NOTE: I own nothing except Orva.


Two weeks had passed. It was the end of July.

Erik had been planning this for over a month now. 50% of that time being spent working through Giry and getting all the right documentation, court orders, and of course the accessories that were more for show than anything else. The other 50% had been him trying to build up the nerve to ask. It'd taken most of his will power not to just break down in tears of joy when she'd kissed him.

"E-Erik? C-can I c-come into the k-kitchen yet?" Orva asked from down the hall. Erik had prepared dinner himself that night, and had made Orva wait outside.

"Almost," he told her, and lit the candles. "Okay, now."

Orva walked in, and smiled pleasantly at the arrangement. "O-oh m-my, aren't w-we being fancy t-tonight? You even got o-out some really good silverware...w-wait, where did you get that? We d-don't have any china."

"It doesn't matter," Erik dismissed, pulling her chair out for her to sit.

She obliged, making a show of tucking her dress about her. "W-well, i-it certainly s-smells good." Erik had decided to keep things simple for that night, with a pâté, bread and cheese, scallops, salad, and veal. He also had some chocolate mousse stored in a chilled cupboard for dessert. "D-do y-you mind t-telling me what a-all this is for, th-though?"

"You'll find out soon enough," he told her. While attempting to sit down, he missed the chair and fell to the floor. With a bit of a clatter he pulled himself back up and sat down, lacing his fingers together and forcing a suave smile.

Orva blinked at him. "Uh...A-are y-you o-okay?"

"I'm fine, why do you ask? Enjoy your meal." She continued to stare at him before finally turning back to dinner. A few minutes passed in silence. The perfect moment...Yes, I must wait until just the right moment...

"A-aren't y-you going t-to eat?" She gestured with her fork to his food.

"Huh?" He looked down at his plate of untouched food. "Oh, well, of course. I was just trying to be polite. Ladies first, and all." She continued to watch him at that point, the two of them staring at each other while she ate and he barely pecked at his food. His stomach was simply too jumpy to eat properly.

Finally, halfway through the second course Orva set her fork down and turned fully towards him. "E-Erik, w-what's going o-on?Clearly you've g-got something on your m-mind, so you might as w-well just spit it out."

Erik paused for a moment before clearing his throat. "Yes, well, perhaps you're right. I might as well get it over with. Not that it's an unpleasant thing! It's just, oh, never mind." He sighed, and moved from his chair down to the floor, kneeling before her. He looked up at her surprised face, biting his lip. Orva, I kneel before you this eve to confess, that I love you. With all my heart and soul, I adore you, and I wish to honor this love through one of the most sacred and eternal of rites. My sweet little white rose, I ask, I pray, that you will give me your hand in marriage, though the only ransom I have to present is a ring whose beauty is shadowed by your own, and a meaningless certificate that merely exists so that others may approve of this bond, though my love for you knows no boundaries. My dearest Orva, most beloved of all... Will you stay by my side, and be mine?

"Here," he blurted out, taking out the jewelry box and the marriage certificate and practically shoving them in her face. "I think you're perfect, and, if you sign the certificate- I've had it all worked out with Giry, going through the legal process and everything, so all you need to do is sign your name, and we'll be legally recognized-" he gulped "-as a married couple."

She blinked at him, then very gently pushed his hands aside so she could look into his face. "E-Erik...y-you're proposing t-to me?" He nodded, and she blushed that lovely shade of pink. "Th-th-then...I-I accept."

"You do?" His face split into the widest smile he'd given in years.

"O-of c-course," she practically giggled, joyful tears starting to build in her eyes.

"Yes!" Erik cheered, punching the air.

"O-oh g-gosh, I n-never thought this w-would happen to me!"

"Neither did I." They sat and gazed at each other, dazed smiles across their faces. A few minutes past like that, Erik simply getting lost in the crystal chasms of those blue eyes. It wasn't until Orva cleared her voice that he was able to focus again.

"S-so, um, c-can y-you get me a-a pen?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, of course." He quickly ran back into his room to grab the pen and inkwell and hurried back to his kneeling postion, a bit of ink on his fingers. "Here."

"Th-thank y-you." She set the unopened box aside. A few scratches against the paper later, and it was apparently official. Erik felt air fill his lungs, and a strange sort of light washed over his heart. He reached for her, cupping her jaw in his hand. She leaned into it, and slipped her own hand behind his neck. They leaned in towards each other, and shared their first kiss as a wedded couple.

Keeping his lips rolled over his teeth, he nibbled and massaged, while she lightly sucked at his upper lip. Sometimes he would feel her tongue flick against his lip, and each and every time it caught him off guard and forced him to take a small gulp of air before continuing. His hands kept shifting on her face, thumbs feeling the smooth skin, partially envious of her beauty. He felt her work her fingers into his neck and shoulders, feeling the muscles, but never daring to go much further.

Finally they had to break apart, their foreheads pressing against each other. Erik let out a shaky laugh, a couple happy tears escaping down his face. Orva gave a contented sigh, a sound which tickled his ears. They moved back, looking into their new partner's eyes. Those bright blue eyes, widened in excitement and shining.

"S-so, n-now that w-we're married... gosh, I-I've just realized how i-informal this all is. If w-we're married now...does that mean th-that the 'wedding night' will happen after d-dinner?"

"The wedding night?" Erik felt his facial features suddenly freeze in place, and his heart stopped beating. The Wedding Night. The words echoed in his head, blocking out all other sound and disturbance. He could practically see them floating in the air before his eyes. The Wedding Night. The Wedding Night. The Wed...ding Night. The...Wedding Night. The Wedding...Night. Wedding Night. Wedding Night.

He'd forgotten about the wedding night.

Somehow, throughout the months of careful planning he'd spent, of mental and legal preparation, he'd completely ignored one of the more significant details that came with marriage. The Wedding Night.

"E-Erik?"

He gave his head a little shake and looked back up. "Huh?"

"I-I, I-I was j-just saying...we c-can wait until some o-other day, if you want t-to. If you're not comfortable with i-it, then I'm not going to pressure y-you."

"No no, it's...it's fine." He staggered back onto his feet, and sat back down in his chair. "We...I mean...dinner. We should finish dinner. And then..."

"R-right. O-okay, i-if th-that's what you w-want."

"Yes. No, I mean! If you're looking, no, wait, what I mean is-"

"L-let's j-just eat."

"Good idea."

They stared at their food.

"A-actually, I-I'm not r-really feeling very h-hungry anymore."

"Butterflies?"

"B-butterflies."

"Right." Erik took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. "Then...perhaps...dinner should wait, instead?" He stood up, and held his hand out to her. She blushed, and took it, following his lead. They walked down the hall, towards the bedroom, Erik's mind racing. What am I supposed to do? How is this even done? I mean I've caught others doing it in 'secret' places in my opera house, but goodness I've never spied on them. Is it supposed to be instinct? How does anyone do this? Orva's been on the surface longer than me, perhaps she knows more about it? God, I hope so.

They paused at the entrance to the bedroom. "Any idea on how to go about this?"

"N-not a-a single c-clue," she practically squeaked.

"Okay then." He took a deep breath, and stepped inside. Orva followed after him, and they sat down next to each other on the bed. Erik stared at the floor, twiddling his thumbs.

"I-I...b-believe that th-the first step i-is to kiss?"

"Yes, that sounds logical." They turned towards the other, Erik biting his lip and Orva's eyes continuously flicking away. Finally, they leaned towards each other, claiming the parts of each other's mouths they'd growned accustomed to. Erik kneaded her upper lip, his heart pounding. He tasted the salty flesh, and felt her jump slightly in surprise, but quickly relaxed, opening up her mouth to allow further entry. Oh, that's why she kept licking me.

Erik couldn't help but note that she tasted almost exactly like their dinner. We probably should've freshened up before trying this... But it was of no matter now. He could feel her hot breath in his mouth, the both of them breathing heavily in their excitement. His hands moved up, reaching for her...

0-0-0

Orva felt his hands run up and down her sides, his fingertips leaving little cool trails and raising goosebumps, and finally broke their kiss to regain some form of composure.

"Next?..." Erik prompted, his hands at her back and starting to fiddle with the buttons of her dress. In response she reached up, and removed his mask and wig, setting them aside. She didn't really look upon his face, mostly searching those mismatched eyes for some comfort. Something to help calm her pounding heart. He kissed her once more, but was much more controlled this time. As he worked her clothes off he kissed the corner of her mouth, along her jawline, her cheeks. Little butterfly kisses that left their mark everywhere. Orva shivered, trying to keep her breath under control so that it wouldn't be so noisy.

With her dress slipping off, she stood up to let it drop to the floor, and then took off her underclothes along with that. She could feel Erik's eyes on her, a simultaneously hungry and embarressed gaze. Her cheeks burning, she sat back down on the bed, and started tugging at his clothes, wanting to at least be on equal footing with the whole thing. He obliged, pulling his shirt off over his head, and like her stood up to remove the rest. She looked away when he was completely nude, feeling much too shy.

He sat back down next to her, and they continued their gentle kisses. Orva, following Erik's suit, moved on from his mouth to the rest of him. She kissed where she could feel his pulse thrumming from his neck. She left a little trail leading from his ear to his chest, stopping at his heart. She kissed his ruined cheek in acknowledgment before moving on. Meanwhile, everywhere he went would set her senses on fire, making her body tingle and her stomach jump. She didn't think it was possible for her heart to go so fast, for her lungs to be such constant need of air.

Eventually, she felt herself being pushed back, and rested against the soft pillow of the bed, the sheets cool to the touch. She looked up at Erik, who was once again biting his lip...

0-0-0

He hovered above her, his mind at a million places at once while also being focused on her. She looked up at him, those crystal blue eyes dilated beyond compare.

"N-next?" she said, breathless. He lowered himself closer to her, gently kissing those coral lips that had called to him so often. Little wet pecks, trailing along her jaw, down her neck, to her colarbones. Her soft breasts, pointed in stimulation. He felt her hands on his back, her fingers digging in and massaging the muscles. She jerked when he reached her naval, and gave a light nip. "D-don't b-bite me."

"Sorry." He returned to merely giving her gentle kisses, moving on to those freckled hips and trailing back along her thigh, getting closer and closer, until he stopped. She squeezed his shoulders, almost as if asking a question, or else giving consent. He looked back up at her though, hoping to implore with his eyes, moving back up. Tentatively, shyly, she shifted under him, allowing access. He gulped, and took his position, staring into her eyes once more time before closing his. A jerk of the hips.

He gasped, the new sensation making his eyes snap back open in wonder.

"Ouch!" Orva cried out, making him freeze.

He stared down at her, his heart now racing for an entirely different reason. "What is it? What's wrong?!" Oh God, I've hurt her. It's all my fault, I'm a terrible person, this was a bad idea, neither of us are ready for this, I should stop before I cause her any more harm-

"I-I'm o-okay..." she breathed, her eyes clenched shut. "I-I j-just...need s-some time. Can y-you wait until I'm r-ready?"

"Of course." He let out a sigh of relief, instantly calming down. He did his best to stay perfectly still, instead pecking her face with little kisses in an attempt to help her relax and maintain the mood. After a few minutes, her facial expression relaxed, and she opened her eyes again. "Ready?"

"Y-yes, I-I think s-so." He nodded, and propped himself up on his elbows. Shifting his hips, he began moving. She gasped, her breathing becoming harsher, as did his own. It didn't take long for him to get some sort of rythem down.

Everything was on fire, while the rest of the world was pure ice. The world was only populated by two people, no, scratch that. There were no physical bodies, there were just two entities. Two spirits floating aimlessly, twisting and intermingling with each other, merging and becoming one while simultaneously being completely separate. There was a sun and moon, a light and dark, but the two souls were ruled only by the stars. They felt everything without there being anything to feel in the first place. Hearts beating in sync, chests heaving against one another. Two roses intertwined with one another, black and white, ribbons trailing from their stems. Inseparable.

Presently, Erik felt something within him build, and it spurned him on, instincts taking over. Orva let out soft little moans, her eyes shut in pleasure and pain. An inescapable heat, as if there were some sort of race to complete. He grit his teeth, feeling the strain build up in his muscles.

Then, suddenly, the budding rose bloomed.

He nearly collasped on top of her, gasping. Trembling, he moved aside, and simply lay down next to her. The rest of the world had returned, feeling colder than ever.

"S-so...th-that's it?" Orva breathed.

The sentiment made Erik give pause. "I...suppose so."

"Hm. S-somehow, n-not a-as big of a-a deal as I'd b-been lead to believe."

He sighed. "No, I guess not. For a first time, I didn't really know what to expect."

"N-neither d-did I." She sat up, and grabbed the sheets, pulling them over the two of them. "O-oh, b-but you m-must understand," she looked over at him, her eyes wide in realization, "th-that I-I did e-enjoy it. I'm n-not saying you were b-bad at it, though I w-wouldn't really be able to tell i-in the first place, it's just that...n-nevermind. I'm fairly pleased, and you certainly seem t-to be."

"I'm glad." He gave her a wry smile, and she lied down next to him, covering the both of them with the warm blankets. She used his chest as a pillow, and he wrapped his arm around her. Their hands found each other, fingers intertwining. Sleep claimed them quickly, the candles burning low and the food in the kitchen quite cold at this point.