I’ve compiled a quick list (and I have the feeling I’m leaving some examples I can’t remember out) of the DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION from DUN DUN DUN LELOUCH TO ROLO!! Yes, you heard that right. I mean, it’s clear; that’s the only list involving Rolo that you can compile since displays of affection coming from Rolo to Lelouch or Staff to Rolo are so incessant it turns like trying to count the number of times you brush your teeth, or eat a meal…

(tl;dr, the list is down there you can scroll down if you like)

By affection I do mean family-like. I don’t think there’s any room for doubt at this point that Rolo’s feelings included at least a very important share that was blatantly romantic, but probably Lelouch with his wonderful inability to decipher “this sort of things” (I’m quoting Turn 5 CC now) DID NOT EVEN EVER CONSIDER THE FACT AS A REMOTE POSSIBILITY. Hmm. Though sometimes I do wonder how he was able to come up with a strategy that meant very confidently taking for granted that Rolo would stay by his side and betray his superiors in exchange for a promise of a future together with him. He needed to have realized that Rolo wanted a family- no, Lelouch as a family-, and considering Rolo had started acting as though he didn’t mind killing him after the revival of Zero, he must have had to go through all the process of understanding that his true nature was that of the longing-for-love boy he had come to know when they lived as brothers. Well, not that Rolo’s acting was so good, basically anyone paying attention could figure out that he was hesitating too much about killing Lelouch, but still, Lelouch is usually slow when it comes to emphatizing with his enemies, and he was claiming to consider Rolo one at the time (yet on the inside he didn’t?). The funny thing is he completely and very conveniently decides to ignore that trauma of Rolo he must have been aware of in order to be able to exploit it when he TOTALLY SENDS ROLO TO RESCUE NUNNALLY not to mention when he puts him in charge of organizing dates with some girls OTL. Yeah. But WE KNOW LELOUCH IS LIKE THAT and he acquires magical abilities to be able to understand how much Rolo needs him ONLY when he needs to manipulate him, then proceeds to voluntarily forget it when he doesn’t care anymore. Or something like that. And I wonder, what is it that Lelouch possesses to make a characteristic such as egocentrism a lovable trait?!

Enough with the Lulu fangirling. As I was saying lots of lines ago, these DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION exist pretty abundantly. Even more if you consider THEY’VE ONLY KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR A YEAR AND SOME MONTHS. So, as I often see many still remain skeptical about the sincerity of Lelouch’s words in their last scene together…. Well! If this doesn’t serve to convince you, then we have very different ways of viewing his character…

On to the list! (I make it seem longer by speaking too much)

-HE BURIED HIM WITH HIS BARE HANDS. Lelouch. THE Lelouch AKA my Niisan who has no physical strength. HE WAS THINKING OF ROLO DURING THE WHOLE MONTH IT MUST HAVE TAKEN HIM TO DIG UP THE HOLE. Even if it was just 15 minutes, the gesture in itself is so pretty… ´a`
-Including Rolo among the people that he’s lost (in order words, that he would have wanted to keep), not to mention ROLO’S NAME COMES BEFORE SHIRLEY’S (oh sh-)
-IN THE PREVIEW OF EPISODE 20 HE SAID NO WORD ABOUT HAVING LOST THE BLACK KNIGHTS. HE ONLY TALKED ABOUT ROLO. But why would you care about anything else when you no longer have delicious chocolate?! But seriously, the preview is entirely and exclusively dedicated to his otouto ´w`
-He was pretty desperately shouting him to stop when he saw what he was planning to do (read: die). HE EVEN ADDED A “KURE” TO THE “YAMETE” THAT’S LIKE, ALMOST LIKE BEGGING IN LELOUCH’S USUAL ARROGANT LANGUAGE.
-CONFIRMED BY THE non-fangirl side OF THE STAFF THAT HE DIDN’T LIE OUT OF PITY he truly acknowledged Rolo as his little brother (and you don’t just suddenly and willingly decide what you feel towards someone; Rolo must have mattered to Lelouch from the very beginning even though his blind hatred towards everything antiNunnally wouldn’t let him accept so)
-”Are you trying to kill Rolo?!”-by furious!Lelouch to the audience. That’s from the Kiseki event lol. I’ve read Daichuu acted that part even visually, and was looking like he himself was truly going to collapse. Can’t wait to see it ☆
-That long preview (for ep 21 or 22, can’t remember) where he goes “also for Euphy and Shirley, Nunnally and Rolo” ROLO IS TOGETHER WITH NUNNALLY I mean not to discredit the other two but the group with Nunnally definitely becomes the most important when we are talking about Lelouch
-HIKARI. The “Hikari” short-story. Rolo is part of the family. TOGETHER WITH NUNNALLY. Again. LELOUCH TREATS THEM AS EQUALS (I actually checked that he sometimes calls them “Nunnally and Rolo” but other times inverts the order too! As in “Rolo and Nunnally” instead! And this is official enough to come with The Complete). YOU KNOW, THAT’S LIKE, YOU CAN’T GET ANY MORE RECOGNITION THAN THAT FROM LELOUCH oh Rolo if only you had lived to see it
-ZERO REQUIEM DVD. Is it Nunnally? No! Is it Euphy? No! Is it Rivalz? Almost! The most important people to trigger the Zero Requiem, those who were chosen as having created the biggest impact and being most special are THE SHIRLEY AND THE ROLO! And Sakou Yukie has had to pay sooo much money to get Sunrise to follow her orders…
-This one is not to be taken too seriously but even BABA THEATRE has Lelouch interacting mainly with the freaky (lovely for some) HOWSHOULDWECALLHIM- Lelouch does call him Rolo. Well, whoever he is, HE IS THE SYMBOL OF ROLO- a much less adorable, less sensitive, less full of melancholy, less displayer of a powerful will and more katakanic and heterosexual version- he has THE locket which even plays If I were a Bird during the last chapter (I somehow cannot respect the melody as much anymore. Just kidding) AND LELOUCH ENDS UP MISSING HIM SO MUCH THAT HE SEES HALLUCINATIONS OF ROLOLO and CC gives him a replica doll as a replacement to “confort” him. Lelouch even talks to the lifeless thing. It also breaks down afterwards.
-And here comes the greatest one!!: LELOUCH REMEMBERS ROLO WITH A ~~SPESHAL~~ NEW IMAGE RIGHT BEFORE HE’S DYING AND ONLY ROLO GETS A ~~SPESHAL~~ NEW IMAGE DURING THAT SEQUENCE OF THE CINEMATIC RECORD MEMORIES. This seems so incredibly incredible for me that I have no idea how come NOBODY ELSE TALKS ABOUT IT. I MEAN. ONLY ROLO GETS A NEW IMAGE. ONLY ROLO. ROLO. THE ROLO. Who allowed for that to first happen Sakou’s personal mafia and then not get revised for the DVD edition as though THAT WERE THE WAY IT WAS MEANT TO BE?! This can only mean that IS the way it was meant to be! Which means… which means what? Which you translate as what?! Why Rolo?! WHY ROLO OMG

And that was my current (ever-growing) humble collection of instances in which Lelouch has genuinely shown to appreciate Rolo. I would have included the “Iin da, Roro. Iin da yo” from Geass Hyakumonogatari just for the EXAGGERATEDLY SWEET tone with which Lelouch pronounces the words, but I didn’t because he might as well have been acting at the time. Also in a story where you get a Rolo that tells everyone about his geass, you could even have Milly proposing to Rivalz so… =3 these SEs are not too reliable…