A/N: Happy early Valentine's Day! :) My apologies for the continuous lack of Ven action as of lately (and for the lack of any action, really). I can assure you he's alright, just too busy with spending his time with Naminé (and finishing projects for high school). All silliness aside, when I planned out this story, I hadn't really included Ven, because I wanted to focus more on the pairing(s). Little did I know how popular Ven really is among readers, so I'm fixing things now. :P Also, it's hard to believe that I started this story one year ago. At this rate, I'll need another 7.5 years to finish it. :( Anyways, Terra's twenty and Aqua's nineteen in this chapter.
Also, please note that the cover for this story is drawn by the amazing Acquia (a.k.a. Alacquiene on this site). Please don't use it without her permission. :)
Thanks: HawkRider, TopazDragon98, MaroonAngel of Darkness, Amulet Misty, xsunny15x, Jizzle Pop, GeNiuS11GlaSSes, Walker of Nothing, and M. L. Ayala, my lovely beta reader. :)
~ Terra raised a finely arched eyebrow. "…You can't be serious about this." ~
12) Can't
Terra's mouth dropped open and his jaw practically hit the floor at what he was seeing. He rubbed his eyes, just to be sure that he wasn't hallucinating. Apparently, he really wasn't, because nothing changed.
"Okay, what is that?" he asked baffled, as he pointed at a small blue figure that was lying peacefully on the red loveseat, curled up and all.
From this distance, it looked as though it was a rather furry cushion, except for the fact that it was breathing. It wasn't that peaceful anymore, either, as it started to stir. Something told him that he had to watch out for whatever that creature was. That shade of blue couldn't possibly be a healthy color.
"Terra, meet Stitch, my new pet."
Holy hell. So this was what she'd asked him to come for? Was it too late to turn around, leave and never look back again? Judging by Aqua's instense stare, it was...unfortunately.
Terra raised a finely arched eyebrow. "…You can't be serious about this."
"Why not? I don't see the problem."
Then she was obviously as blind as a bat. Seriously, what was wrong with this woman? He had already found out that women just didn't make sense. Men should stop trying to understand them if they wanted to be happy. But this... He honestly had no words for it. Conclusion: Aqua was weird. Really, really weird. On the classic scale of one to ten, she would easily score a twelve.
By now, the creature seemed fully awake. It let out a strange, content noise as it stretched, before sitting up. Was it actually supposed to be able to do that? Terra was about to ask that when the animal suddenly turned its head his way. His beady, midnight-colored eyes stared up at him curiously. The brunet, however, was starting to feel slightly uneasy under that stare.
Instinctively taking one step back, he asked to its owner, "What the hell is this thing, anyway?"
Because he couldn't get anything logical out of it to save his life.
"I will not tolerate that kind of language, Terra!" the bluenette said sternly, berating him. "You'll have to respect my dog, or you can go away."
The dark-haired man let out a rather uncharacteristic snort at that. No matter what way he looked at it, that…living mutant thing wasn't a dog. He knew that Aqua liked the color blue (practically everything in her bedroom was blue), but now she was going a little too far, to the point that it was getting kind of creepy. Don't get him wrong, he did like Aqua. It was just that sometimes, she was such a girl.
"Isn't he adorable?" she cooed.
"Uh… no. It looks like an alien experiment gone horribly wrong."
This earned him a hard smack on the arm and he didn't want to admit it, but it hurt. "Oh, come on. I know you'll like him. It just takes a little time to get used to each other."
Yeah, a few years will probably be enough, he thought, though he wasn't stupid enough to voice his thoughts.
Terra gave her a flat look, but decided not to comment on what she'd said. Instead, he went for, "So why did you buy this sad excuse of-" Terra stopped when he saw the dangerous look Aqua was giving him "Uh…a dog?"
"Well, I'm feeling a little lonely sometimes. Especially after I moved away from my parents," Aqua replied truthfully. "I know it was my own choice not to have roommates, but that doesn't mean that I never miss some company."
"Why in the world do you feel lonely when you've got me?"
"Aww." She reached forward to ruffle his hair. Whether it was out of affection or because she wanted to annoy him, he wasn't sure. "That's sweet, but you're not here all the time. Besides, Stitch likes it when I play on my violin for him. I can't exactly say the same about you."
Terra narrowed one eye. "You're weird."
"Not as weird as you, Mr. 'I-Put-My-Books-In-Alphabetical-Order'," the bluenette countered with a small smile.
"Wha-? That's...you- shut up!"
Suddenly, Stitch decided to launch himself at Terra from the loveseat. It happened so fast that the latter couldn't brace himself for it, even if he thought he was going to be attacked. All he could see was a small whirlwind of blue. For some reason, Stitch climbed on his shoulder and licked his face. Before Terra could utter a cry of pure horror because of how warm, wet and soft the huge tongue was, the pet tugged at his hand and landed back on the loveseat again.
Terra suppressed the shivers that ran down his back, as he wiped the saliva overload off his face. "Ugh, my mouth was still open, you idiot!"
He growled something unintelligible under his breath. That was when his eyes fell on his orange-golden Wayfinder that dangled at Stitch's arm. The same good luck charm that Aqua had made for him. Terra's hand automatically went to his pocket, which was now empty. How had that thing taken it out of his pocket without him noticing?
"Huh? When did you- Give that back!" Terra stepped forward with his hand outstretched, to take back what belonged to him, but Stitch jumped off the loveseat, away from him and out of his reach. Turning to his friend, the brunet asked, "Did you just see that? And you call that sweet? There's nothing sweet about a thief!"
Aqua merely shook her head and extended her hand to her new pet. "Here, sweetie. Now be a good boy and give the Wayfinder to me. Yeah, don't mind mean old Terra here. He's a bit of a jerk sometimes-"
"Hey!" Terra exclaimed indignantly.
Aqua continued, like she hadn't been interrupted. "But he has a good heart and I wouldn't want to live without him."
Terra blinked at that, but he seemed satisfied. "Okay, I'm not complaining about that one."
Stitch hesitated slightly, looking from Aqua to Terra, and back to Aqua again, before dropping the star-shaped object in the bluenette's hand.
She smiled, petting him affectionately. "Ah, good boy. See, it wasn't that hard." She handed the Wayfinder back to the brunet that was watching the dog with a slight frown. "There you go, Terra."
Terra shook his head. "You're already sounding like you're his mother."
"Well, in a way, I am."
He honestly didn't know how to react to that, so he decided to change the subject. "...Right. And the reason you asked me to come here was…?"
"You'll have to baby sit him while I'm going to see someone."
"Oh, Aqua's got a date?" he asked teasingly.
As expected, she blushed slightly at the implication. "No, I have a meeting with Xehanort. God knows what he wants now, or how long I'll be away. I can't leave Stitch all alone in here, right?"
Xehanort had been her instructor for years now. He was also the head of the university's orchestra and quite frankly, he was scary as heck, even though he was in his mid-twenties. Terra had the "pleasure" of meeting him once...and he was putting it lightly when he said that the guy was still giving him nightmares from time to time. So if that wasn't enough reason to be nervous about the meeting…
Aqua, in return, liked to tease him and say that Xehanort looked a lot like him, save for the hair and the slightly darker skin. Needless to say, Terra himself didn't see that comparison.
"Alright, then, but only this once." To emphasize his point, Terra lifted a finger.
Aqua smiled and hugged him. "Thank you, Terra. And don't worry, you don't have to do it alone. Ven can pop up any minute now."
"You don't trust me alone with your pet, do you?"
"I have my reasons for calling Ven, yes..."
"Hmm... I haven't seen him in a while, actually," Terra said slowly, as he thought of the last time he'd spent some time with their blond friend. "Any idea if he's still alive?"
"He was here yesterday to meet Stitch, but he couldn't stay for too long. He's pretty busy with school and other things." Glancing at the clock, her eyes widened in alarm. "Gosh, I should really go now, I'm already late. See you soon...hopefully."
Terra walked her to the door and closed it after her. The room had become really silent and Stitch's curious stare was kind of...unsettling. It was as though he was secretly planning something for him. Something that Terra would later get blamed for, anyway.
The brunet looked at Stitch. "So... you like it here?"
Stitch tilted his head to the side and blinked in response.
"Okay..."
Ven, you better hurry. This is getting awkward... And I'm talking to an animal who can't talk back, he thought with a frown.
Then again, so did Aqua and she seemed alright. Still, he was more than relieved when a few minutes later, a hard knock sounded at the door. At last!
A/N: C'mon, guys. I couldn't resist. Stitch is just too huggable. :P And don't we all secretly want such an adorable pet? (As long as he behaves and doesn't bust things, that is. XD )
Funfact: I put all my books and games in alphabetical order, too. It saves time. And yes, I know I'm weird. XD
Next chapter: "I believe that 'chilling,' as you put it, does not involve breaking into my apartment and falling asleep on the couch after doing God knows what," she reminded him sternly.
Seems like things got serious now. :P