A/N: Getting sick sucks. Contracting the flu on a special day is much worse. Anywayyysss~ Thank you for the faves, the follows, and the reviews you guys left on the previous installments. :D Here's to part 7 and to Lelouch being perfect nurse/boyfriend material~

Request:
Does cc live alone or she has parents in the chaining booth ? I wonder if I could request of Lelouch taking care of a sick cc in the story if you still plan on adding some extra chapters in it.


Birthday

Katriane Caraverre had prepared for this specific day for years. She would never tell anyone, but planning her daughter's 18th birthday had always been part of the agenda ever since her beautiful C.C. finally hit puberty. Through it all, she had braced herself for the difficulty of the task, but was pleasantly surprised in the end when that wasn't exactly the case anymore — not after C.C.'s best friend, Kallen, walked into the picture and Lelouch was a volunteer ever since she'd brought up the idea.

The weeks of planning, contacting caterers, deciding on venues with Lelouch, drawing up guest lists, and the like culminated in this rather luxurious weekend.

C.C. was out of the house since Saturday morning and spent the majority of her two days in this resort, distracted by Lelouch, while her family and the rest of her 18th birthday party guests trickled into the reserved resort, joining the preparations.

Even her husband, who was usually reserved, had noticed her giddiness and her enthusiasm and couldn't resist commenting on it himself.

Needless to say, the function room was gorgeous and it was coming along quite nicely. All set for a Sunday night celebration. Gold, white, and purple accents filled the room, complete with her daughter's makeshift throne situated right in front of the massive number eighteen. There was a place for the three-tier cake she and her daughter's friends commissioned and she could already see C.C. in her finery.

Her grand surprise for Cera… She could hardly wait.

=OoOoO=

It was painstaking to hide the gown in the depths of the room's closet, but it had been worth it — his waning strength be damned. The gown was also the first thing he checked when Sunday morning broke just to make sure it wasn't tampered with. C.C. could be extra nosy when she wanted to be, and he hated to brag, but he did believe he'd done an ample job of distracting her yesterday. The refreshing sights, smells, sounds, and tastes ate up his girlfriend's neverending curiosity and it provided the perfect cover-up for Lelouch to accommodate the rare emergency call and to check on Milly to see how everything was going along. He'd called C.C.'s mother last night too, before he went to bed, reconfirming everything that had to do with C.C.'s 18th birthday party.

Satisfied, Lelouch stepped out of the small walk-in closet and back into the bedroom, where a sizable lump in the shape of C.C. huddled under the white blankets.

"You're awake, aren't you?" Chuckling, bare feet padded over to the modern French doors hiding behind the heavy curtains.

Lelouch pushed them back to let sunlight flood into the room, to which C.C. growled in protest and burrowed further under the covers. Amused at her display of childishness, he sat on the edge of the bed they occupied last night as he reached for the hem of the blanket.

"Are you always this lazy in the morning?" A muffled and grumbling reply. "C.C..."

The heat of her skin made him recoil. Brows furrowing as amusement shifted into concern, Lelouch yanked the blanket away from her curled up form and put his hand on her forehead. Her forehead flushed with feverish heat. She shifted slightly, eyes still closed and he was granted the view of her red face. Her hands were clammy as well and her grip was weak, even as she took her blanket back.

C.C. was unwell…

And today of all days?

How unfortunate. He sincerely hoped she would feel well enough for tonight's surprise celebration, otherwise, all that hard work was for nothing. True, none of their guests would blame her for contracting an illness — she can't control that — but he was sure their friends and their family would prefer it if she was well and healthy for her birthday. He was shaking his head sadly as he called for room service and ordered some hot soup on the breakfast menu plus water. He needed to get her some meds too.

"Lelouch?" C.C. croaked and consequently cringed at her own voice, doing her best to clear her throat of phlegm to no avail.

She felt like shit… Was this the world's birthday gift to her? Wow.

She was lying in bed, but it felt like the world was spinning. Lelouch's face appeared in her line of sight, violet eyes tinged with concern. C.C. wanted to laugh. She must look so damn horrible if Lelouch looked like that — like he wanted to do a million things in the span of five minutes. He held her clammy hands and assisted her in sitting up, her body caving inward as the bout of coughing started and she realized how stuffed up her nose was.

"Were you feeling off yesterday and you just didn't tell me?" Lelouch asked as C.C. drank the glass of water he handed over slowly.

She waved him away after she took her sip. "It will go away eventually."

He rolled his eyes. "Not without meds."

The closest pharmacy it was.

"Get back to sleep, all right? I'll be back with flu medication."

=OoOoO=

After a quick run at the pharmacy and after purchasing what was required, Lelouch returned to their rented room to find that C.C. had forced herself out of bed and took a shower. But thanks to the flu battering her body and her strength, it looked like she could do little more than pop into the shower and go back to bed. Her wet unkempt hair was all over the pillows and underneath the mountain of spare blankets she'd used to cover herself, she was shivering, sniffling, and coughing.

What was he to do with her?

He was slightly optimistic about nursing her back to health in time for tonight's party, but the more logical part had already admitted defeat. C.C. would have to be extremely lucky to overcome the worst of the viral disease in a matter of hours. At the very least, this would take a whole day to recover from, or three to four at the worst. Her temperature was already too high and her latest attempt at normalcy was already a failure.

With a patient sigh, Lelouch placed all the items he'd bought on a nearby table and took out a neatly folded and dry towel from the room's closet.

He returned to his girlfriend's side and loathed to wake her, but he did anyway. C.C. managed an annoyed grunt, but followed his instructions and let him towel dry her soaked hair anyway. That shower really wasn't a good idea now that she thought about it. Her head felt heavy and her ears were stuffed with nonexistent cotton. But Lelouch's hands were gentle and soothing as he worked on her hair with an overflowing amount of patience that made her feel guilty.

She just ruined the last of their vacation day, didn't she?

"Don't be dramatic. It happens."

Had she spoken aloud?

Blearily, she glanced at him over her shoulder to catch his reassuring smile. He took the comb that she'd left on the nightstand and began putting her hair in order. C.C. stewed in her thoughts, cursing the flu virus in her head, wishing she could eat her cheese pizza, and more than anything, willed the flu to leave her the fuck alone. Her and Lelouch's first private getaway and she caught a debilitating sickness instead.

This sucked…

"You're getting salad and bread for lunch, birthday girl." Lelouch declared, tucking her back into bed.

Unhappy with the knowledge, C.C. wrinkled her nose. "Pizza..."

Lelouch snorted. "Let you consume grease and watch you throw up, and most likely on me? No."

"You're so mean. And it's my birthday too."

Like a petulant child, C.C. hid her pout and continued whining about gooey cheese and deliciously spicy pepperoni into the freshly-changed pillowcase Lelouch just replaced for her.

"I shouldn't have to play nurse for an ungrateful patient."

"I didn't ask you to be my nurse."

She didn't think it was funny, but Lelouch was laughing anyway. "Is this what a sick C.C. is like? You haven't even had meds yet."

Evil little bitch

And yet as much as she playfully teased him about his fussing, C.C. fell asleep again anyway and woke up to her boyfriend gently shaking her shoulder. What was it now?

Apparently, he wanted her up so she could eat and take her flu medication. Whatever had happened while she was asleep, she wasn't exactly sure, but he looked dejected now. She wanted to ask why, but thought better of it and decided to do it later. So she asked for the time instead, to which he promptly answered that it had just gone thirty minutes past twelve. If they were outside, she would have known that because of the beach heat, but inside this room with the curtains half-drawn over the glass doors that led to the terrace outside, there was just no way.

Once again, C.C. lamented the loss of the opportunity to go out and have fun with Lelouch before they both had to pack up and go home tomorrow.

They were both strangely quiet as Lelouch continued playing the part of personal nurse. He made her drink water, watched over her as she took her medicine, and turned the wall-mounted TV on, so she could have something to listen to as she fell asleep and while he disappeared into the bathroom.

Three minutes… Five minutes… Ten minutes passed sluggishly. It felt longer thanks to her overthinking brain. Frustrated with this nagging anxiety, C.C. wrapped the blanket around herself and weakly rose to her feet, shivering when the cold tiled floor touched her bare skin. She blew her nose on a tissue and tossed it into the waste bin Lelouch placed near the bed before padding over to the bathroom. Curious and suspicious, she placed her ear against the painted wood and strained her ears to listen. It was quiet, but then Lelouch started talking.

Something about an event… Was it Student Council affairs again? Spring Break just started. She was about to bail on her eavesdropping and go back to bed when she heard her muffled name followed by some more words she couldn't make out, and then 'birthday party'.

Wasn't that interesting?

Swallowing, C.C. tightened the blanket she'd draped around her and slowly turned the knob. The door wasn't locked and it didn't creak either as she pushed it open and held it at a crack. As she expected, Lelouch was on the phone with his back turned to her. He was fiddling with the thermometer and once in a while, ran a hand through his hair — a telltale sign of his frustration.

"I don't think she'll recover well enough to attend tonight..." A regretful chuckle. "Yeah, it's a shame, isn't it?... Alright, Mrs. Caraverre. We'll see you soon."

"My mother's coming to see me."

It wasn't even a question. And C.C. didn't care that Lelouch knew she'd been eavesdropping.

Startled, he jumped slightly and quickly turned to see her standing in the open doorway, looking sad and confused. Lelouch sighed and abandoned his phone on the bathroom counter. "I should have known."

"What was that about?"

There was no point in trying to keep it as a surprise.

His worries from this morning had finally come true, and Lelouch knew it was only a matter of time before the rest of their friend group knew anyway. C.C.'s mother had called just as he was about to call her, and he'd felt terrible delivering the news. Of course, it wasn't anyone's fault that C.C. was sick, but it was still disheartening to deliver the news of their weeks' long effort being flushed down the drain. Understandably, C.C.'s mother was concerned at the news and immediately told him that she would be visiting her daughter very soon. Lelouch had already drafted a message in the party group chat that their birthday girl was feeling unwell and sadly couldn't make an appearance.

"Your eighteenth birthday party." He admitted outright. "The surprise eighteenth birthday party supposedly."

Lelouch went on to concisely explain the gist. Part of the reason he brought her here was to have fun, first and foremost, but also to get her away from her family and their friends, so they could all finish preparing, and to get rid of the risk of C.C. poking around and unwittingly uncovering everything.

"And bringing me here early was your idea?" She managed to say through a short bout of cough.

"Kallen's. She knows how you get." C.C. mumbled something intelligible under her breath and Lelouch was shaking his head as he put his hands on her shoulders, turned her around, and led her out into the bedroom again to tuck her back into bed. "Now, everyone just wants you to get better. So rest up."

"Who's everyone?"

"Go to bed, and when you wake up, I'll tell you." If her mother didn't arrive here first, that is.

C.C. watched him disappear back into the bathroom, declaring aloud that he needed to shower.

Did everyone really care for her this much to throw her a surprise birthday party?

=OoOoO=

C.C. getting sick was the last thing everyone wanted. And sure enough, when he finally sent the announcement message on the group chat, his phone started blowing up with rapid fire messages filled with concern. Most of the guests had already arrived at the resort, and some of her family members had already asked to visit C.C. as if she was confined to a hospital and not just sick with the flu, hiding under her bed covers.

Some of his friends sent direct messages to him simultaneously, and Lelouch was having trouble keeping up with all of them. He'd managed to answer a few (notably Kallen's, Milly's, Nunnally's and Suzaku's messages), but the rest of the DMs, he'd left unread. He'd made his clear announcement over in a group chat, they could pester Suzaku and the others for answers if they really wanted to know that badly. At the moment, Lelouch's top priority was still taking care of a red-nosed, coughing, and feverish C.C.

Her temperature had gone up and down, and he was glad that she wasn't completely incapable of moving.

So Lelouch finished getting dressed in the bathroom, combing his damp hair neatly, and stepping out with his dirty laundry to pack into a bag and bring home tomorrow… Only to nearly drop the dirty clothes at the sight he unwittingly stumbled into.

C.C. was supposed to be in bed, sleeping. Not standing in front of the full-length mirror dressed in the gown he'd hidden in the closet yesterday. He knew it was only a matter of time before her curious nature got the better of her, but now that she knew what the plan was supposed to be, he should have expected that something like this would happen.

Needless to say, he was just upset that she was exerting herself. But good gods, he was glad they made the right call on that gown.

Because… Well… She was gorgeous. And she wasn't even in full make-up or with a hairdo yet.

The teal halter gown whispered across the floor as she moved. It was a simple dress in terms of design, but it was elegant all the same. Timeless.

They'd chosen well. It helped that her mother approved too. It was an exquisite evening gown fit for a dazzling woman. And looking at C.C. now, he was happy that the dark color brought out the vibrant gold of her eyes and complemented her hair nicely. The gown fit her too… It wasn't skin tight or loose. It just… It hugged the right places and accentuated the right assets. A gown that showed off her femininity and her confidence.

"Like it?"

"It's lovely." She whispered. "But I look terrible."

Lelouch pursed his lips. "Well, you're not exactly well right now, so..."

He trailed off. Catching on to the joke, she swatted his arm when he stepped closer.

"Is the back your way of telling me I should show more skin?" She brushed her hair over one shoulder, turned around in front of the mirror and teased, the question interrupted with a couple of sniffles.

Lelouch snorted. Hard to deny, but… "I don't take full credit. Kallen, Nunnally, and I picked out the gown."

"What were you three thinking?" C.C. gasped, feigning her horror.

Stepping closer, Lelouch reached for her long hair and let the tresses fall loose against her back. He wound one of the locks around his fingers, meeting her eyes in the mirror as he told her about their plans.

"The idea was to pin some of the hair up and curl the remaining ones at the bottom." Neither mentioned the neatly folded elbow-length gloves in the box and the glittering tiara accessory that came painstakingly wrapped in protective cloth. "Queen of the night."

"Don't tell me you had a suit that matched this gown."

"Well..." Devious lips brushed against the shell of her ear. "A queen does need a king."

An image of her in this very gown with her hand on Lelouch's arm drifted to her mind. It would have looked like prom, but if they planned to be on center stage, then it looked more like a wedding than anything else. At this realization, the butterflies started fluttering in her stomach, adding to the awful feeling of slight vertigo that came with her flu and the fever. Her flushed face stared back at her in the mirror, and for once, C.C. was glad she had the excuse of being sick to ward off Lelouch's inevitable teasing.

"I'd rather rule alone, thank you." She lifted her chin a tiny bit and pried Lelouch's hand away from the bit of cloth at her neck. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He smiled, brushing a lock of hair behind an ear as he resisted the urge to kiss her. "You're exquisite."

Oh good lord

She was opening her mouth to say more, but the tender moment dissolved instantly at the sound of knocking on the door.

"That would be your mother." Lelouch started moving towards the door.

"I should change."

"No, keep it on. She would want to see you wearing it, because she loved it so much."

And as if she wasn't sick at all, her mother immediately sauntered into the room the moment Lelouch opened the door to the suite.

"Cera, you are absolutely stunning!"

Oh boy...

=OoOoO=

C.C. was comfortable once again in a plain t-shirt and shorts. Lelouch left her with her mom and said he would be speaking to the resort staff and some of their friends who had obviously arrived for the cancelled party. Part of her wished he hadn't told her, because now she couldn't stop feeling guilty. She knew she wasn't to blame for contracting the flu, but the funny part was that she wished she'd taken care of herself better. Maybe then, she could have enjoyed the surprise and spent her special day with friends and family.

On the upside, her mother didn't comment on the fact that she and Lelouch were obviously staying in the same room. Nothing had happened, but parents were always jumping to conclusions when it came to these things so C.C. was happy enough with the current situation.

Lelouch had been right when he told her about her mother's enthusiasm. She had praised C.C. the entire time while she was wearing the specially commissioned gown, and had graciously taken care of C.C. for the remainder of the afternoon. Her mother told her the rest of the details that Lelouch had left out — gave her a full behind-the-scenes story of the birthday preparation and how she'd imagined the night would be.

The latter half of that story only served to sadden C.C. even more.

Everyone was expecting a magical night. But more than that… Everyone had wanted to celebrate C.C.'s eighteenth birthday.

And the stupid flu ruined it all…

The silence that followed her mother's temporary departure (because she promised her daughter that she would be back shortly) had C.C. looking out of the glass window and into the view of the beach below. The ocean was dark, but the sands were alive with lights and petals that looked like they formed a path. That was probably part of the celebration too.

Wiping her nose on a Kleenex, C.C. fought off the dizziness and plopped back down on the edge of the bed, reaching for her phone to text Lelouch and ask how the rest of the guests were doing, and to send them her apologies for ruining what should have been a fun weekend getaway.

But then…

The door burst open with a flurry that startled her and then someone blew party trumpets, and soon enough confetti showered the entrance to the room.

What?

Blinking to get her bearings, someone nudged Milly aside playfully before the crowd of people at the entrance to the suite loudly cheered, "Happy Birthday, C.C.!"

"This is a bad idea, what if she's resting?"

"You guys are too loud— Rivalz, quit it!"

"Lelouch rented out the whole place. No such thing as 'too loud.'"

"Eh, but C.C.'s awake."

"I told you this was a bad idea!"

"It's her birthday."

"Hey C.C… Sorry about the ruckus."

Finally… A normal greeting from Kallen.

C.C. couldn't help but smile when her friends trickled into the room one by one. Her mother had told her it wasn't a large party, but only made of close-knit family and friends. Obviously, this wasn't all of the guests, but who else would raid a room and make it lively and festive other than the friends she had at Ashford? Milly led the birthday charge, and had been the one to shower confetti at the door. Shirley brought the cake, and Leila was neatly hanging up the birthday banner with Nina.

Kallen had gone to her side, feeling her forehead and frowning at the high temperature.

And yes, thank you, Gino. Kallen's boyfriend-to-be brought in stacks of pizza! He was aided by Suzaku and Rivalz, and Lelouch finally made an appearance behind the trio, complaining about bringing greasy food for his sick girlfriend to eat. So much for inviting C.C. to eat healthy for fast recovery.

Everyone was dressed semi-formally, and C.C. felt small in the t-shirt she'd pilfered from Lelouch's duffel bag and her shorts. But none of the guests cared as they all flocked together, cleared their throats, and began to clap and sing 'Happy Birthday' while Nunnally uncovered the two-tier cake. Even Rolo, infamous for sulking at any big event, smiled and mouthed the words to a happy birthday song. She blew out the candles to everyone's cheers, greetings, and pictures, and received air kisses. It was...such a heartwarming thing to do. People started opening pizza boxes, filling the suite with the scent of heavenly melted cheese, tomato, and freshly baked bread.

"Bet you didn't know there was karaoke in this." Milly chirped, fiddling with the TV and the remote control in the room.

"We don't have a microphone." Euphemia giggled, relaxing against the arm Suzaku draped around her waist.

"We don't need a microphone." Rivalz crooned, stepping up with a drink straw in hand. "We can use anything."

"And that is a pathetic excuse for one." Gino snorted.

As the room devolved into unchecked and delightfully messy chaos, C.C. sat on the bed watching it all with a smile on her face. It was not the grandiose 18th birthday party people hoped for and came for, but it was just as memorable all the same. It was now a sleepover party… She wondered about the rest of her guests, but decided she would ask Lelouch later. Kallen just refilled her glass of water for her and put away the pizza box that was miraculously not empty.

"You're feeling more like yourself, I hope?" Kallen asked with raised eyebrows, readjusting the straps on her dress.

"Stuffed up with an aching throat, but not as bad as earlier today."

"Wow, Lelouch really did take care of you, huh?"

C.C. snorted. "More like kept me from eating anything delicious. I was supposed to have a chocolate sundae today."

Kallen laughed at her friend's lamentation and watched and listened to their other friends sing songs in varying voices. Who knew Euphemia had such an angelic voice? And Lelouch was flitting around like a fairy taking care of messes and fetching food for his siblings. C.C. thought about what the past two days were like, and what a whirlwind it had been. Waking up to what she assumed was a boring Saturday morning only to find out that Lelouch had gone out of his way to take her here, their dreamy evening last night, followed by today's events. Never a dull moment with Lelouch and certainly not with these people around.

The makeshift sleepover party went on for a couple hours more, with C.C.'s parents popping in quickly to bring dessert and greet their daughter. But soon enough, Lelouch put his foot down and told everyone that C.C. needed sleep if she was going to feel well enough to participate in brunch tomorrow. It was a good call either way because some of her party guests were already falling asleep. Euphemia was practically shouldering Shirley — the poor girl was all tuckered out from the excitement and the singing. So they helped each other clean the room up, and eventually bid C.C. a 'Happy Birthday' again and farewell. And C.C. couldn't find the right words to express her gratitude. 'Thank you' just seemed so inadequate, but she said it anyway in overflowing amounts. One by one, they filed out of the birthday suite, returning to their own respective rooms in the resort, until it was quiet again, and Lelouch was the only person left.

"Was that really it?" C.C. mumbled, half-dazed.

Lelouch was chuckling as he shrugged off his coat and hung it up on one of the coat racks.

"For today, yes."

C.C. fiddled with the edge of her blanket after she neatly gathered her hair and tied it back into a loose braid. "I feel sorry that it didn't go as planned."

She didn't see Lelouch's understanding smile. He sat beside her on the bed and stroked her hair. "Don't be. It's illogical to blame anyone for the flu."

C.C. sneezed and gratefully pulled out a Kleenex from the box Lelouch offered.

"Regardless, the party set to happen tonight was moved tomorrow." He nodded at her bewildered expression. "I explained everything to the resort managers, and they insisted on transferring the event to brunch tomorrow, just before we all checkout."

C.C. was wiping her nose. "That's very kind of them."

Lelouch shrugged. "I know and I didn't have to pay extra either. Call it their birthday gift to you, I guess."

But C.C. had latched on to a different part of Lelouch's explanation. "You paid for this?"

"God no. Everyone pitched in. Of course, your parents were the biggest contributors. I'm just the chief event coordinator." He smirked, rising from the bed to refill her glass with water. "And your impromptu nurse."

C.C. gratefully accepted the glass and finished the drink in one swig. "You should treat yourself to a day off. You did a great job."

"Did you expect anything less from me?"

"On second thought, you were a failure."

Lelouch's laughter filled the room. Trust C.C. to temper his wild ego.

"I need some fresh air."

"Are you well enough to step outside?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

"I have the flu, Lelouch. I'm not incapacitated."

Even so, he caught up to her and put his hand on her forehead and her neck to get a feel. He would definitely check her temperature later, but for now, what was the harm in acquiescing with her request? It wasn't as if she was asking to jump into the ocean and go for a moonlit swim. All she wanted was to breathe the fresh and salty air from the adjoining balcony. Side by side and with a blanket wrapped around C.C., they stood, watched, and listened to the blackened waves crashing against the boulders and the sand.

They remained in comfortable silence, content to enjoy each other's company and what remained of C.C.'s eventful birthday. True, it hadn't been as grand as Lelouch imagined or what C.C. expected from a surprise, but the sentiments were there.

In the end, what mattered most was the presence of family and friends, and the effort everyone had put in to make her feel special on this day. It was just a shame that she didn't get to wear the gown though. But he smiled and wrapped an arm around her to bring her closer. She could put it on tomorrow and he could call Kallen or Milly early to help with the accessories and the makeup. If she felt well enough, that is.

That was a fair trade, wasn't it?

Delighted and thrilled with the happiness that emanated from her, Lelouch brushed strands of windswept hair from her face, leaning close for a kiss that he didn't get to have all day. And as much as C.C. wanted to, she turned the tiniest bit so it landed on her cheek instead. They could kiss again when the flu left her. If he was surprised by this, he didn't show.

She embraced him in thanks anyway, and he peppered the side of her face with affectionate kisses until he reached her ear, and for the last time today, told her…

"I love you. Happy birthday..."


A/N: C.C. is such a lucky girl~