A/N: This was actually a 100-word drabble from a theme challenge, chapter 27: Mistletoe from my 100 Theme drabbles "100 Hopes and Wishes." Since it's (almost) Christmas, I thought I should make a slightly longer drabble of this one. It's my shortest KH one-shot ever. Enjoy and happy holidays! ;)
By the way, the cover for this story is drawn by the wonderful ~luckcharm (aka The Writing Artist) on deviantArt. Please don't use this image without her permission! :)
~ If only land and water could be united that easily, too… ~
Every winter, the Keyblade apprentices were allowed to decorate the castle with all kinds of stuff that indicated that it was winter and soon Christmas. Garlands in different colors, a christmas tree (duh. The party couldn't go on without a fully decorated Christmas tree), lights in different colors (red, orange, green, blue), mistletoe (everywhere, so Terra could innocently ask Aqua for a kiss. Somehow, it always worked, but he was always the one who asked for it first), fake snow, etc. could be found everywhere.
This year, however, it was Ven's first time in which he could cooperate, so he was the very excited. No, 'very exited' was an understatement. He practically bounced around Aqua, bombarding her with all kinds of questions. Some of them were so silly that it was rather amusing. It made him almost look eight years younger. Where he got all this energy from, was a mystery for Terra.
He shook his head, a small smile still gracing his lips. He shouldn't be that surprised. After all, this was Ven they were talking about, the biggest mystery here in the Land of Departure. He never ceased to amaze them.
When he had made the hot chocolate milk which Ven and Aqua had asked for, he headed from the kitchen back to the living-room. There, he saw that Aqua and Ven had done a great job already. Especially the Christmas tree looked beautiful.
"Wow," was all Terra could mutter, as he looked at the room, in awe.
Honestly, the Christmas tree looked even more beautiful compared to last year and the year before. Maybe Ven was better at this decorating thing than he first had thought.
"See? Fire and ice can perfectly be united," Aqua said to Ven, as she stepped back to admire their work.
With 'ice' she probably meant the fake snow that carressed every branch of the tree. Obviously, the 'fire' represented all the lights which Aqua had draped quite carefully on the tree. All in all, it was a great sight together.
Terra only shook his head. Of course they could be united together, but only when Aqua was the one who brought those two elements together. She had always been the peacemaker whenever he and Ven would have a fight about nothing. If only land and water could be united that easily, too…
Wow, where had that last thought suddenly come from, he wondered. He decided to put that aside...for now. He didn't want to make Aqua suspicious by staring to long at her, or something.
"Did someone order chocolate milk?" Terra asked, gaining attention from both Aqua and Ven, especially the latter's.
Ven grinned happily, while Terra handed them a mug with the sweet, steaming substance. Terra didn't say that he thought it was a bad idea to give Ven sugar now. Who knows what damage that could cause?
"Thanks, man!" Ven cried, as cheerfully and enthousiastically as ever.
They all sat down on the comfortable, red sofa in the corner of the room and sipped occassionally from their hot drink. It felt good to see those snowflakes dance and fly downwards outside, while they were sitting warm and cozy inside, in front of a fireplace.
Terra didn't participate in the new conversation that had evolved around...something, but stared into the fire instead. He honestly couldn't pay attention to what they were saying. Aqua's voice was a soft and pleasant murmer in the background, along with the soft crackling of the flames. It gave them all a warm feeling from the inside.
When their little break was over, Terra took the empty mugs and turned around to bring them to the kitchen again. Aqua and Ven had too much fun with decorating, anyway. After all, it was Ven's first time, so he couldn't ruin it for him by asking him to bring the mugs to the kitchen. As for Aqua, actually, he never asked her to do anything that she might not like. He couldn't bear to see a hurt expression cross her face.
"Terra, wait!" Aqua called from behind him, near the door.
"What is it?" he questioned, slightly curiously.
Did they need his help with decorating that soon?
"Could you come back, please?" she asked.
Terra blinked a couple of times, but did what she asked him to do, nonetheless. Aqua made her way to him, too, taking small steps. When he had reached her, she stood on her toes and gave him a quick peck on his cheek.
"Wha-" he started, dumbfounded.
He could already feel how his cheeks were growing warm.
Aqua, who seemed oblivious to this fact (or maybe she just didn't mention it so he wouldn't feel more awkward) pointed to the ceiling, answering his unspoken question. She smiled one of those special smiles, which she only seemed to save for the oldest Keyblade apprentice. It was needless to say that that smile had a great impact on said apprentice. To put it rather simple, it made him melt from the inside.
Terra quietly followed her gaze and saw what she meant.
"Mistletoe," she declared, before she turned around and continued decorating.
"Oh."
Oh. Really, Terra? And that's all you can say after...after this? Now that's something wise, he thought, annoyed with himself.
"Watch out for the mugs! They almost fell," Aqua said, smiling.
Terra looked down at the mugs in his hands. She was right.
"Oh. Uh, thanks."
Terra swiftly turned on his heels, before he would make a bigger fool of himself by doing something really stupid. Knowing himself better than anyone else, the chance was big if he continued standing near her. He wasn't complaining, though. He truly loved mistletoe...and all the extra surprises that was brought with it, small or not.
What mistletoe can do, he thought.
A/N: Hope you liked it. Reviews are appreciated. Maybe I'll make it longer in the future. Maybe not. Merry Christmas! :)