A/N: I own nothing.

Ryne hummed while inhaling the sweet smell coming from her Sichuan bowl. After a long day of training, it felt good to finally get to relax. Gaia is not too far away from her. She is standing in front of a wooden booth, waiting for her order. Her arms are crossed, and her face is scrunched up, giving off the impression that a foul smell is in the air. A man walked out from behind a curtain, setting a bowl of food down onto the counter. He grinned broadly. "One shrimp bowl to go!"

Gaia looked down into the bowl wearing an unreadable expression. She slowly met his gaze. "What is this?"
The man leaned back confused, rubbing his head. "Uh, what you ordered miss."
Gaia tilted her head, resting one hand on her hip. "Let me get this straight. I just paid you 80 gil for some slop?" The man stared at her in disbelief. His lips scrunched into a thin line. "You should try it first before throwing out insults child."

"What the hell did you just call me!?"

Ryne sighed watching the exchange. She quickly ran over and grabbed Gaia's food. She thanked the man for his service, between the two yelling insults at each other. Ryne finally managed to pull her away. She shot Gaia a disapproving look. "Really Gaia? Is it your goal to get us banned from every restaurant?"

The taller girl crossed her arm's leaning back. "As usual, I'm the bad guy."

"I - I didn't ..." Ryne hung her head slightly. She walked over to her, holding out the bowl. Gaia watched her disinterested. "He's right you know. You didn't even try it. It might be delicious."

Gaia eyed the food before looking at her. "I've lost my appetite."

Ryne wouldn't push any further. She chewed the inside of her cheek and decided to save this bowl for later. She turned towards her own, eating in silence. It seemed to always be this way between them. Ryne quietly wondered why Gaia hangs out with her, if her presence bothers her so much. Between bites, she caught Gaia watching her. Ryne felt nervous for a moment under her gaze, but quickly understood. She happily scooped up a spoon full of her Sichuan and held it out to her. "Would you like to try some? It's really good."

Gaia's face relaxed and she seemed taken aback. She leaned over and opened her mouth. Ryne giggled at the cute gesture. She watched Gaia's lips as they closed around her spoon, slowly sipping away the juice that remains. Her eyes grew wide when Gaia's tongue came out, licking away a bit of soup that dripped down the corner of her mouth. She snapped out of her trance when Gaia started coughing.

She coughed into her sleeve, shaking her head. "Damn that's spicy, no wonder you're all red."

Ryne looked away, chewing the inside of her cheek. "Yeah..."

They finished the bowl together and Ryne slipped the spoon into her pocket. Gaia let out a groan, complaining about her feet hurting. Ryne commented that wouldn't happen if she just wore more comfortable shoes. This only earned her a glare.
They walked together towards an inn they have been staying in for the past few days. Thancred usually preferred they stayed moving. Ryne didn't mind. Sleeping under the stars, while listening to a stream is beyond relaxing to her. She tried to share this with Gaia, but she seemed hardly interested. Instead, she argued with Thancred until he caved. Well somewhat, if they wanted to stay in an inn, they had to come up with the gil on their own. To her surprise, Gaia agreed.

Ryne looked over to her and their eye's met. She felt nervous all of a sudden and linked her hands behind her back. She turned around, walking backwards. "So, did you enjoy training today?"

Gaia arched a brow at her. "Is that a serious question?"

Ryne shrugged smiling. "I know you don't like it, but you're doing so well! You even have the warrior of darkness impressed."

Gaia's face scrunched up. "I couldn't care less what any of them think of me. I'm only going along with this so we don't have to sleep in the woods like animals." Ryne nodded in understanding. A part of her didn't believe that was entirely true, but there's no since dwelling on it.

When they stepped inside, Gaia kicked off her heels and walked towards the bathroom. She let out a pleased sigh before slamming the door. Ryne walked over to the bed taking a seat. She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of running water starting. Her thoughts wandered to what Gaia could possibly be doing in the shower, and all the different ways she would be washing her body. Ryne took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

"Stop being weird," She whispered to herself.

For a few days now, her feelings for the other girl have been complicated. At first, she was convinced she just admired her no nonsense attitude. Now, she's not so sure. She makes her feel odd, but not in a bad way. She thought back to them eating dinner together and smiled. Ryne reaches back into her pocket and pulls out the spoon they shared. She held it up, rotating it in her fingers. She bit her lip when she spotted small lipstick smudges.

Ryne paused and closed her eyes. She brought the cool metal of the spoon to her lips and hummed. The sound of the bathroom door opening caused her to jump startled, the spoon dropped to the floor. She quickly picked it up and threw it into a drawer.

"Mmm that was exactly what I needed." Gaia said as she walked out, her hair and body wrapped in a towel. She sat down in front of a wooden vanity, her make up and lotions spread out all over the place. Ryne quickly grabbed a towel. She looked everywhere but at Gaia. As she walked by her into the bathroom, Gaia acknowledged her. "Don't worry, I was nice and saved you some warm water."

Ryne smiled bowing. "Why thank you."

Ryne took her time washing up. They are going to be near the Crystarium for a few days, so she might as well enjoy all the lovely hot showers she can get. She thanked the maker quietly that she left her pajamas hanging near by. Gaia didn't mind changing around her, but it made her so uncomfortable. Ryne rested her hand on the knob and took a deep breath. "Everything is fine," she whispered to herself.
She walked over to the bed and laid out. Ryne hummed into the sheets, enjoying the feeling of such a soft big bed. She sat up and brought her knees to her chest. A peaceful silence is in the room. She can hear Gaia moving around and looked over to her curiously. She seems to be searching for something. Gaia's face shifts through various emotions as she opens almost every drawer in the room. Her face lights up and she smiles, lifting an ebony brush into her hands.

Ryne watches her sit down and brush her long black hair. She feels a strange feeling pool into her lower stomach as her eyes scan over every detail of her pale face. They move down to her full light pink lips and she is unable to look away.
Gaia catches her gaze and blinks confused. "What?"
Ryne shakes her head, mentally slapping herself. She hugged her legs closer. "N -Nothing. It's just. You look so different, without your make up."

Gaia's mouth slowly opened, her brows knitting together. Ryne panicked, quickly clearing her throat. "What I mean is, you look softer. Not so angry."

She sighed relieved when Gaia's face relaxed and she continued brushing her hair. There is an uncomfortable silence for some time. Ryne tries to think of something they can talk about. She looks around the room, and her eye's linger on the drawer where she is hiding the spoon. She stares at the drawer, chewing the inside of her cheek. "May I ask you a personal question?"

"No."

Ryne pouts. Gaia's eye's dart over to her, she sighs. "Fine, out with it."

Ryne tilts her head to the side, searching for the right words. "Have you ever kissed anyone?" Gaia set down her brush. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms with a frown. "Why do you care?"

Ryne lowers her head, hiding part of her face into her knee's. "I'm just curious. I never have and I don't know if I ever will..."
Gaia let out a chuckle. She flicked a hand at her dismissively. "Oh please, you'll have plenty of time to kiss boys when this nonsense is over."

Ryne's stomach sinks and she feels sad suddenly. Her mind is flooded with various conversations she's overheard during her travels with Thancred. He often assumes she isn't listening. "What if there isn't enough time? We oracle's don't live very long."

Tension releases from Gaia's features, she blinks slowly at her. "Since when are you the negative one?" Ryne shrugs, unable to meet her gaze. Gaia turns, looking over herself in the mirror. She seems to be lost in thought for a few seconds, she exhales slowly. "Come here."

Ryne looks up at her confused. Unsure if she heard correctly. Gaia is wearing a serious expression and waits patiently. Ryne slides out of bed and slowly walks over. Her heart beat is so loud that she can hear it in her ears. She links her hands together, unsure of what will happen next. Gaia leaves her chair, moving in front of her. Without the heels of her boots, they are about the same height. Gaia pointed at her. "Close your eyes." Ryne obeyed. She squeezed her hands, trying to keep herself from shaking so much.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt Gaia's finger tips under her chin. Gaia rested her lips delicately on her top lip and then bottom. Gaia pulled back slightly, before moving back in and kissing her full on the lips. Ryne kept her eye's closed the entire time. Never in her life has she felt such a warmth spread out through her body. She wanted more. They continued to kiss for a few seconds. Gaia steadily moved away. Ryne leaned forward, trying to capture her lips again, but there was only air. She exhaled licking her lips before opening her eyes.

To her disappointment, Gaia is sitting back at the vanity. "Well there you go. Was it everything you dreamed of?" She scoffed.

Ryne trembled hanging her head. Her stomach is twisting. She feels ill. What had she expected? That they would fall in love and live happily ever after? Such things only happen in fairy tales, or to those promised a normal life. A life she would never have. She understands this, but why does it hurt so much? Ryne jerked slightly, covering her mouth with her hand. She tries to hold on to good thoughts, think of happier times, but it isn't working. All she can think about is how she just made a fool of herself. Quickly, she rushed into the bathroom and slumped to the floor.

She buried her face into her hands and cried violently. Her tears only increasing when she hears Gaia's worried voice on the other side of the door. "Ryne? A – Are you okay?"

Ryne shook her head sniffling. She licked her lips, hating how she can still feel the warmth of Gaia's there. It's just too much, she can't face her. Standing, she lifted into the air, teleporting away.