Sigh.
Lelouch slumped against his locker door in the student council room, impatiently waiting for the meeting to resume after a short recess. Another week passed by so hastily, and to his surprise, that quick passing offered a chance to relax. All Black Knight affairs were officially handed over to Oghi and Tohdoh during the lull of Britannian activity, credited by the devastating efforts of the Sword of Akasha's destruction. He rubbed at his dreary eyes then slipped his hand through the fringe of his raven hair. The timing could not have been better given that the overactive engagements before began to take a major effect towards his health.
He was not alone unfortunately, as Rivalz decided to 'keep him company' with his usual prattle. Lelouch became aware that once again Shirley excused herself to go elsewhere, possibly restock on candy (possibly a chocolate given her sweet tooth). He also noticed that Suzaku must have left at the same time.
This activity soon became a routine for that honorary knight, but appeared to be for reasons unknown. Else what would Suzaku gain from trailing the girl who had little connection to Zero? Out of curiosity Lelouch managed to eavesdrop on random conversations- reminder of student council meeting on a Monday, a sudden tutor request in trigonometry (somewhat of a bane to her knowledge) shortly thereafter.
The intention behind these talks seemed innocent by appearance, but Lelouch knew better. Not knowing the true purpose bothered him such. If Suzaku intended to extract some extra detail about Zero from Shirley, he would not get far. Even blackmail would be moot at this point, granted he knew such lows were not known to this friend.
Indulging more in his need to discover the truth, Lelouch also contemplated on his friend's state of mind. Shirley had not conversed with him in person for such a time, not since before the dress incident. In fact one could state that she was intentionally avoiding him at any moment. Lelouch had never been bothered by the cold shoulder treatment before, nor had he ever received one from a friend, but this one from Shirley seemed an exception. The attraction she instilled in him became too strong to simply ignore at some point. He had changed into more dependent person, albeit in the good way, Lelouch surmised.
3 entire minutes passed by before he caught another glimpse of Suzaku walking in the room, promptly followed by a shadowing Shirley. The two must have engaged in a rather humorous chat as both shared a rather gleeful expression and a hearty laugh. The sight irked the prince, seeing his rival take part in a delightful moment.
"So, is there anyone you're going to the dance with?" Suzaku randomly dropped the question as he separated from her, sitting at his desk. Lelouch did not fail to notice a swift shift in attention to himself as Suzaku peeled away from his question, as though emphasizing his point. Lelouch merely offered a nod in greetings beneath the disgust brewing inside.
Lelouch rose from his slump against the locker and turned to face Rivalz more, intentionally blocking line of sight from Suzaku's stare. To not much surprise, Lelouch registered a perplexed "no" from the recipient, who then shrugged her shoulders and returned to her desk.
His brow rose slightly at the blunt answer and to Shirley, however stopped short once her eyes drifted to him. He dropped his head to the side to hide his interest, lest he give away that he expected something more in her response. Lelouch reminded himself that the farther he became the better- he did not wish to drag his friend any further in the wake of his destruction if possible. Taking such contrary actions and interests towards her did not help his case…
Of course, his resolve was tested by the well-tuned pestering from Rivalz who watched the interaction, then nudged him in the shoulder with a poke. "Oh boy Lelouch, ya hear that? Looks like Shirley's keeping herself open for the spring dance. Better be quick else someone's going to grab her from you."
Lelouch easily ignored his blatant bait, instead focused on the slouch the girl eased into her seat. The thought of someone else stepping up to the plate where he could not.
I'll have to make sure that doesn't happen.
Lelouch, fed up with the constant barrage from Rivalz, excused himself with a waving hand and a slight chuckle before making his way to his seat beside the girl. His sudden appearance somehow startled Shirley as she twitched in her spot, despite the fact he had sat beside her for so long. He offered unnecessary apologies for the startle and eased into a conversation, however she obviously was not in that particular mood. Shirley's display was difficult to experience, but he did not let such affect him too greatly before Milly resumed the session.
Throughout discussions, Lelouch would notice that his partner at his side could not maintain her composure; her gaze shifted from the President to himself more often than not, her pen swung in frantic motion between her nimble fingers, and her foot tapped in erratic rhythm beneath the desk. Lelouch remarked to himself that these were the typical symptoms of a nervous schoolgirl.
Because he had become so encapsulated by Shirley's motions, time passed quickly before Lelouch noted that Milly reached the last of her far-fetched schemes thus bringing an end to the meeting. Lelouch felt like reprimanding himself for not at least trying to take notes at certain points (though he would obtain such later through Rivalz), solely on the fact this was caused by an unexpected distraction in his life. Evidentially he was not the only person in that row to forget to make a note or two, as Shirley looked at her blank scheduler.
Shirley's face showed off her annoyance at this blunder, but tried her best not to reveal it to her observer. Out of the corner of his eye, Lelouch spotted a small leaf that took residence in a fold of her hair (how it managed to fall inside the building, he could not fathom an explanation). With a practiced coy on his face, he gingerly reached his hand into her hear, his fingers played against her strands and along her ear which earned him a sharp gasp. Shirley barely looked to him as she stood still. His hand brushed through the orange strands, taking the leaf out like a rake. He then handed the small item into her retracted hand.
"Looks like you are starting the shed."
"Th-Thanks…" Shirley's mumbled thanks beneath her blush were cute to say the least. He could not resist the smirk that graced his smile while she spastically scrambled to collect her things and spurt out of the room.
Tonight hosted a different dream for Lelouch. This one proved so much more pleasant to the hells he visited before- so desolate and empty by comparison. Lelouch was the only inhabitant of this dimly lit space, the only source of light becoming from the desk lamp to his side. Numerous shelves filled with scattered binders clustered the boundaries; the only free spaces were the entrance in front of him and the large grotesque windows from behind. It must have been night outside, given that nothing seeped through that stained glass. He was centered inside the room, standing before a sturdy leather chair at his calves. His lanky figure was robed in his Zero attire despite not having the helm and visor on. Several moments filled with silence had passed while the prince remained motionless, as if an order was presented.
A platter of footsteps came into existence and increased in sound up to the start of the door, then stopped. Somehow the standstill did not bother Lelouch, despite the rapid flutter in his chest. He knew he was expecting this moment to occur. A long delay occurred while he wanted for something- an action of any sort. Lelouch felt his sweat pouring underneath his heavy layer of clothing. He clinched his fists tightly in anxiety. His breath heightened in anticipation. Without warning, the door crept open with a loud clunk, the hallway light revealing the silhouette of a woman slipping into view. Just as the woman closed the door behind her with a softer click-
Lelouch awoke. His heavy head was collapsed against his desk within his dormitory room, based on several materials pressed against his cheek he had loomed over a project he needed to finish by the next day. "Ah, yeah," Lelouch drowsily muttered as he resumed that progress. Despite the obvious lack of sleep, he carried on with his belated assignment: a golden cellophane piece graced with alignments of red lines and sparse stars. He relied on tiny dabs of glue to affix the remaining stars onto the wrapper before applying a transparent foil atop. After finishing the seal and inspecting its design, he wiped at his brow. His eyes scanned past the horizon in the distance to watch the sun crawl over the tree line.
Just in time.
Lelouch sighed as he rose from his chair then strolled to his refrigerator. He removed a casing that was stored inside and placed it on the desk. He opened the case, revealing an immaculate piece of chocolate truffle ready to be packaged. He managed to obtain this premium piece of taste via some generous use of his Geass from a factor well-renowned in designing its succulent, rich sweetness. As he worked on its finishing touch, he was amazed by how well he could pull such a feat off (granted he made most of his material by hand anyways). The cellophane folded perfectly against the round delicacy, and its surface shimmered brilliantly against the beautiful reflection of the young sunlight.
Aside from Nunally, Lelouch never actually celebrated this romantic Valentine's Day before; he viewed it in disdain as he was nothing more than a bother and waste of time to swoon for another's attention. However, perhaps this year would prove that differently to the boy. After carefully placing the piece into his messenger bag, Lelouch quickly changed his attire to prepare for school.
The sight was as distasteful as he imagined it when he entered the hallway. Every inch of his surroundings was plastered by countless red hearts or wrapping red linings or love-driven angels. Even flowers were draped over every frame and along the archways. Such public display played off the discord in his mood, not to mention the open interactions here and there about exchanging gifts or showing rather physical affection (hopefully his supposed 'fanclub' would not show up on this day). He already endured an earful from various girls as he hastened towards his classroom.
He found Shirley alone at her desk, completely oblivious to the scenery around. Her head was buried in notes as though to isolate out the world. Lelouch would have thought otherwise of the girl, given how she would have acted around him years ago. Now, after everything that transpired, perhaps that gave logic to her actions. Lelouch smirked as he cautiously approached and prepared his move.
This was a perfect opportunity to catch the girl off-guard; a compensation for the numerous moments she had on him. He took the candy from his pocket in a slick motion, and carefully balanced it along the edge of her desk. The exact rocking sway of the tip gained a few shining reflections from the sun that flashed against her face. The distraction immediately earned her attention just as Lelouch slipped from behind her into his seat. Shirley was quite shocked to say the least, emphasized by her wide-eyed gesture.
"Good morning, Happy Valentine's Day." Lelouch greeted her with an adoring smile. She also smiled back with similar greetings with a rather prominent blush on her face. She must have known she'd be the only one he'd give a gift to on this day. It had been an age since she had graced him with such a genuine, even affectionate, smile.