's eyes, and the wyvern rider found he had to look away, "Keep your mask off for the time being. It's been forever since I've seen your face."

"Hmph." Gerome hated the idea of having to sit here with Yarne without his mask, but he knew he couldn't refuse him, especially when the taguel started sending him his best puppy dog eyes. "…Fine."

"Yay!" Yarne cheered before letting go of Gerome's hand. Gerome in turn dropped his mask and looked up at the taguel shyly. Any coolness or confidence he'd had earlier was stripped away with his mask and he suddenly didn't know how to act around him. How had he done it as a kid?

"Gerome," Yarne spoke up after a few moments of silence. His tone was suddenly serious and the wyvern rider dreaded what he was going to say. "Why did you start avoiding me?"

Sighing, Gerome picked at some grass near his feet. He really didn't want to answer, and was trying to think of how to lie when Minerva stuck her face in his. As he looked down at her, and stroked her head, she growled at him, You've been so miserable these last few years, young one. Tell him the truth.

Though he didn't like to admit it, Gerome knew she was right. He had been absolutely miserable, separating himself from Yarne. Even though he knew he had to, and that it was for both of their own goods, he couldn't help but miss him terribly. He was the only true friend he had, besides Minerva of course. So surely he should be honest with him.

And yet…

"I'm afraid that, if I tell you, you'll come to hate me," Gerome muttered quietly, not meeting Yarne's gaze. Every fiber of his being was begging him to stay silent, and preserve the relationship they had, but something deep within him wanted to finally explain it to Yarne, to truly care for each other like they had when they were children. He yearned for the taguel's company, and with each passing moment it was getting harder and harder to control.

"Gerome…" Yarne kept trying to move to get a glimpse of Gerome's face, but the wyvern rider turned with him, unable to meet his gaze, until the taguel huffed and gave up. "Unless you caused my death, I would never hate you! But, joking aside, even then, if you did cause my death, I think I would still love you."

That got Gerome to look at the taguel. He was so shocked, not sure if he'd heard Yarne right, not daring to believe that he'd heard right, that all he could do was stare at him with his mouth open.

Yarne had been smiling, but now he was looking at the wyvern rider hesitantly, his head tilted to the side. "… You love me too, don't you? Otherwise your heart wouldn't beat so fast whenever we were close, right?"

Gerome's face flushed quite suddenly as he realized that all of his emotions were lying out in the open. "H-how…?!"

"You forget taguels have good hearing!" Yarne laughed as he tentatively scooched over to Gerome, putting his hand over his chest. "I could hear how fast your heart was beating all those times! And I'm pretty sure it wasn't from running up the mountain."

Gerome snorted a little, laughing at himself. He'd been so worried even though Yarne had known all along. Hesitantly he reached up and placed his hand over Yarne's. "So… You don't mind this?"

"Mind? How could I mind?"

"Because of the taguel!" Everything that Gerome had secretly wanted was so close to being his, but he knew he couldn't take it. He took his hand off of Yarne's and looked away. "Being together will kill the taguel."

"Gerome, you aren't going to give up on us because of that, are you?" Yarne whispered before scooting even closer to Gerome. Their knees were touching, and the wyvern rider felt more heat flush his face as the taguel reached for both of his hands and squeezed them.

"You act like it's nothing," Gerome spat. "Have you forgotten what you've always been so afraid of?"

"Of course I haven't forgotten!" Yarne replied, exasperation seeping into his voice. "But I don't want to give up on my life because of some distant generations. I love you Gerome, and I want to spend my life with you. There must be a way I can continue the taguel race while we're also together; I'm sure there is!"

"But—" Gerome tried to interrupt, but Yarne didn't let him.

"And we'll find that way together, won't we?"

"… Of course we will." Gerome replied after a few moments, deciding to give in. He felt his heart swelling as he squeezed the taguel's hands. "If you believe it, then I will too."

Yarne laughed. "Then it's final – we're in love! And I won't let you change your mind!"

The words made Gerome so happy that for once he didn't even try to restrict his emotions as a large smile stretched onto his face. Daring to do what he'd never dared to do before, he took one of his hands out of Yarne's and used it to cup the taguel's face. He then pulled him closer and kissed him, and it was so much what he'd always wanted that he almost cried. He couldn't believe that it was actually happening, and he had to pinch himself several times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. When he was satisfied it was real, and he slightly drew away from Yarne, he murmured against his lips, "I won't; I think I've loved you my whole life."

Yarne beamed before he rubbed his nose roughly against the wyvern rider's. As if sensing Gerome's bafflement at the action, the taguel explained himself. "That's how taguels kiss! You'll have to get used to the cultural shock!"

"Anything for you," Gerome snorted, half-sarcastic, before he leaned in and kissed (the human way) Yarne again. When they drew apart, he could feel the taguel humming against his lips.

"Though I do have a question for you," Yarne broke in suddenly. Gerome raised an eyebrow at him. "Is this why you started wearing your mask?"

Gerome nodded grimly. "Yes. When I realized that I loved you, I also realized that I could never be allowed to. You had a responsibility to fulfill that had no place for me, so I figured it would be easier for both of us if I hid my emotions away. As always, you knew me too well, and I feared that if you knew my feelings it would ruin everything and you would be disowned by your mother. Though you might still be disowned by your mother."

"Leave my mother to me," Yarne replied, though Gerome thought he sensed a slight tremor of fear in his voice. "Though it might be best if she doesn't know until we have a plan on how to continue the taguel. Just promise me you won't ever go off and make decisions on your own like that; you don't know how much it hurt me to be suddenly ignored by you. I think I've loved you my whole life too, Gerome."

"Apologies…" The wyvern rider winced with guilt, suddenly realizing how selfish his actions had been. He squeezed Yarne's hands tightly in his. "I promise not to give up on you anymore."

"Good. Will you promise me not to wear the mask, too?"

"…I don't think I can. I've grown too used to wearing it," Gerome stuttered before he saw Yarne send him his puppy dog eyes again. Flustered, he added quickly, "Though I guess I don't have to wear it when it's just you…"

That seemed to make Yarne happy enough as he wrapped his arms around Gerome and buried his face into his neck. The wyvern rider in turn wrapped his arms around his soft, furry body and closed his eyes as they sat together in peace. He couldn't remember being as happy as he was then and, as Minerva came over and wrapped her body protectively around the two of them, Gerome realized he'd finally found the family he'd always been searching for.