A/N: …I have no excuse. All I can say is that I've been very busy and that the only computer I own that has word is a piece of shit. Anyway, here I am with chapter four. Thank you so much to those who have reviewed/favourited/alerted, I hope I don't disappoint you.
It's four in the morning here, so I take all responsibility for any typos or errors, and I'll look over this tomorrow when I'm not seeing double. Feel free to ask questions.
Enjoy
Chapter Four
The first thing Suzaku was aware of upon awakening was the comforting warmth emanating from the soft surface he was leaning against. He nuzzled into the sensation, feeling soft fabric brush against his cheek and muscles stiffen, more from surprise than discomfort, thought Suzaku, because moments later they relaxed and fingers began to run through his curls.
The second thing he was aware of was that his head hurt. A lot.
He lay silently for a minute or so, his eyes closed, simply enjoying the soothing fingers and softness and heat from whoever was beside him. He was moments away from passing out again when he remembered who he had fallen asleep against in the first place, and jerked violently away. He shuffled a few inches before opening his eyes, which were immediately bombarded with bright light and a large pinkish blob.
Wait… pink?
He closed his eyes, rubbed them with the bottoms of his palms, and looked again. This time he was greeted by the sight of a very tired, very confused Kallen. He sighed.
"Suzaku, what the hell? Are you okay?" Kallen reached out and rubbed his shoulder gently.
"I'm fine." He said softly, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "How long was I out?"
Kallen smiled. "A few hours, it's about three o'clock now." She let go of his shoulder and stood up. "Do you want something to eat? Lelouch made brownies, they're ridiculously good." She nodded to a plate on the coffee table.
"Huh? Oh, no thank you." His stomach turned at the thought of ingesting anything, no matter how delicious. "Lelouch, where is he?"
His question was answered when Lelouch peeked around the corner, a sly grin on his face and a steaming mug in his hand. "Morning, sunshine. I switched off with Kallen when you started trying to spoon with me."
Suzaku blushed, and decided to change the subject. "Is that coffee?"
Lelouch grimaced. "God, no. It's tea, much better for you."
"Oh."
Lelouch nodded and walked into the room, taking a seat on a chair to Suzaku's right. "Well, should we discuss the situation?"
"I think that would be a good idea." Kallen said, reclaiming her position beside Suzaku, who cleared his throat.
"Alright, since we don't have a spare bedroom you'll have to sleep on the couch, it's a pullout though so that shouldn't be too bad. You can keep your things in the cabinet over there," he pointed at the piece of furniture, "and I'll clear out a drawer for you in the bathroom." Lelouch nodded. "But this isn't a vacation. I'll be accompanying you at all times, and if I am unavailable for any reason Gino will take over. At night, there will be officers keeping an eye on the building to ensure you don't escape while I'm asleep. This will continue until we have Ms. Ashford's killer in custody or it is made clear that you are not a target. Is that clear?"
Lelouch, who was taking a sip of tea, raised his finger, swallowed, and lowered his cup.
"Crystal, Detective." Suzaku sighed.
"You can call me Suzaku, unless you prefer Sir?" Lelouch smirked.
"That's highly unlikely, Suzaku."
"I thought so." He turned and placed his hand on Kallen's shoulder. "Are you okay with this?"
She bit her lip and was silent for a moment, before nodding. "I suppose so. You don't seem like such a bad guy, Lelouch." She smiled wryly, "and even if you did turn out to be a murderer, I could kick your skinny ass from here to Mars." Lelouch's eyebrows shot upwards and Suzaku chuckled.
"It's true, so watch your back." He said.
Lelouch blinked. "Duly noted..."
Kallen, still grinning, grabbed a brownie from the table and took a large bite. "Mmm, or perhaps I'll make you my slave and have you bake for me instead." Suzaku pouted. "Don't look at me like that, darling. You nearly burned down the kitchen making instant noodles." Lelouch made a choking noise and a stream of tea dribbled down his chin.
"Sorry, I'm sorry," he said while wiping his face. "It's just, that's the most pathetic thing I've ever h-heard!" With this, he burst into a fit of laughter. Suzaku glared.
"It was one time! It didn't happen again," he said, flustered.
"Only because since then I haven't let you near the kitchen," Kallen replied.
"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side! You're my girlfriend!"
"Am I? Who knows, maybe I'll dump you and run off with Lelouch," she winked, "a gorgeous man who can cook is hard to find." Lelouch chuckled and stood.
"Indeed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to unpack my things, starting with the bathroom."
As soon as he left the room, Suzaku turned to Kallen and whispered, "What are you doing? How can you be so comfortable joking like that?" He frowned and his eyes widened. "You are joking, right?"
Kallen rolled her eyes and grabbed both sides of his head, putting their faces inches apart. "Of course I'm joking. I mean Lelouch is hot and his baking is divine, but I'm not in love with him. I'm in love with you." She pressed her lips to his, pulling back after a moment. "Besides, he's obviously gay."
"What?" Suzaku shrieked.
Kallen raised her eyebrows, "are you really that surprised?"
"Yes! Are you sure?"
"Positive. Total fag, that one."
"How can you tell?"
Kallen sighed and leaned back, taking on a serious expression and holding up her index finger. "For one, he can cook."
"That's a stereotype."
"Shut up. Two, did you see his hair?"
Suzaku buried his face in his hands. "A straight man can have nice hair."
"Yes, but I haven't mentioned my third point."
He slowly brought his head back up, and noted that she was blushing slightly. "Which is?"
"Well, when you were passed out I had a shower, right?" Suzaku nodded, not sure where this was going. "I thought Lelouch had gone with Gino, so I um, didn't bother with a towel when I came out."
Suzaku's eyes grew so wide that it hurt. "He saw you… naked?"
"Full on. The thing is though, he didn't do anything! Well, he looked of course, but only for a second. I must have looked terrified because he just smiled at me and said, 'don't worry about it. You're not really what I'm into.'" She looked at him expectantly.
"…So?" Kallen frowned at him. "Maybe he was just implying that you're not his type."
"Well of course I'm not his type. I don't have a fucking penis!"
Before Suzaku could come up with a response, Lelouch strut into the room with his large suitcase rolling behind him. He walked over to the cabinet and opened the bottom drawer. It seemed that all of a sudden he remembered there were other people present, and he turned around to look up at the two, who were unabashedly staring at him. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" He asked, although he showed no inclination of moving either way.
Suzaku said, "Yes," at the same moment Kallen said, "Not at all." They glared at each other. Lelouch just laughed.
"You guys are a real couple. I'm just going to unpack my things and go to sleep, if that alright? It's been a bit of a long day." He looked pointedly at Suzaku, who resisted the juvenile urge to stick out his tongue, before returning to the task of putting his clothes away. Kallen stood up and jogged out of the room, shouting something about getting sheets for the pull-out, leaving the two men alone for the first time since Suzaku had woken up. He wracked his brain for something to say, but that only made his head ache, so he settled on watching Lelouch silently. One thing he realized quite quickly was that the other man didn't possess a ridiculous amount of clothes, they were all very nice, and likely expensive.
"Perks of being a doctor, hey?" He muttered.
"Hmm?" Lelouch didn't even pause, or turn his head to look at Suzaku.
"Nothing," he said, and the room fell back into silence.
The blaring of Kallen's phone alarm quickly invaded Suzaku's unconscious mind, tearing him from his sleep and sense of peace. His eyes opened and, groaning, he rolled onto his back. "Morning," he said, feeling the bed stir beside him as Kallen slipped out and began searching for an outfit.
"Good morning, Mr. Bodyguard. Are you ready for your first official day?" Suzaku cringed.
"Don't remind me." Kallen smiled playfully and threw a shirt at him.
"Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure Lelouch won't be any trouble. It'll be like babysitting."
"I was never good at babysitting," he mumbled, "and I have a feeling this will be a whole lot worse."
His girlfriend rolled her eyes as she pulled on a blouse and began to button it up. After the last one, she smoothed out the silk and leaned over to kiss Suzaku on the cheek. "It's six thirty, go back to sleep."
Suzaku nodded his approval of the idea, mumbled, "I love you," to Kallen, and let the warm comfort of the bed lure him back into a dreamless slumber.
He was sure he'd need it.
Suzaku awoke three hours later, thankfully well rested, and lay sprawled across the sheets for a few moments, letting his mind wander to what the day might have in store for him. He didn't get a whole lot of interaction with his house guest last night, seeing as Lelouch had practically collapsed into a coma the moment his bed was made, but today would be different. Today they would have to… live with each other.
He shuddered.
Rolling off the bed, he glanced at the clock. 9:43, Lelouch would probably be awake by now, maybe he could persuade him into making breakfast. With that thought, Suzaku slipped into a pair of sweats and a loose t-shirt and walked out to the living room. The bed was empty, along with the rest of the room, but he was expecting that. He set towards the kitchen. "Morning Lelouch," he called out, but there was no reply. His heart began racing. He ran into the kitchen, but no one was there, and he met the same result when he checked the bathroom. Fuck. Shit. He frantically looked over every square foot of his apartment. No Lelouch.
"If you're dead I'm gonna fucking kill you!" he shouted into the silence, pacing his bedroom. How could he have gotten out? Had someone broken in and taken him? No, there were no signs of a struggle. Shit, what had the officers been doing? How was he going to explain this to Gottwald?
Just as Suzaku was about to pass out from panic and fury, he heard movement at the front door. He ripped open the bedside drawer and pulled out his handgun, moving quickly towards the source. Hiding around a corner, he peeked out and saw two figures, one tall and muscular, the other medium height and slim. He took a deep breath, and burst into the room.
"Freeze! Hands in the air!" He couldn't make out the faces of the intruders in the dim lighting, but the shorter one hesitantly raised his hands up while the taller one laughed. It was a very familiar sound.
Suzaku's eyes widened and he groped along the wall, one hand still pointing his gun, until he found the light switch. As the identities of the men were revealed, he felt his heart lurch with relief, for standing in front of him were Gino and Lelouch, the latter still holding his hands in the air and looking terrified. He lowered the gun immediately. "Thank God," he whispered.
"Awww, Suzaku, were you worried sick over Lelouch? How cute!" Gino grinned wickedly. Beside him, the smaller man had regained his composure and glared.
"Shut up, idiot. I'm sorry Suzaku, I should have woken you up before we left but…"
"Yes, you really should have! Where the hell did you two go, anyway? Are you in trouble?"
"No, it's nothing like that. When I woke up I just noticed that you didn't have many groceries so I called Gino and we went to the store." Lelouch pointed to a pile of bags at his feet. "I left a note on the fridge."
Suzaku blinked. Lelouch was blushing, and even Gino looked a little guilty. He sighed. "Well, I guess if you're okay that's all that matters. I don't appreciate you just leaving without telling me, though. I nearly had a heart attack, so please, never do that again." The two nodded, looking a little bit like two boys who had just received a scolding from their mother. "To make up for it, you two can make breakfast with the food you bought."
Suzaku turned on his heel and grinned when he heard Gino's loud groan. He placed a hand to his chest, where his heart was still beating rapidly, and willed himself to calm down. Lelouch was okay, and he wouldn't be fired (which was, of course, the only reason he'd been so worried, because there was no way he actually cared about Lelouch or anything). All was well.
The sounds coming from the kitchen reminded Suzaku of the war movies he used to watch as a teenager. Pans were banging against each other and occasionally knocked on the floor, and every few moments Lelouch would let out a stream of profanities at Gino, who usually replied with a cheerful laugh or told Lelouch to relax. Suzaku himself was sitting in the living room on his laptop, looking through case files of minor crimes. Already he could tell that he'd be having a difficult time with this particular assignment, staying home while criminals were still running loose, so he'd decided to do what little he could. An especially loud crash came from the kitchen.
"Ugh, can't you do anything right!"
"Lelouuuuch, I'm trying the best I can," Gino whined.
Suzaku heard a Lelouch growl, followed by a dull clang, and decided to break things up.
When he entered, he couldn't stifle a laugh. Lelouch, clad in a bright pink apron, wore an expression of pure annoyance, and was holding a metal spatula in his right hand as if it were a weapon. Gino was pouting and holding his head. They both looked over at Suzaku as he chuckled softly.
"Don't laugh! He hit me!" Gino pointed accusingly at Lelouch.
"I wouldn't have hit you if you didn't act like a complete moron!" Lelouch shouted, still wielding the spatula menacingly. He also seemed to notice Suzaku looking at his apron, because he said, "I found it in the drawer, it's not mine!" Suzaku just laughed harder, he couldn't help it. Lelouch was like a puppy trying to be intimidating, but only succeeded in looking cute. Not that Lelouch was cute. At all.
"Hey, is something burning?" Gino asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Shit, the toast!" Lelouch ran to the toaster, which was emitting smoke, and unplugged it. He quickly put on an oven mitt and took out the two pieces of bread, which were burned black. "Fuck."
"Don't worry about it, it's just toast," Gino said, watching Lelouch panic with an amused grin plastered on his face. Suzaku smiled for a moment, and then was suddenly hit with a thought.
"Hey, Lelouch…" he began hesitantly. Lelouch looked over at him with an eyebrow raised curiously. "Uh, I just wanted to say sorry for, you know, punching you in the face." The other man's eyes widened in surprise, and he turned to fully face Suzaku.
"Oh, that." He raised a hand and brushed the light purple bruise on his jaw, "I… I suppose I deserved it. Thank you for apologizing." Relief flooded Suzaku's mind, and he sighed.
"Since we'll be living together, do you think we could maybe start over?" he asked, hopeful. He knew that it would be much easier to coexist if they didn't hold petty grudges with one another.
Lelouch didn't reply for a few moments, and with each second that passed Suzaku was sure that he would reject the idea, but eventually he nodded. "Yeah, I think I could do that." He offered his hand, which Suzaku gladly shook, and this time when they looked at each other, there was no contempt or disapproval. However, the moment was ruined when Gino threw his arms over both of their shoulders, bringing them into an awkward and painful three way hug.
"How sweet! Now we can all be friends!" The two shorter men struggled under his tight hold, but eventually broke free.
"Yeah, maybe," Lelouch said, and then looked at Suzaku. "Now, even though the toast is burnt, there's still plenty of food. Here." He picked up a plate from the counter and handed it to Suzaku. On it were scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns. It smelled absolutely delicious. Lelouch pushed him towards the table. "Go, sit down and eat."
As he shoved the first forkful of food into his mouth, he couldn't help but smile. Now that he and Lelouch had reconciled their differences, maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
Thank you so much. R&R!