Home-Coming (TAV <3)

[Smile]

Summary: At the end of a long, grueling day, at least they have someone waiting for them at the end of their way.
Relationships: TAV friendship all around, possibly threesomeness >:3

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Home Coming

To be honest, he had had nightmares better than that moment's reality.
He had never thought it would take half as long as it did; he never once dared fear it would be as difficult – as dangerous – as it was; He stilled failed to understand how at the end of it all, not only him but also his partner for the mission were left – albeit wounded – alive.
Small mercy though, he reckoned, seeing how that was one of those times where death seemed to be preferable.

He was starving; he was on the verge of passing out from dehydration; he had to wonder how his legs kept dragging him on at all, let alone the both of them, seeing how it had been half a day since his younger companion collapsed, leaving the older of the two to carry him on his back. Truth be told, he had all but managed to forget about it, what with his shoulders and arms having long since gone numb.
"I wonder… how much longer..." he allowed himself to mutter as he shifted the lithe form on his back.

It was dark; he was tired and unfocused. He had to wonder, really, whether or not he was lying to himself about how much longer he had left to go… or worse still – if he didn't just pass the place altogether. Their place to return to, their safe haven…

"Terra…" The blonde boy on the young man's back managed to utter, bringing the brunette to a stop. He turned at the direction the other was pointing at, and had to squint his eyes to notice it. It was there alright, a small shack hidden between the trees, with a single light left lit next to the entrance. A tiny tired smile rose to his lips as he felt warmth spread through his aching limbs.

"We're here." Ven cooed, making Terra nod as he turned to walk the final steps over to the place where someone was waiting for them – hopefully.

-

"Oooh… my god." Ven moaned tiredly as his shoes met the floor next to a single, already present pair, left just as messily in the doorway. He allowed himself to wiggle his toes, relishing the ventilation and relief as he stood up over the wall-to-wall carpet. "I can't believe we made it ba-" He attempted as he turned to look for Terra, only to be cut by a yawn. Said older young man was all but planted by the door leading to the small kitchen in the lodge, staring inside. Ven seemed to have missed the intensity in his eyes.

"Say… you wanna see if we can't…y'know, get a quick snack or something?" He yawned again, only to frown lightly a moment later. "Oy, Terra… what are you-"

It began a growl, yet died before it ever even managed to become a whisper.

"…wow."

"Mmhm."

He expected to find an empty kitchen; they both did. Perhaps see traces of the dirty dishes the one to have arrived prior left unattended; maybe even some leftovers they could drool over. The last thing either of them expected to find was a small variety of side dishes covered on the table, which was surprisingly enough set. Finally a bit more awake, Ven finally managed to register the fact that what his nose had been registering for a few good moments was indeed not a fantasy but reality, and he looked after Terra as his friend turned to the stove where two pots were resting over a couple of oddly colored flames. A spell, he realized; one meant to keep the flames burning longer… it made sense, he reckoned, seeing the pots' contents.

Soup, mashed potatoes, rice… all filling, satisfying, warm, not overly nutritional, and yet… perfect to leave cooking on a small flame for a while. Perfect.

Terra had to blink then before looking over his shoulder at a blushing, stuttering Ven.

"It… really… smells to, too good…" The boy excused, rubbing his growling stomach.

A tiny amused smile graced Terra's lips as he closed the pot and turned instead for a bottle of water left nearby.

"Grab a glass." He ordered and turned to leave the kitchen. Ven in response actually whimpered.

"Wha, what?! Why?! The food's right there!"

Terra snickered. "Don't you think it'd taste better once we've bathed?"

Ven blinked before frowning. "We're actually going to wait for the water to heat?"

"Hardly."

Another growl. "I'm not having a cold shower, Terra."

"Good. Neither am I."

Ven had to blink. "…then… what? How?"

Terra shook his head. "The food… wasn't supposed to be there either, was it?"

Ven had to admit Terra had a point.

And indeed, underneath the basin filled with water was another oddly colored flame; the water was still steaming lightly; the towels were clean and at the ready; a clean set of pajamas was folded in a dry location for when the two would be done.

An angel had visited them, not doubt; an angel that came to tend to them in their time of need. There was no doubt in Ven's mind about that.

-

The water was perfect; the soft pajamas felt comforting over his finally clean skin, the slippers comfortable on his aching feet.

He could almost die happy; almost.

The meal was devoured in relative silence. Both were busy chewing; Ven occasionally moaned in delight.

"It's true what they say… hunger makes it all taste… so much better…" He cooed before turning to consume some baked vegetables. Terra, on his part, had to growl at that comment.

"You make it sound like it tastes bad unless you're starving."

The blonde blinked in return before his cheeks painted. "…right. Sorry."

"Now, I'm hardly the one you need to apologize to, am I?" Terra semi-berated before gathering his dishes; he was done. Ven blinked before huffing.

"Can you even properly appreciate the food when you eat so fast?"

"I didn't eat fast."

"Really."

Terra shrugged before looking indifferently at Ven, though a tiny spark was evident in his eyes. "You just talk too much."

Ven yelped and was about to retaliate, yet Terra had already turned to leave.

"Oy, Terra!" The blonde hissed before turning to consume the rest of his meal. He struggled to wash it all down with some water and once he was capable of breathing again, reached to gather his dishes.

A frown caressed his face as he noticed Terra's dirty dishes lying idly on the counter. "Really, Terra…" He huffed, yet soon enough had his attention averted by another set of dishes already resting in the sink. His eyes widened for a moment as he felt as though he could see it, a feint image all but glowing in the dark –
Delicate fingers shakily holding the clay; her other hand, resting against the counter for balance as her knees began to give way from exhaustion; her blue strands, still moist from a hasty bath, clinging to her cheeks as a tired smile brushed over her lips.

Just this… I'll do tomorrow…

Ven's own dishes were left in the sink; he concluded he could let Terra get away with it… just this once.

-

The hall leading to the bedrooms – two in number – was even less lit than the rest of the house. Still, Ven could make out the form of the closed door leading to their third companion's room. He let out a tiny sigh as a frown crept over his features. Terra, leaning against the doorframe leading to their room, was actually smirking at him in his own unique way. "Ho? That's a good expression you have on."

Ven hissed, thanking whatever deities that watched over him it was probably too dark for Terra to see his blush. Probably. Hopefully.

"I'm just worried. I mean, we at least had each other, but… she went alone…"

Terra hummed thoughtfully. "Well, we had different missions after all. Ours needed brawn; hers needed faerie dust."

Ven's fists clenched. "I can't believe you're that uncaring. She probably just dropped right after dinner… oy, why're you la-" He began to protest at the snicker that left Terra's lips, only to fall silent as the older teen pressed his finger to his lips.

"Wha-"

"You were right about the 'dropping' part, I'll give you that." Terra began, voice oddly silent and soft. "As for –when- she did, though…" He trailed off before turning to look back inside the room, and Ven was surprised to see the warmth and – was that affection?! – shining in those eyes, momentarily lit by the passing moonlight.

"Well… I suppose even guardian angels have their limits…"

Ven's eyes widened as Terra's words rang painfully familiar. Suddenly feeling anxious, he pulled closer, managing to look into the room. He could only gasp at the sight. "A…"

She was sprawled there, half on the bed, half on the floor. Her chest rose and fell steadily, indicating she was very much out cold, and had been for a while. It took a moment for him to register the awkward position in which the girl was lying, arms outstretched over the mattress, hands clutched the edges of the sheet… a sheet that wasn't there when they left… a clean one.
The other bed was already made.

"She went this far…" The blonde cooed somewhat admiringly as he walked up to the girl and kneeled down next to her. "First dinner… then the bath… and now this." He muttered on as though to himself, not quite minding Terra's movements, not even when the other moved the nightstand away from between the beds. He did eventually though, and yelped in response. "Te, Terra!"

"Are you going to just leave her like that for much longer? Her neck's gonna ache in the morning." Terra berated, making Ven blink. It didn't take long for the blood to rush to his cheeks.

"I, I don't need you to tell me that, you know…" The boy stuttered before looking down and gulping. One arm under the knees… and… and the other… around the shoulders… The next sound to escape him was a whimper. She wasn't supposed to be this cold… was she?

It took him a long moment, but the task was eventually accomplished, the girl's body sprawled over the bed Ven only later remembered to finish making.

That, however, brought up a different issue to attend to – one bed was now taken. Which meant…

"Say, Terra… which of us is gonna-" He began, only to be cut short when Terra pushed the beds together non-too quietly.

"Terra! What're you doing?!"

"What does it seem like I'm doing?"

"A lot of noise, is one thing! You're gonna wake her u-" The voice all but died in his throat.

"…no I didn't… since you did it first." Terra replied, obviously amused by this most recent turn of events.

The instant Ven leaned close enough was the instant the girl moved, her hand all but clutching onto one of Ven's own. Ever so slowly the blonde boy allowed himself to look down, the shock ebbing away, leaving room for other realizations and notions to surface.

Her hand was shaking, and she was holding his own almost hard enough for it to hurt.
It took him a while to free his hand, moving instead to interlace their fingers.
He'd be shy about it in the morning; he was too tired to care then.

He did care about the pillow thrown at his face though. Terra simply grinned to himself as he dropped all the necessary pillows and blankets they would need on the bed.

"Really… even at a time like this…" Ven hissed lightly. Terra snerked.

"When else then… hm?" Terra began, only to blink down once he set the pillows he could. A tiny gasp left his lips as he ended up staring into two pools of blue gazing up at him. Worry, concern, and an abundant amount of exhaustion.

Maybe they should've called…

"Going so far even when you could barely stand anymore… silly girl…" Terra berated softly and reached to gently flick a finger against her forehead. She winced, yet what she found when she opened her eyes was a shadow of a smile, and an offered hand.

"I told you, didn't I?" The oldest went on, voice surprisingly soft. "That we'll be back."

It was almost not of her own will that she reached her free hand to take his own. Smiling, he pulled her a bit closer, leaving enough space for Ven to climb onto the bed. The movement startling her, she turned to look just in time to find the blonde pulling a blanket over the both of them, a warm smile on his lips.
She dared not hope for the words that followed.

"We're back… Aqua."

And the instant her name left his lips was the moment it all ebbed away, finally letting the tears of pure relief well in her eyes.

Terra dropped right where he was; Ven pulled a bit closer, cheek burying into the pillow as he snuggled under the blanket against her; and Aqua?

Aqua simply pulled both the hands she was holding onto over her chest, all but clutching them over her heart.

Finally… all done, all over with… and all three of them, together again, safe and sound.

She could finally rest easy.

"…welcome back."

[madammina]

Awe. Suffering Angel,that is so sweet.

[Cissy]

Gahhhhhh.

D:

Why are these stories so heart-warming?

Ven is such a cutie. He got so excited over the food, the shelter, everything, and he's such a talkative little fellow. I found his embarrassment adorable. >x3

Then Terra, of course, is always teasing Ven, like an older brother. It's a nice relationship to show between them.

And Aqua is just awesome, as usual. <3 Such a sweetie. She's like the older sister of them all.

Two-thumbs up, my friend!

[The Enchanted]

Great story SA !

*claps*

[TwilightRiku_13]

Wow, that story was just absolutely spectacular!!! I loved everything about it; the stroyline, the description of the relationship between those three, the emotion of the story, just everything.You are one of my favorite writers here. Anyway, great job again, and i look forward to your next story.

[LadyofShadow]

Aww that was so adorable! Absolutely beautifully written, SufferAngel.

[Ren]

D'AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

*Dances around in fangirlyness*
~<3333333333333333333

Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh, I've been turned into a puddle of MUSH.

[BDQ]

Perfect what else is there to Say

[Number XVI]

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! That was so cute!

[AxelRoxasFan223]

Again, that was just too cute.
<3