Terra pulled up to the building he shared with his brother and father figure, taking a quick glance at the tense passengers in the back of his car through the rear-view mirror. Aqua stared emotionlessly back at him and he sighed. Somehow, Terra got this feeling that the day was nowhere near over.
He parked the car in the alley next to the side door, stepping out and opening up the door for Aqua and Namine, who hadn't quite figured out how to handle a car properly yet. He guided the group up the fire escape stairs to a door leading to the second floor of the red, brick building.
The building itself was rather old, with dark ivy vines snaking up all of the walls in a chaotic pattern, but the structure was completely sound, and rather large and cozy with a classical gothic design. Terra's adoptive father said it used to be an observatory or something before he renovated it. Now, it was the 'Land of Departure,' a small time travel agency dedicated to helping people around the world. Whenever they weren't busy with police work, Terra and Zack would come help out however they could. Even Ventus helped out with the business. There really weren't many other buildings in the area, since it was a bit away from the inner city, but still within walking distance from the hustle and bustle of the busy downtown streets.
The door unlocked with a click, and Terra beckoned for Namine and Aqua to come in, Ventus already inside and headed for the refrigerator.
"I'll, uh, show you to your room," Terra said awkwardly. Aqua nodded, gripping Namine's hand firmly. Terra scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. They were acting like he was the monster that imprisons the princess in an old movie Ven used to watch when he was a little kid.
The three walked silently down the hallway that had never before seemed so long to Terra. Most of the second floor was open living space, with a kitchen, living room, dining room, and sitting area with no walls to differentiate the rooms. The only thing distinguishing the rooms from each other were the borders of the floors were tile met carpet or hardwood and vice versa. The only hall on the second floor was the one leading to the three large bedrooms and staircase to the guest room on the third floor. The staircase was well past any of the bedroom doors, in the center of a large circular room. All of the walls were covered by bookcases of hundreds of books Terra's adoptive father had collected over many years. Terra didn't miss how Aqua's eyes noticeably brightened when she saw all of the books along the walls.
"Follow me," Terra instructed, waving for the girls to follow him up the iron spiral staircase to the top floor, the observatory.
The dome-shaped room had a rounded ceiling made entirely of glass. It was originally metal, but it was rusted and damaged far beyond repair, so Terra's father decided to donate the still operational telescope to a university and replace the cold metal ceiling with thick, weatherproof glass that had an amazing view of the sky, 24/7.
The room itself was poorly furnished however, seeing as the boys rarely spent any time up there anymore with their busy schedules. A thick layer of dust coated the room like a layer of paint, and there was only one small bed with a hole-ridden pillows and a little lamp on a rickety little table.
Terra inwardly smacked himself. This certainly was not how he remembered the observatory looking, but then again, he hadn't seen it in a very long time. Silently cursing his luck, he turned back to the girls who were looking around the room with understandable worry. Terra ran a frustrated hand through his thick brown hair.
"Look," he sighed, "I'm sorry about the mess. Why don't you two go wash up and Ven and I'll clean up here a bit, so that you guys can sleep here without having to worry about dying of suffocation or anything. We'll go get better furniture and some things for you guys to wear tomorrow. For now, I guess Ven and I can lend you some clothes..." Terra trailed off.
Aqua looked down at her feet in shame.
"Thank you," she said, almost pitifully. To Terra, she looked like a little girl who had gotten lost at the park and embarrassed asking a stranger for help. Not knowing what to say, Terra patted her on the shoulder and descended the stair to go and get them clothes to sleep in. He heard them follow him down the stairs a few moments later.
"Bathroom's here," Terra said, gentle pushing a door open. He continued past it into Ven's room, a room full of weird trinkets and things Ven collected and found 'cool' over the years. The kid' room was always so messy, and Terra was positive that he never threw anything away.
Making his way to Ven's drawers, he pulled out a half black, half white t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts that looked like they might be small enough for Namine if she rolled them up. Terra pushed in the drawer and stumbled out of Ven's messy room, making his way to his own room across the hall. Hi room, while not as messy as Ven's, was littered with weights and training supplies. It smelled strongly of sweat and cologne, a scent Terra had grown used to and fond of. Pawing through his own drawers, Terra picked out an old black turtleneck sweater he didn't remember buying nor wearing. He held up the black fabric scrutinizing it. It would be small on him, but massive on Aqua. And finding pants small enough to fit her slim waist would be even harder. Aqua was tall for a woman, but Terra was still a good four or so inches taller, and a lot bulkier. Ven was too short to have anything that could fit, and his dad wouldn't appreciate Terra taking his clothes without his permission. Throwing the shirt over his shoulder, he continued to claw through his messy drawers in search of a pair of pants that might be small enough for the blue haired woman. His search was interrupted by a feminine squeal from the bathroom and the sound of rushing water.
Terra hopped to his feet and rushed out of his room and into the hallway, colliding with Aqua as she stumbled out of the bathroom, still clothed and dripping wet. Terra fell backward and landed on his back with a dull thud, Aqua landing heavily on his chest. Terra groaned in pain and looked down at eh bluenette, who looked back up at him. Each and every moment, she was beginning to look more and more like an innocent and fragile girl than a crazy strong, judo-flipping warrior.
Terra forced himself up, Aqua getting to her feet on her own accord.
"What happened?" Terra asked, rubbing his sore back. He was definitely going to feel that in the morning.
"It started raining," Aqua replied, wiping water from her brow.
"Raining... You mean the shower," Terra corrected, walking into the bathroom. Water from the shower was all over the floor, since Aqua hadn't closed the shower door. Namine sat looking confused on the toilet.
"Shower?" Aqua echoed in confusion.
"Yeah, shower. You pull this little lever thing here, and water starts coming out of the head," Terra said, pointing at the shower head still spraying water. Adjusting the water to a warmer temperature for bathing, he slid the shower door closed.
"So who's going in first?" Terra asked. Aqua and Namine stared blankly.
"Well, you can't go together, you won't fit."
More silence. Terra sighed.
"Alright blue, you first, since you're dirtier than the princess. go take your clothes off, and here's a shirt for when you're- WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Terra jumped backwards, banging his already sore head against the wall, covering his eyes with his arms.
Aqua was undressing. Right there. Half naked. And he was still in the room.
Aqua jumped, startled by Terra's sudden panic attack.
"I'm undressing, like you said," She replied as if it were no big deal.
"I meant undress after I left the room!"
"It really isn't that big a deal Terra," Aqua said, continuing to undress. Before Terra could see any more, he grabbed Namine by the arm and dashed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
"Namine will be out here with me and Ven, just... put that shirt on when you're done!"
Terra felt very tired all of a sudden. He slump back against the wall with a loud sigh. Namine stood next to him, staring at his face.
"Terra, are you ok?" She asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"Your face is red," Terra swore he must've turned even redder than before. He covered his face with his hands and groaned. Namine giggled, a knowing twinkle in her eyes.
"What was all that noise about?" Ven called from the living room. From the sounds of it, he was playing one of his video games in the other room. Probably Epic Mickey or something.
"Nothing Ven," Terra replied flinching as his voice cracked slightly. Namine giggled again and Terra could practically hear Ventus raising a suggestive eyebrow at him. Terra gestured for Namine to follow him into the living room to relax until Aqua was done with her shower. The three sat around the television in the large living room, poking and prodding Ventus to 'mess up his game focus.' They hardly noticed the doorknob jingle and swing open as the final occupant to the large apartment entered.
Terra and Ventus' adoptive father.
The three only really noticed his presence in the room when he loudly said, "Playing games again I see."
Ventus nearly threw his controller half-way across the room and Terra fell out of his seat in an almost comedic manner. Namine watched the two boys trying and failing to regain their bearings with interest before turning to the newest arrival with curiosity.
He was a tall man, not quite elderly, but older than her own father. He had long, black hair tied back in a top knot, which, as far as Namine had seen, was unnatural in this world(not that it was natural in her own). His skin was tanned, and his face stern, and a long mustache with a soul patch to match. But the most striking thing about him where the scars on either side of his face. A long, thick scar stretched from the left side of his jaw to his cheekbone, and another thinner scar running directly over his right eye, though the eye itself appeared completely unharmed.
"Master Eraqus," Terra and Ventus said in unison, bowing respectfully. Eraqus nodded in acknowledgement. He turned his stern gaze on Namine, and she suddenly had the intense urge to flee, but at the same time, something about the man seemed safe. Fatherly almost.
"And who is this?" He asked, addressing Terra and Ventus without averting his gaze.
"This is Namine," Ven piped enthusiastically. Eraqus raised an eyebrow at him.
"She and her friend, an old college friend of mine, are new to the city and needed a place to stay for a while," Terra explained, "I told them that they could use our guest room, since they had no where else to go and we weren't really using the space."
Ventus wrinkled his nose at the false answer, but decided to trust Terra's judgement. The boys felt bad about lying, but they weren't really sure Eraqus would believe the whole 'princess and knight from another dimension' thing.
Eraqus stared intensely down at Namine for what seemed like forever, before saying, "Well that room is certainly in no condition for a young lady and her companion to be staying in. I will have it properly furnished at once. You and your friend may stay for as long as you need Namine," He smiled at Namine, a very kind and genuinely caring smile, that made Namine smile shyly back.
"Thank you," The mumbled gratefully, smiling at her toes. Eraqus patted her on the head fondly.
"Now, where is you companion?" Eraqus asked, glancing around the house to find them. As if on cue, Aqua walked out of the bathroom, wearing the turtleneck Terra practically threw at her earlier. Terra's face reddened at the sight. In his haste to retreat the bathroom, he had forgotten to give Aqua any pants.
The turtleneck was much too large on Aqua, and at the same time, not large enough. The collar hung loosely, her creamy neck completely exposed, and the sleeves dangled way past her small hands. The hem barely reached her mid thighs, ending at an enticing point where one could not tell whether or not she was wearing anything underneath, but they could easily find that out with the slightest movement in the wrong direction. Terra hoped for all things sacred in the world that she was wearing something underneath.
"Young lady," Eraqus said, clearing his throat, "Where are your pants?"
Aqua furrowed her brow at the unfamiliar man. Assuming him to be the other occupant of the apartment that Terra had told her about, she didn't question his presence.
"I wasn't given any," she replied. An awkward silence followed. Eraqus cast a questioning glance at his sons, who laughed nervously.
"I see," Eraqus said, raising an eyebrow at the young woman. "Terra," Eraqus called, without looking at him.
"Yes Master?" Terra said, his voice nervous.
"Would you be as kind as to retrieve some pants for this woman?"
"Yes Master," Terra made his way past his master and towards his bedroom before a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder, holding him in place.
"And Terra," Terra gulped.
"Yes Master?"
"Do try to get to work on time from now on."
Terra pouted and Ven started to chuckle.
"Yes Master Eraqus," Terra grumbled, shuffling off to his room to find a pair of pants for Aqua. He grabbed aforementioned bluenette by the wrist and pulled her with him towards his room. She stumbled a bit when he suddenly yanked her forward, and a subtle glance told Terra that she was, in fact, wearing something underneath the turtleneck.
Turning a deep shade of red and inwardly groaning, Terra slammed his door behind him and Aqua and sat down in front of his drawers with a loud 'hmph,' before angrily tearing it apart for a pair of pants.
Outside, Ven grinned to himself as his Master shook his head at his eldest son's behavior.
"Ventus," Eraqus said, looking at his younger son and pupil.
"Yes Master?"
"Perhaps you should show Namine to the shower. I do hope you have appropriate clothing laid out for her."
"Yes Master Eraqus," Ventus bowed respectfully and guided Namine to the bathroom. He picked up the pile of clothing Terra had left on the ground in the hallway and handed it to Namine before instructing her on how to use the shower. Judging by the befuddled look on her face when she had seen it, it was safe to assume that there were no showers wherever Namine had come from.
How they bathed, Ventus had no idea.
A few minutes later and Namine was out of the shower and fully dressed. Ventus had to admit she looked adorable in the t-shirt clearly much too large on her, with the ends reaching past her mid-thighs. The shorts he'd loaned her were rolled up so high, only a slim fragment of the grey fabric poked out from underneath the black and white t-shirt. Namine caught Ventus eyeing her outfit and blushed bright red, averting her gaze too her bare toes and fiddling with the hem of her borrowed shirt.
Light, she was way too cute for her own good.
Soon thereafter, a less aggravated Terra and a more clothed Aqua emerged from his room. Ven recognized the shorts she wore to be a pair of black gym shorts Terra had gotten a few years earlier, and had shrunk in the washing machine when he had tried to prove that he knew how to clean up after himself in his home just as well as he cleaned up after criminals in the street.
Terra wasn't allowed to help with chores anymore. How do you even manage to shrink so much synthetic fabric anyways? It was made to not shrink!
The two girls remained in the living room of the apartment to answer a few of Eraqus' questions while Terra and Ventus went upstairs to tidy up the observatory enough to live in without dying of suffocation on a three inch thick layer of dust.
"So what is it like where you're from," Eraqus asked, resting his chin on his clasped hands. The trio was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking an herbal tea Eraqus had been gifted from an old friend in the Land of Dragons. Aqua sipped it thoughtfully, deciding she quite liked the taste, while Namine eyed the concoction warily, the strong scent wafting from the steam dizzying her slightly.
"It's... different," Aqua answered vaguely, as Terra had told her it would be for the best if as few people as possible in this world knew of the world she came from. No need to start unnecessary chaos and panic.
"Oh? How so?" Eraqus asked almost knowingly, like he knew the punchline to a great joke that he wasn't going to tell her anytime soon.
"It's brighter there. Less crowded. Kinder people," Aqua answered in as little detail as possible. As per code of honor, she could not lie, but she did not have to tell the full truth either. Eraqus chuckled softly however, and sipped his tea from his mug, engraved with the heart symbol trademark of his company. A square-ish heart with a cross made of what looked like four separate, elongated, diamond shapes connected at the points attached to the center of then heart.
"No need to be so secretive child, I already know you are not of this world," Eraqus said kindly, setting the mug down gently on the wooden table. Aqua widened her eyes slightly, and Namine looked worriedly at her friend.
"How?" Aqua asked in a quiet voice. This man who knew too much... he was starting to frighten her. How could he possibly know something like this? She was certain the only people whom she told the truth to were Terra, Ventus, and the black-haired man, Zack.
"Security cameras. They are in all of the interrogation rooms, along with microphones. Terra must have forgotten about them in the heat of the moment. You are quite lucky that I was the one monitoring the cameras since our guard was off sick, and we were short-staffed. I cleared the footage for you and your friend, and I am terribly sorry for all of the misfortune that has befallen you two. You may stay here for as long as you wish until you find your way back to your own word."
Aqua smiled gratefully at the older man. "Thank you Sir-"
"Eraqus," he said. Aqua smiled.
"Eraqus."
The two shared a silent exchange of respect, and Namine smiled at the peace. She delicately picked up her coffee mug and took a small sip.
It was much sweeter and tastier than she had anticipated.
The loud thumping of feet against the hardwood floor signaled the return of Terra and Ventus. Both boys were coated in a considerable layer of dust, and both were hacking up a storm as if they had just contracted pneumonia.
Which they might have. That room was disgusting.
"Well-cough cough-it's-cough-clean-cough," Ventus choked out, bursting into an uncontrollable fit of coughs. Namine stood up and offered her drink to him. He took it gratefully and chugged half of the mug down, before handing back the half empty mug with a satisfied sigh of relief. Namine giggled, and held the mug gently in her palms, sipping the remains shyly. Ventus flashed her a grin, and she blushed, looking down into the orangey-brown tea to dodge his gaze. Ventus' grin widened.
Light, she was so damn cute.
Aqua smiled dreamily at Namine and Ventus. She looked so happy with him. Then Aqua frowned. She looked so happy with him.
Ventus was a nice boy, and Namine would be lucky to ever find a bou like him ever again, but he wasn't from their world. He hardly knew anything about them, and the selfish Royals back home would certainly never accept an outsider like him to be their king if Namine decided he was the boy she had dreamed of her whole life. And what if she wanted to stay here with him?
Aqua shook her head, trying to shake off the serious thoughts. She was jumping to conclusions. Namine wasn't in love with Ventus, they had only just met. She's not used to being around boys, and she was only being polite and kind, like she had been taught her whole life. And if it turned out that Namine did have feelings for Ventus in the future... well, that would be taken care of then. But for now, Aqua was only grateful to have found such kind people to take her and Namine in so easily. Ventus, Eraqus, and...
Terra.
Aqua blushed. How peculiar. Aqua had never been particularly interested in anyone of the opposite sex, not to say she wasn't attracted to them, only that no one had ever really caught her eye. But Terra... He was different. He was so different in ways Aqua couldn't even describe. Perhaps it was only the excitement of recent events that had made her feel so conflicted about the man, that had made her stomach wring itself out and do fluttery backflips when he touched her so casually.
Light, she was turning into some infatuated preteen with her first crush. Wait what? She didn't have a crush, it was only the excitement of the happenings of the past few days. Yes. That was it. No romantic inclinations whatsoever. Only the heart-pounding, stomach-churning excitement of judo-flipping a stranger over your shoulder and suddenly living under the same roof as him. With Namine. Focus on the mission. Protect Namine.
Cough!
The loud, throaty sound of Terra's choking snapped Aqua out of her thoughts.
"Terra, are you ok?" Ventus asked, patting his brother on the back. Terra continued to cough furiously, and Eraqus watched in a mixture of concern and amusement. He eyed Aqua's teacup and looked her in the eyes. The hint was pretty obvious.
Aqua handed over the mug and Terra took it gratefully, downing the soothing liquid twice as fast as Ven had, giving out twice as loud a sigh of relief when he finished.
Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he handed the empty mug back to Aqua, muttering and awkward, "Thanks," his cheeks still flushed from the coughing fit. Aqua nodded and smiled politely in return.
"Well, I think that was enough excitement for one evening," Eraqus said, standing from his chair, "I think it is time that we all retire for the evening. Aqua, Namine, I hope you don't mind sleeping upstairs for the night. I know it is not very... accommodating right now, but I will have it prepared for the both of you by tomorrow."
"Oh, no, it's alright, I couldn't ask you to..." Aqua stuttered. He had helped so much already, she couldn't possibly ask for more. Eraqus just smiled kindly, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder.
"I insist."
Aqua smiled gratefully and nodded. She waved goodnight to the boys and guided Namine up the stairs. The room was considerably cleaner, with no dust left on the floor or mattress. More pillows and blankets were laid out, and Namine immediately crawled under the covers and buried her head deep into one of the pillows. Aqua smiled and climbed in next to her, whispering a soft goodnight and giving the younger girl a quick peck on the forehead before they both drifted off into the beautiful world of slumber.
A/N: Yea! Hit the 4000 mark. Winning, like a boss.
Anybooboo budding relationships and sexual awkwardness, as promised. And before anyone gets confused as to why Aqua gives a lot of kisses, it's because in the 'magic world,' kissing is a very common expression of greeting, farewell, happiness, thanks, as well as love and affection. The kisses she gives Namine (and in the future, Ventus) are relative to those a mother would give to her child, while Terra gets some extra special smooches (oohlala).
I kind of base the 'magic world' off of Europe and such, cause that's were the original Disney movies were set and they're usually what you think of when thinking of fairy tales, so I kinda just went with it, and the whole 'friendly kisses' thing just kind of suits Aqua. Namine's shyer, so her kisses will be more sparse.
Hope you like~ Reviews are welcome, along with any questions, comments, concerns, criticism(constructive only! Flames will burn down my house, and since I don't run, I'll probably take too long to leave and die.)