A/N This was initially going to be a side project, but after seeing how many reviews, favorites and follows I got, I just had to keep going!
Lelouch blinked "What...?"
"I said I wanna have a sleepover!" Kallen chirped.
"Oooookaaaay..." Lelouch said slowly. "Why...?"
"Because it would be awesome! We can stay up late, play videogames, watch movies, pig out on junk food, it'll be awesome!"
It DID sound like fun to the 12 year old boy, and the girl in front of her would probably be the best person to do it with... but...
The sleeping part of the sleepover is what worried him. He was certain there wouldn't be any issues with finding a comfortable position for both of them, but... he didn't want to wake her up. He had heard Nunnally say before that he talked in his sleep. He remembered having woken up screaming on several occasions. It didn't happen as often now but- still.
He looked away from her. "I'd love to Kallen, but I don't know if I have enough space in my room above the clubhouse, and I don't want to impose." He trailed off.
She rolled her eyes. "You won't impose! Naoto has been spending a lot of time in Shinjuku with the resistance and I've... been lonely." She admitted.
His eyes snapped up to her, seeing her embarrassment, but also sadness, a familiar sadness that he had felt, seen in the mirror whenever he looked at himself. He didn't want that for Kallen.
They had been friends for a couple of years now. They saw each other basically every day at Ashford, as well as outside of the Academy whenever he decided to visit the resistance group with her and see how everyone was doing.
They where close, closer than he had been with Suzaku admittedly. There was never a day when Lelouch and Kallen didn't at least chat a bit, they had play dates at least once a week if not more, their bond of friendship was growing.
She didn't know his past, but she know him as a person by now, and she liked Lelouch for who he was. She didn't demand anything from him, if anything she seemed to like how different Lelouch was from her, like him being her opposite many ways drew her close instead of pushing her away.
She was so much like Suzaku yet so different in just the right way. Both of them where strong willed and stubborn to a fault much like himself, but... While Suzaku would brute-force his way to what he wanted, Kallen wasn't opposed to being sly, using cunning, and learning.
She seemed to be able to understand things from multiple angles much like he could, something that the boy admired, he could admit to himself that much. Perhaps it was because of her mixed heritage and her innate ability to look at things from both a Britannian and Japanese perspective? It would make sense, given he himself was able to look at things from the perspective of both high nobility and a commoner so perhaps there was merit to that idea.
But to that end- Kallen wasn't like anyone else he had ever met before. Everyone else wanted something, everyone else was working an angle.
Kallen was just... Kallen.
That beautiful simplicity endeared her to him.
Eventually after mulling it over, he sighed and nodded in agreement. "Sure Kallen, we can have a sleepover."
"Yes!" The redheaded girl fist-pumped, causing Lelouch to smile and roll his eyes.
"Need me to bring anything?"
"Nope." Kallen replied, popping the p as she shook her head. "Oh wait, bring Nunnally! You can also bring food but I have plenty to eat at my place so don't worry about that!" She chirped
"I'm sure Nunnally would love a sleepover." Lelouch declared happily. "Would it be alright if Sayoko comes with as a chaperone, in case Nunnally needs help with something I can't do?"
"Sounds like a plan." Kallen agreed with a thumbs up. "We'll do it tomorrow since it'll be Friday and then we have the weekend to hang out."
Lelouch agreed with a "Sure." and just in time too as the lunch bell for Ashford Academy rang, forcing Lelouch and Kallen to separate once more for their classes, and the day continued on as normal until those classes came to an end.
When he did eventually return to his home within Ashford, he quickly greeted Nunnally with a hug, kissing her on her forehead and giving her lots of headpats that made the little girl swell up with joy at the doting affection of her brother, her hands reached up to cup his face and playfully rub his cheeks and they both laughed.
"So, Nunnally." Lelouch began. "Kallen invited us to her place, she wants us to have a sleepover with her tomorrow after school."
Nunnally gasped, lighting up with excitement, and he knew why, they had never been to a sleepover before!
The adorable little princess clapped her hands and smiled wide. "That's wonderful big brother, I'll love to come, I just hope I'm not a burden-"
"No Nunnally." He shot that line of thought down quickly. "Never, you're never a burden and Kallen adores you almost as much as I do, she practically insisted that I invite you."
Nunnally seemed relieved. "I can't wait big brother."
"Neither can I." He admitted honestly, feeling more relaxed than normal. "Kallen says that she has the food covered, but I want to do something nice to show her how much we appreciate her, wanna help me?" The young boy asked.
"Of course!" She chirped.
"Perfect." He said before turning to Sayoko. "Excuse me Sayoko-San, could I bother you with an errand?"
The Japanese maid smiled at her young charge. "Of course."
"I'm going to write down a list of things to pick up, just some groceries. If it's no trouble would you be so kind as to do the shopping while I do some prep work? I'll give you the money."
Sayoko tilted her head in astonishment, not at the fact that he asked her to get groceries but the fact that he had his own finances. Before she could question it, he pulled a wallet out of his pocket and handed her his credit card.
"Use this, I'll text the list to you, I'm sure you'll know the best place to get them."
She blinked, and decided to take the piece of plastic without question and just go with it.
It wasn't her place to question the young master, after all. As alarming as it was that he had a credit card of his own he was definitely more mature and intelligent than basically anyone else his age so she trusted that his funds where legitimately his.
She then bowed her head. "Of course. I'll get ready to head out." She agreed amicably.
"Great." He said, trying not to sound relieved as he was just a bit worried she may decline. Lelouch was glad that wasn't the case.
He quickly texted Sayoko the list of ingredients he needed while sitting down next to Nunnally, idly petting her hair and massaging her scalp. He knew that Nunnally suffered anxiety, his loving touch was one of the few things that put her at ease as she slumped back in her chair with a smile on her face.
"How was school?" He asked idly.
"It was ok- oh, I did meet someone really nice!"
He perked up. If someone was nice to Nunnally they where ok in his book. "Oh, really?" He asked.
"Yup, he was a volunteer chaperone for us from the same grade as you, he said he's 12 years old so he should be in some of your classes."
"Interesting, what's his name?" He asked casually.
"I think it was Rai?" Nunnally hummed. "That sounds right at least, Rai."
"Did he mention a last name?" Lelouch asked curiously.
"Nope, just Rai."
"Huh..." Lelouch muttered, but ultimately decided to shrug it off. So long as Rai was nice to Nunnally he didn't care about anything else.
He spent a while chatting idly with Nunnally, she quizzed him on the things he was doing in school and he picked her brain to make sure she was given equal learning opportunities from the school staff. Blind and crippled she may be, she deserved the same treatment as everyone else, as a human being. And if anybody DARED treat her as a lesser being... well they would soon wish they where dead one way or another.
He was pulled from his musings and their conversation as Sayoko finally returned with a bunch of bags in her arms from a few different stores
He smiled. "Thank you very much Sayoko, just put them on the counter and I'll do the rest."
The next few hours where spent by Lelouch slaving over a hot oven. The sink was constantly being used to clean and sanitize utensils and cutting boards as Lelouch painstakingly worked to make something nice for Kallen.
He was silent the entire time, his mind focusing entirely on the task he set for himself. Nunnally helped of course, sitting nearby, she helped him with drying off the dishes and utensils he used- except for knives, he did those himself, and when she wasn't helping to wipe down the freshly washed dishware, she was helping him pack up the delectable concoction that he was making.
He didn't tell her what they where, but she could feel them through her gloves as she put them into shallow bamboo boxes with paper lining. They where warm doughy balls of some sort. But she could faintly hear the shaking of a seasoning duster and the squirt of some sort of sauce being drizzled on them after the fact.
"I hope these are still good after being reheated or at room temperature." He hummed, just a bit worried. He wasn't entirely confident in his skills as a cook, but he put his heart and soul into this.
"I'm sure Kallen will love whatever it is you made Nii-Sama." Nunnally said confidently.
They smelled good, REALLY good. Her sense of smell had grown stronger in the absence of her eyes and this definitely was starting to make her mouth water.
"Thank you Nunnally. Sadly we can't eat these, it's a gift for Kallen as thanks for her friendship and hospitality. I made some extra for her to bring to her brother and his friends in Shinjuku."
She nodded. "I'm sure she'll love them, they all will if this smell is anything to go by." She declared, boosting her brother's confidence.
"Well if you say so then I know it's true." He said kindly. He stacked the boxes on top of each other carefully after making sure the lids where securely fastened. He let them cool to room temperature as he wrapped up the stack of boxes in a nice little red ribbon that reminded him of Kallen's hair, and then stashed it away in the fridge.
He then took Nunnally to her bedroom while quietly thanking Sayoko, as his little sister seemed tuckered out. He used all of his strength, and a good bit of technique to lift the little girl out of her chair and gently set her down in bed.
"I love you, big brother." She said softly, slowly drifting off as he pulled the covers over. He smiled, and planted a kiss on Nunnally's forehead.
"I love you too Nunnally." He said before walking away and shutting the door after turning off the light.
He went back to the kitchen and started cleaning, making sure every surface of the counters and floor where clean.
"Young master." Sayoko said with a frown. "I can do this, you should go get some sleep."
"It's my mess Sayoko." He said as he pushed the mop along the floor. "I'll clean it." His answer was firm.
She sighed but nodded and gave him a bow before walking away to tidy up other areas. Once he finished cleaning, he went to his room, fell into his bed and passed out.
The next day, Lelouch went through the motions of his false life as a commoner. He got to talk with Kallen a little in the halls and before as well as after class as usual, and they had some light conversation at Lunch, the majority of it was spent with her excitedly chirping about the sleepover and him calmly nodding along, occasionally pitching in a thought. He idly picked at his lunch, being a light eater while Kallen scarfed hers down in question, it was a cute juxtaposition.
After the lunch bell rang they bid their farewells and finished out their school days.
Lelouch was excited. He couldn't remember when he was this excited in fact. He never got to spend so much time with Kallen before.
The strange thing was, he didn't really know why he felt so drawn to her. It wasn't the same as with Nunnally, but while the way he felt the pull was different, it grew in strength day by day, like they where magnets slowly being brought together by an invisible force.
He tried rationalizing it, and while no answer felt satisfactory, he surmised that it must have been because of her status as his best friend. She had taken Suzaku's place, and while that hurt a little to admit to himself, he was convinced that his first friend had died, or fled Japan for some far off land with no hope of seeing him again.
It hurt to think about. He did genuinely miss Suzaku at least a little. A muscle head he may have been, the boy ultimately protected Lelouch and Nunnally from his father and became close. Even he couldn't bring himself to be mean to Lelouch once he Nunnally had him wrapped around her finger. Before that however, he was quite mean to Lelouch, and those shaky beginnings still stung.
"An abusive friendship and a one-sided one." He muttered to himself. "Kallen is different, I can feel it." He pulled the food he made out of the fridge, and slung the care-package over his shoulder, making sure the straps where secure, he wanted to deliver these personally.
He walked out of the kitchen with his gift, and saw Nunnally in her wheelchair next to Sayoko.
"Ready?" He asked Nunnally.
"Yup!" She chirped.
Lelouch smiled. "Good, let's get going, I got us a cab waiting outside."
When the cab dropped them off at the Stadtfeld estate, he felt some unease as he saw Kallen sitting on the front steps, looking forlorn. He didn't like seeing her sad.
He trotted over to her. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked.
Kallen was drawn out of her rut by hearing his voice. She looked up at him sadly.
"My step mother is home... she was supposed to be out of town for the weekend, but she ended up staying home."
"Oh." Kallen had mentioned 'the hag' once or twice... a few times really, every other day in fact. It was always a complaint about how mean it was. At first the boy thought she might be exaggerating but once she started giving him specific details he realized that Kallen had been living in an abusive home.
A wicked stepmother, an absent father, and her real mom was reduced to an abused servant while her brother spent most of his time in Shinjuku running the Kozuki Resistance.
He winced. "I'm sorry to hear that Kallen." He muttered. "Maybe we should call it off-?"
"No." She said firmly. "I don't want to call it off, you already went through the trouble of coming here I just... I'm worried that she'll be mean to Nunnally."
That made his eyes visibly harden.
"I see... hmm..." He pondered for a moment, but then Kallen seemed to have an idea.
"Wait... why don't we go to Shinjuku?"
"Shinjuku?" Lelouch asked worriedly. "Kallen, Nunnally is in no condition-"
"Let me explain." She cut him off, though shooting him an apologetic glance. "My brother and his friends are kinda like the police in Shinjuku, most of the locals are on good terms with them, and they're more than equipped to keep us safe. We can hang out there without anyone being able to bother us, besides Naoto would love to see you both."
Lelouch stared at Kallen for a moment. He wasn't sure he trusted the Kozuki Resistance, they where Japanese and while he felt bad for what happened he knew they where still firmly anti-Britannian and he was very much a Britannian, as was Nunnally.
But he trusted Kallen... and Naoto.
He bit his lip, turning back to look at Nunnally who very clearly heard the conversation, but Sayoko was stone-faced.
"Can you promise our safety?" He asked.
"Yes." She replied instantly.
They stared at one another. Lelouch desperately wanted to believe that, and Kallen clearly wanted him to believe in her. He was on the fence about it until Nunnally rolled up next to him in her wheelchair and held one of his hands, giving him a comforting squeeze.
He looked down to see the calm expression on her face, she wanted this too.
He relented with a sigh.
"Alright Kallen, if you're sure, then I'll trust your word."
She smiled gratefully, beaming at him, and his cheeks turned a shade of pink for just a moment.
"Naoto Nii-Samaaaaaaa~" Kallen called out as she entered their old base in the abandoned school. "Kallen-Chan and guests are here!"
It was enough for Tamaki to wake up from his nap as he slept standing up, leaning against the wall, he lost his balance and fell. He winced, rubbing his head before looking up and seeing who was there. His eyes instantly landing on Kallen.
"I wasn't sleeping."
"Sure you weren't." She drawled.
He paid it no mind as his eyes saw Lelouch, Nunnally and Sayoko.
"Oh hey, sup little man." Tamaki greeted, offering Lelouch a fist-bump which he accepted with a grin.
"Hello Tamaki-San." Nunnally greeted warmly in Japanese.
"You remember my name?" Tamaki asked in surprise.
"Of course we do." Lelouch answered for Nunnally. "She thought you where funny when we spent some time together during the invasion."
Tamaki barked out a laugh, before finally turning his attention to Sayoko. He looked a bit flustered, quickly standing up.
"And uh, who's she?" He asked.
"Sayoko-sama is our caretaker. She's employed by the Ashford Family that took us in. Don't worry, she's not a slave or anything."
"Quite right." Sayoko nodded with a smile. "I am very much happy to serve lord Ashford by watching the young ones."
"Huh... I thought honoraries where all treated like dirt but I guess some are lucky to find a decent brit once in a while." The young man said before shrugging his shoulders. "Anyway come on in." He offered, nodding his head towards the entrance.
The group of 3 followed Tamaki inside to see Naoto and the others looking over a map on the desk with a few battery operated lamps and flashlights. Once they saw Tamaki and the kids, the Kozuki Resistance broke up from their little meeting.
"Kallen... Lelouch and Nunnally too, and guest..." He tilted his head. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Well I sorta invited Lelouch and Nunnally for a sleepover at the house but the hag ended up not leaving for her business trip." Kallen explained bashfully.
"And you brought them here." He surmised with a raised eyebrow. "Well... it's unorthodox, but eh what the hell why not." Naoto agreed. "Tamaki, you mind grabbing the inflatable mattresses? And Inoue could you please grab the hotpot set? Sugiyama get the ingredients if that's ok?"
"Hai!" The 3 Resistance members responded, moving to grab the stuff their leader requested. Naoto then turned to Minami and Nagata, members that joined after the war.
"Guys, this is Lelouch, you remember me talking about him, he's my sister's best friend, and that's his sister Nunnally. I know they're pureblood brits, but they're cool. The little guy saved my life and Kallen's too."
Minami and Nagata both smiled and waved. "Nice to meet the living legend, the money you gave to Naoto has been put to good use, we set up shelters in the ghetto for the homeless and food banks too, it's done a lot of good."
Lelouch smiled. "I'm happy to hear that. Sorry about not going on any gambling runs recently Naoto, my studies got a bit out of hand and I needed to catch up. I'll try to get a few matches going soon."
Naoto waved it off. "Relax man, we got plenty in the piggy bank. Anyway, whatchya got there?" He asked, pointing at the sack that Lelouch was carrying.
"Oh." The young prince almost forgot he had them. "That's right. Kallen said she had the food covered for the sleepover but I wanted to bring something to show my appreciation." He said as he walked over to the desk and sat the sack down. Naoto opened it and saw the first bamboo box on top, carefully picking it up and handing it to Lelouch, who handed it to Kallen and she looked flustered, but also curious as a cat.
She slid the lid open and gasped. And Ohgi gawked alongside Naoto.
"Y-you brought Takoyaki...?" Kallen whispered in awe.
Lelouch rubbed the back of his neck and shuffled his feet awkwardly, looking away.
"I'm sorry if it's culturally insensitive, I just thought-"
"I love it!" Kallen said happily and smiling whole-heartedly at Lelouch who at this point couldn't stop himself from blushing and freezing up on the spot. "I used to have these all the time, my favorite! I haven't had Takoyaki since I was little!"
"You're still little." Naoto deadpanned and Kallen responded by sticking her tongue out at him. She plucked the chopsticks taped to the side of the box and used them to pick up one of the delicious looking treats. She popped one into her mouth and began to chew. He could have sworn that her eyes went wide and began to sparkle, she smiled wide and patted her cheeks. "Sho good!" She slurred through her chewing.
"Don't talk with your mouth full." Naoto admonished her, but still looked genuinely surprised. "How the hell did you find gourmet Takoyaki in the Tokyo settlement?"
"I made it." Lelouch said simply with a shrug, causing Ohgi to splutter while Naoto seemed to have no idea how to process that. Minami and Nagata where equally kerfuffled.
Kallen however had the most honest reaction as she stared at him with an unreadable shocked expression, she stopped chewing at that, before finally swallowing.
"You... made these, for me?" She whispered.
"Y-yeah..." He mumbled, looking at the floor.
He was nearly knocked off his feet as she lunged. Her arms wrapped around him in a hug and he looked like a deer caught in headlights as he felt Kallen's embrace. He hadn't been hugged by anyone other than Nunnally and once or twice Milly. This felt... different, but good.
"Thank you, Lulu." She said quietly, and he finally gained the courage to return the hug. The heart-melting moment made everyone smile, including Tamaki, Sugiyama and Inoue who all returned with their cargo. Ohgi whispered to them, and they all looked surprised.
"No way, the mini-brit made those!?" Tamaki asked. "They look like they're made by a seasoned chef!"
"They look amazing." Inoue agreed.
"No kidding." Sugiyama muttered. "I'm jealous."
"Well I did make extra." Lelouch said, lifting his head, though not letting go of Kallen until she did, having heard the exchange. "The 3 boxes on top with the Sakura flower painted on are Kallen's, the other boxes are for you guys to share."
"Hell yeah!" Tamaki fist-pumped, and the others looked excited to try some as well.
Kallen did eventually loosen her grip and pull away, her face as red as her hair as she awkwardly rubbed one arm with her other hand.
"Thank you Lelouch, they're delicious, and they remind me of home."
Lelouch smiled, pleased with himself and relieved that Kallen liked the gift so much... he still felt tingly from the hug and the affectionate smiles. Was this how Nunnally felt whenever he doted on her? He could get used to it-
He was cut off from his thoughts as he saw the Kozuki Resistance members munching on his homemade Takoyaki. Tamaki's reaction was especially animated.
"Sugoi?" Kallen asked Tamaki knowingly, and he nodded enthusiastically. She giggled and took another bite from one of her boxes, before turning to look at their guests.
"Want some?" She asked.
"Oh no Kallen I made those for you."
"They're mine, which means I get to decide what I do with them right?" She asked.
"Well yes but-"
"Which means." She cut him off. "That if I want to share them with you that's my decision." She said, crossing her arms haughtily.
He pouted, puffing out his cheeks, he made them for her... but... if she really wanted to share them he didn't want to he rude and object.
"Ok." He agreed, taking the box that she handed to him, he had some, while also sharing the contents with Nunnally, and Sayoko who both looked delighted. He fed one to his sister with chopsticks, and Nunnally squeaked as her cheeks looked like a stuffed chipmunk chewing on the treat with a huge grin on her face. Sayoko meanwhile enjoyed one that she daintily plucked with chopsticks for herself, clearly enjoying it.
Once they both got to enjoy some, he picked one up to try on his own and popped it into his mouth, before chewing, and swallowing, he blinked.
"Dang, they are good." He admitted, now just a little bit annoyed he didn't have more at home. He'd have to make more soon...
"Well." Naoto began, leaning against the desk. "Let me be the first to say thank you. I'm in agreement with little sis, it definitely reminds me of home and I think I speak for everyone else here when I say that. We appreciate it, really. Which is why you three are welcome to come here anytime." He said with a smile. "Consider it a home away from home."
Lelouch was genuinely touched by the offer. "Thank you Naoto." He said softly.
The elder Kozuki nodded with a smile. "I noticed that Sayoko over there has a few bags with her. Aside from changes of clothes and toiletries did you bring anything else for your sleepover?"
"Uh, a pack of playing cards, my chessboard and a monopoly board game?" Lelouch answered. While Inoue and Sugiyama set up the hotpot to start cooking a proper dinner, and Tamaki reached into his locker to pull out some booze while the inflatable mattresses began to self-inflate.
"Welp." Naoto clapped to get everyone's attention. "Guess it's game night everybody, let's play some monopoly eh?"
"I call dibs on the car!" Ohgi announced.
"Fuck you I'm the car!" Tamaki declared, jabbing a finger at Ohgi.
"Language." Naoto and Sayoko both said at the same time, making Tamaki grumble and cross his arms.
The rest of the night went really well, first with Monopoly- Tamaki got to play as the car after bitching about it enough. The hotpot dinner was great as well with the lot of them enjoying the shared meal.
Lelouch didn't realize he had dropped his guard, he didn't even think about it. Kallen was sitting on his right and Nunnally on his left as they played.
He talked with them, cracked jokes with witty quips that left the room a mess of laughter with Tamaki even falling out of his chair and clutching his stomach, even though the joke was at his expense.
After monopoly, Lelouch got to show off his card shuffling skills and they played a few rounds of poker and blackjack. No gambling was allowed of course by Naoto's strict order. And then finally there was some idle conversation among the Kozuki group as the night wound down, and they watched Kallen and Lelouch duel each other in chess matches.
Kallen wasn't on Lelouch's level, not yet, but she put up a better fight than any member of Nobility that Naoto all but robbed with the exile's help. Their moves where almost instant. The moment one took their turn, the other was already reaching to take theirs. It was a rapid, almost impossible to follow flurry of tactical decisions.
Kallen lost of course, but she did manage to take a sizable number of Lelouch's army on the board which always impressed him. Once this ended, he let out an involuntary yawn.
"I agree with Nii-Sama." Nunnally spoke up, before cutely yawning herself. "It's been a super long day but lots of fun! I can't wait for tomorrow!"
Lelouch smiled, elated that Nunnally had fun. "I'm excited too, but alas we really should get to sleep. Thank you all again for your hospitality."
Naoto waved it off. "Don't sweat it. You're Kallen's best friend, and you saved our lives, like I said you'll always be more than welcome here." He said, grabbing some spare pillows and blankets out of a closet and placing them down for Kallen and the guests on the air mattress'.
Everyone decided to stay and crash there, after the long night they didn't have the energy to walk home, and there wasn't much of a home to return to for them anyway. This was more comfortable, it felt safer sleeping in the same place together.
Lelouch walked through the upper halls of the Ares villa, passing by the servants and guards with a small smile on his face. He got dressed up today in a nice little white suit and matching dress pants with black shoes. Mother had bought the outfit for him and insisted he wore it for the party today.
Deep down he was a little miffed. Lavish parties and ceremony never really clicked with him. The balls that he always got invited to, it wasn't appealing being fancied up and paraded around. But Nunnally thought it was fun to play dress-up, and she always got to run around and play with Euphie. He didn't blame her for her enthusiasm.
He hummed, reaching the edge of the stairs. He looked down to see Nunnally- the little hellion that she was, run up to mom with a giggle before the Empress picked her up, happily lifting the girl into her arms.
Lelouch grinned, and savored the moment.
And then the windows shattered, a spray of gunfire rippling through the stain-glass. Pure terror, horror washed over his face as he watched Marianne fall dead onto the stairs, collapsing over Nunnally, their blood cascaded like a waterfall down the steps.
He screamed.
"Mom!" Lelouch yelled, lurching up out of his bed, his hair matted with sweat. He was hyperventilating, tears welling up in his eyes. It was that dream again, that same awful nightmare, the worst day of his life.
Normally he could act like nothing happened, lay down and wait til morning to get out of bed.
He wasn't so lucky this time. He was now in a room full of people with no walls or doors to block out the sound of despair in his desperate cry.
Now he was just embarrassed as everyone was startled awake and looked at him with concern and confusion.
He slammed his eyes shut and hugged himself, curling up into a ball, and Nunnally crawled over to hug him.
"Lelouch...?" Kallen asked quietly from her bed next to him.
"I saw it happen." He bit out quickly. "I saw them shoot her, I saw them kill mom!" He shuddered and hiccupped.
Kallen's eyes went wide and she gasped, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. Seeing that... she couldn't even imagine.
Naoto and the rest of the Kozuki Resistance where once again floored. They didn't say anything, but they definitely understood, and they felt a lot of sympathy for the young boy.
"I'm sorry Kallen... I'm sorry I woke you up, I didn't mean-" He was shut up by Kallen throwing her arms around both Lelouch and Nunnally and pulling them both down for a tight hug.
"It's ok." She said quietly, and he sniffed. He didn't have the energy to argue, the comforting embrace of his best friend and beloved sister calmed his nerves as his sobs turned into whimpers, and then he went quiet, sleep overtaking him once more.
"Poor kid..." Ohgi muttered. "Seeing something like that... he must be a tough little bastard to act fine and still smile through the day."
Naoto let out a non-committal hum, staring at the interaction. He agreed, but didn't want to risk waking the boy again.
Inoue sat up, grabbing a blanket and gently laying it over the kids before sitting back down. She looked at them for a moment before turning her gaze to Naoto.
"We should make them honorary members." She suggested quietly, and Naoto raised an eyebrow.
"I understand where ya coming from Inoue but I'm not so sure..."
"I'm with her on this one actually boss." Tamaki spoke up, scratching his cheek.
"They're basically war orphans." Sugiyama nodded. "It wouldn't be the worst idea, to give them a sense of family."
"What are we the adopt-a-brit foundation?" Minami chided, but laughed quietly. "Sure, why not?"
Nagata shrugged. "They seem like good kids." He pitched in. And Ohgi just nodded.
Naoto sighed but ended up with a wry grin. "Democracy, gotta love it."
When Lelouch woke up, he felt the warm embrace of the girls wrapped around him. His darling little sister and his best friend both holding on tight. The interaction was making him flush red, but he couldn't move.
He didn't want to.
He sighed quietly, and closed his eyes.
And then felt something likely press into his cheek. He opened his eyes and looked in the direction it was coming from.
Naoto was sitting in a chair next to the bed, poking him with a stick.
Cheeky bugger.
"Good morning." Lelouch whispered, making sure that he wouldn't wake Nunnally or Kallen.
"Mornin." Naoto replied casually, but still quiet, a small smile on his face. He put the stick down and looked at the young boy.
There was a comfortable silence between them, until Naoto spoke up again.
"Thank you." He said suddenly. "For being Kallen's friend. You mean a lot to her, she talks about you all the time."
"She does?" Lelouch asked, sounding surprising.
Naoto nodded. "You make her happy, and I'm glad. If you weren't around I know that she'd come around more often trying to help us fight. Hell, I might not be here if you didn't find us that day."
"She makes me happy too, I'm grateful to have her as a friend."
Naoto glanced between him and his sleeping sister, before chuckling a little.
"What?" Lelouch asked.
"Nothing." The elder Kozuki shook his head ruefully.
"Mm..." Lelouch hummed, looking at Kallen who was still sound asleep, her breathing soft and quiet alongside Nunnally's.
"Hey Naoto?"
"Yeah?"
"When is Kallen's birthday?"
"What, she hasn't told you?"
Lelouch shook his head. "I never asked for hers, and she never asked for mine, it never came up."
"Huh, well if you simply must know, its March 29th, she was born in 2000."
"Just a few months younger than me huh?" The exile mused. "Still, right now it's June, that gives me some time to figure out her birthday present."
He still remembered how it felt when she hugged him, her gratitude for the Takoyaki he made.
He wanted to feel that same way again, the same way he feels now with her holding him, he loved the feeling, he wanted more, but he felt like he had to earn it.
"Whatchya getting her?" Naoto asked.
"I'm not sure just yet, and don't tell her about any of this please, I want it to be a surprise."
"Fine."
He didn't notice that Kallen's breathing pattern had changed, signaling that she was awake to hear the exchange.
After she pretended to wake up with a fake yawn but a much-needed stretch. Everyone got up and got ready for the day. Lelouch took Nunnally to the restroom, giving her the perfect chance. Kallen walked up to Sayoko.
"Excuse me, miss Sayoko? Can you tell me Lelouch and Nunnally's birthdays?"
Sayoko smiled. "Master Lelouch was born on December 5th, 1999. Mistress Nunnally was born in October, the 25th of 2003."
Kallen smiled. "Thank you Sayoko!"
Lelouch would return with Nunnally a minute later, and Naoto would get up from his seat, walking over to Lelouch and Nunnally, he held a red headband in each hand.
"These are for you. Congrats on becoming honorary members of the Kozuki Resistance." He said in a humorous tone.
Lelouch appreciated the gesture, taking the bands and giving Nunnally hers.
"Thank you. Headbands aren't really my style-" He said jokingly. "But I will treasure this gift, and your hospitality."
Naoto chuckled. "Right, well anyway let's get some breakfast, who wants pancakes?"
"I do!" Tamaki shouted, making everyone laugh.
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! I'm gonna be putting out another chapter for this soon so hang tight! And please review!