A/N: Heyy. Even though I hate Luxord and never really had any intention of writing anything about him, this idea came into my head and I just had to make a story out of it. So, please enjoy the story ^_^
Disclaimer: I do not own Luxord or any of the other KH characters mentioned in this story. Or Starbucks…
Summary: Gambling, it was my addiction. But what would I have to lose to remain hand in hand with the poison I craved so much.
Chapter 1: Starbucks Casino
I shrugged on my brown leather jacket, wrapped a thick woolen scarf around my neck, and snatched my house keys off the little hook by the door that was attached to the wall with a nail. I turned to the wooden, sand colored door and opened it slightly, letting a chilly breeze sweep in from outside. My wife came up behind me and clutched my arm tightly. I turned back to face her, my face blank, empty of expression. She looked at me with her big doe-like eyes that I loved so much, filled with concern. She knew where I was going without me having to speak, and she wanted to stop me with all her heart.
"Luxord, please don't go. It's Christmas Eve. Why won't you spend the time with your family?" she asked.
I looked away. I could not bear to gaze into her sparkling sapphire eyes. "I need to go, Aerith. I need to win." I responded simply.
She became angry. I could feel her glare burning into the back of my skull. "Why? All you do is lose to the casino. You're just like your father, a hopeless gambler!" She screamed at me.
My head snapped around quickly and my body tuned with it. I hit her across the face, causing a big red hand imprint to appear on her cheek. She stared at me in shock, mouth slightly agape, and brought one of her dainty hands up to the place I had slapped her.
"Don't you ever speak about me, or my father, that way ever again. Do you hear me?"
She nodded weakly. Facing the door again, I opened it completely and stormed out of the house without another word being uttered.
I went down the porch steps with care so as not to slip on the thin ice that had coated the brick. I held onto the rail for safety just incase being careful was not enough.
Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, my phone vibrated and started playing a tune called Dance to the death. I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a small silver mobile. I flipped it open, pressed talk, and put it to my ear.
"Hello?" I asked, walking out the gate and down the street in the direction of the nearest casino.
"Hey, dude, where are you? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago." A male voice on the other end of the phone slurred. Xigbar must be drunk already. It clearly does not take him long to get intoxicated.
I made sure my voice sounded apologetic. "Listen, I'm sorry. I got caught up at home. I'll be there in about ten minutes. Okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just be quick. It's no fun drinking alone."
I hung up without saying goodbye. I was never one to bid farewell, instead choosing to leave the conversation hanging heavily in the air. I slipped my mobile into my pocket and shivered. I wrapped my arms around my body tightly in an attempt to retain as much body heat as possible. The frosty weather dug deep into my bones, remaining there and freezing me from the inside out. As I breathed out, I watched my breath create a cloud of steam which was taken away by the wind.
I rounded the corner. Almost there, I thought to myself. I could see the casino in the distance. The words 'Starbucks Casino' hung above the entrance while the bright flashing lights surrounding the sign could be seen from far away, practically lighting the night sky. It was saddening that Starbucks was so popular they named a casino after it.
As I came up to the entrance, I walked past the fountain which was situated in the middle of the plaza. I was slightly blinded by the colorful glow of the neon pictures lining the tall building as I entered though the automatic doors and strode into the casino. Mesmerizing, flashing lights stopped me in my tracks. I let the enticing sounds of slot machines and dice hitting tables wrap around my body, tempting me to give in to its addictive poison and join the fun.
And that was exactly what I was going to do. I wandered over to the bar where I could my graying friend. He was chortling, while sitting with two other men, one with short spiky brown hair and the other with black squid like hair, and a blonde woman with antenna that I didn't recognize.
Coming up beside Xigbar, I punched him in the arm as a friendly greeting.
"Lux! Took you long enough! I've been waiting for you to turn up for hours" he exaggerated.
"I told you, I got caught up at home." I explained, frowning. Does he ever listen? I pulled over on of the bar stools and sat down next to Xigbar who put his arm around my shoulders. He was definitely drunk.
He pointed to me. "This is Luxord. He's an old mate of mine." He hiccupped.
The man with the black squid hair spoke up. "I'm Xaldin." Then he gestured toward the other man. "And this is Lexaeus."
"I'm Larxene. Larx for short." The blonde explained in an obnoxiously high voice. I had a feeling I was not going to like her very much. But she was very pretty, despite her weird hairstyle.
I ordered a beer and watched as the bartender, who looked to be no older than twenty one, knelt down and rummaged around under the bar for what I had ordered. He stood up and shook his head. "S…sorry. I can't find the drink. We must have run out."
I glared, "Fine, find something else for me to drink. Just remember I'll be telling your manger about this," I looked at the name tag so I knew which name to use. The tag read 'Demyx.' What kind of name was that?
He mixed up a martini for me as I grumbled about his incompetence.
Xigbar, despite being severely drunk, picked up on my obvious misplaced anger. "What's wrong, dude?" he asked, worried.
I shrugged. "The wife didn't want me to come here. Nothing major." I remembered how I had slapped her. The bitch deserved it though. How dare she stop me from winning big! I slammed my fist down on to the bar, lost in my thoughts.
Xigbar patted my back. "Calm down. Be happy!" he grinned.
Was he high as well as smashed?
"We're gonna go and try our hands at the roulette table over there," Larxene pointed over her shoulder. "Do you two wanna join us?"
I nodded, wanting to have fun and not let my wife's words affect my time here.
Xigbar and I followed the trio to a vacant roulette table. We stood around the table and handed over cash in exchange for colored chips. I had the most chips.
I placed the chips on the particular numbers I thought the little ball would land on, but as the wheel was spun, it became less likely that I was going to win.
In the end, Larxene won quite a bit of cash. I envied her. But seeing her win reminded me it was possible for me to win big as well.
I separated from the group and strode over to one of the slot machines. It was bright and painted red and blue with a silver metal lever. I took a seat on the red plush chair. I was now in my comfort zone. I understood the machine well. I knew that if I put in enough money, the machine would reward me with riches, and then I would be able to buy back the family car and find my wife something nice.
Inserting a few coins, I pulled the lever and waited for the money to roll in.
Several hours later Xigbar and Larxene came up to me. I was still manning the same slot machine, which seemed to be giving out nothing but two dollar coins. I was starting to get a little fed up with this machine. It was clearly broken.
"Okay, dude, I'm going home now. You coming or you gonna stay here?"
I turned to face him. I did not want him driving after everything he has had to drink, but I was also not in a fit state to drive as I was quite drunk too. "How are you getting home? You can't drive."
He hung his arm over the blonde's shoulders. "Larxy here is giving me a lift 'cause she only had one drink.' He slurred. I could smell the strong smell of alcohol on his breath.
I nodded. "Okay then."
"We gotta come back here tomorrow, same time. See ya Luxlux!" he chuckled, walking off. I think he was too drunk to remember that tomorrow was Christmas.
I cringed at the drunken nickname I hoped would be forgotten by tomorrow.
Larxene tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up at her. She held out a piece of paper with her name and number on it. She bent down so her lips were at my ear "Call me." She whispered seductively. I took the card, forgetting that I had a wife and kids at home. She walked off and I watched her ass until I could not see her anymore.
She looked hot; I was definitely going to call her.
Putting the paper in my pocket and shifting my attention back to the slot machine; I inserted a few more coins and pulled the lever once more. I waited in anticipation for the reels to stop rolling. I was expecting to only win a few dollars again. However, the first reel stopped on the picture of the number seven. I doubted I would win big, I didn't think I had put enough money in the machine for me to win a lot of cash. But, strangely, the other two reels stopped on the number seven too. I stared at the tray where the money was supposed to come out, but nothing happened. Instead, I noticed a little rectangular slip of paper emerge from a small slot on the side of the machine.
I grabbed it and looked at the number written on the slip. I nearly fainted.
"Ten thousand…" I muttered, not really processing my win. "Ten thousand!" I raced up to the counter to cash in the slip I was given. The amount of money obviously did not faze the woman working at the counter because she handed over the cash without a second thought. I held the money in my hands, loving the feel of its papery texture.
If I could win this much, think of how much more I could win if I just put in a little bit more money. I headed toward the slot machine which I had been using, but chose to check my watch just before I sat down. It was four in the morning. A wave of tiredness overwhelmed me and, although I wanted to pull the lever once more, I decided to head home.
I walked out of the casino and into the cold.
My keys jangled as I took them out of my pocket and inserted them into the keyhole in my front door. I opened the door slowly, not succeeding at stopping it from creaking. I snuck inside, hoping I had not woken anyone, and closed the door quietly behind me. The light suddenly flicked on and I noticed Aerith standing at the foot of the stairs directly in front of me. She had her arms crossed and a stern expression upon her face.
"It's four in the morning. Where have you been? I've been worried sick." She hissed. When I didn't say anything she repeated herself. "Where have you been?"
"The casino," I garbled incoherently. I think I had had one too many drinks.
She became angry. "All this time? How much money did you stick into those soul sucking machines this time?" She questioned, her voice slightly louder than a whisper. "Honestly, it's becoming an addiction."
I glared at her. "It's not an addiction. I am the one in control!" I shouted a little too loud. There was the creaking of a door opening from upstairs. I had clearly woken up my children.
The pair peeked their heads around the corner and looked downstairs.
"Daddy!" Namine, my blonde daughter, said excitedly. She flew down the stairs and into my awaiting arms. I hugged her tightly and glanced up at Sora who was still waiting at the top of the stairs. He was always so suspicious of me, clearly wondering why I was home so late. He also was not very affectionate, much to Aerith's dismay.
"Children, please go to bed. You need to be asleep or else Santa won't leave you presents." Aerith said, in an annoyed voice.
Namine pouted but said nothing, instead walking back up the stairs and holding her twin's hand, pulling him along behind her as she went back to bed.
Once Aerith and I head the click of the door shutting, we started arguing again.
"You've used up our savings and you've sold the family car just so you have money to waste at the casino. It's hard enough being on one income without you squandering away our funds." She explained.
I ignored what she was saying and placed my keys on the key hook. I then took off my jacket, placing it on the coat rack. I walked past her into the kitchen to get some water. She followed me.
"Why won't you listen to me? This is exactly what happen to your—"
I turned to face her and held up my hand, prepared to hit her if need be. She shrunk away and walked off toward the bedroom we shared.
I woke up on the couch, although I do not remember how I got there. I must have been pretty drunk last night to not be able to remember anything.
"Why didn't you tell me you had won all this?" A voice from behind asked.
I rolled over, falling off the couch, and stood up, looking in the direction of the voice. Aerith was standing in the doorway, holding a stack of money.
"What are you…? Oh, right. Yeah, I won that. Guess it slipped my mind." I lied easily.
She shook her head, still staring at me. "You were going to gamble this away weren't you? Why Luxord? We could use this money to buy a car and pay off our debts."
"Winning this money was a sign that there are more riches coming our way." I explained. Why did she not get it?
She placed her head in her hands and started sobbing. I went to comfort her, but as my fingers brushed her skin, she pulled away and walked off.
Little footsteps sounded up stairs and my children came downstairs. Sora stood at the foot of the stairs rubbing his tired eyes while Narmine came up to me and wrapped her arms around my hips. I hugged her back and opened my arms for Sora, but he just stared at me for a moment and then walked off to the kitchen.
"Namine, breakfast." Aerith called.
My daughter let go of me and raced off to have breakfast. I decided it was probably best if I stayed away from my wife for a bit.
I plopped back down on the sofa and reached for the remote, grabbing it and turning on the television. I switched to the morning news.
I was not really listening to the reporter, I only switched on the television to create some background noise.
For some reason, I kept thinking about Larxene. I tried to get her out of my head, but failed miserably. I took out the paper that I remembered was in my pants pocket. It had her name and number written on it in fancy script. Maybe I would call her, just not today.
The image of Larxene walking away stained my mind and I gradually began undressing her in my thoughts.
I obviously had a strange look on my face because a voice brought me out of my daydream saying, "What's with that stupid expression?"
I blinked, focusing my eyes, and glanced around, only to see Yuffie, Aerith's cousin, inches away from my face. God she was annoying. When she was satisfied that I was back on earth, she moved back over to her boyfriend Vincent.
I do could not work out why they were here until I remembered Aerith saying they were spending Christmas day with us. I prepared myself for a long day.
After the food was eaten, crackers were broken, and gifts were given, it was time to say goodbye to Yuffie and Vincent.
"It was wonderful seeing you again. We need to arrange to meet up again sometime next school holidays." Yuffie said, hugging my wife tightly.
Vincent and I watched on as the two embraced. My expression was blank, his was amused. Sora and Namine sat in front of the television playing with their new toys. Eventually the cousins let go of each other and Vincent and Yuffie left, waving.
Aerith shut the door and let out a sigh. "That was fun. I haven't seen Yuffie in ages and it was nice to finally meet Vincent.
I grunted, not really caring about Yuffie. My wife tutted and walked into the dining room to finish cleaning up. I went back into the bedroom, in order to rest my killer headache and hopefully sleep through the night.
A/N: So that's one chapter done. I hope you like it so far, sorry if it was a little too long for a first chapter, but I just had so much to write. Please review and let me know whether I should continue or not.