Slim fingers tapped the back of the glossy sphere, the hollow clinking of fingernail against plastic echoing throughout the sparsely decorated living room. How long had it been since she had seen one of these things? Or the better question was, how long had it been since she had even celebrated this silly human holiday?
She tilted her head to the side, clutching the silver ornament in her hand higher to observe her reflection. The lime green hair was just as lustrous. Amber eyes just as enigmatic. Ivory skin just as creamy. But something was different. Of course, the spherical shape distorted and elongated her features, but still…
The edges of her eyebrows knit together as it dawned on her what the only significant modification to her life was. Huh. Strange how one person could change her more than the sea of million others she'd encountered in the last couple hundred years. He certainly didn't need to know of this little tidbit though…
Her mind wandered to last night, hazy memories of frigid wind and black velvet skies drifting back to her conscious.
C.C.'s breath came out as a puff of fog in the brisk winter air, slowly dissipating as it stretched out in front of her. She tapped her foot against the grey pavement, hands clasped loosely behind her back. Without so much as a glance from the corner of her eyes, she addressed the boy beside her, "Lelouch, do you want one of them?"
Standing a few feet beside her, the said boy shoved his hands into a navy blue coat and ducked his face lower behind a crocheted scarf. He stared straight ahead at the chain of green trees in front of them with a blank expression, the wind rifling through his blonde wig and tousling the hair over his eyes.
Only when C.C. gave him a pointed nudge in the arm did he open his mouth to speak, "No. There is no need," he stated coolly, his voice strangely confident, "Why would immortals need to celebrate such a holiday? We will be able to experience this event an infinite amount of times in our lives, Christmas is just like any other day to us." His eyes remained calm and collected as he returned his aloof gaze towards the Christmas tree lot.
C.C. didn't respond immediately, instead opting to rock back and forth on the balls of her feet before turning to Lelouch with a knowing smirk.
"Hah."
Furrowing his brow, the warlock warily peeked over his scarf.
"What you're saying is how I feel. But it certainly isn't what you feel."
The creases on his forehead deepened and his lips twisted into a confused frown. "C.C. what are you talking about?"
Unfortunately for Lelouch his question was heard by deaf ears as C.C. swiped his wallet out of the seat of his pants and strode through the gates of the Christmas tree lot.
He blinked, merely watching her petite figure weave in and out of the crowd. Only once her brown wig was becoming a tiny speck in the throng of people did Lelouch snap out of his daze. "W-What is that stupid witch doing now?" Cursing under his breath, he quickly followed after his infuriating companion, stopping short when a leather projectile was rudely slapped into his face and he fumbled to grasp onto his wallet. "C.C.!" He growled heatedly.
"Make your credit card easier to find next time, and then I won't have to take your wallet," she replied in a monotone.
She didn't need to turn around to know that he was rolling his eyes and preparing to lecture her about something frivolous like "proper etiquette," so she decided to skip out on the lesson and greet him with her retreating back instead. He'd follow her anyways. Immortal or not, Lelouch refused to live in a cardboard box on the side of the street after she guzzled his money down the drain.
Sure enough, he trudged after her to a row of seven foot tall, lush evergreen trees, where she was conversing with a short, stocky man who was nodding and simultaneously stroking the peach fuzz on his chin. From the edge of her peripheral vision, she saw Lelouch instantly grow suspicious as his brilliant mind connected two and two together.
"What are you doing C.C.? Didn't I say we didn't need to buy—"
"We're getting that one," she interrupted, "But we're going to have to provide our own transportation."
"Oi, C.C., couldn't you have had included some variety when you bought these ornaments?" The raven-haired boy gestured towards a box filled to the brim with trinkets resembling Cheese-kun, pizza slices, and wedges of Swiss cheese.
Lelouch's question broke through her thoughts and she blinked blearily, vaguely wondering when he had materialized next to her.
"Eh. It was late last night. Didn't have much time to shop before the stores closed down," she answered with a shrug.
"Oh really? Then it sure would have been kind of you if you had used your spare time to help me lug this fifty pound tree three miles back to our house," he drawled sarcastically.
"I brought you a sled, and I was helping you build character and improving your stamina. If anything you should be thanking me." She smiled at his clearly un-amused expression, her own amusement blossoming ten-fold.
Lelouch huffed, but otherwise made no move to retort and continued to hang up the pizza-hut themed items.
C.C. ran her fingers along the tree's spiky needles, unexpectedly soft against her skin, and pretended to take a sudden interest in rearranging the shiny ornaments already strung on the branches before sneaking a glance at Lelouch.
Bags sagged heavily from his violet eyes and his black hair was rather unkempt, but aside from his physical appearance he seemed quite content for someone who had dragged a Christmas tree across town for a handful of hours.
Well, technically he didn't do it alone. But he didn't need to know that a certain honey-eyed witch had ingeniously attached another rope to the back of the sled and was pulling alongside him every once in a while… She shook her head from side to side. It surprised her that she still had the capacity to willingly help other people. Let alone care about them.
A rustling of curtains caught her attention, causing her to look up from the spot on the tree that her eyes were burning a hole into to see Lelouch letting in a shaft of warm yellow light. "It's almost morning now, we've been up all night," he remarked softly, brushing aside the curtains until the sun's golden rays made the white tinsel glisten and plastic ornaments brighten.
"Indeed," C.C. stated as she gazed at the fuzzy ochre sun climb lazily up the horizon, the sky surrounding it dispersing with particles of pastel pink within the dim blue expanse.
"Ah, wait here for a second, I'll be right back," Lelouch said, slipping out of the room before C.C. could move her head an inch. She instinctively turned towards his vacant space. Part of her was curious about what the Britannian had in store, and part of her didn't feel too keen on following orders.
Especially from Lelouch. Feh. So after some brief internal debating, her inner C.C. won over and she strolled out of the room to rummage through the refrigerator.
Nothing like finding leftover pizza and disobeying your roommate to spark a good mood. She shuffled towards the kitchen counter, grazing her tongue across the hardened cheese and smacking her lips in satisfaction. Just as she was about to sink her teeth into the limp pepperoni and crusty cheese, she stubbed her toe against an inconveniently placed box in the middle of the floor. Hissing loudly, she instantly recoiled and bounced on one foot until the pain subsided in a matter of seconds. Once her body finished healing itself up, she glared at the somehow offending wrapping paper of grinning gingerbread men and chocolate chip Christmas cookies.
Her leg swung backwards, ready to slam the box through the wall, but she halted in her steps when she saw her name written in thick black sharpie, dangling from a giant gift-tag. The green-haired girl cocked her head to the side, gingerly touching the sleek wrapping paper on the three foot tall box.
Her eyes reflexively flitted from side to side to scope out any signs of Lelouch. Huh. No trace of the boy. Could this possibly be…?
While hoisting the pizza in one hand, C.C. used the other to rip messily into the paper, carelessly tossing the scraps to the ground. When the gift wrap had been stripped bare, C.C. felt her interest plummet upon seeing the plain, cardboard box. "This better be worth delaying my meal…" she grumbled, setting the pizza on the countertop. With lackluster energy, C.C. peeled back the clear tape and pried open the flaps with her pinky finger.
She didn't notice a shadow appearing at the doorway as she leaned forward to peer at the object, or how the figure that was now propped against the door frame smirked as her eyes immediately widened and she made some sort of involuntary noise between a gasp and a squeal. Situated primly in the box was an enormous plush doll, donning a charming red bow instead of the usual black top hat.
"I take it that you enjoy it?" A voice smugly cut through.
C.C. whipped her head towards the door, clutching the oversized yellow blob tightly to her chest. She immediately tried to suppress her beam upon recognition of the voice, which only elicited light chuckles from the boy.
"I knew that you wouldn't listen to me if I told you to do something, so I decided to just leave it in the room you frequent the most," Lelouch said, walking closer to her until he was about an arm's length away.
"Do you remember that time I spilled coffee on your other stupid doll?" Golden eyes narrowed at the memory. "Well for the sanity of my taste buds and wallet, I concluded it would be worth the effort to make another Cheese-san for you so you don't have to keep collecting those stupid coupons for a new one. Your pizza expenses run high enough for us to buy a Knightmare frame or—"
"Is this a present for me?" C.C. blurted out suddenly.
Lelouch fell silent at the tinge of shyness in her tone, somehow melting the wall of excuses he had prepared for his act of kindness and exposing the simple truth. "Ah, it is."
She nuzzled her chin into Cheese-san's velvety head. "When did you even have time to make her?"
The corner of his lips tugged upwards. "There was actually quite an abundance of time, it's amazing how many hours of the day you can stay asleep."
C.C. fluttered her eyes closed, the smallest of serene smiles settling onto her face. "No one has ever made a Christmas present for me before…"
Warmth flowed to Lelouch's cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck. "What about when you had your Geass?"
"Ah." The witch put a finger to her lips. "True, when I had my Geass centuries ago, people did used to throw gifts at me," she admitted, "But, no one put thought into their presents. And besides," her smile twisted wryly. "We both know that if the Geass was dispelled no one would have even bothered."
Lelouch stepped forward slightly, sensing this as one of the few moments C.C. cracked open her shell.
However, C.C. would have none of that. Her eyes abruptly flew open and seemed to dance with a life of their own. "But, this means you planned ahead of time to make this gift for me, implying that you wanted to celebrate Christmas."
"It does not!" Lelouch declared; freezing in his steps to cross his arms over his chest.
"I knew something was up when you, with your stamina of an old man, didn't just dump the tree in the middle of the road."
"Hmph. Next year you are getting nothing but coal."
"Good, all the more sharp objects to throw at you my dear warlock."
Running a hand through his dark locks, he sighed lightheartedly, "Some things never change."
The witch chortled, gradually trailing off into her previously gentle smile, "Hey Lelouch…thank you."
"Mhmm." No further words needed to be exchanged to express how much the witch and the warlock meant to one another.
"Wait here. I'll be back."
Lelouch raised an eyebrow, but had no chance to respond as C.C. bolted to her room and shut the door behind her.
"You moved."
"Well yeah, you took forever," he replied, not looking up from the newspaper in his hands. "Besides, taking orders from you? Feh."
"You have a bad habit of not listening to others."
"I don't want to hear that from you of all people."
"Touché." The green haired girl nodded her head in acknowledgement, plopping a tin box into Lelouch's lap from behind the couch he was lounging on.
He set his newspaper down and picked up what used to be a container for chocolate candies. "What's this?"
"Who knows?" C.C. threw one hand up into the air as she flopped sideways onto the adjacent sofa, the Cheese-san plushy nestled between her breasts.
"Ever the helpful answer," he mumbled as he popped open the lid. Lelouch then proceeded to pluck out the strips of paper, an amused grin spreading across his face as he read the messages. "No Ordering Pizza for Three Days, Will Go Away Anytime, Will do Any One House Chore. Haha C.C., are these coupons?" Still laughing to himself, Lelouch turned to C.C. with a haughty stare. "Oh this one is my favorite, 'Will obey any one command.' How clever of you, witch. It's like Geass all over again."
"Of course, these are all one time use. And it is likely you won't be seeing any more of these in production again."
"Fair enough. Then I better use these wisely." Lelouch carefully returned the slips of paper into their box while smiling softly. "Thank you, C.C."
The only person who ever thanks me, the thought snaked through her mind before she could even register it. Wrinkling her nose, C.C. switched positions so she was laying flat on her stomach and facing Lelouch. If she squinted her eyes, she could make out her reflection in the many spherical balls glimmering from their Christmas tree. Once again, as she looked up into the girl reflected in the image, she felt something was different. She traced her fingers along Cheese-san's tidily hand-sewn stitches and squeezed the doll's cotton-stuffed body.
With all the time that C.C.'s been alive, she's been able to possess nearly everything. It's strange to think that Lelouch's simple gift could actually...ah. Was she allowing silly mortal emotions to actually affect her? Why did she even bother to give a present? Was the difference she saw painted across her own face…vulnerability? The funny thing was usually she would have wiped off any weakness and schooled her face into a calm countenance. But lately, she was frighteningly finding herself less and less concerned with maintaining her indifference.
"Do I look different to you?" The question rolled off her tongue of its own accord.
Lelouch casually shifted his head towards her. "Hmm…not really."
"Not vulnerable?" She muttered more to herself than anyone else's ears.
Unfortunately for her, Lelouch had caught her last phrase. "I wouldn't call it that." Somewhat tentatively, she looked over inquisitively at the boy.
"Not so much vulnerable as…well, I suppose happy."
"Happy?" She repeated.
"Ah. It's one of the simplest, yet most complex emotions," he flexed his fingers around the chartreuse tin box. "Merry Christmas, C.C."
C.C. pressed her new Cheese-san plushy closer to her body. "Merry Christmas to you too, Lelouch."
There is an infinite amount of Christmas's in an immortal's life. As the years crawl by, each holiday becomes mundane, a reminder of one's loneliness, and nothing more than any other day. Or so that's what C.C. lead her self to believe. Because even though she was able to easily call Lelouch's bluff, it was harder than she realized to call her own.
A/N: Wow these things are getting incredibly long! Hopefully they are getting better as well...I feel like this particular one was more complex then the others but hopefully it wasn't too muddled. And this one was definitely more C.C. centric, maybe next time I'll write about Lelouch more. Yes...so even though Christmas is several months away I had the random urge to write about it anyways! I googled "Cheese-kun" just for the heck of it once I was about finished with this, and there actually is an adorable picture of of a deadpan Lelouch handing an excited C.C. a female Cheese-san! Huhh perhaps I saw that picture a while ago and the image was subconsciously engrained in my brain, either way thank you to that random artist for inadvertently inspiring me! And as always, thank you to all my reviewers/readers you guys are awesome! :D