Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.
Summary: C.C. is a lazy and gluttonous girl who only cares for pizza. And Lelouch is the man that may fall for her, ahem, charms.
Green Silk and Golden Orbs
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Chapter 7
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After the whole wedding ordeal, C.C. has begun to realize that she has been lacking in the older sister department. She hasn't spoke to each one of them for a few days. For the past couple of days, it's been wedding this, Lelouch that and etc. It's not like she didn't care for her two sisters but Marianne, in particular, has been pulling C.C. away from her sisters and shoving her towards Lelouch. As an engaged couple, Marianne was doing them a favour. They needed to consult one another over wedding details. Like the decorations for the venue, the colour theme, flowers, food and anything else that were included in weddings. One of the more important thing that was in the wedding that the two had yet to touch upon was the Bridal party.
Lelouch picked up the tea cup by its' handle, only using two fingers and his thumb. He took a slow slip, careful not to burn his taste buds or his throat.
"Have you decided on who you want to be Maid-of-Honour?" He asked, as she gently chewed on a cookie about as large as her face. C.C. didn't want to choose a Maid-of-Honour which is why she avoided Kallen and Shirley when she was home. They never asked her about it but C.C. knew her siblings well enough to know they were both wondering who she will choose out of them.
It was impossible for C.C. to choose between the two. They were both close to her. They were blood; a family.
She sighed involuntarily.
"If you were in my shoes, would you be able to choose between Euphemia and Nunnally?" She was asking for advice. Besides Lelouch, C.C. knew no-one else with two sisters for siblings. Right now, between the pair, Lelouch was the lucky one. For best man, he didn't have to choose between anyone. The honour will go to Suzaku without contemplating a difficult choice.
Placing down his tea, Lelouch dabbed his moist lips with the back of his hand.
"I wouldn't be able to, honestly." He watched as C.C. frowned over his answer. Lelouch began again, trying to add more to his response, "Just talk to them. Ask them what they think. Maybe one of them doesn't want to be your Maid-of-Honour?" It was more of a question than an answer.
Another sigh from her thin pink lips.
"I was thinking of doing that actually." When the frown disappeared from her lips, a smile replaced it. "But I'm really nervous to confront them because I know that if I do speak with them, I'll have to decide then and there who I want. Do you think I could be the first Bride without a Maid-of-Honour?"
He gingerly chuckled into the back of his hand.
"It's possible but don't you think it-"
"It's a coward move?" C.C. finished, reading Lelouch's thoughts easily. "It is, isn't it? But I just don't want any of them to get hurt. They're the two I care about the most. It will hurt me if I hurt them."
A smile emerged on Lelouch's lips, pleased by C.C.'s overwhelming concern for her siblings.
"You are a good sister, C.C."
Her head lowered, preventing Lelouch from getting a glimpse at her redden cheeks.
"Thanks."
x
When C.C. returned home after her day with Lelouch, she went straight to her room. Well, she tried too. Kallen's room was before C.C.'s on the second floor. As C.C. passed the shut door, she heard giggling from the other side. One belonged to Kallen but it shouldn't be classified as giggling. Kallen didn't giggle. She said so herself. And the other one belonged to Shirley. Shirley definitely giggled. She only giggled.
It was now or never. They were home alone. Their father was still at work. It was a perfect time to confront the two. They were already together in one room. C.C. didn't need to round them up anymore.
She sighed as she lightly tapped her knuckles against the wood of Kallen's door. The giggles died down as she heard some shuffling from the other side. It was her room, so Kallen was the one that opened the door. She was initially surprised to see C.C. there. But the surprised reaction disappeared almost immediately.
"How was your day?" Kallen wondered loudly as C.C. let herself in.
C.C. kept most of her attention of Kallen's carpeted flooring. She didn't even make eye contact with any of them.
"Good."
Shirley spoke up next. "So, what kind of foods did you two decide on?"
"It's a secret."
Shirley pouted. "Oh, C.C., please tell-"
C.C. lifted up her head, her amber orbs meeting Shirley's olive ones and Kallen's sapphire ones. Shirley stopped whatever she was saying when C.C.'s expression was strict, stern and serious.
"We were actually also speaking about our Bridal party today..."
An awkward moment fell on all of them. Shirley and Kallen exchanged glances before their eyes fell again on C.C..
"Lelouch decided on Suzaku to be his Best-man while Euphemia and Nunnally are going to be Bridesmaids." She paused, unsure how to continue. When she planned out everything in her head, it made sense. But now that was she actually doing it, C.C. was confused on how to get to the Maid-of-Honour point.
Kallen noticed the discomfort within C.C. as the older girl tensed up. C.C.'s shoulders were lifted, her neck looking shorter than ever. Her fists were clenched up, tightly clinging onto the material of her dress. C.C.'s knuckles were beginning to turn white.
"C.C., if you can't choose between us, you don't have to." For Kallen, she didn't mind if C.C. chose her or not. She was never a fan of dresses in general. So, wearing a Maid-of-Honour dress wasn't a dream of her's. "I know it must be hard for you. I don't have to be Maid-of-Honour. Choose Shirley."
Shirley has always been the sister that took the most interest in weddings. If she wasn't too busy with her friends for the summer, she would have been glad to help with the preparations for the wedding of her older sister. However, despite her love for weddings, Shirley never thought about being a Maid-of-Honour. Like average girls, she's always dreamed of being the Bride. In any case, Shirley also didn't mind if she wasn't the Maid-of-Honour for C.C.'s wedding.
Her head shook slowly.
"No, I don't have to be Maid-of-Honour. It's okay if I'm not. You and Kallen have always been closer." Since C.C. and Kallen were the two eldest, they've spent more time together. But that wasn't a good reason to base a choice on.
C.C. sighed. This was much harder than she anticipated. Right now, she kind of wished that one of them was selfish and called dibs on the Maid-of-Honour slot. Too bad both her sisters were too selfless. Why did she have to have two sisters? Why couldn't she have one sister and the other a brother? That way, her choice for Maid-of-Honour would be obvious. Her head shook at the idea. If she had to choose between the two of them, they would have to too in the near or far off future.
Her eyes widened as an idea hit her.
"C.C., are you alright?" Kallen asked, suddenly worried over C.C.'s shocked expression.
Shirley furrowed her brow worriedly.
"Yeah, are you okay, Sis?"
"For Maid-of-Honour, why don't we make some sort of promise?" C.C. suggested cleverly. "We're sisters and we do things together. You're both going to be part of my Bridal party. And eventually, I'm going to be part of yours'. I can be Maid-of-Honour for Shirley, Shirley for Kallen and Kallen for me..." In a way, C.C. did choose Kallen over Shirley but she did choose to be more involved with Shirleys' wedding than Kallens'. It seemed fair enough.
"That can work," Kallen replied positively.
Shirley giggled as she brought a pillow closer to her chest. She was hugging it tightly, as if it was a boyfriend.
"I cannot wait until I get married," she gushed over, cheeks turning a pale shade of pink. "But why do I have to be Kallens' Maid-of-Honour? She may never get married."
Taking the pillow out of Shirley's grip, Kallen began to whack the red-head with it viciously.
"Shut up!"
x
After a pillow fight that brought the sisters back to their childhood, they all lay down on Kallen's bed, Shirley in the middle. They were looking up at Kallen's ceiling, painted to replica the night sky. All the stars joined to form various constellations. The most prominent one was the big dipper right over their heads. They were looking at the sky but in reality, they were looking far beyond the boundaries of the ceiling. Their sight was limited to the ceiling but they were seeing things within their minds. They were seeing the past, the present and future.
Shirley rolled over to lay on flat on her stomach. She looked down at C.C. while C.C. continued to daydream.
"Hey, did you decide what flavour your cake will be?"
Kallen did the same.
"How many tiers will it have?"
"Eight," C.C. answered simply. The two younger sisters gaped in surprised. An eight tier cake was large. Most wedding cakes were either three tiers or four. C.C.'s cake was more than double. "It's going to be completely white with calla lilies and pink roses. The rose was Lelouch's idea. He's a girl that way." Shirley giggled but C.C. continued nonetheless, "We decided on the flavour red velvet with a cream cheese filling."
"'We decided' or you decided?" When Kallen heard that the cake was going to be C.C's favourite taste, she knew something was up. C.C. was the type that persevered with her choice no matter what.
After their stop at the vineyard, the young couple went straight to the bakery. The baker, Pierre, was a nice man. He was a bit rushed and eccentric but friendly nonetheless. His shop had an old Italian feel to it. The walls were brick and dusted with flour. Heck, Pierre himself was covered in flour when he greeted the two. After some introductions, Pierre sat them down and brought some sponge cakes to sample what flavour they would want.
C.C. tasted them all just because she was hungry.
"I want red velvet with cream cheese frosting."
Pierre chuckled at her sure decision.
"And what do you want, Lelouch?"
"I quite enjoy the vanilla with chocolate icing."
C.C. cleared her throat, interrupting slightly, "But the red velvet is way better, isn't it Pierre? Don't you think a red velvet cake suits the occasion more. Anyone can have vanilla and chocolate. It's such a typical flavour."
"It's my wedding too, C.C." Lelouch had a feeling he was going to give in. He always did. It was the gentleman in him. He just had a hard time saying 'no' to anyone, especially to people he cared about... Cared about? That was one way to describe the feeling he had over his relationship with C.C. "Fine, red velvet it is..."
"I decided but it's the same thing. Lelouch gave in."
They chuckled.
"You always manage to get your way, C.C." Kallen commented.
Shirley giggled into the palm of her hand. "Don't we all?"
"Yeah..."
C.C. stretched out her hands, blocking a few stars to try to find some constellations besides the big dipper.
"Maybe I should do something for Lelouch, to show my thanks."
"Oh, you can do a Groom's cake for him!" Shirley piped up. A Groom's cake was different entirely from the wedding cake, which was romantic, white and elegant. A Groom's cake would be anything the couple wanted it to be. It didn't have to be anything fancy like a wedding cake. It was a cake for enjoyment.
"I'll try to remember that tomorrow morning." It was the least she could do. Get Lelouch a cake with the flavours he wanted from the very beginning.
Kallen smiled followed by a romantic sigh.
"You must really be fond of Lelouch for actually thinking of doing something for him in return."
"I am marrying him, Kallen."
"Oh, I know but wasn't it because he asked you to for Euphemia's sake? And you said said, well, frankly, I'm not sure why you did." C.C. told her sisters almost everything. As soon as Lelouch asked for her hand in marriage, C.C. went straight to Kallen and Shirley to tell them. She also told them the reason wasn't because of love. "Say, why did you accept his proposal?"
She shrugged.
"Lelouch may be the only man brave enough to marry me." That was true. None of her suitors lasted. Officially, Lelouch never admitted to being her suitor but he lasted. He even wanted to marry her. "He's a good person. He wants to waste his life with me for the sake of his sister. You don't meet guys like him."
"C.C., he won't waste his life with you," Shirley mused, disappointed at how C.C. treated herself. "Lelouch obviously doesn't think you are a bad person like those other suitors did. If you were truly awful, Lelouch's love for his sister and best-friend, wouldn't be enough to convince himself to ask for your hand in marriage." Kallen nodded at this, agreeing with Shirley wholly. "And, you may not believe me, but Lelouch must like you or is at least bit attracted to you to ask you to marry him. There are so many other girls who worship the ground he walks on. He could have asked anyone of them but he asked you. He likes you. Trust me."
She made a point.
Kallen looked over at C.C. as the girl remained silent.
"Do you like him, C.C.? You must like him enough to say yes to eternity?"
If Kallen asked that same question right after the day she became engaged, C.C. would have answer 'no'. At that time, she didn't no where she stood with Lelouch. For the most part, she knew they were friends. They were probably even more than friends best less than lovers. Since Kallen asked that question now, C.C. had a different answer. She could have asked that same question a few days ago and C.C. would have had the same answer she had at that very time.
"Yes," she liked him. C.C. liked him. She liked him more than a friend but less than a lover - less than a boy-friend even. She didn't like him way a woman would adore her man but her feelings seemed to travelling in that direction. "I can honestly admit that I like Lelouch."
Shirley squealed in delight, waving her feet in the air.
"When did you start noticing your love for him?"
"I said I liked him, not 'love', Shirley..."
"Just answer the question."
She thought about her answer for a minute before opening her mouth, "I think I've always liked Lelouch. I just became more aware of my feeling towards him during the party down by the Villa. I was a tiny bit envious when those school girls kept batting their eyelashes at him..." C.C.'s mouth ran dry when she realized what she was going to say. "I just wanted to let everyone know that Lelouch wasn't availa-"
"That he was your's!" Kallen declared, grinning in happiness.
"No." C.C.'s expression was a poker face. "After that, certain things led to another and I guess, I started liking him more from then on. I think most of it has to do with his love and admiration for his family."
"You two have more in common than you think, C.C.," Shirley smiled.
Covering her face, C.C. felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
"I'm not used to feeling like this. It's uncomfortable."
"I think you should tell Lelouch you like him."
C.C. shot up from her position on the bed.
"Don't say nonsense, Shirley. I'm not telling him that I like him. Why on earth would I do something stupid like that?"
"People with crushes always confess to their crushes!"
"I'm not going to tell him."
"Why not?" It was Kallen's turn to pry.
"He is marrying me for his sister's sake."
"But he must lik-"
"I'm going to sleep."
x
C.C. was taking a quiet, relaxing, afternoon stroll in the park closest to her house. Lelouch was supposed to be over in about an hour or so. Until then, she wanted some time to herself. Ever since her talk with her sisters the previous night, her mind was been flooded with all sorts of thoughts. She was actually begin to become antsy over the wedding. Usually, she was calm and collected. Now, C.C. just had the appearance of being calm and collected. Her insides were reminding her that she wasn't. It was a couple of weeks ago when C.C. realized she actually liked Lelouch. Not a whole lot but enough that got her to feel weird when she thought about him. And it was just the previous night when C.C. admitted to herself that she did like Lelouch more than she gave herself credit for. She liked him enough to marry him for eternity. The thought peppered her skin with goosebumps. She rubbed her arm, trying to warm herself up. She's never felt like this before. And C.C. wasn't even sure what she was feeling. No, that was lie. It was clear what she was feeling. It wasn't love yet. But it was heading towards that, maybe.
She wondered to herself how she became like this. How she became a girl smitten over a school boy. C.C. stopped in her tracks while taking in a deep breath to control her flaring emotions. Her pace started back again as her mind started to think again. When she met Lelouch, she wasn't surprised or even dazzled by his charming good looks. The kiss they shared meant little to her... Touching her lips, C.C. grazed her fore finger against the lower one. A blush dominated her cheeks. Okay, it meant little to her when it actually happened. The little outings they had back then were nothing as well. C.C. hardly remembered them the day after. Suddenly, every date was clear and visible. It blew her mind how realizing her feelings brought out a lot within her. Before, when she thought of Lelouch's awkward proposal, she would laugh. She still did but under different circumstances. Her laughing was caused by Lelouch's adorable furrowed expression. It didn't make her heart swoon then but it did now. A lot of things about Lelouch made her heart jump with excitement especially after the trip to the vineyard and definitely after the talk with her sisters.
At times like this C.C. wished their mother was still around. C.C. would be able to ask her advice for what she was feeling since her mother was the only woman she knew that fell in love before. There was Euphemia but going to a younger girl for advice, especially the nosy sister of his fiancé wasn't deemed as a well thought out idea mentally.
"What are you doing here? Weren't we supposed to meet at your home?" Lelouch's voice stopped C.C. dead in her tracks. He stood in front of her, a confused look on his face. She was pacing so much that she didn't even notice she reached the edge of the park.
Looking around, C.C. noticed Lelouch's dark car parked over a few metres behind him. It looked as if he just arrived there in a rush since the parking was crooked.
"I could ask you the same thing, boya." She was keeping her cool. Treating him like she always treated him.
"I saw you pacing back and forth own my way to your house. I turned around to see what you were up to." His brows arched, looking down at her with inquisitive violet eyes. "What are you up to, C.C.?"
"Oh, nothing. Just taking a stroll."
"A stroll?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I wanted to."
Figuring that C.C. was being difficult again, Lelouch gave up as he rubbed his temples with his fore and middle middle.
"Anyway, what did you want to do today?"
Lelouch had called C.C. the night before, after the girls' talk and asked her if she wanted to do anything. She just quickly replied and hung up because she was sleepy. They never got to speak about what they were going to do. Without a plan, they just had to go with the wind.
"I could use some pizza right now."
"After..." Lelouch grumbled, irritated that pizza was brought up again. In almost every conversation Lelouch has had with C.C. pizza has been brought up. It was inevitable or something. "We can get pizza after. I'm going to ask you again, C.C. What do you want to do today?"
"You're the one that asked me out on this outing. You decide, boya."
"You're difficult, Witch." He pondered for a minute, chin rested on his finger as he did. "Do you want to go horseback riding? My Father has a mare down by our stable that is ready to give birth. She is due any day now."
"I don't want to watch a nature special, thank you very much."
"Well, we can just ride the horses instead. He's bought two new horses from New Zealand last week." Charles had bought two white stallions for no reason at all. He just wanted two foreign horses on his stable. Lelouch thinks he bought them for Euphemia, for her wedding. She's always dreamed of her knight in shining armour on top of a white stallion.
"You ride horses, boya?"
"Yes, yes I do, Cecilia."
C.C. frowned at the use of her full-name. "Well, horseback-riding isn't that physical, right Lelouch? You only sit on the saddle while the horse does most of the work. No wonder who have no speed, strength or endurance." She got back at him for calling her that by taking multiple jabs at his flaws.
"Have you ever ridden a horse, C.C.?" So, Lelouch went back to the name she preferred.
"No."
"I can teach you."
"I'll pass. I'd rather stay at home and watch grass die..."
On her heels, C.C. turned to leave but Lelouch grabbed onto her wrist to keep her from taking a step away from him. For a weakling, his grip was pretty strong.
"It'll be fine. Trust me."
It was that stupid smile again. C.C. cursed herself and Lelouch mentally.
"Fine."
x
