Disclaimer: Made by a fan for fans only.

For all the good people of the EdgexRydia shippers forum's Valentine's Day Fic-a-thon (moar details on Freida Right's bio). Keep the love flaming!

First Kisses

Rydia didn't know what to expect out of the evening, but the kisses weren't it.

The night had started well. She was dancing and sharing the joy of Cecil's and Rosa's wedding with everyone within reach. The room spun, in a nice way, as she clapped, whirled, and exchanged partners with the white mage to her left.

The next thing she knew, she was under someone's cloak being steered rather expertly toward the outside balcony, placed into a corner, and kissed.

For a long time.

It had felt nice, not as alarming as it should have been. Considering that it was her first kiss in the very complex timeline of her life, she felt it qualified as a good memory. The person must have been as drunk as she was, and she was prepared to forgive the man for celebrating so enthusiastically he would kiss a perfect stranger.

Imagine her surprise when she finally saw her kisser fully, the one person who had refused to meet her eyes all evening and broke every rule of social grace in her presence.

Anger. Embarrassment. Finally, pride kicked in.

She tried to speak, yelled out the weight of the sadness he had made her feel, "Edg-!"

Another kiss. This time she didn't even have the energy left to think, let alone stand upright. His arm tightened around her waist, another hand tilted her chin, the fingers placed lightly against her cheeks.

In between breaths she had only one, singularly clear, thought. That she was trembling, from Eidolons knew what, and that he was trembling too. His fingers tapped little tremors down her neck, wrapped in her hair as he pulled her even closer, traced ice and fire in their wake as he explored the contours of her collarbone.

The night lit up with fireworks and a crowd rushed out onto the balcony to exclaimed at the sight. No one glanced into the corner, no one noticed the shadows of two people so intertwined they may have already become just one being.

The lightshow ended. Celebrants cheered one last time and drifted back into the ballroom, oblivious to a battle of boiling emotions just a few feet away behind the glass doors. The chill night wind returned, but the heat from his hands kept her from its bite.

Words failed to arrange into coherent sentences for Rydia. She didn't know what was up or down, or whether she was still feeling angry, or sad, or any combination in-between. So she gave up, and concentrated on listening to their shared heartbeats and making sure the earth was still under her feet.

Their hands found each other and held fast as the kiss broke away. Silence drew on as both tried to say and un-said the things they have been throwing at each other ever since the evening began.

A tear slipped from her eyes. Shocked, she willed it to dry mid-air but instead the unruly drop splashed onto Edge's hand. Instantly he hurried to let go, "Rydia, I'm sorry, I-Eidolons-this is not how I-"

He stopped as Rydia held onto his hands even more firmly, nails almost drawing blood, "Don't. Don't you dare run away, you coward."

Edge choked, instinctive rage flamed as he opened his mouth to deny her accusation, then just as abruptly his voice died in his throat. She was right. He had been running. Ever since he first saw her, he had been running and hiding, fearful of exactly what had just happened tonight.

He had lost his hard-won control because of his own careless inebriation, and he owed it to Rydia to face the consequences.

He tensed as she looked up and directly into his eyes, his hands twitched as she studied his exposed face. Edge fought against the very core of his ninja-being, the ingrained habit to blend into the shadows and disappear. His heart beat in slowed time from a mixture of fear and dreadful hope as he felt Rydia's hands tugged him closer...

The kiss this time was slow, a replacement for the words they were unable to say aloud as yet. A study of what made their joined hands felt so right.

Rydia learned fast. And the night was still young enough for lessons in other...things.

Prompts: first kiss and...night maybe? Yes, I went there!