Strange Capers (Geass Valentines’s Day Gift)
Author’s Note: For @happinesssdeceit, for the prompt: “To the students of Ashford Academy (and thanks to Sayoko's dedicated efforts), Lelouch is one smooth flirt who's managed to fill up his schedule with dates with all sorts of students. Lelouch can't cancel these arrangements, and so Suzaku tags along to conveniently crash the dates. You know, to make it less awkward.” I went with something more canon based than fluff based, but I hope you enjoy it. (Also on AO3.)
“We that are true lovers run into strange capers; but as all is mortal in nature, so is all nature in love mortal in folly.” - As You Like It, William Shakespeare
Suzaku stared at the worksheets in front of him, trying to get his mind to focus enough for him to do the work. He attempted to make the English words make sense before pushing it away with a groan. He didn’t think his mind could handle working through Britannian literature, not when it kept drifting back to his other duties at the administrative building. There were many that needed his attention, like keeping up with the difficulties that came with helping Nunnally run Area 11 with the Black Knights still active and keeping up with the OSI unit that was stationed at Ashford to keep an eye on Lelouch. It didn’t matter that most of the reports that they were coming in that said that Lelouch hadn’t taken a wrong step, something in Suzaku’s gut told him that he was missing something.
He absently tapped his pencil against the desk, glad that he was the only one currently in the classroom. Someone would have been bound to tell him to stop or ask him what was bothering him. There had been many students who had reversed their opinion of him as soon as he had gotten his title, but they were easy enough to ignore, simply because he wasn’t in school that often. His duties to the government and the Black Knights kept him busy.
He closed his fingers around his pencil, stopping himself short of snapping the pencil in half. The reports might say that Lelouch was at Ashford, living out the life that the emperor had embedded in his brain, but Suzaku knew that it was wrong. This wasn’t some copycat, this was Zero. The same Zero he knew almost as well as he knew himself. A fake Zero wouldn’t have been able to pull off the schemes he had seen in the Chinese Federation or have that kind of loyalty from the rest of his organization. Not unless he came from within the organization.
Suzaku groaned and pressed his face into his arms, trying to stop the way his mind was churning in circles. It was always like this when he tried to stay a step ahead of Zero’s plans. Guildford said that there was no point in chasing after all of the possibilities, their focus was better when it was more pointed. After all, Zero tended to go after the same targets with a singular intent. It was better to focus on that, or it would be if Suzaku didn’t know Zero so well. After all, no one had expected Zero to exile everyone at the second Special Administrative Zone.
He lifted his head, staring at the blank chalkboard. He had come to Ashford to try to focus on the work that he was falling behind on, but maybe it hadn’t been the best idea. It might have meant that he was away from the rush of the administrative building and the temptation to go down to the cells and talk to Kallen, but it put him closer to Lelouch, which meant closer to Zero.
Suzaku glanced over at his bag, staring at the front pocket. It was very tempting to pick up his phone and call the OSI office that was watching Lelouch. It would get him the information that he needed to know and it wouldn’t be as strained as a visit to the clubhouse. Lelouch would probably put on a good act, but he was sure that Rolo wouldn’t bother to hide his disdain. Suzaku didn’t know what he had done to the boy, but apparently existing was enough.
He ruffled a hand through his hair, pausing halfway through the motion to look out the window. The classroom was facing the wrong way for him to see the Clubhouse, and maybe that was for the best.
The OSI would inform him if Lelouch went too far off his expected schedule, not that it helped settle him in the light of everything that had been going on. Still, there was every chance that they were right to not inform him, because Lelouch wasn’t doing anything outside of the norm. Maybe he was just looking for an excuse not to do the homework that had piled up since he had gone to the Chinese Federation. It was just as likely, considering the long list of assignments he had to work through.
Suzaku glanced over at the list, looking at the two check marks on things that were done before reaching for his bag. He could continue to work on it later, just as soon as he settled the issue of Lelouch. He just needed to hear that Lelouch had been at Ashford the entire time, and not in the Chinese Federation like he suspected.
He fumbled for his phone, having to practically empty the bag of papers and books to extract it. He quickly shifted in his chair to keep the lopsided pile of books and notebooks from sliding off the desk, bracing them up as he searched for the number of the OSI office on campus. Suzaku dialed the number, hooking the phone over his ear as it rung. The line continued to ring, Suzaku carefully repacking his things, pausing once he was done.
It was strange that the call was taking so long to go through, they were usually more prompt. Suzaku curled his fingers around the spine of a book, holding his breath as he waited for the dial tone to stop.
He breathed out quickly when he heard the phone get picked up, listening to the soft babble of voices in the background before the person on the line spoke. “Sir Kururugi? Is this an emergency?”
Suzaku winced at the question. Of course the office would be worried if they got a call from the Knight of Seven right out of the blue. The routine checks had already been done for the start of the week, and they were never by him, he just got the reports and there had been nothing startling about them.
He cleared his throat, picking at the corner of his worksheet as he spoke. “It isn’t. But I’m on campus and considering checking in on Lelouch. I wanted to know about any updates.”
Silence took over the line again. Suzaku tensed, levering himself up from his chair as the silence went on. In his experience, silence was never good. It meant that something was on the verge of going wrong.
He fumbled for the rest of his belongings, shoving them quickly into his bag. He heard paper crinkle but he ignored it, the safety of Area 11 and Nunnally was slightly more important than homework that he suspected that he would fail anyway.
He slung the back over his shoulder, about to run out of the classroom when the man on the line spoke up again. “That will be difficult considering he’s not on campus.”
“What?”
“Exactly what I said. Lelouch is off campus and has been for the majority of the day, but under surveillance, as ordered.”
There was a bit of a sneer in the man’s voice, but that was something that could be easily ignored. He was far too used to the bit of disrespect that people spoke to him with to care. He had more important things to do than throw his title around.
Suzaku closed his eyes and leaned against the bank of lockers, feeling his pounding heart start to slow down. Everything was fine, Lelouch was still under surveillance, which meant that they were safe for the moment. He took a deep breath, hoping that the unease that had been dogging him would just melt away, but it didn’t. He had spent the majority of the year watching Lelouch suspiciously, waiting for a break in the geass command that the emperor had put on him. The habit was hard to break.
He opened his eyes to look back out at the empty hallway. There was no point arguing with himself over a decision that he had already made. “Where is he?”
“Uh…” Frantic clicking filled the background, Suzaku tipping his head slightly at the sound. The office had said that Lelouch was under surveillance but it was taking them a while to find exactly where he was. Suzaku was about to call them on it when the man made spoke again. “If you leave now, you should be able to reach him before he finishes his date in the park.”
“Date?”
“Yes. It was a new addition to his schedule but it wasn’t strange enough to consider reporting. He is a high school boy after all.”
Suzaku frowned, well aware that the man couldn’t see him. Lelouch might have been a high school boy, but he rarely acted according to the norm. Lelouch never seemed to have time for some of the things that other teenagers did. He preferred to stay at home and plan for ways to disrupt the tentative peace that was working for Area 11. Suzaku shook his head, pushing the thought out of his mind. He wouldn’t put it past Lelouch to alter his behavior to hide something, so it was worth his while to find out what Lelouch was actually doing.
He reached up to adjust his phone on his ear, stepping out into the hallway. “Fine. Which park?”
There was more typing on the other end, Suzaku rolling his eyes. They were obviously just trying to waste his time and it wasn’t something that could be avoided. He had no authority over the OSI, so he couldn’t demand that they were all immediately replaced for their laxity, they were all the emperor’s men. He was just grateful that he was allowed to ask for information whenever the worry overtook him. He couldn’t bring himself to be complacent, not after everything that had happened, not after Euphy. Because of that, he would allow himself the indulgence. Even if Lelouch wasn’t doing anything it was better to check than to blithely assume everything was alright and walk into another massacre.
18:02 Verena Ramsey Dinner in the park
Lelouch blinked rapidly, startling himself out of the half doze that he had fallen into again. He glanced around the park, watching as the few families that were still in the area started to head home. A few couples lingered behind, which meant the two of them didn’t stand out. Lelouch sighed and looked down at the cup of tea that he held in his hands, surprised that he hadn’t managed to dump it into his lap. He was sure that he’d been on the edge of falling asleep completely.
No matter what Sayoko said and what his past sleep schedule had been, three hours was not enough sleep, not when he was meant to be running all over the Tokyo Settlement and to the Chinese Federation.
He sipped at the tea, not tasting it much. His tongue was probably numb to any tea with the number of times that he’d had it today. And he’d probably have it again if he remembered his schedule right. Then again, it got a little fuzzy after Verena, the information all jumbled up with the next big problem to tackle for the Black Knights and the Chinese Federation.
It took more than he wanted to admit not to grimace at the thought. Verena had been talking steadily about classical literature since he had expressed an interest. Her knowledge of Latin had been impressive, almost enough for him to pay more attention, save for the fact that he was constantly trying to remember just what Sayoko had gotten him into and trying not to fall asleep.
Lelouch nodded like he had been following along, relieved when Verena didn’t seem to notice. She was too into her discussion of the philosophies of Plato versus Aristotle. From some of the examples she was using, it was a subject that she knew more about than him.
He glanced around again, taking care to return his attention to her every once and a while to nod and smile at her. That seemed to be enough, which meant that his attention was free to wander, or drift away entirely. His gaze slid over one of the CCTV cameras, just barely stopping himself from giving it a nod. He couldn’t give himself away like that. Lelouch Lamperouge wasn’t supposed to be nothing more than a normal high school boy, albeit one who had gotten very lucky. Unfortunately lucky.
Unfortunately lucky enough to have to talk to Sayoko again for a way to get out of this sort of thing happening again. If he was going to be relying on her to stand in for him in the future, then this sort of thing could not happen again. He wouldn’t be able to go through another day like this, especially not when he was still trying to figure out how to graciously bow his way out of the rest of the dates that had been set up for him. If there had been a chance that he would have never seen any of the girls again he would have just skipped the dates entirely, but they were all Ashford girls and, therefore, impossible to escape.
He sighed, quickly hiding the sound in the act of breathing over his tea to cool it. A quick glance up at Verena showed that she was smiling, seeming to understand even as she took a break in her explanation. Lelouch gave her what he hoped was an encouraging nod to continue. It was far better to listen to Verena talk than to have a girl pushing at him to talk. Lelouch didn’t trust himself, at least not enough to carry on a conversation. It was better to save himself for figuring out a way to get out of the rest of the dates and the inevitable talking that would happen when he moved to his next date.
Lelouch took another sip of tea, looking out at the park again. He nearly choked on the tea as he spotted a familiar figure moving towards them. He curled his fingers into the cup, staring as Suzaku walked through the park.
There were few reasons for the Knight of Seven to be there, save for him, which meant that his appearance was not a coincidence.
Lelouch ran through everything that he had been doing over the past few days that could have alerted Suzaku to something interesting enough to investigate himself. He was sure that the OSI officers were all geassed to put forward an unremarkable report with very little variation. Villetta Nu had been blackmailed into silence and Rolo was firmly on his side. Aside from her overzealousness, Sayoko had performed admirably…
He cursed, flinching when Verena’s steady stream of conversation stopped. Lelouch turned to apologize to her, but it was too late to try and salvage the situation.
She narrowed her eyes, looking down the path before sitting back. “Is that…Sir Kururugi? What’s he doing here?”
“That’s what I was wondering.”
Verena hummed, Lelouch sure that she would turn back to her tea and the conversation. That would at least give him the time to figure out what Suzaku was doing there and how to avoid him. If he was lucky, then maybe Suzaku would just ignore him outright and keep going. After all, a Knight of the Round was bound to be busy. And, just maybe, Suzaku remembered enough of their past friendship to stick close to Nunnally and protect her.
He rolled his shoulders forward, trying to hunch over to avoid detection. He glanced up at Verena to see if she got the hint, his stomach dropping when he saw her shrug and call out to him. “Hey, S-Suzaku?”
Lelouch turned to look over his shoulder, his eyes widening as he saw Suzaku come to a halt. For a breathless moment, he thought that Suzaku would just keep walking and leave the two of them alone. But Verena shouted again and waved. Lelouch flinched, scooting closer to Verena.
“What are you doing?”
Verena didn’t seem to pick up on his annoyed tone of voice because she was still beckoning for Suzaku to come over. “I want to talk to him. It’s not every day you meet a Knight of the Rounds.”
“You can do that back at school.”
“He’s never there. And he isn’t in any of my classes.” Verena lowered her hand, shooting him a look that Lelouch couldn’t read. The corner of her mouth twitched up, Verena leaning back on her hands. “And I thought you wouldn’t mind. You did agree to dates with everyone else in school. Are you jealous?”
“No.” He snapped the word out, dropping his gaze to the blanket. He stared into his tea as he heard Suzaku approach, listening to Verena try to engage him in conversation. Suzaku’s replies were stilted, probably because he was too busy focusing on Lelouch, waiting for a slip up that would show that he was Zero. It was a careful balancing act that was difficult to maintain on the best of days, Lelouch always had to watch what he said in case he let something slip in that he shouldn’t remember, but it would be impossible on a day like today. He was already feeling harried with the pressure of an impossible schedule to keep.
He drummed his fingers against the cup he was holding, stopping when he realized that both Verena and Suzaku had stopped talking. Lelouch jerked his head up, staring at Suzaku.
As always, there was a moment when Suzaku forgot what had been done. That Suzaku forgot that he had betrayed him in the worst way possible and that everything Suzaku hated him for was gone. Then came the anger and hatred that bubbled close to the surface before Suzaku managed to bottle it up and shove it away. Then the fake smile was back, and Lelouch couldn’t imagine how he had ever mistaken it for Suzaku’s real smile.
He cleared his throat and sat up straight, giving Suzaku a curt nod. “Suzaku.”
“Hey.” Suzaku nodded at him, sounding slightly out of breath. “I was wondering where you were.”
“Really?”
Suzaku nodded, playing with the strap of his bag. “I swung by the Clubhouse earlier. Rolo said you were out.”
Lelouch filed the information away for later. It sounded like Suzaku had been checking up on him, which meant that he would have to double check his contingency plans. He was sure of his geass on the officers in the basement of the school and of Rolo, but Villetta was still operating on her own, which was dangerous. And there was no reason for Suzaku to tell him the whole truth, not with Verena there.
He glanced back over at Verena, watching as she laughed. The sound was fake, although Lelouch couldn’t pinpoint why. She could either be trying to move the conversation on or trying to figure out how she could call Suzaku’s attention back to her. After all, no one could resist a Knight of the Round, especially when they were open for doing favors. Lelouch hadn’t looked too closely into the girls that he was going on dates with, another grave oversight.
Lelouch set his cup back down in its saucer, making sure to smile as Suzaku as he sat back. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. You don’t come around as often anymore.”
Suzaku visibly twitched at that, his hand clenching on his bag’s strap. “I’ve been busy.”
“With your promotion, I know.” It was harder than Lelouch expected to make it sound real, not that he thought Suzaku would be able to ferret out the difference. Still, it didn’t hurt to be careful in case Suzaku was still suspicious. “Still, it would be nice to have you over for dinner, for old time’s sake.”
“I’ll check my schedule.”
Lelouch sighed at the easy out that he was given. He was about to start hinting that Suzaku should leave when Verena gathered up their trash. He shot her a shocked look, sure that she misinterpreted it because she smiled at him and held up one finger. “I’m not ditching you. I fought hard to get this spot.”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder before walking off towards the nearest trashcan. Lelouch watched her go, keeping the slightly confused smile on his face until she was focused on searching for her goal. Then he left the expression slide off his face, reaching up to rub at his eyes in the hopes that it would keep him awake.
He paused in the middle of the motion as he heard Suzaku laugh, glancing over at Suzaku from underneath his fingers. Suzaku didn’t seem to notice his attention, because he chuckled to himself and shook his head. It was only when he glanced over at that he seemed to realize that Lelouch was looking at him.
Suzaku shifted in place, obviously uncomfortable about being left alone with him. Lelouch wished that he could allow some of his frustration to come out. Maybe if he snapped at Suzaku that would be enough to get the knight to leave, but that might reveal too much. Besides, telling Suzaku to leave would just leave him with his original problem, which were a series of dates that carried on until nearly three in the morning. Lelouch stifled a groan, glancing back at where Verena was making her way over to the trash can.
Not matter how surprising and suspicious it had been to see Suzaku in the park, at least it meant that Verena’s attention wasn’t on him. And, maybe, it would be enough to finish the date faster. Lelouch couldn’t think of one girl that would like their date being crashed by another person, especially if they were being made a third wheel. That perhaps might be enough to clear up his schedule faster and more cleanly than ditching the girls. Everyone at school knew that he and Suzaku were friends, so no one would think twice about the two of them hanging out with each other, especially when Suzaku had been so busy.
Lelouch checked back on Verena’s progress before turning to look at Suzaku. It took Suzaku a moment to look back at him but, when he did, it was with the disproval that Lelouch was getting used to seeing him with. It was practically second nature to bristle and be ready to snap at him, but Lelouch reined himself in. Getting mad at Suzaku while asking for a favor would be useless, because he would just drive Suzaku off. And, unless he wanted to suffer at school because every girl was mad at him, he needed Suzaku’s help. That and he couldn’t ignore the annoying part of him that still saw Suzaku as his friend even as another part called him a traitor.
Suzaku shook his head, taking a step back. Lelouch idly measured out the distance even as Suzaku spoke. “When Rolo said you were out on a date, I expected to see Shirley. How’s it going?”
“Terrible.” It was worth it to see Suzaku start, like he wasn’t expecting the answer. Lelouch sighed and leaned back on his hands, tracking the progress of a few of the couples through the park. “I’ve lost count of how many I’ve been on.”
“How many…What’s going on?”
Lelouch couldn’t bring himself to meet Suzaku’s gaze, not when he didn’t quite know the right excuse himself. Lelouch cleared his throat, taking his time in responding. “I…I was a bit overambitious.”
“Clearly.”
He tipped his head to give Suzaku that point. “I thought that, maybe, if I gave into what they wanted, then I would be free of them. Maybe.”
“And is it working?”
“No.” It hurt less than he thought to admit that. Lelouch sighed and shook his head. “And now I’m stuck, unless I want to run out on the rest of them and deal with their ire for the rest of the year.”
Suzaku hummed, Lelouch fully expecting him to walk away and leave him alone. Instead, Suzaku dropped into a crouch beside him. “How many of these have you got left?”
“I don’t know.” Lelouch dug into his pocket for his phone, quickly scrolling down to the end of the day. He stared at it before tipping it so Suzaku could see. He was quick to pull it away when Suzaku made a sympathetic noise. Lelouch tucked it back into his pocket, looking around warily for Verena. He spotted her making her way back over. Lelouch shifted so he could look at Suzaku. It wasn’t in him to beg, certainly not to Suzaku, but asking couldn’t be that bad. He drummed his fingers against his leg before he shook his head. “But I could use your help.”
He expected the way that Suzaku recoiled, but he didn’t expect Suzaku to stay. Suzaku glanced back at where Verena was coming over, shifting in place. The time for him to leave was getting smaller and smaller. If it was anyone else, Lelouch would have allowed himself to get his hopes up but he was cautious, watching Suzaku’s expression carefully.
Suzaku wasn’t the most subtle person, and it was clear that he was thinking the idea over. Lelouch saw Suzaku’s fingers flex slightly, sure that Suzaku had come to a conclusion. Lelouch was prepared for an outright refusal, not for Suzaku to sit down on the edge of the blanket.
He stared at Suzaku for a moment, but he didn’t get the chance to say anything to Suzaku because Verena came back.
She smiled when she noticed Suzaku, sitting down on her side of the blanket. “I’m glad you can join us.”
“I can spare a little bit of time.”
“Good, because I wanted to ask you…”
Lelouch tuned her out, his mind still racing over what had happened. He had expected arguments, demands and shouting, anything more like the way that they had become. This was something like before, and something unsettling.
He shifted in place, nearly jumping to his feet when he felt Suzaku bump into him. He shot Suzaku a surprised look, annoyed when he didn’t immediately seem to notice. Even then, Suzaku just leaned further into him. Lelouch could only brace himself against the pressure or else he would have ended up on the ground. He settled against Suzaku and tried to ignore how right it felt.
20:00 Miya Hillmick Malory Book and Coffee shop
Miya had heard many rumors about Lelouch, it was part and parcel of Ashford Academy. She ignored most of it, because they were usually ruthless rumors that weren’t in the least bit true. The only ones that she had cared about were the few that were really true, like the ones that said that Lelouch was aloof and didn’t care about any of the girls at school. She could have made an argument for Shirley, but she didn’t think that any of the others would have cared about that. There were plenty of arguments that the others would have thrown back at her.
The only agreed upon rumors that mattered were that Lelouch was aloof and impossible to catch. But that rumor had gone by the wayside.
She sipped at her latte, glancing over at where Lelouch was partially leaning over a book. Somehow that staple rumor of Ashford had crumpled, and she didn’t quite understand how.
Every once and a while one of them would ask Lelouch out, just in the vain hopes that he would change his mind. None of them ever expected anything from them, except maybe Shirley, but Shirley was determined and an eternal optimist. Miya could see the appeal, but she wasn’t in it for the long haul. She’d practically given up on Lelouch and just resigned herself to looking on from afar. There was nothing wrong with looking and dreaming, especially since there had never been any chance of it happening. Except that Rosa Presley had come running into their mathematics class saying that she had gotten a date with Lelouch just by asking. Everyone had said that she was lying until they had all tried.
Miya still didn’t know how she felt about it. Giddy was certainly something, but that was curtailed by the actual date itself.
She should have known better from the rumors, because their date was nothing like he expected. Lelouch was nothing more than a perfect gentleman, but he always felt a little bit removed.
That and his whole focus was on Suzaku.
The two of them were leaning over a book, shoulder-to-shoulder. Lelouch was pointing out something in the book, Miya not sure what they were even talking about.
It had all started when she and Lelouch had walked into the coffee shop and found Suzaku sitting there working on homework. It hadn’t seemed too bad to just stop by and say hello, especially considering that Suzaku was a kind of celebrity at Ashford. It wasn’t every day that a Knight of the Round attended your classes. Besides, the two of them were friends, so it wasn’t strange. What was strange was the way that Lelouch had immediately sat down and started to help Suzaku on what he was working on.
Miya took another drink of her coffee, watching the two of them. It didn’t matter that every once and a while Lelouch would give her an apologetic smile but go right back to work. She wouldn’t have minded as much if she had been folded into the conversation, but she was starting to feel like a third wheel on her own date.
She gave her coffee a rueful glance before looking down at her phone. She had put it on the table when her mother had called her earlier, which had led to the one conversation that she’d had with Lelouch, although that had been more with Suzaku. Lelouch had still been staring at the book.
Miya liked her lips, considering her options. She could nudge her way into the conversation, because it was the same book that they were reading for English and she had liked it. But that almost felt rude, considering the two of them were so in depth in whatever they were discussing. And, with the way that they were leaning into each other, it almost looked like the two of them were on a date.
She swallowed harshly and looked down at her phone again. Her other option was to figure a way out of the date. It wasn’t too early to make it awkward, but it was certainly late enough to bow out because of some other obligation.
Miya shifted so her hand was resting over her phone, discretely tapping it so the screen lit up. She shifted to look at it, noticing that Suzaku was paying attention. She waved him away, lifting her phone and pretending to react to a text. Miya sighed and stood up, giving Lelouch an apologetic smile. “Eliza locked herself out of the room again and security is away helping someone else. I don’t want to cut this short but…”
Lelouch looked up from the book, quick to shut it. She saw a flicker of something that she was sure was regret cross Lelouch’s face before he stepped around to her side of the table. “Let me walk you back.”
She would have agreed readily, but she could see Suzaku packing up and getting ready to move. As much it would have made her the talk of the school to be escorted back by two guys, it wasn’t worth it if she was a third wheel on her own date.
Miya shook her head, tucking her phone into her purse. “I can get back fine myself.” She went to walk away, pausing before she could get too far. Miya looked at the two of them before giving Lelouch a bright smile. “Maybe we could try again another time?”
“Maybe another time.”
That was enough of an answer for her, and it might as well be a no. Whatever had encouraged Lelouch to accept so many dates was gone, and Miya doubted that any of them would ever find out any time soon.
She gave them both a cheery wave before walking out of the coffee shop.
Miya took a deep breath as soon as she was outside, resisting the urge to check her phone. She didn’t know who had a date with Lelouch next, but she didn’t think she should warn them. Suzaku was bound to go back to his duties and someone else would get their chance at Lelouch. Miya just hoped that they wouldn’t get their hopes up too much, because she had a horrible feeling that all the rumors about Lelouch were true.
01:00 Marci Haynes Live Show
“That was great!” Marci looked over at Lelouch, grinning when he save a slight shake of his head.
She hadn’t expected uptight Lelouch Lamperouge to be into rock, but he hadn’t complained the entire time, not even about their place close to the speakers. The most she had gotten were a few strange looks at some of the lyrics and to shake his head on some of the louder songs. He wasn’t the most enthusiastic person that she’d been to a show with, but it was better than no one. And having Lelouch Lamperouge go with her was practically a miracle.
Marci laughed and pulled her jacket on, zipping it up. She shoved her hands into her pockets, looking back over at Lelouch. He still seemed slightly stunned by everything, but at least he had made the effort. There were plenty of guys and girls that Marci had dated that hadn’t bothered once they had heard the music she was interested in. Lelouch was in the low percentage who hadn’t blanched at the sight of the band or their music.
She dropped back to walk beside him, giving him a gentle elbow to his side. Lelouch jumped at the touch, shooting her a startled look. Marci jerked her head back towards the venue. “What did you think?”
“A little outside my realm of experience.” Lelouch pitched his voice a little too loud, but that just made her smile, because it wasn’t a no. He gave a hard shake of his head, probably to clear his ears, not that it would help. “And a little loud.”
“That’s the fun of it.”
The expression on Lelouch’s face said that he didn’t quite agree, but at least he hadn’t tried to explain to her why this went against proper morals or how her taste in music was just pure shit. Then again, she couldn’t imagine Lelouch saying that. He was more likely to talk about the philosophical meaning behind the lyrics. Those she could deal with.
Marci checked her watch, about to suggest a quick stop for drinks when she saw Lelouch stop out of the corner of her eye. She slowed down to look back at Lelouch, surprised to find him staring out in one direction. She was about to ask him who he saw when a smile crossed his face.
She was surprised by the expression because she had only seen it aimed at Rolo, and she doubted that Lelouch’s younger brother would come out to this sort of thing, he seemed far too shy. Marci rocked up onto her toes, scanning the crowd.
She almost missed him the first time. It was only when Lelouch pivoted to face the person that was coming their way that she was able to pick him out.
Marci jammed her hands deeper into her pockets when she saw Suzaku Kururugi jogging over. She looked him up and down before shaking her head. She didn’t know what an Eleven would want around at this hour. Knight of the Round or not, she was sure that there was some kind of curfew on them because of recent events. Besides, she had yet to see any good evidence that Suzaku wasn’t working with the Black Knights in the first place.
She took a step back as Suzaku reached them, looking between him and Lelouch. From the way they were looking at each other, they would want to stop and talk. Rare chance to get Lelouch Lamperouge on a date or not, it wasn’t worth the annoyance of dealing with an Eleven.
Marci cleared her throat loudly, repeating the sound when Lelouch didn’t immediately look at her. She tried her best to give him a steady smile that showed no hint of her annoyance. “I’m actually going to head back now.”
Lelouch nodded, Marci not surprised when he gestured over at Suzaku. “I’m just going to catch up with him.”
“Fine.” Marci shrugged and turned away to walk off.
She rolled her shoulders when she heard Lelouch shout a greeting to Suzaku. At least the show had been good, which was something to think on. Besides, no date was ever perfect. She could settle for great, especially when it was with Lelouch.
01:30 Shirley Fenette Meet at Ashford before going to the botanical gardens for a special night exhibition.
Shirley crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the path up from the Clubhouse. She had hoped that it would help her find Lelouch before he had the chance to sneak off. She wouldn’t put it past him, not after kissing her and then arranging dates with practically every girl on campus. To add insult to injury, he was already late.
She huffed, trying to push some of the tension out of her shoulders. She had been holding it since the afternoon before, when she had heard about Lelouch’s sudden change in personality. It was starting to build into a headache, one that was being made worse by the fact that she was going to be kept waiting.
It wasn’t fair. She was old enough to know that life couldn’t be fair, if it was then it wouldn’t have taken her father away. But she still wanted to scream some part of it to the sky. She’d tried so hard for so long and then Lelouch had finally kissed her, finally done something to acknowledge that he liked her, and then he had gone and agreed to so many dates. If she wasn’t so mad, she would have been seriously worried for him.
The worry would come later, right after the date, if there was a date in the first place.
She drummed her fingers against her arm, feeling something that could have been a growl or a scream building in her throat. “Lulu…”
Shirley glanced back over her shoulder at the Clubhouse, tempted to go and knock on the door. Then again, she was sure that Rolo was asleep and he didn’t deserve to be dragged into this. It wasn’t his fault that his older brother had suddenly decided to be the playboy of the school.
She looked at her watch, promising herself five more minutes before she gave up. The chance for a date with Lelouch wasn’t worth this much suffering.
Shirley took a deep breath, holding it for a count of three before letting it out slowly. There was a box of chocolates that Sophie had given her, peppermint hot chocolate and her favorite romance novel waiting for her back in her room. That would certainly be better than waiting around for a boy who had a horrible track record of remembering dates. At least those wouldn’t give her a headache.
“Shirley!” She looked up as someone called her name, surprised to see Suzaku walking towards her.
She raised her hand to wave at him, tipping her head to the side when she saw the person who was draped over his back. Shirley strode forward, sighing when she got a better look at the person as they passed under a streetlight. Shirley broke into a jog, covering the distance between them.
Suzaku nodded at her, pausing to shift Lelouch on is back. “I was hoping I would find someone. Doors would be difficult with him.”
Shirley sighed, looking at where Lelouch was sleeping with his head down on Suzaku’s shoulder. She had the irrational urge to push Lelouch’s bangs out of his forehead despite how angry she was with him. Instead, she clutched at her dress to keep herself from touching Lelouch. “What happened?”
“According to him, he’s been doing dates since seven this morning.”
“I heard.” She tried to keep her voice from going deadpan, but it was hard, especially when she could calculate the numbers of dates that could have happened in those hours. It was better not to think too hard about them, especially since she’d have to deal with hearing about them all the next day. As far as she knew, the only one that hadn’t gone on a date with Lelouch had been Sophie, but that meant that the only safe place that was in her room, and she couldn’t just stay in her room all the time.
Shirley took a step back to look at Suzaku, giving him a wry look. “Did you have a date with him?”
She expected a laugh, not the look of shock on his face. For a moment, she thought that she had offended Suzaku, something that she didn’t think was possible. Suzaku was generally easy going, but that could have changed since Princess Euphemia. He wasn’t around enough for her to know what changed, but something had to have. Everything that she had seen had made the two of them seem like they were very much in love.
Shirley dropped her gaze. “I’m sorry.”
“No. Don’t worry about it.” Suzaku shifted Lelouch on his back before starting back towards the Clubhouse. Shirley fell into step with him, watching Suzaku’s face carefully.
It took longer than normal for the smile to come back to his face, and even then she saw a strain in it that she couldn’t remember seeing before.
They walked in silence for a while before Suzaku took a deep breath. “No, I didn’t. I seems like I missed out though. I don’t know if I regret that or not.”
“Well, he’s five minutes late for our date.”
“Then I don’t regret it.”
Shirley laughed and circled around him to key in the code to the Clubhouse. She extended her arm as soon as the door was open, blocking it from closing as Suzaku carefully maneuvered the two of them inside. Even when Suzaku was inside she didn’t follow. It was strange to go into the Clubhouse after hours without a specific event or an invitation from Lelouch himself. She gave the sleeping student a wry look. She wouldn’t be getting an invitation from him anytime soon which meant that there would be more waiting for her.
She shifted in the doorway, finally giving him a nod. “Will you be alright?”
“I should be.” Suzaku shifted how Lelouch was resting on his back. “Will you?”
Shirley shrugged, sure that he saw through how he was lying. “It’s not the first time.”
“You don’t deserve that.”
“I know.” Shirley reached up to undo the careful style that Sophie had helped her weave into her hair. “But that’s Lelouch for you.”
Suzaku gave a grunt of agreement, glancing back into the Clubhouse before looking back at her. “Do you want someone to walk you back? Or have someone to talk to?”
“No. I can handle this. You’ve got your hands full.” She moved arm from in front of the door, giving Suzaku a nod before turning around and walking off the porch. She thought she heard him start to say something, but it was blocked by the door sliding shut.
She turned around to look at the Clubhouse, taking a few deep breaths. Lelouch wouldn’t wake up for their date and the gardens would probably be closed by the time that they got there. Her only choice was to go back to her dorm and console herself for a chance missed. A mug of hot chocolate and a good talk with Sophie would help. And then, when she saw Lelouch again, she would give him a piece of her mind.
Suzaku sat down on the edge of Lelouch’s bed, carefully unhooking Lelouch’s arms from around his neck before shaking Lelouch off into the bed. Lelouch just made a soft sound and curled up on the bed. Suzaku shook his head, pushing off from the bed.
This hadn’t been the plan while they were walking away from the show. As far as he remembered, Lelouch had agreed to just go through the date with Shirley without any interruptions. At least until he fell asleep on the train back. Then Suzaku had had no option but to carry him back.
It had been very tempting to drag him back to the administrative building and wait for him to wake up there. He’d been able to judge Lelouch’s reaction to everything better there, and he would be caught off guard. But Suzaku was sure that the OSI would complain, which would go right to the emperor. Suzaku was sure that everything would be made more difficult by that. To his disgust, it was easier to just leave Lelouch in place and wait for the OSI to achieve their aims. Then maybe Lelouch would be allowed to stand for his crimes.
Suzaku sighed and rubbed at his shoulder, giving Lelouch one last look before getting up. He had a meeting in the late afternoon, and he needed to be up and prepared for that. He’d done his duty by getting Lelouch back to the Clubhouse and it wouldn’t hurt Lelouch to sleep in his clothes. It was a little inconvenience in the large scheme of things.
Suzaku took a step away from the bed, stopping when he heard a soft sound from the bed. He looked over his shoulder watching as Lelouch propped himself up on his elbows.
Lelouch took a slow look around the room, not seeming to be recognizing anything. It took him a while to work his way over to Suzaku. When he did, the slightly confused look on his face shifted so something more relaxed. Lelouch leaned back, giving Suzaku a sleepy smile. “You didn’t have to walk me home.”
“You fell asleep on the train. I couldn’t leave you there.”
From the sound that Lelouch made, he didn’t quite agree with him. Suzaku was just relieved by that. He didn’t want to listen to convoluted arguments, not when it was so late at night. He didn’t trust himself to hold his tongue in the right places, especially after spending so much time with Lelouch.
It wasn’t the time, per say, but the fact that it had felt good. It had felt like back when they had been friends again, like everything had gone back to normal. For a few hours, he had forgotten about surveillance and Euphy, and it didn’t sit well with him.
He shifted in place, trying to choose between angry words or just a quick goodbye that would allow him to get out of the Clubhouse as soon as possible. He settled for a curt nod, hoping that it would end the conversation.
It didn’t work.
Lelouch pushed himself up so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. “Quite the gentlemanly move. Not what I’d expect from you.”
“Why? My title not good enough for that?”
Lelouch looked taken aback, almost hurt by the questions. He shook his head, picking at the covers. “I just mean that you weren’t the one for those gestures. It’s different. I almost makes me miss the old you. The one from seven years ago. I miss when we were close. Don’t you?”
It should have been so easy to answer the question, because he knew the answer immediately. This was the man who had called himself his friend while lying to him and taking every step to ruin everything that he worked for. This was the man who had killed Euphy, his own flesh and blood. This was the man he had spent months with in Euro-Britannia, being dismissed as just another Number. Suzaku knew the answer to the marrow of his bones.
“Yes.”
Lelouch gave him a lazy smile, not seeming to notice the horror that Suzaku was sure was crossing his face.
It wasn’t the answer that he had intended, the one that he had hung onto for a year. But that didn’t make it any less true, and that was perhaps worse.
Suzaku shifted in place, more than ready to make some kind of hurried excuse and walk out of the room. He didn’t want to be there anymore, not with the reminder that all of their easy comradery was for show and certainly not when he felt like he was falling for his own lie. Lelouch was a traitor, he had been Zero, and he was probably Zero again despite all the evidence to the contrary. All of that should have sent him running out of the room, but Suzaku found himself leaning closer.
Lelouch smiled, Suzaku recognizing it as one of the ones that Lelouch used when everything was going his way. It made Suzaku want to laugh, especially because he couldn’t tell what Lelouch was looking to accomplish aside from managing to get out of all of his dates, at least for the day. Suzaku had no idea if Lelouch would be running the same schedule tomorrow, and he wouldn’t be around to find out. He had meetings, something far more important than following Lelouch around and intruding on his dates. The Chinese Federation had just fallen apart, and they had to be prepared for everything that would come from that.
He gave Lelouch a curt nod, ready to turn away when Lelouch reached out to grab his wrist. The touch was enough to get him to jerk to a stop, Suzaku staring down at where Lelouch’s fingers were curled around his wrist.
It wasn’t a strong hold, Suzaku was sure that he could pull his arm away without any problem. He doubted that Lelouch could do anything that would hold him in place, but he was staying anyway.
He swallowed and looked back at Lelouch, not prepared for the soft expression on his face. It was something that he had never expected from Lelouch again, in full possession of his memories or not. They were distant now, far more than they had been last year. Suzaku had kept away as much as possible, helped along by his work and Rolo’s general disdain for him and Lelouch hadn’t bothered to close the gap. Or maybe this was Lelouch trying to close the gap. He couldn’t know, not that Lelouch would ever tell him.
Suzaku was about to fumble for some excuse to leave when Lelouch stood up. The motion brought him in close, closer than Suzaku had allowed him since the year before, back when they had both been living their separate lies. It was disconcerting, especially after so long. Suzaku tried to ignore how much he welcomed the closeness after trying to stay away from people, but it was impossible, especially when Lelouch leaned in to give him a light kiss.
It was nothing more than a peck and not even on his lips. The kiss fell against the side of his mouth, feather-light and barely there, but Suzaku was completely aware of it because it was Lelouch.
He turned, almost expecting to catch Lelouch’s lips as he did, but Lelouch was already moving away.
Lelouch toed off his shoes, already sinking back into bed with a wide yawn. It was a pretty obvious dismissal, but Suzaku found himself watching as Lelouch finished yawning.
For a moment, it looked like he had dropped off to sleep. Suzaku sighed, not sure if it was with relief or because he expected more. At least it was a way to excuse himself and hurry back before the two of them stumbled into more things that they would eventually regret.
He walked quickly to the door, pausing with his hand raised to open the door. He almost expected Lelouch to say something else, but there was silence from the bed. Suzaku didn’t know that it was a disappointment or a relief, and he didn’t want to think about it too much. It would just be another distraction, one that he would turn over and over in his head until the next suspicious moment.
Suzaku sighed and rested his hand on the pad, perking up at something that he heard something that sounded like Lelouch talking to him. He turned his head, but Lelouch appeared completely asleep. Suzaku chalked it up to his own imagination, just another thing to file away with the rest of his suspicions about Lelouch. He shrugged and walked out of the room, trying to sneak as quietly as he could through the halls.
Lelouch cracked open an eye as he heard the door slid shut, staring in the direction of the door. He couldn’t see the deeper shadow that Suzaku had become, which meant that Suzaku was on his way out. Lelouch rocked up onto one elbow, staring over at the window. He could cross over and watch Suzaku make his way over to the front of campus, but he was sure that he would get spotted. He was supposed to be asleep after all, it had all been part of the plan to avoid tripping into awkward conversation. He hadn’t meant to actually fall asleep, but exhaustion had caught up to him.
He hadn’t expected Suzaku to carry him all the way back to Ashford, nor to put him to bed.
Then again, he hadn’t expected to act on the urge to kiss Suzaku.
Lelouch frowned, reaching up to press two fingers to his lips. It hadn’t been much, his kisses with C.C. had been more involved, but they hadn’t made his stomach twist in the same almost pleasant way.
He jerked his fingers away from his mouth, curling them into the covers instead.
He stared at the window for a moment more before rolling onto his other side. He didn’t want to look at the door or the windows, the wall was the safer bet. There wasn’t the temptation to wait and look then. It just left him with the rest of the bed which, for some reason, seemed bigger and emptier than before.
END
