Pre-notes: It came to my attention that some readers aren't aware of the main story. Although, I'm also pleased to know that even though they didn't know about it, they still found the tangents enjoyable. Thank you very much! Please do take the time to read the main story, though, as it was a product of a greater amount of planning ;) (story id: 4556143)
Disclaimer: Code Geass belongs to Sunrise.
Part 3.811: An Evening to Remember
Lelouch Lamperouge adjusted his cravat with practised ease in front of the mirror before picking up the corsage on his table and leaving his room.
Tonight is Ashford Academy's Prom Night - the first 'normal' one since Milly Ashford became president of the Student Council. Of course, there had been those who wished to continue the three-year tradition of 'uniqueness', but, considering that most of Tokyo Settlement was still recovering from the war, it's been decided that part of this year's events budget be donated to the rebuilding efforts. Trying to think up a special theme was rendered unfeasible by such a budget cut, so the prom ended up being a simple formal dinner-and-dance event.
Upon leaving the clubhouse, Lelouch followed the path towards the left side entrance of the remaining dormitory building. When FLEIJA was deployed during the Second Battle of Tokyo, the girls' dormitory building was swallowed whole. For this reason, the boys' dormitory building was modified to accommodate both genders. The main entrance was sealed up, the side entrances were expanded, and dividing walls were placed in the middle of all floors. Now the left half of the building accommodated the female students while the male students occupied the right half. After exchanging greetings with fellow male attendees waiting for their dates, Lelouch dialed the number to his date's room in the intercom, then joined the others in the waiting area. He did not have to wait long. His date tonight did everything simply, and the simple laced pale pink dress as well as light makeup she wore suited her well.
"You look lovely, Miya-kun," he said as he wrapped the corsage he brought around her wrist.
"You don't look so bad yourself, Lelouch-kun," came Miya's dreamy-eyed response.
Lelouch then offered his arm for her to take. "Shall we?"
Miya had every reason to be dreamy-eyed tonight. To every other girl in Ashford Academy, she is the luckiest girl in the world. Yes, they'd give anything to be Lelouch Lamperouge's date for prom night, and he had asked her on the very day of the announcement! Indeed, what sort of woman would she be if she refused? Alas! Woe to the young man that had intended to ask for her companionship for this night! Rivalz Cardemonde, however, was not one to trust in rumors. He had every intention of finding out the truth for himself.
Of course, possessed of a brilliant mind as Lelouch was, he had expected it. In the afternoon of the announcement, he sat in his usual spot in the Student Council meeting room waiting for Rivalz to arrive, facing slightly away from the doors and seemingly busy studying the contents of the clipboard he was holding. He took a quick look at the clock on the wall. Rivalz should be coming through the door in five... four... three... Sure enough the door slid open and...
"Lelouch!" came Rivalz's breathless call. Lelouch only waved a hand to acknowledge him and returned to his clipboard. After a gulp and another breath he continued, "Miya said you already asked her to the prom. Is it true?"
"Yes," came the answer in his usual disinterested tone.
"Why did you do this to me, buddy?" continued the seemingly panicked Rivalz as he rushed closer to his friend. "She was the only one who'd probably agree to go with me to the prom! Man, who am I going to ask now?" He clutched at his hair and had groaned the last few words out.
"Ask Kallen," came Lelouch's suggestion, his tone suggesting it was the most obvious solution, still not looking up from his clipboard. If Rivalz looked panicked earlier, he now looked like his friend just spoke the two of the most unspeakable words in existence.
"Ask Kallen?" Rivalz started, "Ask Kallen? Ace of the Black Knights KALLEN? You're suggesting that I ask this country's premiere Knightmare pilot to the prom?"
"Here in Ashford, she's a student just like you and me," countered Lelouch in a matter-of-fact manner, "unless you'd give her a reason to sic a Knightmare on you, I don't think you have to worry about that."
"Well, yeah," agreed Rivalz, seemingly calming down a bit, then turned panicked once again, "but what about those fans of hers? They'll kill me if I even get close to her!"
"They're all afraid to ask her," came the easy reply. "They'd have to pick her up at her house instead of the dormitories. Improved though Shinjuku has, they're still afraid of even setting foot on the place, more so after sunset."
"Then why don't you ask her?"
"She hates my guts." While not entirely true, it was the image they wanted to convey, picking up where their barb-fest left off before the Black Rebellion. "Besides, I can't leave campus, so she would end up picking me up if she did agree. I may like picking on her, but I'd rather not embarrass her in that way." And I like my head where it is, thank you very much, he added mentally. "On the other hand, you have been all over Shinjuku thanks to our old chess excursions. If there's anybody here in Ashford that can get in and out of the place unscathed, it's you."
"Oookay," Rivalz agreed, recognizing the validity of his friend's reasons. "But what makes you think she'd agree to go with me, then?"
Lelouch shrugged. "I don't really know. Why not just go ahead and ask Kallen yourself?"
"Ask me what?"
"K-Kallen!" Rivalz squeaked as he whirled to face her. He hadn't heard the door open. No way out. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. "I... uh... well..." Big gulp. "Will you be my d-d-d-date for the p-p-p-prom?" Kallen shrugged.
"Okay."
Rivalz gaped.
Lelouch smirked.
All conditions have been cleared.
Thus their partners for the evening were decided, but that's not where it started. The selection was made well before the announcement. The Black Knights, or, rather, the remnants of the Resistance group that Kallen's brother once led, insisted on knowing the background of whoever Kallen's date was. Ohgi had been the most difficult to reason with, having taken his role as Naoto's replacement a little too far. Thankfully, Villetta stepped in, and explained to her husband how important to a young woman in Britannian society such a social event was, even if the young woman in question was half-Japanese.
And it was for that young woman that all activity in the banquet hall seemed to stop momentarily upon her arrival. Her hair was done up in a neat bun, secured by a decorative comb, her usual twin tendrils framing her face as always. The dress she wore was of a deep rose color, the bodice accenting her curves quite nicely. Its skirt was of a slightly paler shade and ended just at her calves. Translucent ribbons of pink near her shoulders and waist resembled fairy wings, and the matching high-heeled sandals with straps ending below her calves made her look like a storybook fairy come to life. Kallen blushed demurely at the attention she was getting.
Lelouch had seen the dress before, though it was incomplete at the time.
"Shirley's design." He had not realized he said that aloud until Miya spoke.
"Really?" she exclaimed, genuinely impressed. "I didn't know she designed dresses."
"It was a one-time thing," Lelouch explained, "for an event last year, before the Black Rebellion. I never did know how it turned out." Both he and Kallen had excused themselves from the event, as the Black Knights had an operation that night. Shirley had sent the dress over but was never worn - until tonight.
"But enough about the dress," he quickly added and kissed her hand. "My apologies for getting distracted from your company."
For the next few hours, Lelouch and Kallen made it a point to be as far away from each other as possible, going so far as to be on opposite ends of the floor during dances. During periods of rest, Lelouch sat with Miya's peers in the swim club, while Kallen sat with Rivalz's peers in the homecoming club. They both noticed, however, that their respective partners seemed somehow distracted. Neither prodded, though, not wanting to ruin the mood of the evening with baseless suspicions.
-Your attention, please,- came a voice through the banquet hall's speakers. -It's time to cast your votes for the King and Queen of the night. Committee members will be going around to collect your votes.-
From her seat at their table, Miya leaned to whisper to Lelouch's ear,
"I thought we weren't having those this year."
"It wasn't even in the budget proposal," Lelouch whispered back, his tone suspicious. "Looks like we'll just have to play along," he said, noting that there were already those moving around collecting the votes, some he recognized to be junior members of the Student Council. He went on to write two names on the ballot that was placed at their table.
"You're voting for me?" Miya asked, aghast.
"But of course," he answered as the committee member left to move to the next table. "What sort of gentleman would I be if I do not believe my own partner is the loveliest in the hall?" A collective sigh of admiration from the other ladies at the table followed his words.
At this instant, he risked a look in Kallen's direction across the dance floor. Luckily enough, they were thinking the same thing at the moment. After a quick exchange of signals, they returned their attention to their partners.
What's going on?
Play along.
-Ladies and gentlemen,- came the voice from the speakers during the next dance, -the votes have been tallied and we are now ready to announce the King and Queen.-
The attendees slowly made their way closer to the the stage, leaving the area in front of the stairs open for whoever will be climbing them. Lelouch was content to watch from the back, but Miya insisted on moving closer to the stage.
"I want to see them up close," she had reasoned. Playing the gentleman, he complied and followed close behind until they finally settled a ways to the right of the stairs.
-One moment please,- came the voice from the speakers again, -our guest of honor has expressed that she wo-- The voice was cut off by feedback and sounds of a light scuffle. A short moment later the curtains parted to reveal...
"Milly?" came the voices of Kallen and Lelouch, clearly not expecting her arrival.
-Hi~! How is everybodeeee? Nope, I'm not your queen for tonight, but I'd be glad to let you know who is! With a king, of course. Let's see..- Out of nowhere she pulled out and opened a pale pink envelope sealed by a heart-shaped sticker and went on to read two names from it.
-Lelouch Lamperouge and Kallen Kouzuki, kindly come up to stage, please!-
While still caught in the surprise of this turn of events, Lelouch felt Miya give him an especially strong nudge, causing him to stumble forward. He managed to catch himself in time to avoid colliding with Kallen, who, apparently, was stumbling just like him. Blushing at how close their faces came, they straightened at the same time, looking away and up.
-Come, your majesties, your subjects await you!-
Kallen looked back to find Lelouch offering his arm for her to take, though looking straight at the stage and wearing a bored look. Taking her cue from him, she took his arm - offering minimal contact - then did her best to look annoyed at the whole thing. At his nod, they climbed the stage together, and committee members went on to dress them up once they made it to the top.
-If it please your majesties,- Milly spoke again once their 'regalia' (consisting of cardboard coronets and paper sashes decorated using magic markers) have been properly attached, -grant your loyal subjects the grace of a royal kiss!- The reaction of the 'royal couple' was not at all unexpected.
"MILLY!"
-What say you, o people of the kingdom?- With Milly's innate ability to draw support, the applause came easily enough.
"No way out of it, I guess," Lelouch said after sighing loudly, making the extra effort to look like what he was about to do wasn't something he looked forward to. Similarly, Kallen rolled her eyes.
When they finally faced each other, however, it was a different story. The look they exchanged spoke of mutual respect, a hidden query, an expression of one's desire to proceed but not without the other's consent.
We made a pact, you and I...
...but it need not matter tonight.
Then let the conditions be voided...
...and I concur.
For tonight, I am King...
...tonight I am your Queen.
If only for tonight...
...only for tonight.
It was a light touching of the lips, neither of them daring to take it any further. They lingered, though, reveling in the feel of the other's lips on their own, relying on the memories of their past encounters to draw out the sense of wholeness that once came with the sensation. For a moment they were oblivious to the cheers exploding from the hall, completely shut out from the rest of the world. With a sigh, they parted, and one could say their eyes shone more brightly than before. Lelouch's mood darkened, however, when he finally took notice of the cheers from the hall,
"All hail Lelouch!"
Even during his short time as Britannia's ninety-ninth emperor, he had not been proud to hear those cheers. He had not been proud of what he did when people let out those cheers. Hearing it from those he cast his Geass on was bad enough. Hearing people cheer it willingly...
Were they mocking him?
Already he was turning on his heels to leave the hall, but something stopped him. He turned back to see Kallen's hand holding his. His gaze shifted to her face, and he felt guilty to have momentarily forgotten that she was there - that there was someone else who knew everything. She understood how he felt about the cheers, and she said so through her eyes, for which he was very grateful. Their brief exchange, however, did not go unnoticed by three other people.
-Alright, that's enough, everybody!- Milly said, interrupting the cheers. She then signalled for the music to begin playing.
-Now, please enjoy the rest of the night with one last magic word from me: DAAAAAAAAAAANCE~!-
True to the spirit of Milly Ashford Magic, the dance floor once again came alive with couples dancing to the waltz being played. The newly-crowned king and queen soon descended the stairs to join the others. The 'show' being over, Kallen moved to try and find Rivalz, but was surprised that Lelouch hadn't released her hand.
"I'd like to have this dance," he told her. "If I may."
For the second time that night, nothing else mattered to them but the other. Both looked at nothing but the other's eyes as they swung to the waltz. Neither paid attention to their surroundings except when steering themselves from a possible collision with other dancers. Neither noticed that those wanting to cut in were thwarted by their respective dates and guest of honor. Soon enough, Lelouch was steering both of them towards one of the French windows, later walking once they have left the dance floor, hands entwined. Somewhere behind them, three conspirators congratulated themselves for a job well done.
"Milly and her schemes," Lelouch spoke once they were alone, tugging at the hastily-prepared royal sash.
"Yeah," Kallen agreed. "There's just no winning against her once her plans go in full motion. Do you think she knows?"
"No. She doesn't remember I'm royalty. She's probably just playing matchmaker again."
"Oh," Kallen replied. She didn't think she wanted to know how the first attempt - or attempts - were like.
"You look wonderful," he later said, not looking at her and slightly blushing. "I don't think I've seen you more..."
"Ladylike?" Kallen finished for him, tone slightly teasing. Lelouch chuckled. She beat him to it.
"Not quite," he countered while taking in the sight of her. For a short while he searched his vocabulary for the word that described her best, but couldn't find one that's quite appropriate. He decided to comment on her dress instead.
"I lied last year. The dress really does suit you."
"It should," she replied. "Shirley worked really hard to-" She paused, noticing that he stiffened. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned-"
"No, it's alright," he interrupted. "She really was fond of you, you know?"
"She was a good friend," she agreed. "I guess that's why I chose to wear it tonight, so she could be here somehow."
"I'm sure she'd appreciate it," he assured her, and gave her hand a light squeeze.
"I think Milly just gave us a reason to be seen together in campus in the next days."
"I know," Lelouch agreed. "How do you propose we go about it?"
"You don't have a plan yet?"
"I do, but... I'd like to hear what you have to say first."
"Liar."
"You know me too well," he answered with a sigh. "I suppose you can just slap me right here and now, call me a pervert, storm back in there, then act as usual in class."
"Too easy," she countered. "Next."
"How about," he said after some thought, "I kiss you breathless first, then you slap me, et cetera, et cetera."
"Hmm, better than the first one," she agreed, "but do you really want me to slap you?"
"Well, no."
"You're hopeless, you know that?"
"Again, you know me too well," Lelouch replied, embarrassed.
"There's a simple solution to all this, you know," she announced as she lifted her free hand in a motion of somebody giving a lecture.
"I'm all ears."
"The old-fashioned way: one step at a time."
"You mean...?"
"For a few days, at least. Let's humor Milly a bit. It could even be fun," she finished with a shrug.
Lelouch, while a perfect gentleman, wasn't very knowledgeable when it came to relationships with the opposite sex, and he was well aware of it. While he already knew what he felt for Kallen and what she felt toward him, the prospect of making it public - though still partly an act - wasn't something he looked forward to. Thanks to Milly's stunt, they've ended up revealing the mutual attraction, and they'd be expected to follow it through. He didn't want either of them to be pressured into it, but...
"Well, If you're sure..."
"I'm sure," she assured him, smiling. "Your turn to trust me on this one." Lelouch returned the smile.
"As you wish, my queen."
The manner in which a day in Ashford Academy begins changed thus: at class 3-D...
"Good morning, Kallen."
"Good morning, Lelouch."
"Lunch?"
"Okay."
... at which the rest of the classroom's female occupants would turn dreamy-eyed, while the rest of the males would nod in approval, after which they'll return to what they were doing until the bell rang.
End Notes: So sorry for the long wait. I wanted to write this as one continuous story without skips or POV shifts, and it was harder to do than I thought. It's not as good as I wanted it to be, but I hope it's at the very least acceptable.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far. The comments have all been helpful.
Thanks go to the posters in the BKBQ forums for the fun, the love, and the pokes.