There were many reasons to dislike C.C. That she took up so much of his best friend's time and energy was one of them. That she was a selfish woman who didn't deserve his attention was another. And that she was, in all senses of the word, a bitch was perhaps the worst of all.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
Suzaku never approved of their relationship. She hung on him like a leech, and if he knew Lelouch, which he did, he needed someone he could trust, someone who could take care of him properly when he was too busy to do so himself. Someone like Shirley, and he and Shirley may very well have gotten together if she hadn't shown up.
There was a glint in her eye, something about the way she carried herself and the curve of her lip when she smirked. She was bad news, and he tried telling him that from the very start. Sure, he was hurting. They all were, but that didn't mean he should let a woman like her take advantage of him. Lelouch didn't listen, though. He didn't disagree with Suzaku, but he didn't agree either. Then, hardly two weeks later, she moved in with him. Lelouch, as steadfast an advocate for order and cleanliness as there ever was, now lived with empty pizza boxes and dirty clothes constantly strewn across the floor. And his friend didn't seem much happier for it either. At one point, Suzaku thought that, well, if she could bring him some peace of mind, then maybe she was worth it. But that didn't seem to be the case. He didn't change for the better in the slightest. In fact, he almost looked more worn down.
It was her fault. He was sure of it.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂
It was the day after the new year that Suzaku visited his friend with a conciliatory bottle of wine, his well wishes, and renewed determination to talk Lelouch out of this relationship. His knuckles rapped against the small townhouse door, and the familiar gesture—
(pink hair, hand wrapped around his, lilting voice calling through the door for her brother to hurry)
—made his throat close. He had to cough to force air through. A year later, and it was still too soon to think about her without his stomach dropping and his chest clenching. His grip on the wine tightened til the cap dug into the palm of his hand to the point of drawing blood. Before it could, the door opened abruptly, and all his negative feelings dissipated as a cheery voice greeted him.
"Suzaku!"
Nunnally rolled forward in her wheelchair and grabbed his hand tightly in hers.
"Happy New Year! We missed you last night!"
Suzaku laughed lightly and leaned forward to take her hand fully in his palm. "Happy New Year to you too, Nunnally. I'm sorry; Cécile invited me to a party at Llyod's, and I couldn't refuse again after last year. Next year, though."
She mirrored his laugh and nodded resolutely. "It's a promise, then."
Her bright eyes were an exact copy of Lelouch's. All three of them had always been close, but he was a bit surprised to see her. Time had perked up all her girly features. She was practically a woman now.
"Is Rolo here too?" he asked next, stepping across the threshold as Nunnally rolled back and then forward to nudge the door shut behind him.
"He was. He left earlier this morning because, um."
She lowered her tone of voice.
"Well, he doesn't like Miss C.C., you know, so."
"Ah."
Suzaku didn't need further explanation. Lelouch's younger brother shared much of his same views on the woman.
"Is Lelouch home, then?"
He set the wine in Nunnally's outstretched hands and wandered further into the living room.
"Sorry. He left to run some errands, but he should be back soon. Miss C.C. is here, though."
He wished he misheard her words from the kitchen, but he didn't, and he cringed. The one person he didn't want to see was the one person around. The irony was almost too much.
And speak of the devil—
C.C. leaned over the handrail from the second floor, her green hair falling over her shoulders to frame her face and pretty yellow eyes. They reminded him of a cat's, sly and cunning.
"Hello, C.C.," he said coldly, refusing to meet her gaze as he shifted from where he stood and entered the living room, away from the stairs and her suggestive pose. She was in nothing but his dress shirt yet again with the same overstuffed eyesore of a doll clutched at her side.
"Hello, Suzaku."
There was something about the way she said his name that rubbed him the wrong way. He wanted to snap at her for it, but he cleared his throat instead and took a seat on the couch. She brought out the worst in him, she really did.
"Oh, Miss C.C., the pizza man came. I left the boxes on the dining room table. You can have some too, Suzaku!"
C.C. snapped her head in Suzaku's direction and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. Her mouth formed the words, "no, you can't," and Suzaku snorted.
"It's alright, Nunnally," he called, "I ate a big breakfast."
He watched her skip the last two steps and land on the hardwood floors with a soft slap before padding into the kitchen. Her hair fell past the small of her back, but the short length of the dress shirt and the way it shifted as her hips swung with every step made it hard not to notice the light colored underwear she sported underneath. Suzaku tried not to stare and made sure his eyes were focused elsewhere when she reentered the room, plush doll in one hand and pizza slice in the other.
She sat on the couch opposite him, completely unabashed about her scant clothing. She no longer seemed aware of him as all her attention was directed to the string of cheese stretching from the crust to her bottom lip.
"You should probably get dressed," Suzaku commented as casually as he could, "I'm sure Lelouch—"
"Lelouch doesn't mind," she interrupted, "And besides, you came so early."
"It's eleven."
She shrugged, and awkward silence reigned from there, punctated only by the sound of her chewing and that of water boiling in the kitchen.
"I'll make us all some tea," Nunnally chirped.
Suzaku voiced his agreement then turned his eyes on C.C. a second time. There was contempt in his gaze that his general good nature couldn't even mask. Only the few buttons across her chest were done, and it made her look bustier than she actually was. His eyes traveled down to her long legs folded neatly behind one another. Her pale skin looked soft and supple to the touch.
Before he realized he was staring, she called him out on it.
"You can do more than just look, you know."
He nearly choked but managed to catch himself beforehand. Rather, he leaned back, crossed his arms, and scoffed.
"I'm just waiting for Lelouch."
She was done eating by then and began licking the grease and sauce from her fingers, trying to catch Suzaku's eyes as she did so.
"You don't have to be so cold, White Knight. I know your relationship with Lelouch."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning," she started, leaving her doll to sit beside him. "You're jealous."
"Of him?" Suzaku laughed.
"Of me."
Her sharp, piercing eyes finally caught his, and the effect was heightened by the knowing smirk that spread across her face at the same time.
"Please," Suzaku countered, unflinching, "You're just making things up as you go."
"Fine," she conceded, and before his mind could register the shifting of weight, she'd positioned her legs on either side of him.
C.C. straddled his lap with a mixed look of boredom and superiority and leaned forward, her lips ghosting against his.
"—Of him."
author's note: uh wow HI um it's been a while :,D long story short, i'm a college student now, but i'm back on my code geass kick. i've just really really really been inspired to write some suzaku/c.c./lelouch fic lately, and here we are! there really are too few c.c./suzaku fics which is a shame because since their relationship wasn't much explored in canon, i think that leaves ample room for interpretation! but anyways, this is alternate universe. this chapter was mostly setting up initial dynamics, and i'm still not 100% sure where i want to take this fic, but ugh, the shield/sword dynamic is just too great, and i'll try my best to translate it out of the code geass setting. please enjoy, and if you have any suggestions, please leave u3u