Euphy wasn't the one who asked. Suzaku would always be grateful for that, because he couldn't even imagine how awkward that would have been.

Instead, it had been Cornelia, practical and clearly mystified by the request, who brought it to Suzaku's attention.

"It's one night a week, no other conditions, to stop all this bloodshed between the Elevens and the Britannians, to make Zero agree to the Special Area Zone and stand down the Black Knights. Prince Schneizel agreed to the rest of Zero's terms, but Princess Euphemia was adamant that you should be allowed to refuse."

Suzaku found he agreed with Cornelia on one point; he had no idea why Zero would ask for him, of all people. "I agree to it, your highness, of course, but do you have any idea what Zero wants?"

Cornelia snorted. "Knowing him it could be anything from keeping tabs on us through interrogating you, to needing a fourth player for bridge. He's promised no lasting injuries, as long as you behave."

That sounded ominous, especially coming from Cornelia's uncaring, firm voice.

In fact, it was Cornelia's last line that rang through Suzaku's mind as he entered Zero's chambers, determined to do what he could for the people of Area 11 and the Japanese. 'Lasting injuries' only ruled out so much, and the caveat that he would have to behave to ensure even that small promise was unnerving.

Suzaku let out a sigh of mixed relief and confusion when Zero wasn't there. Instead, there was an open bottle of champagne chilling beside two glasses and a bowl of strawberries. Draped over the back of one of the chairs was a fluffy white robe with a letter pinned on it.

Suzaku Kururugi,

Please make yourself comfortable while you wait. I shouldn't be delayed more than half an hour.

Zero.

P.S. By 'make yourself comfortable', I meant remove your clothes and dress in the robe, and have a glass of champagne and some strawberries. Just in case that was unclear.

P.P.S. Those weren't suggestions.

Suzaku considered bolting. The Lancelot was close enough that he could get to it and return within the half-hour, and take on Zero at his own game. The idea would have more merit, if it hadn't been for the fact that if he did, Britannia would be in breach of contract over a peace treaty, and the Black Knights would likely avenge Zero with as much, if not more, passion then they had fought up to this point.

But Zero was being far from subtle. And Suzaku… really wasn't looking forward to this.

Of course, there was always the chance that this was all just a ruse, to make him uncomfortable. Zero had tried 'seducing' Suzaku before, saving him from a false accusation and the promise of execution or, at best, Britannian prison, and offering him a chance to fight at his side. This could easily just be a much softer and gentler seduction.

Not that it mattered. Until Zero pushed past what Suzaku could stand, Suzaku would play his little games. And Suzaku might not have prided himself on many things, but there wasn't much he wasn't willing to bear, if it meant saving innocent lives.

And wearing a bathrobe and eating fruit weren't even close to his limits. Suzaku stripped, folding his uniform properly, and poured himself a glass of champagne before biting into one of the strawberries. He considered filling the other glass, but decided not to do anything other than what he was directed to do. That included sitting, so when Zero walked in, he was greeted with the sight of Suzaku standing with a strawberry in one hand, a champagne flute in the other, barefoot and draped in fluffy white cotton.

He laughed. Suzaku felt himself flush, despite the fact that the laughter was far from cruel or menacing. It almost sounded like Zero had been startled into it, despite being the one who ordered it.

"I must admit, I didn't expect you to be quite so… pliant," Zero said, approaching the table. "I had expected at least a token resistance."

Suzaku shrugged. "I'm not going to fight you just for the sake of fighting. I'm saving it for when it's needed."

"Wise," Zero said, his tone wry even though the mask's strange amplification. "Save your strength for times of necessity. I must admit, should you have chosed to struggle, you'd easily overcome me." Zero poured the champagne into the second glass and gestured towards the bed. "Hence the chains."

Suzaku's mouth dried up as he noticed them for the first time. He'd seen them when he'd walked in but overlooked them, thinking them just patterns of decoration on the quilt. Now, looking again, it was clear that they were physical, metal, and fixed to the wall and footboard of the bed.

They looked secure. In fact, Suzaku's trained eye guessed that the weakest point would actually be the wall, even if they were fixed to a wall stud. Unless the stud was made out of dense steel as well.

Zero waited silently for Suzaku to turn back to him. "Is this some sort of game?"

"Of course," Zero said, patiently. "But not one you can win. You can only break even, or lose in a different way. It's up to you."

Suzaku felt his hands clench into fists. He could do this. He would do this, but Zero would have to order him. He wasn't walking into this without being forced. There was no way he was going to let Zero get away with thinking this was anything other than what it was.

Zero didn't seem to have a problem with that. "Suzaku Kururugi, pilot of the Lancelot, Knight to Euphemia li Britannia, son of Genbu Kururugi… chain yourself on your knees and elbows to my bed."

Suzaku closed his eyes. Zero didn't even sound threatening or excited. His voice was even, almost gentle. But it was implacable, leaving no room for debate. Suzaku could have pleaded for leniency, for mercy, but he couldn't imagine it coming from such a hard and unreasonable man as Zero and…

…and if this was the price Zero demanded, the subjugation of the man who had ruined so many of his plans, then it was worth it for the peace the SAZ would bring to Japan.

Suzaku's legs didn't shake as he approached the bed. His hands never trembled as they clamped the padded manacles around his ankles. And when Zero approached him, placing the champagne flute on the bedside table and helped Suzaku with the wrist manacles, he didn't flinch from the guiding touch.

The feel of Zero's leather gloves over his skin made Suzaku's stomach roil, but he grit his teeth and stared down at the pillow. He would bear this for Euphy, for Japan, for his friends. He was determined, steadfast, sure in his decision.

And then Zero placed the blindfold over his eyes.

If there had been warning, Suzaku might have been able to take the loss of vision without offering up any reaction. But the suddenness and his unpreparedness triggered his fight-or-flight reactions, and he twisted before his brain engaged, pulling at his chains as he tried to buck the blindfold and any alien touch off. He didn't scream, because even his subconscious was sure it wouldn't help, but a deep growl emerged from somewhere instinctive inside of him and he fought against the restraints.

His heart raced and his blood boiled, hammering in his ears, but below that, he could hear a soothing voice murmuring something comforting, and fingers – soft, human, bare fingers – carding through his hair. It wasn't much, he was still chained and blind, but it was enough to remind him of where he was, what his place was, what his duty was.

"There," Zero whispered, his voice sounding much younger without the mask. "There, see? You're okay. I'm not going to hurt you, Suzaku. I would never hurt you."

Then what was this? Suzaku didn't ask. It wasn't entirely fair, in any case. The manacles were padded and, even after thrashing around, Suzaku doubted he'd have anything more than bruises. This didn't hurt, technically, despite how shamed Suzaku felt. He bit back any response he could have made and forced himself still again, under Zero's hands.

Zero pressed his lips to Suzaku's cheek, carefully bending his body out of the range of Suzaku's chained hands. "Isn't that better? You must have known I wouldn't let you see my face, Suzaku. I can't be expected to explain everything to you."

Was this punishment for making Zero order him to do the obvious? Suzaku didn't care. It wasn't his job to make this easier on Zero.

Zero kissed him again, his lips slightly curved. "It's alright, though. You'll learn. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for." He pulled away, running his hands over Suzaku's robed back. "I've wanted this for so long. I can be patient for a little longer."

Suzaku tensed as Zero's hand moved over his ass and disappeared, only to tug the hem of the robe out from under Suzaku's legs. Zero clucked his tongue in disappointment.

"You left your underwear on. That just speaks to your lack of foresight." He tossed the dress of the robe over Suzaku's shoulders, exposing his legs and lower back, except for where Suzaku's briefs covered him. "But I was rather prepared for this." Suzaku's sharp hearing detected the soft snick of a switchblade opening. "Don't move."

Suzaku did as ordered. The cool blade occasionally bushed against his skin as Zero cut away his underwear, but it never felt like it was cutting in.

"We're done," Zero said with satisfaction as Suzaku felt his underwear fall away, leaving him exposed. "Oh, Suzaku. If you could just see yourself…"

There was an awed reverence to Zero's voice, and when he touched Suzaku again, his fingers tracing over the curve of Suzaku's buttocks, his touch was lighter, less certain.

The press of lips to the small of Suzaku's back was a surprise, and Suzaku bucked forward, grunting.

"Oh!" Zero sounded delighted. "Did you like that?" He licked where he had kissed, and then blew over it, and Suzaku tensed up, willing his body to ignore the strangely erotic sensations that shot up and down his spine. "What else do you like?" Zero's voice was curious now, his hands gripping Suzaku's buttocks more firmly. "What have you already done, Suzaku?"

Suzaku stayed silent. Zero's tone and grip hardened. "Answer me, Suzaku. What have you done?"

There was no point in attempting to misinterpret that. Zero had all night with him, and Suzaku was literally at his mercy. "I've had sex with girls, women. No men." Not until now, at least. "Always used a condom. I had a blowjob, once. I ate them out, more often." He tried vulgarity, hoping that made it seem less alluring. "Penis-in-vagina sex, mostly. Anal once, didn't really like it as much." That was only partially true. Suzaku mostly got off on making his partners get off, and the girl he'd tried anal with hadn't gotten much out of it. It felt great; different, but great; but Suzaku had pulled out before coming, switched condoms and got her off vaginally, which she had enjoyed far more.

Suzaku took some comfort in that. He'd had more than a handful of sexual partners in his life, but he'd never do what Zero was doing, taking from an unwilling participant.

"What did you like?" Zero asked.

Suzaku thought about it. "I liked the control I got from using my fingers and tongue." The girls had generally liked it too. "The blowjob was good. Kissing is always nice…" The more he could steer Zero away from thinking about putting penises inside anything, the better.

"Hmm… the blowjob is out of the question with you tied like this. I just can't find a safe way to manage it. And I'm not quite ready to trust your mouth." Zero sighed. "I suppose I'll have to work this through myself."

Zero's mouth returned to the base of Suzaku's spine, this time with light teeth and wet, open kisses. Suzaku had only rarely had anyone pay this kind of attention to him, and even then never to this area. He shifted, biting back a groan that turned into a deep moan as Zero's hand reached around and wrapped itself around his cock, using a light touch to get it from basically flaccid to half-hard.

"Tell me what you want."

Suzaku stayed silent, not out of stubbornness, but because he honestly didn't know what to say. He was getting a handjob and some strangely enjoyable attention in a place he'd never considered an erogenous zone. What more could he want?

Apparently, that wasn't enough for Zero, who squeezed Suzaku's erection harder. "Suzaku, talk to me."

"I don't – hah – know what you want me to say," Suzaku gasped out. "M-more? Harder? What?"

The bed dipped on either side of him as Zero climbed up behind him. His hips pressed against Suzaku's legs and ass and Suzaku realized he'd gotten naked at some point. "All I've ever wanted from you, Suzaku, was the truth." He nipped at Suzaku's ear and thrust lightly against him.

Suzaku wasn't sure he liked the last bit, but Zero's hand was still around his cock, and it was hard not to like that, even in this position. And it wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. "Just… keep going. This is good."

The moment the words were out of his mouth, Suzaku regretted them. It was like giving permission, telling Zero this was okay. It wasn't okay, no matter how good it felt, how long it had been since another person had touched Suzaku with the intent to do anything but hurt…

"Ah…" Suzaku tried to cut off the gasp before it turned into a scream as Zero's hand sped up at the same moment his teeth sunk into the meat where Suzaku's neck joined his shoulder. Too many sensations, too much at once, the pleasure/pain of it all frying the neurons in his brain as his stupid body climaxed, muscles clenching and stars forming behind his eyelids. Zero clung to him throughout it, riding Suzaku's orgasm to its completion, and only releasing Suzaku's shoulder once the tremors had stopped.

Suzaku felt wrung out. He managed to keep himself propped up on his knees and elbows, even with Zero draped over him like a hot and heavy blanket, but his arms trembled and tears formed behind his closed eyes. It shouldn't have been that easy. He should have fought, resisted, even if only by reacting less to Zero's touch.

The soft sigh of satisfaction from Zero only made Suzaku's shame burn harder. Suzaku could feel him, hard and wanting, thrusting lightly between Suzaku's legs, against the soft skin of Suzaku's inner thighs. Suzaku bowed his head, ready for whatever price Zero would extract from him.

Zero pressed a kiss where he had bitten Suzaku, soothing the area with lips and breath. "You were wonderful."

Suzaku kept his head bowed, waiting for the next step. Zero gently guided him down to the bed, unfortunately making Suzaku lie in the wet spot, and curled up beside him, one leg draped over Suzaku's hip, humming contentedly.

He was still hard. Suzaku couldn't relax as long as that erection was pressed against him, but this position would make doing anything about it next to impossible. It took the better part of half and hour for Suzaku to realize what they were doing.

They were cuddling.

Zero seemed to want nothing more, for now, than to be close to Suzaku, to nuzzle at the small hairs at the nape of his neck, to press his chest against Suzaku's side and wrap his arms around his chest. The chains were still there, uncomfortable reminders of Suzaku's position, but other than that, this was nothing more than typical post-coital cuddling.

Except that Zero was still hard.

None of this made any sense. It continued to make no sense when Zero, with a sigh of regret, untangled himself and dressed, unlocking Suzaku's wrists while keeping the manacles closed.

"I'm sure you'll figure the latches soon enough," Zero said, his voice back to the patient professionalism he'd shown before. "There's a shower with fresh towels if you'd like, and you can either leave or rest here for the night." There was a small hesitation, as if he wanted to add something more, and then the swish of cloth and the sound of a door opening and closing. Suzaku was alone.

He freed himself and stumbled to the bathroom, checking himself in the full-length mirror. His eyes were red from the silent tears, and his shoulder was starting to bruise where Zero had bitten him, but the skin wasn't broken and there were no other marks on him, even on his wrists or ankles. He pressed a finger against the bruise and winces as it throbbed. It wasn't painful as much as it was aching, a reminder of…

Suzaku cock twitched. Suzaku released the bruise and blood flowed back into it, shooting an odd, arousing sensation down his spine. It felt good. Just like what Zero had done.

Suzaku just made it to the toilet before throwing up, glaring at the bits of strawberries in the toilet bowl. A moment of weakness, that was all. He'd get through this, like he'd gotten through everything before. He had a whole week to come to terms with it.

He set his jaw and showered, scrubbing harder than usual, but otherwise just showering. He refused to use any of the soaps provided, not wanting the scents to remind him of anything.

Then he dressed and left and that was that.