Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.
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As soon as she stepped into the room, a strong aura of alcohols hit her right in the face.
"What is this?" inquired C.C. disgustedly, wrinkling her poor nose. Her eyes then traveled downward toward the floor littered with several empty bottles of beer and all sorts.
A loud burp was heard as a young man slowly sat up on the bed located in the corner of the room, all the while wiping the sleepiness out of his eyes as he tried to zoom in on the green-haired girl. "You're back," he said grumpily.
"Yes, and I see you've been drinking again," sighed C.C. She ignored the complete mess on the dirty tiled floor and made her way toward the table with a box of pizza stuffed neatly under her arm.
"And I see you've been eating pizza again," retorted the man as he tried to stand up but failed hard; he kept tumbling backward and finally gave up, decided to sit on the bed until the dizziness went away on its own.
C.C. put the box on the table and turned on the light, to which the man gave a small gasp, quickly bringing up his hand to shield the brightness away. She ignored his complaints as her hand opened the box and fished out a delicious slice of pizza. "At least I don't make a mess like you do," was her reply as she quickly devoured the food.
"Just leave me alone," he murmured, slumping back to the bed again. "I'm tired."
"I can't, the contract has to be fulfil-"
"You and your stupid contract," he growled into the pillow, "why don't you tell me the stupid terms of your stupid contract?"
"Not right now, especially not when you're in this state."
He tilted his head sideways. "What if I don't fulfill it?" he queried slowly.
She bit down on the bread and remained silent for a second, then replied. "Then I leave and you get to keep your Geass."
"Before you do that," he tried to sit up and succeeded in doing so this time around, "get rid of this curse. I don't want it anymore."
Her pale hand reached into the box and picked up the third slice. "That's impossible. When you enter the contract with me, there's no backing out and no cancelling." She said.
His raven eyes darkened twice as much when he heard that. "Why didn't you tell me that in that first place?"
She stopped chewing for a minute before resuming the activity. "There wasn't enough time for me to explain the whole thing. You were on the verge of death then, weren't you?" she said.
"That doesn't mean you couldn't give me a hint of what I was about to enter, witch!" he shouted.
And she stopped eating all at once.
Witch… She hadn't heard that word for such a long time, and how strange that her heart ached so much when it's mentioned. Her immortal, frozen heart hurt as though a small fire was lit inside of it and melted all the surrounding icy walls.
Witch… That single word brought back so many happy and sad memories.
Witch… Now she lost all of her appetite.
Throwing the half-eaten slice of pizza back into its box with a great carelessness, she whispered without turning to face the young man. "Listen, that doesn't matter anymore. The Geass you got isn't all that dangerous compared to others; you will survive with it as long as you're careful enough. All you need to do right now is complete the contract and you can be free."
He gave a snort. "Free? The Geass you gave me." He then closed his eyes, and when he opened them, a crimson sigil appeared in each eye. "Will make people afraid of me for the rest of their lives, thus doing everything at my biddings, how is that not dangerous?" he said challengingly.
"Geass is the power that brings solitude, but if you know to use it properly, you will find peace… like a certain person," C.C. finished quietly.
He shook his head vigorously as though didn't want to believe her words. "Your philosophy is useless in my case. The people I cast Geass on, they will always be scared of me as if I'm a monster. I can order those who separated us to die but what good would that be? I can't Geass her to follow me; I don't want to. I don't want her to view me as a monster." He whispered miserably, all the while holding his head and shaking.
She looked at him for a long time, then said. "Isn't that what you wanted? To have everyone fear you and to take her away to live happily ever after?"
"But I didn't think it'd turn out like this!" he growled, losing the patience by the minute. "She's already out of my reach now. I can't… I can't hurt her. The best solution is to let her live her life without fear."
C.C. sighed. "Then the contract is over. We're done."
"No, we're not." He said, suddenly sprang up to his feet, seeming to be getting out of the alcoholic influence. "You're the only one who isn't affected by the Geass, so you're the only one that I can be with."
Her golden orbs widened. "What are you-" Before she got the chance to finish her sentence, he quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the bed, in spite of all the kicking and punching that she's giving him.
"Let go of me!" she shouted as he pushed her onto the bed. Her wrists were pinned down tightly on the mattress and the alcohol smell coming from the young man was getting a lot more unbearable.
"You're mine, C.C." He said lowly as he bent down to kiss her neck. She screamed and tried to wriggle free of his grasp but it was futile; the guy was stronger than he appeared. He then pressed himself further against her body as the kisses trailed down from her neck.
Out of desperation, C.C. bent one of her legs up, aimed and kicked him in the groin with all the forces she could muster. A loud, painful and abrupt gasp was heard as the man tumbled backward, freeing her at the same time. His expression showed great agony, and he almost fell onto the floor had it not been for the wall behind to support him. "Touch me again," C.C. growled menacingly. "And that will be the last time you ever get on bed with anyone."
"You…" Seemed like he lost the strength to speak. The man still held onto to his Johnny as he limped toward the door, throwing one last hateful glance at her before existing. Even out in the hallway, she could still hear his sour cursing.
"That does it," she muttered to herself. "Why should I be staying with this idiotic oddball?" With that in mind, she dashed toward the closet and hastily gathered her belongings before that wacko came back. Putting all the stuff inside the big luggage, excluding her leftover pizzas, she quickly searched through the clothes to find a fitting outfit and that's when she came across a black, warm sweater. A small smile split her face, and wasting no more time, she put it on and wound her favorite red scarf around her pale, long neck.
With the lugging in her hand and warm clothes to protect her fragile yet immortal body, C.C. didn't bother giving the place she'd been living in for almost a year one last look before stepping out into the cold and stale weather of the winter season.
...
"Aren't you cold, C.C.?"
"No." Replied the green-haired witch as she started undressing her Black Knight outfit to change into her usual white straitjacket with black straps.
That didn't fool Lelouch, of course. He could still see the way she slightly trembled under such freezing temperature, and also noticed the goosebumps that were making their ways on her arms.
"For an immortal witch, you really aren't good at lying," he chuckled as he went on about his business, and that earned him an incredulous look from her.
...
"Where's Nunnally?" asked C.C. when she didn't hear any cheerful and heart-warming welcome of a loving brown-haired girl.
"She's staying with Milly today. I didn't want her to stay home alone when the Black Knight business might make me stay after," replied Lelouch as he put all the papers and the suitcase securely in his room.
C.C. couldn't help smirking. "This is probably the first time you ever let her out of your sight. That's impressive, Lelouch."
"Stop taunting me, witch. I don't have that unreasonable obsession over my sister," he said, giving an indignant huff.
She smiled. "Well, when I first met you, I was sure you had a sister complex."
"I did not! And do not!"
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, right Lelouch? So it shouldn't matter what I think," she answered ever so casually.
He brought up his hands to massage his temples. "It's useless arguing with someone so good at playing with words. Anyway, go take a bath first, I got something to do."
C.C. jumped off the bed and made her way toward the door while he settled down in front of the laptop. Probably some unfinished business again, she thought. When she was at the doorway, she clicked her heels to a halt and said without turning to face him. "Won't you join me, Lelouch? It's good to take a bath together when it's so cold."
Even without witnessing his reddened and embarrassed face, she could tell that her warlock was probably turning the color of the bright sunset right now and apparently lost the ability to speak, for he made no comeback at all for a good minute.
Finally, she tilted her head sideways and smirked mysteriously at him. "Just kidding."
...
"Ahh, the bath was so refreshing," C.C. commented as she made her way back toward the room after half an hour, drying her long green hair at the same time. "Your turn, Lelouch."
"Done!" he exclaimed, closing the laptop as she came in.
"What's done?" she asked, to which he replied with a small shrug, "Nothing important." Then he grabbed the towel and walked out of the room, a smug expression evident on his face. It really intrigued her as to why he suddenly changed attitude like that, but it's best that she didn't touch his laptop or he might explode on her, literally, if something unfortunate were to happen to his precious rebellion data.
(Three days later)
The door to Lelouch's bedroom crept open as its master walked in, holding a big, white box under his arm. He cast one quick look around the familiar room and his bright violet orbs fell onto the beautiful sleeping figure of his sly witch, who was curling up into a ball underneath the thick and warm blanket, snuggling her favorite Cheese-kun. A peaceful, satisfied expression replaced her cold and indifferent one.
He smiled faintly and walked toward her. Putting the box next to her pillow, he sat down, using his right hand to brush the long bangs out of her face to reveal a bright red code, the one source to solitude and pain and suffering.
"This is the least I can do for you, C.C.," he whispered as though afraid of her waking up. Lelouch hesitated for a moment, his hand was still lingering where it had been, then it trailed down to caress her face, to which she reacted with a small stir. He then bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead where the code was. She smelled like strawberry, he noticed. He didn't know witches would have this sweet aura surrounding them.
Lelouch had to chuckle at such thought, for this one was no ordinary witch. This one was unique in everyway, and was probably the most cunning one anyone could have ever found. And beautiful, too. Weren't witches supposed to be old and wrinkly?
And also very wise, definitely one of a kind. His thoughts regarding her could have gone on forever had it not been for the sound of his vibrating cell phone that reminded him of his Zero duties. With a small sigh, he stood up, grabbed the suitcase and cast one last glance at her before exiting the room. There was no need for C.C. to be at the meeting today, she'd done a lot already for the past few weeks.
...
"Hmm…" C.C. made a soft sound as she stretched out her long arms after a comfortable long nap. Slowly sitting up, she wiped her sleepy eyes with the knuckles, looking around. "Lelouch?" she called, quite surprised to find the room empty and dark, and no sign of the warlock anywhere.
"Don't tell me…" she quickly crawled toward the light switch and flipped it on all at once. To her prediction, he had left. She had told him to wake her up before the meeting, because she wanted to be by his side to advise him on what he should do regarding this particular matter. But guess what? The guy didn't take her seriously this time around.
Sighing irritatingly, she crawled back toward the pillow, and that's when she first took notice of the big, white box located next to her pillow. On it, there was note with very neat handwriting. Lelouch's, no doubt, and it read:
I tried to wake you up, but stubbornly you wouldn't, so I decided to go by myself. This meeting shouldn't be too difficult; I can handle it, and I promise I'll tell you every detail when I get back. For the time being though, enjoy the warmth this present gives you.
Lelouch.
C.C. couldn't help rolling her eyes. He's such a liar, she would definitely notice if he tried to wake her up - if he actually did, that is. And what was this? A present? Was he always this childish?
In spite of her thoughts, she opened it anyway. There it was, dangling from her hands was a black, elegant sweater that was apparently made from the softest materials. It was so dark and gorgeous that it gave her an impression of being the Queen of Darkness, but wasn't she one already?
Her bony fingers clutched the sweater tighter when his words came flocking back to her, 'Aren't you cold, C.C.?', 'For an immortal witch, you really aren't a good liar.'
This sweater, it did give her a comfortable warmth that she only experienced when being near him. So, she took it back. He wasn't being childish, he was being considerate.
(On Christmas Eve)
"Onii- san, onii-san, look what Suzaku-san bought me!" chimed Nunnally happily as she waved the carefully and beautifully knitted white sweater in front of her brother.
Suzaku scratched the back of his head, smiling. "I've always thought Nunnally was pure like snow, so white suits her the best."
A faint pink color quickly dusted the brown-haired girl's cheeks when she heard that. "Suzaku-san, you're embarrassing me."
"White does suit you, Nunnally," Lelouch agreed, nodding."It'll look beautiful on you."
She beamed brightly at her brother and turned to face Suzaku. "Thank you, Suzaku-san. I'll always treasure this sweater!" she promised with a broad and cheerful smile plastering on her pretty face.
"At your service, milady," Suzaku replied, taking her hand and planting a soft kiss on it, to which Nunnally let out a small gasp and her face reddened twice as much. "Suzaku-san…"
"Suzaku," Lelouch chided playfully, "the Knighthood is really rubbing off on you, but you know Nunnally isn't accustomed to this."
Suzaku only laughed in return.
"Now, as a present for you, Suzaku," Lelouch said as he dug into the bag and pulled out a light brown scarf, which matched his best friend's soft and curly brown hair. "Merry Christmas."
"Thank you, Lelouch," Suzaku smiled, taking it with gratitude. "And for you," he pulled out a raven wool hat, which, as a favor, matched Lelouch's hair perfectly. "Merry Christmas."
"What did you two get for each other?" Nunnally asked curiously, and the boys handed her the presents so that she could feel them.
"Pretty," she exclaimed with a blissful look on her face, and the two male teenagers couldn't help laughing.
This was one of the rare times that the Lamperouge household was filled with genuinely happy laughter.
"I'll be right back," Lelouch said, and Suzaku and Nunnally both nodded.
Walking up the stairs, Lelouch could still hear the joyful conversations unfolded between his most beloved sister and best friend, and how he wished this moment could have lasted forever.
When he reached the top of the staircase, he opened the door to his bedroom, and as suspected, his green-haired witch was lounging on the bed, munching on the slice of pizza lazily and snuggling the Cheese-kun.
When she heard him come in, she turned to look at him briefly and asked, "Having a good time?"
"It'd be better if you could join us," he replied, chuckling.
"Not possible."
"That is why," he said, sitting on the bed and digging into his white bag, "I'm bringing this to you."
To her surprise, he pulled out a long, beautiful red scarf and presented it to her. "This will look great on you, C.C." he commented.
"I don't celebrate Christmas, Lelouch," she replied, still staring at the scarf.
"There's always a first time," he remarked slyly. "Come on, let me put this on you."
How strange that she didn't even fight him off as he slowly crawled forward and wound the warm accessory around her neck. That's when she noticed the black letters engraved into the red scarf and it said 'WxW'.
"WxW? What does that stand for?" she asked.
Lelouch let a mysterious smirk cross his face as he replied, "I'll leave that to your own interpretation."
"Merry Christmas, C.C.," he continued, leaning down to kiss her softly on her rosy cheek.
She looked down, her bangs covering her golden eyes, hiding away her expression. "How childish," she whispered.
...
The bus station was so empty and cold. That was expected because no one in their right mind would be out here in this freezing weather at such odd hour. No one with a mortal body and mind and had a reason to live would, that is.
The chilly wind of December was blowing by, damaging the skin and health of all its victims who dared to stand in its away. If anyone was staying in its path for more than an hour, they would be turning to ice statues by now.
C.C. didn't care, however. She'd been sitting here alone for more than two hours, and didn't even feel anything strange happening to her. It's not like she had a home to go to, anyway. Ever since she left that hell-like place, she had been taking refuge at this station, but at least this was far more comfortable and breathable than that filthy apartment; how glad she was that she could get out without damaging her lungs.
But now, when the memories came back to her, she felt so lonely, so unbearable lonely, and how she missed him so much that her heart ached without words describing. This was one of the times she truly hated immortality. Why couldn't she just die and be with the one she loved? Why couldn't immortality spare her of its cruel fate? Now, C.C. thought she understood how the nun felt back then, and she forgave her for tricking her.
Placing one hand over her warm cheek, despite the cold air circulating around, she smiled sadly. "Back then, I wish I'd said this to you as well, Lelouch." A line of tears trailed down her face and froze as it reached her chin. Her voice trembled, though it had nothing to do with the cold, when she uttered the next words.
"Merry Christmas."
~end~
A/N: I've been dying to write a story like this ever since I stumbled upon a C.C. wallpaper that showed her standing alone in the winter season and it said "My December" at the top. If this idea formed completely during December, I'd definitely post it up but too bad that wasn't the case :( It just started doing so three-four days ago (I know, took a while eh?). Also, even though I wanted Lelouch to be alive with C.C., I decided to do something new, and personally, it came out as sad as it was in my head. Therefore, I'm satisfied.
So, I hope you like the story like I did. Thank you for reading! And reviews are love!
