Track #1: Walk You Home
NCT Dream
Nine years old
Young Lelouch stumbles on the ground as his classmates led by Luciano Bradley snatches his lunch box and pushes him away as he tries to get it back from them.
"Give that back! Mom made that for me!" he cries as students start to gather around them. It is break time and the third graders of the Britannia Academy are freely roaming around the school's garden.
"Oh, look who's the mama's boy? Baby Lelouch wants his lunch box back, ooh so scary!" Luciano taunts. His followers laugh with him as Lelouch stands up and tries his luck again in retrieving his lunch box but the taller boy holds it too high for him to reach.
"Get it, Lelouch, come on get it! Oh, you're too short for this. Didn't your mother make you drink enough milk, huh?"
Grunting, the raven-haired boy ignores them and continues on his task. He must get it back for he will share it with his sister Nunnally who is in kindergarten later. Must get it back.
Suddenly, the lunch box disappears from the hand of Luciano, surprising both boys.
"Maybe your mother does not make good food that's why you want Lelouch's."
A girl of their same age stands tall on the bench behind Luciano holding the lunch box in her hands. Her short green hair is almost the same shade as the garden's grass.
"My mother cooks very well!" Luciano disagrees.
The girl looks down at him with her nonchalant golden eyes. "Really? Then maybe, you don't love your mother that much because you would want to eat Lelouch's lunch instead of what she made for you."
"That's not true! I love her so much! I love her most in the whole world!"
"Now, who's the mama's boy?"
The students around them laugh hard as the situation turns around. Seeing this, Luciano stomps his foot and grudgingly leaves the garden together with his friends. The students also slowly disperse upon noticing that the commotion has ended peacefully.
Meanwhile, Lelouch remains staring up at the girl who still holds his lunch. She's the new girl who transferred to their school last week. She seldom speaks in class but she gets high scores during quizzes. Some of the girls avoid her because of her silent nature but he has seen Shirley talking to her. They call her C.C. That's how she introduced herself last week.
"Here."
Taking the box from her, Lelouch mutters, "Thanks, but I didn't really need your help."
"I didn't help you. You were all just blocking my way to the bench and I got tired of standing."
After that, C.C. sits down, gets her own pink lunch box from her Cheese-kun bag and quickly dismisses Lelouch as she starts eating her food.
It is when Lelouch is walking home when he thought Luciano Bradley is following him for revenge. The school bus has been unavailable due to some damage since yesterday. Mustering all his nine-year old courage, he turns around only to find C.C. behind him.
"Why are you following me?" he asks.
C.C. looks at him in confusion. "Huh? I'm not following you. This is my way home."
"O-Oh. I'm sorry."
The girl shrugs and continues to walk. Catching up, Lelouch inquires. "Where do you live?"
"Near the convenience store."
"Really? My house is just a block from it."
"Okay."
Walk, walk, walk.
"Where did you come from?" Lelouch asks again as he tries to make conversation.
"Far away from here," is C.C.'s short answer.
"Why did you transfer here?"
"Grandma lives around this area and she's sick. Mama wants to be near her so she can take care and check on her from time to time."
"I see. How about – "
All of sudden, C.C. pulls his arm and runs towards the bushy side of the road where they stay hidden.
"Hey! Why – "
"Shhhh! They're coming," C.C. hisses.
Looking out, Lelouch sees Luciano and his group being loud and raucous as they trek their way towards their direction.
"That C.C. is going to pay for what she did a while ago. We need to plan on how to get back to her in our base, understand?" they here Luciano declares.
"Get a rock, Lelouch," whispers C.C.
Lelouch looks around and gets a small rock lying by his feet. He shows it to the girl and gets her nod of approval.
"On the count of three. Don't hit anywhere near the head, okay? One, two, three!"
They start throwing rocks at the group and Lelouch feels a new found freedom while doing it. Luciano and his friends have been bullying him ever since the start of the school year and he doesn't know why. They trip him when he's walking, bump onto him which makes whatever he is holding falls and never apologize for it, hide his belongings, and their latest trick is stealing his lunch. He never fights back, afraid that they would harm Nunnally if he does. But this, anonymously throwing small rocks at them, is the kind of release he needed for his frustrations and anger.
"Awoooo!" C.C. howls which Lelouch quickly follows.
"Awoooo!"
"Awoooooooooo!"
They watch from the bushes as the group run away in fear, shouting and almost tripping over just to get away.
C.C. goes out from their hiding and starts laughing. "I'll wait for your revenge tomorrow!" she shouts at no one.
"They might hear you," Lelouch cautions.
"I don't care, I'm not afraid of them. They're just a bunch of idiots."
And at that moment, Lelouch is in total awe and admiration of the newcomer before him. He has never seen anyone stand up against the bullies, particularly a girl, but here is C.C., much shorter than him, so carelessly brave on trusting in her own capabilities, and all he could think of is wow.
The next day, they eat lunch together, a silent partnership forging between them against Luciano and his friends. And since then, Lelouch and C.C. walk home together even after the school bus has been fixed, and Lelouch experiences some of the greatest adventures of his childhood years.
17-years old
"This party is killing me. Can we go home now, Lelouch?"
The boy looks sideways to his right and examines the girl beside him. C.C. has a bored look on her face that she has been wearing since 30 minutes ago and that is a bad thing. Anytime now, she might do something ridiculous just to ease her boredom and he can't afford her to do that this time when he is looking after the whole population of the senior year who are enjoying their prom night.
He checks his watch and sighs in relief. "Just 10 more minutes and we'll be out of here."
"Huh, a lot can happen in 10 minutes," C.C. smirks at him.
For a moment, he is lost in her tantalizing golden eyes before he catches himself staring. "Don't you dare start something, C.C."
Showing him a fake hurt expression with a matching hand on her chest, C.C. cries, "I'm not planning anything bad. I will be a good girl, Vice Prez." And she laughs.
And it's music to his ears especially if that happiness is directed to him.
For unbeknownst to C.C., he has been harboring a secret crush on his friend for four years now. He does not exactly remember how and when it had happened, what he knows is one second they were best friends going on ridiculous and stupid adventures together since grade school like that one time when they cut classes just to visit the travelling carnival staying in their town because C.C. had wanted to see if they actually had a real mermaid, and sneaked in the tents just to be caught by the owner of the carnival. Good thing, he was a nice man and didn't report them to their school or to their parents.
Then one morning, as C.C. opened her door while he was picking her up to go to school, his heart went wild and riotous he thought he was about to have a heart attack. What he remembered was seeing her as a girl for the first time in their four years of friendship. What he remembers was noticing how silky and soft her green hair was whenever the wind blew to their direction, how fair and smooth her skin was whenever she wore those summer dresses, how she was all soft, round and small to his hard, edgy, and tall frame.
He noticed how her laughter could immediately lift up his mood for the day and every smile she threw at his direction would make his heart beat so much faster. He remembers how he did not want their every walk home together to end and how he would find a way to have as many stop-overs as possible just to be with her longer.
"... 4, 3, 2, 1. Lelouch, it's time to go home," C.C. declares.
Huh, so he has been spacing out that long. "You really monitored the time."
"Yes. Now come on."
"Wait, we have to say good bye to our dates," he appeals.
C.C. looks around and then narrows her eyes at something. "Well, looks like Suzaku is already busy with Euphy so it doesn't really matter. Hey, there's Kallen. Go ahead and say 'bye bye' to your girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend. Okay, just wait here, I'll be fast."
And Lelouch is indeed fast. Within five minutes they are out of the venue and already waiting for a cab to take them home.
"It's a nice night, isn't it?"
Upon hearing her voice, Lelouch looks at the sky and stares at its clarity and darkness that make the abundant stars shine so brightly.
"Indeed," he whispers.
"Hey," C.C. whispers back. "Why don't we just walk all the way home? It's a pity to not marvel this night."
"Are you sure? How about your feet?"
They both glance down and look at C.C.'s red high heels. Without any warning, C.C. removes them and hands them to Lelouch, leaving her feet bare.
"You carry that. And why are we whispering?"
"I don't know."
As the two individuals start their journey home, they fill each step with talks of nonsense, of memories they had shared when they were younger and of the future that awaits them. They talk about college in which Lelouch would take med course while C.C. would pursue a course in music.
They talk about everything and nothing all at once. The silence that resides in each gap of their sentences is an assurance of each other's quiet presence. Lelouch eagerly listens as his companion enthusiastically list down the things she wants to do in ten years time.
They don't talk about the graduation and what it would mean.
"Oh wow."
The glimmer of the shining surface of the lake captures the girl's attention first. Lelouch stares in amazement at the magnificent scenery before him - in complete awe of how the milky white rays of the moon kissed the waters creating a mirror-like illusion – like a portal to another world, enchanting any innocent passerby to enter and experience the wonders of it. It's so tranquil. So enigmatic. He doesn't want the night to end.
"Let's dance," he blurts out.
"Huh?"
Blushing, Lelouch covers his mouth with his hand and says, "I-I mean, we weren't able to dance together earlier because of my student council duties. And no one's gonna see us here."
C.C. shrugs. "Sure. That sounds nice actually. There, let's go there."
The pair goes to the shore where Lelouch takes out his phone and starts playing music from it.
"Lelouch, did you just have a freaking waltz saved in your phone?" asks C.C.
"Uhmmm. Yes?"
A laugh. "You're such a nerd."
"Shut up."
Tentatively, Lelouch puts his right hand on her back as she places her left one on his shoulder. "Is this okay?" he whispers.
"Hmmm."
They start dancing to the music, remembering those steps they had learned during their dance class in their junior year. With her high heels off, C.C. only reaches below his chin, giving him a full view of her green head.
The mellow music permeates in the air along with the songs of cicadas and the faraway sound of traffic as the fresh breeze coming from the lake sweeps them away from the present and towards the world of maybes and what ifs.
"Your feet are so large," Lelouch hears C.C. says.
Looking down, he can't help but compare his shoe-clad feet to her bare ones. "Well, of course. Do you want yours to be bigger than mine?"
C.C. scrunches her nose at the thought which makes Lelouch adore her even more. "That would be weird."
"And you notice weird things at odd times."
"Anyway, let's change the music. You need to update your playlist real soon."
The green-haired girl moves away from him to get her phone and the sudden gust of wind bring chills to his body.
It's getting cold.
He doesn't notice that it's getting deeper into the night and considering C.C. wine red, strapless long dress, she must be chilling. Taking off his coat, he hangs it on her shoulder which earns him a grateful smile.
"Okay, all set. C'mon, loverboy."
Lelouch is about to place his hands on their original positions when C.C. pulls him closer, wrapping her hands around his neck and putting his around her waist. He can feel her body heat against him and all Lelouch can do to not go insane is take a deep, long, agonizing breath.
And the music she chose does not help.
Nope, this almost sensual, slow, music does not help the situation at all.
He's going to combust.
And the girl has no single idea of her effect on him and now she leans her head on his chest. God help him.
C.C. leads Lelouch as they move according to the beat of the music. Composing himself, he tries to follow her sways and steps and oh my God, he's falling into deeper.
"Lelouch?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"Can't you just study here?"
A pause.
"I would if I could."
"Who's going to walk me home from college then?"
"I'm pretty sure you're going to stay in dorms which are like, within the campus premises."
"And who will be my accomplice in cutting classes?"
"Are you going to cut classes that discuss the thing that you're most passionate about?"
C.C. pouts. "I might still get bored."
"You should stop cutting classes C.C.," he says with a chuckle. "And why are you worrying about this? It's not like we're going to be classmates if I go to college here."
Another pout. "I'm hungry. Let's go to Pizza Hut."
"At this hour?"
"Yes, Lamperouge. I am hungry and we will go to Pizza Hut at this hour."
And they do go to Pizza Hut and spend almost the rest of the night there, never again talking about leaving after graduation, about the distance that will come in between them, about the disappearance of their lengthy walks towards home.
And when Lelouch watches the door of C.C.'s house close behind her, he stands infront of it for a while with his hands on his pockets. He stands there and wonders if he had missed the perfect chance of telling her his true feelings or if this is for the better. He stands there and counts the remaining days he can still walk her home before graduation and how he can make them unforgettable. He stands there and wonders and wonders and wonders…
His coat was never returned after that night.
18 years old
Lelouch goes to Japan as an exchange student in med school; C.C. is left in Britannia and resides at the dorm.
There are no more walks home.
20 years old
"Hello?"
"Hi. C.C. it's me."
"Lelouch?"
"Yeah. I just got back from Japan for a vacation, I just actually left the airport. Can we meet up tonight?"
"Uhmm…"
"Don't tell me you have a date that you can't cancel tonight."
"O-Oh. Well, I guess let's just schedule our meet-up. Sorry for suddenly asking this from you. I'll see you soon. Bye, C.C."
23 years old
"C.C. you're already drunk."
"Leave me alone, Lelouch. My boyfriend just cheated on me. I deserve to get drunk."
Lelouch sighs at the sight of his hopeless, drunken-mess of a friend. "But that's your eighth bottle already. I can't afford you to throw up anytime soon."
She bangs her hand on the table, making their drinks spill on the surface. "Tell me, am I not pretty enough? Have I been a bad girlfriend within those three months? I made sure to have time for him despite my gigs. Where did I go wrong, Lelouch?" C.C. sloppily cries. Now, she bangs her head against the table and Lelouch quickly puts his hand over it to prevent her from hurting herself more.
"He's an idiot, that's why. You didn't do anything wrong. You've been the most wonderful and generous and understanding girlfriend out there." Oh, God, he's seething. Just don't let that bastard Gino show his face infront of him or he swears he might not control himself for getting violent.
Suddenly, C.C. stands up and spreads her arms wide open. A few bar-goers look at her curiously. "Well, I don't care…"
"C.C. sit down." Lelouch tries to pull her down but fails.
"Sssshh, I'm making my freedom speech…"
Yup, definitely so drunk.
"Where am I? Ah, yes I don't care, I don't see us getting anywhere further anyway. He's just a stupid mistake that I make as I continuously wait for t a certain someone to notice me. Yes, yes, I don't really love him. I never loved you, Gino!" she shouts, throwing her fist up in the air.
And at that, Lelouch quickly covers her mouth, puts cash on the table and drags her out of there.
He decided to carry her on his back on their way home. His back might kill him later but there was no cab willing to accept a loud drunk girl, and their apartment building is a mere walking distance anyway.
He takes step by step carefully so as not to add another reason for C.C. to throw up.
Ah, C.C., his silly, naïve, adventurous, beautiful friend. Lelouch shakes his head upon remembering her fair face being dusted with red from drinking too much alcohol. Even drunk, she never fails to enchant him. Her relentless energy and youthfulness might throw others off, but to him those are what made her so precious.
Those are just some of the things that make him crush over her for ten years.
Wow, it's been ten years, huh. The distance that they had during college didn't stop his affection for her but instead it even grew fonder and deeper as time passes by. And as time passes by, he had also watched C.C. go on dates and have a couple of relationships that didn't last long.
Oddly, she never cries that much for a man. She'll just get angry just like how she was earlier and then completely move on. Like nothing happened. Like it didn't even affect her.
Which is very different from when they got into a fight last week because he let himself be drenched in the heavy rain, and upon seeing him entering his own apartment, all wet and dripping, she got so mad and frustrated for "not taking care of himself" and he was already having a bad night, he couldn't help but snap back at her.
They didn't talk the next day until a knock came on his door and he found her all teary-eyed and apologetic.
"I'm not really angry, and I'm sorry for shouting at you. I've been wanting to tell you that, but you see, I have a cold and I don't want you to catch it, too. But… ugh, hey come here, don't cry."
"Lelouch?" he hears C.C. mumble sleepily.
"Yeah?"
"Lelouch, Lelouch, Lelouch..." she says into his neck.
"What is it, C.C.?" he asks.
"Thanks for being always there for me."
"We made a contract, right? We'll always be there for each other."
"But what if there's no contract? We made that when we were ten years old." She giggles. "Isn't that so, so, so cute, Lelouch?"
"With or without a contract, I'm right here for you, C.C. And it's your idea to make that contract, if you've forgotten," he says.
"I never forget."
Lelouch's heart warms. "Me, too."
A comfortable silence settle between them, Lelouch wondering if his friend has finally fallen asleep. He can almost see their building. Ah, if only he can make this walk longer and be with her more, but his knees are starting to ache and he needs to tend to C.C.'s drunken state.
"Lelouch?"
"C.C.?"
"Will you still walk me home even if you have a girlfriend?"
This makes Lelouch stop on his tracks. Where is she coming from? Why this sudden strange question? And why is he finding it difficult to answer?
He gulps. "Uhhhh..."
The arms around his neck tighten their grip. "Then don't get one. And if you still do which I can't obviously control, I will always wait and wait and wait and wait and wait and wait and..."
And she falls asleep at the same time Lelouch finds his answer through another question.
He looks up and observes the clear black sky above them which immediately reminds him of that certain night after prom - when they danced under the twinkling stars and talked of everything and anything that made his heart race and hope for something he wanted to be real.
So he asks his unconscious friend whom his heart always belongs to the question he had wanted to ask her for so long. "Well then, C.C. Will you be my girlfriend?"
27 years old
C.C. nervously stares at the two large wooden doors before her. Her heart wildly beats inside her chest like a mad lion that wanted to escape its cage. She has never been this nervous her entire life and all she's going to do is walk down the long aisle then stand for an hour, say some words here and there, agree to the statements of the priest but she's so freaking nervous she almost wanted to pee.
But she can't do that either because of her white long gown that is too complicated to wear.
"I can't believe that this is finally happening! I thought I would die first before you two realize that you are meant for each other. This is so long overdue," Euphemia, her Maid of Honor, squeals.
C.C. sighs. "You have been saying that since he proposed, Euphy. I swear if you say it one more time, I'll make you take my place."
"No! I'm sorry I'll zip my mouth shut."
The coordinator calls their attention, telling them that the ceremony is about to start which makes C.C.'s nervousness multiply tenfold.
She focuses on Euphemia's pink hair infront of her and scrutinizes her waterfall braids, trying to distract herself from having cold feet. She wipes her sweaty palms on her skirt and takes deep, calming breath.
And when the doors open, all C.C. can think of is, this is finally happening. They really reached this chapter of their lives together.
This is it.
This is really it.
After all those years of friendship, of adventures, of cutting classes and drinking sessions, they are going to be husband and wife today. She can't believe that this is possible to happen. She still can't believe that this is actually happening.
C.C. takes her first step into the church and her eyes quickly searches for his amethyst ones. His amethyst eyes that have been a permanent fixture in her life since she was nine. His amethyst eyes that never fail to give her comfort and reassurance when she needed them the most. Those were the ones that caught her attention first and made her decide to intervene the bullying that was happening during lunch. That time, his eyes were nothing but a mirror of determination and courage that enthralled her deeply, awakening something in her nine year-old heart that she didn't understand those years.
But now, here they are, going to say their vows to each other infront of God, and she can't believe that this is happening.
But she had imagined. She had always imagined.
For everytime she closes the door of their house after he walked her home, she would open it again only to take a peek of his retreating back, silently willing him to look back.
For during that special night they spent after prom, she had tried so hard to think of ways to delay and lengthen their travel home. From suggesting to just walk instead of taking a cab, from subtly asking him for another dance after the waltz to declaring she was hungry eventhough she had eaten so much her stomach could almost explode, just so they wouldn't go home immediately. And when she would take a peek of his retreating back, she was surprised to find him still standing there. Too overwhelmed, she gave him a peck on the cheek and thanked him for the wonderful night. That night was one of the best.
For when he had called and told her that he was back in Britannia for the first time since he left, she was already thinking of the ways of how she would cancel her date that night, and cancel it she did, and spent the rest of the day catching up with him, telling him of all the stories that he had missed.
For all those men who she had dated were no one but mere distractions from her own growing feelings for him which she was too afraid to act on because of the consequences it might cause to their friendship, so she just patiently waited him to finally notice her. She patiently waited and waited and waited just like all those younger years when she would wait for him to fetch her so they could go together to school. All those years she had waited for him to finish his club activities so they could walk home together. All those four years she had waited for him to finish college and return home so they could be neighbors again.
She patiently waited for him.
And now, this bridal walk gives her a strong sense of nostalgia. She can almost feel the uneven pavement they had trekked and ran on. She can almost feel the soft breeze that kissed her skin as the bushes move along the wind. She can almost see all the adventures they have had, and are going to have together in the future.
"C.C." he calls her gently as she reaches the end of the aisle.
"Lelouch," she replies with a smile.
And she finally understands the nostalgic feeling she is having now and had felt during that lunch time.
She has reached her real home.
So yeah, here's the first story for Geass Playlist, hope you liked it. For song requests, you can comment it here but it is more preferable to message me at my twitter account: yume005_geass so I can see it immediately. Thank you!