Thanks for all the reviews and fav's o my story :)
Chapter 9
Lelouch awoke to find C.C. cuddled up to him. She was still asleep, a little drool oozing down the pillow. He smiled; never before had he noticed how soft her hair was until it drifted onto his face for the night. He let his eyes wander around her features. Then he shook himself. What am I doing? he mentally scolded. The he noticed how her curves fitted neatly into his as they had every night. I'm losing it. he thought. He looked over at the clock. It read seven thirty. He gently took C.C.'s arm off of his and slid his arm from under her side. He silently walked to the shower, thinking that he could let C.C. sleep a little longer if he was quick. He undressed and turned on the water. The feel was as refreshing as ever; it could wake anyone up in the morning. When he had finished and left the bathroom, C.C. was still asleep. He sighed and nudged her. "C.C., wake up. We're gonna be late." No response. He pushed her back and forth. "Come on witch." He started poking her in the ribs. She smiled in her sleep, letting out a small squeal of laughter. This is interesting. He started tickling her ribs. She jerked to the side, smiling and giggling. Lelouch smiled back. How funny. he thought. This witch is ticklish. He searched the room with his eyes to located Cheese-kun, whom he placed by C.C.'s side. She promptly turned in her sleep and hugged it tight. Lelouch grabbed a pen and wrote a note, attached it to Cheese-kun with a strip of tape, and left the room for his first day of pizza-flipping, frilly pink apron stuffed in a box in hand. On the way there, he remembered the shock he had at being called Lelouch by Sabrina, but he kept a straight face to keep from being noticed. How did she know my name? he wondered.
C.C. awoke to Cheese-kun. What? This is not my Lelouch. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, scanning the room. No sign of him. She set Cheese-kun on the bed and made for the bathroom. Complete silence. "Hmm..." She wandered the room, looking for her Lelouch. Only then did she notice that Cheese-kun had picked up a hitchhiker. She gently pulled off the note so as to not hurt Cheese-kun's soft plushy-ness and read it to aloud.
"'Dear C.C., I've left for work on time and left you to sleep in. You seemed happier and less annoying in that state. Hurry up and get dressed or Sabrina will spit at you for not being there on time. Lelouch.' That was nice of him." She reread the note."Hey, that wasn't nice at all! What time is it anyway?" She glanced at the clock. Her eyes widened. "Holy crap, I'm really late!" She dashed into the bathroom to wash herself, and within minutes she bolted out the door with her frilly pink apron.
C.C. arrived to find Lelouch tossing a circle of pizza dough in the air with great precision. "You owe me for covering for you. I was working twice as hard as I should have been."
"You jerk!" She slapped him, making the pizza dough fall to the ground.
"Hey, you made me drop the dough."
"Hay is for horses. You made me late!" She tied on her apron and commenced rolling up dough herself. Lelouch was still cleaning his dough off the floor.
"Looks like someone slept well."
"Oh drop it. It's your fault. Did anyone notice I wasn't here?"
"You got lucky this time."
"Thank goodness." She ceased chatting to focus on her dough rolling. An awkward silence bubbled up, so she broke it with a question. "Is business going good?"
"Oh yes, very good. Mikk had to make five deliveries at once. People seem to have heard it was opening today. Who knew they had an interest in trying new restaurants?"
"That's good. We won't be underpaid then."
"That is if the customers decide my skills were good." C.C. gave him a queer stare and resumed her rolling. She had just finished flouring it and was about to start tossing when Sabrina burst in.
"Wee-too and Lelouch, it's time for lunch break. I trust you two have been keeping up with demand?"
"Surprisingly, yes, we have. Thanks for telling us." C.C. felt a nagging feeling in the back of her mind at being called 'Wee-too' again.
When Sabrina left, C.C. exclaimed "And to think I just got here."
Lelouch laughed. "Yeah, you slept like a rock today. You're lucky you got here when you did. I didn't know how to cover for you." C.C. smiled, then remembered how he had left her there to be late. And he thinks I'm the annoying one. Lelouch took off his frilly pink apron, grabbed a bag, and left for the front. C.C. followed, realizing that she had forgotten her lunch. Lelouch sat down at one of the various tables and booths and dumped the lunch out of the bag. It was a simple ham sandwich with a can of soda and some pudding. C.C. sat next to him.
Lelouch started eating the sandwich, taking a large bite. He was having a hard time chewing it, so he spit out a bit into his hand, chewed the bit in his mouth and swallowed, then popped the half-chewed chunk back in. C.C. thought it somewhat funny and gross, and she chuckled. Lelouch blinked. "What's so funny?"
"You."
"Oh really?"
"Listen, I forgot my lunch, so would you please share some of that?" Her golden eyes were pleading with him, sparkling a little too much for comfort.
"I thought I was a big jerk."
She resumed her blank stare. "Well, consider this making up for it."
"Fine, I'll be right back." Lelouch left to rummage through the kitchen and came back with a knife and a plate. He cut the sandwich down the middle and placed it on the plate. C.C. gratefully started eating it hastily; she didn't get the chance to eat breakfast. Lelouch left again and to her surprise came back with a spoon and a paper cup. He opened the pudding, spooned out half, and plopped it on her plate, then poured half of his soda into the cup, which he placed in front of her.
"I only asked for some sandwich." she said, confused.
"Well, consider this out of my courtesy." He took another bite out of his ham sandwich half, this time careful to not bite off more than he could chew. C.C. was bewildered that he would extend her request like that. I guess he really does care. He's been more careful for me than usual. She wolfed down her half lunch and joined Lelouch back in the kitchen, who had finished first no doubt.
"C.C., I wanna ask you something." C.C. looked up from sprinkling mushrooms for an order.
"What is it?"
Lelouch looked around the room to make sure they were alone. "Do you remember when we first met Sabrina yesterday?"
C.C. grimaced. "How could I not?"
"Well, when she was addressing us, she called me Lelouch instead of Kimeru."
"She did? I hadn't noticed." Probably 'cause I'm so used to him being Lelouch. she wondered.
"And when she came in to tell us it's time for a break, she did it again." C.C. looked deep in thought. "I noticed that she only calls me that when no one else is around. Mr. Misa and Mikk never entered the room when we met her, same with a few minutes ago. You don't suppose she knows who I am, do you?" At that, C.C. petted her hair while she thought.
"She might. There's a good chance of it." Lelouch placed a finished pizza in the oven and withdrew a baked one and placed it on the counter, ringing the bell. Mr. Misa appeared in the window and smiled, picking it up for the customer. I might have to question her later on, but for now, I'll just gather as much data as I can. He took out another wad of dough and started messaging it with flour-powdered hands. Things might get out of hand here... For the rest of the day, he observed her when possible and confirmed his suspicions of how she addressed him.
That night at closing time, Lelouch decided to pay a visit to old Sabrina, C.C. tagging along. When they were sure that Mr. Misa and Mikk had left, they made for the manager's room. Lelouch knocked.
"Who is it?" came a small croak.
"It's Kimeru and C.C. We'd like a word with you."
"Come in." They entered and Sabrina offered then chairs, which they gladly took. "Now, what can I do for you two? If it's a raise you want, we can't jump ahead without making sure we have steady profit. There are many loose ends to-"
"No, it's nothing concerning pay."
"Oh, then what is it?" Lelouch looked at C.C., who nodded. Alright then.
Lelouch's eyes turn a red hue, bearing the Geass crest. "There are a few questions I'd like to ask you." He stared straight into Sabrina's eyes.
"Well, you're gonna want to ask me quick because I have a show on tonight that I don't want to miss." Lelouch was flabbergasted. How could it not work? How is she immune? He tried once more. Nothing happened. "Lelouch, is there something wrong?" Sabrina was looking concerned, but under that exterior Lelouch knew she was smirking, or something of the like. There was definitely something odd about her, not being able to use Geass on her, and her knowing his real name. He decided to retreat and regroup.
"Actually, hold on, I'll be right back." He beckoned for C.C. to follow, who was also bearing the look of bewilderment. They walked to the kitchen and closed the door, hiding in the closet to avoid being heard. C.C. spoke first:
"What happened?"
"My Geass didn't work on her." he whispered.
"Well, I noticed, but, why did you take me back here?"
"I wanted to consult you first because you can't read my mind. Do you think I should just straight out ask her how she knows, or should I wait and collect more findings first? I don't think it matters now; my mind is debating between both options, so I ask you for your opinion."
C.C. pondered this. "Well," she whispered, "I believe that it's wiser to wait it out, but being under that watchful eye might keep you up at night. I'm worried for your health here, so I'll let you pick. It's your call." Lelouch stared in more bewilderment. C.C. is worried for my health? he thought. What is up with these women? He nodded and thought. After about a minute, he decided to wait it out. It's always better to play it safe, even if the time was lengthened.
"Ok, I'll wait a bit until I know more, then I'll strike." C.C. understood. He opened the closet and stepped out, offering his hand to help her up. They made their way back to Sabrina's desk and resumed their seats. "I'm sorry, now I was going to ask you a question." He sat there thinking. "Oh darn, I can't remember. Curse bladder control..." C.C. giggled, and Lelouch glared at her, trying to look convincing.
"Well, maybe a good night's sleep will help." She spat while she talked again, which was hideous. They all got up and left the room. "Has your first day been good?"
Lelouch answered, hoping not to cause suspicion. "Oh, it's not too bad. Not something I can't manage."
"That's good to hear." Sabrina spat. "How about you Wee-too?" C.C. held back anger and tried to keep a straight face.
"It-was-fine." she said through gritted teeth.
"Well then, I'm glad you two are finding it well here. Have a good night." she opened the door and ushered them out, locking it behind them and turning the opposite direction the witch and warlock were going.
"Thank God that we got away from that woman." C.C. sighed, relieved of being in Sabrina's presence any longer. Lelouch was still thinking. "What is up with that woman?" he thought aloud. He just couldn't grasp it. Something weird was going on and he was pulled into it without knowing. He felt C.C. hug his arm as they walked home, and he relaxed a little. "You seem too stressed, and I know you well enough to determine that it's going to bother you for a while." Lelouch looked at her and she stared back with big, golden eyes. He smiled queerly, feeling somewhat good for her comfort but still disturbed by Sabrina. When they reached the apartment, Lelouch flopped on the bed and told himself out loud he was going to sleep without showering. He was too tense to do anything else. C.C. went in and within a few minutes Lelouch heard the the water running. He always like the noise the water made falling on the ground. It was the closest thing to rain. He loved the rain. It always seemed to wash away his worries and relieved his stress. He lay there and listened to the soft pitter-patter coming from the bathroom.
He started to drift into sleep when the door opened and out came C.C. in her Cheese-kun pajamas. He looked at her and resumed his position of lying on his stomach, had on pillow. C.C. got in bed and cuddled up next to him. "It's a little early for bed, don't you think? We still haven't had dinner." She hugged his side and rested her head next to his, her hair sprawled over his. He opened his eyes and looked at her again.
"I'm not hungry. I just need sleep." He closed his eyes again. He had said that in such a weary voice that C.C. pitied him. He was way to stressed to be healthy, so she decided to appeal to his needs. She stroked his head in an attempt to sooth him, and apparently it worked. He fell asleep within seconds. She then hugged him tightly. It not only eased him, his body felt warm against hers and seemed to fit just perfectly, like a unity. Never before had she felt like this. She remembered Mao. She had been in love with him, but it wasn't anything like what she felt for Lelouch. There was something special that Lelouch had that Mao didn't, that no one else had ever given her. And that happened to be a sincere love for her. Even when he didn't show it, she somehow knew that he loved her back. Why else would he tolerate her around him for eternity, or give in to her desire to work as a pizza chef, or care for her when she couldn't have died anyway? She watched the gentle rise and fall of his side, and knew he was different from all the rest. She hugged him even tighter and moved her head under his chin, letting his head rest on hers. When she needed him, he was there, so she would do the same. She slowly drifted in darkness, and sleep claimed her.
