Fan Fiction ❯ I Love Him, Too ❯ One-Shot

Notes: This is for Empress Dotdotdot and her fanfic contest (unless it's too late, in which case it's merely an experiment). Here's hoping this doesn't get me sent to her "special" school. Tammy frightens me.

Summary: Heartbreak can sometimes lead to unique resolutions.

I Love Him, Too

A Golden Sun Fanfic by

Nate Grey (XMAN0123@aol.com)

Part I: Burst

Garet had never, not even in his worst nightmares, expected this day to come. In truth, he didn't know whether to place the blame on himself, or on his companions for influencing him so. But nothing other than his own heart had forced him to feel the way he did, so there was no point in lying to himself. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, the fact seemed to keep cruising back into his life at regular intervals and constantly reminding him, either of what he was slowly becoming, or what he had been all along: gay.

Of course, it hadn't always been so obvious. For a long time, Garet had laughed at the idea of being attracted to another male. They just hadn't given him the same thrill (or any, for that matter) that girls had. He could still remember the days of his childhood, when just the mention of Jenna was enough to turn his face red. Now, though, he suspected what really drew him to her was her tomboyish nature. When he and Isaac would race through the woods and climb trees, she would always tag along. Garet had always assumed that it was just a mandatory crush on a girl that all boys went through. It was a long time before he even found out that there were other options for falling in love.

* * * * *

"Garet, I think we should talk," Ivan said quietly.

The Mars Adept couldn't help the look of suspicion that he threw at his new traveling companion. Since the first time Ivan had read his mind, Garet could never relax around the boy. He would always suspect that Ivan was reading him again, no matter what the situation. Really, Garet didn't think he had all that much to hide, but it was just the principal of the thing. It was called privacy for a reason, after all.

"I don't think we have anything to talk about," Garet replied after a moment. While he was grateful that Ivan had stopped in the doorway, he didn't like the idea of being trapped in a small room with the Jupiter Adept. He could imagine how those thieves had felt when he and Isaac had helped Ivan corner them.

Ivan frowned. "It won't go away just because you don't talk about it. I would never tell him, you know."

"Tell who what?" Garet asked, looking confused.

"Isaac. About how you really feel."

The blank look remained on Garet's face. "What are you talking about?"

Ivan sighed and closed his eyes. "Sometimes, you dream about when you were children, when you didn't need an excuse to hold his hand." The words were barely out of his mouth when he felt strong hands slam him against the wall.

"You…you…!" Garet growled, his face trembling with terrible, frightening emotion. "You shut up!"

Ivan slowly opened his eyes and smiled sadly at his friend. "You always act so tough because you're afraid of what he would think of you if he knew the truth."

"SHUT UP!" Garet roared, pinning his neck with one arm and raising the other to strike him.

"You can hit me, but afterwards, you will still be unable to define yourself without first mentioning him."

Garet's arms fell uselessly to his sides, but he continued to glare hatefully at Ivan. "Stop reading my mind!"

Ivan shook his head. "I have stopped, Garet. I got all that from when I first read you days ago. It was nothing I expected to see, I assure you. I just wondered why you were accompanying Isaac on his quest, and it just kind of…slipped out. Well…flooded, anyway."

"Don't push me. I could STILL hit you."

"How long are you going to deny your feelings, Garet? You'll only feel worse as time goes on."

"What would you know about it?!" Garet demanded angrily.

"More than you, I'd bet," Ivan replied. "You think you're the only one that's ever been constantly attracted to the same sex?"

It took a few seconds for what Ivan had said to sink in. Garet stared at him, as if seeing him for the first time, and backed away uncertainly. "You mean…you…?"

Ivan couldn't help the smile that came to his lips. "I can offer proof, if you want."

"I believe you!" Garet replied firmly, his face growing red.

"Then you know that I can relate to what you're feeling." Ivan paused and stopped smiling, his expression becoming serious. "Garet…if you ever need to talk about this…or, even if you just want comfort, please don't hesitate to ask me. I know how difficult this can be for some people, and you shouldn't have to go through it alone."

It was probably in that very moment that Garet first admitted to himself that he just might be attracted, not only to Isaac, but to Ivan as well. Here was someone offering to be there for him, and not asking for anything in return. It didn't matter that they barely knew each other, or that Garet was still uncomfortable about the whole thing. All that mattered was that they had found a connection, something they had in common. On the other hand, Ivan was also the first boy that Garet would've ever thought to call beautiful. And, somehow, he knew that Ivan would take it was a compliment.

"You promise you won't seduce me?" was the first thing out of Garet's mouth.

Ivan stared at him as if he'd grown a second head, and then laughed. "Well, now that you've put the idea in my head, I don't think I can. But I will definitely be on my best behavior. I wouldn't want to distract you from what your heart truly desires."

"It'll never happen, anyway," Garet muttered sullenly.

"Not with that attitude, it won't. People can surprise you, Garet. Especially the ones you think you know best."

"Wait. You read him, too. Did you see…?"

Ivan shook his head. "I only read what was at the forefront of your minds. Believe it or not, I did have some respect for privacy. But if I know people like I think I do, then I'd say that the potential is there. It needs to be nurtured, though, or you might find yourself regretting having waited so long."

Unfortunately, Ivan turned out to be all too correct.

* * * * *

The longer the party stayed in Imil, the more Garet decided that he didn't like it. The people were friendly enough, but being in the shadow of the Mercury Lighthouse was really bugging Garet, literally. Every few minutes, he seemed to feel like someone had sucker punched him in the chest, or he developed an odd sniffle that came and went. Of course, the lighthouse wasn't bothering anyone else in the party, but then, there were no other Mars Adepts. Saturos and Menardi had been smart enough to flee, but Isaac insisted on staying a while, so Mia could tie up some loose ends before they left.

Garet couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about Mia that bothered him. At first, he'd thought it was just her mastery of the opposing elemental force. After all, Mia was a perfectly nice young lady, both in looks and personality. He didn't exactly hate her, but there was something that made him uneasy around her. It reminded him very much of the feeling he used to have about Ivan when they'd first met. Still, if anyone could sense something different about Mia, it would have to be the Jupiter Adept.

So Garet made the mistake of leaving Isaac and Mia alone while he dragged Ivan over to a dark corner of the inn.

"This is going to sound crazy," Garet whispered when they were out of earshot, "but there's something I don't like about Mia. I just don't know what it is. Do you think you can try reading her mind?"

Ivan frowned a bit. "Garet, Mia is very sensitive when it comes to Psyenergy. If she suspected that I was reading her mind, she might stop trusting us. Anyway, I know exactly what's bothering you about her. She's your rival in love."

Garet gave him a blank look.

Ivan sighed. "I mean that if you don't confess your feelings to Isaac very soon, you might lose your chance. You may not realize it, but the pull between Venus and Mercury Adepts can be very strong. Their planets are closest to the sun."

For a moment, Garet was going to brush that off as more of Kraden's lecturing about planetary alignment and all. But when he looked across the inn, he could see Isaac draping a Water Jacket over Mia's shoulders. Even more upsetting was the long look that passed between them when Mia murmured her thanks. Garet suddenly felt very ill, and he knew it had nothing to do with the Mercury Lighthouse, at least not directly.

Ivan placed a hand on Garet's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Garet," he whispered.

"It's my fault. I waited too long. I was afraid he wouldn't…" Garet trailed off and bit his lip as a shudder passed through his body. His knees gave out, and he sank to the floor, feeling small, helpless, and utterly alone. He knew then that he would never be able to hold Isaac, to murmur softly in his ear, to kiss him for the first time…

Then he felt a pair of slim arms winding around his waist and clasping his chest tightly. He glanced back and found Ivan's golden head resting on his shoulder.

"I know I'm not the blonde you were after," Ivan said softly, "but I swear I'll always be here for you, Garet."

Without warning, Garet felt another pain in his heart, one that had nothing to do with Isaac, for once. He could tell that Ivan meant those words, but Garet was not so blind that he couldn't tell what the Jupiter Adept was really saying…and probably had been for some time now. Feeling more the fool, he grabbed Ivan's neck somewhat roughly and dragged the startled boy into his arms.

"Garet, what are-" Ivan began to ask, but he was cut off as Garet mashed their lips together almost violently. It was definitely not the kind of kiss Ivan had been dreaming about, but somehow, it was exactly what he would have expected from a heartbroken Garet. So instead of fighting, he merely tightened his grip on Garet and tried his best to enjoy it.

But Garet pulled back rather suddenly. "Why didn't you tell me this before?!" he snapped.

"I told you, I wouldn't want to distract you from him. Now, though, it seems you've given up on him, so I just thought I would toss my hat into the ring."

"You don't have a hat," Garet muttered sourly.

"Maybe not, but I still ended up with you, didn't I?" Ivan asked with a grin.

"I suppose you're going to tell me this has something to do with Mars and Jupiter having a strong pull between each other?"

"Doubt it. Theirs wouldn't be as strong as the other, anyway. It's probably just your animal magnetism."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No, I really do think that's what attracted me to you, initially."

"So what attracts you now?" Garet asked.

"Now? This." Ivan leaned forward and kissed him, softly and with great hesitation, in case Garet changed his mind in the middle of it. But when he wasn't shoved away after several seconds, it dawned on him that he wasn't the only one enjoying it.

Garet was the first the pull away again, but he did it slowly, with an odd expression on his face.

"What is it?" Ivan asked, looking very concerned.

Garet said nothing as he slowly looked down. Then he looked back at Ivan, a grin spreading across his face. "You won't believe this, Ivan, but I think I'm gay."

Ivan shot him a look of obviously fake shock. "No! What would the neighbors think?!"

Garet's eyes seemed to smolder. "That we have very, very loud cats."

A blush crept over Ivan's face. "Garet, you've barely been officially gay for a whole minute."

"That just means we have a lot of catching up to do, doesn't it?"

* * * * *

At some point, Garet's relationship with Ivan had stopped being a rebound and started being something more. Numerous times, Garet thought about accusing Ivan of seducing him, even after the promise not to try. But then he would think of all the times he'd pounced on the unsuspecting Jupiter Adept, and he would have to wonder just who was seducing who. Rarely did Ivan refuse him, but rarely did Ivan initiate any of their romantic trysts (Ivan's word). Garet was always the aggressor, something that seemed to suit both of them just fine. Ironically, it even became unnecessary to hide their relationship. Isaac was always too preoccupied with Mia to notice much else, and if Mia knew, she wasn't talking.

* * * * *

Part II: Whirlwind

Sheba opened her eyes and sighed, but she did not turn away from the window when she heard the door open. It was probably just Iodem with her next meal, or Babi wanting to experience her psychic power again.

"You may speak with her, but you must not agitate Lady Sheba," she heard the old man at the door say. "Lord Babi would be highly upset if she became irritated."

Sheba smirked at that. Babi cared nothing for how she felt, so long as she was able to use her powers. So far, she had guaranteed herself regular feedings by claiming she needed a large amount of energy to make accurate predictions. This was not exactly a lie, but Sheba was now stronger than she had been when Iodem had first brought her to Tolbi. She was still holding onto the hope that one day soon, she would be able to predict her escape.

She was concerned when four sets of footsteps entered the small chamber, but when she sensed no malice from any of them, the concern faded.

"Excuse me, Lady Sheba," a hesitant voice began, "but do you-"

"My name is Sheba," she interrupted at once. "Don't let the title that Babi's men gave me fool you. I am here only as a prisoner of the throne of Tolbi."

There was a long pause, which ended as the door closed firmly.

"Listen to me, Sheba," said the same voice in a whisper, but with urgency behind it now. "Just say the word, and we'll free you."

"Wait a minute, Ivan!" another protested. "We barely know anything about her!"

"She has done nothing wrong!" Ivan insisted in a hiss. "I…I can…sense it…"

At this, Sheba turned around and found herself staring at, for lack of a better phrase, a male version of herself. Her heard began to beat rapidly as she spoke. "You…you are of the sky, as well?" she asked eagerly.

Ivan blinked a few times. "I…yes, but…"

"Then I am not the only one…" Sheba murmured, happy tears forming in her eyes. "I am not alone…"

A pained expression crossed Ivan's face, and he was about to speak when his eyes narrowed. "We should go. Soldiers are coming to check on her. It wouldn't be wise to let them find us here."

"How do you know?" the redheaded boy asked, looking doubtful.

"I…I guess Master Hama's gift kicked in earlier than we expected," Ivan said slowly.

Suddenly, the other blonde boy stepped forward, and everyone fell silent. There was a kind of importance in his bright blue eyes that Sheba found strangely inspiring.

"If Ivan says she is innocent, I believe him. But he's right; we can't just walk her out of here in broad daylight. We'd have to defeat all the soldiers in Tolbi, and we can't spare that kind of time right now. We'll come back for her tonight."

"But…it might be too late by then!" Ivan cried. "I don't know why, but…"

"Ivan. We cannot afford to make Babi our enemy, even if he is holding Sheba hostage. He's too powerful. Better for Sheba to vanish from her room at night than for us all to get caught now."

Ivan really looked as if he wanted to disagree again, but a glance from the redhead silenced his protest. "You swear we'll come back for her, Isaac?"

Isaac nodded at once. "I swear on the Psyenergy that flows through me, Ivan. We will rescue Sheba. But now we must go." He herded the group towards the door.

Ivan looked over his shoulder just before he left. "We'll be back for you," he mouthed before he vanished.

"No…you won't," Sheba whispered softly. For just seconds before, she'd had a vision of an odd pair of strangers in capes, their eyes glowing like hot coals as they carried her from the room…

* * * * *

The next time Sheba laid eyes on Ivan, it was atop the Venus Lighthouse. Oddly enough, though, her feelings about him rescuing her had changed, now that Felix had swept into her life. While it was true that Saturos and Menardi had kidnapped and threatened her, Felix had shown her nothing but kindness and a determination to keep her safe that made her feel completely at ease. It was impossible for her to understand why this was, since Saturos and Menardi were clearly stronger than him, but somehow just being near Felix was a huge comfort.

Yet, it was not everything that she wanted, Sheba knew as stared at Ivan. Felix was nice in his own way, but he was not of the sky, like she and Ivan were. There was so much that she needed to ask him still. Perhaps he even knew something that would lead to the revelation of where she had come from, and who her real parents were. And even if he knew nothing of her past, Ivan was probably the only person who could ever hope to completely understand her. She would never have to hide anything from him, because they were kindred spirits.

But Felix's words made her hesitate. "I hardly think you'd be better off with Isaac and his friends," he'd said as they'd climbed the lighthouse behind Saturos and Menardi. "Suppose you did go with them. Even if they meant to return you to Lalivero, Iodem and Babi's soldiers are waiting there. They would take you back into custody, and Isaac has allied himself with Babi's cause. He would have to hand you over." From what little she knew of him, Sheba did not think Felix would lie to her.

Even if she couldn't trust Isaac not to turn her over to Tolbi, she was almost certain that Ivan wouldn't allow it. Not after that way he demanded that Saturos release Sheba, surely knowing it would provoke the Proxian to fight. At first glance, Ivan and his friends didn't seem to stand a chance against the two hardened warriors, and Sheba feared that even as Felix pulled her down the steps of the lighthouse, she would never see Ivan again. Just the thought made her heart ache, and for a wild moment, she considered begging Felix to stop, so she could bid Ivan a proper farewell. As it turned out, there was no real need for that.

Sheba glanced back one last time before Isaac's party was blocked from view by the wall lining the steps. She was not surprised when Ivan's eyes locked on hers, nor by the concern that they held. But Sheba didn't need her powers to know that the concern was solely for her, not himself. He was about to walk willingly to his destruction, and he was worried about her? For a long time afterward, she would not understand this deep compassion for a near total stranger, even after Felix proved himself a hero forever in her eyes.

"I will see you again," Ivan's eyes seemed to insist. "And when I do, I'll tell you everything that I know of the Wind Adepts." Then he turned away, taking a deep breath, and thrust his Zodiac Wand high into the air, shouting, "Mighty Thor, God of Thunder, I summon you!"

Sheba froze as the sky itself seemed to darken, and a glowing, twisting, circular symbol appeared high above the lighthouse. Her heart began to beat rapidly as a huge pillar of lightning struck the two Proxians, knocking them to their knees. The pillar quickly took on a humanoid shape: that of the god, Thor, carrying a huge, electrified hammer in his gauntlet-encased right hand. He sneered at the two Proxians, as if they were insects, and the hammer reacted at once, firing what at first seemed to be an endless stream of lightning at Saturos and Menardi.

Felix managed to tear his eyes away as the god vanished, only to realize he and Sheba had both stopped to watch. He was about pull her along after him, but he finally noticed that she was trembling with some powerful, unknown emotion. The realization that she would not and could not leave until the battle was over suddenly hit him, so he sighed and tried to get comfortable. That was when he noticed Isaac shouting something into the sky, and a huge, winged figure floating high above them…

* * * * *

Sheba couldn't have been more thrilled when Felix stepped forward and shook Isaac's hand firmly. She no longer had to worry about fighting Jenna's friends-and, more importantly to her, Ivan-in their quest to light the remaining elemental beacon. She hadn't dared to hope this day would come, even after seeing it in a vision, as she hadn't wanted to end up disappointed.

Suddenly, Mia broke away from Isaac's group and crossed the hall, stopping in front of Piers and offering her hand in a similar fashion. For his part, Piers looked surprised, but pleasantly so as he finally took her hand, and after a second of hesitation, brushed it with a light kiss. Mia had the grace to blush slightly, and did not let go as quickly as she usually might have when meeting a stranger.

Garet was next, pushing off from the wall and heading straight for Jenna, who aimed a scowl at him, as if he'd done something wrong. Despite that, Garet held out his hand, and was more than a bit surprised when Jenna smacked it out of the way and threw her arms around his neck. He recovered quickly and wrapped his arms around her, but before he could really begin to enjoy it, Jenna pulled away and grabbed Isaac in much the same way.

Sheba found herself staring at Ivan, who had stopped a few feet away and was staring at her with an odd combination of uncertainty and hopefulness. Her first thought was to embrace him, to show how much she'd missed him (as much as one could miss a lost brother only ever seen for about twenty minutes, she'd often imagined). But that seemed too forward now, so she settled for grabbing his hand and lacing her fingers through his, squeezing it in what she hoped was a reassuring manner.

Ivan smiled in relief and squeezed back. "I told you I'd see you again."

"Yes, you did," Sheba agreed happily. An idea came to her, and she pulled out a long, fiery red rod from her belt. "Consider it a welcoming gift," she said, forcing it into his hand. "It's my old Salamander Rod."

"Ah…thank you," Ivan said slowly, wondering if he really deserved it. But already Sheba was already jamming a Floating Hat onto his head.

"Felix's idea, as an act of good faith," Sheba explained, slipping his arms into a Faery Vest.

"How nice," Ivan replied. "But you really don't need to AAAAH!!!"

Everyone looked over to see Ivan sprawled on the floor with both feet in the air, as Sheba eagerly stuffed a pair of Safety Boots on them.

"Well, it's good to see them getting along," Piers remarked uncertainly.

* * * * *

Part III: Cyclone

Ivan had never even suspected that two sets of three little words could hurt so much.

He blamed himself, of course. Ever since that first moment in Contigo, Sheba had been following him around nonstop, seeking a kind of companionship that only another Jupiter Adept could provide. Ivan was more than happy to do so, not understanding, at least then, how needy Sheba must have been. Being separated from his own sister for so long, he thought he knew exactly what Sheba was going through, and that they could provide comfort for each other.

However, Sheba's need was far greater than his. Ivan, at least, had a sister that he knew of, and was like a son to Master Hammet. But Sheba had virtually no one, as she didn't really consider her adoptive family in Lalivero anything more than nice, caring people who had taken her in for a while. She was far too different to fit in among them, and had been miserable, thinking herself a freak of nature or a mistake. Then she had met Ivan, and discovered that she was not alone. The trouble was that Ivan was the only other Jupiter Adept she knew, and so she projected all her needs onto him without even realizing it.

Ivan had assumed that Sheba saw him as something of a brother and acted as such. He had never thought it odd that Sheba constantly sought affection from him, though it always felt a bit strange, especially considering his attachment to Garet. For some reason, telling Sheba about their relationship had never even crossed his mind, most likely because he didn't consider her a threat to it. He had no way of knowing (short of reading her mind, which now seemed rude) that his failure to do so only made the situation worse.

Ivan was quickly becoming literally everything to Sheba. To her, he represented everything she had been searching for all her life, but was unable to find until now. At first, this was not a problem. And then, without warning, Sheba's whole attitude toward him changed, subtly at first, but gradually becoming more and more alarming.

It had started with a simple hug that turned into more of a tender caress, which Ivan had walked away from feeling utterly shaken. No one but Garet had ever touched him that way, and he wasn't quite sure how to react to a girl doing it, least of all Sheba. But the odd physical sensations continued, from holding hands to lips being brushed against places that only Garet had brushed. And still Ivan didn't make the connection, because he continued to see Sheba as a sister, although a strangely affectionate one.

But it had all come to a screeching halt when, seemingly out of nowhere, Sheba had kissed him. Needless to say, it had not been the kind of kiss that a sister would give a brother. It was that kind of kiss that left no doubt in Ivan's mind that Sheba had been trying to seduce him for weeks now, and that this could go no further. There was no easy way to spare her feelings at this point, so Ivan decided to be perfectly honest: he would tell her that his heart belonged to someone else, and if she asked for a name, he would give it to her. But the conversation had not gone as Ivan had hoped it would.

"I love you," Sheba had whispered before he could think to say anything.

It had only seemed natural to start off with an apology. "I'm so sorry."

That was when she had ran from him, startling Ivan so much that he only had time to send a desperate, final thought into her had before she closed her mind to him and vanished.

* * * * *

Garet frowned and tapped his foot irritably. He could not understand why Ivan had insisted that he wait here, in this particular forest clearing, for so long. It had only been about ten minutes, but with absolutely nothing interesting happening around him, that was too long for Garet. His crankiness was largely due to Ivan's spending all his time with Sheba, but he understood that she had no one else. Felix had tried to be there for her, but in the end, he wasn't anything like Sheba, unlike Ivan, who could easily pass (and had been mistaken more than once) for her brother.

But Garet felt he had just as much claim on Ivan as Sheba did, and at least Ivan returned his feelings. It was unfortunate that Sheba had no one else, but that didn't give her the right to steal people's boyfriends, secret or otherwise. There was little doubt in his mind, however, that Ivan would cajole him into wanting to comfort Sheba…and with that realization, the reason for his being here became all too clear.

For in the next instant, Sheba burst through the brush at a mad run. She was currently wiping at her eyes, and so it was almost inevitable that she ran straight into Garet. He was ready for her, though, and easily caught her when she bounced off his chest and almost fell to the ground.

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Garet asked, before realizing he'd set himself up for that old joke again. From the looks of it, though, Sheba wasn't in the mood for jokes, though. Her eyes were red from crying, and her face was pale and streaked with tear tracks. Her body seemed to be shivering uncontrollably, as if she was freezing. Garet wondered briefly if he would've ended up this way if Ivan hadn't been there to help him get over losing Isaac to Mia.

Sheba stared up at him through bleary eyes. "Oh, Garet!" she sobbed, throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. "I'm such a fool!"

"You're not," he replied more or less automatically, patting her golden head in an awkward way. "What would make you think that?"

"I-Ivan," she blubbered. "I-I thought he…loved me…THAT way, but…" Sheba shook her head and burst into tears again.

"Hey, come on," Garet said gently, feeling more uncomfortable by the moment. "Ivan's not a bad guy. I'm sure he had a good reason for…well…" He wanted to avoid the phrase "turning you down," but it was very hard to think of something nice along those lines.

"He said…there was someone else…" she whimpered. "But I never even saw him spend that kind of time with anyone. I know he wouldn't lie to me, but…what am I supposed to think? What am I supposed to DO, Garet?!"

"The first thing you should do is calm down," Garet said, perhaps more firmly than was needed. "Even if Ivan doesn't feel that way about you, you know as well as I do that he still cares. He's probably just as upset as you are, knowing that he hurt you so bad."

Sheba sniffled and raised her head a bit. "…I never thought about that."

"You weren't supposed to; you were distraught," Garet pointed out. He'd heard Ivan use that word once, and it certainly seemed to fit with how miserable Sheba had looked a moment ago.

"I suppose…I should go back and apologize right away," Sheba murmured. "I didn't even let him finish."

"Bad idea," Garet said at once, before he could stop himself.

Sheba gave him an odd look. "But you just said…"

"I know. But I know Ivan, and right now, he's going to want to be alone for a few days at least. Best that you keep your distance for a while. I'll give him your apology myself." It wasn't quite a lie; Ivan did like to meditate on his thoughts regularly.

"You…you'd do that for me?" Sheba asked softly, new hope shining in her eyes.

"Sure," Garet replied. "I don't like seeing him upset any more than you do. And there's no reason you two should end your relationship over a misunderstanding. Just give it a few days, and I'm sure Ivan will be ready to talk things out."

"I don't deserve a friend like you, Garet," Sheba declared, embracing him again. "Thank you!"

Garet patted her back half-heartedly, looking uneasier than ever. "I don't know if I'd go that far, Sheba…"

* * * * *

Ivan stood up as Garet walked into the room they were sharing. "How did it go with Sheba?"

Garet decided to ignore his question. "She said you never gave any sign of being with anyone else before today. That bothers me."

"Well, I'd been spending all my time with her, hadn't I?" Ivan replied. "She never would've seen us together."

"We always volunteer to share a room at inns. And she always sleeps with Felix!"

"I think that may be more Felix's preference than hers," Ivan supplied. "Stop stalling. How did it go?"

"I have to say, Ivan, when you break a heart, you really break a heart. Poor girl must've thought you were her One True."

"That's not what I wanted to hear, Garet…" He sank to the bed and hid his face in his hands.

"Stop it. She's fine. I just told her to calm down and give you some space for a few days."

Ivan shot up like a rocket. "What?! Why?! WHY would you do that?!"

"Because you DO need space." He grabbed Ivan's collar and yanked him closer. "WE need space, dammit!"

"…what?"

Garet glared at him. "I've missed you. Idiot."

"You…have?"

"Yes! You've always been with her! I know she's got problems, but blue balls are a problem, too, now!"

Ivan turned red. "Garet, honestly! We do OTHER things…"

"I know. But lately we haven't done ANYTHING and that's FIRST on my list, buddy."

"So what are you going to do? Lock me in here for three days?"

Garet smirked at him. "I won't have to. You won't be able to walk by the time I'm done tonight. And it's going to take you a lot longer than three days to recover. And that's assuming I get tired enough to leave you alone for day."

Ivan's eyes widened. Mostly because Garet had never gotten tired when it came to sex.

"Face it. You owe me some makeup sex."

"But, Garet…we didn't have a fight."

"We don't have to. You're making up for all the time you should've spent with me, but didn't. And if that's not good enough for you, then I'll hit you. In the face. Twice."

"…you said three days, right?" Ivan asked weakly.

"Minimum," Garet replied, licking his lips. "I wouldn't make any plans for the month, though, if I were you."

"But…Sheba…"

"Is fine, I said. And if I have to strip her and Felix, then tie them together and leave them in a closet, then I will. They don't have to like it, and they don't have to become an item, but they WILL stay out of our business from now on. I am NEVER going to get this horny from deprivation again."

"You're going pretty far just for a few hours of pleasure, Garet."

"Shut up unless you want me to gag you," Garet threatened.

"That might be for the best, if you're planning to go all out."

"I am. But I have no intention of hiding this any more. I WANT Sheba to know we're together."

"But are you sure you want her to know NOW, seeing as how you're the one who comforted her? It's going to make you look pretty selfish."

"I'm horny. I'm allowed to be selfish. She's got no reason to hog you when Felix is perfectly willing. If she wants a pretty boy so bad, she can even drag Piers into her bed."

"…I didn't need that image, Garet."

"Don't tell me you'd rather take her place?"

"Of course not! Just don't like the thought of her…you know…becoming intimate with anyone so soon."

"Soon? She's been after YOU all this time. I'd say she's late to the dating game as it is. If she doesn't put out soon, Felix and Piers will get together out of desperation."

"They wouldn't," Ivan said.

"Hey, Felix may have eyes for her now, but I bet you Piers could recruit him to our side."

"You have no evidence that Piers is even-"

"He hasn't gone after Jenna or Sheba. JENNA, Ivan!"

"Just because YOU used to be attracted to her doesn't mean she's a goddess, Garet."

Garet counted off on his fingers. "I wanted her, Isaac wanted her, Felix is only immune because they're blood, and I'm almost positive Alex eyed her a few times. Face it, the girl is HOT, and I don't mean because she's a Mars Adept."

Ivan shook his head. "It's statements like that which make me wonder if you're a double agent, Garet."

"Hey, it'll be your fault if I do decide to straddle the fence. You didn't leave me much choice for a while, and since Isaac is taken, it wouldn't have been long before Jenna came to me."

"That's not funny."

"Wasn't meant to be. I'm hot property, pal. If you let me go, someone else will snatch me up."

* * * * *

Felix was in the middle of polishing the Sol Blade when the door to his room slammed. "If you want to challenge me again, Isaac, you'll have to wait until I-" He trailed off upon turning and spotting Sheba. "…oh. What is it, Sheba?"

"…I've just realized something," Sheba murmured.

For a moment, Felix stared at her. There was something…odd in the way Sheba was looking at him. He wasn't sure why, only that she'd never looked at him that way before. "Care to share?"

Sheba walked over to him and stared at her reflection in the long sword. "I've been living my life all wrong. It's time I got…a new perspective."

"Anything I can help with?" he volunteered, sounding confused but hopeful.

"I think you'd be a great help, Felix," Sheba replied, smiling up at him. "Would you join me for a walk?"

He nodded, sheathing the sword. "Where is it you'd like to go?"

She shook her head. "No place in particular," Sheba said, slipping her hand into his. "I just want to wander and wonder for a bit."

"What brought this on?" Felix asked as they left the room.

"I'm a girl. I'm allowed to change my mind," Sheba answered. "By the way. What were you going to do if I hadn't come and gotten you?"

Felix shrugged. "Polish the rest of my equipment, I guess."

"In other words, you were waiting for me to get back, weren't you?"

He opened his mouth, perhaps to disagree. But then he looked into Sheba's eyes, and something persuaded Felix to change his answer at the last moment. "I suppose I was."

Sheba giggled and tugged him along after her. They didn't match the vision she'd just had, of course, but she could hardly just march up to Felix and shove her tongue down his throat. It was only polite to wait a few minutes, she decided…

The End.

I rarely write gay couples, Golden Sun or otherwise. So if this didn't seem believable, 1) I'm not gay (at least I don't think so), 2) I have a hard time believing Garet is, 3) I have a hard time writing a kind of romance I know next to nothing about.

Usually, I support Flameshipping (Garet/Jenna), Windshipping (Ivan/Sheba), Lighthouseshipping (Felix/Sheba), and, if it matters, Mudshipping (Isaac/Mia). Only now I'm wondering what any Mars Adept + any Jupiter Adept is called. Gasshipping, maybe?