Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix, McDonalds or Craigslist.

One hour of my life has been wasted.

And even though it was wasted searching for (and finding no) jobs on Craigslist, I'll never get it back. It was used up by me, the idiot who thought that I might have enough luck to actually find a reasonable job. But then, just as I was about to give up, I managed to squeeze out a bit of luck and get a good laugh.

I found a gig that was titled:

Server for Party

And I thought, Nice, parties happen a few times a month and usually at night when I'm free. And if I need to be a server then all I need to do is walk around with a tray, offering little snacks to people, right?

So, I clicked it. And the summary made me made me laugh a little because...really, would I ever take this job?

Need males over eighteen to act as butlers for our bi/gay parties held every Friday. Must be here before the party to get ready, during to serve drinks, snacks and dinner and then stay after to clean.
Experience desired but not required. Remember to include contact info in email and 'Party' in subject line.
$10 an hour plus tips.

Me, the straight son, working as a butler for a bi/gay party. I'm not that desperate for a job.

So, I rub one of my temples and sit there, laughing softly for a few seconds.

Really, in what situation would I need to be in to take that job?

(...)

The next Saturday morning, I awake to the alarm on my phone. Like always, I check on my mom to see if she made it home and collapsed in her room from exhaustion. She has so I get ready for work and leave.

On the way to the car, I glance at the 'For Sale' sign and shake my head. When my mom told me and Sora that we were losing our home, I was upset. I was raised in this house and just because we can't keep up with the bills anymore, my whole childhood is going to disappear. But I won't let it happen. That's why I got a job at McDonalds and beg for more time to work everyday. Whatever munny I make, I give to my mom. After taking a few for gas, of course.

Though, recently, when they put the sign up, I asked my mom what had happened. The munny I was giving her, combined with the munny she makes from her job as a nurse, should've given us a few more months. That's when she confessed that she was putting the munny I gave her to the side in a bank account for when we had to leave the house and look for another place to live.

All my work had been for nothing. But I didn't stop. We had to keep going even if I was devasted that I'd lose the only place that I knew as home. So, I decided that I'd make enough munny to get us a place that we'd never have to give up. That's why I put up with-

"Stupid McDonalds..." I mumble to myself as I step into the grease filled workplace.

(...)

"DiZ, is today the day you'll let me work a little longer?"

The manager of the unhealthy death trap of a restaurant looks down at me with an irritated expression. "You've exceeded the seven hours that you're allowed to work on Saturday."

I sigh. "Come on, DiZ, I need this."

"The answer's no and will stay no." And with that, he heads back to his man cave.

As quickly as possible, I've got my things and am already in my car, almost ready to go with my hands on the steering wheel but the actual vehicle still off. I rest my forehead on the wheel and let out an exasperated sigh.

"It feels like I'm in darkness..." I softly whisper. "And no matter what I do, it gets darker and darker. My mind feels foggy and my limbs feel numb. I'm exhausted but I haven't even made a dent in our debts. Mom's stashing munny to the side but I want to keep the house so..." My eyes begin to droop. "...so that...he'll always know where we are..."

(...)

"Mommy, can we get ice cream?" A young, elated voice asks.

"Some Sea Salt Ice Cream? !" Another voice, somewhat similar to the first, chimes.

"If you both behave then we'll see." An older, kind voice replies.

I slowly open my eyes and find myself in my house, a few feet away from the front door. But it looks and feels different. There's pictures all over the walls and the curtains are pulled back, letting sunlight dance on the stainless carpet. The scent of vanilla floats throughout the house. A weird shudder creeps up my body. I turn toward the voices and my eyes widen in confusion.

My mother. Younger, more relaxed and with a carefree smile on her smooth, flawless face. There's no bags of exhaustion under her eyes, only crow's feet (which is pretty good considering how you get them). I haven't seen her like this since...I was a kid.

That's when I notice the two young children of the same age with the same beautiful cerulean eyes, both hanging on to a hand of my mother. The only difference between them is that one has blond hair and the other brown. My mouth hangs slightly agape and I shake my head slightly.

"Sora and I? When we were kids?" I choke out and take a step forward.

But I stop and smile with mournful eyes at the sight, savoring the rare moment. We look so alike. What changed us into what we are today?

Then, suddenly, my mother gets a worried look. "Cloud...?"

Slowly, I look over my shoulder. And once I see a man who looks just like me with the same golden spikes and the same sky blue eyes, my pupils dilate and I step back toward my past family, my body twisting to face my father.

Within a few seconds, my eyebrows furrow and I grit my teeth. My fists clench and I prepare to use them. He deserves whatever I plan to do to him.

"You're the reason." I say through gritted teeth and then yell, "You're the fucking reason!"

But as if he didn't hear me, Cloud turns and heads out the door. I'm about to chase after the bastard but the house begins to morph. The pictures fall off of the walls and crash onto the floor. The curtains swoosh shut and the scent of vanilla disappears. A few screams and cries echo throughout the house. I quickly turn back just in time to see my mother close her eyes as her face distorts to one of grief, a face that my present mother usually has. She looks tired again, so much that she can't even smile, though she wishes she could.

My eyes dart to Sora who grows a few feet and gains more mature features. His eyes stay young and innocent but with a hint of dark lust in them. Next is myself. I go through the same growth changes as Sora but there's more. I look more experienced and angrier than him. My face seems to be in a permanent frown and my eyes look lifeless as if the joy has been beaten, or worked, out of them.

Then, the three of them reach down and each pick up a suitcase that seems to have just appeared out of thin air. Together, they begin to head out the door. I stare in confusion then realize what's happening when I see a young lady or man (it's hard to tell with their slender figure), a few years older than me, in police attire waiting just a few steps away.

They're being evicted.

"N-no...This can't happen. This won't happen." I hurry to the officer, forgetting that no one can hear or see me, and beg to him, "Please don't do this. We need to stay here. He needs to know that we're still here. Please, there has to be something I can do to prevent this."

And to my surprise, the officer turns his head toward me and as he avoids eye contact, replies, "There's tons of things you can do but you're not desperate enough to do them. You're so stubborn, you'll wait until this happens..." He gestures to my family with a quick, graceful hand and continues, "And then start begging for spare change. You need to start when you're ahead."

"But what do I do? What can I do?" I ask but he's back to ignoring me like the others.

I place my hands on my head to prevent this world from spinning. My breathing gets heavy. I shut my eyes and my thoughts pound at the walls of my head.

What do I do? ! What can I do? ! Help me! Someone, please...

"HELP ME! ! !"

RING~RING~RING

My head bolts upright and I find myself in my car at the McDonalds parking lot, covered with sweat. My trembling hands search around for the device that the ringing is being emitted from. When I finally find my phone (in my pocket), I answer,

"Hello?"

"Roxas?" Sora's voice asks. It's shaky and sounds like he had been crying.

"Sora? What's wrong?"

"It's Mommy. She's in the hospital, except her shift's over."

My cell phone drops from my hand and I speed out of the parking lot, forgetying everything I ever learned in Driving School.

AN: There's the second chapter.

Also, the review button is just a few centimeters below. Click it if you wish for me to become a better writer. Please tell me where I went wrong and where I went right with this chapter.