A/N: this is a look into the lives of the key players in Chanterelle and how they cope with the outside world. It's not very eventful but it does set the stage for a new pairing and the breaking down of each person's world. Please enjoy and let me know what you think.
Special thanks: Lolli you are my girl! You have made me a very happy person with your beta-ing! And of course thanks for ALL the reviews. Forty-Four reviews from just three chapters just make my world go round! It's awesome.
House of Chanterelle
Episode Two
"Ordinary People"
Waking up is considered to be a point in time when you open your eyes and return to reality. Therefore, when a person wakes they can still be somewhere else at that particular time. Sometimes we don't really wake up until we're out the door and heading off into our lives. This is the case with Axel. Axel, who had spent many a morning fighting off the throws of a hang over, found himself waking in an almost serene way. He wasn't startled out of sleep like most busy people are but rather he went through a transitional process of waking that left him lingering between the REM state and actual reality. The process didn't end until he was opening his eyes and was looking at the ceiling of his own home. The sun was warm on his face, which was strange because he never slept with the blinds open. He could only lay there seeing how his body was more than heavy today. His limbs felt so limp like there was nothing more than water beneath his skin. He blinked slowly a few times before his bearings came back to him. Memories of flower filled water and vanilla scented candles flowed gently along the currents of his mind. Intense blues eyes looking down on him with a strange adoration and a soft smile made him smirk and laugh at his stupidity. He put a hand over his face.
"Fuck, Roxas, what'd you do to me?"
Amazingly, he was able to sit up with a fluid ease that he hadn't had since he was in high school with Riku. Even though his body was heavy like a brick, it responded well to his need to move without so much as an ache in his spine. This was definitely different! His head felt clearer than it had ever been and when he looked around his modest penthouse…something was different. Fun fact, he couldn't smell that overpriced toilet water Larxene called perfume. He looked down at his now clean white sheets that smelled of fresh fabric softener. He touched them for minute trying to think of when they had been changed. Oh right, he did that yesterday. That's right, today was Sunday and yesterday he had taken the time to get rid of the sheets. He peeked beneath the fitted sheets. Apparently he got rid of the mattress too. He couldn't quite recall the details of it but did remember doing it. He got out of bed and stretched though it was unneeded with how loose his body was. A quick shower and a cup of coffee cleared the haze. He sat on his couch and flipped on the TV while in his mind he tried to piece together how he got from Chanterelle to his house and when he had decided to do the changes to his bed.
He remembered falling asleep with Roxas on top of him. That much was clear, but waking up the next morning was where everything got fuzzy. He had awakened with the blonde fast asleep at his side. That's right, the kid was cold. He was ice cold for a matter of fact. It was how Roxas was curled against him with that abnormal temperature that woke him. He had tried to wake him several times but all he got were soft groans and the kid had turned away from him. From there, what did he do? He couldn't remember getting dressed or anything but he did remember walking out of the House with a very groggy Riku. He had been dropped home then. What else, though? Oh yeah, he called to check in with his father and changed the sheets. So that was yesterday meaning that it was Sunday? So that meant that he had gone through the entire weekend in a pleasant daze and hadn't even realized it. What the hell? Sighing he flipped the channels. He, of all people, had no control over his body for the past few days. That just wasn't him at all!
His phone vibrated on the coffee table catching his attention. Flipping it open, he pressed it to his ear. "Yo!"
"You're late."
"Well if it isn't of my favorite gray haired psycho, how's it going Zexion?"
"I'm putting up with your father's tantrums about where you were yesterday and where you are now. Why aren't you here? You had a meeting to get to this morning!"
"Oh Zexy please forgive my having a life! I just hate that it interferes with me catering to you all the time, especially when all I want to do is just throw you over my desk and-"
"You're on speaker phone, Axel."
"Oh you bastard," Axel cursed. "Hi dad! What's up, old man."
He could hear his father, Lae, ranting through the receiver. "Axel Flammel where the hell have you been?! Do you realize you were supposed to be here an hour ago! Instead you're lazing around at home and harassing my assistant! I should fire you, you ungrateful little-"
"Nothing would make me happier but I like my comfy cozy life, so how about you give me about thirty minutes tops to get myself together and I'll show up to play happy president in a jiffy."
"-and Riku isn't here either! Riku's father is going to shoot me if he realizes I lost track of his son-"
"He stopped listening a while ago, Axel. Just get here so I can go about my life in peace."
"Only an uptown bus could stop me from getting you to you, Zexy!"
"I'll pray for the bus's victory. Goodbye."
"Hey wait, do I have to get Riku too? I mean, he should be home with what's her name."
"I'm sure he would be at home with Freya. She IS his wife."
"She's so bitchy though!"
"Just do what you need to do and get over here before my contemplation of murder gets out of hand."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going. Bye Zexy"
"Goodbye."
Axel flipped is phone shut and sighed. Who the hell had meetings on Sunday anyway? "Well there goes that day. Stupid work!"
Arranged marriages are the bane of Love. It forcibly pushes two people together and allows fate to decide whether or not it's good for them. It's mostly like a business agreement decided by a third party rather than the man and the woman who are involved. Then suddenly they are thrust into a situation that lacks emotion and stability but are forced to continue their roles in order to keep up with demand. Bittersweet kisses that have no more feeling behind them than two blocks of wood being pushed together become the daily routine of affection. It is easy to deal with in the beginning because you realize you have no real connection or obligation to said spouse, but then suddenly, things get complicated. A father demands an heir, a mother wants to see grandchildren, and said spouse wants something concrete to hold the marriage together. Thus, the child comes into play. The child is what causes unspeakable emotions, especially under the circumstances in which Riku Crescent found out that he would have a child. He hadn't been prepared in the least when Freya Asgard, his trophy wife of three years and bane of existence for nearly ten, claimed to be pregnant. He remembered exactly how it happened and was reminded of it every day that he was away from the one who really wanted him as he was.
Riku pulled his button-up dress shirt on quickly when he heard Freya come in to the bedroom. He adjusted it on his shoulder so as to hide the Chanterelle brand. The blond woman came into the room tossing her keys on the table and sitting on the bed. She stared at Riku with cold eyes.
"Going out again, dear?" she said with a mocking tone.
"As always. Why, did you want something Freya?" he asked halfway ignoring her. He didn't really care what she wanted at the moment. His mind was only on seeing Sora again and feeling those small arms around him again.
"Oh I just wanted to share the good news with you before you went gallivanting with whatever whore you've been seeing for the past year."
Riku rolled his eyes and decided to give her some attention. The quicker he got this over with, the quicker he could leave. "And what's the news? They opened another jewelry store? You found another summerhouse you want me to pay for? What?"
She smirked, her English accent thick today. "Oh it's much more expensive than that, Riku. I think you'll be just as happy as I am."
Something set off an alarm in Riku's head when he saw her hand slip to her stomach. "And that is?"
She looked up at him with cold blue eyes and smiled. "I'm pregnant."
Riku felt his heart stop and as all hope of making it happily through and out of this marriage, shattered. "You're what?"
"I'm going to have a child, Riku. Your child and I decided to keep it."
He felt his fingers curl in to fists and his nails bite into his skin. "You can't be pregnant! You were on the shot! I was there every time you took them!"
She crossed her legs smugly. "There's an advantage to having a father who owns the hospital you go to. He wanted to have grandchildren and I know your father has been pushing for you to have a child as well. So, all those shots were nothing but harmless nutrient solutions. I haven't been on birth control since we got married." She leaned back a little watching her husband squirm. "I have to admit, it was hard getting pregnant since half the time you refused to touch me anyway but even you slip up sometimes. You are just a man after all."
Riku felt nauseous and shook his head. "You can't do this, Freya! Get rid of it! We agreed to have no children, get rid of it!"
She put her hands to her stomach and gave a fake appalled look. "I'm shocked that you would want to kill something that we both created. How dare you want to end your child's life before it's even born?"
"Freya I'm begging you, get an abortion and get rid of it. I don't want this and the only reason that you want it is because it just means more money for you! There is now way a child would be happy with us."
"No," she said firmly. "This is the only way I know how to live and you were planning on ending it. I've gotten too comfortable to go back to having second-rate clout! I'm going to have this baby and you are going to help me take care of it! Now go! You'll be late for Cora, Dora, or whatever the hell that name is you call out in your sleep!"
That was the last time he had seen Sora during Freya's pregnancy. She had threatened to expose Chanterelle to the media if he didn't stop going. Of course, she didn't really know the details of Chanterelle, but Madame Valkyrie would not be pleased about having her place all over TV and Sora would suffer for it. So would he if it got out that he was Freya's husband and then he'd get a visit from the Burmese Jezebels. God forbid that the world knew what really went on under the red lights there. He went to the House of Chanterelle that night and told Sora that they would not be able to see each other for a while. It had broken his heart to see that, even though Sora loved him, the brunette understood and didn't make any fuss about it. He had to wonder how many times people had abandoned Sora for him to have taken it so well. The months flew by and he was forced to spend every waking moment with Freya. His depression and longing for Sora's embrace swelled everyday that Freya's womb did.
Then, almost a month ago now, Alicia was born. Blonde haired and blue eyed like her mother, but pale and beautiful like her father. When Riku held her for the first time, he realized that she wasn't the reason he was angry and he swore that he would never raise a hand to her. She was small, frail even and it made Riku nervous to let her go to Freya. Now that she had proven to be a strong healthy girl, Riku felt safe enough to return to Sora that Friday night. He had never been happier.
Now here he lay, dozing in the morning light with little Alicia laying on his chest sound asleep. Freya had left early that morning to go shopping leaving him with the responsibility of taking care of her. He didn't mind at all. Alicia only cried when Freya held her anyway. He smiled as he rubbed the infant's back, happy that at least one person in that house loved him. He was content to doze off once again when the doorbell rung and set off a screaming Alicia. Riku cursed under his breath and picked her up. He tried to soothe her as he went to the door, but each time the bell rung her screams got louder. He shifted her to one arm and swung open the door with an agitated expression. It turned it into a scowl when he saw who had been blowing up his doorbell.
"Yo! What's up, you silver haired psycho?!" Axel asked cheerfully.
"I hate you so much right now!" Riku grumbled, rocking Alicia.
Axel blinked at the crying Alicia and took her from Riku's arms. "Hey firefly!" he cooed. "Is that how you're going to act with Uncle Axel?"
To Riku's amazement and annoyance Alicia quieted remained still in Axel arms. "You have got to be kidding me."
"It's true; no woman, no matter how tiny, can resist the pyro! Can you firefly?" Axel said smugly.
"Stop hitting on my daughter. What do you want, you asshole?" Riku let Axel come in and closed the door behind him.
"Oh look firefly, the silver psycho is a douche even in its natural habitat," Axel said playing with Alicia. "I came cause the old man is losing his mind. He said we missed some kinda meeting or something."
"Who schedules a meeting Sunday?"
"I know, right?! Anyway, Zex has his hands full trying to appease the bastard and we have to go up there cause of something or other."
Riku stared at Axel as he blew on Alicia's stomach. "Your information gathering skills are amazing, Axel."
"Alicia, say daddy is a douche. Say it with me now!"
"Idiot, I can't go. Freya's not here to look after Alicia."
"Pft! Thank god!" Axel scoffed. "The kid would probably drown in the bathtub if we trusted Freya with everything. As firefly's godfather, I forbid you to leave her alone with the Bitch of Eastwick."
Riku was already preparing a baby bag. "When did you become her godfather?"
"Just now."
"We'll take her with us to the office but I swear if your dad looks at her funny one more time, I'll make sure Crescent industries rips up that contract."
"Oh come on, Riku. You know the old man loves Alicia! He just hates that she looks like Freya."
"And that would be a good reason for him to leave her alone." Riku said putting a stuffed animal in the bag.
Axel stopped listening. "When you start talking, I'm gonna teach you all kinds of fun words to call your mom. Like bitch, whore, skank-"
"Axel, stop that!"
"She can't understand me yet, Riku. Stop being paranoid!"
Riku sighed and rubbed his temples. "I'm gonna shower and then we'll leave."
Alicia began to cry again and Axel held her at a distance with his nose scrunched up "Whoa, nice shot kid!"
Riku smirked and tossed the diaper bag on the couch. "And you get to clean Alicia up."
"I take it back! You're not a douche, you're just a dirty fucker!" Axel called after him.
The ride to the office wasn't all that eventful. They had taken Axel's car since it was already baby proofed. Riku actually did appreciate Axel's love for little Alicia and was glad that someone was there for her. When he heard that Alicia had been born, he had made it his sole responsibility to give Alicia anything she would want and need. Those days when Freya started to disappear and Riku would be too busy, Axel always had space in his office for the kid to sleep. Now, Alicia lay quietly sleeping like an angel while Axel fought to get through traffic. Riku rested his head against the glass with a grim smile on his face. He felt himself spacing with the slow passing buildings.
"Yo, Riku?"
"Mm, what man?" Riku asked tiredly.
"About Friday," he said hesitantly.
Riku laughed. "Go ahead, ask away."
"Um…what the hell was that?!"
"Ha, that would be the afterglow. It lingers for a few days."
"Well you know more than I do about it. What was up with Roxas! He is a whore, right? I mean, all we did was take a bath, talk and go to sleep like a…like a…"
"A stable couple?"
"Yes!"
"Well, all I know is that any butterfly you get with at Chanterelle won't give you a single thing that you want! They somehow always know what you need emotionally and they manage to give it to you. Then finally when you wake up from it you feel the best you've ever felt."
"That's exactly what I felt. But I keep thinking about him. That kid Roxas, he said I was going to take a while."
"Then it's obvious that he wanted you to come and see him again. I know Sora wanted me to come back the first night."
"Did you do him on the first night?" Axel asked curiously.
"I'm not telling you that!"
"No I'm serious! I want to know, it's not like I'll tell anybody!"
Riku leaned back against his seat and smiled a little. "Alright, but only because you're my best friend and I know that no matter what you'll still call me gay regardless"
"You are gay, douche! Now get to it!"
"Well, when I got chosen the first time, he took me to his room and made me get comfortable. He gave me a drink and he just asked some random questions about my life. You know, normal stuff like what I did for living, what it like was for me, if I was married and stuff. When I said I was married he just kinda came over to me and gave me this really weird look. Then he just hugged me."
"He…hugged you?"
"Yeah, he hugged me and he just said, 'you're only human.' I don't remember what that meant to me but it was something heavy. We ended up falling asleep in each others arms and that was it."
Axel arched his eyebrow and laughed. "I told you that you had issues! Even that kid knew you were fucking nuts."
Riku flipped him off. "Right here, Axel!"
"So are you gonna go again?"
"Duh, better than staying at home. You gonna go back?"
"I dunno yet. I felt good but it was all too weird."
"Yeah, that's how it feels the first few times. Might was well go and get it out of your system."
At the office, when Riku and Axel arrived, Zexion found himself in quite a predicament. He had to choose between listening to Lae Flammel and taking care of a baby in his own office. Leave it to Axel and Riku to make his job harder than it already was. Oh well, a baby wasn't much different than dealing with Lae. He sat in his office working on Lae and Axel's schedule and handling all their accounts and basically running the company while the two argued about Axel's habits. Riku had to go and deal with Sephiroth on why the hell he was here on a Sunday. This left him to deal with Riku's end as well. This was just too much.
Zexion had always fancied himself intelligent. He had come from the best college and schools and was one of the most progressive people in the corporate world. He was also the youngest in the business. Zexion had bragging rights of being the youngest graduate to ever be chosen by a corporate CEO. He was only twenty-one when he graduated from a high class college and got his first break as a personal assistant to Lae. He had always skipped grade after grade because he was far more intelligent than his peers. Now he was twenty-three and was making more than any man his age dreamed to be making. Hell, his gross worth as an employee (should he ever be traded) was worth the amount of a small business. So what was Zexion's problem with his current life?
He looked down at Alicia who watched him with big eyes. He didn't know much in the way of parenting aside from what he had seen of his own father and mother. Still, Alicia drew a smile from him the way she cooed in her carrier and looked at her surroundings. He sighed and leaned back his chair.
"You're lucky, Alicia. You don't have to work so hard to get recognition in life. I bet there's never a moment someone isn't coddling you." He said blandly. "Your Uncle Axel is a twit, your father is pack mule of high expectations, and I'm just someone who's there to clean up the aftermath. I hope your first words are under appreciation."
He was starting to question his sanity considering he was talking to a new born. Zexion continued to plot out the month's events on the computer and prepared an agenda for their next meeting. He did entirely too much as an assistant. He paused only once when the door clicked open and Yuna walked in. Alicia began to cry when she closed the door behind her and Zexion rubbed his temples. Yuna gave him an apologetic look and she picked up Alicia.
"Hello buttercup," she cooed rocking the baby. "It's kinda sad that this entire office is doing a better job of caring for Alicia than Freya."
Zexion was thankful when Alicia stopped crying in the girl's arms. "Yes, well not all debutants are meant to be homemakers."
"Or any kind of maker if you ask me," Yuna said sadly.
"Forgive me for being rude, but I do have a lot of work to do. Could you please tell me what you needed?"
"Oh don't worry, I'm here for a reason. Since you and I are the only ones handy capable at the moment, we're on coffee detail for the bigwigs."
Zexion let his head fall on the desk. "They couldn't get their own coffee?"
Yuna held up a list in one hand while she held Alicia against her hip. "They said they didn't have time and that you would help me. I'm really sorry, Zexion."
He stared at the unfinished work on his computer before rising and getting his blazer. "No, this is what I live for; long days in the office and coffee runs."
Thunder struck past his window and a sudden downpour made itself known. Yuna grimaced as Alicia began to cry again. Zexion looked over his shoulder at the gray scenery and shut his eyes, trying to ease the tension in his head.
"At least my expectations are never high," he muttered.
Yuna placed Alicia in her carrier and picked it up. "You can never be disappointed that way, right?"
"Correct."
They took Yuna's car since it was on the first floor of the parking garage. Zexion's was on the top since he hardly left the office and it wasn't baby proofed. He always did wonder why Yuna had a spare car seat but he never really asked. That was her business. They drove to one of the many Starbucks, which was as always crowded. He offered to watch Alicia while Yuna waited in line for the coffee. That's how he ended up sitting at one of the empty tables trying to figure out why Alicia wouldn't stop crying. Aforementioned, Zexion didn't know anything about children or parenting at all. He couldn't figure out what she wanted. He tried holding her carefully and rocking her the way Yuna did. She only cried more and he tried to ignore the stares of people around him. How could this get any worse?
"May I?"
Zexion looked up to see a pretty girl with deep azure eyes and licorice colored hair bent over beside him. Her skin glowed beautifully in the fluorescent light of the shop and her gaze was warm and inviting. She smiled and held out her arms for the baby, still looking into Zexion's eyes. He wasn't sure where his logic went he gave this stranger Riku's child. Alicia cried as she rocked her for a moment. She looked down at the baby bag they had brought along with them and dug for one of the bottles.
"Ahah!" she whispered removing the cap from one of the bottles and placing it to Alicia's lips. "There you go, angel. You were starving weren't you?"
Zexion watched in amazement as Alicia suckled the bottle without a fuss in the girl's arms. She looked down at him with a cute knowing smile.
"I take it she's not yours?"
"No, she's my boss's kid. He got busy so I'm just watching her."
"Ah, well see, when they cry in that kinda tone they're usually hungry. You gotta be careful with her; it's painful for a baby to be hungry."
Zexion nodded absently. "Thank you, miss."
"Oh I'm Kairi Algarve though we'll probably never meet again! Still, formality's always good. What's your name?"
"Zexion Tyr, pleasure to meet you."
She still hadn't broken eye contact with him and for some reason he couldn't bring himself to look away. She giggled and gave Alicia back. "I think we'll see each other again. You're too cute for me not to bump into you again."
Zexion's brow arched and he was about to say something demeaning in response but was caught off-guard by a girl wrapping her arms around Kairi. She placed her fair blond head on the girl's shoulder hugging her tightly. Kairi smiled affectionately.
"Kairi, you got ahead of us!" she said cutely. "You know that wasn't fair!"
"It was a race Naminé! You're just upset that I won! Oh meet my new friend. This cutie's name is Zexion Tyr; Zexion, this is my girlfriend Naminé."
Zexion nodded to the blonde who smiled sweetly. The way she held on to the redhead proved that they were affectionate toward each other but he had never seen a same-sex couple that was so open with their relationship. To tell the truth, he thought they were sisters with how much they looked alike. Naminé kissed Kairi's cheek before releasing her.
"I'm gonna go order us something, Kai. Dem, Rox and Sor'll be here when they stop being so slow."
"Kay, I just want a cappuccino!" Kairi called out as Naminé walked away. She looked down at Zexion. "You look overworked. I bet you're one of those business men that show up here all the time aren't you?"
"Obvious," he said a little colder than he had meant but he was still feeling the office follow him.
"You're a little young but I suppose this will be helpful. After all, it will be nice to see some new faces," she said digging a card out of her purse.
Zexion took it when offered and squinted his eyes at the picture of a butterfly taking off from a mushroom. "The House of Chanterelle?"
"It's a place to get a good massage, a bite to eat, and relaxing goodnight's rest. For you, I suggest a day trip."
The young business man could only stare at her eyes with a dazed expression. He wasn't sure what made him pocket the card instead of declining it but he was nodding politely and doing so. Kairi smiled at him and brushed her hair behind her ear.
"I'll see you there, maybe Sunday?"
"That's sounds alright, thank you."
"Zexion, I got all the coffee!" Yuna said.
If Zexion had been able to clear the cloudiness in his head, he would've been able to see the brief meeting of eyes between Kairi and Yuna. He would've been able to see the slightest of smiles on those pink glossed lips. Kairi's eyes left Zexion and she waved goodbye to them. Zexion watched her rejoin her girlfriend for a moment before picking up Alicia's carrier and helping Yuna with some of the coffee. He shook his head at Yuna's apologies about waiting and walked out the door with her. On the way out a group of people were coming in. A short blonde and brunette brushed past him in a hurry but he dropped Alicia's carrier when he bumped into a taller individual. He didn't have time to gasp before the stranger grabbed the carrier before Alicia was disturbed. Zexion found himself captured by eyes the color of a clean crystal lake and a strange dirty blonde Mohawk with a carefree smile.
"Hi there!" he said cheerfully. He handed Alicia back to him. "Be more careful, next time!"
With a wink and a smile, the blonde walked away to rejoin his group. Zexion couldn't help but look back. He didn't do it because he was in love with the blond at first sight; he was too practical for that. He didn't do it because he was carnally attracted to the man. No, he did it because he'd never seen anyone who a) looked as strangely as that guy did and b) he had never had someone look at him the way that stranger did. What was that look? And why did he look at Zexion, of all people, with that look?
Yuna watched the confusion and analytical process going on behind Zexion's violet eyes. She smiled secretly knowing the House of Chanterelle would corrupt another.
A/N: I understand that not a lot happened this chapter but this was just to set up the characters and to bring in my beloved pessimist/realist Zexion. This is turning out to be an awesome story and even I like it! Please keep reviewing so i can keep it going and all your comments are welcome, they help me shape the story better so don't hesitate to suggest things
