Hours later, Ringabel jerked awake to heat in his stomach and a weight across his chest. His hips bucked in response to the tightness of his drawers and he opened one eye to figure out what he was under and why his temple and ear were disgustingly wet. Was the ceiling leaking? That was the last thing they … he gasped.

Edea's hair draped across his face, tickling his nose and cheeks. Her mouth was wet and against his ear as she half-suckled, half-nibbled on it, murmuring in her sleep.

He groaned, not out of pleasure, but because he knew she had to be dreaming of delectable desserts, and any moment now she would bite him. Not a way to start his morning! He squirmed, trying to push her off.

In response, her tongue curled around his earring and tugged. Now, a sensation of both pleasure and worry fluttered through him. If Edea got his earring off, she could easily choke on it. And then he would lose it, and he would rather not that, not even for her. Not to mention it was dangerous for her.

"Edea," he mumbled quietly, tilting his head away from her ear. She growled slightly under her breath and wriggled against him, her thigh pressing uncomfortably close to certain parts of his body. "Edea, dear. It's time to wake up."

That part, he wasn't sure about, because the cabin was still dark and what he could see of the sky outside was still a deep blue. But it was time for her to wake up, at least.

"Mmm…Ringabel ," she murmured, her hands grasping at his chest and nearly tugging his shirt off. Panic blanked his mind for a moment. "I'm hungry."

He pushed at her arms, trying to wiggle out from under her in the same motion. Was this his punishment for reminding her of rations? She was going to eat him alive, as he had always feared. He was too young to die in such a gruesome way, languishing in Edea's belly.

Edea groaned, her eyes squinching in her sleep. "No, not that. I want ice cream." She growled, then went limp above him. Ringabel managed to slip a leg between hers and got enough leverage that he could roll them over, trapping the girl against the bed. He wasn't sure what she was thinking, or dreaming, but he needed a way to wake her up that wasn't going to get him killed or worse, eaten.

She was quiet now though, and he cautiously relaxed his grip on her, leaning back on his heels. He was fully awake now, and doubted he would be able to get back to sleep, not with Edea still completely out to the world. Who knew what she might do to him?!

As he bit his lip, wondering if she would mind terribly if he slept on the couch, she stirred underneath him.

"Ringabel," she breathed, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Y-yes?" he said, still unsure as to whether she was - oh, who was he kidding. She was asleep, because otherwise she would have punched him for looming over her prone form in such a way.

"M' cold," she mumbled, curling into herself. "Hungry."

He took a deep breath, then grabbed her by the shoulders and rolled her over to her stomach. She went easily enough, grasping at the blankets and mouing softly. "Here you are, dear... a… a giant crepe," he told her. That sounded about right. Crepes had long sheets of dough, yes? He'd seen the girls devour them enough that he should know. "Isn't it delicious? Hold it tight, now!"

He could just barely see the adorable little smile on her face. "Mmhmm," she mumbled, and nibbled at the edge of the blanket that they used as a pillow.

Once she was facing away from him, he felt a little more safe to curl up behind her, wrapping his arms securely around her form, and trapping her arms against her chest. She squirmed against him, clearly not happy by the restriction, but he held fast, hooking one of his legs over hers. After a few tense moments, she settled down, resigned to her fate. He resigned himself to his own, though he wondered what her dream was like for her to accept it.

She settled back against him, sighing as she went back to sleep, sans any sort of food. Still, despite the stillness of the woman in his arms, Ringabel's mind was racing. Now that he was very thoroughly awake, he could not be going back to sleep anytime soon… risk her waking up and crawling on him again? No!

Not to mention a certain part of him had also awoken when Edea had crawled over him, and it didn't seem keen to let him relax. He couldn't let down his guard in regards to it, or to the girl who had once again begun to squirm slightly in his arms, reaching out for a pastry just out of reach.

He sighed, and buried his face into Edea's hair. It was going to be a long, long night.

Years passed, or they felt like it, and finally light began to shine through the windows. Ringabel yawned again, wondering when Edea would wake so that he could take a nap. He didn't dare rest while she was asleep, not if she was going to try and eat him again.

His eyes felt so heavy and painful. Normally when he was staying awake overnight to fly, or to work on other things, he had thoughts to occupy his mind. Happy thoughts, either of his current project or of his favorite subject - girls. Pretty girls in bikinis or short skirts. Except, that was not something he could think about now; it would only make his current situation worse. Instead, he'd taken to thinking about past sparring sessions he'd had with Tiz, or Barras, or even Kamiizumi, when he had been newly initiated into the army. Anything that would keep him awake without exciting him any further.

Edea had been still for quite some time now. She had ceased wriggling around, but he wasn't taking any chances, not when she still occasionally called out for cake or ice cream, naming flavors he hadn't even been aware existed.

When he felt her stir again, he prepared for the worst, tightening his grip around her. She'd tried to suplex him out of the bed just a couple of hours ago, and now he wasn't going to take any chances.

"Mmm," Edea said, lifting a hand to touch his arm. "What are you doing, Ringabel?" She sounded as stern as ever, if not sleepy.

He let her go, just slightly, though he kept his arm around her waist. Just in case.

"Good morning," he said, grimacing at the roughness in his voice. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" She'd better have. At least one of them needed a good night's sleep.

"I had some really weird dreams," she replied slowly, the sleepiness still present in her voice. "They were nice, though."

They were still very close, close enough that he could feel her arm now moving up so that she could rub her eye. He watched her for a long moment, but when she shifted against him, he startled out of his sleepy-daze.

"Tell me about them," he offered, trying to stifle a yawn.

To his surprise, Edea rolled over, grumbling a little. "Wasn't I the big spoon last night?" she asked, even as she settled down again on her side, facing him. His arm, already rather numb from Edea laying on it all night, tingled with pain as it awoke slightly, only to be harshly squashed down when she nestled her head against his shoulder.

Ringabel had to swallow thickly before he could reply, even as he wondered if she could feel the pounding of his heart in his throat. "Were you really? I don't recall."

"Mmm."

"Your dream," he said again, hoping to distract her from anything going on below his belt. She was so warm and so soft, and she was now slinging an arm around his waist so that she could press against him, and he could feel her…

"I was on Candy Mountain in Ice Cream Land," she said dreamily. He inhaled sharply, not because of her words, but because she was tracing a finger in patterns against his hip. He tried to focus on it, to figure out what it was, rather than think about the growing tightness in his pants.

"Candy Mountain?" he managed to squeak out. "Then… then what happened?"

She nestled her head against his shoulder. "Then in the distance I saw the most beautiful sight. A mountain taller than even Eternia's mountains, covered with scoops of ice cream, and whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle! So of course, I had to check it out."

"Of course."

Her hand was now edging closer to his leg. He tried not to squirm or alert her to anything going on down there.

"Of course! So I did, you know. I flew - yes flew - across to the ice cream mountains and started to eat them. It was so good and tasty, though a little weird. And then, just as I was finished up with one mountain, I tried to go to the next and - a crepe fell on me."

"A crepe?" he asked, his voice cracking. "Interesting!"

"Yes," she replied, sighing. She stopped tracing patterns on his leg and he sighed softly in relief, biting his lip as her hand trailed back up to his hip. "A crepe… at first I thought it was also for dessert, but when I tried to eat it, it wrapped me up and told me that for crimes against ice cream-anity, I would be imprisoned. I was trapped next to Ice Cream Mountain and couldn't escape at all."

And that had been when he'd made her settle down for the night. "I'm sorry. That sounds horrendous."

"It was," she said, and yawned. "No matter what I did… I couldn't reach it. Grr, Ringabel you need to take me out for ice cream on our date."

Despite his tiredness, and the awkwardness that he felt, he smiled. She remembered the date and even wanted it?! "Of course," he assured her. "Ice cream it - " Ringabel shrieked as Edea's hand moved to grasp him between the legs and squeezed. "EDEA!" he gasped, shoving her hand away.

"Sorry," she said, though she didn't sound sorry in the least. "It's just - I remember that the crepe was kind of … well, I thought maybe there were nuts in the dough, because I kept feeling something hard. It looks like it was another sort of -"

"Well," he cut her off, flushing. "I'm not ice cream, but apparently you thought it was good enough."

Edea propped herself up on an elbow to look at him in the face. Their eyes met, and she must have seen something in them, because she started cackling. He slid his gaze over to the window. "Did I really?" the girl laughed. "That explains so much! No wonder the crepe betrayed me."

"The crepe," he hissed, "was trying to get your mouth off his ear."

"You don't like it? I thought people liked that."

"How do you - no wait, that's besides the point," he said, feeling entirely flustered that she knew about that sort of thing, and that she was saying it so casually when she she was still so close, lying beside him. The sleep gone from her eyes, she peered over at him curiously. Despite his lack of sleep, adrenaline was fueling him and his heart was pounding. "You were asleep. I would never do anything."

Edea cocked her head at him. "... now that I'm awake?"

Ringabel was now not entirely sure that he was awake, because surely this was a dream. First Edea had - had manhandled him, and now she was suggesting that… that…

Maybe Edea was the one who was still asleep. He stared at her. "Go back to bed, Edea." When her eyebrows raised, he continued. "You're clearly sleepwalking. Talking. Whatever."

"Okay," she said, and he was sure that it was a trap, because Edea never agreed to do something so readily.

And he would be right, because instead of rolling over and shutting her eyes like a good girl, Edea wiggled down until she could lay her head against his chest, her arm wrapping loosely around his waist. Her breasts pressed against his stomach.

Ringabel lifted an arm, hovering his hand above her shoulder. "What are you doing?" he asked her, curious and afraid. His erection was now very close to her stomach, and he was certain she could feel it.

"What's it like?" she asked him.

"What… what is what like?" He wasn't sure wanted to know.

"Your nuts." When he sputtered, she clarified. "Well, not exactly those, Ringabel. It's just… this is the third morning I've woken up to it, and… I know it's normal for men, but isn't three times a little excessive? Unless it's always like that. Does it hurt right now?"

"It's not - it's fine, and - it doesn't normally do this," he answered his face feeling hot and tight. He was not having a conversation about this with Edea. With a groan, he leaned his head back, lifting and a hand so that he could run his fingers through his hair. "It's just because of you."

When she didn't reply immediately, he thought back to his statement and felt his heart jump.

"Edea," he said hurriedly, to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Because of me," she said, voice flat.

"You… are so close! And so squirmy, and - actually, forget I said anything. Edea, could you be a dear and cast a Sleep spell on me? I think I'd like to be unconscious for a while."

She laughed at that, and he gulped as her chest bounced against his form with her giggles. "You're so silly, Ringabel. You probably don't want to be asleep for this."

"Are you certain? Perhaps we could both get some more sleep, and…" he trailed off as her hand moved again, this time slowly, as though testing him. He wasn't sure what he was being tested on, but he kept still, though his fingers twitched. When he felt the very tips of her fingertips brush against his clothed erection, he managed to stifle his groan by biting his lip, very hard.

"I thought you took care of it before bed," she was saying.

He had to unbite his lip to reply. "I did. It came back. They do that."

"Oh," Edea said, and she shifted slightly. "Why does it do that?"

"Why don't you ask it?" he suggested, not without a hint of sarcasm. "It has certainly nothing to do with a young woman sucking my ear and squirming against it."

"Fine," she replied, with no hint of sarcasm, and he panicked for a moment before her fingers slipped into the waistband of his drawers and his heart nearly stopped. He reached over her shoulder to grab her wrist, but she'd already touched him, her finger and palms brushing against his half-hard flesh. "What?"

"You shouldn't," he breathed, but it was very hard to get the words out because his body had now gotten a feel for her calloused fingers against his length, and it wanted more. He ached. "Edea, I'll take care of it, so - "

"I'll take care of it," she told him, and she shifted enough so that he could look at her face. It was red, but her eyes were resolute. "I have nothing else to do, Ringabel. You have to admit it."

"Nooo," he tried to protest, wanting to throw himself out of bed. "You shouldn't."

"Ringabel," she replied, rolling her eyes. "We have nothing else to do. I've already touched it - more than once, I might add. You might as well."

"... are you certain?" he asked her again, because she was right, there was very little to do, and if she wanted to - if she really wanted to handle him, he wasn't sure he could say no. It was taking all of his self control not to lift his hips up into her touch. Things were moving quickly and he was a little confused, but he could appreciate the pleasurable feelings from her hand all the same.

"I'm sure, I think. I mean… it's a little weird, but it's you. I think I'll manage." She bit her lip. "Just don't tell anyone, or I'll deny it ever happened."

"I won't," he promised, suddenly feeling eager at the very prospect of what she was suggesting. Never in his most wildest dreams had she been so… wait, was he dreaming? As Edea shifted so that she could drape over his stomach, he lifted an arm and pinched himself.

Ow! Not a dream.

Well then. Ringabel focused on the task at hand, grasping Edea's thighs tightly. As the two of them began to explore each other, the heat between them built to a crescendo.

Ringabel fell asleep first, followed quickly by Edea, nestling her head onto his thighs. She opened her eyes to the sound of snoring.

For a few moments, she didn't remember why she was laying on her belly of Ringabel. But when she lifted her head and realized where she was, the memories - and the warmth - rushed back to her.

Lifting herself slightly so that she could twist around to look at him, she could see Ringabel was… asleep, his head turned slightly to the side as he snored under her. His arms were lax around her form, and it was easy enough for her to lift herself on her knees and move off of him so that she could see him entirely.

He must have been exhausted, because he didn't make any motion of waking, even when she sat up on the bed next to him, his snoring continuing.

Edea looked him over, and her tummy fluttered as she took in the sight of him lying exposed. Then she shivered. It was cold, and she was damp, and her source of warmth was asleep. What had they done before had been… Edea pressed her hands into her hot cheeks. There was no going back to the previous way they had shared body heat, was there? Now…

She needed to clean and get warm. Get warm in a way that didn't involve waking Ringabel up to see what else they could do together.

Still, Edea wasn't cruel enough to leave Ringabel lying exposed to the winter air. As she left the bed, she dragged the blanket back over him, so that at least he would be covered. It was only then that she attempted to find her leggings, though she discarded them in favor of just her panties. Seriously… they had just done laundry yesterday. She wasn't about to soil them again.

It would be cold, but… once Ringabel woke, they could get warm again. She stole a glance to the sleeping man when she emerged from the bathroom, still a little wet but much more clean than she had been previously.

She could get back in bed with him, but… first, breakfast.

Ringabel slowly woke, vaguely aware of a soreness in his thighs and a tightness in his face. Groaning, he rolled over to his side. His eyes still felt a little sore from his overall lack of sleep the night before, but better than they had before the nap… before the nap. When he and Edea had… had…

That hadn't been a dream.

His eyes flew open and he tried not to cringe as bright light assaulted his senses. Lifting up the blanket, he could see that his entire bottom half was bare and… Edea was not in the bed with him.

Leaning back, his chest hitched as he tried to control his breathing. Panic welled in him for the briefest of moments before he forced it down. There were plenty of reasons Edea wouldn't be in bed with him after they'd had… whatever is they'd had.

The cabin was quiet, but that meant nothing… did it?

"Edea?" he tried, but despite what they'd done, or perhaps because of it, his throat was dry. He cleared it and tried again, raising his voice. "Edea?"

"Ringabel?" she answered, her voice thick, from somewhere around the fire. He couldn't see her with the blankets over the screen, but he could hear the sound of her getting up and walking over. "You're awake?"

"Yes," he said slowly, bracing himself for the sight of her. Would she be angry? Or… he took a deep breath as she rounded the edge of the screen. Her hair was tousled, and her cheeks were pink. With embarrassment or something else, he wasn't sure. But she wore only her top and her panties, revealing her pale legs and arms to him.

"... Aren't you cold?" he asked.

Edea sighed, but he could see a smile on her lips. "I've been under a blanket by the fire. I didn't want to get my leggings too dirty…" she said, trailing off as she looked him over. "You should clean up and join me. I made breakfast."

He ran a hand over his face, noting how dirty it felt. Of course it was dirty, he'd had it buried in her just a little while ago. He could still taste her. "How long was I asleep?"

Edea shrugged. "A few hours? After breakfast, I took a nap of my own on the couch. You didn't miss much."

His hair was stuck to his face. He was positive he looked terrible, and he felt terrible as well. "I'll clean up," he said, slinging the covers aside and rolling to the side of the bed. A part of him wanted to stay in bed and perhaps sleep a bit more, but another part was too afraid that he was dreaming, and if he stayed in bed he would only wake up.

He didn't miss the way that Edea's eyes swept over his form. Torn between the instinct to make some inappropriate remark, and the need for some privacy, he settled on. "I believe I already ate breakfast, though."

Ringabel would be satisfied with the seconds it took for her to understand, and the way that her face flushed. "Pervert," she said, but there was no real bite in the word as she turned away from him. "I'll be on the couch."

He found his pants on the floor and took them with him to the restroom, cleaning up as quickly as he could with dusty, cold water. Scrubbing at his face until he was certain all of the residue was gone, he looked in his reflection, warped from the aged and pitted mirror.

"I just slept with Edea Lee," he said, and his reflection's cheeks were red. Even if it weren't technically true, saying the words out loud made it all seem so… real. Best of all, she wasn't mad at him!

Smoothing his newly-damped hair off his forehead and over the top of his hair, he winked at his reflection. "I just slept with Edea Lee and she loved it," he amended, even if that weren't technically true either. But it made warmth spread from his face to his chest all the same, and it went even further down.

He dressed quickly, famished, and any thoughts of trying to seduce Edea further were secondary to the idea of eating, his stomach decided for him. Maybe food would help, though. She was always seduced by a good meal.

He took a few moments to compose himself, to think of all the sharp one-liners and pick up lines that he had in his repertoire since undertaking the journey with his friends. But none of them had been for a situation like this, and all of them fled his head when he opened the door and saw her huddling on the couch in front of the fire, waiting for him.

"What did you make?" he asked instead, emerging from the restroom. It was cold in there, but the main cabin was notably warmer, especially in the kitchen and the area surrounding the fire. He rubbed his arms.

"Some beef stew," she said, leaning over the back of the couch to look at him as he puttered around the kitchen. "I found more potatoes and jerky."

It was… delicious, especially for her cooking. It warmed him from head to toe, and after swallowing a few spoonfuls standing, he took the bowl back to the couch. Edea moved over so that he could sit, draping the free end of the blanket that she had huddled under over him. This made him sit so so close that their thighs touched.

"I checked the snow level while you were asleep," she told him casually, watching him eat. "It's still really high. Maybe about to your shoulder. Maybe… we'll need to stay another night."

He had to finish chewing a mouthful of potatoes before he could reply. "Do you want to stay another night?" Considering what happened just that morning...

"Do I have a choice?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes," he replied, brows furrowing. "If you truly want out, we could find a way. Shoulder height isn't too terribly high. You can always stay behind me while I dig us out." He didn't relish the idea, because with the snow that high it could be difficult, but…

Edea shook her head. "No, we'll stay another night. It's safer that way. And I don't mind… if it's with you."

He went quiet, and turned his attention back to his bowl, stirring it around. Either she hadn't found more spices with the potatoes or she had been conservative with them, because he hadn't tasted anything too off about the stew. If anything, it was bland for her usual tastes.

"We'll be able to stay warm a few more nights, won't we?" she asked, and when he looked up at her, she was looking into the fire, her face unreadable. "Together."

He looked her over. "Do you want to talk about earlier?" he asked, feeling something like dread creep up on him. The room felt cold, suddenly.

Edea glanced over. "No, not really," she said, and bit her lip. When she saw the look on his face, she hastened to clarify. "Not that I regret it! We did keep warm, after all. It's just… weird."

"Weird," he repeated. She fell silent, and after a few long minutes he went back to finishing up the stew. Though he was losing his appetite, he wasn't going to waste it, not when their supplies were stretched thin as it was, and not when Edea had lovingly made it for him. Besides, he needed to keep his energy if he was to dry and dig them out.

The two of them sat in silence as they ate. Ringabel dragged it out as long as he could, stirring his stew carefully and thinking about what he was going to say to her… how he was going to try and salvage their existing relationship. He loved her, even before this had happened, and as long as he could be beside her, he would be happy.

Finishing up his stew, he set the bowl aside on the floor, then turned to her to explain himself, only for Edea to speak up first.

"I mean, you have to admit it was a little weird."

"What was weird about it?" he asked her, trying not to frown. This conversation was beginning to get to him. Had she hated it that much? Did she hate him now?

Edea sighed. "Do all dicks look like that?"

… that had not been the response he'd been expecting. He gaped at her. "What?"

"I had a pretty good look at it, you know! I keep thinking about it." She bit her lip.

Now was absolutely not the moment for a slick reply, and he wasn't sure he could form one with the way his mouth felt dry. He licked his lips instead, as his mind raced for an answer. "You don't need to feel ashamed," he started, his stomach heavy as he reached out for her. "We were caught up in the moment, and…"

"It's not that," she cut in, stopping him. "It's just… it's you."

"Are you saying I'm weird?"

"You're the weirdest," Edea said, and when she smiled at him, his heart lifted. She wasn't ashamed, not if she could smile at him like that, shy but open. "You are really the weirdest."

"What does that make you?" he asked, grinning back at her. He leaned over, and found to his relief that she didn't lean back, not entirely, though she did shift a little bit to face him. "If I'm the weirdest, but we just - " he faltered on his words, flushing slightly - " - p-pleasured each other."

"I think," she started, and her eyelashes fluttered. He was close enough to her now that he could see the depths of her blue eyes. There were indescribable emotions in them, some he recognized and some he didn't. "I think that makes me Mrs. Weird."

It was Edea who closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against his roughly, almost mashing their noses in her quickness. Ringabel let his eyes fall shut, sighing as he kissed her back, tilting his head for a more natural angle. He was no novice at kissing, after all, and he quickly took control of the kiss, moving his lips gently and chastely against hers as she clung to him. His arms wound around her.

A part of him wanted to push it further, but another part wanted to take it slow and relish this newfound … thing… he had with her. Leaning back so that he could get some fresh air, his eyes opened at the same time that hers did. Her cheeks were flushed alluringly, her lips kiss swollen and slightly parted. Inviting.

Edea swallowed. "Okay, the kissing was probably the weirdest part." Her eyes flicked over to the side.

"You've… you've already sucked my - " he tried to point out to her, confused. Women were so confusing.

"I know!" she interrupted him, her cheeks flaring with color. "That's why it's weird!" She placed her hands on his chest. Not pushing him away, but not allowing him closer.

Heat sparked in his face and for the briefest of moments he felt dizzy. Was there any going back from the events that had happened earlier? "Edea," he started, but she cut him off with her trembling fingers on his lips, his cheeks. He leaned into her cool hands.

"I told you," she said shakily. "I keep thinking about it. It's just… weird."

"You started it," he pointed out like a child, his bottom lip poking out. "Both the kiss and the thing earlier." There, he'd said it, and felt better for it. Not that he didn't mind doing these things with her, but in his opinion it was a little unfair she was instigating it all and then calling it - and him - weird.

"I did," she admitted. "And I always finish what I started, don't I?"

Before he could ask her what that meant, she kissed him again, her lips more gentle against his own this time. He responded eagerly despite the caution he felt, especially when he felt the wetness of her tongue probing his. Ah. His Angel was being bold, was she? His lips parted to grant her entrance, his own tongue meeting hers halfway, caressing it in greeting.

One of them moaned, he wasn't sure which, and they parted for a quick gasp of air before leaning back. Her lips were somewhat chapped, but warm, and molded easily to his own as he kissed her thoroughly, his lips curving as he realized she'd been lying. The only thing he could taste on her was their food. Her mouth was warm and hot, almost as hot as her core had been, and her scent filled his senses once more. It was softer, not as sharp, but just as enticing.

Edea was still new at this, and so she broke the kiss once more, her chest heaving for air. He kissed the corner of her parted lips, then her chin, then the underside of her jaw. "Mmn," she moaned, tilting her head back. "Ringabel…"

Instead of answering, his lips found her pulse point, thundering under her pale skin, and he sucked at carefully, drawing it out with his teeth. The way she cried out into his ear only fueled him, as did the way that she clung to him, her hands sliding around to his back, nails dragging against his skin. He bit.

Edea cried out, and squirmed, and it made it hard for him to continue to suck her neck. He stopped when she pushed at his shoulders frantically, worried he'd frightened her. "What is it?" he asked, looking up at her face. She was flushed and sweaty. Beautiful.

"Should we move to the bed?" she asked, averting her gaze from his.

Heat was low his stomach at the implication. Instead of replying, he kissed her again.

She shivered.

"Cold?" he asked..

"A little," Edea admitted, wrapping her arms over her chest. When the blankets was draped over her shoulders, she leaned against him. Ringabel kissed the top of her head. He felt a little dizzy at how things were going, but… Edea was soft and growing warm, and he enjoyed the feeling of her in his arms. Even if things stopped there, he would be content. He'd been able to kiss her, and a little more, and she seemed like she would let him continue to hold her, as long as he asked.

For a few long moments, the two of them sat there, listening to the sound of the fire crackling nearby and to each other's breathing. Then, Edea leaned back to look at his face.

"I'm still cold," she whispered. Her eyes had darkened with lust, and now they met his for a brief moment before she glanced away.

"Oh," he replied. "We - ah, we could move back to the bed. There's more blankets there, and…" she was shaking her head as he trailed off.

"It'll be fine here, but please, Ringabel… don't make me say it," she flushed, looking down at him.

"What if I want to hear it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's weird," she said, and laughed. He laughed with her, leaning up to kiss her lips. "But I suppose we're both weird," she continued, and her eyes slipped shut. He took the opportunity to kiss them each in turn, then her nose, and then her slightly-part lips, where she breathed out a sigh of anticipation against his own.

He smiled against her lips and held her close. Her hands wandered down his chest while his own crept down her soft form, caressing all of her curves in awe of the feeling of the woman on his lap. As their passion built, Ringabel pressed into her easily, the two of them gasping at the feeling of being joined. It had been a long time coming, and very welcome, and their cries filled the air as they coupled, driven by a need to be warm inside and out.

When it was done, the air was still. Then he closed his eyes and slept.

When he opened them next, Edea was curled up against him, her head nestled against his shoulder. She was breathing steadily, deeply - sleeping. His arms were loose around her, but he tightened them now, squeezing her gently so as to not wake her. The blanket was wrapped around them, keeping them warm despite the fact that the fire had gone down while they slept.

His feet, on the floor, were cold.

Ringabel ran his hands down Edea's back, even as he shifted and crossed his legs so that he could tuck them into the little blanket nest they had. He couldn't believe what had transpired, despite the very real evidence on his lap. Her skin was so warm… he continued to caress her back and thighs as he waited for her to wake, trying not to vibrate with anxiety.

He would be lying if he tried to claim that he had never fantasized about Edea in this way, because he certainly had, allowing thoughts of his beloved to fill his mind on particularly lonely nights when he was pent up, but none of those fantasies could have prepared him for the reality of what they'd just done. It was better than anything his paltry imagination could have come up with.

He shivered, and felt Edea's eyelashes move.

"Mmm," Edea said, nuzzling further into him. He smiled, pressing his cheek to her head. The urge to cuddle her was suddenly overwhelming; she was just too cute. "Ringabel?"

"I'm here," he replied, taking a deep breath. He felt giddy, but how would she feel? Would she regret it…? It had been sudden, after all, he could admit that. If it was just because of the tension that had built up between them.

Edea let out another noise, then leaned back from him, pushing herself up with a hand on his chest. Ringabel kept his own hands on her waist, holding her so that she didn't tumble back onto the floor or the fire.

She rubbed at her eyes with the other hand as she looked them over. Her cheeks were still flushed an attractive red, her hair sticking to her neck and face. She looked a mess. She looked lovely.

"How do you feel?" he asked, caressing her hip with a thumb.

"Sore," Edea admitted, and she shifted slightly. "Really sore."

He grimaced, wondering if he had been a little rough with her. He hadn't imagined their first time would be on a couch, after all. He'd wanted it to be romantic, with rose petals and candles, and love-making.

"I'm sorry," he replied, lifting his other hand to try and clear some of her hair from her face. "I didn't mean -"

"It's… okay," she said, shaking her head. "I know you'd never hurt me. And it doesn't hurt. It's just… sore, Ringabel. Like the type of sore you get when you have a really, really good workout."

"Which we did," he reminded her.

Her cheeks bloomed with color. "We did."

They both went silent, and Ringabel wasn't sure how to proceed. Edea saved him by attempting to slide off his lap. The blanket fell from her shoulders to the floor. "I need to… use the restroom," she said, steadying herself with her hands against his chest. He touched her arms. "And I'm hungry."

How long had they been sleeping? He looked past Edea to the fire, then to the windows. "We'll

She crossed her hands over her chest. "Stop staring," she told him, her cheeks a deep red. "

"You're beautiful," he blurted out.

"I'm a mess," she replied, but she let out a nervous laugh all the same. "Really, I need to clean up. Then we'll eat."

Ringabel was just as much a mess. His own thighs were slick and sticky, and his hair was a lost cause. "I'll put the pot on to heat," he offered as he attempted to stand. His legs protested the action, also sore from his earlier activity. She steadied him with a hand as he staggered.

He stared down at her, into blue eyes that he wasn't sure he could ever see the same again. They were as light as ever.

He leaned down at the same time she tilted her face up, and their lips met, molding to one another easily. Naturally. Edea hummed against his mouth as he kissed, chaste but loving. He sighed.

"Dinner," she reminded him.

"Is it time for dinner?" he asked, stooping down to pick up his pants and pull them on. Edea scooped up her clothing as well, though she merely held them in her arms.

"I don't know," she said, glancing at the window. They couldn't see the exact position of the sun with the snow so high. "I think it's probably in the afternoon, but…"

Time had escaped them, in this little cabin. Everything outside of it no longer mattered. He smiled at her.

"We'll eat a big dinner and go to bed, yes?"

Edea shifted slightly, her thighs pressing together. "Yeah… let's do that."

Ringabel tried not to grin and ruin the mood. "Go get clean," he managed to suggest with a relatively neutral face. "I'll clean up when I'm done in the kitchen."

Edea vanished into the restroom and he went into the kitchen, washing his hands before turning the heat back on the pot. He added a bit more water, to help fill out the meal, and watched the water swirl as he stirred it, his thoughts swirling around as well.

It was just… how could they ever go back to what they'd had before now? He wasn't the type of man to have one-night stands, and Edea wasn't that type of woman, either. Something was different between them now, something he couldn't quite name, try as he might to pin it down.

As absorbed in his thoughts as he was, he didn't notice Edea coming back into the room until she was right beside him and leaning over the pot. "It smells good," she said.

He jumped. "When did you come back?" he asked.

Edea laughed at him, but not unkindly. "I've been back, Ringabel. I just wiped down a little bit. Why don't you do that too. You smell." She wrinkled her nose.

"Thanks," he said, pouting at her. That wasn't very romantic. "Maybe we should take another bath? Together?"

"The tub won't fit us both," she reminded him. "But good try."

Ringabel stuck his tongue at her. She pushed at his shoulder. "Go!"

When he left, it was Edea's turn to stir their meal. She looked down into the cloudy water, then reached over to the packet of spices she'd left on the counter, deciding to sprinkle more in.

The past few days had blurred together, seeming endless, and with the new - interesting - development in their relationship, it had been momentarily tempting to entertain the thought of living out her days with him. Then she'd reminded herself that she was planning on doing that already, in one way or another, and if it had to be here, she'd eventually murder him out of frustration.

Edea bit her lip as she shifted. She felt sore now, but maybe if Ringabel was a little more gentle the next time…

By now she was relatively sure there would be a next time. She couldn't ignore all the feelings that had come out between them, and they were alone. Would be alone for a while yet.

Ringabel returned, his hair wet from a fresh scrub down.

"It's almost ready," she told him. "Still getting warmed up."

"I can wait," he replied, joining her in the kitchen. His arms wrapped around her, and he leaned in, pulling her to his chest. She closed her eyes, relishing the warmth of his skin. Being held like this was nice.

"Go make yourself useful," she murmured after a moment, leaning her head back against him. "Wash the dishes."

Ringabel whined. "Must I, dear?"

"Yes. We're almost out of clean ones, and I'm not eating out of a dirty bowl." Well, she probably would if she had to, but she wouldn't like it.

Ringabel grumbled but did as he was told, while she stayed at the stove. A smile curved the corner of her lips as she watched him gather up the bowls and spoons and carry them to the sink. The washing water would be cold, but it would suffice. And lucky her, while Ringabel was cleaning dishes with frigid soapy water, she got to stay in front of the warm stove.

Once the stew was nicely heated again, and the bowls were clean, they ate quickly and with little chatter, devouring their generous servings. They'd been more active in the past few hours than they had in the past few days, and it was noticeable in how hungry they felt.

Ringabel even went for seconds, eager to both fill his stomach and gain some strength for the rest of the day… evening, he noted, as the light turned an orangeish hue that indicated sunset wasn't too far off.

"We spent most of the day asleep," he said, amusement tinging his voice.

Edea followed his gaze to the window. "You spent most of the day asleep. I was awake for a few hours listening to you snore."

He flushed. "I was tired! Someone kept me awake all night by thinking that I was some sort of dessert!"

"Ice cream. I dreamt that you were ice cream."

"Ice cream," he clarified. "And then I was so fearful you would continue to consume me that I had so stay awake for my own safety. How could I possibly sleep in that situation?"

Edea shrugged. "You were happy to let me consume you later."

Ringabel was very glad that he wasn't eating at the moment, because he was certain he would have wasted the food and spit it up all over her. "Edea!" he gasped, mortified. Where had she learned these things? His innocent angel… was not as innocent as he had assumed. He knew that well now.

The blush on her cheeks betrayed her giggles. "Sorry, Ringabel," she laughed. "Your face is so red. Maybe we've been sleeping most of the day, but the rest of it… the rest of it has been memorable, to say the least."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, unsure of how to really proceed.

Edea went quiet, looking out one of the windows behind him. She stirred her food slowly. "What is there to talk about?" she finally replied. "It's done. We did it. We're… we'll figure out what we are later when we're out of here. When we have some more space."

"I still owe you a date," he murmured.

She smiled at him, causing his heart to do a little flip. "We're doing things out of order, aren't we? It's not that I don't… like… this. I just want to be able to get out of here before we have a talk."

It did make sense, he thought. The sex had, ultimately, been result of the tension between them snapping. It was a way to keep warm, and to feel good. They were talking about it now, but it sounded like Edea need some true space. In a way, he wanted some space as well. Space he wasn't going to be able to get here.

"Shall we go to bed, then?" he suggested. He was certain that bed meant they would end up fooling around a bit more, and whatever they couldn't say in words they could say in actions. He'd liked being so close to her and he wanted more of it. Whatever that meant for their relationship, they would just have to find out later.

Edea nodded, scraping the sides of the bowl she held. "Yeah. It'll be warm when we're in bed." She bit her lip and looked up him. He felt his cheeks burn.

"I'll keep you warm," he promised.

Keeping her warm meant climbing on top of her once they were back in the big, fluffy bed, and nuzzling against her shoulder as she laughed. It meant running his hands down her bare side to tickle her, and getting tickled in return when she rolled over onto her back so that her hands could be free. It meant pulling the blankets over them and tangling his legs against hers as he memorized the softness of her skin and each freckle on her chest.

"You're a little heavy," Edea complained softly, her hands running up and down his shoulders and arms.

"Oh, sorry," he replied, shifting slightly so that he wasn't lying as thoroughly on her. She cupped his face, rubbing her thumb across his stubble, and he closed his eyes, smiling softly.

He wanted to say so many things, but wasn't sure how to voice any of them in a way that wouldn't get him pushed away. So instead, he leaned down to kiss her, breathing out against her lips. She kissed him eagerly in return, opening her lips easily to his questing tongue.

Again they joined, gentle and quick, much too quick for Ringabel's liking. The day's events and the overall lack of sleep were getting to him, and all too soon he found himself gasping with release, arching over her.

"I'm sorry," he said, flushing. She shook her head at him, and beckoned him down, where she could cradle him against her shoulder. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of his beloved's breathing. They were quiet for a few moments.

I am sorry," he said again, and he could hear her start to protest. "Because I would have liked to make this a bit more romantic for you. It's only what you deserve, after all."

"Romantic how?" she asked, sounding curious, if not somewhat exasperated.

Ringabel cleared his throat and thought back to his multiple fantasies about the subject, trying not to yawn. "Well, the fireplace is romantic, but there could have been a fur rug involved. And candles, candles are always good. After we roll around some on the rug, we would drink champagne… oh wait, you're underage. So perhaps hot chocolate instead?"

"Hot chocolate sounds nice," Edea said, and she wiggled against him. He sighed as she tucked her head against his neck. "I wish we had some here, with marshmallows and whipped cream."

Even he could appreciate hot chocolate now and then, especially since coffee wasn't a very romantic or cuddly drink, and he privately agreed that it sounded delicious. Instead of agreeing with her verbally, he kissed the top of her head.

"And then I would kiss you," he continued after a moment of silence. "And pleasure you all night as you cry out my name."

Edea was wrinkling her nose. "Must you put things that way? Please talk like a normal person."

Ringabel pouted, but kissed her temple. "I am a normal person, but if I'm not, what does that make you?"

Hadn't he said something similar earlier? Edea seemed to recall the same, and he could see the flush on her cheeks even in the dim light.

"Stop talking," she told him, and kissed his jaw.

"If I'm not talking, then what shall I do instead?" he asked. Now that he'd had a few minutes, he wasn't feeling as tired. Still, it would be some time before he could recover and continue with her… except now she was grinning, looking up at the ceiling as she thought, grinning as she bit her lip.

"I'm sure we'll find some use for your mouth that isn't speaking, right?" she asked him, and when their eyes met his stomach and heart both did a somersault. The look that he saw, reflected in the dim light of the dying fire and obscured starlight, could have heated all the snow surrounding the cabin.

"I'm all yours," he replied, his voice low, belying the giddiness he felt still. "I'll let you do the talking for the rest of the night."

And he did. Though, some of what came out of her mouth weren't entirely words, coaxed out of her chest by his tongue and lips, his fingers and palm, and his love.

When they both finally allowed sleep to claim them for one more night, it was to the sound of silence. While they had kept each other warm, the fire had died hours ago and the snow outside muffled the world.

Well, as one can probably see, there was a bit more to this than what actually ended up in the final cut for , to comply with the policies and keep the rating overall low. If you're interested in seeing the full version of the fanfic, you can find it on my fanfiction blog on Tumblr, or you can check out Archive of Our Own.