#bothofyou

She tried to look to the TV but it was hard to pay attention to whatever late night show was playing when she was so warm under a blanket laying on the couch, Terra’s chest behind her back, arm draped over her waist as his rhythmic breath tickled the hairs on her neck. That was the most comforting part of all, just being able to not worry about when he had to leave, or when she had to leave. No one would make them go anywhere. Okay, technically she was supposed to be home to at least sleep in her own bed, but once her parents were asleep they’d never actually know she wasn’t home. It was silly really; did they think she made Terra sleep on the floor when he stayed the weekend with her?

“Are you asleep?” she hushed.

Terra made some sort of grunting noise that probably meant he was asleep or nearly asleep.

She could just fall asleep herself. She was so comfortable and so warm, it would be easy to close her eyes and sleep till morning when Ven would jump on the both of them to wake them up; it wouldn’t be the first time. Instead she carefully rolled over under his arm, moving so she could face him.

To her surprise his eyes weren’t closed, one eye was cracked open watching her.

“You were faking,” she snorted, hitting her hands lightly against his chest.

“I wasn’t, this show is boring. It absolutely was putting me to sleep.”

“I think that’s mainly the purpose of having the TV on this late at night.”

“Also…” he said, tapping his fingers against her lower back. “To keep on so everyone thinks we’re still awake so you don’t have to leave.”

Aqua hummed, reaching a hand up to the side of his face, brushing some fallen bangs from his eyes. “I’d bet no one in either house is still awake but us.”

His eyes fluttered shut but only for a moment; when he opened them again there was a certain glint that matched the smile pulling at his lips. “I can go for that bet.”

“Oh? What are we betting on?” Aqua supposed she didn’t have to ask that and especially not when he pressed his lips to hers.

It was so easy, kissing him back, running her hand through his hair. Sure, they had a slight awkward bought in their transition from best friends to more than friends, but for the most part it was always like this, like it was the way it was meant to be. She nudged her foot between his, the thin fabric of his pajama pants soft against her legs.

His hand trailed down her back, only enough to slip underneath the hem of her shirt; which was actually his shirt she stole when she didn’t want to wear real clothes anymore. He held his palm flat against her back, fingers pressing down on her skin as he pulled her closer to him.

Aqua laughed softly against his lips, her hand dropping to his shoulder.

“What’s so funny?” he murmured, trailing light kisses along her jaw.

“I guess you’re not as tired as I thought.” Her fingers curled into the fabric of his tank top when he brushed his lips down her neck.

“It’s not my fault.” His breath was warm on her skin, sending shivers down her spine with every touch of his lips, every graze of his teeth. “You’re distracting me from sleeping.”

Her eyes fluttered shut as she arched her head back some, his face nuzzling into her collarbone. “Am I?”

Terra hummed, dragging his hand down her back to the waist of her shorts.

“Oh, well, sorry for being distracting,” she breathed, reaching a hand up to his hair, running her fingers through the soft strands. “Should I leave then? Would that make it better?”

He moved his head back up to hers, kissing her so quickly she nearly forgot to breathe. Her hand tightened in his hair, the other still holding onto his shirt.

“No,” he said against her lips. “I don’t think it would.”

Aqua smiled as she tilted her face to kiss him; like she’d ever want to be anywhere but right here in the first place. She kicked her leg up over his, pulling herself into him, the familiar heat curling in the pit of her stomach.

His fingers tightened on her, running his hand down to her ass as he rolled his hips into hers. Aqua broke away with a small groan; their clothes were thin, it wasn’t difficult to feel his growing arousal against her. Terra trailed his lips down her neck again, nipping carefully at the base of her neck that made her squirm in his arms trying to get closer.

“Good,” she breathed, moving her hand to join the other still tangled in his hair while he pressed his hands to her hips, pushing her onto her back. “I wouldn’t want to.”

He nuzzled his face down past her chest, pushing the bottom of her shirt up so he could press a kiss to her stomach.

Aqua closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the pillow they were using. She tightened her fingers in his hair, his warm touch trailing down and making her breath hitch in her throat. Terra’s hands were soft against her, until she tried to press her hips up to him. He pushed her back down against the couch, holding her as his hands curled into the waist of her shorts.

“Terra,” she groaned, trying to move against him but he was firm as he shifted himself between her legs, sending fire through her veins. “Maybe we should go to your room.” She meant to finish with “that has a door” but he moved down to press a kiss to the inside of her thigh and she could only pull at his hair.

“Okay,” he said against her skin and even though she wasn’t looking she could feel his smile against her. “Lead the way.”

That was fair. She didn’t want to move at all; though Terra could use to move a little faster. “What about your parents?”

He placed another kiss on her thigh, a little higher than before. “They’re asleep.”

“Ven?” Aqua pressed her hips up to Terra again but he just pushed her back down, kissing up the sensitive skin of her leg.

“Asleep.” Terra paused. “And he knows better.”

His breath was so warm against her, so close to where she wanted him to touch her but he wasn’t moving. She lifted her head up to look at him but he was already watching her. The lights from the tree were shining on his face, the sound from the TV a soft buzz in her ears. His hands were still tucked in her shorts, eyes on her and she honestly couldn’t care less who was awake and who wasn’t. He was waiting for her okay.

Aqua lifted her hips, moving to slip her hands to push her shorts down but Terra was already pulling them off. She didn’t even look to see where he left them, because his lips were back on her thigh. She dropped head back on the pillow, biting down on her lip as her eyes fluttered shut. He inched up higher and higher till she couldn’t help but reach her hands down to his head, curling her fingers in his hair again and nearly holding her breath as she felt him so close to her.

Until her moved to her other leg, leaving kisses up the inside of her thigh there too.

“Terra,” she whined, tugging at his hair. She couldn’t see him but she absolutely felt him laughing. Figures. He loved to take his time; lingering kisses, fleeting touches, teasing her and drawing out her most impatient side. If they weren’t short on time, he never rushed it.  He always said it was because he never got enough of her, but Aqua thought he just liked to make her squirm and whine. It wasn’t like she disliked it, but most of the time it drove her crazy; especially now when she felt her desire for him aching through her body.

She rolled her hips up at him but he still held her down. Aqua was going to urge him on again but she felt his mouth on her and she couldn’t think. She bit down on her lip, hands grasped into his hair as her legs clenched around him.

It didn’t matter where it was or when it was, no one knew her better than Terra did. He knew every touch, every move of his mouth that would make her toes curl into the blanket that was now bunched at the end of the couch. She tried to keep the small noises from falling from her lips but she vaguely was aware she wasn’t doing a great job.

His thumbs rubbed circles on her thighs as he ran his tongue along her.  It was late, and there were people still in the house but it didn’t matter. All she felt was the heat through her body, the ache through her for him. She rolled her hips against him and his fingers pressed into her legs as he met her motions, hitting a spot that sent her reeling.

“Terra,” she groaned, pulling at his hair. “Fuck.”

Aqua blinked her eyes open when she felt his fingers on her lips.

“Shhh,” he murmured, pushing himself up some though he was looking far too amused for his own good. “I said they were asleep not deaf.”

“Then get up here,” she said, dropping her hands to his face so she could pull him up towards her. She was going to tease him to stop looking so pleased with himself but the look on his face as he crawled over her was enough for her to pull his head down to hers to kiss him instead. She dragged her hands down his back, reaching for the hem of his shirt.

He moved back slightly to pull it off, tossing it over the side before leaning back over her, meeting her lips. Aqua ran her hands up his stomach and back down to the waist of his pants making him press his hips down against hers with a groan. She brushed her hand over his arousal, pressing her palm down against him.

That time he broke away, leaning his forehead against hers. He may’ve loved to tease her but Aqua loved the way he melted in her touch. Terra was bigger than her in stature and in height, strong, intimidating to some, but she could make him unravel at the seams and she adored every second of giving him the same pleasure he gave her.

She looked up to his half lidded eyes and it was hard to remember any time before when this would’ve been a safely guarded fantasy she never told anyone. It was almost one year since they shared their first kiss under the stars and sometimes it was still hard to believe she got to kiss him whenever she wanted to; and so much more.

She pulled his waistband down as he shifted his hips over hers. Aqua reached her arms around him when he pushed into her; her name on his lips so close to her ear. He leaned down against her, keeping on hand on her hip while the other tucked underneath her. She pressed her face against his shoulder, trying to muffle the cry that fell from her lips. Terra leaned his head to hers, resting his weight on her before moving his hips in a steady rhythm that had her curling her legs around him to pull him closer to her.

Aqua arched her back up, his fingers tightening on her hip as he moved against her. Heat swirled in her stomach, his breath hot on her ear as she held her hands onto his back, fingers digging into his skin. She loved every moment with him; even their first, slightly fumbling, sort of awkward time on her cramped dorm room bed. It didn’t really matter in the end because she was happy to just have that experience with him and express to him how good he made her feel. She usually found she liked to be the one to take control and let him sit back but she also loved the comforting feeling of his weight on her, his hands grasping onto her, every stroke bringing her closer and closer.

Aqua pushed her hips up against his, meeting his motions.

“Fuck,” he groaned, pressing his hand against her as he pushed into her harder than before. Terra didn’t curse much expect when they were together and she loved it. Even the sound of his voice made her feel desire even more.

She leaned her face against his skin, still trying to muffle her cries. Aqua was pretty sure no one would come down even if they heard, Terra’s parents didn’t really care what they did and Ven didn’t want to know, but the thought alone was embarrassing enough to make her at least try to be discreet about it. She knew Terra was doing the same; pressing his lips to her neck periodically, his muffled breathing, trying to keep some sort of control.

She dragged her hand down his back, feeling all the bumps and ridges of his body, the ones she knew so well. His hands were tight on her, and she couldn’t imagine being home alone in her own bed right now. Her legs squirmed against his, trying to urge him on as the ever familiar hot pressure made her whole body feel light.

“Aqua,” he warned, stilling her hips with his hand but his voice was so laced with desire she almost lost herself there.

She untangled her arms from around him, reaching up for his face, bringing him to her so she could kiss him. His cry was muffled by her lips as he trailed his hand up to her waist, pressing his fingers into his skin as his hips rolled into hers, faster than before. Aqua pushed her hands back into his hair, trying to focus on moving her mouth with his but she couldn’t stop a moan, her hands pulling back on his hair.

Terra broke away with a moan of his own, forehead sweaty against hers but she could care less. “Shit.” He dropped his head to her neck, nipping at her skin trying to muffle his cry as she felt him hit his own breaking point. She ran her hands down to his shoulders, wrapping her arms around him but the sound of his voice, his hold on her, and the pleasure he always knew how to give her was overwhelming enough for her. She felt his name on her lips while she buried her head against his skin, everything feeling light, the waves rushing through her body.

In the silence of the house her breathing sounded so heavy, trying to catch her breath as she trailed her fingers gently down Terra’s back. He moved slightly to be able to pull himself from her, but she otherwise felt his hot breath on her neck as he laid wrapped up against her. The TV was still humming along, the lights of the Christmas tree shining in the dark.

When he did move he pushed himself up, peppering her neck with kisses that made her laugh before he leaned back on his knees. She sat up on her elbows as he adjusted his waistband back up. His hair looked even messier than usual, the sheen of sweat on his body that made him look a little brighter in the dim lighting as he reached for his tank top to pull it back on.

Aqua was about to ask for her shorts when they landed on her chest. “Thanks,” she said as she shifted to pull them back on while he laid down on his side next to her.

“For the shorts or…?”

She was already reaching for the blanket they nearly kicked off the couch but she didn’t miss the grin on his lips. “You know,” she said, laying down on her side to face him, and hit him in the arm a few times. “You always tell me to be quiet, but I think you’re louder than me. “

“Huh,” he said, though his eyes were closed that grin was still there. “Absolutely not my fault.”

Aqua sighed as he wrapped his arms around her, moving her legs to tangle with his. She opened her mouth to respond but he was already kissing her, soft and sweet; it made her chest flutter just like he always did. She hummed, pressing her hands against his chest.

“It’s been almost a year, you know,” she murmured as he leaned back, resting his head against the pillow.

“Of course I know,” he said, though he sounded significantly more tired than he did before.

She felt it too, her eyes closing as she rested her head against his chest. “I wish we had done it sooner.”

“The kiss or…?”

Aqua pinched his back making him laugh. She felt his hand reach up to brush hair from her face, a warm kiss on her forehead. She already knew she was slipping; she was too comfortable, too warm, too safe. It was right where she always wanted to be. Her parents could deal with her not coming home.

“Me too,” he murmured. “But we have plenty of time to make up for it.”

He groaned, closing his eyes. It had to be somewhere. He couldn’t have been that careless. Okay, well, maybe he should’ve kept it in his room for safe keeping till he was ready but that was the thing, he was ready. It was just every time he tried, the right words never seemed to come out and he quit halfway through. So he had kept it on him in case he could actually do it, which ended up being the problem considering now he couldn’t find the damn thing anywhere.

It wasn’t like it was terribly expensive but he did save for it as well as drag Ven to a jewelry store at least two hours from home so the gossipy town folk wouldn’t catch wind of anything. Terra knew it at one glance with its silver, whites and blues complete with a small star; her favorite symbol, the one that hung off the friendship bracelets she made them as kids. It was perfect and now it was gone.

“Hey, Ter, do you mind if….What’s the matter with you?”

Terra glanced up to see Ven standing in the doorway, eyeing the disaster that was the room.

“It looks like a tornado went through here.”

“No shit,” Terra grunted.

Ven arched an eyebrow. “Alright then, what’s the matter?”

“I lost Aqua’s ring.” No use in hiding it from the one person who knew about it.

Ven whistled lightly as he leaned against the doorframe. “Maybe if you hadn’t taken a million years to ask her.”

“Now’s really not the time, Ventus.”

“Alright,” he said, glancing around the room. “Last place you had it?”

“That’s the problem,” Terra sighed, letting his hands drop to his lap. “I can’t remember. I just always had it with me. I’ve checked all my clothes, laundry, this entire damn room, work uniform, everywhere. I even checked the laundry room though I’m pretty sure if mom found it I would’ve heard about it by now.”

“Then not here, okay.” Ven glanced up at the ceiling before looking back to Terra. “I know you don’t work there anymore but Cid’s? Or better yet the station. Don’t you have a locker there?”

His heart jumped into his throat; he hadn’t checked there yet, he hadn’t even thought to check there yet. It was summer and he left his jacket in his locker a lot or his change of uniform or clothes. It could be there. Terra pushed himself up to his feet, patting his pockets down to make sure his still had his wallet, phone, and keys. “I never even though to think there, thanks, Ven.”

“No worries. Hey, I’ll come with you.” He was already following Terra out of his room, not that he minded too much. It would probably be better to have someone with a clear head if worst case it wasn’t there.

“Yeah, sure, c’mon.” Terra didn’t turn around but waved Ven on as Terra headed down the stairs; his brother’s footsteps coming down after him.

No one else was home, thank God. Not that they wouldn’t know eventually, but Terra wasn’t exactly a person who enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention which would absolutely happen if he told the rest of his family what he was planning or at least trying to. He pushed open the front door, the warm air hitting him instantly.

Ven shut the door, pulling out his own keys to lock the door. Even though he was well old enough, he was about to be a senior in high school for Christ’s sake, it was still a little strange for Terra that his baby brother had his own keys and his own car. Not that Ven was much of a baby any more when he stood nearly eye to eye with Terra.

He led the way to his car with Ven sliding into the passenger seat without complaint, probably just letting Terra do whatever he wanted to make him feel better about potentially loosing something rather important.

“So,” Ven breathed as Terra started the car, pulling it out of the driveway. “Any reason why you haven’t asked her yet?”

He glanced over at Ven who was rolling down the window. “Is that why you wanted to come? Trap me in the car?”

Ven grinned, like he had zero concerns in the world. “Yep, absolutely.”

“Well, I’m glad one of us can be so carefree right now.”

“Oh, will you relax, Terra. I know you didn’t lose it. You’re too careful for that. It’s somewhere and I know we’ll find it okay? So breathe.” Ven waited a minute, probably to make sure Terra was in fact still breathing. “Okay, so, let it out. It could help.”

He rolled his head back against the headrest, eyes firmly on the road. He didn’t really want to talk about it not because it was difficult to explain but more so he was embarrassed at the fact he couldn’t actually do it every time he wanted to. “I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

“I’d ask if you’ve always been this annoying but I know for a fact you have.”

“Stop being so dramatic.” Ven rolled his eyes, fingers tapping lightly on his leg. “What’s the big deal? You know she’ll say yes.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the point.”

“Oh, really?” Ven’s voice sounded way too amused for his own good. “So the point of asking someone to marry them is not for them to say yes?”

“I’m really regretting letting you in this car.”

“To bad, I’m the only one who knows about the ring and therefore the only one who can help you.”

“Okay, fine,” Terra sighed, knowing they still had a little bit to drive to get to the station he worked at and that Ven would never drop this until Terra just told him. “It’s just…every time I try I just can’t find the right words to say to her. I’ve never been good at that. There’s so much I want to tell her but when it comes down to it I just can’t.”

“Yeah, but, Ter, don’t you think she knows you well enough to know you’re not the one to give a big long romantic speech?”

“I mean, yeah, I guess.” He shrugged, turning closer to town but choosing to go around it rather than through it. “But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve it. She’s always liked that kinda stuff. I know I’m not very good at it so I’d like to make sure it’s everything she ever wanted.”

“I dunno, man, I think you’re really overthinking it.” Ven looked over. “I think you’re the only thing she’s ever wanted and you could probably throw the damn ring at her and she’d still be overjoyed.”

Terra snorted. “That doesn’t mean I don’t wanna do better than that.”

“Fair enough.” Ven paused for a second. “Tell me then, tell me what you’d wanna tell her.”

Terra hesitated. Next to Aqua, his brother was the closest person he felt to but still he wasn’t particularly good at this. “I dunno, Ven.”

“Just do it, it’s not like I don’t know anyways.”

“I guess,” Terra sighed; they weren’t too far away from his work so he supposed he could humor Ven for a moment. “I’d just tell her the truth, that she’s the only person I’d wanna spend the rest of my life with, that there’s no one that I love more than her and there never will be.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, idiot,” Ven said, reaching over to hit at Terra’s arm.

“Yeah, okay, easier to say it to you then when Aqua has those pretty eyes of hers watching my every move.”

“Are you telling me that Aqua has prettier eyes than I do?”

“Ventus,” Terra sighed, but at the same time for the first time since he realized the ring was missing he felt a smile pulling at his lips. Ven usually had that effect.

“Just stop worrying about it and do it. I promise no matter what you say she’s gonna love it.”

The fire station was just up a head, right next to it where Terra worked. Usually the sight of the stations were welcome as he genuinely did like his job as he liked the old brick buildings, red and white trim like straight out of an old movie. As he pulled his car off to the side of the road though, dread was starting to settle in his stomach again. He just hoped it was here.

He opened his door as Ven jumped out of the passenger seat, stretching his arms over his head. It didn’t look any of the trucks were gone which meant everyone on duty was here. If Terra could just get in to check and out without anyone asking him why he was there on his day off that would be ideal. It had to be here, there was no whe-

“Terra?”

He froze mid step up onto the sidewalk from the road, Ven pausing too so he could turn his head though it wasn’t like either of them didn’t know that voice.

“Oh, hey, Aqua,” Ven waved, putting on an easy smile. “What’re you doing out here?”

Terra looked over to see her walking up the sidewalk, coming from town. She looked a little confused but otherwise didn’t look any different from when he had seen her last night. She was even wearing a jacket despite the fact it was summer, his jacket to be exact, the one he let her have when she got too cold last night.

“Looking for you guys,” she said. “Neither of you were answering your phones.”

Ven pulled his phone out of his pocket to check and Terra probably would’ve done the same but the jacket…he remembered giving her the jacket. He only even had it on because it was easier to carry the ring…in it.

Terra was pretty sure he stopped breathing for a while.

“Oh, sorry,” Ven said, glancing a look over at Terra probably wondering why he hadn’t said a single thing yet. “Terra thought he forgot something here so I was coming for the ride. I just didn’t feel my phone go off, he probably didn’t either.”

“It’s fine,” she said, though she was still a little bit away.

There’s no way she couldn’t have noticed. It’s not like it wasn’t obvious what it would be even if she didn’t look at it.

Terra felt Ven lean in closer, holding his hand out. “You forgot it was in the jacket you let her wear didn’t you?”

“Ah, yeah,” Terra choked a little. “Seems that way.”

“Guess it’s now or never then.” Ven cleared his throat as Aqua came to stop in front of them. “Hey, gimmie your keys, I’ll go in and check for you.”

While with Ven there it was an excuse not to ever bring this up with Aqua, Terra knew he dragged this out long enough as is. He brought that ring months ago, no more excuses. “Yeah, thanks.” He placed the keys in Ven’s hand and he promptly took off without another look back. Some support of a brother was.

“What was that all about?” Aqua asked, eyeing Ven before looking back to Terra.

“Ah, you know how he is.”

“Yeah,” she said, a slight smile on her lips.

He still wasn’t really all that sure what to say if she wasn’t bringing it up, but despite the way his heart was nearly pounding out of his chest, acting normal was probably a start. He reached his hands to her face, pulling her in closer till he could kiss her. It was quick as his nerves were starting to get the better of him again but she still smiled at him when he looked at her.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi.”

Before he even got a chance to do anything else, Aqua was already reaching her hand into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out the unmistakable box, the one he had been searching for all morning. “I might’ve found your lost item.”

He tried to hum in acknowledgment but it came out choked instead. “Yeah, imagine that.” Terra gently took it from her hand, though it really was in his hands now and he still had no idea what to say to her; it was almost worst considering of all the places he considered asking her, the side walk in front of his work where sirens could go off at any second from both the fire trucks and the ambulances wasn’t the top of the list. It was always some place secluded, just them, no other eyes or nosey glances.

But it’s not like he could quite hide his intentions any more.

“Did you, ah, open it?” he asked, not really sure how to phrase that question without sounding accusatory.

“No,” she said, shaking her head slightly. “I respect your privacy.”

He hummed again as words still wouldn’t come to his head. It wasn’t usually like this, even when he had nothing to say it didn’t matter not with Aqua, but here words were important. Even with Ven’s help it didn’t seem good enough, nothing felt good enough for her, for how he felt about her.

“Terra.” Her voice was firm but her touch gentle when she reached up to brush some of his bangs out of his eyes, fingers trailing lightly on his face. “You don’t have to, you know, say anything. I was trying to give you back your jacket without having to tell you, but when neither of you answered your phones I figured you already realized it was gone.” She paused for a moment, her hand resting on his chest, that usual warm smile on her lips. “Don’t worry about it, when you’re ready.”

It was astounding where he never knew what to say, she always knew the right thing to say. They worked together like that, and in every other aspect of their lives.

“C’mon,” Aqua said, grabbing his hand that wasn’t holding the ring box and nodded back towards town. “Let’s get Ven and go get some ice cream or something.”

Terra supposed Ven was right; in the end it didn’t really matter where it was or what was even said. She knew Terra better than anyone in the world, he probably wouldn’t have to say the words and she’d still know what he was trying to express to her. There were words though, there were things he wanted her to hear, even if he had said them before, he still needed her to know. It was just as good of place as any.

Aqua started to tug his hand some, trying to get him moving but he pulled her hand back, tugging her in till she was close enough for him to lean down and kiss her again. He pressed his forehead against hers, breath coming out a bit shakier than he intended.

She was quiet, her hand still laced with his, the other lightly resting on his chest. He could feel her breath on his face, the sweet smell of vanilla from her shampoo as some of her hair tickled his skin. It was hot out and she was warm, still wearing a jacket in the middle of summer despite the fact she was also wearing shorts and flip flops and there was no one he loved more.

When he finally did speak, he was surprised he even had a voice. “I’ve never known a life without you, you know.”

She laughed softly. “I suppose that’s true isn’t it?”

“I can’t imagine a life where I’d want to. I love you more than I think I could even express and a part of me always has, I hope you know that.”

“I know,” she breathed. “I always do.” Aqua reached a hand up to his face, the sleeve sliding down some to show her wrist. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the old, worn blue bracelet she had tied on. She didn’t wear it all the time as he knew she didn’t want it to break with age; she was sentimental like that.

Terra let go of her hand, reaching over to tap at the bracelet. “I still have mine too.”

“I know you do,” she said. “It’s too small for you now though.”

“Stars always make me think of you because of it and that story you told me about them.”

She rolled her eyes, hand dropping to his chest again as she laughed. “Yeah, that I was too embarrassed to tell you that’s why I put the charms on the bracelets when I gave it to you. Ven’s too, though he probably wouldn’t have teased me like you did.”

Terra couldn’t quite recall the whole story now as his heart was actually in his throat but it had to do with fate and bonds, she really liked that kind of stuff. “I always thought you were right. I know teased you about it all the time but I knew it.”

She nodded though her blue eyes looked a little watery, like she never expected him to remember something like that.

Terra held the jewelry box flat in his hand, reaching over to pull it open. His bracelet she made him so long ago fell out a little, the orange threads against the blue and silver of the ring.

Despite the fact at this point she had to know what he was doing, both her hands were over her mouth in a sort of surprise. She looked up from it to him, and he knew the look in her eyes; he probably wouldn’t even have to ask. He knew her well enough to see the answer on her face.

“Will you marry me?”

Aqua stared for a second, the one of them who always knew what to say looking like she was at a loss for words. “Of course,” she said, though her voice was muffled do to the fact she still had her hands over her mouth. She seemed to realize it as she dropped them. “Yes, of course, yes. Always yes.”

His heart was still up in his throat but he carefully popped the ring out of the box, safely putting both the box and the bracelet in his pocket, before taking her hand to slide the ring just moments ago he had thought was gone onto her finger.

Aqua’s breath hitched as she looked at for a moment but she quickly recovered, throwing her arms around his neck and holding on tightly. Terra only found he could breathe again when leaned in, wrapping his arms around her, head nudged against hers.

Ven was right, Terra didn’t really think she’d say no, but at the same time hearing her say it aloud made him feel almost like nothing had up until this point. She wasn’t just his best friend any more, she wasn’t just his girlfriend, she was going to be the person he spend the rest of his life with. It was enough to make him not want to let go of her for a long time.

Until he felt another body weight run into his back so hard he had to take a few steps forward to catch his and Aqua’s balance.

“Oh man, finally, seriously.” Ven propped his chin up on Terra’s other shoulder, arms around both him and Aqua.

He reached one hand up to push Ven’s head away but he moved out of the way. “Were you watching the whole time?”

“Uh yeah, of course I was. What else would I have been doing?”

Aqua pulled away enough to look at Terra, eyes glancing to Ven and back. Her smile was breathtaking, eyes still a little wet. She really was the most beautiful girl he ever knew. “I take it he knew.”

“Unfortunately,” Terra rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, okay, should I tell her when you actually bought the ring?” Ven snorted, letting go of them but only so he could slip in between to hug Aqua instead. “Now you’re really my sister, you know.”

She laughed when Ven lifted her up off the ground. Some part of Terra could see the situation reversed, Aqua at a much younger age picking Ven up to carry him around. Times had changed, people grew up but it was still them, still the three of them.

“I’m happy for you guys,” Ven said, when he finally did put Aqua back down. “You deserve this.”

Aqua was still laughing as she looked over to Terra, her fingers lightly running over the ring like even though she had already knew it existed, like she couldn’t believe it was real. He was always happy with her, that wasn’t changing but this would be new too, a little different, but not unwanted, not even a little bit.

He reached over to Ven’s head, ruffling his hair. “Thanks, buddy. Thanks for your help.”

“That’s what brothers are for, idiot.”

Aqua leaned back into Terra, wrapping her arms around his waist as she leaned her head down against his shoulder. He dropped his arm to her shoulders, leaning down to press a kiss to the drop of her head. This was it, this would always be his life now.

Ven let out a low whistle, eyes looking towards town. “Man, just wait till everyone finds out. They’re gonna flip out.”

Her hands grabbed a button up and threw it off the hanger. It was short sleeved even which helped as the days where getting hotter. She breathed a sigh of relief as she slipped it on over the tank top she was already wearing. Of course that sigh of relief nearly turned to an internal scream when past a certain point she couldn’t button it up anymore; not even slightly over her boobs. That was kind of a weird thing when she never thought they were that big to begin with. Was the shirt really that small?

She tried to button one more, but it wouldn’t remotely budge. If anything the pull on the shirt only made her chest look bigger than usual.

Whatever, she was wearing something underneath it was fine.

Aqua stuck her head back in the closet, reaching for anything that wasn’t a shirt. She came out with a skirt she also hadn’t seen in a while. It was just a plain, black skirt nothing special. It would do. She slipped it on and much to her relief it fit around her waist just fine. It would be okay. No one would even notice.

She quickly grabbed her backpack and her phone off her bed (noticing the couple of texts from Terra wondering why she was the one late) before quickly making a stop in front of her mirror.

Which was a terrible mistake.

Aqua nearly gaped when she saw her reflection. She knew the shirt was a little tight, but the skirt barely covered anything, making her legs look long yeah sure but nowhere in the same vicinity of her comfort zone. She quickly tried to pull the skirt down but her phone was buzzing. She groaned and nearly ran out her door to the stairs.

“Bye Mom!” she called hurrying out the front door as fast as she could knowing if her mom got one look at Aqua, she’d never be allowed to leave the house. She couldn’t miss classes today though, they were starting to prep for finals and she honestly didn’t trust anyone to take notes for her.

The door shut before she could even hear if her mom responded. Terra was across the street, leaning up against his car while Ven rambled on about something, kicking the dirt in their driveway.

“Sorry,” she said as she quickly crossed the street. “I’m here.”

Terra looked up towards her and quickly choked on something though he at least tried to mask it with a cough.

Great, now if she didn’t feel embarrassed about what she had to wear, her face was on fire too. This was turning into a spectacular Monday.

“Wow, Aqua,” Ven said, eyeing her like he was a little confused. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear that before.”

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to scream or cry that it was noticeable enough to an eleven year old but Terra had seemed to recover well enough, hitting Ven on the back of his head before he opened his mouth again.

“Get in the car, kid, we’re gonna be late.”

Ven grumbled but he did what he was told, pulling open the back seat door to flop in. Terra opened the passenger door for Aqua so she could get in, but she didn’t feel any relief about sitting down when she could feel the fabric of her seat on her ass. Oh Jesus, how short was this thing?

She tried not to panic as Terra got in to start up the car but her face felt like fire and all she could see was her never ending thighs not matter how discreetly she tried to pull her skirt down.

“So, ah…” Terra said, though to his credit he waited till they were on the road for a few minutes before asking. “What’s with the change of style, Aqua?”

She usually was fairly eloquent, she thought at least, but today she only groaned as she dropped her face into her hands. “I don’t wanna talk about it,” she muttered.

“Oh, stop,” he snorted. “What happened? It’s not like you to…umm…”

“Show that much leg.”

“Ventus,” Terra said, followed by a grunt from Ven, which probably meant Terra pushed the younger boy back into his seat.

“I forgot to do my laundry okay,” she huffed, throwing her hands into her lap. “This was all that I could find that was remotely dress code. It’s only from like last year I didn’t think it would be an issue like this.”

“Aqua, c’mon, you should’ve told me. I’m sure I had some of your clothes at my house, or my mom even has clothes that’re too small for me you could’ve worn.”

While there was a large appeal in wearing his clothing somehow that was more embarrassing. “No, I’ll just…survive the day and do laundry first thing tonight.”

Terra didn’t look all that convinced but he didn’t say anything else on the matter.

“Don’t worry,” Ven said, leaning his head in between the seats. “I think you look great. I’ll take on anyone who says a bad word about my sister.”

“Well, thank you, Ven.”

“Yeah, yeah, tough guy, do you have your seatbelt on?” Terra asked, eyes in the rearview mirror.

Ven slid backwards, the distinct click of the belt buckle being done up sounding. “Yes.”

“That’s what I thought.” Terra turned the corner that would lead them to the schools but he gave Aqua another quick glance. “I have a sweater in the trunk if you want to wear it or tie it around or waist or something.”

He was right and she knew he was but at the same time she felt a stupid twinge of disappointment in the pit of her stomach. “Does it really look that bad?”

“No, that’s not what I said,” Terra answered, though very carefully; so much so Ven started snickering the back seat. “You don’t…you never look bad, Aqua, I just meant if you were uncomfortable with wearing…ah, something more revealing than you usually do.”

She was usually the eloquent one, not him, so she did appreciate his great effort as to not make her feel worse. “I’ll be okay,” she said. “It’s different, but maybe it’s not bad.”

She immediately regretted those words the moment she stepped out of his car.

Once Ven was dropped off, the high school was just up the street but because they were running late it seemed like the entire school was outside. No one really seemed to pay all that much attention as she waited for Terra to grab his bag from the backseat but she felt like she was completely naked.

“You okay?” he asked as he started to walk next to her.

“Ah, yeah, I’m fine.” It was mostly true. It was a little bit better knowing Terra was at least on her side.

A whistle, a few giggles were the first things she heard but it wasn’t necessarily bad, it was just different. While she wouldn’t say she was a conservative dresser, he had been right in the fact it wasn’t ever really showy, not at school at least.

“Just ignore them,” Terra said, nudging into her slightly.

“Love the look, Queen,” someone called out, making a few other people erupt into giggles again but she couldn’t be bothered to look; more like she was too afraid to know who. It was a small town and small school she had been stupid to think no one notice if she went from jeans and summer dresses to a short skirt and button up that absolutely didn’t fit.

It didn’t matter though, she knew it didn’t. It was just some clothes, that’s all, and they were almost to the front steps. In a few minutes everyone would forget it happened, that’s how things happened here. It would be “ha ha remember that time Aqua forgot to do laundry and every time she walked she was worried that her ass might fall out”.

Besides, girls here wore even shorter than this. It was just unusual because it was Aqua and that was all.

“Hey, sweet cheeks.”

The voice was so close to her Aqua nearly jumped out of the way. Some guy she didn’t get quite a good enough look was next to her.

“Nice of you to show off for us a little, we always knew you had fantastic body under there.”

She didn’t get a chance to respond before the guy was on the floor, hands covering his nose where blood had already started to flow.

“Don’t fucking talk to her like that.” Terra’s voice was low, his hands still clenched in fists, one lowering to from where it had collided with that guy’s face.

Jesus Christ. “Terra,” she said, grabbing onto his arm to try and tug him away, panic rising in her again as a crowded started to form around them. “What happened to ‘just ignore them’?”

He wasn’t listening as he usually didn’t when he was mad. His eyes were still focused on the guy who was getting back up to his feet, looking about as furious as Terra did. It had been a long time before he’d been in any sort of fight at school, but it unfortunately wouldn’t be a first time offense. She tried to get in front of him to stop this from escalading more before he damn well got expelled before he could even graduate but he swung an arm around her, pushing her out of the way. Because he was more focused on making sure she wasn’t in the center of it, she heard the hit the guy got on Terra’s jaw before she saw it happen.

The crowd was loud, phones up, someone had to have went to get a teacher by now. She knew Terra’s form and she knew his moves after all the years of sparring with him. He had never held back with her, but she had feeling this was different. He wasn’t someone who got angry over irrational things, he got angry when he felt emotional and didn’t know how to handle it.

Aqua swung her arms around his waist before he could lunge and forced her body into his. “Stop, Terra, stop, it’s not worth it. He’s just an asshole. Just stop it. Please.”

He paused, though she could feel the strain, the way his heart was nearly pounding out his chest. Someone else must’ve grabbed the other guy from coming back at Terra because it was quiet for a second before…

“Principal’s office, all you.”

The crowd dispersed as fast as they came, no one wanting to get in trouble for watching and not stopping a fight. She didn’t look to see where the person who technically started it all got dragged off too but looked up to see Terra still glaring off in the direction the other guy probably was, and probably not feeling very well if he got a punch of that force from Terra.

“You two as well,” the teacher commanded, though Aqua couldn’t see who it was. The bell had rung and the students were filing in the building.

That was how Aqua found herself sitting outside the principal’s office for the first time. Well the first time because she was asked to but not for the first time tending to Terra.

He hissed when she held the ice pack the nurse gave her up to his jaw.

“Stop complaining,” she said, though her tone was soft. A big bruise was already starting to come in on his skin but the other guy’s still looked way worse. “It’ll stop the swelling.”

Terra was sunk down in the chair, his head back against the cushion as he reached up to take the ice pack from her hands. He probably had the pain of the bruise as well as a headache from getting hit hard.

She reached up to carefully brush some of his bangs from his face. “Why are you such an idiot, Terra?”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “I defend your honor and I get called an idiot?”

Aqua rolled her eyes. Once the tensions had died down, it admittedly made her chest feel warm to see how quickly he came to her defense but at the same time, she’d rather him not get in trouble over every asshole who couldn’t keep their mouth shut. “I didn’t need you to defend me. You could’ve ignored it as well as me.”

He grunted but didn’t say anything else.

“Just because you have the raw power to take someone down, doesn’t mean you should.”

“I know that,” he said. “But you’re not an object, you’re a person. No one should talk about you like that regardless of what you’re wearing. I was just…I was worried about how you’d feel and then to see all those people just suddenly think it was okay to act like that cause you wore something different with no concern to how you’d feel. It was…” Terra paused, his eyes fluttering shut. “Infuriating.”

He sighed. “I know you can take care of yourself, okay, emotionally and physically but I just can’t stand anyone treating you poorly. It got the better of me.”

It wasn’t the first time. When they were in elementary school, he hit another kid for taking Aqua’s juice box and again when someone pushed her off the swing. It was part of why his parents put him in martial arts, to try and help him learn to control his temper a little better. It worked for the most part, but as he admitted, it wasn’t a perfect mastery. Just last year he had gotten into a fight at lunch, and though he never told her what it was about he had a feeling it was of a similar nature as today. No matter what it was, he always had her back. She just wished he went about it better sometimes.

“My hero,” she said, causing him to open his eyes up again. “But not like this, Ter, you’re a gentle soul. Don’t let jerks bring out the worst in you.”

He watched her for a moment, but nodded. “You’re right.”

“I know I am.”

Terra snorted, glancing up at the ceiling. “Yeah, well, don’t let how people reacted this morning make you feel bad. You honestly do look great. You always do regardless of what you wear.”

She could feel the heat creeping up into her cheeks. “I have a feeling no one’s gonna be making any comments after this morning.”

He closed his eyes again but this time she could see a smile under the icepack. “Good.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

That time he laughed, and though it was a little strained and a little muffled she had a hard time continuing to be mad at him. It was so stupid, a short skirt, a dumb comment and yet, she knew no matter what he really would always be there for her. She was about to get written up for her attire she tried to pass off as nothing and he was about to get detention. Aqua didn’t know why he got mad enough to nearly break the kid’s nose over something so stupid but this was him, this was her best friend.

Aqua reached over to help adjust his icepack. He griped a little about it but let her do it anyways. The door to principal’s office opened as the other guy scurried off without looking at either of them.

“Terra Hale, a sight for sore eyes.”

He pushed himself up to his feet, giving Aqua a slight wink as he headed into the office in front of them. She couldn’t hear everything inside but before the door closed completely she could see him sitting down, saying, “Alright, she had nothing to do with this, I…”

Apparently Terra did not get the memo because the next thing she knew, his warm body was walking right into her. He reached his hands out to her shoulders to make sure she didn’t fall as he tried not to laugh.

It was January, they were outside, and he was really warm. Despite the fact she was bundled up in jacket, gloves, scarf and hat she leaned back against him, warming her body.

“Lost?” he asked, leaning down near her face.

“No,” she said, though it was a little hard to remember what she was doing when his breath was against her skin. “I know where we are.”

“You ever plan on telling me then?”

“Nope, it’s a surprise.” She sighed as she rolled her head back against his shoulder. If she didn’t have that one spot in her head she’d just let them go back; at least he had a heater in his room.

Aqua reluctantly moved forward a bit, letting him know they could keep walking. He only let go of her shoulders after he brushed his lips against her cheek, letting the heat linger a little longer after he stepped back.

“How are you just wearing a jacket right now?”  

He shrugged as he glanced down at probably the only jacket he owned. “Cause it works just fine.”

“Inhuman.” Aqua spotted the trail marker on a nearby tree. Ah! Now she knew where they were.

Before she could actually take a step forward Terra swung his arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground. She squeaked in surprise so loudly she was pretty sure an owl few out of the tree above them. His face was close to hers again, her back up against his chest as he held her almost effortlessly.

“What was that?” he said. She didn’t have to look at him to know the teasing tone in his voice.

“Oh, you heard me,” she trying not to laugh and give him the satisfaction but it didn’t work so well. “We’re gonna be late if you keep distracting me.”

“Late for what?”

“You’ll see if you put me down.”

He sighed but he did as he was asked, letting her feet touch the trail again. She was about to head towards the trail marker but Terra cut her off; this time she was the one to walk into his back. She fumbled with her flashlight for a moment before realizing what he was doing.

“I can walk, Terra, you know that right?”

“Yeah, I’m aware,” he snorted but he didn’t move, just shifted his hands behind his back. “But you’re also freezing and explaining to your mom how you caught hypothermia is not on my bucket list.”

That was a fair point, and it wasn’t like the thought of being close to him wasn’t terribly appealing. He wiggled his fingers at her, gesturing for her to get a move on with it.

“Okay, okay.” She placed her hands on his shoulders, carefully balancing the flashlight as she did. Aqua didn’t let him know. She just jumped and knew he’d catch her like he had done countless times before. She kicked her legs around him until she felt his hands grab onto her, holding her securely against him; which was a feat considering she had a bag draped across her where she was holding the rest of the surprise.

As the warmth from his body started to melt into her cold limbs, it was admittedly much better.

“Where to then?” he asked, turning his head slightly towards her.

Aqua shined her light at the tree with the marker. “Over that way.”

Terra started to walk, her body shifting with him for every stride he made. It was nice though, soothing, familiar; she might’ve started to fall asleep if she was tired enough.

“Oh, wait,” she said when Terra turned to follow the trail.

“What?” he asked as he stopped.

She shined the light off the trail into the woods. “That way.”

“You want to go off the trail?”

“Yes.”

He turned his head to look at her, eyebrow arched. “Are you sure?”

“Terra, yes.” She rolled her eyes, shaking the flashlight some in the direction she wanted to go.

“Are you positive? Because this basically how every ‘and then they were never seen again’ story starts.”

“Oh my God, I know where we are. I promise.”

He didn’t look completely convinced but he did at least walk off the path like she asked. There, it wouldn’t be too much farther now.

“Are you plotting to kill me?” he asked as he carefully stepped around a bush.

“Don’t you think I would’ve done that years ago if I wanted to?”

“Fair enough,” he snorted.

Aqua leaned in to press her cheek against his and making him laugh in the process. “It’s worth it I promise. Oh! There!” She sat up pointing the flashlight at some pine trees. “It’s right past there but be careful.”

“Of what?”

“The cliffs.”

“Of course, the cliffs. Not trying to kill me, right.”

Aqua kicked her legs slightly, signaling for him to squat down a little and let her jump off. She grabbed his hand and led him through the remaining woods till the trees were right in front of her. She found this place on accident, wandering away from her mom and dad during a hike once. Aqua always wanted to bring Terra back here but she never had a good reason to, well, until now at least. She pushed past the branches that he grabbed so they both could get through, and there it was.  

The sky was still pretty dark, stars sparkling above but it was starting to get lighter. In front of her laid out the entire valley, mountains, trees, the river, lights from the town almost like little stars themselves. It was a little barren since it was winter, but the dusting of snow still made it so pretty, the fog from the mountains giving it almost urethral feel. It was breathtaking.

Terra let out a low whistle behind her. “The whole valley, huh?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, a smile on her lips. “C’mon.” Aqua skipped down the slight step, setting her on a small rock plane. It didn’t stick out too much before it dropped off but it was enough to sit on and not feel like you’d fall into the ravine. She slipped her bag off her body, gesturing for Terra to sit down.

He seemed to get the picture a little better now, walking over to take a seat near where she was standing. She flipped open her bag, pulling out a thermos to pass to him.

“You really did have this all planned out didn’t you?” he asked, reaching up to take it from her.

“Of course, do you think I’d lead you all the way up here without a plan?” Aqua dropped her bag off to the side as she took out the thermos she brought for herself. She planned to sit down next to him and drink something warm till the sun came up, but she was rather cold and he was inviting.

She moved so she could sit in front of him where he had his legs parted slightly and wiggled herself in till her back was pressed to his chest. It was a good choice; she was almost instantly warm again. Even more so when she leaned her head back against his shoulder, feeling his breath against her cheek when he laughed.

“Comfortable?”

“Yep,” she said, twisting the top on her thermos for the still steaming coffee.

Terra reached his arms around her so he could pop the top on his own drink. He brought the hand with the thermos to his mouth but the other he let drop to her waist. Yeah, this was a really good idea; totally worth the hike and potentially getting frostbite on her toes.

“Thank you for coming with me,” she said, eyes looking up to the sky overhead.

“Course,” he said, moving to put the cap back on his thermos. “Did you just want to see the sunrise from here?”

Aqua nodded. “Well, yeah, but I wanted to see it with you too.”

He hummed a little, she could feel it against her back. “And no other reason at all? Not because you’re going back to school next week or anything?”

She should’ve assumed he’d know. “Possibly.”

The opportunity had presented itself for her to bring up the thing she was avoiding since the moment she felt his lips against hers on New Year’s Eve. While, yeah, she absolutely wanted to take him up here to watch the sunrise over the valley, but it was also far away from prying and curious ears who were way too nosey for their own good.

She knew he was waiting for her to say something, and while the words weren’t hard to say, the answer was what made her nervous. “Are you worried?” she asked, eyes looking over the fog swirling around the distant mountains.

“About what?”

“About, you know, us when I go back to school.”

“No.”

Aqua turned her head to look at him, the sort of casual tone in his voice surprising her. He looked about as concerned as he sounded, arching an eyebrow since she must’ve been giving him a weird look.

“What? I’m not.”

“But it’ll be different, than it has been the past few weeks.”

He shrugged. “I mean, yeah, and it’s gonna suck but it’s not like I didn’t know what this meant. You going back to school doesn’t change anything.”

Aqua wasn’t sure if he knew those were the words she was looking for or not but it put her at more ease than she was expecting. Maybe she was worrying about it more than she even thought. “Yeah?”

“Of course,” he snorted, rolling his eyes like it was the most obvious answer in the world, and maybe it was. “Didn’t change my feelings the first time you left, why would this be any different.”

She turned back to face the valley, leaning her head back against his shoulder again. “Guess you’ll just have to visit more.”

“Oh no, what a shame.”

Aqua couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up inside her; it honestly wasn’t even that funny but she just felt so happy she couldn’t help it. Terra placed his coffee on the rock, using both his hands to wrap around her as he dropped his chin onto her head. She had to remember why they were here or she might’ve fallen asleep.

“It’ll be okay,” he said, though whether it was to reassure her or himself she didn’t know. “One semester down, how many more to go?”

“You probably don’t want to know the answer to that.”

“Fair enough.”

The prospect of going back to school alone after spending the past few weeks getting used to being in his arms was a terrible sinking feeling but she knew, probably as well as he did, it wasn’t permanent. Even before this month he came up to visit often or she came home to see him, that wouldn’t change. It would be a sort of new adjustment, but it wasn’t forever.

Aqua honestly didn’t even know what forever was. Just a few weeks ago she never would’ve dreamed she’d be where she was right now, how could she ever predict how the future would be? There was college for her and Terra was in school too. He wouldn’t work at Cid’s anymore once he got his certification. A few weeks changed everything, what would a few months, a few years change?

In the depths and secrecy of her mind sometimes she’d imagine it. Terra getting a job closer to her, she wouldn’t have to live on campus with a roommate anymore if he moved nearby, where they could see each other every day again just like they used to and share one space together. Maybe he’d ask her to marry him, maybe they’d move back home when she graduated so she could do what she always wanted to do for the town she loved. Maybe they’d have kids of their own, surrounded by the world’s best babysitters and the town Aqua loved so much.

Terra nudged his chin on her head making her jump, even though she was well aware he couldn’t read her mind; it was still embarrassing to be caught day dreaming like that. “You fall asleep?”

“No,” she said, but when she noticed the sky again she saw how it was getting lighter. The sun was coming up.

Aqua honestly had no idea what her future was, what their future was but she was finding it didn’t matter too much. Not when he was warm around her, his familiar scent soothing, and the mountains and valley lighting up around them like there was no one else in the world.

“Alright,” he said. “You got me, it’s pretty up here.”

A smile pulled at her lips as she nudged her head into his. Yeah, the present was pretty damn good.

“What’re you doing awake?” he murmured, realizing he probably sounded a lot more tired than he felt.  

She laughed lightly; some papers were being shuffled in the background. “What’re you doing awake?”

“Not fair I asked you first.”

“I’m trying to finish this paper so I don’t have to worry about it anymore,” she said and he thought he could hear her pen tapping against the desk.

Terra reached up to rub a hand against his face. “In the library?”

She hummed. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Lucky guess and I feel like you’re roommate would’ve killed you by now if you were still awake and on your phone.”

“That’s fair.” She paused for a moment. “You still haven’t told me what you’re doing awake.”

“Well, I’m about two or so states away driving to my new life to live up in the mountains so I never have to hear Ven snore again.”

Aqua laughed, though it was a little soft; a librarian probably walked by or something. “Can’t sleep?”

“No, but it’s not his fault. He’s just an easy target.”

“Is something wrong?” she asked. There was some sort of rustling; she was probably sitting in one of those big comfy chairs she liked, sitting back away from her work.

He felt a little guilty for bothering her in the first place. “Nah, just can’t sleep.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Okay, like you working at three am is usual. You’re normally done with all your homework ages before its due.”

Aqua didn’t answer.

Ah, there it was; he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” she said, but it came off way too strongly.

Terra dropped his hand to the bed. “You still haven’t talked to your parents yet, haven’t you?”

She groaned and he could almost see the way her head must’ve hit the chair. “It’s not easy.”

“I never said it was, but you are graduating the near future and they’ll probably be a little curious as to why you’re moving back home and not off to join all the companies who I’m sure will try to hire you.”

“Don’t try and mask this with flattery.”

He snorted, eyes flickering up to the ceiling. “It’s your life, Aqua, they can’t tell you what to do.”

“But they can express severe disappointment that I’m wasting a fortune to not even have a good paying job.”

“Then you show them the pros like the fact you’ll still be living in town so they’ll never get rid of you and me for that matter. I guess they can decide if that’s a good thing or not.”

“Stop,” she laughed. “I know they’ll be okay with it eventually, but they had all these dreams for me and I’m just throwing them all way.”

“Their dreams maybe, but not yours. You do what you feel is right for you, I’ll back you up in any regard because you’re absolutely stuck with me.”

“You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

“You say it like it’s a good thing.”

She laughed again and he wished he could see her smile, the way her blue eyes scrunched up.

“Just rip the band-aid off, it’s easier than dragging it out.”

She hummed knowingly and Terra immediately regretted his phrasing. “Oh is it? Please tell me, Ter, have you finally told your mom you don’t want a big wedding?”

“Touché. To be fair, it’s only because she gets so happy about it whenever she brings it up. I’m pretty sure she’s been waiting for this since the day you were born.”

“I’m pretty sure you should listen to your own advice. It’s only gonna make it worse when she starts actually planning things instead of just talking about it.”

“Baby steps, right now I’m just working on convincing her not to invite the whole damn town.”

“Would that be so bad?”

Terra arched an eyebrow even though he was well aware she couldn’t see him. “Do you want all that attention?”

“Not really, no,” she chuckled.

He paused. Despite the fact they had been engaged for a few months, neither had ever actually talked about the day. Aqua said she wanted to wait till she was almost done with school to make it easier for them to move together and while he listened to his mom babble about it all he had really mentioned that he didn’t want it to be as huge as she was making it out to be. He wondered if now would be a good time to ask, but it was also ridiculously early and Aqua seemed to be in no rush to get back to work.

“What do you want then?”

It was her turn to pause. “Wait, like right now?”

“Why not? I’m still not tired, you haven’t mentioned your homework again so go on, lay it on me.”

She groaned a little but this time he knew it was out of embarrassment.

“Don’t be like that,” he laughed. “I know you’ve thought about it since we were kids.”

“God, okay, hang on.”

He could tell she pulled the phone away from her ear but he didn’t really know why until he heard a familiar set of beeps. Terra moved his phone in front of his face so he could accept her call. In a moment the screen was bright, the florescent lights of the library making it seem more like day than the middle of the night. She was sitting in that chair she liked but more importantly he could see her, eyes looking a little tired, small smile on her lips, but it was the most welcome sight in the world.

“I won’t wake anyone up will I?” she asked, her voice coming out a little softer now that it wasn’t pressed up on his ear.

“Nah,” he said. “Ven’s sleeping and my parent’s room is too far from mine for them to be bothered.”

“Okay,” she said, though he knew the look in her eyes.

“I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. It’s really okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”

Her smile softened her face a little. “It’s okay, it’s silly. Besides it’s probably better to know what we want before letting others get out of control.”

“You can say my mom, it’s okay.” He paused while she rolled her eyes. “Alright, go on then, let me hear what ten year old Aqua wanted her wedding to be like.”

“Well, there were lots of people as it was at the biggest venue in the area and I had the most expensive dress I could find because I was marrying the lead singer in my favorite band and he could afford anything.”

“Cute,” he snorted, but it didn’t stop a smile from pulling at his lips when she started to laugh.

“I like smaller too,” she said, leaning her chin into hand as she propped her elbow up on the arm of the chair. “Family, friends, that sort of thing. The whole town can come to the reception so they don’t feel left out but I’d like a small ceremony.”

“Done, I’ll let my mom handle the reception then, she’ll be overjoyed.” He shifted so he could hold his phone in his other hand. “Any location?”

She hummed looking off to the side as she thought. “Somewhere outside, with gardens and lots of flowers.”

“Springtime?”

Aqua nodded, her eyes lighting up just a little bit. “Yeah, I love spring.”

“You’ll make Aerith and her mom overjoyed too.”

Aqua’s eyes glanced up to meet his through the screen. “Is that okay?”

“Course it’s okay.” Leave it to her to always want to make sure he had his own preferences too, even though he knew full well the appearance of the day wasn’t really about him. “I’d have said something similar.”

There was that smile again making it easy forget they both should be sleeping.

“I haven’t picked out any colors or any style or anything like that.” She tapped her fingers against her face. “Would blue and orange look good together?”

He must’ve made a face at her because she started to laugh.

“I’ll keep working on it.”

“What about a dress?” he asked.

She hummed, a small smile on her lips. “I can’t tell you that.”

“Oh, so we’re playing that game are we?”

Aqua shrugged, but she seemed perfectly content with this choice. “Some traditions are fun.”

“Uh-huh, so I assume you’ll take your mom and my mom, but I can know at all.”

“And your brother.”

That time Terra knew he must’ve made a face because she had to move to cover her mouth as she laughed. “Seriously? You’re gonna give Ventus something else to rub in my face?”

She waved her finger slightly. “He helped you pick out my ring and couldn’t tell me so this is only fair.”

“That’s different, I know about this.”

Aqua arched her eyebrows. “Terra, you really think I didn’t know? When I asked you what you were doing that day you told me you were hanging out with Zack so I reminded you that I thought Zack and Aerith were spending the weekend away you said, ‘Oh yeah, I have to go’.”

“Okay, maybe not my most graceful excuse.”

“You think?” She was smiling though, ear to ear.

As used to the long distance as he was now, he was beginning to feel like her graduation date was a million years away.

“I won’t make you wear a suit either.”

“Oh, no? Not gonna force me to dress up at any chance you get?”

She shook her head but she was still smiling which meant there were probably conditions. “Just like how you did at my prom. With the rolled up sleeves and vest that was…” Aqua paused for a second. “That was a very good look on you.”

He snorted but it fell into a laugh.

“Stop it, I’m being serious.”

“Of course,” he said. “Anything you want.”

She leaned her chin back into her hand, watching him through her screen. “Hey, Ter?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“I miss you.”

That was a feeling he could sympathize with. “Yeah, I miss you too, beautiful.”

She smiled into her fingers but if she was going to say anything else it was broken up by a yawn, her eyes looking significantly more tired.

“Alright, close up the laptop and get to bed,” he said.

“I’m fine, I’m fi-” Another yawn.

“Yeah, real fine.”

She laughed though it was light. “Okay, it’s probably better than falling asleep in the library.”

“I’d imagine.” His heart clenched a little bit as he didn’t actually want to say goodbye but it was probably for the best if they both got some sleep. “Want me to stay on the phone while you want back?”

“Oh, no, its fine. It’s not a far walk. I’ll be fine. You try and fall asleep too.”

“Alright, let me know when you get back at least.”

There was that smile again. “Of course. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She waved slightly and then all that was on his screen were the words “call ended”.

Terra sighed and dropped his phone on his bed, though he made sure it was face up so he could see when she texted him. He rubbed his hands over his face trying to forget that he’d much rather have her here, hogging most of his bed and blankets than being miles and miles and miles away. It wasn’t permanent it never had been, and even though he was plenty used to it there was a part of him that would never be used to it.

He rolled over on his side; at least his eyes did feel heavier than they did before.

It wouldn’t be too much longer now and they wouldn’t even have to go back and forth between his house and hers. He’d get her that old house she loved on the opposite side of town but still was walking distance of all the placed she’d need to be at. Not that he told her that, but enough people in town were happy for them he was sure he could do that for her.

Then all this wouldn’t matter anymore. It would just be them, their home, their life…and probably Ven more often than not who probably wouldn’t take to being the only child in the house well. Then maybe someday there would be more than that too. Aqua was made to be someone’s mother, and Terra couldn’t say he never thought about it.

His phone buzzed, making him blink open his eyes. He picked up the phone to see a picture of her on his screen; she was clearly in her dorm building, sticking her tongue out at him.

Aqua

               I’m here, worrywart <3

He rolled his eyes but typed a quick sleep well before putting his phone back on the nightstand. Terra closed his eyes again, this time feeling even more tired than before.

She didn’t recognize them even though none of them had their faces covered but that wasn’t too unexpected; most people from surrounding towns came out for the night. “Look at you all,” she said with a smile, pushing herself up from the stool she was sitting on so she could grab a handful of candy from the bowl set up next to her. “Happy Halloween,” she said dropping some candy in each bag with only excited “thank you!”s in response before the kids took off again.

Aqua sat back down with a small sigh. It was starting to slow down; a lot of the kids already in the center of town after their initial go around was done. While sure, at nineteen it was a little old to go treat or treating she still liked dressing up and participating. Once Terra stopped caring about it and working at Cid’s, Aqua always volunteered to sit outside the front of the diner and hand out candy since Cid was the last person who’d want to do it. She didn’t mind one bit and because she knew she was doing him a big favor that Cid wouldn’t care how much candy she bought for the store and how much she ate for herself.

It was a huge win in her opinion she thought as she popped another peanut butter cup in her mouth.

Aqua glanced behind her, looking in the bright windows of the diner. It wasn’t too busy since the dinner rush was already over a little early do to the events outside but there were a few families getting some food. The only other person in sight was Ven, who looked a little comical wiping down the counter dressed in a long red cape, the rest of his costume an assortment of clothes and silver armor he made himself (minus the hammer in one hand since Cid said absolutely not). Of course, it would’ve been nice if Terra had told her he wasn’t working tonight.

She sighed again, though this time a little less from holiday cheer and more for the uneasy knot in her stomach. She pulled her phone out of the short jean jacket she was wearing over her dress and clicked into messages but the last one sent to Terra was the one she sent three hours ago and still hadn’t heard anything from him.

It wasn’t unusual so to speak; sure they talked a lot but not every hour of every day. He had every right to have time to himself but she was only here for the weekend before she had to go back to school. She knew Halloween wasn’t his favorite thing but it would be nice even if he just came to hang out with her.

Aqua reached over to the bowl to grab another piece of chocolate. Whatever, if he didn’t want to enjoy the festivities fine, she was sure going to. She got to eat all the candy she wanted and got to dress up, how could that be a bad night?

She had done it before but she decided to go with a 50’s theme this year. It was overdone maybe, but she found the style to be cute so it was a nice excuse to use it. She dug through thrift stores all over her university town and found a beautiful blue dress with a fitted bodice and a wide skirt that twirled out when she spun around (which, yes, she absolutely did do). It was off the shoulder on both sides so she had to get a jean jacket to wear over it since October wasn’t usually warm enough for that, but with the black headband with a matching bow on top, super fluffy white petticoat, and Mary Janes her mom had from some of Aqua’s performances she was pleased with her costume.

Though, it would be nice if her supposed best friend would actually answer his phone so she could give him all the dark chocolate she was hoarding in her pocket for him. Stupid boy.

“Trick or treat!” That voice made Aqua look up from her phone, considering it wasn’t nearly as young as most the voices she heard that night. “Or well, kinda, we don’t have bags.”

Aqua had to laugh when she saw all of Ven’s friends standing in front of her. They didn’t have bags true, but they all did have costumes, and matching ones at that. It was adorable to say the least, even if it did serve as an ever reminder that her friend didn’t want to have anything to do with tonight. “I assume you’re here for Ven?”

“Yep,” Sora nodded, though one of his hands was already reaching into the candy bowl. Someone, presumably Kairi, had drawn an eyeliner goatee and mustache onto his baby face, making him look a little ridiculous.

Roxas was nearby, shoving his very patriotic shield at his brother until Sora passed the blond some of the candy.

“Personality wise, I’m pretty sure you two have the wrong costumes on,” Aqua snorted.

“Yeah, but Rox has the hair, so…” Lea dropped his hand onto Roxas’s head, ruffling his hair for effect. It kind of looked like they just wrapped Lea’s arm in duct tape but someone did convince him to wear his hair down, as opposed to pulled back like usual.

“And cause no one can put up with you like Roxas can,” Xion said from Lea’s other side. She still had her short hair down but otherwise dressed in dark blacks and greens, probably to match Ven’s godly attire.

“That’s true,” Sora said, though his mouth was still full of chocolate as Kairi was trying to get him away from the bowl. She was also dressed in almost all black just a little silver and red to bring out her red hair that was pretty telling to who she was supposed to be; and there weren’t that many female characters on the team to begin with.

“No one asked you, idiot,” Lea rolled his eyes, Roxas taking to hit Lea with the shield instead to get him to get his elbow off Roxas’ head.

Both Riku and Namine were hanging at the back the group, as per usual. Riku looked a mix of amused and annoyed as Sora had taken to trying to shove some of the candy in Kairi’s mouth while she laughed and tried to get away. Riku was dressed probably the most plainly in just a purple button up and black slacks though, the annoyance probably came from when the others clearly implied who they thought Riku was most fitting for.

Namine was always quiet as she was the newest member to the gang, only having lived here for a few weeks now but Aqua was happy to see her fitting in wearing a black dress and long red jacket to match the rest of the group. It couldn’t be easy to move somewhere that everyone your age has known each other since they were babies and still feely okay to fit in, especially someone as shy as Namine seemed to be. Aqua was happy it was her kids that were making Namine feel at home in her new town.

“Alright,” Ven said as the door next to Aqua swung open, cape swishing as he struck some dramatic pose. “I am here.”

Kairi and Sora were still fighting over candy, Lea was blocking Roxas’ hands with his shield Lea somehow got a hold of while Xion laughed in response.

“It’s gonna be a night,” Riku said.

Sora didn’t seem to take too kindly to that, swinging his other arm around Riku’s neck. “I think you mean a very good night.”

“I meant what I said.” The silver haired boy at least was kind of smiling now.

“Alright go on, you’re hogging the store front,” Aqua said with a laugh, noting Sora’s hand reaching back for the bowl. “And the candy, get on now.”

“You’ll be okay?” Ven asked, walking backwards down the sidewalk as his team had already started walking, a few turning to wave back to Aqua.

“I’m fine here,” she said waving. “Have a good time at the party.”

Ven gave her a smile and wave before turning to jog after his friends, hammer coming down to tap at Xion’s head. It seemed all too fast their laughter was gone.

Aqua sighed as she looked back down at her phone in her lap. Still nothing. The street was pretty empty now, just the people in the center of town having a good time, the teenagers off at whoever was hosting a Halloween party, and Aqua here, reaching for another peanut butter cup.

Maybe she should just call him, tell him to come keep her company but he could also be sleeping and she didn’t want to bother him at all. She reached for the bowl of candy yet again.

It wasn’t exactly quiet out, music was playing people were laughing and shouting, some kids flat out screaming but even then Aqua could still feel the sudden sound of a heavy engine pulling into town. Most of the roads were covered with people and kids wandering around but if you went slow enough you could get through; Sherriff Auburn and a few other officers were on duty to help with traffic should they need it so Aqua didn’t pay too much mind.

Well, until she could see it wasn’t a car but a sleek black and very familiar motorcycle. The driver was going relatively slow, the engine noise pretty calm but honestly it was never that bad considering she knew that bike like everyone in town knew it. It was a little weird though; Cloud hated social events even more than Terra did so she had no idea why the blond would be showing himself around now. He could’ve just been going home but he didn’t need to go through town for that, nor did he have a passenger which meant Tifa wasn’t dragging him somewhere.

Aqua supposed it wasn’t any of her business anyways. She liked Cloud but he was a little older than even Terra was so it’s not like she spent massive amount of time with Cloud or his friends, outside of the occasional party. Terra would actually go to those, surprisingly enough; he always liked Zack and since he had been taking to hanging out with Aerith and in turn Cloud and Tifa, Aqua did find herself around them every now and then.

But not enough for Aqua to try and not choke on her candy when the bike stopped in the street in front of her. He turned off the engine as she tried to stop choking, propping the bike up before swinging his leg over to step up onto the sidewalk. She supposed he could just be here to pick up something from Cid’s but there was something a little off.

Despite knowing Cloud’s bike, she was pretty sure that wasn’t him. Okay, she didn’t make a habit of staring at him, but he was a fairly slender guy even with working at his dad’s auto shop since he was a kid. Those shoulders weren’t Cloud, nor were the arms, or the beat leather jacket, or the brown hair when he pulled off the helmet.

Aqua promptly inhaled the rest of her candy causing her to cough when she saw Terra looking back at her.

“How many times have I told you not to eat those so fast,” he said as he walked over, helmet under his arm as he reached his other hand out to her.

She promptly swatted him away, still coughing but now she was more mad than surprised. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Aqua managed to get out.

Terra, on the other hand, looked more amused than anything. “I’m coming to get you, what else would I be doing?”

She took a breath, finally being able to but it absolutely didn’t make the situation better; even if he was still leaning over her slightly making it hard not to glance down at the tight white shirt under his jacket. “I meant on the bike, you idiot. You don’t know how to drive that.”

“Obviously I do, I just brought it here didn’t I?”

Aqua could only blink at him. “Is that why you were ignoring me?”

“I was not ignoring you,” he said, straightening himself up but still watching her. “I was trying to find something to wear.”

It was a little unusual attire. Maybe not so much the shirt and pants but the leather jacket was misplaced, even if it was for the bike. “Why?” she asked.

“Zack invited us to go to a Halloween party and I know you love that kinda stuff,” Terra shrugged like it was the most obvious answer in the world but her heart was in her throat.

“You never told me.”

“Yeah,” he snorted, reaching his hand out to push at her chin lightly. “That was the point. He asked me last week or so and by then you had already been sending me pictures of what you were planning to wear tonight so I figured why not.” Terra gestured vaguely to himself. “Matches right?”

Aqua was still in such a state of surprise she nearly tripped over her feet as she stood up from the stool. His attire did make a little more sense in that context; usually he’d still be in a t-shirt and shorts even this late in the year. She did try to ignore the fact he actually wore something on Halloween with the specific intention of matching hers but her stomach felt light at the thought.

“You did this for me?”

“Yeah,” he said like it was no big deal at all. “Course.”

She reached her hands out to adjust the front of his jacket, the leather old and worn in her hands. “Where did you even get this thing?”

“It’s my dad’s,” Terra said.

Aqua blinked up at him. “Like your actual dad?”

“Yeah,” Terra said, rolling his eyes. “Can you imagine Paul wearing this? I’m pretty sure the only colors in his closet are tan and plaid. No, it was in the garage in a bunch of bags Mom’s been meaning to toss for ages. I figured the least the man could do after walking out on us ages ago.”

She ran her hands down the material a little bit before letting go. She knew she had known Terra’s biological dad but she was a baby at the time and only knew what he looked like from the few pictures that were still around. They did look alike as Terra had gotten older, similar facial structure and build, something she knew used to bother him. He used to be jealous of Ven who looked so much like their mom, making Aqua remind Terra that all three of them not only shared the same eyes and smile, but also the same big heart which set Terra apart from his father. That always seemed to make him feel better; at least back then, he was better with it now.

“It looks good on you,” she said. It was true, it fit him well, not too big or too small though she highly doubted he’d start wearing jackets any time soon.

“Well, thanks, but are we going or not?” He walked backwards a little bit, back towards the bike.

Aqua blinked at him. She had completely forgotten the party and his chosen ride for the night. “Wait, you mean like you want me to come with you on that?”

“That’s why it’s here,” he said, smile looking way too amused for his own good.

“I’m not getting on that with you.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “Don’t trust me?”

Aqua crossed her arms against her chest. “I trust you plenty, Terra, but I didn’t even know you knew how to ride a motorcycle until five minutes ago.”

“It’s pretty boring around here with you gone,” he said, leaning over to a side bag. “I had nothing better to do so I asked Cloud if he’d show me, easy as that.”

There was no one in the world she trusted more than Terra and she knew he’d never put her in a situation that was dangerous. Still she didn’t even know if she’d go with Cloud who had been driving that thing since before he could legally drive.

“C’mon,” Terra said, pulling out a second helmet, presumably Tifa’s. “Do you honestly think Cloud would let me use his bike if he didn’t think it was okay?”

That was actually a very fair point. She bit down on her lower lip. “Fine.”

“Is that a ‘I’m only doing this because I never say no to Terra’? or a ‘I’m actually okay with this and it’ll be fun’?” He had dropped his helmet onto the bike, holding the smaller one in his hands towards her.

It was admittedly different and she wasn’t sure if the knots him her stomach were nerves or anticipation but even when she was unsure of herself, she knew she could always trust him. “It’ll be fun.”

Terra took a few steps forward carefully placing the helmet down on her head. It was a little tight and felt odd to breathe but otherwise it was okay. She watched him as he glanced over her shoulder, giving a wave to probably Cid who must’ve known Terra was going to take her from her candy post. He moved back to the bike, kicking a leg over so he could sit down and balance the bike with both his feet on the ground. He gestured for her to come over.

Aqua was pretty glad she decided to wear shorts under her dress for warmth. She walked across the sidewalk and carefully moved to sit down behind him. Her skirt was a little too fluffy and she couldn’t reach the ground at all but the bike was steady under Terra’s control.

“Kick your feet up there,” he said, turning slightly to gesture where she should keep her legs. “We don’t have to go very far, alright?”

She nodded as she did what she was told. It did seem a little better now that she was sitting so close to him, his familiar warmth bringing her the usual comfort, enough to ease her nerves. Aqua reached her arms around him, leaning in so her head was over his shoulder as he put his helmet back on. He smelt a little like leather and oil but it was still unique to him, and not unwelcome.

The bike roared to life underneath her, the vibrations making her legs feel a little like jelly. Terra leaned his head against hers lightly, asking if she was ready. She tightened her grip on him a little but nodded back.

It was slow at first, different, but not too bad. When they got past the crowds of people and the town, the speed picked up, the familiar location blurring by as the wind whipped around her. Her breath was in her throat at the sudden surge of adrenaline but it still wasn’t bad. It was smoother than she expected, not nearly as frightening as she thought it could be. Of course, part of that was she was pressed up against Terra’s back, her hands clenched together around his stomach as he drove, an endless comfort even in a new situation. She risked looking around a little bit, the air kinda chilly but everything else was warm.  

He moved his lips to trail along her jaw, one of her hands dropping to his shoulder. She wasn’t sure where his shirt had gone, or if he had been even wearing before they found themselves tangled up on his bed. He had tossed hers somewhere but she couldn’t care to recall where. A small cry fell from her mouth when he kissed down her neck, stopping right before her shoulder. Her fingers curled into his hair, hips pressing up towards his as heat swirled in the pit of her stomach.

Terra dropped a hand to thigh, fingers running up her skin till he reached the hem of her shorts. He moved his lips back up to her jaw, his hand reaching around to grasp her ass. Aqua kicked her leg over his hips, pulling herself even closer to him. He leaned his forehead against hers as he groaned, eyes fluttering shut.

It was humid, and hot and she was probably sweaty but she was aching, every touch just making it worse. Aqua tilted her head up to kiss him, running her fingers through his hair to the base of his neck. He groaned again, hand keeping her close as he rolled his hips into hers. She gasped against him, lips pulling away just slightly, at feeling his arousal so close to where she wanted him. Close, but not enough.

Aqua placed her other hand on his chest but before he could even question it, she pushed her weight against him till he was on his back. She sat up, legs on either side of his hips. Terra pushed himself onto his elbows, giving her a slight grin as his eyes trailed up her body.

“Every time,” he breathed.

“Are you complaining?” Aqua reached a hand around her back, popping the latch on her bra.

“No, God, no.” He was already sitting up by the time she tossed her bra over the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around her.

She couldn’t stop her smile when he kissed her; quick, egar kisses that made her hands reach up for his thick hair once again. Her sensitive skin pressed up against his chest only had her pulling herself as close as she could. Fingers curled against his head when he pushed his hips to hers again. He trailed his hand down her back, sending chills through her body.

Aqua dropped her hands to his waist, trying to pop the button of his jeans but it was admittedly a little hard to do so when Terra started kissing down her neck again. Her fingers slipped when he nipped at her skin. “You’re distracting me,” she murmured, though she managed to get the button undone, tugging at the zipper.

He breathed in sharply when her hand brushed over him. “Yeah, I am.” He swatted her hands away from him so he could undo her shorts, slipping his other hand down the back.

“Terra,” she laughed lightly when he grabbed at her ass.

“Not my fault.” He leaned in to kiss her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him pull her flush against him. It still wasn’t close enough.

She rolled her hips against him, his other hand dropping to the back of her thigh, holding her tightly as he pushed himself back into her. “Terra,” she groaned. “Please.”

The door swung open so sharply it nearly made Aqua jump out of her skin.

“Terra,” Ven whined. “Can we please go get ice-” He paused as he stepped into the room, blinking.

“Jesus Christ, Ventus.” Terra at least recovered better than Aqua did as he moved his hands to her back, using his arms to block her chest as she could only stare in a terrible sort of horror at the boy who was like her little brother. “Don’t you fucking know how to knock?”

She knew she should grab a blanket or a shirt or something but her stomach was in her throat, paralyzed with a mix of surprise and embarrassment.

Ven slapped his hands over his eyes. “Can’t you lock your damn door? Seriously! That’s what it’s there for!”

“Godammit, Ven, don’t just stand there. Leave!”

“Leave a sign next time or just I don’t know, say something so I, you know, don’t get this mental image stuck in my head forever.”

“I’m not telling you when I want to be alone with my girlfriend. Just for fucks sake, go, please.”

“Christ, believe me, I want to.” Ven quickly turned and managed to get with his eyes still covered; though he did shut the door with way more force than he needed to.

They sat there for a second, the sound of Ven’s footsteps down the hall. Terra sighed, dropping his forehead onto her shoulder. She ran her finger lightly over the hair near the base of his neck trying to remember how breathe, and not be semi-horrified.

It was actually surprising it had never happened before. She was always allowed in Terra’s room, from being kids into teenagers and now; her parents were always a little stricter on the matter whenever he was over her house but his parents never really minded. When they started to hit the years where the difference between genders became more apparent, his parents would have him keep the door open but they grew lax with that rule the older Terra got. It wasn’t unusual for her and Terra to hang out behind closed doors, especially if it was late at night and they were trying to keep their voices from waking up the rest of the house. It was apparently so common Ven had forgotten the nature of her and Terra’s relationship had changed.

Terra looked up at her, huffing a little bit, breath blowing at some of his bangs. She reached a hand up to brush the stray hair from his face, though some of his hair was already sticking to his forehead from the heat. They might not’ve been helping matters in that regard either.

“I suppose we should take the kid to get ice cream,” he said, rolling his eyes but Aqua knew the look on his face. He felt bad.

“Okay,” Aqua nodded.

He leaned in to press a quick kiss to her lips before carefully sliding her off his lap so he could untangle himself and stand up. He shifted a little, trying to redo the parts of his jeans Aqua managed to get undone. Seh sat back down, eying his floor for her own discarded clothes.

She knew it was an unusual change for Ven. Even though he was well aware of it happening and was always supportive of them and their relationship there was never really a time Ven couldn’t just walk in even closed doors. He was never barred from hanging out with either Terra or Aqua, unless he just didn’t want his little brother hanging around.  It was never for anything particularly private or something Ven himself probably wouldn’t want to walk in on. It was probably more out of habit for him to open closed doors without thinking what could be going on behind them.

Terra tossed her shirt up on the bed, “Found it,” he snorted, grabbing a tank top off his floor to throw on.

“Thanks,” she said, leaning back to button and zip her shorts back up before reaching over the side of the bed for her bra.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, grabbing what were probably his keys off the dresser.

Aqua shrugged as she hooked her bra back on to be able to pull her t-shirt back on her head. “Same thing that’s bothering you.”

He reached up to run a hand through his hair. “I guess I forgot he probably wouldn’t think about it.”

“He’s never really had to before.” Not just in regards to her, but Terra never really had girlfriends he’d bring home, it never usually lasted long enough to get that far. The only girl who ever spent a significant time in his house that wasn’t one of Ven’s friends was Aqua, which he was used to.

He leaned forward, tilting her chin up with his finger. “I’ll try and talk to him, okay?  It’ll be fine. I think.”

A smile pulled at her lips. Terra wasn’t especially great at confronting anyone but she knew he’d do anything if it was Ven’s happiness that was at stake. “Okay,” she said.

Terra held out a hand to help her up off the bed. She followed him out of his room, down the familiar hallway and stairwell. His parents weren’t home at all, both at work since it was a weekday; which only served as a reminder that there were worse things that could’ve happened than just Ven.

“Hey,” Terra called out when he hit the bottom step. “Where’re you at, kiddo?”

Ven’s head popped up from the couch where he had clearly been laying down. His phone was still in his hands but he looked a little more confused than anything else. “Here, why?”

“Let’s get your ice cream,” Terra said, gesturing towards the door.

“Wait, I mean, we don’t have to go right now.”

Aqua was trailing behind Terra a little, the first time she could ever remember she wasn’t sure what to say to Ven. She very well knew he wasn’t a child anymore, that he understood but at the same time she hated feeling like he’d be upset in any way by her and Terra’s newer aspects to their relationship. “It’s fine, it’s really hot out,” she said with a smile, urging him on.

Ven opened his mouth, but quickly shut it, pushing himself off the couch. He followed Aqua and Terra out of the house and locked the door behind them but by the time they all got in the car, no one really seemed to know what to say. It was a strange sort of silence, one Aqua wasn’t even really sure she felt ever hanging out with either boys.

All three of them were always close despite the age gap Ven had with them. She didn’t like it at all but as Terra stared out at the road and Ven had his eyes down on his phone, she didn’t know how to bring up the subject without making it worse. Granted, she wasn’t sure if that was possible.

She reached her hand over to nudge Terra in the arm. He was the one who said he’d say something; it was better now than sitting in the Gainsboroughs’ candy shop.

He rolled his head over to give her an “I know, I know” look, but he was hesitating. Aqua didn’t want to force him, but at the same time it wasn’t going to get better if someone didn’t say something.

“Ah, hey, Ven?” Terra said, eyes glancing up at the rearview mirror.

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Oh,” Ven said. “It’s fine.”

Aqua turned her head to the backseat but he looked as unconcerned as he sounded. “It doesn’t seem like it would be something that’s just fine.”

Ven snorted, leaning his head against the headrest. “Okay, I mean….ah, this is a little weird to talk about.”

“You’re telling me,” Terra sighed. “But still, I knew you weren’t aware so I’m sorry for yelling. You just kinda caught me off guard.”

“Well, I mean I wouldn’t say I wasn’t aware, not that second obviously. I honestly should’ve knocked though you were right. It’s not like I didn’t know.”

Aqua blinked at him. “Know what?”

“That you guys were sleeping together.”

Terra choked a little though Aqua could only stare. Ven was fifteen it’s not like he was a small child but still he always kind of was a baby to her and hearing him say it like that just…how did time pass so quickly?

“Excuse me?” Terra asked when he seemed to be able to talk again.

“Okay, okay,” Ven said, holding his hands up. “I didn’t know but I assumed in the least. Am I wrong?”

“No,” Terra said slowly.

“Which is why I know I should’ve knocked but I guess old habits die hard. No offense but I hope they die fast. I love you both but I’d rather let you know, let you have your time alone.”

Aqua bit down on her lip. Ven didn’t seem upset in the least, well, after the initial shock of it but she was. As beyond happy she was to be with Terra and share those kind of moments with him, she was also well aware of the ever growing shift in the relationship between the three of them.

“This doesn’t change anything with you, Ven, or how we feel about you. I just…” she paused for a second. “I know it’s different now, that there are times when it’s just us or doors that probably shouldn’t be just swung open but that doesn’t mean it’s any less of the three of us. Did that make any sense?” Aqua looked over to Terra. “I feel like that didn’t make any sense.”

“No, I mean, I know what you mean,” Ven said, fingers fiddling with each other. “I know it’s not the same as it used to be and it’s okay, really. I know how you guys feel about each other, I’d rather it be this way. I know it change some things sure, but you’re both stuck with me as a little brother still.”

She had to smile at his words and even Terra seemed to breathe a sigh of relief next to her. “When did you get so mature, Ven?”

He leaned himself back against the seat giving her a wide grin. “About the time you started getting embarrassed to see Terra without a shirt on.”

Aqua rolled her eyes but the awkward air that had been hanging in the car finally seemed to lift. She turned back around to see the town just up a head.

“So we’re all good?” Terra asked, eyes in the rearview window.

“Yeah, course. Just as long as…” Ven paused as he reached his foot up to the back of Terra’s seat to kick it some. “You lock your damn door next time.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Terra snorted as he drove into town, finding a usual spot to park the car so they could make the short walk to the candy shop; one they had done countless times together.

Aqua stepped out onto the sidewalk, stretching her arms over her head as the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach was finally going away. She was more relieved than anything that Ven knew while things had changed their feelings towards him and towards the three of them did not change. Also that it was Ven who opened the door and not one of Terra’s parents because that had the potential to be more awkward and embarrassing.  She cringed just thinking about it.

Ven jumped up on the sidewalk behind her, Terra not too far behind. “You know, you guys can just tell me next time. I’ll, y’know, leave you alone.”

Terra swung his arm around Ven’s shoulders, tugging his head down some. “I’m not giving you a code word.”

“Why not?” he snorted, trying to get away as Terra led him to where Aqua was walking. “Mom and Dad will never have to know.”

“Oh, they’re never gonna know in the first place, isn’t that right?”

Ven was silent for a second but Terra must’ve pushed down on Ven a little because he was suddenly laughing. “Okay, okay.”

Terra let go of Ven, who quickly pushed his brother back but neither looked particularly concerned.

“Ice cream is on me,” he said, scrambling forward to hold the door open for Aqua and Terra as a wicked grin crossed his lips. “As congratulations.”

Terra reached over to hit at the back of Ven’s head, ushering the now near hysterical boy into the parlor. He put his hands on Ven’s shoulders, leaning in some. “I swear I may actually kill you this time, Ventus.”

He wasn’t concerned as he was still laughing so hard he could barely breathe and Aqua wasn’t sure why she had been so concerned in the first place either.  Ven was trying to mouth that he was sorry to Aqua but he couldn’t get the words out before Terra had an arm around Ven’s neck again. Terra was unable to quite bite back his own smile as he reached to ruffle Ven’s hair.