Notes: I promised I would post before I left for the con so here is my super late update as I'm painting lmao THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH ME I'm so happy I was able to finish this set out even though its super late. This has zero plot just so fluffy feels to end the ship week on <3
AO3
“Cause all of me, loves all of you. Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections.”
-John Legend, All of Me
Even though Aqua considered herself a morning person, it was impossible not to feel a yawn pull at her lips as she flipped the lights on in the kitchen. The room was a little blurry when her eyes watered up from her yawn but she the thought of coffee kept her moving. Her socks slid across the tile; the castle already feeling the beginning of the fall air. The long shirt she was wearing wasn’t enough to keep her warm outside of the piles of blankets back in bed.
She grabbed a mug that was left drying from last night’s dishes and set to make a pot of coffee so she could wake up and start her day. Breakfast wasn’t elaborate as it used to be; only on special occasions or when her or one of the boys decided they wanted to make something big. Usually it was Aqua hoping Ven ate something more than sugar cereal and that Terra would eat something warm instead of whatever leftovers were in the fridge. She contemplated making something but the wide yawn at her lips refused to let her mind think past caffeine first.
It was a busy day, she knew. It would probably be easier to make things to go so everyone could get where they needed to. Ven would probably wake up late, rushing in to grab whatever he could find before bolting off to where he was supposed to meet Kairi and Axel for their mission. Terra wouldn’t wake up late, but he would also take his sweet time to get ready meaning she’d have to usher him out the door so they could leave on time too.
Despite the chaos that occurred when all three of them had to leave at the same time, a smile pulled at her lips as she watched the coffee brew. This was how it was always supposed to be. It took a long time to get here, but this was the life she knew Master raised them for, what he ultimately wanted for them in the end.
“We’re here,” she breathed to no one in particular.
“We’re where?” a groggy voice answered.
Aqua might’ve jumped if she hadn’t been used to the voice sneaking up on her almost her whole life. She turned to see Terra walking into the kitchen; though she used “walking” lightly since his bare feet were more or less shuffling against the ground like he couldn’t be bothered to pick them up. He was still wearing the shirt and pants he fell asleep in. His hair was such a mess some of it was sticking out at unnatural angles, a sure sign he rolled out of bed and came right down stairs when he noticed she was gone.
The sight alone made her giggle, a familiar warmth spreading through her chest. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” he said, leaning in when he was close enough to place a kiss on her cheek.
“Coffee?”
“Please,” Terra yawned, sitting down in a nearby chair.
“Why are you up so early?” Aqua reached over to grab another mug. Maybe she should make tea for Ven; he might not wake up with enough time to drink it but it still could be worth a try.
“We have to leave today.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “When has that ever made you wake up early before?”
He shrugged, leaning his elbows against the table. She didn’t notice it when he first walked in, but sitting down under the light Aqua saw the sheen of sweat on his face, the tint of red to his skin.
“Did you have a nightmare?” she asked, her voice coming out softer than even she meant to.
Terra turned his head, smile on his lips though she knew him better to know it didn’t meet his eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”
“You should know by now…” She walked over to him, running a hand though his hair. “Worrying is my specialty.”
He snorted, leaning back enough to wrap an arm around her hips, leaning his head against her stomach. “It’s supposed to be over.”
“What do you mean, Ter?”
His eyes were closed and he looked so much younger, so much like the little boy who would crawl into her bed when she was the one with nightmares. “It’s over,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t still have trouble sleeping.”
Aqua swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew all too well sometimes nightmares didn’t fade all that easily, sometimes memories were hard to forget. Its not like she wanted that for herself, even less so for Terra but their past was not an easy one to trudge through. Even as hard as she tried to shield Ven from the effects she also knew the distant look in his eyes as his mind tried to process, tried to rationalize what he had been through.
“Sometimes,” she started, running her fingers against the back of Terra’s head. “Even happiness doesn’t mean all the bad is gone. Just means it’s a little easier to handle.”
He nodded, blinking up at her.
“Coffee?” Aqua asked again.
“Coffee.”
She gave his head another rub before moving back to where the coffee was steaming. She carefully poured his as close to the top as she could knowing he wouldn’t add anything to it; she left a gap on hers to add something to make it sweeter. Aqua turned to pass him the mug, placing it in front of him so she could go back and add sugar and flavoring to hers.
It was the sound of ceramic shattering, of liquid splashing that made her drop the bag of sugar onto the counter.
Terra was moving away from the steaming liquid that splashed all over the ground, bare feet narrowly avoiding burns and shards of sharp ceramic.
She hurried as close as she could to him without getting her socks stained with hot coffee trying to ask him if he was okay but he cut her off before she could.
“Shit,” he groaned, hitting his head back against the nearby wall.
Aqua stared at him for a moment. It was unusual to hear him curse; he really must’ve been exhausted. She should’ve been sympathetic, understanding, instead she couldn’t stop laughing.
“Aqua,” he groaned, whined almost; probably because he was embarrassed.
She couldn’t help it; there was something that was just so normal about the whole situation. Terra wasn’t clumsy but it wouldn’t have been the first time he broke dishes and back then she would help him clean it up before Master noticed or practice magic to restore it mostly back together.
“Your face,” she wheezed, trying to catch her breath.
“Ha ha, so funny.”
She blinked away her tears to see a small smile on his lips. “You didn’t get burnt did you?”
“So glad that was your first response.” He rolled his eyes. “No, I didn’t. You know, just my pride and the fact now I have no coffee.”
Aqua chuckled, reaching over the puddle to pass him hers. “I’ll make more. Have that and I’ll…” She trailed off as she watched him take a sip and promptly stick his tongue out, squinting his eyes like he tasted something really bad. Oh, so that’s where Ven got that look from. “I didn’t even put all the sugar in it.”
“Just toss me a towel, I don’t know how you drink this stuff.”
She reached into a drawer to throw him something to clean the mess up, which he did while she made a fresh cup for him. By the time it was ready he was sitting back down after tossing away all the shards and moping up the hot liquid. Aqua placed the mug down next to where he left hers on the table and carefully sat down on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling but she noticed he kept one palm hovering about the skin of her thigh.
Aqua carefully reached for his hand, turning it over in hers. He winced at the touch, where his skin was raw from where he must’ve been burnt. She didn’t hold it against him that he said he was fine; that was just Terra. She carefully trailed her fingers over his skin, whispering a few words to cause the familiar green light to shine. His hand went back to how it usually looked: calloused with a few scars.
This time the Curaga didn’t leave a scar, but she wouldn’t have cared even if it did. They were both made up of scars, made of cuts and jagged edges but at the same time soft, and real, and alive.
She leaned her head against his. “Better?”
“Much better.” He pulled her in closer, closing his eyes with a sigh against her cheek.
Aqua wasn’t sure if he was referring to her healing or something else, but it didn’t really matter. Less than ideal start to a very busy day, it still didn’t matter. Through it all, they still had each other.
Notes: Just a short and sweet comfort fluff <3 I really enjoyed writing this one even if it wasn't too long because it was just so soft to write. I also liked the imagery in this one too! I've had ideas like this in my head for a while so it was nice to get it out.
AO3
It didn’t used to bother Aqua, the howling of the wind outside the castle walls, the distant rolls of thunder, how the lightning cast shadows in the dark corners of the room late at night. She used to like thunder storms. She’d throw open her window and breath in the humid air, the smell of the incoming rain. It was almost exciting in a way to watch the dark skies light up as she and Terra would sit at the window jumping and laughing whenever the thunder got too loud or when the lightning struck too close. It didn’t really matter, because she was home so she knew she was safe. Terra was there to hold her hand and Master was just down the hall to chase away the nightmares.
Aqua clenched her eyes closed tightly as the sound of thunder felt like it was crashing down all around. Her book was sprawled out somewhere on the floor, the fire from fireplace flickering behind her eyelids. The library always seemed so safe but now it was too big and too dark. Shadows were crawling all around her, up the bookshelves, up the walls.
“It’s not real,” she tried to tell herself, the only voice she learned to trust in the twelve long years she spent alone. “It’s just a storm. Ven’s sleeping in his room, you said goodnight to Terra. They’re safe, you’re home.”
Aqua tried to open her eyes again to try and ground herself, but shadows flickered in the corner of her eyes and she stumbled to her feet, nearly tripping over her book.
Nothing. Nothing was there. Just books, and shelves, and tables and chairs. She knew the library like the back of her hand. She knew it even better coated in darkness, when it was used to taunt her to believing she was home when she was so lost.
She clenched her fists against her sides, tears stinging her eyes. It wasn’t fair. She just wanted to feel normal, safe, in the one place that always made her feel that way. Aqua reached up to wipe the back of her hand harshly against her face. She knew she should go back to her room, try and sleep it off yet the thought paralyzed her. How was she supposed to leave here when the dark hallways threatened to never end, walking, walking and never ending.
A sob caught in her throat. Where was she? Was this home? Was this a trick? An elaborate dream? Would it fade as fast as came?
“Aqua?”
Her vision was a little blurry, but even she could recognize the shape of the person carefully walking up to her.
“It’s okay,” Terra said, his warm hands on her shoulders and the relief her heart felt was almost enough to make her feel back at ease.
Aqua reached her arms around him, pressing her face to his chest. He was still for a moment but he placed his arms down around her.
This was real. No matter how many times the Realm of Darkness tried to taunt her with Terra, it could never get his warmth right, his careful touch, his familiar smell.
“Its just a storm,” he said, voice soothing, chasing away her nightmares like he did when they were much younger than this.
She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, almost afraid if she’d let him go he’d vanish away from her, but he was strong, sturdy, keeping her grounded. Even when he moved her to the cushioned couch behind them she still held on, settling against him as he sat back against the arm rest. He carefully kicked his legs up, taking hers with them like she weighed nothing, which maybe to him she didn’t. Aqua closed her eyes as she placed her ear to his chest, hearing the steady beat of his heart.
His fingers, calloused and rough were gentle against her skin while he ran his fingers through her hair. “The storm?” Terra asked, his low voice making his chest rumble, tickling Aqua’s face.
“Yeah,” she nodded.
He was quiet, just letting his hand brush over her hair. She knew if she didn’t say another word he’d leave it at that.
“It caught me off guard,” she breathed. “I forgot where I was.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “I understand.”
Most people would say that just to make someone feel better, but she knew there probably weren’t many people who understood as well as he did. They weren’t…perfect, her and Terra. It was messy and hard to talk about and a lot of it still hurt, but she knew, if there was anyone she could trust it was still him. After everything, he still made her feel safe, reminded her what it meant to feel alive.
“Remember when storms used to make us happy.”
He snorted, and even the simple gesture made Aqua smile against him. “They were fascinating in the least. I remember liking how strong the thunder felt, waiting to see where the lightning would strike.”
Her heartbeat was slowing down, breathing coming easier. “You just liked sneaking into my room after curfew.”
“Guilty as charged.”
She laughed lightly, his own heartbeat still in her ears, making the roll of thunder seem a lot farther away.
“You want to try it again?” he asked.
“What sneaking into my room? I think Ven would absolutely notice now.”
“No,” Terra choked, through she wasn’t sure if it was because of laughter or embarrassment. Either way she felt a giggle bubble up in her; Aqua missed this with him more than she knew how to express. “I mean the storm.”
Aqua knew what he meant, but she hesitated. She knew if she said no that would be it; instead she nodded. Terra carefully sat up, letting her crawl off of him at her own speed. It was a lot colder away from him, the aisles between the book shelves darker with the shadows of the fire.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and Aqua took a step on the hardwood floor. She could feel the scrapes carved into the wood from all the times they moved the couch around to build forts and hideaways.
One step, another step, and another Aqua walked towards one of the windows that lined the wall on the opposite side of the room. The cushions on the bench were soft and comfortable but from here they looked sharp and jagged. She took a breath. Terra’s bare feet were padding across the floor behind her.
She wasn’t alone. Aqua paused before quickly running down the aisle, avoiding some books that hadn’t been picked up yet, around the table she studied for hours at and not stopping till she could throw herself onto the cushioned bench. She fumbled with the lock in the center but swung the window open just as roll of thunder echoed from the mountains.
Aqua gasped as the familiar air hit her. Summer and stars, humidity and green trees, dark skies and the soothing sounds of rain; it was all so nostalgic so real. She didn’t even realize she had tears in her eyes until she noticed it wasn’t raining yet.
“See,” Terra said, sitting down on the bench next to her. “Just a storm, just like normal.”
“Like normal,” she breathed.
Lightning flickered in the distance, lighting them both up. In that moment she felt so much smaller, younger, soft hands gripping at the window pane as she watched the storm clouds roll in. It was late, it was a secret to be out of bed this late, it was exhilarating. Terra sat with her, his legs not long enough to touch the floor yet, his blue eyes filled with a childish innocence and his toothy smile lighting up his face.
This was home, this was always home. Storms were storms, and Terra was still Terra.
Lightning cracked into the ground nearby the castle making both Aqua and Terra jump. She scrambled to catch her balance as he put his hand to his chest, adjusting himself on the bench where he almost fell off. Aqua looked to him, but it only took a moment before they both started to laugh.
It hurt her stomach, the way she couldn’t stop, how she couldn’t remember the last time she saw Terra smile so widely at her. The skies opened up and rain pounded down sheets and sheets of water.
Aqua carefully stuck her hand out, feeling the cool water run over her skin.
They couldn’t ever go back, not to how things were but that didn’t mean she still wasn’t the same girl who liked to watch lightning and Terra wasn’t the same boy who liked to hear the thunder. They could still sit and watch the storms together, they could face the storms together.
Notes: Okay so I had the Ed Sheeran song "Perfect" in my head the whole time I wrote this. My brother and sister-in-law danced to that song as their first dance and kay my heart melted SO here's some super sap lmao And I thought of Terra and Aqua the first time I heard it then too so I guess I'm the super sap hahaha
AO3
Destiny Island, Ven loved Destiny Island. The first time he ever stepped foot on the sandy beaches he was ready to toss off his clothes and dive right into the water; which he didn’t because he didn’t bring a swimsuit but he would’ve.
He did the very next time he went back to visit in the least.
It was warm and sunny and it always smelled like fresh fruit and sunshine. He loved the way the sand felt between his toes, how clear the water was that he could see all the fish swimming around, he loved jumping off the old bridges to catch the frisbee Axel intentionally threw too far, Ven loved it all. He’d move here if Terra and Aqua would let him. The lake back home was okay, but it couldn’t hold a candle to the beach.
“It’s a vacation spot,” Aqua would say with that amused look in her eyes as she’d rub some dirt off his cheek. “Even the people who live here don’t live on the island.”
Yeah, well, he’d make a house, like in the trees or something. Whatever, it was nice enough to just visit regardless. The waves tickled his feet as he laid flat on his back, the moon shining high above him, stars reflecting over the dark water. He sort of got dressed before collapsing on the semi wet sand to watch the stars rise, but he didn’t care too much if he got wet, the water was still so warm.
The fire was crackling somewhere behind him, music playing softly over the radio that Kairi brought with her today. He arched his head back to look at who was still around the campfire. It wasn’t too surprising that Axel was passed out off to the side, some jacket tucked under his head; he was probably snoring but the music was playing loud enough that it drowned him out. Roxas was fiddling on his phone with his back leaning up against Axel’s stomach, that would probably be a pillow before too long. Isa was still there too, his eyes watching the fire while he kicked Axel to get him to shut up. Xion was kneeling behind Isa, her mouth moving as she chatted about something, fingers moving in his hair where she was probably braiding it.
Ven had to arch his back into a weird position to see the rest of the fire pit but there was Kairi and Naminé sitting together on a log, exchanging pictures on their phones as well as flipping through her sketchbook. Sora and Riku where nowhere to be found; probably hunting through the caves together considering the only other people where Terra and Aqua, sitting on a shorter log off to the side. He had his legs kicked out closer to the fire and she was curled into facing him, listing attentively to what he was saying. They were close enough that their legs were touching but far enough that nothing else was.
Figures, Ven snorted as he let himself flop back down on the sand. A year. A year went by since that nightmare, and for the most part everyone was well adjusted and happy in their new roles and new lives. Except Ven’s stupid best friends.
Okay, almost a lie. They were well adjusted and happy, just not in the way Ven thought they should be. It was silly really, you love someone you tell them. Done deal. Oh, no, those two did just about everything you could possibly do to imply it but until one of them actually said it Ven was pretty sure they’d never know. Even when Terra literally would carry Aqua to bed when she stayed up late in library and fell asleep. Even when Aqua could predict a shifting mood in Terra so she could be there with a warm hand on his face to remind him he was alive. Even when he intentionally went to bed last every single night so he could shut off the lanterns while Aqua was tucked safe in bed, usually his if you wanted a double whammy. Even when neither of them looked at anyone the way they looked at each other.
Ven didn’t even really knew what it was like to be in love, how it felt, what it entailed and even he knew. Alright, it was a rough time back, hard adjustments even he felt that but things were good now, things were normal. The Land of Departure was going to be a school again, a safe haven for keybearers. Peace was returned, this was the prime time for love and all that crap. Ven couldn’t fathom why they still pretended like everything was the same, why they couldn’t say simple words that expressed how they felt.
In fact the more he thought about it the more frustrated he got. Even laying on the beach with the relaxing waves and soothing breeze he wanted to hit them both upside the head. If anyone in this world deserved to be happy it was them two and for some reason they refused to see that. Well, you know what, maybe Ven would make them see it.
He didn’t even know he had jumped to his feet until he heard Terra call his name.
“Everything alright, kiddo?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ven said, jogging to head back over to the fire. “Saw a jellyfish or something.”
“Its dark out, how did you see a jellyfish,” Roxas asked though judging by how he didn’t look up from his phone it was probably more along the lines of “you absolutely didn’t see a jellyfish”.
“The moonlight,” Ven said, waving his hand generally towards the sky. “Stars, you know. I saw one, okay.”
Xion giggled from her spot behind Isa.
Roxas did look up that time. “Are there even any jellyfish around this island? I’ve never seen one.”
“Don’t antagonize, Roxas,” Isa said but he cracked a small smile when Kairi looked up to mouth “no” while trying not to laugh.
“Okay, okay,” Ven snorted. He should’ve known better they’d call his bluff, they always did. Some friends. He went to go sit by Aqua, trying to form some plan to get them to do something but it turned out he didn’t need to; her feet were tapping in the sand the to the beat of the music, head bobbing absent mindedly.
Oh, oh. Aqua loved music and she loved dancing. Kairi brought along the radio just because she thought it would be nice to have something to sing or dance along to. So far everyone had just listened along but he bet he could get some dancing going which could work out in his favor.
“Hey, Aqua,” he said, holding his hands out to her. “Dance with me.”
“On the beach?” she asked though she was already standing up to meet him. “I’m not sure how well my form will be on uneven ground.”
“Please, you’re good at everything.”
Aqua gave him a swat to his arm but she was already placing one hand on his shoulder and taking Ven’s in her hand. He placed his other on her waist which might’ve been weird because she was like his sister but he did it a million times before. Even when Ven started to move in the first dance steps that came to his memory, which she was right it was hard to keep a pattern when your feet kept slipping in the sand. Aqua looked more shocked than anything.
“What?” he asked. “Surprised I remembered?”
“No.” Her face melted into a smile. “You’ve just gotten so tall. You used to be a lot smaller when we did this.”
He felt his ears get hot at the sudden attention on himself; he knew Aqua was sentimental but that wasn’t quite what Ven was going for tonight. He spun her around pretty sloppily because of the sand but it made her laugh well enough before he pulled her back to him.
Terra was still sitting, watching them with an amused grin.
“Jealous I’m still a better dancer than you?” Ven said, sticking out his tongue as he moved to dance Aqua in a small circle.
“If you call that better dancing you can have it,” Terra snorted. He didn’t seem to mind one bit to not be the one dancing. Granted Ven also knew it’s not like Terra had any reason to be jealous of Ven or anyone here.
“He’s right, VenVen,” Roxas said.
There was a teasing glint in Isa’s eyes that used to be hard to see but he was getting better at it. “You can’t do better, I wouldn’t talk. Unless you’d like to prove me wrong.”
“Nope, I’m good.”
“Don’t talk the talk then,” Xion said, fingers grabbing some more of Isa’s thick hair.
That did give Ven an idea though. Looking over Aqua’s shoulder he managed to catch Naminé’s eyes. She was already watching them as Kairi was looking questionably at her phone; probably trying to figure out where the boys went off to.
Ven gestured his head to Terra, but Naminé only blinked in response. Ven moved Aqua around in a circle again, trying to mouth to Naminé while frantically nodding towards Terra. Her eyes blinked in recognition this time, her mouth forming a little “o”.
At one point she might’ve been too shy but now she easily stood up, walking over to where Terra was still sitting. “Terra?” she asked in that soft voice of hers. “Would you maybe dance with me?”
Ven was already celebrating his victory; like Terra would ever say no to that.
Sure enough he didn’t. He was already pushing himself up to his feet. “Of course, I’d be my pleasure.”
Ven tried to watch them more to make sure he could give Naminé more instructions but Aqua’s face cut back into his view, a grin on her lips as she spun him around this time. She was far better at it than he was, pulling him out and right back in with so much ease even the slippery sand didn’t make him feel like he was going to fall.
Aqua pulled him in closer that time, leaning so her face was near his ear. “What are you up to?”
“Me? Aqua, honestly, how could you ever think that?”
She laughed and it made Ven feel happier even than he was in that moment. He wanted her to always be happy, like this, carefree dancing on the beach in the middle of the night. There was really only one person who could do that for her every day, and it wasn’t himself.
Ven leaned back around when Aqua straightened up some. Naminé looked even smaller when she was standing in front of Terra. He still led her with surprisingly good form even though Terra hated dance class way back when. Naminé was giggling but Ven knew she was watching him out of the corner of her eyes. He couldn’t really tell her what he wanted to do so he had to hope she was intuitive enough to pick up on it; he was almost positive she was, even more so than most.
He mouthed, “now” and hoped she got the message. Ven quickly spun Aqua around but let her go, ducking under her arms to move out of the way. Naminé had done the same to Terra, spinning off to where Ven was standing and leaving Aqua and Terra facing each other, their arms still slightly extended where their partners once where.
“Your turn,” Ven said, Naminé reaching up to cover her laugh behind her hand.
Aqua pursed her lips, her cheeks puffing out slightly from the trick Ven pulled over them.
He shrugged in response. “Sorry, you gotta, thems the rules.”
“What rules?” Roxas snorted.
“The dance rules,” Kairi nodded even though there were absolutely no rules for this.
“Suppose you should get on with it then,” Isa said, and Ven didn’t miss the small wink Isa gave Xion, making her giggle too.
“Okay,” Aqua sighed, though she was grinning she wasn’t upset. “I suppose it’s the rules.”
Terra rolled his eyes, but was already reaching out for Aqua’s waist, taking one of her hands in his. “I don’t remember that rule.”
“You did it anyways,” Ven snickered, moving to sit on the now empty log. Naminé followed taking a seat between him and Kairi.
Terra ignored Ven at that point; in fact he was pretty sure Terra ignored everyone at that point. It didn’t really matter because the sight in front of Ven was exactly what he wanted.
Terra and Aqua fit together much better than Ven did with Aqua. Terra was still taller than her but she was the right height to match his movements easily. She looked like she was trying not to laugh, probably because they were sliding in the sand as they tried to mimic a ballroom dance. He did too, big grin on his lips; one Ven thought at one point he might never see again even after they came back home.
They were dance partners before Ven ever came along, they were partners in pretty much everything before and after Ven. He never took it personally; he knew they shared something different with each other then they shared with him. It just took him a while to understand the different ways you could love someone. It showed the most in situations like these where their partnership and their bond really shined. They were perfectly at ease following the simple steps in each other’s arms. Even when Aqua slide a little too far in the sand, nearly loosing her balance with a laugh Terra grabbed onto her waist holding her back up.
For a moment, Ven was pretty sure they forgot they were on a beach surrounded by their friends.
Aqua reached her arms up around Terra’s neck, the distance between them closing just a little more, their feet reduced more to small steps and sways and less like actual dancing.
Roxas breathed in like he was going to say something but a hand clasped down on his mouth before he could. Axel had his eyes open; maybe he was never really asleep to begin with. Roxas glared over but it was harmless.
Isa brought his finger to his lips. “Let them be.”
Ven would’ve rolled his eyes at the fact everyone knew but clearly the two in question but when he looked back to them, it wasn’t…It wasn’t like that.
Aqua had leaned her head down on Terra’s shoulder, her eyes shut with a sort of easy smile on her face. They had drifted a little bit away from the fire, partly hidden by the shadows from the palm trees nearby. Terra’s hands were pressed to her lower back keeping her close. He had his head tilted towards her as he said something that Ven supposed wasn’t for anyone else’s ears.
They knew. They absolutely knew. They knew how important they were to one another, they knew the comfort, they knew the peace, and they probably knew the love. It was never clearer than in that moment that they were each other’s worlds, all wrapped up in light sweaters from the chill of the beach at night, barefoot in the sand under a bright moon. They may not have done anything about it, that Ven knew of, but it wasn’t that they were oblivious or ignoring it. They embraced it even if they weren’t ready to say it.
Terra leaned her head against hers and her smile got wider, though her eyes never opened. They really were the only people they saw here right now.
Ven felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He looked over to Naminé; she was watching at the sky.
“They’ll be just fine.”
Where once he would’ve question that, because could they take any longer, they had already lost so much time why lose more? This time he felt a little more at peace. He glanced back over to them still dancing slowly together before watching the sparkling stars. The very ones he wished upon so many times both with his friends and alone. It was hard not close his eyes fondly at the memories and at the long life he had in front of him to spend it how he pleased; with the people he loved, his friends and his family.
He blinked his eyes open when he heard footsteps on the sand. Kairi stood up to wave when Riku was in view, Sora sitting up on Riku’s shoulders and waving so frantically it nearly knocked Riku over. Roxas had leaned over to show Axel something on the phone, something they were both snickering over. Xion was holding up some of the braids to Isa to make sure he liked the style she was testing on him; he always liked it. Terra and Aqua were still dancing, feet barely moving in the sand as the water lapped up from the beach.
Ven smiled, a sigh falling from his lips. Yeah, those two, they’d be just fine.
Notes: idk what this one is, I just wanted to write a fic about them camping and this is what I came up with lmao Its sappy but I also just loved the idea of them going back to things they used to do as kids.
AO3
The weather was chilly this early in the morning, the breeze feeling nice as Terra had already been leading the hike for about an hour. It was part of the reason he chose to do this now; while the mornings and nights were cool, but the midday was still warm enough to enjoy the outdoor weather. Soon it would be all cold, with snow coating the ground and the woods would be to dangerous to venture.
Terra adjusted the bag on his shoulders as he glanced behind him down the path. Aqua was a few steps behind, carrying her own backpack and bag on her shoulder. She was looking out off to the side, watching some deer run off in the distance. It would’ve been a peaceful, quiet hike, just the sounds of nature all around them if not for Ven’s constant stream of vocal thoughts as they walked.
“…then there also was the time we got completely lost out here like so lost I was pretty sure we would never find our way back to the castle again. Even the sun had gone down and we were still walking in circles.”
“I’d do yourself a favor and not recall who’s fault it was we were lost in the first place,” Terra said as he stepped around a large rock in the pathway. Really, he didn’t mind Ven being chatty; nature was nice but it was better to hear the voices of the people who were there with him.
“Are you implying it was my fault, Terra?” Aqua’s voice was clear, though not without a hint of a amusement; probably because she remembered the event as clearly as Ven did.
“I’m going to do myself a favor and not answer that either.”
“I knew where we were.”
“Yeah, of course you did, I never said otherwise.” He got a punch in the arm for that one but it lacked any real force. It was so long ago that any hard feelings about teasing over that particular event were gone. He looked over to see Aqua shaking her head at him but it was easy to know she wasn’t mad. Terra turned farther around to see Ven jogging around the rock; even farther back was light blonde hair bobbing along. “You keeping up okay, Naminé?”
She nodded with a big smile though Terra could see the sweat on her forehead, the way her feet were dragging slightly against the dirt. Terra knew it well; not only in himself once upon a time but Aqua, and Ven when he was younger too. It was hard to hike all day if you weren’t used to it.
“Everyone ready for a break? We’re about…” Terra looked off into the distance, trying to find the trail markers him and Eraqus placed ages ago. “Halfway there maybe.”
“I can keep going,” Ven said, hoping off a log to jump ahead.
Terra reached an arm out, wrapping it around Ven’s shoulders to pull him back. “I’m glad you can, but not everyone has never ending energy.”
He opened his mouth to argue the fact but he must’ve noticed Aqua paused for Naminé. “Why do we have to stop for you, old man?”
Terra placed his hands on Ven’s shoulders, giving a squeeze to let him know Terra noticed the redirect; Naminé would never insist they stop for her if she knew that’s the reason why. “You’ll understand when you’re my age.”
“Your age,” Aqua snorted, pulling out a canteen from her backpack. “You act like you aren’t only two years older than me.”
“Does that mean you’re old too?” Ven asked.
She clicked her tongue. “Not unless you want to wake up with your bed mat in the middle of the lake.”
“I was just kidding.” Ven scurried out of Terra’s grasp, walking around to where Naminé was coming to a stop. “Isn’t it beautiful out here?”
“Lovely,” she agreed, though her voice sounded a little winded.
Aqua held out her water bottle for Terra to take, which he did. It was cool out but that didn’t mean it was easy to hike without any sort of water.
“Bet you can draw lots of pretty things spending the weekend in the woods,” Ven said.
“I hope so,” Naminé said with a nod. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Oh, you don’t have to thank us.” Aqua waved a hand dismissively. “It’s our pleasure to show someone else our favorite spots out here. Someone who will appreciate them.”
Terra tried not to choke on the water as he laughed. It was true, Ven invited his friends for the trip and while some were genuinely busy some, like Axel, said there was no way he was sleeping if there wasn’t a full sized bed. Naminé was the only one who wanted and was able to come with them.
“It’s very special to you isn’t it?” she asked.
That brought a smile to Aqua’s face, reminiscent and soft in a way that only she could be. “It brings back many good memories, yes.”
Ven was holding his canteen over his head, mouth open but nothing was coming out; something he noted with a groan.
“Wanna see if you can find a water source?” Terra asked looking away from Aqua to see Ven’s pouting face.
“This is a test, I know it is.”
Terra merely shrugged. In his mind he could see Eraqus saying the same words, Terra reacting similarly to Ven. “Doesn’t matter if you need to find water.”
His eyes flickered to Aqua, making Terra look in just enough time to see her pointing off to the side of the woods.
“Got it!” Ven said, hurrying off in the direction before Terra could say anything. “Wanna come with me, Naminé?”
“Okay,” she nodded. “I’d like to see the water.” She looked like she was about to follow but Ven grabbed her wrist first, tugging her off in the direction Aqua gave him and nearly knocking Naminé off her feet.
“If I remember, there’s a nice little creek nearby,” he said, careful to make sure she didn’t actually fall as he led her.
“It’s a pond, Ven,” Terra said.
“Yeah, there’s a pond nearby.”
Aqua was trying to hide her laughter behind her hand as Ven and Naminé disappeared behind the trees. His voice was still present for a little while longer, explaining all the things he thought where near the pond even though he was thinking of a different spot in the woods.
Terra looked over to Aqua who was still watching the direction that Ven and Naminé went. “Cheater.”
Aqua clicked her tongue as she sat down on a nearby log, stretching her legs out in front of her. “Like you never benefited from me pointing out the answers behind Master’s back.”
“Oh, so we’re teaching Ven our bad habits now,” Terra snorted, passing her the canteen back so he could sit down next to her.
She was laughing as she looked over to him. “When have we not?”
“I can’t argue that.” It was hard not to smile when her eyes were so bright in the morning light, her cheeks red from the hike and from her laughter.
Ven’s voice had completely disappeared from earshot, something that once would’ve worried Terra. He knew that Ven was plenty capable of getting water and finding his way back. Terra leaned back slightly, looking past the tree line to the sky. As far as he could tell the weekend would be good weather for their camping trip; the first one in a long time when him and Aqua used to go often with Eraqus. It seemed both like yesterday and ages ago.
Aqua wrapped her arm around his, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Remember when you got lost trying to find the exact same water source?”
“In my defense,” he said, reaching up to tap a hand over hers. “It was in the middle of the night and I was only allowed to use a few spells to find it.”
She hummed, reaching her fingers out just enough to lace between his.
“And you nearly scared me to death when I just see one ball of light floating towards me.”
That time she did laugh, her breath puffing out against the skin of his arm. “Do you think Master heard you scream?”
“I think everyone back at the castle heard me scream.” Terra looked down but Aqua was already watching him, her eyes curved into half moon shapes as her smile was so wide; it nearly made him melt on the spot. There was nothing he could love more than seeing her happy, well, aside from her in general.
“I guess even back then we had bad habits, since I wasn’t supposed to sneak down and help you.”
“Or…” he said, curling his hand down over hers. “We’ve always just been really good partners.”
She made a noise of contentment, leaning her head back against him. It was strange in the sense this sort of comfort, this sort of ability to be close to her seemed like something he’d only dream about hidden from the rest of his world. It was common place now, to be with her, to be together and yet he still tried to hold onto every second of it.
“I can’t wait to see the stars again, they’re so beautiful at the top of the mountain,” Aqua said.
“You mean when we used to sneak out of our tents to see them since Master wasn’t always convinced we wouldn’t fall off the cliff on accident.”
“Yes,” she chuckled. “We never did.”
“Cause I caught you before you did.”
Aqua’s head shot up, a hand covering her mouth. “Oh gods, I forgot about that.”
Terra arched an eyebrow. “How could you forget? You nearly toppled off the side of the cliff.” He could still remember it like it really was yesterday. They shouldn’t have wandered so far from camp alone and with nothing to light their way, but they were dumb teenagers who thought they knew everything. He remembered his heart nearly pounding out of his chest when he heard the crumble of rock and Aqua’s surprised gasp. It was nothing but pure instinct to throw his arms around her waist and force them both away from the crumbling edge.
“I don’t know,” she said, her face relaxing. “Maybe because I was never afraid knowing you had my back.”
Her words had warmth floating into his chest. “I don’t know if I could’ve saved you if Master ever found out.”
Aqua dropped her hands to her lap. “He probably knew anyways.”
He probably did, even if he never chose to say something about it; very little slipped past him.
“Besides, I chose to remember the better times.”
Terra swallowed the small lump in his throat at her unsaid words. It had been a while since…their time lost and while things were good now, it wasn’t like it was easy to forget. “Like what?”
“The stars, us, all the dreams shared under them.”
Terra nodded; he knew the feeling all too well, the memories he fiercely protected when he needed them.
“Hey,” she said, reaching her hands over to push his shoulder lightly. “Tell me one of the dreams you never told me?”
“I told you everything,” he snorted.
That one got him a hit to his arm instead. “Oh, you are such a liar, Terra. You absolutely did not.”
“I told you most things.”
She arched her eyebrows at him, silently daring him to say the words.
He knew that if he didn’t want to say she’d drop it right away but it’s not like he had anything to be embarrassed about anymore. She knew how he felt about her, he knew how she felt about him. How teenage him felt about her should be no surprise. “You,” he said, reaching a hand up to brush some of her bangs that fell into her face. “This.”
Aqua leaned her head into his hand. “Me too.”
Even though they already had this conversation he still couldn’t resist a smile pulling at his lips. “You should’ve told me.”
“You should’ve told me.” She was teasing; he knew by the look in her eyes, he’d know it anywhere. It was always so easy it was to be with her like there was never a day they hadn’t been together.
“Maybe,” he relented but if she had a response he cut her off first, leaning in to press his lips to hers.
She melted into him, reaching her hands up to his face as she kissed him, trying to inch closer on the log. This, he dreamed about this so much, about being kiss her whenever he wanted and by some miracle he got lucky enough that it became his wonderful reality.
“I told you we shouldn’t have left them alone.”
Almost wonderful reality.
He had gotten over being surprised when Ven popped up out of nowhere; because he did it a lot. Terra pulled away when Aqua started to laugh, looking over to Ven holding his canteen smugly and Naminé a step behind, her hands trying to cover her own giggles.
“I told you we shouldn’t have left them alone,” he said.
“Aqua, are you positive bringing two teenagers with us was a great idea?”
She snorted, hitting him in the chest as she stood up. “C’mon, then, why don’t you lead the way for a bit, Ven.”
He looked suspicious. “Is this punishment or…?”
“Just go,” she laughed, waving him along.
Ven took a drink from his canteen as he headed down the path, Naminé walking with him.
Aqua reached a hand down to Terra, helping him up to his feet; though she didn’t let go even when they started walking. “You know what this means right?” she asked, Ven’s voice already starting to chat away as he led the way.
“We’ll both push Ven’s bed mat into the lake.”
She hit her hand against his arm. “We can add some new dreams under the stars.”
Aqua said it so simply, so easy. The air was starting to warm up but it had nothing to do with the warmth in his body. He did have some new dreams that could use a wish or two on some stars. He had fairly good luck so far.
Notes: I’M REAL LATE and will keep being late cause what else can I do haha I struggle a lot with getting back into my writing after my whole life shifted this year but if I can do it for anything its my sweetest babus <3 This was my first finished fic in months so I hope its decent enough!
AO3
The cold didn’t ever bother Terra too much. When he was a kid he found playing in the snow easy even wearing the lightest winter clothes, and while his desire to toss himself in the snow dwindled over the years, his ability to usually stay pretty warm stayed. That even included visiting worlds that were in their season cycle of winter. Admittedly Arendelle was colder than most in their winter, but he still found himself dumping the fur lined jacket, hat, scarf, gloves and every other bit of winter gear Aqua could possibly think of onto one of the ornate chairs in the guest room of the castle. She seemed to forget just because she was always cold didn’t mean he was too.
He stretched his arms over his head, a yawn pulling at his lips as even the soft sweater he was still wearing made him feel hot. Despite the cold stone of the castle and the snow swirling around outside the large window, the castle kept rather warm. He was just about to toss that sweater into the pile too when he heard the soft knock on door frame.
Terra dropped the hem of his sweater, glancing over to the door he knew he left open to see the only other familiar face on this world.
“All set then?” Riku asked. He discarded most of his winter gear, that Aqua also made him take, making him look more fitting in this world in a similar set of shirt, sweater, and pants.
“All set,” Terra said, gesturing to the tossed clothes.
Riku snorted. “She’s just looking out.”
The thought made Terra feel a little bit warmer than he had a moment ago. “I know, but you’ll learn soon enough she worries too much.”
“I think…” Riku said, tapping his fingers on the door frame. “She has every right to.”
Terra opened his mouth, but quickly closed it again. That was fair. It wasn’t like he particularly was fond of leaving her and Ven alone in their home even if he knew it was plenty safe there. Some habits were real hard to break.
“Hey, I’m going to meet with the princesses, I have very specific instructions from Sora.” Riku rolled his eyes though his amused smile was all too familiar. He raised his hand to wave. “Get some sleep I’ll fill you in tomorrow.”
“Alright, see you.”
Riku closed the door behind him, his footsteps soft on the carpet as he walked away. Terra didn’t move until he was sure nothing jumped out to attack the kid; yeah, old habits died hard.
He tossed off the sweater, dumping it with the rest of the winter clothes before looking back to the room around him. Usually he would’ve gone with Riku to make sure everything went okay but since the sisters knew Sora it was decided Riku would probably be best at taking lead on this particular mission. Terra was eager to get back out into the field and do something…do something good like he knew he was capable of but he also could recognize when strategies better fit situations. Plus they had to walk a few miles to even find the town and he was admittedly not exactly back at peak condition.
It was over half a year since everything happened, and despite being back up to regular training and the ability to take and lead missions again he still found himself sore or winded easier than he used to. An effect from what his body went through he assumed, but he wished he’d work out of it so he didn’t feel like such an old man crawling into the large bed to get some rest.
Or he would’ve if he didn’t feel something jab into his thigh.
Terra quickly reached in to grab whatever poked him, only to remember he left his phone in his pocket.
“Why the spikes?” he muttered to himself as he flopped down into the admittedly very comfortable bed. Whoever designed the gummiephones didn’t think about leaving in in your pocket apparently.
He almost just tossed it off onto the night stand so he could sleep but then decided not to. Instead he brought it up to his face, looking over whatever notifications were floating across the screen. He really only checked the mission chat as it sometimes gave them information they needed and may not have started with but he noticed there were other notifications blinking at him.
The dim fire lanterns on the wall flickered slightly but didn’t blow out, still illuminating the room just enough.
There was some sort of group chat but he didn’t even know how he got added to that. Considering the last message was a bunch of winking faces from Xion, Terra was pretty sure he still didn’t want to know. He scrolled down a little bit, seeing some sort of link Sora sent at some point and a message from Lea asking if he could stay at the Land of Departure to get away from Roxas and Xion; both of whom where in the chat too so it was probably just Lea teasing.
Terra did click on the one from Ven, which wasn’t too old, probably just after Terra left for the mission. The chat opened up on the screen, the remnants of the last time Ven tried to message Terra up top but the newer message was a picture. He clicked on it, making the picture of Ven and Aqua making the most dramatic faces imaginable fill up his screen.
Ven: We miss you already, whatever will we do without you
A smile pulled at Terra’s lips. Despite the silliness of it all, it still made him feel a little less lonely. It was nice to know people somewhere missed him, even if they were being ridiculous about it. It was probably late back home but he still tapped in the text box so he could respond; Ven would sleep through it just fine if he was sleeping.
I haven’t even been gone a day. You’ll be fine.
Terra pressed send but lingered on the screen with the picture. It wasn’t the first time any of them left on their own; Aqua took a few missions, as did himself, and while Ven didn’t take any as of yet he was often off visiting his many new friends. Even then it still made a part of Terra wish he was home. He was more than happy to be able to start rebuilding the life he thought he lost, but part of losing that life was losing the people he loved. He had them back now, and even though it was rocky at first to work through old hurt and new pain, home was feeling more and more like home.
He loved being given the change to work on being the peacekeeper he always wanted to be but at the same time, traveling away from Aqua and Ven made him more homesick than it used to.
Terra clicked out of the chat when he was sure Ven was sleeping well enough to not respond. As much as Terra wanted the interaction to feel closer to home, it was more of a relief that Ven was not responding right away meaning he wasn’t laying in bed on his phone unable to sleep. It was an issue for them all at first, but nightmares started to fade and sleep started to come easier for them all. Granted, now he was the one laying in bed staring at his phone.
He pressed on another set of notifications, bringing up pictures this time. He recognized the app as something Ven excitedly showed Terra the moment they were given the gummiephones. It was a way to post pictures and everyone who was connected to your account could see it…or something like that. He sort of just smiled and nodded at Ven as he explained the whole thing.
With a flick of a thumb, Terra scrolled through the pictures, recognizing faces and even places as Riku was one who posted a shot of Arendelle Castle when they got here. There were a few comments; Kairi saying she thought it was beautiful but she wasn’t sure she could handle the cold, Sora immediately chiming in that it was freezing there and what was wrong with Riku that an island boy like him could take the cold so well.
There was also a comment from Aqua, a small picture of her next to her name and text. She wrote about missing the snow covered worlds, and that she’d love to see it. Pretty typical; Aqua loved the snow even if she also was always cold. He was about to keep scrolling but he saw the timestamp next to her post, that it was only made five minutes ago.
She was still awake.
He hesitated, thumb over her picture. He knew enough that if he clicked on it, he’d be taken to the profile she set up and from there he could message her or call her. A part of him wanted to. It was a long day, trudging through the snow and staying in an unfamiliar bed. The other part of him told him he saw her this morning and it hadn’t even been twenty four hours yet so rationally he shouldn’t miss the sound of her voice yet.
Rational or not, he did.
With a groan he pushed the phone down onto the bed, his head leaning back against the headboard with a dull thud. Maybe it was rational; time passing or not he spent a very long time without someone he used to spend everyday with. He barely remembered the time he lived with Master Eraqus before Aqua. She was always there and when she wasn’t…
He closed his eyes, chest contracting at the swirl of dark memories that flooded his mind. It used to be very hard to push them away, choosing to sink into the guilt of what was done but tonight he could open his eyes and remember the past was the past. He was okay, she was okay, just a little farther away tonight. Which wasn’t common, but it also wasn’t uncommon as they started on the path that they were trained to follow.
Still, there was nothing wrong with checking in, right? Nothing weird about just wanting to make sure his home was safe while he was away. That was completely reasonable. Totally normal to call up his best friend in the middle of the night with an excuse he was checking in when really he missed hearing her knock on his door with two cups of tea to share in a quiet moment before bed.
Totally normal.
He quickly picked up his phone, clicking where he last saw her picture. It brought him to a familiar profile layout so he knew where to find the video call button before he could lose his confidence. The ringing noise echoed in the room as his call was going through.
Terra quickly jumped out of bed (not without nearly falling out as his legs got tangled on the blankets in his effort to move fast) to walk over to the window. There was a small place to sit, the moonlight from outside shining in over the cushions and pillows that sat there. He didn’t know why he needed to move, anxious energy he supposed, but the calling screen cut out just as he was sitting down. He held up the phone to try and remember how Ven said was the best way to angle it but Terra’s stomach fell so fast he nearly dropped the phone.
The background of the call was a vibrant blue sky, palm trees scattered around. While blue eyes were watching him, it wasn’t the blue eyes he wanted to see.
“Terra?” Kairi asked, her forehead furrowed slightly. “Is something wrong?”
“Terra?” Another voice piped up from somewhere nearby. “You mean he actually knows how to call someone?”
More red hair filled the screen, so much of it that it nearly covered the entirety of it.
“Axel,” Kairi snorted, reaching a hand up to shove his face away.
Terra wished he could just hang up and pretend this never happened but he could only hope in the poor lighting of the room they couldn’t see how hot his face felt. “Mmm, yeah, I know how to call people.”
Kairi clicked her tongue, a smile pulling across her lips that was uncomfortably like the redhead still trying to squeeze his face in view. “Just not the right people.”
Terra would never say Kairi wasn’t perspective. He must’ve been in such a panic to actually call Aqua, he didn’t check to make sure he was still clicking on the right picture. His phone probably scrolled up when he tossed it and he just didn’t notice. “No,” he tried, but he had nothing to follow that up.
“Nice try,” Axel said. “If Red needed to know anything about the mission, tall, silver and broody would’ve called her.”
“Stop it,” Kairi chuckled.
“What I’m wondering…” he said, tapping his finger against his chin. “Is how you called Kairi, her name should be nowhere near Aqua’s in the contact list.”
Terra really hoped his choke couldn’t be heard over the phone. “That’s not…I wasn’t…” What could he say? That was who he meant to call.
“Leave him alone,” Kairi said, though she was laughing as she tried to push Axel away again. “I assume it’s late there. Have a goodnight, Terra.”
He always knew he liked Kairi. “Yeah, you too.”
“Try searching under A next-” Axel’s voice was cut off as Kairi ended the call.
Terra groaned as he hung his head. He had done some stupid things in his life, he wasn’t sure if he had done anything quite as embarrassing as that. He should just go to bed and call it a night. Yet even despite knowing he’d never hear the end of that especially from Axel, Terra still wanted to talk to Aqua.
This time he did search under A, finding her name and her picture. He pressed the call button, heart still pounding in his chest though whether cause he didn’t know how she’d respond or because of the last call he accidentally made, he wasn’t sure.
This time when the calling screen ended, he was greeted with a familiar background. It was the library in the castle, a place he knew like the back of his hand. Firelight from the fireplace sent a glow onto the well loved couch, Aqua’s face looking more worried than anything when she came into view.
“What’s wrong?” she asked in that tone that meant she was trying to keep calm but inwardly starting to freak out.
He snorted but he felt a smile pull at his lips, warmth filling his chest like he was sitting in front of the fireplace too. “Why does everyone say that when I call them?”
She seemed to be satisfied that him, Riku, or the mission weren’t in danger because she leaned back against the couch. Terra could see the blankets piled up in her lap, the book she must’ve discarded when he called off to the side. “Because you never call anyone.”
“Fair, I guess,” he said. “The castle is huge here, you know.”
“Yeah,” she breathed, tucking her legs under her in an effort to make herself more comfortable. “I saw the picture, it looked beautiful.”
“Its different, you know, different from home. Nice in its own way, but think I like ours better.”
“Are you homesick?” Aqua asked, her tone just slightly teasing.
“Homesick for what? Ven snoring so loud I can’t sleep and waking up thinking the castle is on fire but its just you up at the crack of dawn baking a multi-tiered cake or something ridiculous?”
The answer was yes though and her smiled seemed to know it. “Did you stay warm? In all the clothes you took?”
“Aqua, I could’ve been buried in an avalanche and I still would’ve been sweating in all the clothes you gave me.”
“Huh, well, maybe you’ll be thanking me when an avalanche hits you.”
He laughed and it made her laugh, her eyes curving into half moons and her smile wrinkling her cheeks some. It was so familiar to him. It reminded him of notes passed to her when Master had his back to them during a lecture, silly drawings to make her smile when the rest of the lesson was so dry. It reminded him of warm summer days when he’d jump off into the lake purposely too close to her to make the water splash up to get her wet. Of dessert snuck to her way past bedtime when he knew she was up studying. Of him being pinned to the ground yet again, her leaning over him in victory. Of very late nights outside under the stars with Ven asleep next to them as Terra told her everything he wanted to do in the worlds.
“I miss you,” he said, probably not very gracefully but all the memories, the lifetime of memories that he never thought he’d get back just made it so hard to feel so far away again.
Her face softened as she leaned her head back against the couch. “I miss you too. Home’s emptier without you. It always is when you were gone.”
“You’d like it here though,” he said, clearing his throat. “Lots of snow and frost for you to freeze in and pretend you’re fine but your fingers are turning purple.”
“Lucky for me there’s someone whose always warm and I can shove my hands up his shirt.”
He snorted, though even the thought of her freezing hands against him was a warm thought. “I should’ve expected that.”
She was quiet for a moment, just sort of watching the screen. He almost asked if she wanted to leave so she could sleep but she shifted the phone a little instead.
“Will you take me?” she asked.
“Take you where?”
“To Arendelle, when the mission is done. Will you take me back there?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “Anywhere.”
Her smile had his heart in his throat, so did the thought of going somewhere with her, just her that had nothing to do with missions or jobs.
Aqua looked like she was about to say something but her eyes flickered to the top of the screen for a few moments instead. “Terra?”
“Hmm?”
“Why is Axel asking me if you finally called me?”
Terra hit his head back against the stone of the wall. Embarrassment was there once again, but for once it wasn’t enough to make the comforting feelings of talking to Aqua made him feel. “I’m going to kill him.”
Aqua laughed, and Terra couldn’t remember even why he was nervous to call her in the first place. She was the one person he never needed to be nervous around, someone who accepted him for everything he was and everything he wasn’t.
Well, he was a little nervous at how much his heart skipped when she arched her eyebrows at him, her way of prompting him to tell the story with her usual smile still on her lips. Ven and the other kids liked to tease Terra that he was dense or oblivious but he wasn’t that much so, he was aware of what it meant at least.
That was absolutely not for tonight though.
He snorted instead, holding the phone up a little so he could shift back against the wall behind him.
“Did you know that yours and Kairi’s names are surprisingly close in the contact list?”
She leaned her head back against the couch and he imagined if he was sitting next to her she would’ve nudged her leg over to kick him. “Liar.”
“No, its true, right next to each other.”
“You called her name without even looking to make sure it was me, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, that was it.”
Aqua laughed again, and he never thought he would ever be tired of the sound. “You really need to learn how to use your phone, Ter. It’s important, not just for the kids to post pictures.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it handled.”
She paused for a second, and he thought she was about to tell him she had to go; the thought alone making him feel lonely again. “I’m glad you called.”
That was enough, that was worth it all. To know on some level she was happy to see him too. Maybe he would make an effort to learn how to use the phone better if it meant he’d get to feel closer to her while they were apart.
Setting: Pre-Birth By Sleep; Terra is 16, Aqua is 14
Rating: K
Notes: A little snapshot of younger years <3 When I thought of future masters I thought of some young idealistic teenagers dreaming of the day they'd share their dreams together.
“Wait, Terra,” Aqua breathed from somewhere behind him. “Slow down a little.”
He would’ve if he hadn’t heard the amusement in her voice telling him she was more surprised than actually tired. Instead, he just held onto her hand tighter, pulling her up the familiar mountain path. Okay, he couldn’t really blame her. He was sort of the one who bounded into the library, dragging her away from her studying and outside with no explanation despite her pleas to tell her what was going on.
It rained for about a week meaning they had to wait at least another week before trekking up the hiking paths they knew so well. It also meant he didn’t know the path quite as well since heavy rain would dislodge new rocks, show new roots, make parts of the path wider, make some paths impassible. Maybe that’s why he liked coming up after the rain, it was like a new adventure.
Terra also knew Aqua liked it too or she would’ve dug her heels in the ground and refused to move; something she pulled a lot when they were younger and she thought Terra had a bad idea. In her defense he usually had bad idea as a kid that normally got them in trouble but he liked to think at sixteen he was a little bit better at it. Also now he was strong enough to just pick her up and take her with him if he wanted; something she pretended she didn’t like when he did it but her laughter gave her away every time.
“Terra!” That was a little exasperated but he could almost hear the smile on her lips so he knew he could push it a little further before she got really mad at him.
“C’mon, c’mon,” he said, tugging her around a rock that fell in the path and hoping she noticed him jump over a loose branch; she did.
“What are you so excited about?”
He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised she saw through him. While it wasn’t the first time he dragged her off on an adventure with no warning, there was no one who new him better than Aqua did. She knew him better than even Master did, of course she’d know when Terra was in a good mood even if he tried not to show it.
“You’ll see,” he said instead, bounding around a corner that sent some nearby birds flying up into the morning sky.
“I’ll see,” she snorted, still sounding breathless though he knew she could probably out run him if she tried. “What? The top of the mountain. I know that.”
“Sure.”
That one got him a swat to his arm. “You’re being so cryptic.”
“Yep.”
“Terra.” There was a whine in his name that time that made him grin even if he couldn’t see her.
“You’re supposed to the patient one.”
“I think we all know…” she paused to jump over something in the trail. “You’re the patient one not me.”
“I know, I was just being nice.”
“I’m going to push you off this mountain.”
“No, you won’t.”
“Oh, you just watch me.”
The trailed evened out, and the trees started to clear leading to the opening towards the top of the mountain. It wasn’t quite the top since that path continued up farther and was more dangerous. Master still only let them go up there when he was with them and only for physical endurance training, otherwise they were free to come to this clearing whenever they wanted. They did, especially whenever they wanted to talk without risk of anyone over hearing them.
Terra let go of her hand, ignoring how sweaty his probably was from dragging her from the castle all the way up the mountain, so he could walk over the edge. It was still fairly early in the morning, the clouds slightly orange from the sunrise. The cliff edge scared him when he was a kid, still thinking he’d fall if he got too close to it even if Master Eraqus was there. Now Terra could bring his toes to the cliff, looking down at the vast forests and rocky cliffs that surrounded the castle and fields down below.
“Are you finally going to tell me what was so important?”
Yeah, she was the impatient one for sure. He felt her walk up next to him, toes up to the edge too as her shoulder brushed up against his arm. It was strange though, she was the same height as him for as long as he could remember; today he noticed he had to look down at her to meet her eyes. In any regard, she was never afraid of heights. She was fearless in that regard, though it was another story when she screamed at a bug crawling up her leg during a hike.
Terra took a few (large) steps backward just to be safe, Aqua following him with her eyes. “I overheard something this morning.”
She crossed her arms but she couldn’t hide the curiosity in her eyes. “Overheard or eavesdropped?”
“Overhead,” he huffed.
Aqua arched her eyebrows.
“Its questionable. Regardless, I heard Master talking about something.”
She dropped all façade of chastising him because like he assumed, she wanted to know. “About what?”
“About us,” he said, crossing his arms to mimic her position.
“Oh, you are driving me crazy this morning.” She reached out to grab onto his arm, shaking him and making him laugh. “What are you keeping from me?”
“Okay, okay,” he said, reaching his hands down to place on her shoulders so she’d stop. “I heard Master say he’s going to start preparing us for the Mark of Mastery exam.”
Aqua blinked at him. “You’re lying.”
He laughed again, this time though because he felt the excitement he kept contained since when he first heard the conversation. “Why would I lie about this?”
“You’re serious?”
“I’m serious.”
Aqua let out almost a shriek of joy as she reached up to throw her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her, picking her right up off the ground.
“I can’t believe it,” she gasped, giving him a squeeze before kicking her legs some, a signal she wanted to be put down.
Terra let her go so she could jump back to the ground, though the wind seemed to cut through him a little more with her backing away from him. She spun around; the skirts of her outfit spinning out and catching the sunlight that made them look really befitting her name.
“I mean,” she said, looking back to him. “Its to be expected as this is what we’ve been working for but we’re still so young! The youngest right?”
“We could be,” he shrugged, unable to keep a grin off his face as he watched hers absolutely glow. “To be fair it’ll probably still be a while before we can take the test but-”
“But talking about it means preparing for it,” she cut him off, taking the words literally out of his mouth. Not that he was surprised, he did say she knew him best. “And that means its in the near future.”
“Absolutely,” he said.
“It means we’ve been doing so good with our training.”
For the first time Terra felt himself falter. Sure he trained and he studied and he tried so hard to achieve what he wanted but Aqua…she was the faster learner and he knew it. Maybe Master was only talking about her and not him.
“Terra?”
He blinked and she was standing in front of him again, forehead furrowed as she watched him. “Hmm?”
“You looked really sad for a moment.” She paused to let him speak but cut him off before he could. “And don’t try and tell me it was nothing, I know it wasn’t.”
“It was nothing,” he said shaking his head. “Just a…dumb thought.”
She didn’t look like she believed him, considering he didn’t even believe himself he couldn’t blame her. Still, she put a smile back on. “What are you gonna do when you’re a master?”
Terra had to grin again, it was almost impossible not to when she looked at him like there was no where else she wanted to be but on this mountain top with him. “See the worlds.”
“You can do that without being a master,” she tutted, walking backwards from him again. “Tell me what you really want to do.”
It wasn’t like they hadn’t been talking about this since they were kids, since they would lay under the stars and dream aloud until they fell asleep. Terra knew what she was doing though and he was more than happy to push the knots from his stomach to humor her; which was what she wanted.
“Take care of the worlds,” he said instead.
“Yeah,” she hummed, jumping up to sit on a nearby boulder. “Keep the peace, make people happy.”
“See the worlds,” he said again, starting to walk towards her. “Without a chaperone.”
“Risky,” Aqua teased. “Sure you’ll be okay?”
He snorted. “Of course but that doesn’t mean I’d always go alone.”
“Oh? Gonna take Master out with you as a treat to him?”
“I’d take you, dummy.” He reached up to flick her on the nose, making her laugh as she swatted his hand away.
“Me? Sure you wouldn’t get sick of me?”
“Well, when you put it like that.”
She tried to kick him but he ducked out of the way, moving to lean up against the rock next to her. The sun was rising higher in the blue sky. It was going to get warm soon and Master would probably notice they were missing. Who was Terra kidding, Master Eraqus probably already knew.
“I wouldn’t get sick of you,” Terra said. “Why wouldn’t I want to see the worlds with you?”
Aqua shrugged but when he glanced over she was grinning down at her fingers in her lap. He wasn’t sure why it made him feel a warmth in his chest but it did; he liked to see her happy.
“Would you get sick of me?” he asked.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I think I’d be lonely without you, like I was lonely before I came to live here.”
“Me too.” In fact, Terra didn’t even remember a time before Aqua; it was like she was always here. He didn’t want to imagine a world where she wasn’t there with him.
“Okay,” she said, sticking her hand out to him, pinky extended. “Promise we’ll become masters together and travel all the worlds together.”
“What if I start to get sick of you before we’re masters?”
She kicked him again but it was lacking any force.
“I’m kidding relax.” He stuck his finger out, wrap it around hers before she pulled away; sealing their promise like they did since they were kids. “Well, do it together, just like always.”
“Always,” she repeated.
“Where would we go first?”
“Some place with a beach.”
“Oh, yeah, peace keeping is always most helpful at the beach where you can go swimming and not do any work.”
She laughed and it sort of reminded him of bells almost, bright and clear, something he didn’t want to forget. “We keep the peace and then we go swimming.”
“I can get behind that.”
“Who said being a master was hard work.”
“I do hope that’s not a critique on my methods.”
Terra nearly jumped at the sudden but familiar voice, where Aqua did jump, losing her balance on the rock. As on instinct, Terra reached out to catch her before she fell, letting her feet hit the ground before her face.
“Master,” she gasped, quickly straightening herself up. “How did you know we were here?”
Despite the early morning, Master Eraqus looked as at ease and calm as he always did, complete with smile under his mustache to let his students know he wasn’t mad they snuck off. He pointed back to the trail. “You didn’t go that great of a job hiding your tracks today.”
That was…fair. Terra hadn’t exactly been thinking about that as he was running up the mountain with Aqua in tow.
“We were just…” he started, trying to find a good way to put it. He used to just say they wanted to be alone but somehow that phrase stuck a sharp bolt of embarrassment through him instead.
“Watching the sunrise,” Aqua finished.
Master Eraqus nodded though Terra didn’t quite think the older man believed them. Not that it was a big deal, him and Aqua were always together, and them being alone together was no big deal. They were best friends, nothing wrong with that.
“Well, I was concerned when you both ran off before breakfast even.”
Aqua glanced over to Terra, her eyes clearly noting the flaw in his excited plan to sneak away to talk.
“Well, after the hike I’m hungry now,” he said, rubbing his hands together.
Eraqus eyed them for a moment, before he nodded, gesturing back down. “You should probably get back down before it gets cold then.”
The thought of cold eggs made Terra’s stomach turn, but Aqua merely shrugged, brushing by him to lead the way. He went to follow, at least going down was easier than going up, but Eraqus chuckled. Not that it was uncommon but something struck him about it enough to turn back around.
“What’s funny?” he asked, trying not to sound too curious or too accusatory.
“I can’t remember the last time you woke up early enough to watch the sunset. Maybe when you were ten.”
Terra shrugged, though Master was absolutely right. Even this morning the sun was already rising when Terra rolled out of bed. “Aqua likes it,” he said, which wasn’t a lie; she could get up in time for the sunrise but she didn’t like coming up the mountain alone that early.
Eraqus hummed as he walked past Terra, Aqua still hopping happily down the path in front of them. “The next time you’d like to talk to her, my boy, you don’t have to drag yourselves all the way up the mountain.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.” Though Terra already felt his face starting to heat up because he didn’t know which was more embarrassing; the fact Master might know that Terra over heard the conversation or that he brought Aqua all the way up here just to talk to her alone. Granted, both were true so both were pretty bad.
“There’s places close by I don’t have my ear on should you find them.”
Terra really wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean but he found it hard to find his footing through some soft dirt after that.
“Terra!” Aqua called from farther down as she waved her arms over her head. “Race you down! Loser has to eat all the cold eggs!”
“Gross,” he said, and even though his face still felt way too warm not to be noticeable it was hard not to smile. “Only if you don’t get a head start, that’s cheating.”
She giggled but she nodded, pausing to wait for him.
“Don’t worry to grow up too fast, Terra,” Eraqus said. Even though it was almost a call out that he knew what Terra overheard, it wasn’t accusatory. It was almost…sad in a way but why he had no idea. “It’s inevitable, so remember to savor these moments too.”
He wasn’t even sure how to respond so he merely nodded.
“Hurry up, slow poke!”
“Will you relax,” Terra said, rolling his eyes. “I’m coming.” He waited till he was closer to her before he broke out in a run, racing by her as she scrambled to catch up.
“You are such a cheater. I’m going to get you for that!” she breathed as she raced up behind him.
He focused on the path, remembering what he saw when he came up to make sure that he didn’t trip or have to slow down but it was impossible not to feel Aqua running next to him. Her strides were shorter than his but she was still quick, keeping up at every turn. Despite the desire to win and not eat gross eggs, he had a warm feeling in his stomach knowing she was with him every step of the way. It once was a bitter competition when they were kids and not used to how each other operated, but now it was different. It was fun.
As much as he wanted the freedom and responsibility to be a master, he also knew Eraqus was right. This was its own sort of freedom, and it was better with her.
Rating: T (Slight language & Slight Sexual Implications)
Words: 11209
Notes: HAPPY TERRAQUA DAY <3 My otp of otps I couldn’t not do something for them that was both different and special! SO this is actually a prompt and request fill. @ceelihearts posted that they liked the idea of Terra asking Aqua to marry him a few times (like Flynn and Rapunzel), they also mentioned it would be cute to include childhood too and I couldn’t stop myself hahaha Also a while back an anon asked me for an in canon proposal for them so here you go too, anon! I enjoyed doing this one a lot, I had to be super creative to think of ways this would be feasible hahaha I hope you guys enjoy it too!
Special thanks to my Jason who beta read this for me after I whined at how long it came out LMAO Thank you for dealing with me being an anxious mess the whole time you read it and giving me the help I needed <3
AO3
I’d Love You for a Thousand More
Or the Five Times Terra Told Aqua He’d Marry Her and the One Time She Said Yes
I.
Terra hated the days Master Eraqus made them sit up in the library to study. Not only was it boring on a rainy day but even more so when the sun was shining through the windows, the green grass of the fields and high mountains in the distance beckoning him away on some adventure. There was literally anything else Terra would rather be doing than reading a dull book with no pictures. He huffed as he flipped the page of his book, the black words blending into the paper as one giant blur.
He propped his elbow up on the wooden table, placing his chin in his hand so he could stare out the window instead. It seemed cruel punishment to have history lessons on such a warm and sunny day. All he wanted to do was just go outside and actually do something. He was ten years old now; he should be able to have more combat training than reading.
Terra stuck his tongue out slightly as he looked to the book once more. Maybe if he just got through it fast, Master would let him go outside. He tried to blink the words back to focus, but a slight giggle made him look up.
Aqua was sitting only one chair away. She was only a couple years younger than him, but even she looked small in the big library chair. She had one hand over her mouth as she watched him, an amused expression in her blue eyes.
“What?” Terra grunted.
“You look like you just ate a bug,” she replied.
“I think I’d rather eat bugs than read this book.”
Aqua giggled again, looking back to her own work in front of her. She was better at this sort of stuff, so she probably didn’t hate every bit of this lesson.
Terra looked to his book again though this time feeling a little better. It was nice to at least have her here; it was really boring when he had to have lessons alone before she came to live with them. He didn’t really know what to make of her at first. He was alone before Master Eraqus came and then they were alone here. Terra was used to the quiet and doing things on his own even if sometimes it made him sad to not have anyone to play with. Then Aqua came and she was talkative and liked to hang around him and was like this walking ball of sunshine at all times. He found her annoying really; who was that happy all the time? It wasn’t till he heard her crying one night alone in her room that he thought she might’ve been as lonely as he was. He tried a little harder after that.
It was a few years ago though, and he couldn’t imagine not being her friend now. He found she made everything a little better.
Granted she couldn’t do his reading for him so she wasn’t helping there. He sighed, dropping his head into the book. “This is terrible.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“It is too.”
“The faster you finish the faster we can do something fun.”
“I know,” he groaned, picking his head back up. “But it’s impossible.”
Aqua looked like she was going to respond, probably with some answer like “no, it’s not” or “Master wouldn’t have given it to you if it was” but instead Terra watched her eyes light up as she looked over her book.
“What?” he asked, leaning over to try and see what she was looking at.
“It’s so pretty,” was her only answer.
Terra couldn’t see it and she wasn’t holding it up to show him so he climbed into the chair next to her, sitting up on his knees to look over her shoulder. Aqua was tracing her finger over the painted picture in the book, a woman surrounded by flowers in a flowing white dress. Figures, despite the fact she didn’t mind mud or bugs she still liked the girliest things sometimes. Still, there seemed to be something familiar about this picture, like he had seen it before.
“What is it?” he asked.
“A wedding,” she said proudly, probably trying to prove to him that she was actually doing her work.
“A wedding,” he repeated. “Like in fairy tales?”
“Well, yeah, but weddings happen in real life too.”
He supposed that made sense. It was just that he had only ever seen weddings at the end of fairy tales when the prince and princess were finally able to be together. “What happens in it then?” Terra wasn’t really sure why he asked at first, but he figured it was a good way not to have to go back to his own reading.
Aqua got an excited look on her face as she flipped back a few pages. “My readings have been on traditions, especially with keyblade wielders, this section was on marriage and weddings.”
He wrinkled his nose; traditions usually meant you had to do them. “Wait, does that mean you have to get married?” He didn’t really know what went into being married but he knew the couple usually kissed, and that was gross.
She paused for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. It’s just a lesson on what it’s like. You should only get married if you’re in love with someone.” Aqua looked back down to the book, a picture of a man and women dressed in whites with their hands wrapped in some sort of cloth together. “And you have to be an adult. I think. All these pictures are adults so I guess they have to be.”
“Does that mean Master is married?” Terra asked. The thought had never occurred to him before now, but Master Eraqus was an adult after all.
Aqua looked up at the ceiling, a sure sign she was thinking. “No, I don’t think so. I think if he did we’d see whoever he was married to. You usually live together.” She flipped the page really quick pointing to a picture of jewelry. “And rings, as a symbol of the bond you wear rings. Master doesn’t have any rings like that.”
“That’s true.” Terra reached a finger up to tap at his chin in thought. “So what’s it like? You just dress up fancy and give each other rings?”
“Umm…” Aqua looked over the pages, turning it again. “Well, yeah, and you read an oath in front of witnesses. There’s something with the keyblades you hold, something to do with the magic. It’s like, once you perform the ceremony you’re bonded together forever both cause you love each other and through the magic.”
That peaked his interested more than the actual wedding, but he knew that was mainly because neither him nor Aqua had been able to summon a keyblade yet.
“And then…you kiss.”
Terra leaned back on the chair. “Sounds gross.”
“It’s not gross,” she said, almost more defensively than she needed to be.
He arched an eyebrow at her. “What? Do you want to get married?”
Aqua crossed her arms against her chest, looking away from him but he caught the hint of red on her cheeks. “I don’t know, maybe. I’m not an adult, I can’t say.”
He leaned in to poke at her side. “Yes, you do, don’t lie to me.”
“Terra,” she whined, but she was laughing, her smile making her eyes bright again. He liked it when she smiled. “It would be nice to wear such a pretty dress.”
“Still gross.”
“It’s not gross.” She turned in her seat to face him better. “It’s like…” Aqua paused, glancing away before looking back. “It’s like spending the rest of your life with someone who makes you happy, it’s like never being alone again.”
That admittedly did sound a lot better. He remembered what it felt like to feel alone in this big castle, and he really didn’t like that. Spending time with someone who made him happy seemed really nice. “Well, in that case,” he said. “I’d marry you.”
Aqua blinked at him.
“Without the kissing,” Terra clarified, sticking his tongue out a little.
She clasped her hands over her mouth as she started to laugh, but he really didn’t know what was so funny. “You’re silly, Terra,” she giggled.
“What?” he asked. “It’s the truth. If I had to pick one person to spend the rest of my time with, it’d be you. Would you marry me?”
Aqua pulled her hands away from her mouth, a big smile on her lips as she watched him. She looked like she was going to answer him but what the answer was he’d never know.
“Sounds like you’re doing far more talking than reading.” Master’s voice echoing off the bookshelves was enough to send Terra scrambling back to his seat as Aqua quickly turned to her book.
Terra could hear Master Eraqus’ footsteps as he walked closer to where they were studying but even then Terra couldn’t resist glancing over at Aqua. She looked up at him too, smile still on her lips. He quickly looked down before they got caught again but he couldn’t stop his face from feeling hot.
He wondered what she would’ve said.
II.
Terra barely had time to swing his keyblade to block the blast of ice magic flying at him. The force nearly pushed him back, blowing cold air all around him and making his face tingle from the chill. Aqua had taken quite easily to magic, but she sometimes was eager when it came to using it. Another shot came at him, causing him to duck to avoid it.
A little too eager sometimes.
He tried to compose himself and figure out where she was on the training grounds before she decided to fire more magic at him. Blue was easy to catch out of the corner of his eyes; also he was used to looking for it for the past ten years. She was skirting the edges, keeping her distance and always moving. She’d keep range until she felt like she could get the upper hand in closer combat.
Terra admittedly wasn’t as good with magic as she was, and he knew it, but he made up for it with his own strength. It was frustrating at first when he a kid who could barely hold his keyblade up when he summoned it; where as Aqua had no issues learning to fight with hers which was lighter and more agile. It took time for a scrawny twelve year old to build up the strength to be able to fight like he could now, but he held himself very differently now at eighteen.
There.
Aqua hurried past some of the rocks on the outskirts of the rink. He wasn’t great with magic but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to use it; he quickly cast a fire spell towards her, sending it past her to hit the rocks. The impact was enough to knock her off her track.
Ven cheered from somewhere in the background but Master Eraqus must’ve shushed the blond boy because it was quiet again.
She skidded to a stop glancing over to Terra nd he didn’t miss the slightly impressed look in her eyes. It only lasted for a second because she was already coming at him. Terra met her, swinging his keyblade up to block her inevitable attack.
She jumped back slightly, her bangs falling into her face but she didn’t move to adjust. Aqua had only recently started wearing her hair short, saying it got too annoying when she was trying to fight. “Nice hit,” she said. “You surprised me.”
“Yeah, you too. Your ice magic is getting stronger, I felt like I was getting hit with a small blizzard,” he breathed, feeling a slight smirk pull at his lips. “If only you weren’t so afraid that you need to run away from me.”
Aqua arched her eyebrows, twirling her keyblade in her hand before grabbing down on it again. “Oh, is that how we’re going to play?”
He saw her feet shift, dust moving just a little. He steadied himself to brace his body. “Yep, you know it.”
She dove at him and if it was anyone else the speed would have surprised him but Aqua he knew. He was already there, pushing his keyblade against hers to knock her off balance. Granted, she knew him too so she landed just fine, darting around to his side to try and catching an opening. He wasn’t as fast as her due to the weight of his weapon but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to use it. He swung it around blocking her attack, and pushing her back to harshly she skidded in the dirt, making dust rise up.
Aqua tried to use that to her advantage and come at him from the other side but he saw it coming a mile away. He moved out of her way, swinging his keyblade at her now open side. Granted it wasn’t open for long as she gracefully twisted her body, almost like she was dancing, his keyblade hitting hers with a metallic clang. Despite her quick movements, the sudden twist managed to tangled her feet, causing her to hit the ground and slide back a little.
“C’mon, Aqua!” Ven shouted. “You got this !”
“Ventus, hush now,” Master Eraqus said.
Ven probably mumbled a sorry but Terra didn’t pay attention. Aqua was already pushing herself up to her feet, darting at him. He recognized the words on her lips and quickly ducked before ice shards hit him in the face. He swung at her, nearly catching her legs as she jumped towards him but she avoided it, flipping off to his side.
Terra reached the back of his hand up to his forehead, brushing off the beads of sweat. They often found themselves in stand offs like this which is probably what happened when you fought with someone so much you knew almost exactly what they would do. It only made it harder since it was that much more difficult to get knocked down.
“Not always so fast, are you,” he said, knowing she’d understand he was only egging her on and not critiquing her.
A pause before a smile crossed her lips. “You’d know wouldn’t you?”
He moved at her that time. While she blocked him, the force of his weight made her slip back before she could catch her balance again. “What was that now?”
She snorted, rolling her eyes but her amused smile was still there. “Cute, really cute, Terra.” Aqua spun out of his hold, skirting off to the side of him and making him whip around, blocking her attack just in time. “Being fast works just as well as being strong,” she said.
Terra heaved himself at her, pushing her back so she slid in the dirt. “You’re strong too.”
“Not like you.” Aqua positioned her feet before she started to run at him.
He recognized the set up and really he wanted to help her more than he wanted to win. So he ducked slightly when she pushed herself off the ground. It was a fast moment but it wasn’t the first time she practiced the move on him. He was ready to push his keyblade against hers as she flipped over his head, giving her the momentum to be able to land on her feet on the other side of him.
“That’s not true,” he said, swinging low towards her legs while she was distracted from her landing but she skipped out of the way. “Your strength just doesn’t come from the fact you had to learn how to throw this thing around.”
She giggled slightly as she ran to his side, trying to get a quick hit but he blocked it; a little awkwardly though causing him to lose his balance. There’s no way she didn’t notice, not when she intentionally swung at him again to try and get him to fall.
He steadied himself even if by doing so she managed a hit on him, nearly taking his breath out. Terra winced as the sudden pain in his side, but moved to block her next swing so it wouldn’t happen again.
“I don’t know,” she said though she sounded a little winded, and he knew the feeling. The sun was high overhead. How long had they been at this today? “Maybe it’s better that way.”
“What are you talking about?” he grunted, resisting reaching to his side to see how bad the bruise would be. If she knew he felt it, she’d use it to her advantage.
She ran up to him, spinning around as she cast a spell. He would’ve blocked it but he recognized the green hue to it. The pain in his side eased immediately; which she really wasn’t supposed to do so he hoped Master didn’t see it or she’d probably get in trouble. Aqua swung at him but he blocked it easily. “Guys don’t like strong girls,” she said simply.
If they hadn’t been in the middle of training and if Master wasn’t watching Terra would’ve dropped the fight right there. For a second he thought she was just trying to catch him off guard but when he pushed her back he saw the way her eyes dropped down ever so slightly. “What?” he asked. “What makes you think that?”
She shrugged but she ran off to the side. He thought she’d go back to running the perimeter to avoid what she may’ve let slip and not actually wanted to talk to him about. It wasn’t always like that, they used to tell each other everything but for the past few years it got…confusing. Ven was usually a good distraction, coming in when the air got too tense between them or when the smallest things seemed to make something feel awkward when it never did before. Terra swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched her. He understood why, but it’s not like knowing made it easier to come to terms with his feelings for his best friend.
Aqua veered off course, coming at him from behind but he twisted around, the sharp grind of the weapons hitting each other. “Books,” she answered with her teeth gritted from trying to push him back. “Fairy tales, princes and princesses. They’re all delicate, pretty girls.”
He was the one who managed to get her to skid backwards. She caught her balance fine, reaching up to brush her sweaty bangs from her face. She didn’t look quite as determined anymore, maybe a little sad and he hated it.
This was probably why Eraqus told them they probably shouldn’t have full conversations while they were sparring; an old habit from childhood Terra supposed.
“I’m not like that.” she continued, gripping her keyblade as she cast a water spell towards him.
He had to dive out of the way to not get hit with the blast but scrambled up to his feet in time to black her next swing. “You’re delusional,” he grunted, trying to catch his breath as he held his keyblade up against her force. “You’re not delicate that’s for sure.” Terra pushed her off of him as she twirled slightly away from him.
He wasn’t sure what it was because he was facing down with Aqua, looking as sweaty and dirty as he was; they weren’t even alone as there were two people watching them for technique and skills. Maybe it was an effort to make her feel better when he thought it was the stupidest thing to be bothering her or maybe because he wanted to say them, he wasn’t really sure but he opened his mouth anyways. “But you are pretty, beautiful and strong and there’s nothing wrong with that. Guys still like that. I am one, remember?”
She paused, watching him, like she never expected him to say that.
He took it to his advantage and quickly moved towards her but she wasn’t that stupid; as he should’ve know. Her keyblade was up and ready to block him. He should’ve left it at that really. There was no need for him to open his mouth again, and yet he still did.
“Anyone would be lucky to marry you. I would be.” It didn’t even make sense as he said it. “I mean to marry you. I’d be lucky to marry you…well, someone like you is…what I mean.”
Aqua was staring at him, wide eyed and maybe a little confused. It didn’t even make sense to him and he was the one who said it. He pushed her backwards, mostly to get out of this situation that had his face feeling like it was on fire.
He expected her to bounce back up but she didn’t. She caught the ground with her hand, dropping to one knee as she held her stomach; apparently in his panic he hit her a little too hard. It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle it but he tried not to do it on purpose.
“It’s over!” Ven shouted, probably getting the okay from Eraqus to let the match end there.
Terra could hear the younger boy’s feet pounding towards them in the arena but Terra still couldn’t breathe; mostly because his stupid words were ringing in his head. He dismissed his keyblade and slowly walked to Aqua who was still panting, face towards the ground. Returning her earlier favor, he cast a quick healing spell on her before he reached his hand down to help her up.
Aqua dismissed her keyblade as she look at him. Her face was unreadable for a moment but she gave him a smile. “Nice match,” she said, reaching her hand up for his.
“Yeah, you too.” He pulled her up to her feet just as Ven ran over, exclaiming something so fast that Terra could barely understand him.
Aqua was quicker in understanding, giving Ven a nudge against his chin before she dismissed her keyblade. “Oh, yeah? You liked that?”
She looked over to Terra, who was unsure what he should say or if he should say anything at all. Aqua gave him a smile, a reassuring one almost to say, “the match and everything was just fine, don’t worry”. She turned to respond to Ven and the footsteps of Master Eraqus got closer as he’d want to go over their spar.
Aqua never brought it up what Terra said, and neither did he.
III.
His heart was pounding in his chest as he sat up in bed, sweat caked on his forehead even though it wasn’t very warm out. His legs were tangled in blankets, head swimming as he tried to blink in his surroundings. The window was open, blowing in a light breeze as he tried to calm his breathing.
He was home, in his room, just like it was before. It was the same bed, same night stand, same castle; he was home. His nightmares were still so vivid the lines blurred sometimes. In them he was still trapped, imprisoned unable to move, or to even speak. All he could do was watch in vain as Aqua and Ven were tormented at Terra’s own hands over and over again.
“Terra,” her voice called, his door swinging open. Aqua sounded worried, and her facial expression matched the sound when she stepped into his room far enough that he could see her in the moonlight. She paused, as if she wasn’t sure if she should keep coming to him.
It was a dream, it was just a dream, he repeated in his head. Even though he was still having a hard time catching his breath, the concern that shone in her eyes was enough. He could never dream up her looking at him like she cared so much for his well-being; his dreams were never that kind to him. He rubbed one hand over his face, the other gesturing for her to come over since she was probably waiting for his consent.
Aqua walked slowly, till she sat up on his bed, her legs almost brushing up against his. She didn’t say anything and neither did he; just his heavy breathing as he tried to calm himself down. It was admittedly easier when she was here. He might’ve still been working through what had happened to them, but everything was always better when Aqua was here; that never changed.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his throat was dry, like he hadn’t had water in days. “Did I wake you?”
She hesitated, pulling on the long sleeves of her shirt absent mindedly. “I wasn’t asleep.”
He nodded but it didn’t really make him feel any better. He saw the dark circles under her eyes to know she was telling the truth. Yet she was also leaving out the part where he must’ve been talking or shouting for her to even come in here in the first place. He decided he didn’t want to know whatever the case might’ve been.
“Nightmares?” she offered.
“Yeah,” he breathed, dropping his hands to his lap.
Aqua nodded in understanding but didn’t say anything else, she just sat there with her legs tucked up underneath her. He couldn’t tell if there was something she wanted to say or she was just worried about how he felt.
“You can go back to bed,” he said, realizing only after that he didn’t want to make her feel like she had to. “Ah, I mean, I don’t want to keep you up, I’ll be okay.”
She perked up a little bit, giving him a sort of smile. “That’s not how it works,” she tutted. “You know that. You used to keep me company when I had nightmares after I came here. I’m here to do the same.”
Terra leaned his head back against the backboard of his bed, feeling a little bit of relief that the air felt a little more normal between them. “I’m not sure sneaking down to the kitchen at two in the morning can solve this one.”
“I’m very offended that you don’t think food can’t solve everything.”
He snorted, a smile pulling at his lips despite his exhaustion. “Would you like to prove me wrong?”
“Don’t I always?”
Terra paused for a second but he saw the laughter start to bubble up in her even if she tried to keep it quiet. It was impossible not to laugh with her. “Fair point,” he said.
“I’ll be right back then,” she said as she kicked her legs off the bed, heading towards the door. Aqua stopped short though, turning back to him; this time he knew there was something she wanted to tell him. He knew it by the way her fingers fiddled with the hem of her shirt, the hesitation in the way she bit at her lower lip, the slight fear in her eyes at what she didn’t want to admit. “I…um…”
Aqua didn’t need to finish the sentence for him to understand. The castle was too dark at night for her not to remember being alone and lost. Terra felt a sting of pain in his chest; he never wanted her to feel afraid in her own home.
He kicked the blankets back, pushing himself out of bed. “I’ll come with you, okay?”
She nodded, her face looking relieved; if it was because he was coming or because she didn’t need to ask he wasn’t quite sure. Aqua followed him out of the room and he made sure to keep his steps even with hers. If she should start to feel lost at least there was a warm and real body there to remind her she was safe.
“Where’re you going?”
Terra paused to turn his head back down the hallway, Aqua stopping with him. He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised at the blond hair and blue eyes poking out into the hallway. Ven looked a little tired but his voice was clear which was probably a sign he had been awake too.
“Kitchen for something to eat, wanna come?”
“Yeah!” Ven said far too excitedly for this hour.
Terra turned back to start to walk again but was nearly knocked over by a force hitting into his back. He had to scramble to catch Ven’s legs as he grabbed onto Terra’s shoulders, Ven pulling himself up to sit up on Terra’s back.
“Do you feel better?” he snorted, catching blond out of the corner of his eyes.
“Yep,” Ven said, popping his lips on the word.
Aqua tried not to laugh but she wasn’t doing a very good job. She reached over to pull down Ven’s shirt where it had bunched up in his effort for a piggy back ride.
For a moment, it seemed so normal as they walked he familiar path they had so many times especially late at night. It used to be just be Terra and Aqua, and then Ven would tag along if he was awake to catch them. They knew all the quickest ways, which stair creaked loud enough to wake Master Eraqus, what foods wouldn’t smell too strongly for the aroma to float through the castle. Even though it was just the three of them now, Terra still skipped the creaky step and Aqua still pushed open the dining room door in the way she knew it wouldn’t make any noise.
Ven reached over to flick on the kitchen light, before jumping so his feet hit the ground. “I know exactly what to eat.”
“Of course you do,” Terra said, gesturing for Aqua to sit at the small table they had set up off to the side while he headed for the stove.
Ven pulled open the kitchen door and held out the remains of the chocolate cake Aqua baked yesterday for no reason other than she wanted it. He sat down next to her, removing the plastic though careful not to smudge the chocolate frosting on top.
“Plates?” Aqua asked but Ven shook his head.
“No, we eat cake like men, straight from the pan.”
“Okay, men,” Terra snorted as he filled a pot up with water. “Do you eat it with your hands too? Or do you want forks?”
Ven paused for a second. “Forks please.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Terra reached for the drawer pulling out two forks to pass to Aqua who was chuckling. Granted, there wasn’t much better than eating something Aqua made at two in the morning straight from the pan, he knew that from plenty of experience.
Ven seemed to think the same as he sighed in contentment, reaching his fork for another bite.
Terra turned the stove on, getting the water ready to boil while he pulled open the cabinet filled with small vials and little bags. Most of the food had to get tossed since magic couldn’t preserve things from going bad after twelve years but he tried to restock some of their tea leaves when he could; especially ones that were calming to help with sleep. He pulled a few bags down and reached for three mugs that were drying on a nearby rack.
“There’s some cookies in the fridge, Terra,” Aqua said, covering her mouth slightly as she finished her bite. “I made them for you.”
“Well, thanks, I’ll grab them in a second.” He opened the first bag, pouring out what he needed to make a nice chamomile blend into the familiar clay pot that would hopefully soothe some of the restlessness they all had. Granted the two them were downing sugar right now so he wasn’t sure if this would do anything; as long as they were happy.
“Hey, Xion asked me a weird question the other day,” Ven said, barely audible because of the food in his mouth.
“Oh yeah?” Terra asked, looking up from the tea to glance at Aqua who was already looking back at him. To be fair, the things they had been through and the things new found friends had been through was the definition of weird. It really could be anything, but that didn’t stop the question from making the nerves in his stomach tighten. Aqua seemed to feel the same.
There were a lot of questions, and very little answers.
“Yeah,” Ven swallowed the bite of cake. “I meant to tell you earlier but I forgot.”
“Well, what is it?” Aqua asked, in an encouraging way, letting him know that they needed to have conversations about anything; she knew just as well not talking to each other is what got them into far bigger messes than they could’ve dreamed.
Ven reached take another forkful of cake. “She asked me if you guys were my parents.”
Terra fumbled the bag of herbs, knocking way too much into the pot. Aqua had a similar reaction as he could hear her choking slightly on her cake. That wasn’t exactly the question he was expecting.
“Which I mean, I told her no, cause you guys aren’t even that much older than me,” Ven continued, sitting up on the chair on his knees for better reach of the table. “I asked her why she thought that cause it was such a weird question, you know?”
Terra was trying to pour the tea leaves back into the bag and fix his mistake but he glanced over at the table.
“Oh?” Aqua asked, still trying to recover herself. “What did she say then?”
“She said that you guys just seemed like parents the way you looked out for me and everyone after, you know…” He paused for a second to get more cake. “After everything that happened. I asked her if maybe she meant you guys acted like you were married, cause you’re too young to have kids.”
Terra nearly dropped the bag of leaves again but he managed to keep it steady. He grabbed another blend to pour in but glanced over to the table. Aqua was still picking at the cake but he couldn’t see her face from here.
“Ah, Ven, you do realize you have to have, ah, a special relationship to get married right?” Aqua asked carefully.
He still had a mouth full of cake as he grinned at her. “Yep.”
When did he turn into such a smart ass? Terra was about to speak up to change the subject that was currently making his face feel hotter than it needed to be. Thankfully, the water broke to a boil next to him as a good distraction. He was well aware that his feelings never changed but now was really not time to face all of that head on.
Terra reached over to grab the pot and pour the water carefully into the teapot.
“Don’t talk with food in your mouth,” Aqua said, but it was very lighthearted; probably her effort to change the subject.
Ven audibly swallowed his food. “Yes, mom.”
“Ventus.”
It was too late, he had already dissolved into laughter because he apparently found himself hilarious.
“Alright, alright,” Terra said, carefully carrying over the mugs and the teapot as it brewed with the leaves. “How about balance the sugar some?”
Ven made a face but he grabbed a mug anyway. Terra placed one in front of Aqua but she was already moving out of her chair heading for the fridge. He put the teapot on a coaster between them to wait a few minutes longer but before he could even sit down on the chair next to hers, there was a plate of cookies placed in front of him.
“Dark chocolate and walnuts,” she said, sitting down again to pick up her fork.
“Gross,” Ven said, wrinkling his nose.
“Yeah, well, what if I said that cake you love so much was gross,” Terra snorted, pulling the plastic back so he could grab one of the cookies.
“Blasphemy.” Ven pointed his fork over to Terra.
He rolled his eyes but took a bite from the cookie. It tasted as to be expected from one of Aqua’s baked goods; which was in short, delicious. She should know this by now, but she was watching him for his reaction regardless. Maybe it was because it had been so long so wanted to make sure she could still do the things she used to or maybe because she was worried about him, he wasn’t sure. Terra looked over to Ven who was also watching for a reaction; Terra gave the blond a wink.
“Aqua,” he said, holding up the cookie slightly. “These are so good, I’d marry you right here and now.”
She stared at him for a second, but Ven quickly erupted into laughter making Terra crack a smile at her. “Oh, you two,” she said, though she had started to laugh too. “Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not brothers.”
“See,” Ven said. “Terra agrees.”
Aqua didn’t say anything else, she just took another bite of cake while he popped the rest of his cookie in his mouth. He reached forward to grab the teapot so he could pour it in the mugs.
A joke, it really had been a joke to make the both of them laugh. It worked well enough but at the same time Terra felt a warm feeling in his chest that had nothing to do with the hot tea he was pouring for her.
He moved to pour Ven’s cup before Terra went back to his own. He knew right now they were still figuring out how to get control of their lives again right now, wounds had to be healed, and a sense of normality had to be found. Everything else could wait; it didn’t stop his breath from hitching in his throat when she looked over to him, holding her mug to her lips.
“Thank you, Terra.”
“No, thank you,” he paused as he leaned back in his chair with his own mug. “For looking after me.”
She gave him a smile that almost made the nightmares seem like a distant memory. “Of course, that’s what I do.”
Ven was ignoring the tea and still going for the cake. “You guys are so sappy.”
He was adamantly ignored, though Aqua did reach over to push at his head lightly. “Drink some tea,” she said instead. “You’ll get a stomachache if you eat too much of it.”
The nights were still so dark, and the future uncertain, but Terra knew they’d make it through together; like they always had before. Aqua kept one hand on her mug but reached the other under the table, finding Terra’s so she could lace her fingers through it. She gave him a squeeze, a reassurance almost as if she could read his mind.
Ven was blowing at his tea. “I saw that.”
IV.
The sun shone in through the window in Terra’s room, bright enough to make him wince even though he was still comfortable in bed with his eyes firmly closed. A part of him knew that meant he slept in way too late, but he was too warm and the blankets were too soft for him to care.
He rolled over onto his side and mostly expected the rest of the bed to be empty since it was already sunrise. Even in his half-awake state he was pleasantly surprised to feel a warm body still tucked under the blankets. She was usually up so much earlier than him, he didn’t expect her to still be in bed.
Not that he was about to complain. Terra wrapped his arm around Aqua’s waist, pulling her back against him and letting his face burying into the familiar scent of her vanilla shampoo. She chuckled slightly, reaching a hand up to brush by his cheek and into his hair.
“Good morning.” Her voice still sounded sleepy like she hadn’t even been awake for that long.
“Morning,” he mumbled into her hair. “I wasn’t expecting you to still be here.”
She hummed, fingers gently rubbing against his head. “What? I can’t be lazy like you?”
“I’m not lazy. I just like sleep.”
She laughed again and he couldn’t keep the smile from pulling at his lips. His days were so bright now that even the nights weren’t as hard. Granted, going to sleep with her by his side and knowing she’d still be there in the morning helped significantly. When she did get up before him, she never was too far away. Terra still wasn’t sure if he had actually done anything good enough in his life to deserve her but as long as she kept smiling and laughing like she did now he wouldn’t question it.
“Well, I hope you slept well, cause it’ll be a busy day.”
“Define busy.”
“We have the meeting to determine if there’s a need to reopen the schooling element here and if the castle is suited to hold students again.” She paused for a moment, probably to stifle a yawn with the way she was breathing. “The other option being to open the castle as a sanctuary for travelers to stop on their way through the worlds. It’ll depend on many different things so it’ll probably take a good part of the day for discussions and choices.”
Terra made a snoring noise.
She swatted him on the side of his head but he felt her laughing. “Stop it,” she snorted. “You signed up for this, Master Terra.”
“Yeah, well, Master Eraqus should’ve been more upfront about how many meetings I’d have to sit through when I was a kid.”
“He knew better than that.”
Terra laughed as she gently started to play with her hair again. He may’ve joked but this was the only life he ever really wanted. For a while there it didn’t seem like this would ever be possible yet here he was. He’d go through a million meetings if she was sitting next to him.
She wasn’t wrong through. They were standing on the brink of another life changing event. If they decided there were enough kids being able to summon keyblades again then the school would open its gates once more. There would be new responsibilities as both teachers and heads of the worlds that would be thrown at them. They wouldn’t be the only ones since they weren’t the only masters who even lived here. Riku and Kairi both agreed to be willing to stay here to teach where Ven and Sora preferred to be out in the field to explore and help people; though both were willing to commit part time should they be needed. Lea and Roxas were more conflicted, not sure anyone would want to learn from them and the other half of their family and friends lived in Twilight Town. On the other hand if the castle would function as a space for weary keyblade wielders to rest then not much would change really.
“How much time do we have?” he asked, really not wanting to move yet.
“Depends,” she said. “What time we need to be there, or what time someone will come and get us for breakfast?”
“Banking on the latter.”
She chuckled but fell silent, lacing her fingers with his hair. He pressed a kiss to the back of her head, no desire in him to be anywhere but here.
This would never be old. He lost her for so long, thinking he’d never get her back, something he’d never take for granted again. It just…was always her, and it always would be. He felt warmth fill his chest just at the thought, letting out a sigh.
Aqua twirled her fingers against him slightly, her acknowledgement she heard him.
He had come back from the brink of the worst, his hands stained with terrible things but she welcomed him home with open arms. It took time, and recovery, but it was always done in understanding and in love. It’s what it was. He loved her more than he knew how to say; even in the simplest moments, laying in his bed joking about their potentially long and boring day. He wanted to have long and boring days with her forever. He wanted her to know that.
Terra’s mind was still hazy from sleep, from the unique warmth she brought him, from the desire to just spend the rest of his life with the woman in his arms. The words were out of his mouth before he even knew it.
“Marry me.”
Aqua didn’t move, she just continued to carefully play with his hair.
He snapped his eyes open when he realized what he actually said aloud. Panic crawled up his throat so fast he had to swallow the lump that formed there. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, else but nothing came out.
Did she even hear him? Did he want her to have heard him? It wasn’t like he didn’t mean it; he knew that without a doubt. But at the same time that wasn’t exactly how he ever thought he’d ask her. He didn’t even think far enough ahead to know he didn’t have a ring or anything to give her.
She rolled over under his arm, turning so she could face him and he had to swallow hard again to face the reality of this situation.
“Is that your tactic to stay in bed longer?” she asked, a teasing look on her face.
Oh, okay, she thought he was just joking. It was a weird sense of utter relief and disappointment.
“Did it work?” he asked instead, hoping the heat in his face wasn’t as apparent as it felt.
“Almost,” she said, nudging her face up to kiss him.
That was admittedly better. He reached a hand up to her cheek, holding her there so he could kiss her back. She moved her hand down to his shoulder, fingers trailing down his arm. Aqua slid up closer, pressing herself against him. He dropped his hand to her hip, slipping under her shirt to hold her lower back firmly. The soft noise from her lips already had heat swirling in the pit of his stomach, forgetting his momentary embarrassment easily enough.
“You’re not making it easy,” he breathed as she pulled back enough to pepper her jaw with kisses.
She hummed, tracing circles on his skin while she arched her head back for him. Before he got a chance to do much more, he felt her kick his leg over her waist and push her weight into him. Terra pushed himself up on his elbows when his back hit the bed. Aqua sat up, her legs on either side of his hips, giving him a grin that took his breath away. He ran his hands up her bare legs, until he reached the hem of his shirt she was wearing.
“Maybe I don’t want to make it easy,” she said.
He reached a hand up to the back of her head, pulling her down until her lips were on his. She groaned, her hands sliding up his shirt. That was about the last of his willpower.
Until there was a loud knock at the door.
Aqua leaned her forehead against his with a sigh. Figures, he wasn’t sure why he was surprised.
“What?” Terra grunted, though he made no effort to actually move.
“You guys are taking too long,” Ven whined; which almost sounded strange since his voice was lower than it ever used to be and yet still so very Ven.
“So?” Terra asked.
“So I’m hungry.”
“You’re plenty capable of making your own food, Ventus.”
“How dare you deprive me a chance to have breakfast with my two favorite people.”
“You burnt the food you tried to cook didn’t you?”
Ven paused. “In my defense, I listened to Lea.”
Aqua chuckled as she tilted her head to press a quick kiss to Terra’s lips before she untangled herself from the blankets, to slip off the bed. “We’ll be right there, Ven.”
Terra reached up to rub at his face. He didn’t even have to have kids of his own to understand what it felt like to be a parent.
It was quiet outside but there also weren’t any footsteps walking away.
“Yes?” Aqua asked as she slipped on the leggings she had been wearing the night before.
“I don’t trust you.”
She rolled her eyes enough to make Terra try not to laugh. She grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open, revealing Ven standing there with one hand slapped over his eyes. It was strange to see Ven taller than Aqua; a part of Terra always thought Ven would stay small but it wasn’t the truth. Growing up is what kids did.
“You’re being so dramatic, shoo,” she said, pushing him lightly into the hall. “I’m coming.” She looked back to Terra who still hadn’t moved. “We’re coming.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, kicking his legs over the edge of the bed to push himself up.
Aqua was poking at Ven in the side to get him to start moving. Yet it was clear by the way he was laughing and swatting her away without actually walking, he was waiting for Terra to come too. He ran his hand through his hair as he stood up, stretching his arms over his head. Ven had started trying to tickle Aqua back, which she was always very weak to, her laugh ringing through the hallway as she tried to get him to stop.
Despite being pulled out of bed somewhat against his will, he still felt a smile on his lips. His own words rang in his head; that was the only laugh he needed to hear for the rest of his life. Next time he’d actually be prepared and ask her right.
V.
Destiny Island really was beautiful. Not only for the tropical trees, the familiar star shaped fruit, the warm ocean air, but also the waterfall splashing into the blue sea, the white sand that never got too hot. Then there was the vibrant sunset that would set over the horizon casting the most stunning colors Terra had ever seen. Romance admittedly wasn’t his strongest point, but he figured a sunset on the beach was a good place to start.
Now if he could only stop feeling like he was going to possibly vomit on the soft sand it might make it a little better.
He could hear the laughter behind him, the others either playing on the beach or snacking on the food that laid around. It wasn’t anything to celebrate really, just another year of lives lived to the fullest. It became a loose tradition to spend a day on the beach together at least once a year. It was a day when no one had to work or were traveling or too busy; just time to relax with the people you loved really.
Terra watched the waves crash against the beach as he sat in the sand, just out of the water’s reach. The breeze was both warm and cool at the same time, the salty air reminding him of all the times he came here; including the very first time. Riku and Sora were near babies and now they had been to hell and back. Well, they all had Terra supposed.
If he would’ve turned around he knew he’d see Ven hanging from one of the tree branches while Kairi tried to throw food up at him so he could catch it in his mouth. Lea would be lounging nearby, usually never too far from the food. Isa probably sitting up listening to both Xion and Sora exclaim stories Isa heard a million times but would never say otherwise. Riku and Roxas sparring with old wooden swords on the beach while Namine watched on from the sidelines. Aqua would be nearby braiding flowers into the younger girl’s blonde hair.
While the people who visited changed as time went on as they grew from children to young adults, the island never changed. It was still the same ocean, same beach, same feeling of peace, same tropical flowers, same bridges, and the same star shaped that grew on the trees here. Its legend was where Aqua got the idea for their wayfinders, something that helped them all when they needed it the most. He figured it was about as good of a place as any to tell the person you loved you wanted to be with them forever. It was pretty and symbolic, that was romantic right?
Terra didn’t feel particularly romantic; in fact most of the others - including Aqua - had spent most the day asking him what was wrong. Guesses ranged from eating something that made him feel sick to coming down with some sort of fever, but really he just didn’t know how to do this. He wanted to, that wasn’t the issue, it was coming up with something good enough to say that actually expressed how he felt about her. He didn’t even know if he had the right words. A part of him really wished he had talked to Ven first, he was much better at this sort of stuff. Then again the reason Terra didn’t tell Ven was because then Aqua would know before Terra even got a chance. Secrets weren’t Ven’s strong point.
The wind blew off the waves, making Terra’s hair blow around. It was long enough that he could pull it back a little which provided at least some relief from the heat of the island. He sighed as he watched the colors from the sunset illuminate the skies. It really was beautiful.
He heard footsteps in the sand behind him, but one side glance at long legs told him who it was. Aqua sat herself down next to him, already wearing a sweater over her shirt and shorts to keep her warm as the heat of the sun started to fade.
“Hi,” she said, leaning her head down against his shoulder.
“Hey.” He leaned his head over hers while she snaked her hands around his upper arm. Terra almost wanted to close his eyes and just fall asleep. “All done making sure the kids don’t accidentally kill each other?”
“That’s a full time job so they’re on their own now.”
He snorted, a smile pulling at his lips despite his heart nearly feeling like it was going to pound out of his chest. The sunset was going on, everyone was distracted. Aqua was with him now and he could feel the small wooden box he made in his pocket; it was as best as it was going to get.
“Is something bothering you, Terra?” she asked, her voice a little softer than before.
“Ah, no, not at all. Today has been really nice.” Of course, Aqua would always notice if he was acting any different than the normal way he did. It was nearly impossible to pull anything over her eyes.
She lifted her head, making him turn to look at her. Her forehead was a little furrowed, like she was worried. “You just seemed distant, or upset.”
He reached a hand up to rub at the wrinkles, making her laugh instead. “I’m fine, don’t worry so much. I’d tell you if something was wrong.”
Aqua was still smiling as she considered his words and seemed to believe him in the least. “Okay.” She looked back ahead, leaning her head on his shoulder again. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Very,” he said though it wasn’t so much in reference to the sunset, but the reflection of the sunset in her face.
“I could live here.”
“Like right here on the beach? Just set up a room and a bed right here?”
She swatted at his arm. “You know what I mean.”
“Is that really what you want?” he asked. “To live here near the beach?”
Aqua paused for a second, a small sigh falling from her lips. “No, it’s nice to visit but I love our home more.”
His throat felt a little dry as he knew he had a lead in here. Okay, it was okay, he was pretty sure she’d say yes, so he had nothing to worry about. Right? Though he supposed if she wasn’t ready she could say no.
Oh yeah, that thought process didn’t help him feel better in the least.
“Ah, yeah, me too.”
She hummed but didn’t say anything else, eyes just watching the sun start to sink below the horizon.
“It wouldn’t really matter though,” he breathed. “Anywhere with you is home.”
“Oh, that was pretty smooth.”
“Thank you,” he snorted;. She was the one person he never had to worry about having a conversation with, so why should this be any different? “It’s true though. Any place, any time, doesn’t matter.”
She started to trace some circles on his arm as she lifted her head, eyes looking to him with that soft smile of hers on her face. “Me too.” Maybe she knew, he couldn’t really tell. It was possible she’d know what he was trying to say without having to say it.
Terra shifted slightly, trying to make his pocket easier to get to without being obvious about it. “Do you remember when we were kids? And we had to study all those old traditions?”
Aqua nodded slowly, like she was a little unsure what he was getting at but was still being encouraging about it.
“You told me about weddings and I told you it sounded gross.”
She laughed aloud, recognition in her eyes. “Yes, you were so insistent.”
“I was ten, what did you expect?” he asked, unable to keep the laughter that bubbled up in him down. Maybe that was the nerves too; just a few more words, that’s all he needed. “I still said if I had to pick anyone, I’d marry you.”
She didn’t move or blink, eyes just watching him. His hand was nearly shaking as he tried to reach for his pocket, the words he said in his head a million times on the tip of his tongue.
Until he suddenly felt a torrent of water dump down over his head.
He froze. His hair was sticking down onto his face, and shirt and shorts already seeping with water. Even the sand under him was sticky with the excess water. Aqua gasped as she moved to quickly push her now wet hair from her face. He felt disoriented for a moment, but the hysterical laughter snapped him out of his surprise real quick.
Terra reached up to brush his sopping wet bangs from his face, turning around just in time to see Xion and Sora quickly toss empty buckets off to the side, with Roxas looking none too innocent behind them. All three of them were still laughing but slowly backing away like they knew what was probably coming.
It was impossible to be mad looking at their gleeful eyes as they laughed without a care in the world. Even though they just interrupted something he had been trying to get the courage to do all damn day. There was a time when these kids couldn’t be kids; they couldn’t laugh so freely and they couldn’t be teenagers. Terra could never get mad at them for just being happy to live life. That was all he was doing after all.
“It was their idea,” Xion snickered.
“What?! It was not!” Sora said, reaching over to push at her. “Entirely my idea.”
“Entirely,” Roxas repeated with a snort.
Aqua huffed as she shook her hands to get the excess water off. She didn’t look mad either, in fact she looked like she was going to start laughing at any second in pride of them being able to sneak up so soundly. “Ready then?” she asked, and he didn’t have to question what she meant.
Terra pushed himself to his feet. “You better hope you’re fast.”
The three cried out as they turned to run along the beach.
Terra reached a hand down to help Aqua up, before letting his feet slide in the sand to chase after them. She was on his heels, running just as fast.
He had been trying to pick the perfect time and moment, with the best setting. But as the kids ducked under one of the bridges, pushing each other alone while they laughed Terra thought maybe he didn’t need to pick the right moment. It would just happen when it was supposed to. Aqua was laughing next to him as the sun almost disappeared into the ocean, the stars and moon popping up in the sky. Ven was shouting out condolences to the trio who were still running away. It was still a good day, and would be a good night. Everything could still wait, time wasn’t an issue anymore.
For now, he had some teenagers to throw in the water.
VI.
There was nothing like the night sky in the Land of Departure. Terra could go to a million different worlds and the stars would never compare. He supposed he was biased though; he spent his whole life looking up at the stars with Aqua. Then Ven a little later on, and then the kids who would come to visit or stay with them here.
Sometimes he’d watch them from his room, sometimes from Aqua’s room when he had snuck in late at night, sometimes from the training areas on the cliff, or the windows of the library. But he thought his favorite might be from the fields in the summer time, when the nights were warm and the grass was green and fresh. From there it was almost like there was nothing but sky and stars. Again he could be biased since Aqua was currently sitting in front of him, nestled between his legs as her back rested up against his chest. He was leaning back slightly, hands propped up in the grass behind him as he watched a shooting star shoot across the sky.
“There was one,” she said, pointing upwards. “Did you see it?”
“Yeah, I did. What number is that now?”
She leaned her head back against his shoulder, her hair tickling his nose. “Three,” she sighed but even from his angle he could see the smile on her face as the moonlight reflected in it.
“Did you make all your wishes?” He tried not to yawn, knowing if he did she’d want to back inside but it was a long exhausting day so he knew he didn’t do a very good job hiding how tired he was. Still, the peace outside with just her was relaxing; he didn’t want to leave yet.
“Couldn’t tell you if I did.”
“I think Master told us wishes don’t come true if you tell someone else, so he’d have a break from us telling him how much we wanted to be keyblade masters.”
Aqua chuckled. “That isn’t the only thing I wished for.”
“Oh yeah? What else did you wish for then?”
She turned her head to look over to him. “This.”
“What?”
Aqua shrugged. “Even when I was younger, I wished for a time when we could sit under the stars and not have to worry about anything else.”
Terra pushed himself up, moving his hands to wrap around her waist, making her giggle when her pressed his cheek to hers. “So even when you were a kid you had a crush on me, huh?”
“Stop it,” she snorted, reaching a hand up to push his face away. “You already knew that.”
“Yeah, can’t say I didn’t wish for the same thing once upon a time.”
“Ohh?” she said a little sing-songy “Terra had a crush on a girl.”
He squeezed her making her laugh again. “I did, even though she drove me crazy sometimes.”
“Only sometimes?”
“I’m being very generous.”
Aqua chuckled as she leaned her head against his, a small sigh on her lips. It was quiet for a moment; just the sound of the crickets, the wind in the grass, the animals in the forest hidden from view.
“Terra, are you happy?”
At first he thought he didn’t hear her right. “What? Of course I am. This is what we always wanted.”
She shrugged, clearly not convinced enough with his answer. “I know, but we didn’t quite get here how we thought we would.” Aqua paused for a moment. “And they were childhood dreams, people change as they get older. Dreams change sometimes.”
“Have they changed for you?”
“No, no,” she said. “They never have. I’m happy, I’m very happy, but I want you to be too.”
It was a simple question really; making sure the person you loved was happy with life. Yet it was such an Aqua thing to worry about. He almost wondered how long it had taken her to actually ask him. It would be easy to answer her, to reassure her that he was happy here with their lives. He was, that wasn’t even a question in his mind, but the weight in his pocket was suddenly heavy, reminding him of its presence.
He waited and waited for the moment that would strike him the most; even taking the ring from the box so it wasn’t quite as obvious what he kept with him. This time though he found he wasn’t even nervous as he reached for the ring, pulling it out until he could hold between his fingers in front of them.
“My dreams have never changed,” he said.
She didn’t say anything, she just watched the way the small jewel caught the moonlight.
“Aqua?”
She made some sort of choked noise he assumed was her trying to answer him.
“Will you marry me?”
This time the noise was almost more like a choked cry, but she was nodding her head. “Yes, yes, of course.”
It seemed his nerves kicked in the last second nearly fumbling the ring. “What, really?”
“Yes, really, dummy,” she laughed, reaching one hand up to rub at her eyes. “I love you.”
Careful not to drop it in the dark field where Ven would absolutely never let Terra live down, he slid the ring on her finger. He didn’t even really have time to process what happened before Aqua turned in his arms. She wrapped hers around him so tightly she knocked him off balance, falling backwards into the soft grass.
Aqua pushed herself up, watching him with a smile he always got used to as one for him, eyes glistening in the moonlight. Terra didn’t always know what his path was, if he’d make the right choices if he’d make the wrong choices. This one, this one he knew was right.
“I love you too.”
She leaned down to kiss him as he reached his hand up through her hair. In that moment he thought even a million years wouldn’t be enough to tell her how much she meant to him. Since the day a six year old, blue haired girl walked in through the doors of the castle and taught him what it was like to have a friend, a companion, and a partner.
Setting: A month after the ending of Kingdom Hearts 3; No explicit spoilers but I mean you can infer what happens at the end if you read this haha
Rating: K+
Notes: Happy Valentine’s Day <3 I had to write something cute, and I’ve had this idea with the phones and social media in my head since I found out it was canon hahaha I was going to keep it all fluffy and not really go into the healing aspects of what needs to happen after 3 but alas, I couldn’t help it haha I think they’d need a lot of time, so that reflects here (but it’s also me so you know it’s still sappy as hell) I’ll do a real healing fic eventually, figures my first Post-3 fic would be about essentially their Instagram. The title is from Imagine Dragon’s “Next to Me” which is one of my favorite, favorite songs for them <3
AO3
Even though Terra considered himself to be more asleep than awake he could still hear the birds chirping outside his window, he could feel the sunlight on his eyes as it shone in through the window. His blanket was making him feel a little hotter than what was a comfortable temperature, another sure sign summer was coming in full force. Still, it wasn’t enough to make him want to open his eyes, or leave his bed any time soon.
He probably wouldn’t have either if it wasn’t for the sudden annoying buzzing that was rattling against his nightstand.
Terra groaned as he reached a hand to his face rubbing his eyes. It thankfully stopped, making him try and fall back to sleep even though it was probably later than he should be in bed. He usually just waited till someone was too impatient to wait for him and either knocked on his door, gently kicked him, or jumped on him depending who the impatient one was that day. His eyes were still so heavy he knew he could fall asleep again, and he planned to.
Until the buzzing echoed once more.
He rolled over, still half asleep but noticed the other side of the bed was empty; not that he was surprised, he would’ve gotten some kicks or nudges by now. Terra tried not to feel sinking disappointment, swinging his hand to the night stand to grab the phone he knew was sitting there. He blinked his eyes open, looking at the screen as he tried to adjust to the growing sunlight in the room. Terra could see the new messages icon and he pressed it though he mostly wanted to toss the phone back down.
He saw Aqua’s picture next to way too much text to comprehend in his state of still being half asleep. From what he could tell it was just the plans for the day; who was here, who was away, if there was anything urgent they needed to get to within the day. It ended with another message asking him to wake up already. He snorted as he dropped the phone in his lap, reaching both his hands up to his face.
It was silly she felt the need to send him a message when she literally slept in the room across from his, and when the night was a little too dark, his. It happened more often than not these days, to the point where he missed seeing her face when it wasn’t the first thing he saw in the morning. One hallway didn’t seem very far away; it never did when they were kids, finding ways to pass notes, communicate without words so Master Eraqus didn’t wake up and catch them, always knowing where the other was. But it did when he still felt like if he blinked she’d be gone.
He sighed as he pushed himself up in bed. She could’ve just gotten him, but she was hell bent on making him use this thing. He picked it up again, scrolling quickly through all the little pictures near the text box to pick the thumbs up to send back to her. Close enough right?
Terra dropped the phone again stretching his arms over his head as he kicked his legs out of bed. He almost left the damn thing sitting there, but it was still too early to get lectured by Aqua on why having ways to communicate like that was important. He supposed he understood that concept, after all he did like knowing he could reach any of them in a matter of seconds, that he could scroll down and see pictures from where the kids were, what they were up to. Terra just didn’t want to be the one constantly being bugged with it; especially when someone lived in the same home as he did.
He grabbed the phone and slid it in his pajama pocket, making his way to open his door and out into the hallway that would lead to the staircase. The castle was so familiar it was almost like they never left. It was admittedly really eerie at first and Terra found himself staying up late at night, unable to bring himself to sleep. But it got better when Aqua would come and talk to him as they slowly mended what had been hurt, when more feet and voices filled the otherwise empty rooms, when she started falling asleep next to him, making it easy to sleep through any night knowing she was safe.
He walked into the empty dining hall, but that wasn’t too much of a surprise. The table was too long for the few people that lived here; they only every used it if many others were visiting but that settled down significantly once everyone got accustomed to their lives. So they preferred the smaller table they set up right in the kitchen which judging by how the room smelled someone already started cooking.
He had two guesses, but judging by the messages on his phone one was highly favoring the other.
Terra pushed open the kitchen door, his stomach growling at the sudden aroma of bacon mixed with fresh coffee grounds, toasting bread, as eggs sizzled on the oven. He expected it to be Aqua standing in the kitchen and he wasn’t wrong. Her back was to him as she poked at the bacon, but he could tell she was still in her pajamas, apron tied around her back just like the one she used to wear on her cooking days. He found himself smiling even despite being up before he wanted to be.
“Morning,” he said, closing the door behind him so he didn’t scare her.
Aqua turned her head, a smile already on her lips. Her eyes were bright this morning, probably because she was always happier when she was able to do something for someone else, this case making breakfast. He loved it, he loved seeing her like this; it was one of the reasons he did keep getting up every morning. If she still looked at him like that, than he couldn’t be as horrible of a person as he thought he was sometimes.
“Morning, sunshine,” she said, that teasing tone on her lips, just like when they were younger. “Sleep in enough?”
Terra walked over to the counter in the center of the kitchen, leaning up against it so he could face her better. “Yeah, would’ve slept in more if I hadn’t been assaulted with blocks of text first thing in the morning.”
Aqua chuckled, scooping some of the bacon onto a nearby plate to cool. “It was that or send Ven after you.”
Ven was a big fan of tackling Terra awake, which wasn’t annoying as much as it was alarming depending how deep of a sleep Terra was in; and sometimes painful, Ven seemed to be growing nonstop since they came home.
Terra felt his stomach knot up slightly. He probably shouldn’t say; they didn’t really talk about it once the sun was up but the words were already on his lips. “I, um, didn’t hear you leave this morning.”
She hummed, but was moving to scramble the eggs better. “I knew it was my turn to cook breakfast, so I figured I’d get a head start. Plus when you sleep, you sleep like the dead. Believe it or not I did try, to see if you wanted to help me, but I figured it was better to let you sleep.”
That did make some of the tension leave his body; sometimes he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d do something to push her away again. But the more reasonable part of his brain tried to remind him she did have to cook breakfast for a few people or that she never liked to wake him up when he fell asleep or that she didn’t want the kids to get the wrong impression. Granted, he was never quite sure how to tell her judging by their glances and snickers they already had the wrong impression.
“So you thought waking me up by having the phone nearly vibrate off the table was better?”
“You have to get used to using it someday, Ter. Also…” Aqua turned to him, placing one hand on her hip as she waved the fork in her other hand at him. “Can you respond with more than just one thumbs up? That doesn’t tell me anything.”
Terra snorted. “I assumed it told you I was fine with it.”
“I would, if I thought you read it.”
“I did read it.”
Aqua arched her eyebrows, though she looked more amused than mad.
“Okay, I skimmed it.”
“That’s what I thought,” she chuckled, turning back to remove more bacon from the sizzling pan. “If you couldn’t tell from your brief overview, we do have a busy day.”
“Got it.” The smell in the kitchen was starting to get unbearable; he didn’t realize how hungry he was until he had to stand there not eating anything.
Aqua reached up to the cabinet to get a plate for the first batch of eggs while Terra leaned in to grab a piece of bacon. It shouldn’t have surprised him she was fast enough to swat his hand away before he could actually touch the food. “Be patient,” she tutted, scooping the eggs onto the plate before getting the pan ready for the next set.
He took the plate from her hands, moving the place it on the counter near him so he could hand it to her again when she was ready for it.
“I don’t know why you’re so resistant on having the phone,” Aqua said, adding even more bacon to the pan which really didn’t help his stomach from growling.
He noticed she had the oven on too which meant there was also something she was baking. Gods, he hoped it was that cinnamon bread she used to make; it was just the right amount mix of sweet and doughy. “I’m not resistant to it.” It was mostly true. “I just don’t see why we need to use it when we’re in the same house. Away on missions sure, but not when we’re a staircase away.”
“Convenience,” she said, wiping her fingers on her apron. “I’m cooking I couldn’t leave the food to come up and tell you all that. Also I know you and if I tried to give you all that information while you were still half asleep you’d never remember it. Now it’s there for you when you’re ready.”
Those were valid points; figures, Aqua always thought out everything. That was probably why she liked it so much, she was a lot more organized than he admittedly was. “Fine, you win. It can have its uses.”
Aqua turned her head to him, giving him a grin that reminded him of when they used to spend all day outside adventuring in the forests, of the stories they told each other late at night under the stars, it reminded him of home. This was his home, with her, it would always be with her.
She gestured for the plate again and Terra had to remember where he was and what he was doing. He reached for it, passing it to her, but her other hand was at his lips, holding up a piece of bacon. Aqua took the plate while he took the bacon, biting into it with a crunch. She lingered for a moment, watching him with the same smile on her lips. Maybe after everything they went through, both during those twelve years and the weeks after, maybe she could feel what he felt; the reminders of the past as they lived their lives together again but new in a way, different, better even. He might’ve even asked her if the door hadn’t swung open.
“Morning, Masters!” Xion smiled as she waved both her hands at them.
He probably wouldn’t have asked Aqua, but there was a part of him that wanted to. Maybe that alone was a sign of improvement; that he even felt good enough to even want to know how she really felt.
“Good morning,” Aqua said, scooping the eggs onto the plate to pass back to Terra.
He glanced over to the door as he popped the rest of his bacon in his mouth, raising his hand in a silent greeting to both Xion and Roxas, who was trailing behind and looking significantly less perky than Xion did.
The toaster dinged as they pulled out seats from the small table.
Aqua looked over to Terra probably to ask if he could get it but he was already moving that way. He grabbed a plate off the counter and pulled the hot toast out. They were still a little short, so they’d need to toast more. As if reading his mind, Aqua tossed him the bag of bread she had near her. He caught it, setting to the new task.
It was hard at first, when they came home. Terra was afraid too much damage was done, that he and Aqua would never operate how they used to, how they knew to read each other so well words weren’t always needed, the trust that came with that. It took a little bit, but every day he felt his relationship with her improve and that was enough to be thankful for.
Once he pressed the toaster on again he turned back to Aqua, but she was busy humming to herself as she cooked up more eggs and bacon. He vaguely recognized the tune but he couldn’t place it. Instead he looked over to Roxas and Xion who were lounging at the table while they waited. She was showing Roxas something on her phone, her voice quiet but still pretty peppy for the hour. Roxas on the other hand had his head on the table as he sleepily tried to follow what she was saying.
Boy, wasn’t that a familiar image.
“Please tell me breakfast is ready.” The door swung open, though it was always hard to miss Lea any time he made his entrance. He was also still in his pajamas, his read hair tied back for the time being.
“Morning to you too,” Terra snorted.
“I mean it as my most sincere good morning, especially to the beautiful chef.” He reached over to rub at both Roxas and Xion’s heads. “Morning, squirts.”
Roxas grunted in response while Xion laughed looking up from her phone as Lea flopped down in the chair across from them. That only left one judging by Aqua’s message of who was here today.
“Terra, would you mind?” Aqua asked, holding out the plate of eggs.
“Got it.” He grabbed it moving to place it on the table. “Would one of you mind setting the table?”
“I can,” Xion said, placing her phone down so she could stand up.
Terra reached over her head to grab the plate of bacon Aqua was holding out to him; though not before slipping another piece in his mouth.
“I saw that,” Aqua said, though she wasn’t looking at him, opening the oven door to check on whatever was in there.
“Where’s blondie?” Lea asked, stretching his arms over his head.
“His door was still closed when we walked by,” Roxas said, though his head was on the table so it was a little mumbled.
The oven went off as Aqua pulled out the bread pan that was in there, the sweet but spicy smell of cinnamon filling the air. She left it on the oven top to cool but she must’ve seen him watching her because she looked over to him.
“What?” she asked. “Didn’t think I remember?”
It was an innocent comment but it made a smile pull at his lips. He opened his mouth to say something, anything about how it meant a lot she remembered but the toaster dinged and Xion was scurrying around him with a stack of plates and glasses. There were only three more people on a daily basis, even more than that on the days the other kids visited; still, the extra people caused a new level of chaos sometimes.
He reached over to pull out the toast dropping it on the plate with the others.
“Sorry, am I late?” Ven yawned, though Terra hadn’t even heard Ven come in the room.
“As per usual,” Lea said.
When Terra turned back to plate the plate of toast on the table Ven was sitting down, another yawn on his lips as Lea reached up to push at Ven’s head.
“Where’s Chirithy, Ven?” Aqua asked, scooping the steaming bread from the pan.
“Sleeping,” he answered. “Like I wish I still was.”
“You’re all so dramatic. It’s not that early.”
“Says you,” Terra snorted, reaching for the plate that had the newly sliced bread on it.
Aqua pulled it away from him, a knowing look in her eyes. “It won’t make it to the table if I let you take it.” She gestured to the fridge instead as she moved around him to get to where everyone was already sitting.
He rolled his eyes but she still knew what she meant. He reached in to grab the glass of orange juice, as well as the jam and butter; at least by the time he turned back to the table it was time to eat. He placed the items down and took the empty seat at the end.
Coffee, why didn’t he think of making any? He needed that more than ever if this day was going to be as long as Aqua said it was. He pushed himself away, about to stand up when a steaming mug was placed down in front of him. Terra looked up as Aqua sat down next to him, placing her own coffee in front of her; the only difference being his was black and hers probably had enough sugar to wake up everyone in this room.
“Thanks,” he said, unable to keep from feeling the smile from pulling at his lips.
Aqua hummed in response but the small smile was all he needed.
“Pass the orange juice, please,” Ven asked as Xion was done pouring hers.
“Only if you pass the jam.”
“Got it!”
“Hey, Rox, lift your head, you’re drooling on the table,” Lea said, and judging by the way the table shifted slightly also must’ve nudged Roxas in the legs.
“Coffee, first,” he said, but did pick up his head, hand weakly reaching for some bacon.
“What? Wanna stay shortstuff your whole life?”
“I’m not short! You’re unnaturally tall.”
“Everyone eat the eggs too,” Aqua said as she pulled her phone from her pajama pants pocket, placing it on the table next to her plate.
Terra leaned back with his coffee, opting to wait for the kids to fill up their plates; he didn’t need to lose any fingers today. Aqua seemed to do the same, taking careful sips from her mug as she watched on.
“Don’t you dare eat all of that bread,” Terra said seeing Lea take more than one piece.
Ven snickered while he piled some eggs on his plate to appease Aqua. “Terra is serious when it comes to Aqua’s baking.”
Xion giggled into her orange juice glass and Terra tried to ignore the heat rising to his face at being called out by teenagers.
He cleared his throat instead, noticing Aqua was watching him from the corner of her eyes. “You’ve eaten plenty of things she’s baked, do you blame me?”
Ven paused for a second, just long enough for Roxas to reach over and steal a piece of bacon off Ven’s plate. “Hey!” he snorted. “Get your own.”
“Roxas, please eat something other than bacon,” Aqua tried again, but he listened, reaching for a piece of toast and eyeing the jam still in Xion’s hands.
Terra’s phone buzzed in his pocket, making him reach in to pull it out as everyone who regularly needed his attention was sitting at this table. He glanced at the screen though it wasn’t really anything, just a late notification that Xion posted a picture to their group feed. It usually wasn’t anything serious, just people updating each other with what they were doing or where they were.
Since the kids were still digging into the food, he tapped on the screen, opening the feed up. Xion’s post was from a little earlier, the sunrise outside her window. She had some sweet words to say at the bottom about how pretty it was. Since he had nothing else to while he waited he let his thumb scroll down the screen bringing up more pictures.
Aqua’s hands were near his plate, placing a piece of bread there. Terra looked up to thank her but she was already gathering food for herself. He placed the mug down and replaced it with the warm bread that tasted as good as it smelt. He tried to focus on the pictures he scrolled by like Kairi taking a selfie with Riku in Radiant Garden as they worked on their mission or Lea posting a picture of Roxas passed out on the couch last night teasing him about his particularly long training day or Isa tagging his friends in a selfie with that ice cream they adored probably to make them jealous or Ven sharing his late night snack from last night that looked more like a repeat of dinner than a snack. But Terra found it hard not to savor the soft bread, the memories of watching Aqua bake as he sat up on the counter trying to carve something into a bit of wood. He could barely think of something that didn’t have memories attached to her, and he always knew he’d never want it to be any other way. He just wasn’t exactly sure how to say that, if he even had the right to say that.
He popped the last bit of bread in his mouth as he continued to look down at his phone, knowing it was better than letting those thoughts linger. He was about to put it down and get his own food but he stopped when he saw Aqua’s face looking back up at him from his screen. It had to have been from yesterday since she was outside with the blue sky and sun shining in the background. She had the phone tilted so she could both get herself and one of the flower gardens in it. He recognized it easily, it was the one Master Eraqus used to take care of, where he would go to relax or take them for lessons if the day was particularly nice. Aqua started to take care of it when they got back, maybe as some way to make things seem normal again at first but now judging by the smile on her face and the glimmer in her eyes it was more of a pleasurable thing for her. Clearly, she was proud of her work.
Terra made a note to go out there next time she was working and make sure he complimented her on it, but for now he pressed his thumb against the button that would add another like to the ones that were already there under her picture. He didn’t usually interact even that much, just choosing to look when he felt like it but for her, he made an exception.
His plate slid closer to him, this time with much more food on it. Terra placed his phone down with just enough time to see her hands moving back to her own food. “Thanks,” he said, reaching for the first piece of bacon he saw.
Aqua was carefully eating her eggs but she waved him off, eyes drifting to her phone as it lit up.
The kids were still talking amongst themselves, Roxas looking at least a little more alive now that he was nearly done with his toast, watching the uneaten bread on Lea’s plate and clearly trying to gauge if he would catch Roxas taking it or not. Ven was at least attempting to eat the eggs as he held his phone up in his other hand, eyes reading over something.
Aqua’s fork hit the plate a little too loudly making Terra look back to her, making sure everything was okay. She seemed to be alright as she looked at her screen, but her eyes were wide before a smile started to pull at her lips. He almost wanted to know what she was looking at with the way her smile was so soft, eyes bright in what seemed like a sort of adoration. Terra didn’t want to nose into her business, but he did happen to see the picture he was just looking at on her phone. Maybe she got a nice comment or something, which was good; he wanted to see her happy like that all the time.
Even as he watched her he still couldn’t believe after everything she went through, the things she suffered she still could manage to to smile like that, to have her face light up at the simplest things. Yet here she was a ray of sunshine in every room she went, making him believe that everything would be okay again. He wasn’t even sure he had a word to describe how beautiful of a person she was, how she always was. Even though it had been in the heat of the moment, and the height of every emotion he had felt, he meant what he said the first time he saw her again; he couldn’t remember a time she wasn’t the brightest light in his life.
Terra didn’t realize the kids went quiet till Ven started choking back his laughter. Terra glanced away from Aqua but no one was looking at him. He went back to grab the buttered toast on his plate, taking a bite out of it as Ven was placing his phone back on the table. He was absolutely trying hard not to laugh, which was suspicious in its own right, but maybe someone just sent him something funny.
Lea had his phone up to his face, eating another piece of bacon while Roxas made the dive for the cinnamon bread; not fast enough as Lea quickly hit Roxas’ hand making the blond retreat with a groan. “Well,” Lea said, placing his phone back down. “Nice knowing you, Ven, you had a good life.”
Xion had one hand over her mouth as she stared at her own screen, though she was grinning. “Ven,” she gasped.
“What?” he asked, trying to look innocent but instead he looked like he was about to burst into hysterics. “I’m not wrong.”
“What did you do?” Terra asked, arching his eyebrows.
Ven merely shook his head. “Nothing.”
Roxas peered over to Xion’s phone, choking when he saw whatever they were all looking at. “Holy shit, you’re going to get killed.”
“Roxas,” Aqua warned, but it lacked any sort of force probably because she was more curious as to what Ven did.
Terra always found it a little funny when she corrected any of the kids’ harsher language since she was the one who used to curse the most in training. His phone vibrated next to him so he took another bite of his toast before looking over. Terra probably should’ve known better when he saw Ven tagged Terra in a picture but he still opened it up anyways. He figured it was maybe just something stupid, some funny joke poking fun as Ven was known to do.
Terra bit into the last bit of his toast just in time to see his own face, same clothes he was wearing right now, plate still full of food. It had to have only been taken moments ago since his eyes were still watching Aqua. She looked the same as she did when she was staring at her phone, smile and bright eyes even visible in the picture. What he hadn’t noticed, what made him ultimately choke on the bread he was trying to eat, was the way he was looking at her. If he thought she was watching her phone was adoration it was nothing to how he was looking at her, complete with the sappiest smile Terra wasn’t even aware he was capable of making.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, the caption was.
@terra hasn’t stopped looking at her like that since we got home :P
Terra wanted to snap his head up and tell Ventus that absolutely wasn’t the truth, but in all honesty it probably was. Terra did lift his head trying desperately to ignore the heat that was crawling up to every crevice of his face only to see Ven shoveling the rest of his food into his mouth.
“I get the shower first!” he said, effectively booking out the room as fast as he could. Smart kid.
Terra was pretty sure he couldn’t look at Aqua now even if he wanted to but he was aware she was still looking at her phone.
“You sure you and Ven aren’t related?” Lea asked, breaking the other piece of cinnamon on bread in half.
“Yes, why?” Terra said, clearing his throat so that his voice actually came out.
“Cause he’s about as close to as an annoying little sibling as you can get.”
“How would you know?” Xion asked.
Lea passed the other half of the bread to Roxas, who happily took it, before Lea leaned in as he stood up from the table. “Cause I have two of them.”
Xion and Roxas made some whining noises, though his was a little more muffled.
Lea gave them a wink before heading to the door. “See you in a little bit,” he said waving absent mindedly, the other two scrambling to follow him; probably to tease him right back.
Then it was just Terra and Aqua, and he pretty much wanted to sink right down into the ground. He didn’t really have any excuses and the explanation was something he wasn’t quite ready to address head on but he also couldn’t just sit here in awkward silence with his best friend; that was somehow worse.
He looked over to her, just as she was glancing up at him. Terra opened his mouth to say something but she didn’t really seem mad or anything. She was surprised maybe and her cheeks were also a little red, like she was embarrassed about it too.
“Ah,” he said, tapping his fingers against his legs. “I was just…wondering what you were looking at, you know…” He gestured to her phone like that explained what he was trying to say. “It seemed to make you happy.” Terra probably shouldn’t be invading her privacy if he already embarrassed her, but no other words wanted to come.
“Oh,” she squeaked slightly. She reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear looking away from him. “It was just…you…well, you’ve never liked one of my pictures before. It surprised me, but it also made me happy, is all.”
Terra blinked at her. None of that was anything he was expecting, that it was something he did that made her smile like that. He spent time wondering if he missed his chance at making her happy, that he could even still do so after everything that happened but that something so small made her face light up made him feel like maybe he was wrong.
Maybe these phones weren’t as bad as he thought they were.
Even though he still felt like his stomach was in his throat he picked his phone up, finding the camera and flipping it to face him like he saw the others do. Terra leaned in slightly to her, hoping his intentions were clear.
A smile pulled at her lips, and she leaned in to meet him, her cheek so close to his he could almost feel her grin. He held the phone up, trying to find the right angle on the screen; if he was doing it poorly Aqua never told him. Terra snapped the picture and leaned back to his chair while Aqua laughed lightly.
“What are you going to do to him?” she asked.
“Oh, you’ll see.” Terra stared at the picture on his screen, both his and her faces, both smiles; happy, they looked happy. That’s all he ever wanted, was for her to have everything she wanted. He knew she made him happier than he knew how to say. If he somehow made her happy still, then he’d do so every single day until he built up his courage to tell her that she had always been his world.
Terra watched the picture as it posted to his feed.
Aqua must’ve got the notification because she snorted in laughter, eyes bright when she looked up. “I like that picture of us.”
He couldn’t help the smile on his lips, maybe it was still really sappy but he didn’t quite have it in his heart to care right now. “Me too.”
@ventus just wait till it’s your turn for training today, buddy, we’re going to make it real fun.
