A/N: I like to call this a 'chill-fic'. Meaning, it's not really plot-heavy, and it's just a scenario my brain cooked up. I was busy writing the 12th installment for A Game of Thrones and Faces when I felt slightly stressed out about how to write a particular scene XD
So this happened. No promises on story quality. I didn't know where this was going. I just rolled with it. It's sort of practice too, because my head hasn't been in the writing game ever since quarantine started. I've been brushing up on my idiotic video editing XD
Setting: AU World where Lelouch and the gang met in one University, and they all served in the student council.
Also, the CluClu side of FFN has been so quiet lately. Anyways, stay safe during quarantine everyone :)
Save the Date
Milly Ashford gathered her belongings as the baggage carousel rotated past with her two bright blue traveling bags. It took some effort to lift the loaded bags off of the mechanical contraption, but she managed. It was such a shame that no gentleman was in sight though. It also didn't help that chivalry was close to dead in the 21st century. She was all for being an independent woman, but a gentleman would have been nice once in a while.
Discarding her thoughts, the gorgeous blonde tucked locks of her fair hair behind an ear as she fished her smartphone out of her jacket's pockets. Pulling up the messenger app, she fired a quick text to her beloved best friend before huffing and dragging her bags along behind her.
Pendragon International Airport was a huge space. She didn't care for how many square feet it occupied, but she certainly wished her legs were fast enough to carry her through the many hallways and escalators it housed.
Tired as she was, she still spared bright smiles and friendly waves to people who recognized her from TV. Luckily, it wasn't long before she reached the destination agreed upon via text. And right there, mingling with the crowd in the spacious waiting area, Milly spotted her best friend's head of striking chartreuse hair.
"C.C.!"
Dressed in a loose white t-shirt tucked into her boyfriend jeans, C.C. hoisted her shoulder bag higher as she returned Milly's bright smile and the hug that eventually came with two long-separated best friends finally reuniting ever since University graduation happened.
"It's so good to see you." Milly squealed, tossing back her blonde hair as she tucked her sunglasses into the neck of her buttoned blouse.
"How was your flight?" C.C.'s smile was infectious and rare — the sort of smile that she only gave to her closest friends and her loved ones.
Sighing dramatically, Milly wound her arm around the shorter woman's shoulders and leaned into her. "I could complain about harsh accommodations, but I would be lying because I flew first class."
Cheeky as ever…
C.C. shook her head and extracted herself from Milly's characteristically firm grip and made to assist her with her luggage so they could finally leave this stuffy place and its impatient personnel.
"With the money you earn as a news anchor, I'm not surprised." The green-haired woman chuckled and began leading her friend away from the buzzing crowd.
Together, they picked their way through the food stalls and fast food restaurants within the airport parking lot's vicinity — making small talk and comfortably bantering and joking about old times in a manner which only long-time friends could achieve. For one, Milly couldn't believe how so much of C.C. had appeared to change and how much of her remained the same. She was still that dependable and sarcastic friend she knew from University. But at the same time, she was a lot more mellow too.
Dare she think or say it, C.C. was happier…
And Milly had several theories as to why this was the case.
In any case, she was just glad. And that happiness and excitement didn't vanish even as the girls worked together to haul Milly's things into the back of C.C.'s white Mercedes-Benz sedan.
"Good gods you packed a lot." C.C. huffed, finally relieved after they'd closed the trunk.
"A week isn't long, but you never know what you'll need in 7 days." Milly chirped, happily strapping the seat belt across her body as C.C. claimed the driver's seat.
"It's just a short vacation, Milly. Say, we're stopping by Pizza Hut before we head to my place."
At the mention of her best friend's favorite restaurant of all time, Milly didn't suppress the smile. Classic C.C.
"Some things change, and some never really do."
vVvVv
While Milly had been away from the capital city (and the country), her conversations with friends had been scarce but lively in-between. C.C., in particular, was a busy young woman, and so was Milly. But whenever either of them remembered, one never hesitated to give the other a long-distance call. Quick chats on the messenger app were frequent, and certainly weren't bad either.
Thanks to these online conversations, Milly wasn't completely in the dark about C.C.'s current living situations.
Pop music served as the background as she and C.C. chatted away in the car, with the latter's stack of freshly-bought Pizza Hut dancing in the backseat. Had either of them looked, they would have noticed the thing was close to toppling. But oh, who could possibly care about trivial pizza boxes when juicier conversations with your closest friend were at hand?
"So, is the Vice President home?" Milly finally teased.
And at the mention of their notable roles back in University, C.C. couldn't help but smile fondly at Milly as she navigated her car to take a right down this street.
"You know, I was wondering why he didn't come with you to fetch me at the airport." Milly continued to tease, sipping from the latte they'd ordered at Starbucks only ten minutes ago. "And here I thought Vice Prez missed me."
"He had urgent business at the office today." C.C. shrugged and slyly grinned at her friend. "He'll come home eventually."
"On a Saturday? Your boyfriend seriously needs to loosen up."
"Oh, I do plenty to turn his life upside-down once in a while. But he could definitely use your brand of fun." They shared a conspiratorial grin, recalling all the times in University where Milly's brilliant ideas (bolstered by C.C.'s own brand of mischievousness) got everyone into interesting twists and turns. "I bet he misses it."
"I miss them all." The blonde sighed. "We should really plan a reunion. Just to see what everyone's up to nowadays."
Well, when one is busy with one's own life, it was easy to lose track of how long it had been since one last saw their friends. This was definitely the case for Milly. She didn't know about C.C., but it was easy to see that her best friend was pretty occupied in her own right. For the last few months, Milly had been busy covering news stories — in and out of the country. Rivalz worked as one of Milly's production assistants back at the broadcasting network. And she would neither confirm nor deny a romance brewing between the two of them.
But her other friends… Well…
Quick peeks at social media here and there revealed some snippets of the others' lives. Shirley was always swift to post her latest clothing designs on Instagram, and other times it was her just chilling in the pool with some of her new friends in New Zealand. Nina wasn't much for social media, but Milly did find her name cropping up in several feature stories related to breakthroughs in chemical engineering — so that was that. Kallen's own social media posts proudly displayed a beautiful life with her beau, Gino Weinberg, in Germany; the latest being they got new dogs to add to the family.
The last time Milly was with Suzaku and Euphemia was roughly 7 months ago — during their fantasy-themed wedding. Their friend group was present for that, of course, and it had been a dreamy day full of butterflies, faerie-themed celebrations, and a grand reception where Suzaku's best man (Lelouch) somehow managed to embarrass himself with the groom. Husband and wife were barely on the internet nowadays, considering Suzaku's military career and Euphy's own nature. So Milly dearly hoped to pay them a visit while she was in Pendragon.
And Lelouch and C.C… Well…
Milly had been a firsthand witness to the veiled courtship, the violent breakups, and the passionate makeups back in University. Of course, it probably didn't help that Lelouch vi Britannia was a popular bachelor on top of being clueless as all hell about relationships back then. To say that his and C.C.'s relationship was a rollercoaster would probably be a bit of an understatement. They were a regrettably controversial couple in University (though neither of them asked for it, and it wasn't their fault), but they were hell'a beautiful to look at too.
Now at twenty-three, C.C. lived with her boyfriend — an arrangement that, she knew, displeased C.C.'s and Lelouch's conservative parents. But they were adults now, and well above the reach of iron-fisted parental authority.
"Not a bad idea. Maybe one of us should consider planning that out these days." C.C.'s agreement with Milly's last statement brought the blonde out of her reverie.
"How is he, by the way?" Milly asked, taking note of the gated community they were navigating through.
"He's doing fine. Probably stressed from working too much, but he's been that way since college, and you know it."
Eyebrows drawing together into an expression borne of concern, Milly regarded her long-time friend carefully. "You really need to convince him to set work aside once in a while."
"Maybe now that you're here, he will." C.C. grinned as their ride came to halt.
But speak of Lelouch vi Britannia and he shall appear. Milly smirked at the way C.C.'s eyes lit up at the sight of a black Mercedes-Benz sedan parked in the left-hand side of the open garage.
"The Black Prince has arrived." Milly announced dramatically.
"Let's pay homage to his royal crankiness." C.C. snickered, leaving the car together with Milly like a pair of trouble-making delinquents. And depending on which friend you asked, they probably were.
vVvVv
"Lelouuuuccchhh~"
At the sound of a familiar voice mischievously crooning his name, C.C.'s briefly MIA boyfriend winced. He loved Milly as a friend, and he missed her dearly. What he did not miss, however, was this particular way she called his name. It spelled trouble for him. And more often than not, his sly and playful girlfriend was not too far behind.
"I gave C.C. specific instructions to book you a place in an AirBnB." Lelouch grumbled, pulling a bottled water out of the refrigerator.
"Lelouch, she's only here for a week. That's too little time to catch up on all the charmingly embarrassing stories about you I plan to tell." C.C. strutted into the house, face hidden behind eight stacks of Pizza Hut boxes.
Milly Ashford followed right behind C.C. and her shriek of delighted laughter at the promise of such stories was enough to set off alarms in Lelouch's head. The disgruntled boyfriend hated himself for it. Because these two girls knew him well, and both knew which buttons to push to force him to his limits.
"I'm terribly sorry to disrupt yours and C.C.'s sexy-time while—"
"Nope! No, we are not having this conversation." Lelouch declared as C.C. deposited her stack of pizza boxes on one of the kitchen islands — earning an exasperated pout from Lelouch who just resigned himself to this fate because he was more than used to C.C. coming home with unhealthy amounts of junk food.
"Oh, you two are adorable." Milly crooned, bounding up to Lelouch with an energy reminiscent of Suzaku's when his male best friend had been much younger.
Milly enthusiastically flung a gorgeously tanned arm around Lelouch's shoulders, and her other hand happily tousled his locks of silky raven hair. C.C. smiled at their exchange and nonchalantly claimed one of the bar stools, taking the top-most pizza box — opening it and digging into its contents of heavenly bacon and cheese.
Still buried beneath the blonde's friendly affection, Lelouch couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to the good old days of endless council meetings, crazy events, and the most bizarre competitions. And while all three had successfully run him ragged and made his days in University interesting, he could openly admit that they were all fun. Nothing short of a fond smile would cross his face every time he took this trip down memory lane.
"I really did miss you, Vice-Prez."
For all her boisterous and bubbly ways, Lelouch couldn't stop himself from smiling either. Milly Ashford could be a handful sometimes, but suffice to say his college days would have been dreadful without her — one of his and C.C.'s closest friends, for sure.
"Did you really?" Milly teased, bumping shoulders with her old subordinate.
"I'm not lying." Lelouch freed himself from her friendly grip, but grinned openly nonetheless. "It's good to see you again, Madame President."
vVvVv
C.C.'s career as a freelance digital artist often ensured she could work from home at her own pace, and with a rate and a project of her choosing. Certainly not bad. And there were lazy days when Milly remembered what type of job C.C. had and felt slightly envious. Working from the comfort of the house did sound appealing sometimes, didn't it?
For the record though, Milly adored her own job, and she loved traveling more than she liked to stay at home and stew in front of her computer screen.
But there were days when C.C. had to up and leave the house to meet with a client and discuss — especially if they lived in the local area. It was a surprisingly drowsy Thursday afternoon. And with C.C. gone, the major part of the house was so quiet — even if Lelouch was home. The man worked four days a week, thanks to his management position.
Ah, the perks of being a charismatic and intelligent person…
Her itinerary for the week included visiting Suzaku and Euphemia on Friday — since the former wasn't off on deployment. C.C. was going to tag along if all went well with today's meeting, and Lelouch was expected at work tomorrow. After C.C.'s meeting with her client today, she, Lelouch, and C.C. had dinner plans at the student council's favorite restaurant in the city — their way of bringing up the good old days.
And since C.C. was due back at home in an hour and a half, dozing off to nap was a no-no.
Distracting herself, Milly finished reorganizing her things inside her traveling bag before wandering outside of the guest room — intending to find Lelouch and maybe talk to him. If he wasn't asleep, that is.
Lelouch and C.C. lived in a charming modern duplex — two bedrooms and three bathrooms. It was a far cry from a family home, but considering the two weren't in any rush to have children or tie the knot, Milly could acknowledge the practicality of their choice. Plus, thanks to Lelouch's flair for interior decoration, the place was very cozy and neat. Utterly spotless when you're willing to overlook traces of C.C. in every room here and there.
She passed a few adorable couple's pictures and friends-and-family collages displayed proudly on, otherwise blank, hallway walls before she reached their sleek and contemporary living room. And on one of the black suede sofas sat Lelouch with a laptop on the coffee table. Peeking discreetly over his shoulder, she noticed he was going through some very familiar pictures.
"Feels very nostalgic, doesn't it?" She didn't mean to, but she found herself speaking out anyway.
Whether she startled Lelouch or not, Milly wasn't sure. He simply chuckled and kept browsing through memory after memory — each picture telling its own wacky story. From pictures of them putting together a rooftop garden to insane moments of the group cooking together in Lelouch's parent's house — with the flour on almost every visible surface.
"Yeah. And now look at all of us." A satisfied smile unfurled across his lips.
And Milly understood why…
Considering how they all graduated from University with their heads intact and on time, Milly would be one of the first ones to say that they've done all right for themselves. Now each member had blossoming careers, and some of them were now married.
"How's Nunnally?" Milly asked, claiming the spot on the sofa next to Lelouch, and catching sight of Lelouch's delightful little sister laughing and smiling in the photos her friend browsed through. "I'm surprised she isn't living with you."
Lelouch snorted at the irony of Milly's observation. "I wanted Nunnally to live with me and C.C. while she's attending college. But she insisted on staying in the dorms, and well…"
"She wants to live her own life, doesn't she?" Milly smiled kindly, staring at the picture on-screen. It was Nunnally, Lelouch, and C.C. during the winter — posing in front of a sorry attempt at a decent snowman.
"Putting it simply, yes." Lelouch nodded, clicking through a few more photos. "I always want what's best for Nunnally, and I want her to grow. As much as I want to watch over her for the rest of my life— Don't give me that look!"
Milly giggled demurely behind her hand. Lelouch was always so adorable whenever he thought about his sister. He was the picture-perfect example of an overly protective and doting older brother. Always the best for Nunnally! That was Lelouch's life-motto.
She patted his shoulder — her placating gesture as he gave her a withering look. His lip jutted out ever so slightly, the most invisible of pouts (because Lelouch would never admit to pouting).
"You were saying?" Milly asked with a cocked eyebrow.
Lelouch sighed, stopping at a photo of him, Milly, Shirley, and Rivalz engaged in what he could only describe as a silly Christmas decorating argument. "I can't hover over Nunnally forever. She deserves to live however she wants to live, and sometimes that won't involve me."
Milly smiled at his words. "Did you come to that conclusion all on your own? Because I kind of sense C.C.'s influence in this."
Chuckling, Lelouch gave a resigned sigh as he and Milly stared at a picture of the cats festival. That was a particularly silly day for everyone involved. "Well, yes."
"Ha!" Milly started from her seat like an excited child. "I knew it! Honestly, Lelouch, if it were up to you, you would be tailing Nunnally for the rest of your life."
"I just don't want my sister hurt…" Lelouch defended somewhat lamely. "But C.C. does make a lot of sense most of the time — regrettably."
Milly watched him huff as he flipped through more photos; this time, stopping at a picture of Kallen and Suzaku being semi-serious with their arm wrestling. "You know, she really doesn't look it, but from my time knowing her, C.C.'s so much wiser than she lets on."
Lelouch couldn't argue with that statement. Having been in a relationship with C.C. for four years and counting, and now that he was living with her, he would admit that Milly's observations were spot on. His girlfriend was almost sage-like with her pieces of advice. C.C. wasn't always right of course, but she was always level-headed. Always rational — her pizza-spend was the exception, evidently. Honestly, if she had her way, the money in his bank account and hers would be significantly depleted if she had her total way with pizza. Lelouch ended up convincing C.C. to set up a different savings account for her pizza-spend — an account where he had the pin number.
"She likes to hide it too, but she cares deeply for people." Milly continued, offering no comment about Lelouch stopping at a picture of him and C.C. during a school festival. "She cares about her friends, she looks out for Nunnally, and gods, she loves you."
That last part earned a glance from Lelouch, who returned to his digital album-browsing.
"Do you remember that silly little fight we had about her parents' disapproval with me? Only to find out mine didn't like her either?"
"Yep. Quite a quarrel you had then. Gave the rest of us so much trouble." Milly laughed, remembering how the rest of them discussed the future of Lelouch and C.C.'s relationship as if it were the student body's next most important cultural event. "Though, I never quite understood why her parents didn't like you or why yours didn't like her either. Has that changed at least?"
"It could be worse. My father doesn't want us living together. Her parents just don't want her to live with me. Period. If we marry, they said, they want us to live with them. They don't think I can take care of her."
"But you can. And you do." She could practically picture a bulb above her head lighting up with the conclusions she was pulling out of herself. "And she really loves being with you. Do you two talk to each other about anything that troubles either of you, at least?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you two have fought for lesser reasons before. And often, the only solution is open communication." Milly grinned, poking Lelouch's cheek. "Don't think I don't remember."
She was right. Milly was so right. There were plenty of instances in the past where he'd thought his relationship with C.C. wasn't good for either of them. He loathed burdening her with concerns he deemed trivial, and as it happened, C.C. thought along the same wavelength — resulting in suppressed emotions and over-thinking, which then devolved into arguments. Milly often took him or C.C. aside to set things straight. And by the gods, Lelouch was almost convinced that Milly was actually a fairy godmother sent from the beyond to salvage an unraveling relationship.
By all intents and purposes, he and C.C. learned. They wouldn't have lasted for four years, otherwise.
"Yes, we do talk." He relented.
"Good." The impish smile on Milly's face nearly made him regret admitting the truth. "And I bet you cuddle her and make her feel all safe and loved—"
"It's called pillow talk." Lelouch deadpanned, rolling his eyes while trying to suppress the flush creeping to his cheeks. Honestly what was he, 12? "You and Rivalz can relate."
Milly responded to his grin with the slightest coloring of cheeks. But never one to lose composure, immediately rebutted with, "Don't switch the topic to me, when we're clearly discussing the future of your relationship with your lovely C.C."
"The future, huh?"
"Have you thought of popping the question?" Milly asked curiously, sincerely hoping he wouldn't take her questions the wrong way. She wasn't imposing, nor was she dropping hints. She was just curious.
After all, what friend wouldn't voice this line of questioning when it was clear how much her two friends adored each other so much?
"Never crossed my mind. Maybe it will in the future, who knows?" Lelouch shrugged, stopping at the last photo in the digital album.
Together, he and Milly stared at a picture of him and C.C. in an unfamiliar location, standing on what she presumed was a bridge that had a view of the lake and the mountains lying beyond. But apart from the picturesque scene of a happy couple surrounded by aesthetics, Milly couldn't help but zero in on something else. C.C.'s genuine smile, and the way Lelouch was looking at her.
She was about to speak when Lelouch sighed. "She and I are still working through some issues. Some days, it's easier to throw in the towel and quit. But we're not giving up. Not yet anyway."
Even after all these years… Oh, Lelouch. They all had so much to learn. She did too. And that was why Milly felt like she was in no position to offer advice where marriage and commitment was concerned. She could counsel them on their relationships and arguments no problem. Tying your life to someone else's for the rest of time was a different matter altogether. And it was uncharted territory. After all, wasn't she in an enduring relationship herself?
"You love each other, don't you?" She found herself saying, and when Lelouch nodded, Milly did to. "That's more than enough."
vVvVv
"You love each other, don't you? That's more than enough…"
Of all the experiences to have ever come across, falling in love with another person was one of the most peculiar. It turned life into one of the trickiest mazes to navigate through. And that was a good comparison for it, wasn't it? A maze… All these twists and turns, and occasional dead-ends. Navigating that maze they called 'life' was trying enough for one person. For two, tied together with a commitment, it was more challenging. Because you didn't think of just yourself any longer, you thought of your companion too — the person you chose to come with you through the maze.
And love was the ball of string that let you continue — the string that offered chances of righting mistakes and forgiving the other person for their shortcomings.
Was there an end to this maze?
Who knew?
Maybe it stretched on for eternity. Or maybe the finish line would appear at the end of their lives.
As unsure as the future and the risks were, Lelouch knew he was certain about one thing.
If he was going to navigate through a maze that would confuse him for the rest of his existence, he would choose no one else but C.C.
"You love each other, don't you? That's more than enough…"
Milly's words echoed in his head, and had a convenient way of reminding him whenever he was on the cusp of making the most important decisions in his life. Her very same words played in his head when he'd gone to jewelers months after Milly left. It repeated those same words when he went down on a knee and asked the love of his life for her hand.
And it was a constant reiteration even as he now held his new fiancee in his arms — his fingers gingerly circling the elegant white-gold band with its fanciful diamond. Customized to catch what little light there was, and made to fit her finger — and her finger alone.
Her smile was radiant and beautiful, and he wanted it all to himself. So he stole that smile, and her kiss along with it — both happily basking in thoughts of the future ceremony that would finally make them man and wife.
He loved her. She loved him.
It was more than enough…
vVvVv
She hadn't seen her friends in months again — close to a year really.
Milly settled back into work with the rest of her crew — once again surrounded by the familiar humdrum of a busy broadcasting station. Life working for the press wasn't exactly a bed of roses, but gods it was fun.
It was one such particularly busy day when Milly received the white envelope made of stiff paper and decorated with gold filigree along the border. Cracking the elegant wax holding it together, Milly Ashford couldn't stop a a smile from crossing her tinted lips as she read the cordial invitation to a beautiful and much-awaited wedding slated for Spring, next year.
Lelouch vi Britannia & Cera Corabelle
Save the date: May 6, 2020 a.t.b.