A/N: I'mma go ham on the kissing. Because we can't have an HS AU without classic cutesy teenage romance xD C'mooonnn~

Thank you for the reviews, Dewa1990, Ketsui Tasogare, jeonbunbunnyjjk, wootanin, Euryphaessa Gray, my 3 Guest reviewers, & frankenRoses. That really made my day & I'm glad the concept of the 'Chaining Booth' wasn't as outlandish as I worried it would be XD Thank you so much for every favorite and follow in this story. :D

Request:
Can I request a jealous Lelouch in 'The Chaining booth'? 😂😍 👉👈


Part 3: Together

C.C.'s breath hitched, the tiny bit of movement pushing them a little closer than they already were. She could vaguely feel the pounding of Lelouch's heart as violet drilled into gold — far too close for proper comfort.

Arthur's cat food littered the carpet behind them as the wayward feline wandered off to gods knew where. They couldn't do anything about her now. But they could do something about this rather compromising position they were in.

The realization dawned sluggishly as C.C.'s shock melted into an expression that was slyer and sparkier. Chuckling, Lelouch leaned closer and nuzzled her nose, allowing the minuscule distance to disappear. Her arms comfortably wrapped themselves around his shoulders, surrendering to the innocent affection Lelouch vi Britannia decided to lavish on her. It was no French kiss, but it was sweet — if not a little shy.

Three weeks had passed since their series of first kisses in front of an audience. And in that time, C.C. couldn't quite banish the memory of how it felt to be pressed up against him, every curve and space fitting into the lines of his body. She told herself that if he wanted to kiss her again, she certainly wouldn't say 'no.' As cold and rebellious as he was, he was actually quite passionate. And she hated to admit it, but she probably enjoyed that kiss a little too much — even craved more, to be perfectly honest.

And here she was with her secret wishes granted — in the most unconventional of ways.

Relaxing above her, he adjusted himself so they could get comfortable. Weight pressing comfortably on her, C.C. bit her lip to hide a growing smile as Lelouch kissed her cheek, drifting to the corner of her mouth, before slowly seizing her lips with his. Making-out on the Student Council room's floor was hardly ideal or appropriate, but Lelouch always did like to bend and break the rules a little. One of his fingers ghosted through her hair, clearing her face of wayward strands as they drifted to cup her cheek.

It was a surprise to find out that kissing could feel so natural. She never pictured it like this, to be honest. She always thought it involved more gagging and being revolted at the idea of exchanging breath with someone else. But this… It was hot and intimate — made her heart pound. Strangely addictive.

Smiling against his lips, she readily complied with his tongue's teasing. Mouth parting the tiniest bit, staying pliant and accommodating as he sucked on her lower lip and allowed his other hand to settle at her waist. The impromptu kiss could have lasted so long, yet it was so short at the same time. As the air dwindled and they were forced to part, the ticking of the clock in the room grew just a little louder — the sound punctuated by the rasps of shallow breathing.

They were leaning in for more when the doors to the Student Council room hissed and opened.

Shirley and Nina had to stop midway through entering, because what?

"Why?"

"Lulu?!"

The girls stammered at the same time — both gaping and shell-shocked at the rather scandalous scene they had walked in on. The flustered couple struggled to right themselves, but the damage had been done. There was no hiding the plain evidence of the petting and the kissing. It would have been amusing, had it been any other couple (or even Milly herself), but because Shirley liked and had feelings for Lelouch… Well, needless to say, she wasn't very happy.

How wrong of her to assume that the kiss during Milly's fundraising event was nothing more than a show. Obviously it wasn't, if Lelouch and C.C.. were making out like this.

Was this it? Were he and C.C. officially dating?

Face red with embarrassment and frustration, Shirley ignored Lelouch's attempts to explain the situation. "You two need to be more considerate. This is school property, and we could all get in trouble if we're not careful about handling it—"

Choosing to ignore the mayhem that was about to ensue, C.C. turned her attention to the mess of cat food that had been forgotten on the floor. As frustrating as the moment had been, she couldn't help finding some form of amusement in it. Yes, it was mortifying to be walked-in on, but Shirley's and Nina's faces more than made up for the cons. She'd let Lelouch sort this problem out. He started the kissing, after all. But also because Lelouch was the only person capable of placating a distressed and aggravated Shirley.

Poor girl probably hated the romance brewing between her and Lelouch…

Not that C.C. could blame the redhead. She would hate to see her crush like another person too. Except, C.C. knew that she wasn't the type to be vocal about her displeasure at all — choosing to hide behind the comfort of sarcasm and stoicism instead.

As Shirley and Lelouch discussed it over in a flurry of hand gestures and cherry-picked words, C.C. considered stepping in to end the mania. But then again, why should she have to, when it was obviously better to let the embarrassment and chastising run its course. With a passive shrug, she claimed a seat on one of the empty chairs and opened the abandoned pizza box. Nina had the right idea: mind her own business and let Shirley and Lelouch deal with it.

The pizzas were cold, but they would do…

If she was going to listen to this debate, she might as well do it with a full stomach — all while contemplating the romantic choices she'd made for herself thus far.

=OoOoO=

Two more weeks had gone by since that incident at the Student Council room. As expected, Lelouch had taken care to not let it happen again. Because according to him, to be embarrassed 'once' was enough. So that put a momentary end to the kissing, but opened up a whole other avenue of affectionate touching. Because for some reason, he couldn't keep his hands off of her for the past weeks. A hand on her back every time he walked into a room where she was in, tucking her hair away from her face on occasion, brushing his fingers along her wrist and palms. Sometimes she would tire of the teasing and just hold his hand all together. He didn't seem to mind…

And they certainly didn't care now as they walked through the hallways of the main building. He was playing with her fingers, and she had to pull away for the sake of stashing textbooks and other unnecessary school materials into her locker.

"So what are the plans for this weekend?" Leaning against the adjacent rows and columns of metal, he watched as C.C. popped her locker open and he was greeted by an ungodly host of Cheese-kun stickers plastered all over the gray.

Her answering smirk made him want to pinch her cheek. "Looking to score a date, vi Britannia?"

"I'm not opposed."

"Oh I know you're not. But surprisingly, I have plans."

"Plans that don't involve me? How strange."

She bit the bait and rolled her eyes. "As much as you love to believe it, my life doesn't revolve around you."

Punctuating her words, she closed the locker door and clicked the lock into place. Lelouch fell into step beside her as they continued walking, making their way to the exit because school was done for the week, and there was nothing better to do than lounge at home and maybe have some more pizza.

"Now why would you say that? I've never implied such a thing." He crooned, hands tucked into the pocket of his school trousers.

The empty hand swinging at her side didn't escape Lelouch's notice. He wanted to see who would fold first, this time; considering how much she liked holding his hand these days.

"What are you doing tomorrow and the day after, seriously?"

C.C. walked a little closer to him as she hoisted the bag that slipped rebelliously off her shoulder. "You?"

"Nunnally and Euphy are going shopping with Mother. I'm in-charge of watching Rolo's soccer game in the afternoon."

"I signed up for tutoring—"

"Tutoring?"

C.C. nodded as a rush of afternoon breeze greeted the two and tousled their hair. Already, Friday afternoon hustle and bustle was in full-swing. Cars pulled in-and-out of parking lots, students cheerily calling to each other about plans over the weekend, cliques grouped together, clubs holding mini-activities, sports teams in the thick of practice and warm-ups to prepare for games.

"I needed some help with Pre-Calculus and Algebra II." Busy texting Kallen as she answered Lelouch, she missed the slightest drop of his jaw at the mention of her problems with Math.

"You know, I could just tutor you instead." He offered immediately. And frankly, he didn't understand why C.C. hadn't come to him in the first place. He was quite excellent at Math, and it was one of the few subjects he actually cared about. He could tutor her better than any other. She knew this, so why hadn't she?

C.C. pocketed her phone and smiled, bumping shoulders affectionately and then holding onto his arm as they continued traversing the rest of the school grounds. "I thought about it, but you're busy—"

"Not always." He snorted, images of sneaking out in the middle of the night to partake in illegal gambling and winning cash from prissy people flashing in his mind. If he had time for that, he had time for her. Scratch that, he liked making time for her.

"Milly runs you ragged with Student Council tasks, and there's another event coming soon. I'd rather not watch you die from running around trying to take care of everything."

She would have laughed at how insulted he looked when she insinuated how lacking his physical endurance and stamina was, but she took pity on him and chose to stifle her amusement instead. Holding on to him a little tighter, she pressed her cheek to the top of his arm. He noticed and tugged her closer, all the while, shaking his head disappointedly at how low her opinion was of his physical capabilities.

"Who's the unlucky teacher?"

A jab to his side elicited an unattractive grunt. Lelouch tugged himself free of her and opted for intertwining their fingers together instead.

"Naruse… Math Club President."

Lelouch frowned as they approached the car-park. Naruse… Naruse. Where had he heard that name before?

"Yukiya." C.C. supplied, saving him the trouble of wracking his brains for a proper answer.

"Yukiya Naruse?"

"Problem?" She cocked an eyebrow at him, swinging their hands between them while ignoring the stares of the other students.

"N-nothing."

They reached her car at last. C.C. forced herself to let go of his hand, and right after he was stroking the knuckles with his thumb too. Tossing her bag into the passenger seat, she made herself comfortable as Lelouch stood at the door with that funny look on his face that she couldn't quite put a finger on yet.

"Well, aren't you going to wish me fun when I'm learning Math with Yukiya?" Her grin was mischievous as the engine thrummed to life, but hers was the enthusiasm that wasn't quite returned.

"Sure… I guess." He smiled, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Have fun tomorrow."

What's up with that?

Not sure about what else to say, C.C. settled for a wave and a, "See you~" before pulling out of the lot, leaving a confused Lelouch behind.

=OoOoO=

Lelouch hated feeling this way — especially about something he knew he had no control over. Also because C.C. was completely free to do whatever she wanted to do. If she wanted to seek tutelage under the Math Club's president, then who was he to tell her not to do? Why was he even bothered anyway?

He and C.C. were clear about what they felt about each other. They never talked about it afterwards as they laughed it off and hung out after the event. But a lot did change. They were closer, for lack of a better term. Closer than they were before. They really hadn't stepped into 'officially dating' territory yet — though the whole school had no qualms about assuming that that was the case. It didn't help that he was a public figure at Ashford from the start.

Kissing in front of a large student body had catapulted Lelouch unwillingly into a whole other level of fame in school. Well, on the brightside, the constant gaggle of girls had finally stopped tailing him wherever he went. Unfortunately, the Ashford student body wouldn't be forgetting this little stunt of his for a long while yet. Even the teachers saw it fit to tease him in class.

It was his fault, to be fair. C.C. had been perfectly content to play along with the Wedding Package that Suzaku and Kallen had set them up on. He just had to go and give in to his impulsive desires and decided to kiss her in front of everyone else.

He felt less awkward around her considering she knew his feelings now. It was just a question of when she would ever agree to formally dating him.

A month had gone by since then, and Lelouch was sure about asking her in the hopes of attaching a proper label on their relationship.

Exclusivity. That's what he wanted. Because he knew it wasn't just a casual kiss to him. He liked her enough to ask her to engage in a committed relationship with him.

He was hoping to ask her out on a date this weekend, but the plans were immediately thrown out the window because she had tutoring for the improvement of her grades. Lelouch didn't mind that part. He liked that she cared enough to get A's in a subject she disliked. No, Lelouch didn't have an issue with the tutoring this weekend.

So what had him so worked up?

Perhaps it was because he'd seen how well she and Yukiya got along?

Monday morning saw C.C. flexing her new mathematical skills. She flaunted them shamelessly in front of him, as if Lelouch wasn't capable of achieving the same level (or even exceed it). And it was all thanks to Yukiya Naruse. She cheerily told him about how their personalities just clicked, and that she was glad she'd found a tutor she didn't utterly despise in the first session. So much so that she had tutoring with him after classes closed for the day.

Lelouch glanced at her now as she smirked at her phone, typed a quick reply, and put it back on the table to resume eating her lunch. Cheese pizza again, was he surprised?

"What?"

C.C. shrugged, gathering up strings of cheese to put in her mouth. "He doesn't have the right to be this funny."

Lelouch chewed on the pasta he'd shoved into his mouth as two loved-up boys passed by, holding hands and snuggling — lost in a world that only had them. It was a sight Lelouch couldn't help but envy a little. Why was everyone suddenly having a better love-life than him? He listened to Suzaku gush about Euphy as the brunet hitched a ride to school this morning. And here he was, struggling to ask the girl he liked to go out on a date with him all of a sudden. Feeling grouchy, his shoulders slumped a little just as C.C. snorted and fired another quick text to her new friend.

"Lelouch, is something bothering you?"

And there it was again — that knack for reading him without even trying. In spite of the self-deprecation, Lelouch smirked. "Concerned, are you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Laugh at this meme Yukiya sent me."

The screen showed a low-resolution picture complete with bold white fonts, pulled up in a social media page that he rarely paid attention to. Below that was Naruse's snarky message, and C.C.'s own — as sarcastic as ever. He didn't need to scroll to check for earlier messages to know that this conversation was riddled with emojis, memes, and the occasional Math problem sprinkled in.

"I might have found a new friend." She finished off her pizza slice and licked the leftover cheese and grease from her fingers. "Might even go on a picnic date since things are going so well."

Lelouch made a face, and realized his mistake when he glanced at C.C. and caught her smirking — as if she'd caught him doing something he shouldn't have been doing. Or rather, expressing feelings that shouldn't have existed or disrupted this subtle romance between them. Too late… He'd fallen for her bait. The rather obvious bait.

Wiping her fingers with napkins, she tossed her hair back and chortled at the sight of red ears and slowly flustering cheeks. "Are you jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous of someone I barely know?" He fired back quickly.

"I don't know, but you are." She teased, poking his cheek playfully. "The face and the reaction says it all."

He only turned redder, and C.C. smiled wider, leaning closer to kiss a heated cheek. "Walk me to tutoring after class?"

He didn't feel like talking anymore, only grunting his assent which just made C.C. laugh even more.

"It's okay to say 'you're jealous,' Lelouch." She patted his head, threading slender fingers through locks of black, drifting lower to stroke the ends of his hair at the back of his neck. "It won't damage your pride whatsoever, I promise."

He caught that cheeky wink and smirked, taking the hand at his neck. Brushing his thumb along her knuckles before kissing her fingers. A charming gesture that made C.C.'s heart flutter, unknown to Lelouch. Thankfully, the chilly veneer she put in place held up under his penetrating but vigilant gaze.

"If I'm jealous, that would suggest I doubt your feelings for me." He suavely proclaimed.

"I wasn't aware I liked you." She coyly proclaimed, prying her hand away. He let her slip through his fingers, but not without holding her in place with eyes that smoldered with restrained wanting.

"You don't?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"I have little reason to." She remarked casually, brushing hair over one shoulder, playing up the coy front.

"Then I don't see the point of staying here then."

C.C. stared at him as he smoothly rose from the bench — appearing cool and composed, mind running at hyperspeed — going back-and-forth on whether or not he was bluffing. She shouldn't have cared — shouldn't have minded him leaving in the least, because it meant peace and quiet. But… If she was honest with herself, she didn't want him to leave. She liked his company, first of all. And second, she had the strange feeling that their banter had descended into something with more meanings.

"Lelouch, I was joking." She blurted out, a hand reaching out to tug at the sleeve of his school jacket at the same time.

"Joking about what?" He blinked at her, radiating faux innocence.

"About—" She bit her lip, turning a little red. But one glance at him destroyed every ounce of regret she had for not taking his 'jealousy concern' seriously. He was cockily smirking at her, eyes glittering with amusement at how the tables turned for once.

"About?" He prodded with a lilt in his voice, squeezing himself into the minimal space left of her side of the bench. Their sides pressed together because C.C. still refused to budge, Lelouch's hand slunk behind her and settled on her far side. He rested his chin on her shoulder, turning his head slightly to nuzzle her jaw.

"Shut up. You know what I mean." C.C. pouted, sorely tempting Lelouch to peck those lips.

He smiled against her skin and shook his head instead, playing up the ignorance even if the act was busted long ago. "No, I don't."

"Concede your jealousy."

"And then you concede to liking me?"

Their eyes met, gazes clashing. It was about the game. It was about seeing who would fold first, or give in. This time, C.C. lost.

Lelouch blinked, a little shocked. A kiss on the nose was a surprise. A very pleasant one, needless to say. It still eased the competitive tension as Lelouch grinned and C.C. blushed a pretty pink. A wordless confession that 'yes', she liked him. So, 'yes' Lelouch had been a little jealous about the attention the other boy was getting too.

"Any plans after tutoring?"

"Do you want to make plans?"

He shrugged, pulling away from her as she finally shifted over, to the space he previously occupied, to give him more room to sit on the bench. "Why not?"

"After my tutoring."

This, Lelouch had no argument for…

=OoOoO=

The Math Club held weekly meetings in the main school building; fourth floor, Room 3-A today. C.C. walked beside Lelouch, carrying her Math notes and the textbook for Algebra II. Students loitered around the area — speaking to friends, exchanging notes after a quiz, staring at Lelouch as he kept a light hand on C.C.'s lower back. Through the open door, C.C. spied her new friend and waved at him. He returned the gesture with a knowing smile and shifted his attention to the boy sitting on the desk next to him.

"Where are you off to in the meantime? This might take an hour and a half. Less, if I'm lucky." She explained as she whirled around to face Lelouch.

Behind him, some students were leaving. Still, others stayed to gawk. Lelouch just shrugged. "Student Council room to check on things. Text me when you're done?"

At C.C.'s nod, Lelouch brushed the back of his hand along the line of her jaw and then cupped her cheek.

"Can I kiss you?" He murmured his inquiry — almost inaudibly.

The corner of her mouth twitched, threatening to curl up into a smile. She eyed him curiously, as she said, "I don't know why you're asking."

Two weeks had passed since that last kiss in the Student Council room. And they both knew they would be lying if they said they didn't want more. He'd thought about the next opportunity, she had daydreamed about the moment once or twice. And again, it was happening with barely the time to process. They regressed to shy kisses all over again, but she didn't think she could feel so satisfied afterwards.

Say what you will about Lelouch vi Britannia, he knew how to kiss.

She often secretly wondered where he practiced. Images of him trying it out on his arm never ceased to throw her into laughing fits in the privacy of her bedroom. Nevertheless, even if he did, she wouldn't judge, because it paid off.

Oblivious to the thoughts running through her head, Lelouch couldn't stop himself from smiling a little into the kiss. For such a snarky and sly person, she was rather sweet with her kisses — relaxed against his mouth, warm breath fanning into the minuscule space between them. It was satisfying, and not, at the same time.

Stopping himself — but just barely, he pulled away and nudged her towards the waiting classroom. "Later..."

"See you~"

She glanced at his retreating back and then hurried through the doorway. Where the classroom had been a little occupied with students before, it was mostly empty now, except for Yukiya and a girl that C.C. assumed was his classmate, still busy gathering her things and arranging some notes. Her math tutor chuckled at her entrance — enough to make C.C. a tiny bit suspicious.

"What?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Yukiya had his chin propped up on the palm of his hand, mischievous eyes drilling into C.C. "I was wondering when you two were going to stop."

Catching on to the meaning and the way he was smirking at her, C.C. suppressed the urge to yelp or worse, give into the blush that threatened to claim her face. She had no right to complain about privacy invasion. She wasn't delusional. They'd kissed in the hallway where students loitered and passed by, of course people saw them. C.C. was just embarrassed to admit that she had strayed too far into her urgings and damned the consequences when she chose to accept a kiss from Lelouch. This was like the Student Council room all over again, but more blatant.

C.C. huffed and waved Yukiya's teasing off.

"So are you two really dating as everyone in this school says you are?" Yukiya inquired casually, glancing at C.C. briefly as he started rifling through the Algebra textbook, looking for the lesson that she told him about via text today.

"Not yet." Claiming a seat, C.C. pulled out her pens and notes, listening to her tutor's thoughtful hum.

"If you say so." He commented skeptically. "Now let's make this quick."

"Why? Have someone to see?"

Yukiya grinned at her. "Yes, actually. My boyfriend's not a fan of waiting." He chucked his notebook at her desk. "And I don't think Lelouch is either."

Yukiya was dating somebody? Well, that was interesting… Very interesting indeed.

=OoOoO=

"Are you still jealous of Yukiya?" C.C. piped up, swinging her legs to and fro from her perch on the kitchen counters.

As promised, Lelouch had come to get her after tutoring, and they both made the decision to just hang out at his house. Nunnally and Rolo were being tutored in the study room upstairs, and Charles and Marianne had disappeared for a corporate black-tie event tonight. She and Lelouch met them at the foyer when they arrived from Ashford, and Marianne had given C.C. a hug while Charles promptly told his eldest to take care of the place until they got home.

After checking in on the twins (who were more than happy to welcome big brother home), Lelouch hounded C.C. into his family's pristine white kitchen to help him make dinner for the four of them.

Busy with mashing the boiled potatoes, Lelouch stopped to look at C.C. and frown. "I thought that conversation was over since hours ago."

"Well, this is a new conversation."

Lelouch snorted. "Why are you so interested?"

"Because your feelings are in vain. He's dating someone, and you're probably torturing yourself thinking about how I might like him more than you."

He paused, and looked at C.C. quizzically. That wasn't entirely true. Releasing a patient sigh, he resumed mashing the potatoes, thinking about how much butter and salt he needed to add to season it. "If anyone's hung up on the idea, it's you. You've brought it up twice or thrice now."

"Oh but you are~ Or were." C.C. playfully insisted, waving the salt shaker pointlessly in the air. Glaring at her exasperatedly, Lelouch snatched the condiment off of her hands. "You will never admit it because of your pride."

He wanted to tell her that it wasn't because of his pride. It wasn't because of anything, least of all Yukiya. This was less about the jealousy and more about C.C. coaxing him to admit that he felt jealous — even if it was just for a brief afternoon. Well, Lelouch wasn't jealous anymore, but she didn't need to know that. He had to establish the fact that he wasn't jealous in the first place to save face, but she wasn't going to let him do that now, was she?

Huffing, Lelouch momentarily gave up on the potatoes and got in front of C.C., both hands planted on the counter top, caging her in as he stared at her face and her smug smile.

"If you want me stop getting jealous, then you need to do one thing."

"Then you are—"

"Listen to me. This is important." He demanded, his face now even closer to hers.

Humoring him, she reached up and cupped his cheeks, stroking the pale skin with her thumbs and then crooned at him — as if she were speaking to a baby. "And how could I help ease your jealous heart, Lelouch vi Britannia?"

He would have rolled his eyes at the melodrama and the condescension in her voice, but didn't. Because this next question was important, and he was serious about all of this. "Date me. Exclusively." He added when she opened her mouth to speak — probably to tease again.

C.C. took her time and met his gaze, searching for any sign of trickery, falsehood, or baiting in his words. Was this an addition to their current and comfortable banter, or did he really want something more?

"This… isn't some sort of revenge prank, is it?"

He had to smile at that. C.C. was talking about their recent scrimmage, but Lelouch had to appreciate how her question circled them back to a poignant point in their blossoming relationship. After all, they only started seeing each other as more than friends after Suzaku and Kallen duped them into it — compelling them to fess up to each other instead of hiding behind secret mutual crushes.

"It started that way, but no, I'm serious. I like you, remember?"

Her hands wandered lower and wrapped around his shoulders, pressing their foreheads together as she nuzzled his cheek. "Only like? What happened to 'loving' me?"

This witch

He couldn't resist. He pecked her lips. "When it happens, I'll let you know. You'll do it for me too, won't you?"

Tell him she loved him one day when she would fall in love with him? When and not if.

The surety in his words and in her own thoughts surprised her. But in all honesty, she didn't really mind.

She nodded, fingers playing with the ends of his hair at the nape. "When I fall in love with you, I'll tell you."

"Deal..."

He was so cheesy… But she liked it. She adored most of his traits already. It was only a matter of time before she would fall for him completely — until she was sure that this crush of hers wasn't just some fanciful infatuation.

He was right… They would take their time. They had that after all.

And that time started now, she realized, as she leaned closer and initiated another fervent kiss. He returned the fervor and held her closer.

Yes, they would figure this out. Together.

Finally

And it was all thanks to their friends' chaining booth.


A/N: And that's ~FIN~... For NOW xD

If I get more highschool-themed requests, I will add it here; in this universe. Because they're already so cute. :3

In the meantime, I'm writing for another request. ;) See you in another story~