chapter two:
Noctis strode down the small flights of stairs, wincing every time he leaned all his weight onto his left leg. Just as he reached the bottom, he walked down a couple of blocks, meeting up with one of his closest friends who waited outside the studio building, patiently. He jogged to the passenger seat and slipped in.
"Hey, Noctis."
"Hey."
"How was class?" his friend asked, smirking with glee.
"Good."
His friend took the initiative to ask a bit more, while adjusting his glasses to sit comfortably on the bridge of his nose... hopefully Noctis wouldn't mind.
"Well? Anything new?"
"You're pestering me, Jei."
"Aw, c'mon, Noct. It's not everyday you and I chat like this." Noctis rolled his eyes, smirking. He was right.
Noctis had met Jei when he was only twelve after his parents had died in a car accident caused by road rage from a running criminal. Jei was the son to his uncle's Driver who had been assigned to drive Noctis' parents around, but also had become a victim to the accident, leaving it only Jei and his mother. It was destined for Jei to be Noctis' driver when the time came. Poor Jei had felt the need to fill in for his father's spot as a loyal follower of the Caelum family for being so kind to him and his mother after the loss of his father. Both he and Jei never really conversed like the close friends they considered each other as much due to being raised professionally in business, but they understood each other like brothers.
Noctis ran a hand through his dark spikes, sighing.
"I fell down the flight of steps outside Rai's house." a snort escaped from his friend, but was quickly covered up with an impassive expression. Noctis glared at him over his shoulder, annoyed. At the same time, a small smile plastered upon his face, agreeing that it was pretty humorous himself.
"How did that happen?" he asked, keeping the jerking smile on his face while starting up the car, taking the chance to exit the parking. Noctis chuckled a bit,
"A girl had her heel caught, and she lost her balance." he explained. Jei arched a brow, a bit more interested. "And what made you fall down the flight of stairs?" he asked, curious.
"She grabbed my arm, pulling me down with her. I didn't realise she was falling" he muttered a reply. Jei's brows raised, laughing slightly. "Wow. What a gentleman" he smirked, taking the next turn at the lights.
"The witch didn't even apologise." he hissed, watching the small buildings become larger and larger, until he had realised that they were entering the city. "She just took off" was all he said after five minutes of silence.
"Well, you sound like you have a fun day." he chuckled, looking at Noctis who was quiet. He smirked once more after thinking of more to talk about while on their way to where Noctis was meant to be in another five minutes.
"What about classes? Any cute girls?" Jei smirked, taking a glance at the shy boy who had chosen not to answer such an inappropriate question. Jei only laughed loudly, seeing that he must've seen quite a few.
"There were new comers today." he finally replied. Jei was pretty much surprised that he answered one of his 'not-so-Noctis' questions.
"How many this time?"
"Twenty-two."
"How much altogether?"
"Maybe fifty-seven, now."
"Wow. How did this become so big? You weren't even aiming for tutorial classes. Ever since you danced with Stella, you've been hooked on such a da-
Jei bit his tongue, regretting he even opened his mouth. Noctis was quiet. Really quiet. Jei sighed, finally reaching the building.
"Noctis, I-
"It's fine. Let's go" he murmured, opening the door and exiting the car, making his way to the entrance of the large building. Jei sighed, shaking his head, disappointed in himself. "IDIOT!" he growled, whacking his head against the steering wheel.
Lightning sighed, slamming the door to her apartment, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She threw her keys on the small table beside the entrance door, heading toward the kitchen, only to be alerted by giggling and squealing.
"Serah? Is that you?" she called, removing Fang's pumps, yelping from the ache she had to endure for the whole day.
"Yeah. I'm in the kitchen with Vanille!"
"Hey, Lightning!" Vanille popped out from the door-less door kitchen and waved at the stressing woman. Lightning gave a faint smile and weakly waved back, bothered. Serah also popped out from the kitchen to greet Lightning who was heading toward the kitchen. Smiling, she held up a small piece of paper with black ink and pictures of dancers and heels with music notes decorating the corners of the paper.
"What is this, Serah?" Lightning asked, curious. She looked down at her sister who was grinning widely.
"The dance class!"
"Serah, I told you no, didn't I... Please, I'm not in the mood at the moment-
"No, Lightning! Listen, Vanille has offered to pay for half of the price. Please, it's only 1500 gil!"
"Serah, please. I'm tired."
"C'mon, Lightning! This is a good offer!"
"Serah-
"PLEASE!-
Lightning gritted her teeth, snatching the paper from her and ripped it up.
"L-Lightning-
"I told you, NO!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!"
"What's my problem? WHAT'S MY PROBLEM! MY PROBLEM IS, I JUST GOT FIRED FROM MY JOB BECAUSE I HAD TO DEAL WITH YOU, THIS HOUSE AND THE DAMN BILLS AT THE SAME TIME! HAVE YOU EVER LIFTED A FINGER AROUND THE DAMN HOUSE, SERAH!" Vanille jumped, afraid of the situation between the two women.
Serah's usually serene, steady eyes changed immediately with a hard glare and a disgusted expression.
"You're blaming me for losing your job?"
"YES! You're the damn money waster in the damn family! You ask for an ipod, I buy it for you... only to find out it was broken the next day. Do you know how much that cost me, Serah?"
"SO!"
"I bought you a laptop with a deal for wireless, just to find out a large bill because of the overuse of the internet and this resulted in our power was cut for nearly three months until I paid them back! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT COST?"
Serah began to wince with every word coming out of Lightning's mouth.
"Finally, you ask me for a cell phone, and you go behind my back and steal money just so you could top up that damn phone of yours to text your friends! Do you know how much money you took from our savings? Nearly 10'000 gils, Serah! IT'S AS IF YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WORKS IN THIS HOUSE, YOU USELESS PEST OF A DAMN SISTER!"
Lightning's eyes widened, realising what she had just said. She looked at the bulking liquid from Serah's pale blue orbs. Her heart ached suddenly and she could feel her own eyes burn.
"Serah, I-
"N-none of what you said... was the reason I am to blame for losing your job, Lightning." Serah muttered, allowing her tears to fall. Lightning's brows furrowed, watching Serah push past her and ran out of the kitchen, "Serah!" Lightning tried to catch her, but Serah was already out of the apartment with a loud slam to the door.
"SERAH!" Vanille exclaimed, running after the strawberry blond. Lightning sighed, scratching her head, frustrated.
"Light. What happened?" Lightning looked up to see Fang standing at the door of the kitchen entrance, worried. Lightning lowered her head.
"Do you wanna grab a cup of coffee, Fang?" she asked, her voice raspy and tired. Fang gave a small smile, heaving her small handbag onto her shoulder and gave a nod. The look in Lightning eyes seemed faint and distant. Fang saddened, walking up to Lightning who looked as if she were crying... No, she wasn't. Her eyes may seem teary, but the tears would never fall.
"C'mon, Lightning. Let's go" she murmured. Lightning gave a nod.
"NOCT! There you are, buddy!" Noctis looked up at his blond friend who sprinted up to him and held him in a headlock.
"Ven! Get off!" he exclaimed, only to receive a 'noogie' from him. Noctis laughed a little, pushing his hyper active friend off. Ven grinned widely, nudging Noctis' sides.
"C'mon, Noct. Were there any cute girls in class today? C'mon, you can tell me!" he pestered, annoying Noctis.
"Why don't you come to one of them to see for yourself."
"GOOD IDEA!"
"Just make sure to keep yourself at a safe 'ten meters' away from them all. I don't want any complaints from any of their parents or caregivers."
Ven stared at Noctis incoherently. "Exactly how old are these girls, Noctis?"
"The youngest is 16. The oldest is 19."
"Pedophile!"
"How am I a pedophile?"
"You're freaking 25 years old!"
"The legal age is 16."
Ven and the recently arrived Jei gasped.
"Noctis, that's so sick! ... Are they cute?" Noctis twitched, whacking Ven across the head, annoyed.
"I didn't mean it that way you idiot! The legal age to join my classes is 16 and above." he hissed, pushing past Ven who had more questions about the girls spewing from his mouth. Noctis just sighed, ignoring it from now on. He made it to the doors of the elevator, pressing the button going up.
"Noct. Noct. Noctis. Noctis. Noct. Noct-
"SHUT UP, VEN!"
"YOU SHUT UP, JEI!"
Noctis shook his head, stepping into the elevator and pressed the last floor. It took three minutes to get to the top with a few stops for others who wanted to get to the floor higher than their own. A couple greeted Noctis with a bow and a smile, and he in return. Ven was still pestering him with annoying questions and Jei was trying to get him to shut up, threatening to attack him.
*ding*
The elevator doors opened to reveal a tall man with dark brown hair slicked back and a scar on his cheek.
"Hey, Rai!" Ven greeted, giving Rai a high five. The big guy smirked, saluting Noctis and Jei who smirked back. The four of them walked towards the large doors at the end of the building floor, entering with a bow.
"Uncle." Noctis addressed, stepping out of line from the other four. The elder man in the seat before them looked up from his paper work and smirked.
"Noctis... You made it on time, as expected. Although...," Noctis studied him as he stared at his attire.
"I had expected you to present yourself at 'business' standard." he spoke smoothly, though Noctis could feel the disappointment laced faintly in his words. Noctis sighed faintly, hoping his uncle didn't hear him, and gave a nod.
"My apologies, Uncle. I didn't mean to appear in inappropriate wear. I had things to take care of, and wearing a suit wasn't ideal." he replied quickly, yet paced. His uncle remained impassive, looking down at the papers in front of him.
It was silent for a while, until a ring interrupted their small gathering.
"Julius Caelum's office...," Noctis looked over his shoulder to see Rai had answered the phone and he seemed slightly surprised.
"I'll have a word with him right away. Hold for a moment." and with that, he trotted toward Julius. He leaned in to whisper, and Julius himself gave a slight surprised look.
"Really?"
"Yes, sir"
"Interesting. Reply to meet tomorrow at noon here in this office." Rai gave a nod, bowing and continued to talk on the phone. After a couple of seconds passed, he hung up the phone.
Noctis looked at his uncle and arched a curious brow. Julius intertwined his fingers together and leaned atop them.
"Noctis. The only reason I have called you here is indeed about business." he explained, not really interesting Noctis one bit. Just as he thought things were going to get much of a bore than it already was, he was startled by a sudden offer.
"I am putting you in charge of the company held here in Tenebrae. I will be heading over to Midgar for three months and I need someone who can handle this job here to run it." he gave a smirk, only surprising Noctis more.
"I will be hiring for you two new bodyguards who will attend to your needs outside of work, and during your personal trips to the malls, shopping markets and anywhere else." he announced. Noctis looked at Rai who cracked a grin. Ven and Jei arched curious brows, unaware of what Julius had planned.
"Tomorrow, I will be leaving in the morning. You will be meeting your new bodyguards in the afternoon here in your new office."
Lightning gulped down her fourth glass of spirits.
"Uh, take it easy, Light-
"How can I? I just stuffed up my baby sister's feelings. I deserve to hurt myself if I stumble because of my drunkenness." she slurred, making Fang sigh.
"Fang? Am I a horrible sister?"
Fang arched a brow. 'How could she say such a thing?'
"Oh, stop it, Light! Of course you're not!"
"Yes I am... I called my own sister a 'useless pest of a damn sister...' what kind of sister am I? I joined the Cocoon Army when I was her age, and ever since I came back from the Army, I didn't know anything but 'leadership' and 'being in control'... I've forgotten how to be a sister." Fang furrowed her brows. It was rare for Lightning to talk like this. Sighing, she patted the strawberry-head's back downing her own glass of whiskey.
"I can't do anything right. I have some sort of 'clumsiness' when I'm trying my hardest to be feminine and proper... I can't do it."
"You spent majority of your youth in the Army, I don't blame you."
"It was only six years" Fang smirked, shaking her head.
"I just want a job I can do. So I don't have to stress so much" she sighed, leaning onto her palm. Fang sighed, playing with a lock of her own hair.
"You know what? I think you should let her take that dance class."
"No, not you too, Fang..."
"Yes! I'll pay for it! Once she get's into this class, she's hooked and won't spend money anymore!" Lightning arched a brow.
"Hmmm... Is this what happened to Vanille?"
"Yep. She's stopped asking for the many jewelry in the world, all because of this dance class... Although, come to think of it, it's not Serah's fault you're running low on money. You just simply allow her to have what she asks for." Lightning looked at Fang for a moment before laughing, nodding her head in agreement.
"I really need to let loose. I've been stressing so much lately, I've forgotten how to have fun."
"You're absolutely right"
Lightning sighed. "I need to find a job"
"Oh, Light. Just take a break for a month. You really need it."
"Who's gonna pay for the bills?"
"I will!"
"Fang... I mean it. Thanks, though"
Fang sighed, shaking her head.
"You're so stubborn, it's annoying." she hissed, downing another cup. The two fell into a comfortable silence, until Fang shot up from her seat.
"What is it?"
"I HAVE A JOB FOR YOU!"
"Already? Are you serious?"
"Yep!" Fang grabbed out her cell and dialed a number. It took only five seconds for the other line to pick up the phone, and already Fang was getting into the conversation.
"Hello, I am interested in one of the vacant jobs of body guarding. Quick information, I've spent six years in the Cocoon army and I am capable of almost anything from combat skills to weaponry." Fang paused for a bit and smiled brightly.
"Thanks." and with that, she hung up. She looked over at Lightning who was dumbfounded. She must've been a little off her face.
"Girlfriend! You have to meet at this address at 12pm on the dot. You got the spot straight away!" Fang giggled, writing the address on a tissue using the bartender's spare pen.
"Come, I'll drop you home so you can get a good sleep." Fang smiled. Lightning gave a nod, sighing.
"Thanks, Fang. For everything."
"Don't worry, Light." the two stood up and headed for the exit to wait for their ride.
"Oh... What time does that dance class thing start tomorrow?" Lightning asked, rubbing her eye. Fang walked towards to her ride that had just arrived, looking back at Lightning, smiling.
"It starts at 10am, finishes at 11am. You have a whole hour to get ready for your first meeting. C'mon, you need to get some rest." Lightning smiled, hopping into the back seat.
note: woohoo! I did it! Chapter two is up. I had to re-write the whole chapter, because the previous idea I had wasn't so... fitting. I'm sorry with the constant use of the same words nearing the end. T.T I'm really tired. I wanted to update before I go to sleep. Excuse any incorrect grammar too. thank you!
chapter three will be up soon!
OH! thank you to:
sasusaku - EienAi: for reviewing, favouriting and alerting
Melty Bagle: for alerting
sillyscenegurly: for favouriting
and cam277: for alerting.
thank you so much for taking the time to read this... AU! :D x mwahs!
bye bye! *goodnight*