Summary: Terra thought she trusted him. They shared their fears, shared their nightmares and even shared quarters. But apparently, none of this was enough for Aqua to trust him completely. But he was ready to earn that trust back.
Rating: Teen and up
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Disney/Square Enix. A Terraqua story. Please check the notes at the end! :3
This is part two of a three part series called “Don’t think twice”. Only one other pairing to go… ;3
Also available on: ao3 | ff.net
Please enjoy!
"I still don't like this."
At the sound of her voice, Terra flinched, dropping a bolt into the open engine compartment. He was hunched over one of Cid's gummi ships, checking the levels of various liquids while Cid was working under the ship. On the other side of the ship, Aqua and Ven were checking the equipment they needed.
"Oh come on, Aqua," he heard Ven reply cheerfully, "you know this is our best chance now.”
It truly was their best bet as of now. Right after Sora had returned to ask Yen Sid about the Book of Prophecies that Xehanort had recently acquired, he had summoned a meeting of all present Keyblade Wielders. It turned out that the book was a very important artifact, thought to be lost for so long it was barely more than a legend. A book that supposedly held details about the first Keyblade War.
“Going into Xehanort's hideout to steal a book that may or may not help us and that you may or may not even find is our best chance?”
“We will find it,” he heard Ven trying to convince Aqua, “Terra remembers Xemnas looking for it and he knows what the book is supposed to look like. Sora mentioned that power emanated from it, it will stand out from any pile it might be hidden in. By the way, we are low on elixirs.”
Terra finally got hold of the bolt again and screwed it on when he heard the low clinking of glass from the other side of the ship. Judging by Ven's upbeat “Thank you!”, Aqua must have shared her spares elixirs with him. He went back to his own thoughts as he proceeded to check the oil.
Everyone had agreed that the book might be important enough for them to risk breaking into the Castle that Never Was, and after some discussion, it was determined that he and Ven were to go.
And that was where Aqua's problem lay.
"But why you two?!"
Terra sighed and wiped off the dipstick before screwing it in again.
“You were there when we talked about it, ” Terra could basically hear Ven's eyeroll in his words, “we are the only two who might sneak in and out totally undetected.”
Ven was right. They had debated it back and forth, but it made perfect sense. Whether Terra liked it or not, his time fused with Xehanort lead to them having a similar presence, a similar smell so to speak. If everything went according to plan, they wouldn't even realize Terra had entered the Castle because they would just feel Xehanort's presence. The same was true for Ven and Vanitas – being two sides of a coin, he was the other person who was least likely to be recognized in the Castle.
“Emphasis on might,” Terra heard Aqua add with a small huff and it sent a stab through his heart.
Everyone had agreed on the plan and decided he and Ven were the best hope they had.
Everyone except Aqua.
She hadn't outright protested, only questioned why the two of them had to go and why she and Riku couldn't take over the mission, but that had been enough confirmation for Terra that she didn't trust him. And it hurt.
Terra knew he deserved it in some way. Nobody could deny that he had been the big villain for the last decade, whether it had been involuntary or not. But while it had taken them a while to warm up to each other again – and it was mostly to him trying to keep his distance – he felt like they had been making progress after the night they had ended up accidentally falling asleep next to each other in the kitchen. Ever since that night, they had shared all their fears and nightmares and started sleeping next to each other since it kept their nightmares at bay.
Terra had thought that Aqua trusted him again, like she did before his failed Mark of Mastery, before their lives started crumbling down into the mess they were in now, but apparently she didn't.
“Look, Aqua.”
To Terra's surprise, he heard Ven groan loudly. “Xehanort risked this guy named Marluxia being killed by Sora only to retrieve this book. He still hasn't filled his thirteen Darknesses and yet he risks having to claim another one? And not only that, I feel it. I can't explain why, but something about this book makes me very uncomfortable, tells me to go and get the book. That it shouldn't be in Xehanort's hands under any circumstances."
"Nothing should be in Xehanort's hands," Aqua agreed and Terra agreed, too. He gently let the cowl fall shut at the same time that Cid rolled out from under the ship and started to clean his grease stained hands on a towel.
"Alright, this baby's ready for take off. You done, too?"
“Yeah, everything's good.”
“Great! You remember the controls?”
Terra nodded – he had plenty of experience driving his Keyblade glider after all.
"Well, I'll be off then. Good luck on your mission."
"Thanks, Cid."
The two of them shook hands and as soon as Cid had disappeared from the hangar, Terra begrudgingly rounded the gummi ship to meet Ven and Aqua.
"You guys ready?"
"I think so," Ven replied quickly and met Terra on the outside of the ship. Aqua on the other hand let her eyes run over the equipment one last time before she followed Ven outside.
"Alright then, it's time," Aqua sighed, but put a smile back on her face quickly. She carefully brushed Ven's fringe to one side and pressed her lips in a soft kiss against his forehead.
"Good luck. Take care."
She turned to Terra and he immediately stiffened beneath her eyes. Seemingly unaware of it, Aqua took a step towards him and grasped his bicep gently to tug him down. When he didn't budge, Aqua started to frown.
"Come on, get down here, you're too tall," she teased with a warm smile, but Terra started to gently pluck her fingers off of his arm. As if he had burnt her, she pulled her hands away from it quickly, cradling them against her chest, and the hurt in her eyes pained him enough that he had to avert his eyes.
“Terra –“
"I'll prove it to you, okay?"
After a few seconds of silence, he heard Aqua's voice shaking.
“What do you mean?”
Terra sighed and started to rake his hands through his hair, doing his best to avoid her glance.
"I know you don't trust me right now," he began again, “and it's okay. I get it. I deserve it. But I will make sure that this mission is a success. I will prove it to you that you can trust me again."
“What are you talking about?”
Exasperated, he finally met her eyes again and was taken aback by the confusion in them.
“You were against this mission. Against Ven and me going. And I understand that you have your doubts about me being able to finish this mission, but I promise, I will retrieve the book. I will bring back Ven safely.”
“Oh Terra,” her eyes softened and her entire body seemed to deflate, “is that what you've been thinking? Is that why you ran off without a single glance back?”
“I want to earn your trust back,” he replied, but before he could continue, something soft collided with him. Terra looked down and realized that Aqua had thrown herself at him, arms wrapped around his midriff as she hugged him tightly.
“Sorry,” she muttered into his chest, “I am so sorry. Terra, that's not what I meant at all.” She pushed herself off of him to face him, but Terra quickly reached for her shoulders so she wouldn't leave completely.
“Of course I am against the two of you going. But not because I don't trust you. Terra, I just got you back, both of you. I'm terrified of losing you again.” Her lower lip started to tremble. “I hate how I have to stay here and hope you two return safely. I trust you, but I've been away from you so long that I want to make sure for myself that you two are safe."
Terra swallowed hard. He hesitantly raised his hand and when Aqua didn't move away, he gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. He needed to hear it again.
“You trust me?”
The corners of Aqua's lips curled up and he could swear he had never seen her eyes shine as brilliantly as they did at this moment.
“Of course I do. With my life. I've always trusted you with my life.”
Without further thought, Terra pulled Aqua closer, causing her to stumble against him, but her short yelp was quickly smothered by his lips pressing against hers.
At once, he felt peace wash over him. This was it. This felt right, better than the thrill of summoning his Keyblade, better even than banishing Xehanort from his body once and for all.
Enveloped in Aqua's lavender scent, Terra finally felt home.
Then why didn't she return the kiss?
The peaceful sensation was quickly replaced by dread. She didn't return his feelings and he probably just destroyed their decade old friendship, not to mention the last ounce of trust she had had in him.
He carefully placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed gently, taking a shaky breath. He didn't dare to open his eyes and squeezed them shut instead.
“Aqua, I am so–“
Aqua's fingers curled into his T-shirt and pulled him close until their lips met once again.
Without missing a heartbeat, Terra wrapped his arms around her waist strong enough to momentarily lift her off of the ground. He used her squeal of surprise to deepen their kiss and reveled at the fact that he heard the tiniest of sighs escape her before her lips – softer than he ever had dared to imagine – curled up to a smile against his when he used one of his hands to nudge her chin up to meet his kiss better.
Oh how he loathed the moment when he had to pull away again to breathe.
Unable to part for too long, he bumped his forehead against Aqua's breathing heavily as he felt Aqua smooth out the wrinkles her strong grip had made into his shirt. It did nothing to calm his frantically beating heart.
A small squeak that was decidedly not his or Aqua's pulled Terra back into the harsh reality that not only did they have a spectator, but they also had a mission.
Castle that Never Was. Xehanort. Book of Prophecies.
He sighed inwardly and brushed his nose lovingly against Aqua's while keeping his eyes closed. He wanted to cherish every single second of this.
“We'll come back to you. I promise.”
“I know you will.”
She pushed herself out of Terra's half-embrace and he was ready to bemoan the loss of her warmth when he felt her lips against his cheek.
“For good luck,” Aqua explained with a smile as Terra opened his eyes in surprise. He loved how radiant her flushed face looked.
“Be safe.”
A big shout-out to @0littlelight0 ! She did some amazing art of Terra and Aqua for me last year. Back then, this fanfic was just a mere thought in my head, but I finally managed to write it down. It turned out quite differently than initially planned, but the beautiful art still fits with this piece :3 Please go over to her blog and give her lots of love!
Summary: Terra works part-time as a barista in one of the university's coffee bars. Little did he expect to meet a particular blue haired customer who wouldn't leave his mind...
This is an entry for Terra week 2018 on tumblr, prompt “Modern AU” and a companion piece to @0littlelight0 's gorgeous art. Please check it out!!
Rating: K
Also available on: ao3 | ff.net
Please enjoy!
“Enjoy your coffee.”
At the start of his third semester, Terra had been lucky enough to get a job as a barista at his own university. Studying for his degree in sports, most of his lectures didn't start until 10 am or even 12 pm, but he had always been an early riser, waking up at the break of dawn to go jogging or to meditate before he started his day. Taking over the early shift at the campus coffee shop fit perfectly into his schedule, earned him surprisingly good money and looked good on his curriculum even though it wasn't connected to his field of study. All in all, it was a win-win situation and he'd be lying if he said it wasn't entertaining to see zombies turn into sentient human beings in the morning.
The girl he had just served grabbed her cup and flashed him a short smile in thanks before leaving, making way for the next customer in line. She stepped forward and all Terra could see was blue: Blue hair, blue sweater, blue messenger bag. Stunned for a moment, he shook it off and forced a smile back on his face.
“Hello, what can I get you, miss?”
“Hi, excuse me,” the blue haired woman answered slightly distracted as she rummaged around in her bag, clearly in search of something, likely her purse. He saw her eyebrows draw together as she let go of her bag only to wiggle around and bury her hands in her pants pockets (a pair of blue jeans, Terra noted), her eyes now at least studying the large menu board that hung over counter.
“I'd like a – a-ha!” she exclaimed happily and pulled a small pouch out of her back pocket (at this point, Terra was surprised that it was orange and not blue), counting a few coins in it. “Can I have a cup of chamo-” She froze as her eyes finally fell on him.
Terra shuffled a little uncomfortably.
“Are you feeling alright?”
That seemed to pull the girl out of her stupor and she let her eyes roam around the room, awkwardly fumbling around with her pouch.
Was she avoiding him? He couldn't recall ever meeting this girl before.
“Y-yes, I'm fine,” she answered, much more timidly than before, as her eyes came to rest on the special menu card next to the cash register.
“Cappuccino!” She blurted out, and at that a slight blush started to dust her cheek as she winced. “I mean, can I have a –“ she looked at the card again, “Caramel Cappuccino, please?”
“Coming right up,” Terra answered her with a nod as he accepted her coins and started working on her order, but not without giving her a discreet look over.
She was cute, he had to admit. Her hair color was very unusual and she was tall for a girl (still roughly half a head shorter than him, though), with a slender built as far as the sweater allowed him to judge.
He was intrigued. Maybe if he turned a little to the left and leaned over, he could throw another short glance –
“Shoot!” Terra grumbled loudly as hot steam from the milk frother blew against his hand. He quickly turned off the steam and jumped to the sink to run cold water over his hand.
“Are you okay?”
“I'm fine, fine,” he grumbled, annoyed at himself, “I got distracted for a second there.” He quickly dried off his hands, wincing a little at his now sensitive skin and returned to the coffee with a frown. Served him right for gawking his customers, he figured. Finishing up the order and drizzling the ordered Caramel over the drink, he turned back to her, handing her the cup.
At that moment, she took his breath away.
He hadn't realized how well her hair complemented her eyes – her eyes that shone like the ocean back in his home town. They immediately sought out the patch of sensitive skin on his arm (when had she grasped his hand like that?) and she gingerly turned his lower arm left and right to see better in the dim lit room.
“It doesn't look too bad, but you should still be careful. I'm sorry you got burned because of my order.”
He wanted to tell her that it was nothing – and it truly was, it's not like it was his first burn and it wasn't even serious – but the words got stuck in his throat.
“Thank you,” he replied instead, slightly breathless before he swallowed deeply, “I'll take care.”
He was met with the most dazzling smile he had ever seen in his life. He didn't register her thanks and her “Have a nice day” or even the next customer clearing their throat impatiently.
At that moment, he fell hopelessly and irreversibly in love with the blue haired girl.
Thankfully, she dutifully returned to him – his coffee – every single morning. In the first few days, she kept asking him about his burn, but soon, the two of them fell into companionable silence, communicating more with their eyes and smiles instead of words. And Terra loved observing her every day. The closer winter and its cold temperatures drew, the bigger her sweaters became until he had to nearly send a search party into her clothes to find the girl underneath them, bundled up for warmth. Rarely, she dressed in a more fancy, more adult way – once it was during their university's big job fare, he noted, so he assumed she had important meetings those days. Those were the days where she would wear subtle but classy earrings and a light dusting of make up, making her eyes – her gorgeous eyes, he swooned – shine even more. Other days, she opted for the complete opposite, being super comfortable while still being dressed nicely; in contrast to other students, he never saw her turn up in sweatpants or anything comparable.
He didn't want to admit it to himself, but seeing her in the morning quickly became his favorite part of the day.
Spring had finally arrived and the end of the semester was coming near quickly. Having already passed all but of one his exams and being good on time with his assignments, he hadn't minded taking over today's afternoon shift for his sick colleague, even though it was unnaturally busy due to the university holding its open house day today. As such, tons of soon-to-be-students flooded the campus, chattering excitedly among themselves and – of course – trying to figure out where to buy the best food and coffee.
When lunch time was over and most of the caffeine deprived students were satisfied, business came to enough of a slow, allowing Terra to sit down behind the counter and pull out his sport medicine notes, learning for the last exam he had to take at the end of next week. Engrossed as he might have been in his notes, there was no way goosebumps wouldn't spread all over his arms as a familiar voice drifted to his ear.
“And this is the best coffee shop on campus!”
Terra immediately felt heat rise up his cheeks and scrambled to his feet, dropping his notes unceremoniously to the floor just in time for the blue haired girl to step up to the counter, eyes widening slightly as a huge smile started to spread over her lips.
“You're here!” She exclaimed more than asked and her smile was contagious.
“My colleague is sick so I took over his shift,” he replied before he noticed the blond boy trailing behind her, roughly a head shorter than her, with a huge grin plastered on his face. The tell-tale red fabric bag most of the student representatives were giving out to the visiting pupils was slung over his shoulder.
“Hey,” the girl addressed Terra warmly and he was about to melt into a puddle of goo at the sight of her dazzling eyes.
“Hey,” he breathed in response, but caught himself at the boy's snicker and cleared his throat.
“What can I get you?”
“A hot chocolate and a Caramel Cappuccino, please.”
She slid a bill over to him and he quickly gave her back her change before he stepped to the machine, starting the hot chocolate first as the girl and her companion stepped away from the counter.
“So, do you want to take a break here or do you want to continue the tour? They also sell sandwiches if you're hungry again.”
“I saw all the lectures that interested me the most so I'm open to anything. But the question is – do you want to take a break here?”
“What do you mean?”
“C'mon, Aqua –“
Aqua. Her name was Aqua. It fit her perfectly.
“– do you think I'm blind? Tell me, since when exactly do you drink coffee?”
“Since I started university? It keeps me awake in a morning.”
Terra heard a snort.
“Yeah, right. Says the girl who effortlessly got up at 5 am when she was still in school. The girl who called me up at 4 am this morning even though I could've easily slept until 6 am! You live on campus and the pharmacy building is five minutes away from your dorm. You do not need coffee to wake up.” A short pause. “Also, you hate the taste of coffee.”
“It's an acquired taste,” Terra heard Aqua's voice answer indignantly, “I got used to it and now I like it.”
“Back home, you spent endless days lecturing me about how bad the regular consumption of caffeine is. But I get it –“
The boy's voice lowered and subconsciously, Terra leaned further into the espresso machine, closer to his customers to pick up on their conversation.
“– I mean, you totally have the hots for the barista.”
Terra felt as if his heart stopped beating. Was it possible, that she was actually interested in him?!
“I-I do not!”
“Yes, you do!” Terra heard the boy snicker, but he had the decency to continue whispering, “Look at you, you turned as red as a tomato! And it would make sense why you started drinking coffee suddenly even though they also sell tea here: When you're embarrassed, you blurt out the first thing that comes to your mind! You probably saw him, saw the cappuccino and boom, that's what you ordered!”
Well... she did look at the special menu that day, didn't she? And she did blurt her order out... right? Terra bit his lip, daring to hope that it might be true.
“Ugh! Ven!” Her voice sounded muffled now and as inconspicuously as possible, Terra rose to his tiptoes to throw a glance over the machine. Aqua had thrown her hands over her face and the fierce blush that spread onto her neck kicked Terra's heart back into thumping furiously. “I am not having this kind of conversation with my baby brother!”
“Hey! I'm sixteen already! And you know I'm righ–”
“Not. Having.This. Conversation,” she all but squeaked out in response, but Terra barely registered it. He felt his heartbeat inside of his ears and felt his throat constrict as he reached for his book bag, fishing out one of his Edding pens.
It was all or nothing now.
With a shaky hand, he scribbled his telephone number on Aqua's cup and finished up the order as fast as he could before his courage left him again. Just as his stomach constricted painfully, he reached out for the tiny bell on the counter and ringed it. Aqua and Ven who now stood a meter away turned back to him, with Aqua still looking slightly flushed and Ven sporting a shit-eating grin.
“One hot chocolate and one Caramel Cappuccino.”
Terra didn't think his heart could beat even faster, but it did when Aqua stepped forward to reach for the cups. Their hands touched and as Aqua looked up at him shyly, Terra swallowed the big lump in his throat and leaned forward ever so slightly.
“I'm Terra,” he whispered, letting go of the cups and he caught a glimpse of another blush spreading over Aqua's cheekbones before she turned around with a breathless “thank you” and hurried over to Ven. They left his field of vision quickly and with a relieved sigh, Terra let himself fall back to the chair behind the counter, trembling slightly. He felt his head spinning and his heart continued strumming so powerfully inside of his chest he nearly missed the soft vibration in his back pocket.
Terra flew out of his seat and nearly dropped his phone when he opened his text messages.
In response to the tag "do you ever cry?" on my FFXV DAWN piece, the answer is yes. But only once in my life. And it was when Noctis impersonated "I've come up with a new recipeeeeh". :)
omg this is valid. noctis impersonating ignis is worth crying over.
0littlelight0 replied to your post “fave characters game”
Yesss you like Zack!!! Idk why but that made me so happy!
Haha aw <3 I do! Before FFXV came along, he was my ultimate fave in the entire FF series and I still have such a weak spot for him, I just. Love him a lot. Still want to get a Price of Freedom themed tattoo in ‘his’ honor one day as well.
