A/n: Hello! I've had so much inspiration to write Noerah this past week, so there's been a super high volume of stories coming from me! (Too much Noerah? Have some more!) After this piece though, publishing should get more regular. I should preface this story by saying that it takes place in a non-main storyline location, and there is a teeny spoiler for how to solve a mission. If this does not bother you, please read on. As always, I hope you enjoy, and feedback is much appreciated!

She was getting better.

Better at traveling. At the start of their journey she had to rest often - sitting for ten, fifteen, twenty minutes to let her tender soles recover or to stretch out her suburban legs as Noel scouted ahead with Mog. They always left bickering and came back arguing about the same thing. Now she was privy to more of their talks - if you could call them that.

At the start of their journey she wouldn't know a good meal if it hit her on the nose, either. The monsters that had tender meat, or the right vitamins or even a basic good taste always eluded her, and Noel always found them. She knew he was teaching her slowly, in his own way, trying to be sneaky about it and protect her pride as an amateur chef. She always felt a bit sheepish as he pulled her aside and pointed out the best game or a good seasoning herb.

But the thing that exhilarated and scared her most was going through the gates. Feeling the magic overtake her always made her nervous, and her first instinct was always, always to grab his hand. So far she'd managed to stop herself every time.

This time was a close one though. She was getting tired, and the fact that this gate lay beyond a locked door made her all the more uncertain about where they were going. As the magic in the artefact unbound the gate and swirled around them, she felt her hand brush his, and she panicked, not knowing what she feared more - shying away or clamping on tight.

When they landed, it was all white around them, and her heart skipped a beat - Valhalla?

But then her vision adjusted and she knew where they were. The Bresha Ruins. The white was from snow, blanketing nearly every surface.

Beside her, Noel rotated his shoulder - a habit he had that mysteriously made her gulp every time he did it. "Guess we're in the Bresha Ruins again," he said absently, looking around.

"I hope there's another gate here," she said quietly, thinking of Lightning.

She didn't see it, but his eyes softened. He spoke, "Yeah. Let's look around."

For all that had changed on this journey, one thing hadn't. Every time they landed in a new place, Noel always took point. She wasn't sure if it was instinct, a reflex, manners or what, but she was always secretly glad. He had a good head for the layout of a place, while it took her a little longer to straighten everything out. This was the Ruins though, a place they had already been, so she should catch on quicker. She followed him close.

They stopped to talk to a few mercenaries and scientists for information, but as always there seemed to be a favour to do. As they spoke to a scientist about ferrying a message between he and another researcher, she realized just how cold it was. The scientist was unaffected, dressed in what seemed to be a heavier version of the Academy uniform, thick-soled boots and leather gloves. All the mercenaries they'd talked to didn't mind the weather either, what with their full-body armour.

She glanced at Noel. Surprisingly, he seemed fine. She looked at his feet - she'd seen his shoes. Absolutely fine. Snow hadn't even found its way to the soles of his feet. His pants, which she imagined were airy, didn't seem to bother him either. His lips were perfectly pink, unchapped, and his breathing was regular. Her own breathing was laboured, as she was unused to the sharp, cold and dry air of the Ruins.

Noel's voice was rising in volume, signaling a goodbye, and she came to. She waved to the scientist right on cue, taking off behind Noel and Mog. Again, she stuck close. Maybe his ability to ignore the cold could rub off on her?

Her plan backfired - she sneezed on his shoulder.

And as she rubbed her nose, embarassed, he stopped in place, which almost made her bump into him. She took a step back.

"Cold?" he asked her. He tilted his head, trying to catch her eye.

After getting snot on him, she couldn't lie, could she? "Um, yes," she admitted, staring blankly at the designs on his shirt.

He did a sweep of the area and found what he needed just off her right shoulder. "There are some tunnels over there. Let's go in," he said, then began to walk over to them. As he moved around her, she felt his warmth move off of him in waves. She turned and jogged for the tunnels.

They walked almost the whole way inside, seeking respite from the cold. She walked up and down the withered planks, jumped up and down, trying to get her body to warm up. She probably looked pretty ridiculous, but she was too cold to care. She had cutouts in her clothes, for goodness' sake.

She was busy cursing whoever had given her these clothes when Noel came up to her, having found the scientist on the other end of the favour they were doing. She was doing useless jumping jacks.

"Are you any warmer?" he asked her. She noticed a thin layer of amusement in his tone.

She shook her head, doing jumping jack number 32.

"Stop," he said, halfway between an order and a request. He took her arm in his hand. "Etro, you are cold. I can feel your goosebumps."

She stopped, her hair bouncing its way over her shoulder. His hand felt nice. With that, a bit of her edginess ebbed away. She said a little breathlessly, "It's these clothes. They're... silly."

He just nodded, seeming to understand. Then he took a step closer, bringing his collarbones and neck and lips into her line of vision. She didn't understand what he was doing until she was folded into his arms. He really was warm. She felt her whole upper half begin to thaw. And even in the winter air she could smell him, his scent fresh, just like the snow outside.

But wait- this was Noel! Noel, whose hand she couldn't even think about grabbing. She froze. And then she quickly pushed at his chest.

"What?" he asked, surprised at her sudden movement. She continued to push, and he let her go. "What is it?"

She felt immediately colder the second she was out of his arms. "I- I'm warm again," she explained lamely.

"... Really?" he said skeptically as she examined the marking over a tunnel doorway. He leant closer to her, and she backed away. "I can still see goosebumps."

"Really, I'm f-fine," she insisted. She had the suspicion that if she weren't so cold she would be blushing.

"You're f-fine?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow, picking up on her shivering.

She turned bodily away from him and began walking. "We've got to find that scientist, right? Let's get going," she ignored his quip.

As she walked, she realized that Noel was trailing her by a good distance. He stopped to talk to Chocolina, but by the time Serah had realized and looked back, Chocolina was shaking her head and saying sorry. Noel held out a hand - you sure? - and when she shook her head again, he turned away. What was he doing? Then she remembered him mentioning that they needed more greens for the rambunctious chocobos running around. She smiled, thinking back on the last chocobo ride they'd had - the chocobo was so taken with him that she didn't think he needed to keep feeding it, but feed it he did. If he ever decided to stop being a monster hunter, she was sure he could become a tamer. He'd have the fattest chocobos around. The thought made her giggle.

Her giggle caught his attention, and he looked up, catching her eye. Rather than toss her a confused look like she expected, he smiled. It was a heartbreaker's smile, and she physically stuttered.

She turned back to the road ahead and started walking again as best she could. Really, what was going on with her?

They were nearly all the way back to the scientist when she overheard Noel bickering with Mog. Turn into something useful! Noel said, to which Mog replied, I can't turn into a blanket! But that only made Noel flatly say, Become a stove then.

She just about butted in to ask what was going on, but a call sounded out - "Hey, there you are!" - and Noel ran up ahead to talk to the waiting Academy researcher. She shivered right up to them, badly concealing how cold she was.

"-not conceivable. He gave us his findings," Noel reported to the researcher, reaching into the pouch at his back and unfolding blueprints of some kind.

The researcher took them in hand and zeroed in on parts, concentrating pretty hard from the looks of it, mouthing words. He was so absorbed that it was almost funny. Noel gave her a glance and a knowing smile, which didn't help her to hold in her laughter.

"Hm! This report is hugely conclusive," the scientist half-muttered. Then, turning to the both of them, he said, "Thank you! I owe you both."

"Good to be of service," Noel said. "You don't owe us anything," he added, to which Mog looked distressed.

"I insist. If you need a favour, I'll be here," the scientist continued.

Serah crossed her arms tight over her chest, trying to contain what remaining body heat she had. Her shoulders had probably also risen up to her ears, but she couldn't feel them very well. "S-see you," she told him.

The scientist's eyebrows rose sharply. "Young lady! It is clear that you are freezing," he exclaimed.

She held up a hand briefly in the signal for stop. "Oh, no. I'm fine," she said.

But the scientist was already shucking his overcoat and holding it out to her. "Please, take this. I have plenty in my closet at home."

Now she uncrossed her arms and held them out. "Oh, I couldn't do that, sir. What about you?"

He shook the coat, as if beckoning her to take it. "Look at me. I've got many a layer to protect me," he chuckled, gesturing to his round belly. "I insist," he said, dropping his coat into her arms.

She bit her lip. She really was ridiculously cold. Under the scientist's watchful gaze she caved, draping the coat over her shoulders.

"Good girl," the scientist approved, then called more thanks and goodbyes before turning to walk in the opposite direction.

Once he had disappeared through the falling snow, Mog flew around Noel's head, pestering him. "Who said we didn't need payment? Who said?" the moogle griped, waving his wand in frustration.

For his part, Noel didn't look bothered in the least. He kept his gaze steady and focused. And it wasn't long before she felt the full effect of those blue eyes boring into her.

"What?" she finally asked, buried beneath the overcoat.

He cocked his head to the right. "You accepted the coat," he stated.

She cleared her throat. "Um, yes."

He crossed his arms loosely over his chest. She snuck nervous glances up at him. His breaths were forming little clouds in the air, and there was enough snow gathered in his hair so that some of it had started to melt. Droplets were suspended every which way. His eyes seemed bluer than usual beneath his darkened hair.

She waited for him to comment on her episode in the tunnels. Surprisingly, he uncrossed his arms and did no such thing. "Let's keep looking for that gate," he said instead. He took point again, and Mog floated up with him.

Mog pointed out a Chocolina, but Noel passed her without a second glance. Maybe he didn't need Gysahl greens after all?

... Or, she thought, feeling blood flood her cheeks, he was only interested in buying something as long as she had been cold. Maybe that was why Noel was telling Mog to turn into blankets and stoves and Etro knows what else.

She watched his back, the wings on his shirt moving with him. He rotated his shoulder, and yes - there it was - she gulped. By now, she was a real idiot if she didn't understand what was going on with herself. She was maybe getting goosebumps again.

So distracted was she that she hadn't noticed they'd reached a dead end. It was the area filled with markers for those that had died during the Purge. The stones were evenly covered in snow. The occasional tree leaf would succumb to the weight of the snow it held, spilling white flakes onto the already-white ground. Noel went confidently into the thick of it, making fresh tracks. Just as he turned back, she was walking forward.

"Look," he said, eyes bright, holding out a hand.

She looked from his eyes to his hand. In it there was a single, beautiful silver-petalled flower. The flower from legend that only bloomed in the winter. She examined it in awe.

Before she could do anything, he reached up and balanced it behind her ear. "What do you know? It fits," he said.

The smile that stretched across her lips and made its way to her eyes was as natural as anything. She directed her smile at him.

He smiled back, touching the nape of his neck - his heartbreaker's smile. And then- "I think I saw a gate up there," he said softly, nodding behind her. He walked over to a faint blue glow.

She turned in place, just watching him. The wings that stretched across his shoulderblades moved. Flapped.

Her smile turned inward. Between the sneaky teachings, the blanket transformations, the gate-finding and the flower-picking, Noel was turning out to be extraordinary. How lucky she was to have her own guardian angel.

She began to follow him, slowly sliding the coat from her shoulders. Maybe this gate would be the one that made her take his hand.