The space was small. A few feet by a few feet. Some of that space already taken by the shelves and storage for the supplies it was meant to hold. It wasn't a place meant for someone to stand inside. It definitely wasn't meant for two.
And yet there they were. Lelouch Lamperouge and Shirley Fenette. Close enough to feel the other's breath on their skin. Bodies less than a handful of inches apart. Far less in some places thanks to Shirely's curvaceous endowments. Staring at one another, any movement likely to brush places against other places.
She smiled weakly, not having any idea what to do in this situation.
-(-)-
Ten minutes earlier
"He's smiling."
"That's not strange. He smiles all the time."
"Yeah but now it's a happy smile, not just a polite one."
"He has those too! All the time when he's around Nunnally!"
"Do you see Nunnally around right now? ... I bet it's a girl."
"Hu-buh-juh–! You're–! You're crazy!"
Lelouch continued smiling as he worked, not paying Rivalz and Shirley's gossiping about him any more attention than it deserved. Yes he was smiling. Yes it was a genuine smile of happiness and satisfaction. What reason did he have to not smile, after all? His schemes were going swimmingly. Clovis had succumbed to his own ineptitude, running more and more possibilities past him before going ahead with any decision making. Something that could only pay off in the long run. Yes, those decisions would result in positive outcomes but many of them only in the short-term. Achieving results, but also stepping on toes that could cause problems in future. Problems that would breed resentment. Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone came along who could replace Clovis who could right the wrongs, ease the burdens of those Clovis had scorned?
It had even begun early. Oh, noble families conspiring against the viceroy, terrible business. Terrible business that every noble family was engaging in on some level. These were turbulent times, after all. It was only reasonable to hedge one's bets. Between himself and Clovis, it was just a difference in perspective. Clovis assumed being a part of the imperial bloodline meant it was good and proper for nobles to pledge fealty to their liege lord. The truth, however, was more aligned with Lelouch's perspective. By default, nobles were at best, fair weather friends. So long as everything is good, everyone is on the same side. When that changes, allegiances shift. Stronger support can be cultivated with diplomatic and political manoeuvring, gathering soft power to keep influence over them, but without such means, a knife in the back at the most inopportune time is to be expected.
Three of those four noble lines Clovis had so thoroughly disgraced will be Lelouch's biggest supporters when he comes to power and returns what Clovis took away. One was too corrupt in general to be kept in power, but so long as he could trust the motivations of the other three to preserve their power and influence, he could trust they wouldn't betray him. To an extent.
And then of course there was the resistance. Or as they had become since the successful heist, the Japanese Special Defense Force. Broadly no longer a resistance, more a paramilitary group with the goal of protecting the Japanese. From Britannians or from outside threats. A dozen Sutherland units and a hundred men weren't a massive force, but deployed well by capable pilots and an excellent strategist, they could be devastating. And with the Shinsengumi proving the 'true nature' of those pushing the glory of Japan? That they would roll over Japanese lives for their nationalist goals, willing or not? The JSDF were loyal to the cause. More loyal than he could ever have dreamed.
So much so that Ohgi, the supposed leader of Kallen's cell and now a squad leader in the JSDF, had opted to confide in Lelouch a plan that Kallen's brother had come up with, that until now they hadn't had the resources or intelligence to pull off. A plan to retrieve... Something. Ohgi didn't have many details and if Naoto did he took them to the grave. But whatever this 'Code R' was, it was some sort of secret project Clovis had been funding for quite some time. Something 'Eleven' likely wouldn't be able to get details on directly.
A trump card of some sort. It would be the height of arrogance to leave something like that a complete unknown.
And of course there was the matter of bridging the two sides he was playing. Whether Clovis even heard about the heist was dependent on how the manufacturer decided to play it. In the end, they admitted the theft, shifting blame onto the delivery company and the military escort, both of which had been incapacitated during the operation. As such, 'Eleven' received a call from a very terse Clovis asking for information on JLF movements in recent days.
Lelouch had wanted to laugh in that moment.
Of course it would seem like a move from the JLF! No other resistance group had shown the capability to pull something like this off before now! Why would Clovis suspect anything else?! It was too perfect. The JLF were a potential problem for the future. Die-hard Japanese nationalists. Like the Shinsengumi, they would never consider anything less than fighting for the restoration of Japan as an independent nation. And now Clovis was gunning for them, expecting they were planning an assault while the Britannians were dealing with other enemy forces. The JLF now looked like a sword of Damocles, poised to fall at the worst possible moment. A threat that needed to be expunged.
With no prompting from Lelouch whatsoever, Clovis would sweep one of Lelouch's major problems from the board. He could say with utmost honesty that he had nothing at all to do with their tragic demise, while sweeping whatever remnants might survive into his JSDF, letting them acclimatise to their new, more Britannian-friendly objective.
And he didn't have to lift a finger!
So yes, Lelouch was almost excessively happy about how things had turned more toward his favour for the time being. It wouldn't last. He would need to maintain his advantage. But for now, he was rather content.
"Well, Lelouch?"
He hummed inquisitively, trying to pick up the thread of conversation again to understand what Milly was asking him.
"Is it a girl?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes. "Did some nubile young maiden somehow sweep you off your feet before any of us could stop her? I bet you're going to see her tonight, aren't you?"
He raised an eyebrow, trying to parse what that question even was. Was she talking about herself? Because she absolutely didn't sweep him off his feet in any way. Not that he would complain about their time together at all.
... He really was terrible at saying the right things to women. Thankfully for him, he said none of that out loud. "I haven't been swept off my feet, no. And as it happens I don't have any particular plans for tonight." Was that why she was asking? She wanted some private time together? He wouldn't be opposed, or, no. He would very much look forward to it if that was the case.
Better.
"Oh, is that so?" the blonde sighed in faux disappointment, chin dropping into an upraised palm. "That's boring. Hey Lelouch, could you do me a favour?" she asked suddenly, not giving him time to answer one way or the other. "Mister Simmons confiscated my make-up kit in class today. Could you go get it? It should be in my classroom's storage closet."
The hidden prince sighed, resigning himself to such a small errand, knowing refusing her would be more trouble than just doing it. "Fine." His chair scraped the floor as he stood and left the room.
Shirley watched him leave, frowning. Only speaking up when he was out of the room as she turned that frown on the blonde sitting across from her. "Milly, you shouldn't order Lulu around like that!"
"I didn't order him," Milly responded, unfazed. "I asked. He agreed. It's amazing how people can give you what you want if you just pluck up the courage and ask, right?"
Rivalz looked between the two girls. He could feel a thickness in the air, a tension he wanted no part in disturbing. He made himself very small and avoided any sudden movements or noises.
Nina, more than familiar with that same tension, continued working at her computer. Confident no one would care.
"Lulu is a good person! It's unfair to push what you want on him!"
The Ashford heiress stared at the girl who had frustrated her so much over the past few weeks. "You know, you're right. I should go help him and apologise."
Shirley blinked at the quick capitulation. "Well... That's... Good then."
"It is. In fact, you should come with me. Make sure that what needs to be said actually gets said."
"... Okay?"
Rivalz breathed a sigh of relief as the two girls left the room together, glad for them taking whatever the hell that was with them. "Hey Nina, do you ever feel like there's a bunch of stuff going on and you're the only one left out of the loop?"
"No," the scientifically inclined girl answered immediately. "Never."
In the hallway, Milly and Shirley had taken the tension with them, though it had developed a strange air. Shirley confused as to what all this was for. Why her friend was being so... Well, she didn't want to say the word but... Catty. She had always been pushing for Shirley to go ahead and make her feelings clear, but she hadn't been so insistent about it. So forceful. She didn't understand why. And it seemed Milly wasn't interested in telling her.
"Do you know why I'm frustrated with you?"
Or maybe she was.
"Maybe you think I'm just being a bitch. Heck, I probably am," the blonde admitted. "But that comes with knowing something you don't. Maybe you thought you'd have forever to open your heart. You didn't. You don't." She looked at the redhead, not fully, but out of the corner of her eye as they walked down the stairs. "Rivalz missed his moment, you know."
"Rivalz?" Shirley asked, confused at the abrupt subject change. But then it clicked. "He... He did? You're... With someone?" The overly innocent girl blushed at the realisation of what they were talking about.
"Not that Rivalz had a chance anyway. I never felt the same about him as he does about me. I won't say anything condescending like he's like a little brother to me. He's just not my type. But the fact is, if he ever had a chance, he missed it. Because he never got the courage to do anything about it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Even if the words were true and she knew they were true... "I do, but–"
"No," the heiress shook her head. "No buts. Not anymore. You don't have time for any buts except getting yours in gear because your window of opportunity is closing. You don't know what that means but it doesn't matter. I'm gonna give you one more chance. After that... You probably won't get another. It's time to decide if you have the courage to at least try to get what you want."
"He's not some kind of prize to be won."
"You're one of the very few girls in this school who thinks that," Milly reminded her. "And that's why we're even talking about this. You might be a hopeless case with a crush, but you genuinely care about him. At least tell him that. At least put your feelings out there. Otherwise, what are they worth?"
"Where's all this urgency even coming from?" Shirley complained, frustrated and nervous that she was beginning to believe Milly's words. "And where are you getting this advice from anyway? Not like you would know." The redhead winced as she belatedly realised that might have been too mean. "I'm sorry, that wasn't fair."
"Who cares about fair right now? It's not like I haven't been mean." The blonde stopped outside the classroom, intent to say her piece before going in. "As it happens, I do know. Not what it is to miss out completely, but to not quite get what I really want?" Her smile was faint. Tinged with the mildest regret but a true smile all the same. "It might never have been in the cards for me, but it could be for you. So get it. Play your hand and win for both of us."
The door opened before Shirley could respond.
"Hey Lelouch! Having trouble?" Milly asked with cheer as though the previous conversation hadn't happened.
"Trouble is a word for trying to find something that's clearly not there," Lelouch answered, leaving the closet. "It isn't there."
"You sure?"
"I think I'd see a pastel pink box in there pretty quickly, Milly."
"Oh no, that's my old one. I got a new one. Mahogany box with a gold trim. Maybe it's in the back. He probably hid it just in case."
"In case you tried to take it back?" Lelouch asked flatly, "Yeah, that seems like it was a good precaution." With a roll of his eyes, he returned to the search.
"Hey Shirley, maybe you should help him. You know how men can be when they're looking for things."
"But wouldn't you–" the redhead spoke the beginnings of a counterpoint, only to receive a wide-eyed look from the heiress, nodding in Lelouch's direction. "Uh, oh! Umm... Sure!"
And thus Milly's ingenious plan came to fruition as the redhead moved up next to the dark haired object of her affection. The blonde walking up behind them and casually sliding the door closed and turning the lock.
If there were a light in the closet, Shirley might have seen Lelouch close his eyes in resignation. The exiled prince having known something like this was coming but not entirely sure what exactly Milly was going for. Trapping him in a very cramped, dark space with a girl who had a crush on him and couldn't spit it out. Yes. That seemed like something Milly would do. "Milly," he spoke, carefully turning around to not accidentally brush anything particularly intimate on Shirley's body as he turned to face his gremlin of a fiancée. "Is this why you asked if I have plans tonight?" He checked the door, finding it wouldn't budge an inch. "You don't plan on keeping us here that long, do you?"
"That depends on you!" the bubbly heiress answered cheerfully. "Don't worry about Nunnally! I'll keep her company for a while, then come check on you. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
Lelouch heard a scraping sound, seeing the light through the bottom half of the crack in the door suddenly smothered. "Milly? You remember this is a sliding door, right?"
His lover, who had been in the middle of pushing the teacher's desk to block the door stayed silent for a half second too long. "... I knew that." Before anyone could voice doubts, the sound of her heels clicking away from the closet indicated her swift departure.
Leaving boy and girl alone in the dark. Unable to move, they become far more intimately acquainted.
"Sorry about this," Shirley said. "It's my fault."
"No no, we both know this is just how Milly is."
The redhead didn't believe that. In fact she knew she very much was the reason Milly had gone to these lengths. And yet, for all that she believed everything Milly had said, it didn't make it any easier to do what her friend wanted. To do what she wanted. To finally confess her feelings.
She felt Lelouch's breath as he sighed. "Well, we'll be stuck here for a while and I've been pretty distracted lately. How is swimming club going?"
"Oh! Umm... Good. It's going good."
"Mm."
He was waiting for her to elaborate. But... Much as she might normally have been happy to talk about that, her mind was too occupied with other things. One other thing. The only thing that mattered in that moment. Trapped with Lelouch, this was her moment. Milly had done exactly what she said she would. Gave her a perfect chance. Lelouch was a captive audience, their bodies so close they were effectively sharing body heat.
And yet, for as perfect as this opportunity was, she still allowed the small space to be consumed by silence. Every second that ticked by, she hated herself more.
She believed Milly. Her time was running out? She had no idea what that meant but she had no reason to doubt her. Even less so with how frustrated the blonde was getting, trying to encourage her to speak her feelings, at first gently and then forcefully. There was an urgency to it. But even then, it seemed Milly was ready to give up. This whole scenario was a last ditch attempt to get Shirley to just say it already and she still couldn't?! She would rather sit silently in a closet waiting for her last chance to slip by?! Was she really that pathetic?
"I..."
She didn't want to be. If this was really her last chance, if staying silent would lose him just as readily as rejection... What difference did it make?
"I..."
Just say it.
"I..."
Say it!
"Lulu, I..."
Say it you stupid girl!
"LuluIlikeyou!" The words tumbled out in a rush. "I, I like you! A lot! And I have for a long time!" She had said it! She had finally, finally said it! And as the dam broke, her feelings could no longer be held back. "I think you're smart, and charming, and you're so caring with Nunnally, and I was hoping we could go on a d-date and maybe..." Her sudden onrush of words petered out, her face burning. She thanked God he couldn't see it. "I don't know what we'd do yet but... But I'd like to do something with you. As a date."
She had finally said it. And he didn't make her wait for a response. But she wished his response was a simple yes or no. "I know."
She didn't understand at first. "You know." In hindsight, of course he knew. Everyone knew, and she just said herself he was smart. Did that mean... He knew, but didn't say anything, because he didn't share her feelings?
He continued as her mind was already whirling with worst case scenarios. "I'm sorry I never said anything. A few weeks ago, it probably would've been kinder for me to let you down than stay silent. Back then, I had a goal. Anyone who got close to me would have suffered for it, so I didn't plan on letting anyone get that close. But things have changed."
"I don't understand." Would it kill him to just give her a yes or no?! She was at the end of her rope here!
"Sorry, I'm not explaining this well. I don't have much experience with things like this."
Much?! He... That meant he had some?! She gasped as the realisation hit. That Kallen girl!
"I like you," he finally said and she felt her heart leap. "I think you're charming and I know you have a kind heart. If things were simple I'd happily take you on a date. Or have you take me. I believe it's the person who asks that takes the lead on that sort of thing."
She hadn't thought of that. She would have to take the lead? She wasn't sure she could–... Wait. "If things were simple." If.
"That goal I mentioned," he continued. "It's no longer possible, but something else is. I can't talk about it in specifics, but it's something I want to dedicate my life to. Something world-changing. So while I'd like to go on a date with you, to see where things go, I can't. Being with me isn't a normal relationship. Just being linked with me romantically would change your life in ways you can't comprehend yet."
"I forgot to mention how you can be overdramatic sometimes," she sighed.
"I wish I was being overdramatic," he countered immediately. Pausing for a beat of silence. "I'm romantically involved with Milly."
The statement cut through her confusion in the worst way. "What?"
There was regret in his voice as he explained. "It... I like her a lot despite her tendencies. She's done more for me and Nunnally than I can repay. But it's also a practical arrangement. A political match. I'm going to marry her one day." She heard the rustle of his clothing as he shifted. "That's just the tip of the iceberg for what you would be getting into. You would never be my one and only. There can be no storybook ending for us. I have an ambition that I will never give up and to achieve it I'll do things that make the gambling you hate look like one of Milly's goofball school events. Knowing all that, knowing there's not a thing you could do to change any of it, would it still be worth it?"
She had said he could be overdramatic sometimes. He sometimes said the most absurd things and sounded entirely genuine, no matter how ridiculous. And yet she couldn't help but take him seriously in this moment.
Because as she listened, so many things Milly had said began to make sense. She was involved with someone. It wasn't exactly what she wanted. A political match would fit. Did Milly also like Lelouch, and that was why a political match rather than a true romance was only somewhat like what she wanted? And how protective Milly had been of him. And how suddenly urgent Milly had become for Shirley to confess her feelings. So if Milly was with him, and she was pushing Shirley to confess... She was alright with this?
"I..." How was she even supposed to answer all of this? "I don't know."
And with that non-answer, silence fell upon them again. Lelouch having said his piece. All that was left was for Shirley to make a decision. Minutes ticked by.
"Kiss me."
"Pardon?"
"I... I want you to kiss me." One way or another she needed to know. Either this would be worth it, or it wouldn't. And if it wouldn't, she would have a fond memory, a taste of what might have been.
He didn't answer with words. Instead, his answer came in his body moving forward to press against hers, crowding her, pushing her back against the shelf behind her. His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing the hair out of her face. She felt his breath against her lips the fraction of a second before his lips met them. His kiss was gentle. Kind. With just enough pressure to convey his desire. He wanted this too. Wanted her. For all the warnings he gave her, he didn't want her to say no.
And he warned her anyway. Said as much as he felt he could afford to that she could understand before making any decision. He really was kind.
His lips parted from hers. With them he took the taste of everything she had wanted since she first met him. "If... If I say yes..."
"Your life will be defined by mine. I'm sorry. There's no other way it will go."
What was she giving up? She was a high school girl. A member of the swimming club. A good student. A good friend, she liked to think. What else did she have? She hadn't figured out any goals or plans for the future. She thought she would have more time.
But the truth was... A life with Lelouch... If she had that, she felt there wasn't any way her life could be anything less than wonderful. "Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Stop trying to make me doubt myself, Lulu!" she complained. "I finally said it and I meant it! Being with you is what I want, now kiss me again!"
Mercifully, he didn't ask a third time, giving her his lips again. The same rush of magic she experienced flashing within her. Only this time it was different. It wasn't a tentative taste of maybe. It was a joyous rush of acceptance.
A rush that didn't abate as their kissing grew more heated. As Lelouch used the experience he had with Milly to move things further, his tongue slipping between her lips to brush against her teeth, asking for permission. Already this far in, she couldn't refuse. She felt his tongue slip inside her mouth, slipping against her tongue. She heard an impact. Something falling off a shelf. Neither of the two teens could have cared what it was. They were too focused on each other.
If they had their freedom, if they could escape this small space, their amorous energies might have given way too cooler heads. One of them might have slowed things down, pushed to stop there. But with no sign of Milly returning to let them out, with nothing to do but wait for her return, it was little wonder that Shirley found her blouse being unbuttoned. Or that she was soon helping unbutton it herself. Her bra lifted out of the way to let her breasts hang free and to let her new boyfriend fondle them, taking a stiffened nipple into his mouth. Shirley gasped at the pleasurable touch she had never experienced before, holding her new boyfriend's head against her ample breast, encouraging him to give her more.
He did. He was as eager to taste her as she was to be tasted. His hand fell from her breast, sliding under her skirt. Teenage hormones pushing them further faster than they would have otherwise dared. Slim fingers slipped under her damp white panties to slide over her slit. The petals of her womanhood soaked from arousal.
"L-Lulu," she gasped, not sure what she was calling for him to do. To stop? To give her more? It could have been either, or both. Fear and arousal fighting a war inside her. A war that was decided by a simple action. Lelouch letting her nipple free from his lips as he dropped to his knees, pulling her panties down to hang from her shins. His head slipped under her skirt.
It was like lightning flashing behind her eyes when she felt his tongue first touch her sensitive folds. "Oh, Lulu!" she moaned, her legs weak enough she propped her butt on one of the shelves as best she could. Using it to support her weight as Lelouch's mildly experienced tongue explored her sex. His hands stroking her thighs. The tip of his tongue dancing over her love button for a few moments before his slippery organ slid an inch or two into her womanhood, drinking her arousal as it coiled and twisted. Stirring her insides in ways she couldn't predict, driving her crazy as he pushed her further than she ever expected to go. To heights of pleasure she wasn't prepared for.
"Lulu, I–!" She felt it coming. She didn't know what she was warning him of. But if he understood it, he didn't care. In fact it just egged him on, grabbing hold of her butt with both hands to push himself deeper, as deep as he could go, his nose rubbing her button as he feasted. "Nnnnnn!" The pressure that had been building finally released, crashing over her in waves as she held her new boyfriend's head in place, demanding by action that he not stop until it was over. He lapped harder, collecting and swallowing the sudden mild rush of juices. "Ahahahhhh... Hahhh...!" she panted as her body calmed. As she felt somewhat lightheaded. She released her boyfriend's head, letting him come out from under her skirt. His fingers taking his place to gently rub circles into her folds. A pleasant stimulation as she rode out aftershocks of her powerful climax.
And still Milly wasn't back.
"Y-You," Shirley finally managed to say. "I want to do you."
"Okay."
She dropped to her knees as Lelouch stood. A mercy as she wasn't entirely secure on her feet anyway. Her hands blindly unbuckling his pants and dropping them. "Ah!" She felt something slap her in the chin. Given what she was doing and where she was, it wasn't hard to guess what that something was. Her hand reached up, carefully grasping the shaft of flesh. She couldn't see. She kind of wished she could. She wondered what it looked like. It felt quite nice. Warm to the touch, hard, yet with a layer of softness. Her fingers studied it as her boyfriend's breath hitched. Her thumb studying the spongy head, finding a slick fluid collecting there.
She decided not to be squeamish. Not after what Lulu had just done for her. She put her thumb between her lips, getting a taste of the substance. A little salty, but not unpleasant. Returning to her exploration, she took him in hand again, gently pumping up and down the shaft of his penis.
"That's good," he praised her. She was the less experienced of the two of them, apparently. So it was good to get an idea of what he liked. It even seemed to get stiffer in her hand as she stroked it.
But it wasn't fair to him to stop here. Licking her lips, she parted them to take him inside her mouth. That same fluid graced her tongue again as she wrapped her lips around the shaft, gently sucking on the head. "Ngh, Shirley, that feels amazing. Just be careful with your teeth."
She nodded, his cock still in her mouth. It was good advice that she would keep in mind. Stroking the bottom few inches with her hand while she began to bob her head a little, sucking on his hard cock. His grunts were good indicators for what he liked, but also she could feel the twitching in his cock. The sounds he made took interpretation but every time she felt his hardness jump she knew she was doing the right thing. Such as when she explored lower with her other hand, cupping his balls, gently squeezing them as she rolled them around in her hand. The sack tightened as she did. Was that good? Probably.
With growing confidence, she began to move faster, finding the activity a little more tiring than she thought it would be. But hearing Lelouch praise her efforts made it feel worth it. They were going to be together. She was tying herself to him. So it was good she understood how to do this. He would do that thing for her, she would do this for him. Her tongue worked as she sucked and slurped on his cock, trying to push him toward a release.
"Shirley, I'm almost there," he warned her. She wasn't sure what she should do, but she knew what she wanted to do, so she just kept going. Stroking the base of his cock faster as her head bobbed harder, her tongue wriggling around it as it slipped in and out of her mouth. "Shirley!"
She felt it. The sudden push from his cock right before a blast of hot fluid filled her mouth. Salty, bitter, thick and creamy. Lelouch's. She held it in her mouth until it was too much, swallowing it down as best she could. But it didn't stop. Each swallow wasn't enough to outpace it filling her mouth with his cock taking up space. Before long it began to dribble from her lips, spilling down her chin to drip onto her naked breasts.
She swallowed down the last of it as his orgasm reached its end, letting his gently softening cock slip out from between her lips. She took gasps of air, glad for the relief, but also glad for what she had done. Pleasured by her boyfriend and pleasured him in turn. If they could do this a lot, she would be happier for it.
And then the door slid open. Both teens' eyes struggling to adjust to the light after spending an hour in near pitch blackness. "Guess you worked it out!" Milly cheered. "I'm happy for you!"
Lelouch's softening cock hanging out. Shirley on her knees with her blouse open, her breasts lightly glazed with cum, her stained panties around her ankles, wearing a bewildered expression.
A bewilderment that immediately shifted to mortification. "MILLY!"
