A/N: Back with Part 2 :D There's another part coming after this, and then it's complete! xD Thank you Euryphaessa Gray, my 3 Guest reviewers, duduaoi, & Ketsui Tasogare for leaving reviews. Thank you for favoriting, following, & for the kind PMs as well... On to part 2, shall we?


Part 2: Date

"Hello, hello everybody! Welcome to the Chain of Love! Roll the names in, people! Submission of names close at 10, so hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Milly kicked off her fundraising event with an extravagant display of fireworks, shooting up into the skies above the academy. Not a surprise, considering Milly's current term was characterized by all sorts of flamboyant occasions. Cheers rose up from the widest quad the Academy sported as the catchers prepared and Milly gleefully announced the first list of names in need of 'chaining.'

Five chaining requests and two blind-date packages. $35 in the first few seconds.

Suzaku wasn't sure whether his awe was warranted, but he was still impressed. It wasn't even ten yet, and the lines at the booths were crazy. Or at least, that's what he could tell from what he had seen so far. Already, Suzaku saw people being chased, caught, and subsequently chained to their partner of the hour. Reactions varied from secret elation to downright annoyance. He wasn't completely sure, but Suzaku thought he'd heard Gino's name being called. Still, aside from overseeing most of the happenings today, Suzaku had his own conspiracies with Kallen to attend to.

So first up! Get in line at the nearest chaining booth… He would even gladly volunteer to catch Lelouch himself if that was what it took to make his and Kallen's plans work.

A crisp and clear ring resounded throughout the campus, heralding an announcement. And what an announcement it was.

"Yes!" Milly's voice crowed. "Lelouch vi Britannia of 3-D will be chained to Janna Carlson of 2-A. Hurry & chain him because somebody else paid to chain him to Euphemia li Britannia next! Yeeee~ You can't hide, Lelouch!"

Milly's sing-song voice through the speakers held a promise. A promise that would send chills up the spine — even more so for Lelouch. As much as Lelouch vi Britannia valued his pride and dignity, Suzaku figured he wasn't too far off in guessing that his best friend was probably already hiding.

Milly was having way too much fun with this… And it was going to make it harder to set up Lelouch and C.C. (like he and Kallen planned) than he first thought.

=OoOoO=

A first day spent running from insane girls, Milly's chasers, and three blind dates.

Why? Why did the universe find great pleasure in causing him misery? No, scratch that. The universe had nothing to do with this. It's all Milly and her extravagant ideas for fundraisers. They could have sold fresh pizzas and desserts, but no~ Apparently, that was too simple-minded and too drab. Where was the fun in selling money and laboring honestly? No, let's make an entire elaborate three-day plot to traffick Lelouch and use him for monetary gain.

To be fair, Milly predicted right. The $12,000 goal was not unattainable. On the contrary, Lelouch would dare make this prediction that if their current momentum was sustained for the next two days, they could raise $12,000 and perhaps extras. The younger members of the teaching faculty had joined in on the chaos too, and the students who participated as catchers were having way too much fun wrangling the adults to mix-and-match them with other teachers. Five times today, Lelouch had witnessed hordes of students squealing. On one occasion, the catchers paraded Ms. Viletta and Mr. Ohgi Kaname through the school grounds, wrists linked, fingers intertwined, with faces flushed as the adults exchanged embarrassed glances.

Some upper class men even hooked Dr. Rakshata and Professor Lloyd for the $20 wedding package as a joke — much to the two's chagrin. And that was livestreamed to the entire school.

Suzaku himself hadn't escaped the blind date packages. Shirley and a freshman were one of the girls that Lelouch had noted. Someone also thought it would be funny to 'chain' Suzaku with Gino and have them both parade around school — much to the delight of the girls.

Lelouch was mostly in-charge of monitoring the progress of the event. It required refreshing the Ashford Academy social media page — when he wasn't 'chained' to some girl or on a forced blind date, that is. Pictures of the notable couples were frequent, and there were new videos and photos cropping up. No surprise there… The Journalism club was in full-documentation mode today.

He sighed as he scrolled through post after post.

There were a couple of him and Shirley in a dimly lit room with candles and snacks on fancy plates. Captioned with, "Cutest couple ever?" Further scrolling revealed a post for an entire album of Lelouch vi Britannia 'chained' with different girls — paraded around campus like some trashy main character for a reality TV show. At least he wasn't alone… There was an entire album dedicated to Milly too. Something told Lelouch that Rivalz wasn't too happy about this.

Milly alongside Ayano Kosaka thought it would be fun to have an awarding ceremony after this. There would be a grand winner for the person with the most number of 'chains'. And someone from the Journalism club had put together a scoreboard at the social media page.

Numbers currently indicated that the Student Council Vice President was in the lead.

And unhappily so. Scoffing, Lelouch returned to scrolling, amazed at how much engagement and interaction the page was receiving on the first day, and the school hours weren't even close to finishing off yet.

A certain someone catching his eye, he stopped skimming further down to pause and stare at a devastatingly bored C.C. in one post, chained to a strange kid Lelouch didn't even recognize. C.C. made it to three or five other pictures as well, 'chained' to both girls and boys…

He felt her pain, wherever she was. This was his only respite. This was his moment to hide away from everyone else.

And the rooftop seemed like a good place, considering the amount of effort he put into actually making it here.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lelouch pocketed his phone as the speakers crackled to life once again. With it was Milly's familiar announcement ring, and then her crisp voice, announcing another round of interesting names that Lelouch couldn't say he was pleased to hear.

Here we go again

The familiar giggles that assaulted the speakers made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. "Lelouch and Miaaaa~ Also, oooohh! Someone chained me with Gino too. Lovely! Aaanndd~ I have—" Her fingers tapping across a screen made him cringe in anticipation. It couldn't get any worse, right? "Nina and Rivalz!"

As her cackling faded away into static crackling, Lelouch could only shake his head, sit back against the stone railings that bordered the rooftop's edges, and sighed. The catchers could search for him all afternoon if they wanted. He'd been dragged from one corner of the school to another and made to hold hands with numerous girls for entertainment and cash. He deserved a proper break.

"Hiding from the rest of the school, I take it?"

Startled by the sound of her silvery voice, Lelouch sighed in relief. It was only C.C. A sight for sore eyes.

"What does it look like?"

"I figured you would. All that walking couldn't have been good for you?"

Ignoring the feigned insulted glare he sent her way, C.C. bent over the railings to take a gander at chaos happening below.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Shift over."

"I'm not the only one staying away from the ruckus."

"Yes, well… As amusing as Milly's antics are, I'd rather watch from a distance."

Lelouch stared as C.C. gathered her skirt, tucked them behind her knees, and sat down carefully next to him — hidden away from the eyes of the catchers. She was honestly surprised that more people hadn't come to the roof to hide away. But then again, Milly's event was only exhausting if you were Lelouch. For any other normal student, it was just another three days of moderate fun. Not that she blamed the students (the girls, in particular) for snagging their chances presented on silver platters. The Vice President hardly acknowledged female affection and simply placated his many admirers with genuine smiles.

For the life of her, C.C. couldn't understand why so many girls wanted him either. Lelouch was just an insanely intelligent nerd who loved to skip PE class. Well, minus the attractive aesthetics. But that hardly mattered when there were loads of other attractive boys in the school. There was no shortage of them according to her own objective observations.

And on that note, C.C. never truly had the guts to peek into why she liked Lelouch herself.

Disregarding her straying thoughts, C.C. reached behind her and released her hair from the loose braid before hiding the scrunchy away. Rebellious locks got in her face, which Lelouch didn't hesitate to tuck away.

"How were your 'chainings'?"

Eyes twinkling with mirth, she gave the smartphone in his hand a pointed look. "Not as awful as yours."

This time, Lelouch groaned. She had a point… Between the two of them, anyone could agree he had the shorter end of the stick. Perhaps it would have been different and more pleasant if he actually liked the attention, but he really didn't. In the beginning, he wanted to enjoy his high school life, and intended to live in peace. That quickly changed for the worst after his first grand public appearance as Student Council member in freshman year — when the general female population unanimously decided that 'the Vice Prez is cute.'

"Why can't they 'chain' me to someone I like?" He lamented, burying his face into his arms.

C.C. cocked an eyebrow and denied the stuttering of her beating heart… Because what? Lelouch liked someone? Who was it?

"Oh-hooo~ vi Britannia has a crush, does he?"

Peeking at her, he caught her half-smile. Did he speak aloud? Shit.

"No, I—!" Backtracking wasn't a very brilliant idea, was it? "Hmph..."

Breathe in, breathe out… Composure and cool was necessary. There was no need to panic about the freudian slip.

"Someone bearable would have been nice."

"Mhmmm..." Hell no, C.C. wasn't buying this, and she made sure he knew. "Whatever you say."

"Don't look at me like that!"

"Like what? I'm not implying anything."

"Having to walk around school next to someone quiet and reasonable to converse with would have been good for a change."

Absorbed into his own flashbacks of screaming fangirls and smartphone cameras in his face, Lelouch barely noticed the subtle droop of C.C.'s shoulders. He missed the ephemeral display of pity on her face before it was replaced with something that stirred up endless trouble for him instead.

"Like Suzaku?" That suggestive smile made him more uncomfortable than he realized.

"Why would I—?!" Lelouch was about to launch into a tirade about her implications, but then again—. "On second thought, it's not so bad."

It wasn't ideal… But walking around school with Suzaku was hardly something to react violently at. They'd been friends since grade school. They knew how to be around each other better than anyone else.

C.C chuckled. "I just might put your names in."

"The booths are closed."

"There's always tomorrow. Or are you forgetting?" At the dumbfounded look on his face, C.C. couldn't help tittering. "Kallen said this would last for three days. Imagine how many shippers would be so happy with something like—"

"Shippers?"

Poor Lelouch looked so confused. Giving his cheek a playful poke, she retorted with, "Check the internet sometimes."

He made a face at that, and waved her statement away. Whatever, right? But speaking of Suzaku... "Suzaku's dating Euphy."

"So I've heard…" Short and awkward silence followed, no thanks to her own dead-end response. "Lelouch."

"Hm?"

"If someone chained you and me, would you have hated it?"

Oh, if she only knew.

That question would have destroyed him if he wasn't as composed as he was. He took the briefest of seconds to gauge her face. What could prompt such a curious and interesting question? He could give her a proper answer, or… lob a gentle tease just to see what she would say next.

"Looking to go on a date with me, are we?"

C.C. snorted at the unexpected answer. "You wish."

Playing up her snobby front, she flipped her hair in his direction and turned her nose up at his very bold quip (though she would never admit the excited flips her inner-self did when he so much as teased the possibility of a requited crush).

"I'm too good for you."

Lelouch winced… Because ouch? Still - "Yeah. Right back at you."

"Answer my question." C.C. demanded, fixing determined golden eyes towards him.

What was even the point if she was going to reject a subtle advance? "And what purpose would that serve, exactly?"

Disappointed, C.C. frowned and put her chin on her palm, and huffing — a gesture Lelouch admitted was adorable on her. "You're being a brat right now."

"Says the brat who demands my money for pizza five days a week." He scoffed.

Oh please. She humored his retort with an eye-roll. "You insist on paying."

"After you drag me to Pizza Hut."

"Again, because you love to pay. Your outdated love for chivalry is your downfall, and you picked the wrong girl to pamper it with."

"I'll say. I picked a Witch."

"And you love spoiling her, don't you? Almost as much as you spoil Nunnally~"

Well, that wasn't a lie. Truth of the matter was, he didn't really mind if it was C.C., because he honestly wanted to. He, well, liked her more than a friend. And that was part of the reason why he didn't mind spoiling her. Lelouch was hard-pressed to admit how much he liked her secret little smiles, how she cuddled next to her plushies, or how he liked bantering with her because he wanted to see what kind of creative retorts she could come up with.

But the serene moment they'd cultivated between them ground to a startling halt as a familiar head of brown hair appeared at the entryway to the roof. Suzaku's vigilant gaze landed on the pair not a second too late, and he grinned.

"You guys are hiding too huh?" Suzaku eyed them both, secretly proud of Lelouch for snagging a moment, and apologetic that he probably ruined it by walking in on them talking.

But then again… If the two knew what he was actually here for, they wouldn't complain, would they?

Yesterday, when he enthusiastically agreed to Kallen's plot, she divulged C.C.'s feelings for his best friend. Wasn't it fun that they mutually liked each other enough to harbor crushes? Suzaku, for one, thought it cute. And it made him all the more eager to set them both up on a fun $20 wedding package.

What? He swore he would catch Lelouch himself and put him in a hand-me-down tux, didn't he?

"Care to join the party, Suzaku?" Lelouch quipped, smirking smugly. Totally oblivious to Suzaku's true intentions. He almost felt sorry for him. He knew Lelouch, and he wouldn't like this. Well, not yet.

"This is the most boring party I've ever been to." C.C. sighed, feigning her disappointment.

Suzaku cleared his throat to get their attention just before they could plunge into another petty argument over 'the right words to use.' "I really hate to interrupt this, but Kallen's looking for you C.C."

Her expression turned skeptic, and Suzaku had to be wary of keeping his own composure in check. He really should have texted Kallen that he was about to grab Lelouch — should have created a solid plan to retrieve their targets first. Lelouch would be disappointed in him if he was aware. Stupid stupid stupid

"Why would she tell you and not just text me?"

Suzaku shrugged, doing his best to turn up his innocence. "I don't know. She's at the Student Council room. Besides, I need to speak with Lelouch alone."

That sounded like the perfect excuse, because C.C.'s skepticism faded and shifted into one of amusement. "Oh, well why didn't you say so? I would hate to get in the way of your alone time with him."

"C.C., please don't say misleading things like that." The raven-haired boy huffed and carefully untangled his legs to stand.

Suzaku didn't mind the teasing, but Lelouch winced as C.C. gave him a cheeky wink and pranced away to leave the two boys alone.

"Your timing is atrocious." Lelouch complained, glaring exasperatedly as he returned to his view of the event below.

Suzaku pursed his lips. He didn't cockblock the two of them, did he? "I know I'm sorry. But we need your help with the tuxedos used for the Wedding Packages."

"You came here to tell me that?"

The brunet scratched the back of his neck. "I figured you were too busy hiding to check your phone."

Lelouch frowned. Something didn't feel right. Suzaku may be wonderful at acting, but putting up pretenses wasn't exactly his strong suits. The excuses he'd given both him and C.C. were a little too shoddy and a subtle poke into the logic of it all uncovered holes. Suzaku should have known better than to lie. If he was going to do it to Lelouch's face, could he have at least fool-proofed it enough?

"This is a ploy to trap me into a Wedding Package, isn't it?"

Suzaku shook his head vehemently as he insisted, "Nooo..."

"You're a horrible liar. Just drop it."

The brunet blinked twice, grimacing at his lack of ability to deceive. "You're not bothered?"

An arrogant smirk surfaced as the other boy leaned on the balcony's edge on his elbows. "You're not even denying it anymore." Lelouch shrugged. "I trust you enough to respect my choices and not force me into— Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry Lelouch..."

Grunting, Suzaku hoisted his surprisingly lighter friend over his shoulder in a fireman's lift, wincing now and again as Lelouch got over the shock and started hitting his back.

"Suzaku, I order you to PUT ME DOWN! What are you—? Suzaku, stop!"

"Stop struggling, Lelouch!"

"NO! This is harassment— this is! This is undignified— HOW DARE YOU?!"

=OoOoO=

The first day of her fundraising event was nothing short of grandiose and fun, and it was exactly how Milly wanted it. She was happily flitting around the announcement room, fixing one of the three tuxes reserved for any Wedding Packages that would crop up on short notice. Kallen admired Milly's vivaciousness. It was refreshing in the best of times.

Honestly, this day was chock full of surprises already. And there was even one grand one that she and Suzaku cooked up for their two friends who really needed the extra push. C.C. was probably pissed at her now, but she would get over it. Now it was all down to Suzaku and his part. And considering how she got his messy text not a few minutes ago, saying he and Lelouch were on their way, she expected them to show up here any minute now.

Milly turned to her, grinning and opening her mouth to say something when the door to the announcement room flew open with enough force to almost dislodge it from its hinges.

And here they were thinking there wouldn't be anymore surprises today…

When Suzaku told her he had Lelouch, she thought he succeeded at fooling him to comply and come willingly. This, however, was not exactly the way she'd ever imagined it.

"I hope you're happy, you insufferable idiot. NOW PUT ME DOWN!"

Milly and Kallen gaped and gawked. The image of Lelouch with his backside in the air and propped over Suzaku's shoulder, complete with flailing legs and arms in protest was an image now burned into Kallen's memory.

"Wow, Suzaku~" Milly snickered as Suzaku lowered Lelouch to a chair, sneakily snapping pictures as she distracted them all with conversation.

Kallen found her voice at last and managed to say, "Did you really have to?"

Suzaku shrugged sheepishly and actually looked guilt. "He wouldn't come otherwise."

All eyes turned to Lelouch coughing, wheezing, and slightly red from all the protesting. Still flinging a myriad of creative curses at his so-called best friend in his head, the Vice President glowered at all of them, dragging the back of his wrist across his mouth.

"I'm never trusting you again." Lelouch hissed. No, he didn't mean it, but that hardly mattered now, did it? Suzaku seemed to know it too because he just dusted his hands off in mockery of a job well-done.

"It gets the job done at least."

"Don't tell me you were in on this too." Lelouch glared at Kallen.

They didn't have the time to deal with Lelouch and C.C.'s prissiness. Kallen just sighed and made for the door. Best check on the progress of C.C.'s makeup. "Get him ready to meet his bride."

"Roger." Suzaku mocked a salute, watching Kallen leave before blocking the door as Lelouch calmly made his way towards it.

With a resigned sigh, Lelouch surrendered to his fate when Milly put her hands on his shoulders and guided him to a free chair. There was a designated space on the table littered with cosmetics, a small assortment of boutonnieres, and of course, it was impossible to miss the short row of tuxes. Lelouch, himself, had procured them from a tailor that Sayoko knew well.

Now he was going to be stuffed in one against his will...

"You won't be half as mad when you see your bride, I promise."

His fake $20 bride… But sure, whatever. If it meant rectifying their depleted Council budget, then fine, he could do it.

It's not like it's my first 'chain' of the day.

=OoOoO=

The bridal gown they coerced her to wear was thankfully not absurd. It was classy and possessed every element of a traditional wedding — complete with things that were old, new, borrowed, and blue. Shirley and Kallen had been responsible for dressing her up, though the former was somewhat reluctant, and wasn't as cheery when she did it for Dr. Rakshata this morning. C.C. honestly didn't understand what upset Shirley about this one. It was just another fake wedding that cost $20 — just a drop in the fundraising bucket.

C.C. herself had given up on trying to get Kallen to tell her who she was going to be "married" to. The fact that this would be broadcast to the entire school while she exchanged 'play' vows with a prepaid husband wasn't lost on her.

It was all fun and games, of course… But it stripped away some of the thrill C.C. expected to feel on a real wedding day in the future.

Transferring the bouquet of varied flowers from one hand to the other, C.C. squinted at the wedding dais up ahead. A blue carpet divided the area down the middle, and Kallen escorted her to the very end of it. No chairs… Just students in Ashford Academy uniforms pointing cameras at C.C., cheering and gossiping about who the husband could be.

"Kallen, just tell me who he is, and I'll—"

"He's right on time."

C.C. looked away from her grinning friend and felt her frown melt into shock as she watched Suzaku march a distressed Lelouch to the top of the dais. A Lelouch dressed in one of the cheap tuxedos the Student Council rented just for this $20 Wedding Package.

Wait—

"They hooked me up with Lelouch?" C.C. choked under her breath, a flush creeping to her cheeks. For the first time, C.C. thanked every deity above for the transparent veil covering her face — attached to a tiara that they put in her hair.

But why would any random student ever think about paying for a $20 Wedding Package and put Cera Caraverre and Lelouch vi Britannia on the list? Lelouch was the popular kid at Ashford. Not her. She was just another averagely pretty face in the crowd of juniors. What could possibly warrant a set-up of this magnitude?

Unless—

C.C. immediately pieced together what's up when she noticed Kallen's proud grin and Suzaku's giddy smile. Traitors, the both of them.

"You set me up with him, didn't you?" Ignoring the hollering and the screams of 'Leloouuuccchhh~' over the restless crowd, C.C. narrowed her eyes at the redhead who had the gall to feign nonchalance.

"Let's just say that I wouldn't have, if I didn't think it would work. Thank me later." Giving her disgruntled friend a gentle nudge, she urged, "Now go. He's waiting."

As if on cue, a wedding march started as students from the sidelines began littering rose petals over the carpet. She vaguely registered the shocked gasps as she chose to focus on the groom of this event instead. Lelouch had been fuming when Suzaku marched him up the dais, but now he looked compliant — contemplative. As if the idea of having her as a bride in a fake wedding wasn't so bad. Their eyes met in spite of the transparent veil over her face. He was looking at her in that weird way again. One she'd seen too many times — enough to deem it interesting.

Behind him, Suzaku and Rivalz took their places as faux groomsmen as Milly took up the microphone to officiate the unofficial wedding ceremony in her school uniform.

It was surreal, to say the least.

C.C. stopped at the bottom of the dais and took her time climbing, careful not to trip on the gown and embarrass herself in front of the student body. Catching himself, Lelouch immediately outstretched a hand for her to take. No wedding gloves and no wedding ring. Just a bouquet in one hand and a corsage tied around the opposite wrist. Lelouch vaguely recalled the involvement of trinkets, and the idea came rushing back when Suzaku nudged him from behind and pressed a ring box into his palm.

They'd bought fake rings for this event. So of course it was nothing special… Just a big fancy show to lock the $20 Suzaku and Kallen had paid for.

When she finally stood beside him, he offered an apologetic smile, mouthing a 'Sorry' towards her. After their nice conversation on the roof, they'd been thrust into a whirlwind of faux wedding preparation. Too much activity in the past hour and a half made it seem like days ago. He felt jittery and a little flushed, but C.C.'s answering smile was worth it.

It was a different kind of smile this time. Just a tiny bit shy.

Lelouch wasn't ready to admit it out loud, but he begrudgingly acknowledged that Suzaku had been right. True to his best friend's word, Lelouch wasn't, in fact, mad at who his 'bride' had ended up being. Which begged the question of who had set him up with C.C. in the first place.

Eh, fuck that

Lelouch already knew it was Suzaku at this point. Yes, he could argue that it was C.C. herself, but she honestly wasn't the brazen type. C.C. never threw herself into anyone. He doubted she liked him as more than a friend in the first place, so… This was definitely Suzaku's idea.

And maybe Kallen's too, considering the way she reacted when Suzaku dumped him in the announcement room.

If Kallen aided Suzaku to set him and C.C. up, then did that mean—?

As Milly drawled into her mic and treated the entire ceremony like another sub-festival, Lelouch ignored the frantic whispering and simply gave C.C.'s hand a gentle squeeze.

"No, I wouldn't have hated it." He mumbled, only loud enough for C.C. to hear.

"What?" Confusion marred her pretty face, and he immediately rushed to clarify.

"When you asked me if I were chained to you, would I hate it? And now my answer. No, I wouldn't have hated it." He smiled and looked at her then, facing her as he held both of her hands as the squeals and the whisperings multiplied across their audience. "I mean, I don't hate it now."

"Lelouch, do you take Cera Caraverre as your Council-approved wife? To have and to hold for the rest of this event and hopefully the foreseeable future?"

Lelouch was ignoring Milly though…

"I like you."

C.C. trembled with excitement underneath the veil. This spontaneity was— It was… It was hard to find the right words when the sensation of his thumbs brushing her knuckles affectionately was so distracting. She gaped at him instead and he repeated himself as if she hadn't heard.

Truthfully, it just didn't sink in yet… She was leaning closer though. And there was still Milly and her question to worry about. Somewhere past the blood rushing in her ears, C.C. thought she heard the Student Council President say Lelouch's name. But it was useless against this…

"I like you C.C."

Lelouch's breath hitched as he lost himself in her eyes. What was she thinking right now? He wanted to know. Did she think his confession was stupid? Was it too abrupt? Maybe the spontaneity wasn't his brightest of ideas. But when she stepped closer, squeezed his hands gently in return, and gave him the beginnings of his favorite smile...

As silly as this situation was; as awkward as the wedding veil, the hand-me-down generic bridal gown, and the too-loose tux was, Lelouch found little to complain about. Not when he was too focused on how flushed and adorably embarrassed she was by all this — not that he was any better.

Fuck the cameras, the students, and what the others thought, right?

So he lifted her veil...

"Lelou— Mmph~"

C.C. blinked, eyes wide and staring at how close Lelouch's face was. She never truly realized how awkward it would be to receive a surprise kiss. Wholly unprepared with their noses smushed, her back stiff and straight as a board, hands frozen in place, and lips sealed shut. Somewhere below the dais, there were girls gasping and the beginnings of a cheer — Kallen's voice among them. She'd dropped her bouquet in surprise too.

Sensing her tense posture, Lelouch slowly pulled away, cheeks pink and ears rightfully red. He kept his hands at her elbows, unsure and embarrassed about his own bravery now. Was it too much? Did he read her body language wrong, or—?

"Lelouch," She was still so close, her hands on the lapels of the borrowed tux. She smelled nice… "Barely satisfactory. Try again?"

Their smirks disappeared as they drew closer again, more prepared to lock lips and kiss in front of a shell-shocked student-body this time around. Was it even allowed or tolerated? Frankly, Lelouch didn't give a shit anymore. They wanted a wedding? Well, they'd give them a wedding event to remember. Or at least, a fake and juvenile version of it.

Her hands on his shoulders slowly climbed higher to lock around the base of his neck, one of them finding a place in his hair, where her fingertips drew soothing motions along his scalp. His own hold on her elbows traveled to her waist, pressing her to his taller frame so he could accommodate her better. She hadn't noticed when they first touched mouths, but his lips were really soft, their sighs warm as they shared breath and indulged in their slow and delectable kiss. Pliant lips parted just the tiniest bit to let their tongues touch and twine, the action pushing them further and further away from the gravity of the situation and whatever happened around them.

They willingly fell into their own brand of bliss, wholly oblivious to the rest of the crowd. As air dwindled they reluctantly parted, and opened their eyes to see Milly fanning herself onstage while holding the microphone, Shirley off to the side blushing furiously as she wiped down glasses at a small table for the umpteenth time, and of course, the rest of their "audience" holding their smartphones up.

And the cat-calling. Oh my god, the cat-calling…

Milly was just as surprised as everyone else. But it was a pleasant sort of surprise. Honestly, she was just happy that Suzaku's and Kallen's plan worked. The kiss wasn't mandatory, but what the hell— Throwing away her wedding script, she cheerfully proclaimed.

"I now pronounce you, hubby and wifey!"

The cheers that erupted drowned Milly's last words. But it wasn't loud enough to mask the congratulatory teasing from most of the male members of the student body — chief among them being Suzaku and Rivalz. C.C. giggled behind a hand as Lelouch buried his face on her shoulder and laughed quietly.

C.C. had the heart to remind him about the rings they'd forgotten, tucked away as a bump in the pocket of his trousers. But he shook his head and suggested they forget about it, choosing instead to relish in the bright smile he'd never thought she'd display in public.

He liked that smile — adored it, really. So he took that and gathered her in his arms, basking in their revealed affection for one another through another slow and shameless kiss.