Chapter 36 Couples
After leaving Master Eraqus' office, Ven walks downstairs in search of Terra and Aqua. He checks the kitchen and the sitting room, but they aren't there. He then goes to the training room to look for them, but instead finds Sora and Riku play fighting with the wooden swords Master Eraqus lets them use. "Hey Ven!" Sora cries running over with a huge smile.
"Hi Sora," Ven replies. "Have either of you seen Terra and Aqua?"
Both Sora and Riku nod. "They told us to practice and then they went to your room," Riku says as he and Sora return to their sparing.
"My room?" Ven asks confused.
"Yep!" Sora replies, so with a shrug Ven heads back upstairs. From the hallway he can hear Terra and Aqua talking in his room. He walks in and they both look up and smile.
"We're just cleaning up a little in here," Aqua explains holding up a bag full of feathers from the pillows Ven had destroyed in anger last night.
"You guys didn't have to do that," Ven replies.
"Well we wanted to," Terra says. "Now come help me fix this hole in the wall."
"Sorry about that," Ven says sheepishly. He walks over to the hole and helps Terra spread some plaster over the ragged hole.
Aqua continues picking up feathers and asks, "So are ready to tell us what happened?" She's trying to sound nonchalant about it, but Ven knows she is really worried. Ven nods and tells them in as concise a manner as possible what happened with Keric. He leaves out the part about Vanitas so as to not scare them or make them think he is crazy. He merely states that he felt a surge of new strength right before he summon the Void Gear keyblade and fought Keric off. When he finishes, they are both staring wide eyed at him. "Oh Ven," Aqua says sadly before wrapping him in a smothering hug.
"Don't be like that Aqua," Ven says. "It's not that bad. It wasn't anything he hadn't done before."
"Was that supposed to make us feel better?" Terra asks.
Ven considers for a moment. "Yes." Then he starts to laugh. After a moment, Terra and Aqua join in laughing away all the stress and worry left over from the day before.
Aqua releases him from her hug and Ven surveys his room. All the feathers had been picked up, the lamp had been set back on the nightstand, and the hole in the wall had been covered. It is almost as if yesterday hadn't happened, almost. "Master Eraqus said I could go to Traverse Town and talk to Zack if I wanted to," Ven says. "Do you think I should?"
"You're going to have to tell him at some point right?" Terra says and Ven nods sadly. "Then you might as well get it over with. C'mon let's go."
Terra and Aqua walk quickly out of Ven's room with Ven following rather reluctantly behind. At the bottom of the stairs they are met by Sora and Riku.
"If Master Eraqus asks tell him we took Ven to Traverse Town," Terra says to the two boys.
"You're going to Traverse Town?" Riku asks curiously. "Can we come?"
"I betcha just wanna go to see Marlene," Sora says making a kissy face at Riku.
"So what?" Riku snaps at him his ears turning pink. "She's our friend."
Sora starts to sing, "Riku and Marlene sittin' in a tree K-I-"
"Please don't start that again Sora," Aqua interrupts sighing. "Why don't you two go see if Master Eraqus has a lesson for you? We'll take you to Traverse Town next time."
Sora and Riku both pout slightly, but nod and race each other upstairs to find Master Eraqus. Terra, Aqua, and Ven head out the front doors of the castle and walk down the steps. After summoning their armor Ven says, "You know, Master Eraqus might have a lesson for me as well. Maybe I should go ask before we go." Ven starts to walk back towards the castle, but Terra moves in front of him.
"He already told you you could go," Terra points out. "Now c'mon. You'll feel better after talking to Zack."
With a sigh of acceptance, Ven joins Terra and Aqua in tossing their keyblades into the air. When their gliders return, the trio hop on and shoot off into space, heading for Traverse Town.
...
"So did you guys tell Master Eraqus that you're dating?" Ven asks as they enter Traverse Town through the front doors in the 1st district. "Is that what I interrupted when I came into his office?"
To Ven's surprise both Aqua and Terra blush. "Uh..yeah. He knows," Terra says without elaborating.
"So he's okay with it?" Ven asks. Terra and Aqua nod and begin to move towards the 7th Heaven. "See, I told you there was no reason to worry." Ven says trailing behind. Terra and Aqua reach the doors to the bar, but before they go in they look back to see Ven still in the middle of the square.
"You coming?" Aqua asks.
"Uh...now that I think about it, maybe this isn't a good idea," Ven says nervously putting his hands behind his head. "I don't know what I'm going to say to Zack. Let's just come back tomorrow." Ven turns to leave, but Terra's hand on his shoulder stops him.
"Nice try Ven," Terra says spinning him back around. "But you'll have to do this eventually. Putting it off isn't going to make it go away."
Ven sighs. "Yeah, I know."
"Look! Here he comes. Right on cue," Aqua says and Ven looks up to see Zack coming down the stairs into the square. Seeing Ven and the others, Zack smiles and hurries over.
"Hey guys!" Zack says in greeting.
"Hey Zack," both Terra and Aqua say while Ven only smiles weakly.
"Ven has something he needs to talk to you about," Terra says immediately, pushing Ven forward.
Zack raises an eyebrow in surprise and Ven gives Terra a glare. "We'll be at the bar," Aqua says taking Terra's hand and giving Ven a wave good bye. The two of them glance back at the boys just before they enter the 7th Heaven to see them head up the stairs towards the 2nd District.
Terra and Aqua enter the bar to find Tifa, Cid, and Cloud inside. The three look up and smile seeing their guests. "Hey," Terra says as he and Aqua walk over. "Ven came with us, but he went off with Zack. I'm sure he'll be by later to say hel-"
"You two are holding hands!" Cid suddenly shouts making everyone jump. "I knew it! I knew there was something goin' on with the two of ya."
"Uh...yeah...we're dating now," Terra says giving Aqua a smile.
"Well we're happy for you," Tifa says and Cloud nods in agreement. "Not that we're surprised," she says so only Cloud can hear her.
"So pull up a chair and spill your guts," Cid says. "I want the whole story."
Terra and Aqua exchange a look and sigh. They take a seat and brace themselves for the barrage of personal questions Cid has ready for them.
…
"Can't you just give me a hint?" Zack asks for the fourth time as Ven leads him down the steps in the 2nd District. For the fourth time, Ven shakes his head and refuses to say a word. After insisting they find a quiet place to talk, Ven hadn't said a word to Zack and now Zack is getting worried. What does Ven have to tell him that has him acting so weird?
At the bottom of the stairs, by the fountain, Ven turns to Zack. "Yesterday I went back to Carinol, my home world, for the first time since I left."
Zack waits for Ven to continue, but when he doesn't Zack prompts him. "And?"
Ven opens his mouth, but then snaps in closed. He turns away from Zack and begins to walk across the empty area. "Ven? Ven what's wrong?" Zack calls after him. When Ven doesn't respond, Zack runs to catch up with him. He takes Ven's hand and pulls him to stop. Ven's bright blue eyes are filled with pain, alarming Zack. "Ven, what happened?"
Instead of answering, Ven pulls Zack into a kiss. Surprised, Zack kisses back, but then pulls away trying to ask again. "Ven, what's wro-"
Zack is cut off by Ven pushing him back onto one of the benches against the wall. Ven then climbs onto Zack lap and presses himself against Zack. Ven starts to make out intently with Zack who tries his best, but can't keep up with with Ven's fervent kiss. As they make out, Ven's cheek brushes Zack's and Zack starts feeling Ven's face is wet with tears. Zack breaks the kiss by taking Ven's cheeks in his hands and pulling him away. "Ven..." Zack says worriedly rubbing away the tear tracks with his thumbs, but more tears replace them quickly.
Zack pulls Ven into a tight hug and Ven buries his face in Zack's shoulder to muffle his sobs. Zack can hear Ven mumbling something though his tears, but it takes him a moment to figure out what he is saying. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"Ven please talk to me," Zack whispers rubbing Ven's back. "What happened on Carinol?"
"I messed up. I was too weak. I couldn't stop him," Ven mumbles into Zack shoulder. After a short pause, he sits up and looks Zack in the eye.
Zack gently kisses Ven's trembling lips. "You can always talk to me, remember?"
Ven nods and sighs. He wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, and moves off of Zack's lap. He sits next to him on the bench, and leans against him. Zack wraps an arm around his shoulders as Ven speaks. "I lived with Keric for 6 months before I met Terra and Aqua, he's the king of Carinol now. He said he loved me, but he would hit me all the time. When I finally got the courage to run away I met Terra and Aqua and they took me away from that place for good."
Zack's arm around his shoulder tightens at his words and Ven takes a deep breath, forcing himself to keep talking. "Then yesterday, Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua had to go to Carinol to save it from darkness and Master Eraqus told me not to come. But I was so mad at him. I went anyways. I walked right into Keric's trap."
"What did he do to you?" Zack asks apprehensively.
"He- he hit me," Ven replies. "And...kissed me." He feels Zack stiffen against him.
They sit in silence for a little while until Zack asks, "Did he...y'know... go farther than that."
"No," Ven says shaking his head. "No, he tried, but I fought him off. I got away from him."
Zack wraps his arms around Ven pulling him into a hug. Ven gratefully rests his head against Zack's strong chest feeling like he got a large weight off his chest. "I'm sorry Zack," Ven mumbles. "I was too weak. I couldn't stop him. I had to let him-"
"None of that," Zack says gently, cutting him off. "You don't need to be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong."
"Thanks Zack," Ven says and lifts his head up so they can kiss. It's soft and gentle, a big difference from the way Ven was kissing him before.
All of a sudden, Zack breaks their kiss, and Ven opens his eyes surprised to see Zack looking over his head. As Ven turns his head to see what he is looking at, he can hear children's laughter and the sound of running feet. It's coming from the alleyway that leads to the third district, and as it gets closer, Zack shifts around and Ven finds himself sitting next to Zack instead of leaning on him. Zack's hands, once holding him so comfortingly, are now clenched tight in his lap.
Four little kids run around the corner. Ven only recognizes one as Marlene. They barely notice Ven and Zack on the bench as they run past and disappear through the door by the fountain that leads to the back alley.
Once the door swings shut behind them, Zack wraps his arms around Ven once more. "Now where were we?" He says as he leans in to kiss Ven, but Ven stops him.
"What was that Zack?" Ven asks slowly.
"What was what?" Zack replies.
"You know what," Ven says angrily. "You pushed me away when those kids came."
"I...uh...yeah. I just...didn't want them staring at us," Zack says and tries to kiss Ven again.
Ven pulls out of Zack's arms and stands. "Why? Were we doing something wrong?" Ven asks feeling his anger rising.
"No!" Zack says jumping to his feet. "No, it's just that..." He trails off not knowing what he's trying to say.
"It's just that you don't want people to know about you and me," Ven says finishing his sentence.
"Why would you say that Ven?" Zack asks trying to take Ven's hand, but Ven takes a step back.
"Because that is how you've always acted!" Ven shouts in a hurt voice. "You don't want people to know I'm your boyfriend!"
"That's not true!" Zack shouts back. "Everyone knows you're my boyfriend."
"So then why do we have to act like it's a secret?" Ven asks. "The only time we ever hold hands or hug or kiss is when we're alone. Are you embarrassed? Are you embarrassed by me?"
"Of course not Ven!" Zack snaps back. "It's just...I'm uncomfortable alright!"
"Uncomfortable with what?" Ven shouts.
"I'm uncomfortable with...this," Zack says with a sigh. "With...being gay."
Both of them are silent for a moment, then Ven says in a quiet voice, "If that's how you feel then I'll just go." He starts to walk away, but Zack runs after him and makes him stop.
"Ven please don't-"
"Save it Zack," Ven says angrily. "If I make you uncomfortable...if you can't stand being seen with me, then...I never want to see you again!" He turns and runs up the steps.
"Ven! Ven wait!" Zack calls after him, but Ven keeps running. He makes it to the door to the 1st district and looks back. Zack tries one last time. "Please..."
But Ven's gone. As the doors close behind him, Zack hangs his head, a single tear running down his face and dripping to the ground. "Fine," Zack growls to himself. "If Ven can't accept that me the way I am then to hell with him." With that, Zack goes through the doors to the back alley, headed for the secret waterway where he could train and get all his anger against Ven out.
…
Terra, Aqua, and the rest of the current patrons of the 7th Heaven look up when the door opens and Ven comes running inside. "Ven?" Aqua says getting to her feet slowly. "Are you alright?"
Ven sniffs and quickly wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. "Can we go home now?"
"What happened Ven?" Terra asks getting to his feet as well. When Ven doesn't respond, Terra asks, "Where's Zack?"
When Ven doesn't reply, Aqua tries again, "Ven what-"
"I broke up with him alright!" Ven shouts before wiping his eyes again.
At the bar, Tifa and Cloud exchange a look, and for once Cid has enough tact to keep his mouth shut.
"Ven-" Aqua begins, but Ven cuts her off.
"I don't want to talk about it," Ven says. "Can we just go home?"
Terra and Aqua exchange a look. "Yes," Aqua says. "We can go now."
Ven nods and exits the bar. Terra and Aqua give a final glance back at Tifa and Cloud before following him out.
After they leave, Cloud heads for the door. "I'm going to go find him."
"Maybe I should come too," Tifa says, but Cloud shakes his head.
"I got this."
Cloud immediately heads for the secret waterway, knowing Zack would have gone somewhere he can be alone. Inside, he finds Zack sitting against the wall of the cave with his head turned away from the entrance. "Zack," Cloud says quietly so as not to startle him.
"Go away," Zack mutters back.
Cloud walks over and sits next to Zack with a sigh. He waits, but Zack says nothing. "Ven told us you broke up," Cloud says. "What happened?"
"We fought and he said he never wanted to see me again!" Zack shouts. "Now if you're done prying I want to be alone."
Cloud doesn't leave, but he doesn't say anything. After a couple minutes, Zack says, "Isn't this the part where you tell me it'll be alright, and there are many fish in the sea or some bullshit like that?"
Cloud shurgs. "I can say that if you want. But here's the truth Zack," Cloud says. "Break ups suck."
Zack laughs humorlessly. "You can say that again."
"They also hurt," Cloud says. "I saw Ven before he left and I can tell you he was hurting just as bad as you are."
Zack is silent for a moment, then turns to face Cloud. Cloud can see Zack's eyes red with unshed tears. Zack asks him quietly, "Does it ever get better?"
"Yes," Cloud replies. "But it will take time."
SnowKawasagi: Glad you liked it!
Zephyr26: Sora and Riku, when there is so much serious stuff going on they're just in the background doing random shit. XD
Mexi: So yeah...Ven and Zack had their date...probably not what you were hoping for...
robyn little: Don't worry, Aqua isn't going to get pregnant.
Soooo you probably are all wicked mad at me right now, but Ven was totally right! Zack never wanted to be seen in public with Ven, he was always dragging him to hidden places before kissing him. Think about it. They never even held hands in front of other people.
However, like I said last chapter, Vanitas is still screwing with Ven's emotions so he overreacted a little and thats why he was too angry to talk it out with Zack.
Now that this is posted I'm gonna go hide under my bed...
*Zactus fangirls and boys find me* *drag me out* *beat me to a pulp* *leave*