Back to Work
Summary: Zephyr meets teacher
Pairings: Zephyr/Veda/Rosie X Story/Carter
Rating: mild
Warnings: mentions of a drug overdose, drinking, mild language, 18+ ONLY
Word Count: 2.1K
Zephyr Baizen Masterlist
Desperate Lives AU Masterlist
“Good morning,” Zephyr walks into the kitchen, handing Rosie over to his mom, and sits Veda onto a stool, before sitting down beside her. “Ooh, Gimpa is making pancakes,” with a little giggle, Veda reaches over to her dad, wanting to get in his lap.
“Rosie Osie, are you hungry?” Story asks her youngest granddaughter who moves her hand up and down over her belly. “Okay, okay, Gimpa is finishing up. Z, I was wanting to talk to you about my old dance studio. You can say no, but I think both girls could benefit from taking dance.”
“Dance? Or ballet?”
“I wanna be a ballerina! Gaga got me tutus, but she won’t let me wear her tiara.”
Zephyr smiles at his mom before blowing raspberries on her neck, “That’s because she’s saving that for when her daughters get married. You’re asking to wear the wrong tiara. That one has real diamonds on it.”
“Gaga, can I be a ballerina?” Veda’s little legs wiggle around, and Story was just happy that Veda’s mother hadn’t been brought up yet.
“Of course. I can always make sure you get to practice, but I was also informed they want to do some renovations, and…I might have volunteered you,” Zephyr sighs knowing there was more to this random conversation than his mom originally made it out to be. “You can always say no.”
“No, I can’t. You’ve already volunteered me. So I’ll go and get it renovated, and you’re going to put me on display hoping that some dancer scoops me up.”
“Hehe, daddy, you’re funny.”
“It sure beats going out every Friday night,” she smiles over her mug towards Zephyr, while Carter plates up the pancakes, giving his wife a cheek kiss. “I’m just saying, you should…”
“Daddy, when is mommy going to call?” Using her two pointer fingers, Rosie pushes them together, mouthing ouch over and over again. “Daddy, I’m sorry. I just…I’m sorry,” he gives his daughter the sweetest kiss on her cheek.
“I’ve got to go.”
“Z,” Carter says calmly, “You’re going to eat breakfast with your daughters. Then you can go to work,” with a single nod of his head, he sits there quietly, but withdrawn. “Now, Veda, after breakfast, we’ll get you dressed up, and find you a less expensive tiara, okay?”
“Okay, Gimpa, I’m sorry.”
——
Zephyr stares at his daughters asleep in his bed. He only had an hour or two before Veda would be up, wandering around the castle looking for him. It was his only time alone. There were always people running about, but this time of night, everyone had retired to their bed. Walking downstairs, he stops when he sees his dad at the bar cart pouring two glasses.
“Sit.”
“Dad, I really don’t want to talk.”
“Sit,” Carter repeats, holding a glass up to his son, and pointing to the plush couch. “Your mom is asleep in the bed with Audi and Fauna, and you have a baby monitor in your pocket. We’ve got time to spare.”
He takes a sip of the straight bourbon, and looks out at nothing. Clenching his teeth for a moment, “You’re pissed off at Piper because she gets to go on and do whatever she wants without consequence.”
“I’m pissed off at Piper because I came home to my baby crying and hitting her mother who passed out. She had a rash because she hadn’t been changed all day. I couldn’t find Veda, and when I did she wasn’t moving. Rosie was still crying, and Veda never moved. Dad, I thought my daughter was dead. I thought Piper was, too, and I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was my daughters. Yeah, I’m fucking pissed off that she doesn’t have the decency to get clean and ask about Veda. Rosie is traumatized and refuses to speak. We’ve got her signing because of something her mother did to them.”
“Son, I can’t pretend to understand what you’re going through. What I do know is you’re a good dad,” Zephyr sniffles, and lifts his cup up, completely downing the expensive bourbon. “But while you’re worrying about your girls, can we not still worry about our son?”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You’re working late hours. If Veda brings up Piper, you are ready to run away. You go out every Friday and Saturday night, and…”
“I’m just drinking. I’m not having sex with anyone. Ask Illiana and Iclynn. They always come and pick my drunk ass up. I just need space. That’s it. I need time for me to be alone. But drinking alone is sad, so I go to a bar. I sit there, I sometimes talk, sometimes I just drink my beer. Is it so bad that I want time for myself? I work, I come home, I’m a dad, I’m a big brother, I spend time with my daughters, I get them ready for bed, I lay in the bed and talk to them, and I get mad that Rosie is two and doesn’t even say daddy. I need,” Carter stands up, and sits down beside his son, wrapping his arms around him.
“I know what mom is doing, but…I can’t date. My daughters need me.”
“She’s not asking you to date. She’s wanting you to get out and do something for yourself. Your mom only wants to see her babies happy.”
“I’m not. Dad, I screwed up. I knew what Piper was doing, and I still wanted another baby. Do you think…what if it’s more than what happened with Rosie, what if…Piper wasn’t good. She wasn’t clean. I even tested Rosie, because I didn’t think she was mine, and…dad, I’m just as guilty. I should have taken Veda and came home.”
Pulling out of his embrace, he holds Zephyr’s face in both of his hands, wishing he was his always dirty little boy again, “We wouldn’t have Rosie. She’s making sounds out of her mouth. She’s happy, and she’s perfect. You should have seen her today with your mom. Dance will be good for both of them. Rosie liked her tutu, and didn't even wanna take it off. Zeph, everyday is a new day. Quit dwelling on that ugly past.”
“Veda has anxiety. She’s five.”
“Yeah, well, that could be a Baizen thing. I had anxiety at that age, too,” a crackle in the monitor makes Zephyr pull it out of his pocket, and then he hears the whisper of Veda.
“I’m counting to ten, daddy. I need you to keep me warm.”
“Go to sleep, Z. Remember, we’re only here to help everyone.”
He runs upstairs before Veda starts wandering through the house. Story steps out of the bedroom, and walks over to sit beside her husband. Her hand rubs over his chest, while she leans on his shoulder, “I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you when I first met you.”
“My Queen, there’s no way in the world you remember the first time you met me.”
“I do. I remember looking at those pretty eyes, Baizen. You needed me, and I needed you. Our adult children’s problems are so much worse than our babies.”
“You can’t compare our sons to our daughters. Otto is thirty.”
“And won’t leave the Hampton house.”
“Shh, just hold me for a minute. I don’t want to talk about our two sons that never come home. At least Otto calls. Brookie…Carter I just got a bad feeling about all that. He’s up there alone since Annie broke up with him, and…” Carter shushes his wife, and pulls her in closer. There was nothing they could do about the breakup, or Otto’s resistance to home. The only thing he could do was hold her right now, and that’s what he wanted to do for the rest of the night.
“Come on, I know two little princesses that are going to be rolled all around that bed.”
——
You pace back and forth in the studio, wondering if it was going to be a good idea to have the little class when the practice room is getting some upgrades. An alum of the studio had volunteered her son to renovate the space, all for lessons for his daughters. The Baizen’s. You had heard about them throughout most of your life. Boston royalty with enough kids to make a baseball team.
With a clearing of your mother’s throat, you look towards the door to what you assumed was the grandmother, and two of the cutest little girls, “I’m Story,” she holds her hand out to you, while the toddler in her arms had her fingers crossed, and touches each side of her nose, “And this is Rosie. She’s non-verbal, but she’s really good at signing, aren’t you, baby?” With a sweet dimpled smile, she nods her head.
“And this is Veda,” the little girl didn’t want to come from behind her grandmother’s leg, but she peeks out from behind it. “She’s only a little shy.”
“My daddy is going to be here the whole time?”
Looking up at the grandmother, you squat down to the little girl’s level, “Is your daddy the one that’s working on the studio?” She gives you a little nod, using her pointer finger to rub over her nose, “I bet if you listen, you can hear him working. You see this mirror? On the other side is another room, your daddy is over there.”
“So if I want him, I can go get him.”
“I hope you have so much fun you won’t even think about him,” she gives you a scowl, and looks up at her grandmother. “But sure, if you really get to missing him, we can go get him. But since you and Rosie are here in your leotards, why don’t we go to the barre and warmup. It’s just us during this class, okay?”
Looking up at Story, Veda drops her hand, and Story puts Rosie down on the ground, and they follow you over to the barre. You mother and her walk out, and you spend your time teaching them positions. Getting Veda completely distracted until she hears the hammering. “Can we go check, just real quick? I wanna make sure that’s my daddy.”
“We can take a three minute break to check,” Rosie looks up at you with her pouting blue eyes, making grabby hands at you, until you pick her up. Heading towards the door, Veda grabs your hand in her own, and follows you in the room. “Remember, it won’t be safe for us to walk in, so we have to stay at the door.
“Okay,” she was an adorable little girl. Her demeanor had changed when she realized she was going to see her daddy. Bouncing in her step, and when she spots him, she squeals, “Daddy! I just had to check and see if it was really you.”
You gulp as the man walks closer to you. He was huge, tall, and handsome, and had a dangerous smile. “Hello, my darlings. Have you been doing the toe pointing like Gaga?”
“And the hands. Daddy, this is teacher.”
“I’m sure it is,” you try to look away, but he had those piercing blue eyes just like the little girls. He had no right to look this handsome, and you felt guilty for clinging to his daughters, while you were checking him out. “Daddy has a lot of work to do, so go back with teacher. When I’m done we’ll go home, okay?”
“Can we get Biscoffs?”
“Yes. Now, behave Veda. Muah,” he gives Rosie a kiss, before leaning down to give one to Veda. He smelled too good. Way too good, and too expensive. He had two kids. He had baggage. You had no business looking at him. Or even worrying about who he was. You were too young for a baby, much less two children, and yet, you wanted to know all about this man. “Teacher, they’re all yours now.”
“Right,” he smiles at you, and even he had a dimple. You needed to get back into the room. “Okay, ladies. Let’s go back, and do some dancing.”
“Thank you, teacher!” He calls to you as you walk away. Don’t look at him. Don't mention that he wasn’t wearing a ring. Don’t do anything but get back into the studio. You couldn’t look at him anymore. But when you looked at his little girls, you saw his exact eyes staring back at you. Someone in this family really spread the love with their genes. Shaking your head, you get back into first position. There was nothing some ballet couldn’t take your mind off the tall thick man.
“Alright, ladies, back to work,” both girls giggle at you as they try to copy your movements. It was sad that you had to tell yourself the exact same things. Back to work. Put the man out of your mind. Back to work.
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