Chapter Text
“Ok everyone!” Sora pumped both fists into the air, grinning at the gathered crowd of keyblade wielders and friends in front of him. “Operation Remodel this Creepy Mansion to be Not Creepy is a go!”
“None of us agreed to that name,” Roxas was perched carefully on one of the crumbling pillars of the old mansion, using a sledgehammer to keep himself balanced.
“That's cause I made it up like. Two seconds ago.”
“I really shouldn’t be surprised by that. Its a bad name Sora.”
Aqua did her best not to giggle at Sora’s pout, but failed as Sora declared that Roxas was just jealous he didn’t get to name the project first, earning a hard flick to his nose. Watching the younger key wielders goof around and actually act like kids always left an ache of relief in her heart.
It was something they all deserved, after all the hardships they had suffered, more pain then any child (or adult a hidden whisper slid from the back of her heart or do you actually want this pain) deserved.
After the battle at the Keyblade Graveyard, after Kingdom Hearts and nearly another Keyblade War (could it be a Keyblade War? How many people did it take to fight and die to be considered a war?), everyone was on edge, jumpy and ready to fight despite the danger being finally over. She was jumpy, wanting to keep an eye on everyone and make sure none of them got hurt. The first few weeks were rough, with sleep becoming a fantasy for awhile, as she was certain the shadows held glowing yellow eyes and claws, ready to pull her back into the dark.
She both appreciated and hated the nightlight that had shown up one day in her room, whoever deemed it necessary to gift it to her never speaking up.
But, just as she hoped, things were getting better. She wasn’t naive of course she knew that none of them would ever have a full recovery. When Kairi and then finally Sora returned, the relief she spotted on Riku’s face quickly morphed into fear of losing them again as he embraced them. When Roxas proudly led Xion in, dressed in clothes that for the first time she chose for herself, Lea had excused himself for a moment from the room before returning, his grin hiding the stains on his cheeks. And when Ventus leaned against Terra, a natural sleep overtaking him, she...
It wasn’t important.
All of this (and more) was why though, they needed to take steps to ensure that everything did continue getting better. And remodelling the old mansion at Twilight Town was a good first step.
Many of her new friends didn’t actually have a place to live, due to various circumstances. Roxas, Xion, and Naminé had only been technically alive and with hearts for a few years, and were still teenagers who couldn’t get the money for a home on their own. Lea, despite being even older than her (it was odd, thinking that if she hadn’t been in the Realm of Darkness for so long, she would’ve been older than him), was a Nobody since he was a teenager, and didn’t seem too interested in seeing what property options he had waiting for him back in Radiant Garden.
So she had many homeless friends to deal with, and despite technically having a whole world under her rule (the way Castle Oblivion shifted and molded back into the Land of Departure at her hand was evidence of that), they all seemed more interested in a world where the sun never set.
The mansion then, was an obvious solution to where exactly they’d stay in Twilight Town. While it was falling apart and had a basement filled with questionable devices, it had enough space for everyone who wanted to stay, and more for anyone who wanted to visit or needed a new home. Ansem the Wise was even more than happy to offer any assistance in the venture, willing to dive into his long untouched accounts to pay for remodelling.
And to remove what he had left in the basement.
Some had been hesitant at the idea at first (white walls and computers still caused them to flinch), but eventually agreed that with a bit of work, the memories would be a distant thing. They couldn’t be afraid of the place, it was just a building. And hopefully, with enough good filling it, it could become a home.
It was that or bulldoze the place, and as much as Roxas looked thrilled at the idea to do that personally, even he agreed that it was a good idea to try and fix the place up.
Although the way he appeared to be eagerly goading Sora into a play fight, it was entirely possible that he’d still get his wish. Picking up her set of tools and trying not to be such a worrywart (or a mom), she nudged the dozing Ventus at the door, gesturing to what was about to go down.
“Think you could make sure those two don’t cause more damage with their sparring?”
He blinked a few times, shaking the sleep from his eyes. While he was fully healed with no lasting harm from his decade sleep, he had gained a taste for naps, especially if he didn’t have anything to do for awhile. It wasn’t something to be particularly worried about, as long as he woke up again.
“Mm...” he eyed the two warily. “What if I just...nudged them to the areas we were gonna to rip up anyways?”
“If you can make sure it doesn’t go any farther then that, then sure.”
“Cool,” he stretched, wandering to lean against a closer pillar, letting her enter into the mansion while he watched the two boys duke it out.
Inside the mansion were those who hadn’t stayed to hear Sora’s project name, deciding their time would be better spent working then talking about working. Riku was following Naminé as she held a detailed map of the mansion that told her what things needed to be torn down and what had to stay. Everytime she stopped and pointed, Riku would take a paintbrush and make a large red slash, letting them know where it was safe to break into. Terra meanwhile seemed to have found himself suddenly holding two sets of tools, juggling Xion’s as she excitedly pushed them into his hands, off to go see the friendly brawl outside.
And Lea (or was it Axel, she still wasn’t sure which to call him) was…
Well, it looked like he was quietly bickering with Isa in the corner.
Isa had been a surprising addition to this circle of friends, although one she didn’t mind. While she knew he had been one of Xehanort’s chosen, it was obvious that the whole situation was more complicated than just a loyal follower. He seemed to earnestly want to make up for things, buying ice cream constantly for everyone and even letting the kids get out any frustrations they had at him before apologizing (she still wasn’t sure if it was Roxas or Xion that had given him the black eye he sported the first time she met him, but it was clear whoever it was that it had cleared things up between them). And it was obvious Lea wanted him there, relieved that he was accepted. He always had a smile when Isa talked about skateboards with Roxas, or when he patiently let Xion braid his hair badly.
Although, with the look of confusion on Lea’s face and Isa’s annoyance, it was kind of hard to see that right now.
Moving to Terra, she plucked the extra tools out of his arm, smiling at his look of relief before inclining her head to the two in the corner. “What's that about?”
“Hm? Oh uh,” he narrowed his eyes at the two men for a moment before shrugging. “Don’t know. I think it's just been...going. I hadn’t been paying attention”
She frowned, eyeing the two men in the corner with a critical eye.
She had to unfortunately admit, she couldn’t get a good read on whatever was going on there. Despite considering them her friends (and the fact that she and Lea were both technically part of the Guardians of Light club), she wasn’t particularly close to either of them. Isa she felt was understandable the distance, as he came in later into their group and the fact that he was naturally a quiet man. With Lea though, she only ever seemed to interact with him in groups or when he and Ventus decided to forego training and play around with some old frisbees (one time Lea had pulled out his chakrams instead to toss around, leading to a lot of burnt bushes and a lot of scolding). They were still important to her of course, still people that she wanted to be happy and get better after everything.
So it was really upsetting to her that she couldn’t just look at the two men and understand immediately what was wrong, that she couldn’t begin working out a plan on how to help. This was supposed to be a fun day of ripping out old discomforts not arguing about...well, something.
“Maybe we should do something about that,” she looked to Terra for confirmation.
Terra had gotten use to a long time ago Aqua’s need to watch over her friends (being one of the friends that needed watching over), but that didn’t mean he always agreed with her. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at the two men before making a face that showed his disagreement. “I don’t know, I think whatever is going on it's...just them being them.”
“Them being them?”
“Yeah it's kind of like......like the kids sparring,” he shifted uncomfortably. “I mean, we’ve seen them argue all the time before, yeah?”
It was true, it wasn’t like this was the first time she had seen them bickering in a corner.
“Yes…”
“Yeah. I think it's just one of those ways they show affection to one another.”
“Affection?” Aqua looked back at the two men, blinking rapidly, trying to see where Isa’s frown and Lea’s unimpressed lean equated to that. “This seems...ok yes, I’ve seen them argue before, but this seems more serious. And how is it affection?”
“I don’t know, I’m trying my best with what I remember,” Terra’s huff of discomfort brought her eyes snapping back to him, seeing finally that he was frowning in concentration. “I thought my memories might help figure out what was going on with them but…”
“Oh,” she put a hand up to her lips before shaking her head. “Oh no Terra, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, it was silly to think I could find an answer there.”
“No, I am, I didn’t want you to dig up memories of...him just to help me figure them out.”
Terra shrugged with a tight smile and her heart ached. She knew that his time possessed by Xehanort left his memories a shaky scrawl, written out but the ink had streaked due to the paper being drowned. Parts of it were there, the rest of it was too blurred to ever be recovered. She didn’t even consider that Terra would attempt to look at any of that to see what insights he would have on Lea and Isa...on Axel and Saïx.
“You’re worrying.”
She snapped out of her thoughts, seeing Terra leaning down to peer into her face, a fond smile on his face. “What? No, I’m not.”
“You have your worry face on,” he gestured to her face with a finger, his smile growing slowly. “I can always recognize it. Aqua, I’m fine. I just wish I could be more help here.”
“You’re always a help,” she gently laid a hand on his arm. “Really Terra. I appreciate everything you do for us.”
He seemed to want to say something before dismissing the thought, letting out a tired chuckle. “Thanks Aqua.”
They were quiet for a moment, standing there and listening to the distant patter of Riku and Naminé as they went deeper into the mansion, the excited shouts of the kids outside, the hushed tones of Isa and Lea.
“If you...ever wanted to talk about...what you do remember,” she hesitated, pulling her hands together and folding them in front of her. “You know you can. With me at least.”
“I know,” he nodded, folding his arms with a sigh. “Its fine. Wish I could pick some more helpful memories, but I guess it doesn’t work that way,” he scratched at his chin, staring off. “But well… at least I can say, I’m pretty sure Sa-Isa and Lea arguing? It's just a thing they do.”
She smiled, feeling that they were on a safer topic (although was it safer or was it just avoiding). “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. If we needed to worry, we’d see weapons.”
Two hyperactive kids play fighting with keyblades was one thing, but the idea of Lea and Isa fighting (what weapons would they choose?) was somewhat harrowing. “Oof, alright I get the point. I’m still curious about whatever it is they’re arguing about, I mean. It does look serious.”
“I dunno, maybe Lea missed a date,” Terra said it really as a joke, trying to think of more reasons they were arguing about to help Aqua and her curiosity.
He wouldn’t quite get the chance.
“THEY’RE DATING?”
--
“You’re being ridiculous, and that's supposed to be my schtick you know.”
“At least you’re self aware.”
Lea rolled his eyes at his oldest friend, putting a hand to his chest. “Ouch. That stung, it really did.”
“Mm.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever recover you know from that.”
“You’ll live.”
“Will I? Or will I be just reliving this moment forever, unable to move on.”
Isa’s lips twitched momentarily. “You’ll move on the moment I buy you some ice cream.”
“I’m not easily bought!” he paused for a second. “But I’ll still expect that ice cream, since you have to make up for all this.”
Looking up from where he was trying to rip up some old carpet, Isa raised one eyebrow up in a perfect display of exasperation. “You’re blowing this out of proportion.”
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
“Well that's cause I don’t even know why you won’t accept it,” Lea’s joking manner faded back into the frustration of their argument, his arms folded tight into his body. “Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because I did tell you,” Isa didn’t match his eyes, staring steadily at the work laid before him. “I can pay for my own apartment in town. It's more efficient.”
“But you don’t have to. You could save that rent money for more important things!”
“Like ice cream?”
“Hey! Not just ice cream, I think there are plenty of important things to buy besides ice cream!”
“Of course of course,” he picked up a lone nail on the ground, tossing it to a nearby trash bag so no one stepped on it. “You could say I...have it memorized.”
“Ugh, stop that,” it always made Lea feel self conscious having people parrot his catchphrase back at him. It was an unsubtle jab at the truth that he constantly tried to deny.
The truth that...he really wasn’t that cool.
Before that terrible thought overtook his mind, he was distracted by the fleeting smile flickering over Isa’s lips, making Lea smile reflexively back. “Mm...no. I don’t think I will stop...unless you give up this topic.”
“Oh come on that's unfair,” he leaned heavily against the wall, ignoring the puff of dust that slowly descended upon him. “Me offering you a ho-shelter? You know it's not the worst thing I’ve ever done”
“It will be if you keep pushing it,” the smile was gone, replaced by a frown. “Please. Just drop it already Lea.”
“I just don’t understand why you find living here so-”
“THEY’RE DATING?”
Both men quickly swiveled their heads in unison, looking at Aqua in surprise. She wasn’t one to shout typically, often being the calm and collected one of the group. But right now, she was anything but, a flush quickly taking over her face as she covered her mouth, eyes darting around as she took in everyone who had heard her. Naminé and Riku both leaned around the corner they had disappeared to, the smaller girl looking as if she already knew what was going on (but she always looked like that) while the tall boy had both eyebrows raised in confusion. Terra meanwhile seemed to be trying to use his size to hide Aqua and her embarrassment, ignoring the stares as he leaned over her, whispering something hidden.
“Sorry, sorry!” Aqua waved a hand at those staring, quickly curling into herself. “It's nothing sorry!”
Grabbing Terra’s hand, she dragged the man behind her into one of the rooms. Once they were gone, Naminé and Riku hesitantly returned to their work.
Isa counted quietly down from ten in his head.
He only got to 6.
“So who do you think they found out is dating?”
He figured he shouldn’t be too surprised at Lea being nosy, he had been even when they were children. Shrugging he looked over at the other man, pursing his lips. “Whoever it is, its none of our business, clearly.”
“Spoilsport,” Lea huffed, waving a hand. “C’mon, you have to have some kind of guess. Can’t be those two, although that wouldn’t be surprising, which means it could be one of the kids...man I hope its not, I don’t think any of them has gotten the talk and I don’t want to do that.”
“You are the last person who should give the talk,” he was pretty sure Lea would actually blow himself up (again) in embarrassment. “And once again. It's not our business, Lea.”
“Yeah yeah,” he obviously had already decided to ignore whatever Isa was saying, a hand to his chin as he stared off. He always took that pose when he was processing something important (or at least important to him), muddling it out quietly. Despite his fiery exterior, his thoughts were often quite streamlined, working through puzzles that attacked him quickly.
Although that skill set probably wasn’t gained just so he could wonder which of his friends had gotten a new partner.
“Stop thinking so hard,” Isa poked him, hard, in the shoulder, rolling his eyes at the affronted look tossed his way. “It's not Roxas or Xion, they would’ve told you already if it was. So you shouldn’t worry.”
“Wha-of course its not!” The day they started dating was the day he'd probably finally had a heart attack. “I’m just curious, it has to be someone close to make Aqua react like that.”
“Once again its-”
“Not my business yeah yeah, already got that memorized,” he waved him off. “Still.”
Isa sighed, picking up a sledgehammer, looking off to where Riku’s paint marks told him he should start smashing, before looking back at his friend. “Don’t push too hard.”
“Please,” he scoffed, almost barrelling off before remembering something and looking back at Isa. “Hey uh…”
“Yes?”
He desperately wanted to ask more, pry out the real reason Isa didn’t want to live in the mansion with them. Because there was definitely a bigger reason that kept him determined to stay separated like that. Not even Isa’s serious and logical planning explained it away. But it felt...wrong to push Isa so hard. He would tell him if it was really a big deal, he knew he would.
Wouldn’t he?
“Holler if you get crushed by some wooden beams or something.”
“I would not let that happen.”
“Of course you wouldn’t,” he waved as he trotted off, feeling a twinge of regret. For a moment, he could feel the sensation of being Axel laying heavily on his tongue, goading him into avoiding this talk. But what else could he really do?
If Isa didn’t want to live in the mansion, then that's what would happen, no matter what he tried. They still would spend time together if he really did get an apartment in town, still have the ‘family outings’ with Roxas and Xion that Sora always teased them about. He wouldn’t lose his best friend, he’d still be part of his little makeship family.
And they really did feel like a family, where they looked out for each other and tried to make each other happy.
Still...it stung that Isa didn’t want to live in the mansion.
Shuffling into the room where the Masters had disappeared, still wrapped up in his own thoughts, he stopped and stared blankly at the two almost content to just stare into space for awhile. They were still whispering, huddled together and seeming oblivious to his entrance (was it them just being sloppy or was it because he was too used to sneaking around), the blush still staining Aqua’s cheeks. Picking up the word ‘date’ though through their mumbles made him straighten up and grin, remembering exactly why he had come into there. To be an annoying nosy man.
Sneaking closer he rocked on the back of his heels before leaning straight into their huddle (perks of being the tallest person around), grinning.
“So who's dating who?”
In hindsight, startling two highly trained individuals he knew could kill him in seconds, with weapons that could be summoned at any time was a bad idea. He saw his life (lots of sea salt ice cream memories) flash before his eyes as both flinched, Aqua’s hand lifting to summon her keyblade and Terra looking he’d skip all powerful weapons and just go for a punch.
He had been beaten up by a lot of keyblade wielders (children), but he was pretty sure these two would hit the hardest.
Luckily, they were both too well trained to actually hit him, both dropping their arms with an apologetic look. They didn’t relax though, seeming still tense about his presence.
“Sorry,” he smiled cautiously at them. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Its fine,” Aqua returned his smile, wringing her hands together. “We...did you need something Lea?”
“Need? Not really. Want to know? Yeah kinda,” he rubbed his neck. “Like I asked. Who's dating who?”
“Oh! Um,” Aqua looked at Terra. “No one?”
Terra quickly nodded up and down. “Yeah no one.”
“No one at all.”
“No one is dating.”
“...we think.”
“Well...that's an uncertain answer,” he chuckled. “Do you think someone’s dating?”
“No, we don’t,” Terra spoke before Aqua could, who looked both relieved and a bit annoyed at that. “We were speculating some stuff and got out of hand.”
“Right…” Lea felt kind of disappointed, what was the point of nearly getting punched if he didn’t get any juicy gossip out of it. Before he could poke some more though Aqua spoke up again.
“We saw you were arguing with Isa,” she looked concerned, eyes flickering over his face as if she could find something wrong there. “Is everything alright?”
“Oh. That,” he rubbed his neck again before shrugging. “Yeah it's fine. Don’t worry about it. Grown up stuff.”
“...Lea we’re adults too.”
“Oh yeah,” he eyed the two now disgruntled masters in front of him. “Hey don’t look at me like that! We’re outnumbered by kids, it was a slip of the tongue, and you are younger than me.”
He knew it was only due to harrowing circumstances that they were younger, but his point still stood.
“Sure,” Aqua shook her head before the concern trickled back into her face. “But it did look serious. I don’t want to pry, but if I-” Terra cleared his throat. “-we could help with, you know you can come to us.”
“Yeah, yeah sure,” he nodded automatically, not really sure why they were so concerned with him. He was pretty sure he was under their radar for the most part, something he didn’t mind too much. The sudden concern was touching as well as...unsettling.
“Really, its fine, Isa and I argue all the time,” he waved a hand away. “Really the only thing you could do to help is just keep saying around him how great this place is, maybe hearing it from someone else would convince him to stay here.”
“He was going to move in as well?”
Lea had a moment of realizing that he had only ever told Roxas and Xion about inviting Isa to live with them (if they hadn’t agreed to it he wouldn’t even had tried), before brushing it away. It wasn’t like he was overstepping his bounds, it was his home too. “Nah, he’s going to get an apartment in town. Completely stupid I know but he won’t budge on it.”
“Did you… want him to move in.”
“Well yeah,” he rolled his eyes. “But when Isa puts his foot down, its nearly impossible to budge him. I’ll try again later but who knows.”
He tried not to jump at Aqua’s hand on his arm, looking into deep blue and comforting eyes. “I’m sorry Lea. I know its hard, not getting to keep friends nearby.”
He hesitated for a moment before patting her hand gently. “Yeah. I’m fine though, don’t worry about it.”
“Right, because you’re an adult.”
“That's right, got it memorized,” he smirked at her while she laughed good naturedly. “Also don’t think I forgot what I was asking about before. I can’t be distracted by feelings.”
That was a lie, he could constantly be distracted by feelings.
“It's really nothing to be curious about, I promise,” Aqua folded her hands back together, seeming to push down whatever embarrassment she was having earlier. “Besides, I think we’ve all been missing for too long, we should go and actually help out now.”
“Fine fine, whatever you say,” throwing up his arms, Lea began to walk out the door. “Don’t think this is over.”
“It is over!”
--
“So,” Aqua shifted the trash bag she held further open so Terra could toss whatever scraps and debris they found. “I know I said things are over, but…”
“You can’t let it be,” he nodded, trying to sweep some old wood shavings together in a pile to gather it up. “As usual.”
“You make that sound bad. ...is it so bad? It might be a pathway to...get to know them a bit more,” she grimaced, her regrets hovering close. “I shouldn’t be so distant to them.”
“You know we’re not going to be best friends with everyone, don’t be so hard on yourself,” he quirked a grin at her. “I might get jealous honestly if you end up with best friends besides me. And Ven.”
“Oh quiet you,” she shared his grin though. “I just think it's unfair, to Lea and Isa, to not try and connect to them. No one deserves to feel...separate.”
“They aren’t though,” Terra pointed out. “They’ve got Roxas and Xion. And even Ven is friends with them. They’re not alone.”
“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t let this barrier between us continue,” she held up a finger. “Wouldn’t you feel bad if in your circle of friends, there was a couple of them who you don’t really know? While everyone else does?”
He considered her words for a few moments, frowning. He and Aqua did know the rest of the Guardians fairly well, connecting to them due to their shared pasts. Even with Roxas and Xion they had connected to, habits they had with Ven when they were younger kicking in when they saw them.
With Lea and Isa though, it was different. They didn’t need to be taken care of and seemed to be pretty determined to make their current bonds stronger. On both sides the friendship between them just...didn’t seem to begin.
It could be a mark against them, not trying more, but it wasn’t like both sides didn’t.
But they were Masters (or at least he thought grimly, he was an ‘honorary’ Master, having never retaken the test), and they needed to show it. And that meant reaching out to everyone around them and making friends.
“Ok… you have a point. I can accept trying to become better friends.”
Aqua smiled, clapping her hands together but pausing as Terra held up a hand.
“But…”
“But?”
“Is part of the real reason why you’re doing this is just to fulfill your need to live through our friends love lives? Because you know there are romance books for that kind of thing!”
“Hey!” She shoved him over as he laughed, feeling her cheeks flame in embarrassment at his teasing words. “I am not! I do want to become friends with them!”
“And see them get in a relationship! You were always such a romantic.”
“Shut up, you know I was not” she pushed at him again, but she was laughing as well.
It almost felt like before they had taken their Masters exam, when he would tease her and she would put her hands on her hips fuming (but never actually angry), and Ven would laugh at the two of them. It felt good.
“I am not trying to live through them. I don’t need romance.”
“Oh yeah? Then you getting flustered anytime someone tries to ask you out is-”
“Nope!” She held a finger up to his lips, glaring at him. “I am simply becoming better friends to those around us because I care of them. If anything happens because of my attempts its not because I want to live through their love lives. And,” she fixed him with a threatening stare. “I will freeze you to this spot for a day if you suggest otherwise.”
“Dang,” he chuckled. “Fine, I get it, making friends with a side benefit of matchmaking. So, what's the plan?” He rubbed his hands together, bringing up memories of when they would try to surprise Ven for his birthday all those years ago.
“We should invite them to hang out, although before that we should know if they’re dating or not yet.”
“I still don’t think they are.”
“Well, I want a confirmation on that,” she pursed her lips. “And then afterwards we can...hang out with them? Take them to dinner maybe?” She shrugged nervously, not sure what the other two men would enjoy doing. She liked going through her forms or finding a good book to read, things she knew were not entertaining hang out prospects.
“Anyways, it might be nice having closer friends that aren’t teenagers…?” as much as she loved Ven, she was aware there were certain things they couldn’t do with him.
“Mm… I think we need to really think on this plan more, but I’ll follow your lead,” he saluted her and she giggled, saluting him back. “After all you’re the smart one.”
They fell into a companionable silence, picking up trash and occasionally noting anything that would be necessary to tackle before major remodelling. It was calming, working together and not having to be hyper focussed for once.
“Hey Terra?”
“Yeah?”
“...you know I’m not the smarter one yeah?”
“...”
“You’re just as smart as me.”
“...ok Aqua.”
“I mean it.”
“I know.”
“...ok.”
--
Asking Lea about the nature of his relationship was out of the question, as he would most likely just tease them endlessly for either not knowing or assuming something so ridiculous. Isa was also out, as Terra suspected he might just walk away without actually answering them. So, their best option was to ask the two people who were closest to them.
Roxas and Xion.
The two stuck to each other like glue, making up for lost time and finding new adventures to go on together. Lea was also a constant with them, but was known to occasionally skip out, found napping on some bench as the two competed in who could climb a building (or other structures) faster.
Aqua and Terra managed to find them later that week, chatting excitedly about the Struggle tournament sign ups while gathering some ripped up floorboards they’d be replacing the next week. Taking a deep breath, Aqua walked over to them with a shaky smile, feeling Terra shadowing her steps for emotional support.
“Hi Roxas, Xion.”
“Oh, hi Aqua,” Xion smiled at the keyblade master, adjusting the boards in her arms so she could properly look up at her. “Whats up?”
“Well,” oh, she felt the regret finally hit her for letting her curiosity get so out of hand. “I was wondering if I could ask the two of you some questions? Not about anything serious,” she held up her hands before they could become alarmed. “But I just… There’s something I want cleared up. Preferably sooner than later.”
They looked at each other before back at her, concern evident in their eyes.
“Ok…” Roxas had a calculating look on his face (she was struck by despite sharing a face, he and Ventus really didn’t look alike). “About what?”
“About...Lea.”
She wondered if she should’ve called him Axel, to them at least. Since she had known them, they always were calling him Axel, even when he introduced himself and asked others to call him Lea. They never made an attempt to switch, and he never asked them too, all of them comfortable with what they called each other. It was just another mark on her confusion on what she should actually call him.
“Axel? What about him? Is he in trouble? Cause he didn’t do it.”
“No he’s not in trouble,” she frowned at Roxas. “Wait, what do you think he did?”
“...nothing,” he coughed. “I just like to say that in case he did do something. Cover all my bases.”
“Because that's not suspicious at all,” Xion nudged him.
Wondering if he should watch out for any pranks in the next couple of days, Aqua inhaled before continuing on. “Well, he’s still not in trouble. I just had some thoughts about things, and we aren’t exactly close like you three are…”
“Uh yeah,” Roxas squinted at her. “That's cause we’re best friends.”
“Yes, the best of friends,” She nodded. “So I’d appreciate, if you can use that friendship of yours to clear up my thoughts on this matter.”
“You still haven’t told us what the matter is,” Xion piped up. “It's like...you’re stalling.”
“I’m not,” she spluttered, looking at Terra who simply raised an eyebrow at her. “Terra. I’m not stalling.”
“Right,” he drawled. “Do you need me to ask or do you want to do it yourself.”
“I can do it,” she snapped her eyes back to Roxas and Xion. “If um. You two would be honest to me that is.”
They looked at each other for a few moments before looking back at her.
“We will be.”
“Yeah sure.”
“Ok, good,” she put her hands together, closing her eyes and inhaling as if she was about to meditate. “Is Lea…”
The silence stretched on between them.
“I mean, does Lea… will Lea…?” she gritted her teeth, feeling her cheeks warm in embarrassment.
“Is he…?” Xion reached out to Aqua, growing concerned for the Master.
“Is Lea...isLeadatingIsaortheyjustfriends?”
They blinked several times in rapid succession before looking over at Terra who sighed.
“Can you say that one more time for them. Slower? And in English.”
She groaned, covering her hand with her face. Why was fighting and teaching so much easier than this. “Are... they in a relationship? Romantically? I know they’re close, but you’re the only two who would probably know if it's more than that.”
The two stared at her now, two sets of blue eyes unwavering from her face as they blinked rapidly in tandem. For a moment she wondered it it was morse code before shoving the thought away as ridiculous. Terra very unhelpfully waved a hand in front of them, looking like if they stood like that for too long he’d begin poking them next.
“You think…”
“That Axel’s dating...
“Axel is not dating Isa! Cause if he was he’d be dead!” Roxas fisted his hands at his sides, fuming at the very idea of it. “He can’t be!”
“I-you don’t know either?” For some reason, Aqua never considered that to be a possibility.
“No we know! Of course we know!” Xion tossed up her hands quickly, banishing away any thoughts that they didn’t know everything about one of their best friends (that was a thought for the past, not the now). “It's just, Lea promised that he’d tell us if anything important came up. And if he started dating well that's like... the ultimate importance. It would be a super big deal if he didn’t tell us he was.”
“Especially if it was with Isa,” Roxas grumbled, crossing his arms and looking off to the side.
“Wait, I thought you had made up with him, it looked like your friendship was getting better,” Terra blinked, folding his arms while Aqua looked at him curiously. She of course new the basics of what was going on between them (she was there when Lea brought him to Yen Sid to evaluate if he was safe to wander around, she heard the story), but Terra acted as if he was personally acquainted with the struggles between them.
Then again, maybe he was.
Once again, she was left wondering at what memories were still rattling around in his mind.
“It is, but…” Roxas huffed. “It's still Isa, he has to like. Ask for our permission first or something. And if Lea finally got the courage to ask him out, I’d be really angry that he didn’t tell us first.”
“I don’t think he would even be able to without us helping,” Xion nodded. “He’d mess it up somehow by like, dropping ice cream on that jacket Isa really likes.”
“Oh yeah, the one with the moon patch.”
“Mhmm!”
“Wait, wait,” Aqua held up her hands. “Lea...wants to ask Isa out? Lea likes Isa?!”
The two younger keyblade wielders looked at each other before looking back at Aqua with narrowed eyes. “We can’t really say more…”
“Yeah,” Xion sniffed. “It's not good to give up Axel’s secrets he told us in confidence.”
“Yeah he’d probably stop buying us ice cream for a week.”
“Or a month.”
“But...if you’re willing to do us a favor…”
Aqua wasn’t sure what kind of favor they would want, but looking at the two younger teens who had lived their first year of existence in the care of some of their greatest enemies (and Lea), she began to worry. “Um...depending if the favor is equal in value to the information.”
“Aqua…” Terra was paying more close attention now, leaning forward with a nervous look.
“Of course its of equal value,” Roxas grinned. “You do this one thing for us, and we let you know what's going on between Axel and Isa.”
She wondered if she should back out of this now, grasping at straws for an escape. “It kind of seems… wrong that you’re letting me bribe you into giving up Lea’s secrets. You really would do that?”
“Of course we would, Axel was the one who taught us everything for a year,” the speed at which Xion responded left both Aqua and Terra with the faint feeling of whiplash.
“...that kind of makes it sound like he’s your dad.”
“Ew!”
“Gross!”
“He’s our best friend, not our dad,” Xion shuddered slightly. “Don’t say that. The point still stands though. You do us a favor, and maaaaybe we’ll tell you about what's going on between Axel and Isa.”
Aqua and Terra looked over at one another nervously before turning back to the two smirking children. “Alright….what's the favor.”
--
“This is...have you guys found a regular dentist in town yet? Because if not that is going to be my next favor to you, free of charge,” Aqua sighed, finishing off handing off the munny to the bemused shop owner before turning to where Terra was lifting their purchase onto his shoulder
Neither of the kids seemed to care about what she was saying, as they grinned at the mini fridge that was now personally theirs to fill up with as much ice cream as they liked. Aqua was pretty sure that they could’ve gotten it themselves (there had gone into a lot of effort to ensure those under the age of 18 had their expenses covered; Mickey was a king and Ansem had a lot of guilt, they could afford it), but she got the feeling that they took some pleasure in making someone else buy it for them.
She wondered if they had an encounter with Santa yet. She wondered where they fell on his list.
But how Lea had managed to avoid them cornering him and making him buy it (and also not coming up with the idea first for himself) would be a mystery for the ages.
“You know you’ll still have to buy ice cream to fill this up yeah?” Terra walked out of the store, shaking his head. “It won’t magically summon ice cream, right?”
He seemed worried that it could possibly do that and she smiled.
“No, I don’t think there’s a charm for that.”
“Yeah, but this will make things so much easier! And we won’t have to worry about the store closing on us early anymore,” Roxas was practically skipping with glee, grinning brightly at his new treasure.
“And, we can move it into our room,” Xion added on excitedly, putting her hands together in delight. “The others are going to be so jealous when we tell them.”
“Oh Hayner’s definitely going to kill us,” it was a little unsettling how cheerful Roxas seemed about that. “But he’ll be fine after we give him our new mini fridge ice cream. I bet it tastes better than normal ice cream!”
Aqua had a lot of issues with what they were saying, and as she was an adult she felt should be putting her foot down on at least some of it. But they were good kids, and she wasn’t actually too worried about their eating habits. She knew they ate fine and that sea-salt ice cream was the only thing she had to worry about. She could give them space considering the circumstances.
For now.
After she got the information out of them, she may rethink things.
“Well, now that you have your...favor,” Aqua waved a hand before looking at them with a bright, sharp smile. “I think it's time for your part of the deal?”
“Oh. Yeah.”
Both of them seemed to be jolted out of whatever fantasies they were living in. Sharing a pained look, Xion hunched her shoulders while Roxas cringed, both seeming uncertain how to continue.
“Well...I guess since you bought the mini fridge…” Roxas mumbled.
“And we did say we would…” Xion sighed.
“You did. We were both there,” Aqua gestured to her and Terra who nodded in confirmation.
“Ugh,” they groaned together before nodding, psyching themselves up to give up the information.
“Axel and Isa aren’t dating now...and from what he’s said they’ve never dated...but,” Xion hesitated for a moment before marching on. “Axel did say that when they were younger…”
“He confessed to Isa,” the words spilled out of Roxas in a rush, as if he couldn’t stand them leaving a bad taste behind. “He told Isa once that he had a crush on him, like a full on hearts crush. I still can’t believe he told us that. When did he tell us that?”
“It was during the secret telling week, when he was trying to make up for all the lies from before,” Xion nodded sadly. “He kinda went overboard.”
Aqua quickly processed the information, questions rising to her lips, but Terra spoke first.
“When did this happen?” He shifted the mini fridge on his shoulder, looking curiously at the smaller two.
“Oh, when they were kids I think?” Roxas frowned, rubbing his head. “Said it was right before they became nobodies. How old were they then?”
“I don’t think they know,” Xion shrugged.
Terra nodded, understanding about that discrepancy. Time in and around the Organization had blurred together for its members, and none of them kept track of birthdays while part of it. If it wasn’t for long forgotten files in Ansem’s computer, they probably would’ve been forced to just guess how old Lea and Isa were currently.
“Anyways,” Xion threaded her hands together, fidgeting with them nervously. “Axel wanted us to understand his and Isa’s relationship, why things got to be the way they were between them. Part of that was him having a crush on Isa when they were first human. But I don’t think Isa ever responded, cause they became nobodies before they got a chance. And then all that bad stuff happened,” her fingernails dug into her hands, biting deeper and deeper into skin.
Even after giving forgiveness, it was hard to think of the trauma and simply call it ‘bad stuff’. The adults were quiet watching her, unsure what comfort to offer. Aqua didn’t want to invade her space without permission, and Terra doubted he of all people could help. It was Roxas who finally gently pulled her hands apart, to keep her from leaving marks, and held on tight.
Aqua let the guilt settle deep in her stomach, turning her head to look at the never ending sunset. She seemed to keep reminding people of things they didn’t want to think about.
“It sounds like,” Terra was the one who broke the uncomfortable silence. “That it was a childhood crush then. Its faded away?”
“Oh no, Axel definitely has a crush on him still,” Roxas nodded seriously, Xion slowly following afterwards.
“He told you that?” Aqua was boggled at the idea of him confessing anything so intimate to anyone.
“Like I said, he was having a no secrets week,” Xion chuckled, swinging her and Roxas’ arm between them, already pulling herself back from the dark spot she almost fell into. The two had a stabilizing effect on one another, and she was a very strong young girl. “But yeah, he did. Not that he’ll ever do anything about it.”
“He doesn’t want to mess up their friendship,” Roxas explained to Aqua’s questioning glance. “And Axel says Isa’s probably not interested anyways. So he’s just gonna let his crush die and rebuild friendships.”
“I see...” Aqua nodded slowly, thinking over their words. “I have another question.”
“Do we get another mini fridge?”
“No,” She took a deep breath. “How does Lea know Isa’s not interested in him? Do you know that for certain?”
The two looked at each other, blinking a few times together, before looking at Aqua. “We uh. Don’t.”
She nodded a few times before smiling.