I'M SO EXCITED IT'S SUZALULU WEEK. *CONFETTI*

I just had fun with these prompts. Like, I didn't agonize over making sure every word was IC like in some of my other fics *cough*Blackmail*cough* so just...roll with the boy love and enjoy? Also, I don't own Lelouch, Suzaku, or Code Geass in general.

Most of the oneshots will not relate to each other. THIS one is continued in Prompt/Day 5.

Day 1 (Sept 22 )
Suzaku: yellow | Lelouch: red

*/*

Chapter 1: Tape

*/*

"I said 'no.' I'm sorry, Lelouch." Clutching his school bag with both hands, Suzaku took a deep breath and stood his ground. His gaze flitted off to the side. There was a really interesting wall pattern behind his best friend's head, which was a lot easier to look at than the furious glare he knew he was receiving. Swallowing, he started walking down the hallway. Lelouch's footsteps sounded behind him, and soon enough the outcast Britannian prince had caught up and was walking by his side. Suzaku could see him in his peripheral vision, but he dared not look at him directly.

Lelouch was silent for a long moment, waiting until they passed a throng of students before arguing. "Maybe you should try not running away," he suggested, lightly but for the hidden steel in his voice.

Suzaku gulped again. "I'm not running away," he said crossly. "There are lots of good reasons why we shouldn't get together."

"And one very good reason why we should," Lelouch countered. "That being, we both have feelings for each other. Isn't that the most important thing?"

Wincing, Suzaku forced himself to shake his head. "It's not practical, Lelouch." He sped up.

Lelouch picked up his pace, too, though he started breathing a little faster. "I don't understand," he murmured searchingly. "Why are you trying so hard to make us both miserable?"

"I'm not trying to make us miserable," Suzaku replied. "I'm trying to follow the rules." Glancing at the older boy quickly, he turned the corner and elaborated, "You're a Britannian and—well, you have your…status. I'm just an Eleven. Society frowns on mixed relationships. Add to that, we're both boys. I'm in the military, too, and it's expected that I follow the proper order for things." Looking to the side, he added, "We'd have to jump through a lot of hoops to be allowed to be together and just—Lelouch, I'm sorry." His throat was tight but he was proud he'd managed to get all the words out.

At the end of his spiel, Lelouch overtook him and whirled around, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him to a stop—more out of shock than anything else. Breathing heavily, Lelouch gripped his shoulders tighter and stepped closer, purple eyes narrowed, and burst out, "I don't care about the rules, Suzaku! I told you before. I don't believe in getting tangled up in red tape and bureaucracy. What hoops are you talking about, anyway? Who needs to give us permission?" He took another step closer, putting him within the soldier's personal bubble. Softly, he demanded, "Are you really going to let superficial doctrines get in the way of our happiness?"

Suzaku looked into violet eyes for two seconds before dropping his gaze to the floor. His heart was pounding, and he wished Lelouch would give it a rest already. It was getting harder each day to deny him, and the persistent prince had doggedly pursued him for over two months now. Suzaku had come up with sixty three reasons so far about why they shouldn't strike up a romantic relationship, ranging from, "You should date Shirley" to "I'm busy with work" to "We have to guard your secret and dating will only draw more attention to us." (Lelouch, of course, had an answer to everything, ranging from "But I love you, not Shirley" to "But you always make time for me as friends" to "If it bothers you that much, let's date in secret.") Never once did the brunet say, "I don't love you back." They both knew that would be a flimsy lie—not that Suzaku's other excuses were substantial in their own right.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Lelouch asked, clearly frustrated.

Suzaku flinched again and kept staring at the floor. "How long are you?" he returned. "When are you going to give up, Lelouch?"

The Britannian teen shook his head determinedly. "Never," he proclaimed. "I'll never give up on you, Suzaku."

The brunet's heart skipped a beat despite himself. Ten percent of him wanted Lelouch to back off and let things be, thirty percent of him wanted to keep pushing Lelouch and test his words, and sixty percent of him just wanted to kiss Lelouch and put an end to this whole chase. He was suddenly overcome with a strong urge to find out how the other boy tasted. He wondered how Lelouch would react if he surged forward and pinned the Britannian to the wall with his lips, followed by the rest of his body. They were both desperate for it, but how might it actually play out?

Lelouch would never kiss him out-of-the-blue. He'd made that very clear from the get-go. "I won't force it on you," the prince had said. "It has to be your choice. But that doesn't mean I'll drop it altogether. I'm going to change your mind, Suzaku, and the second you allow it, I'm going to be all over you."

Suzaku had shivered pleasantly and thanked the Britannian boy for the mental image. Lelouch had countered that it could be their reality, but Suzaku had only shaken his head and took his leave. Lelouch hadn't stopped trying since.

"You never answered my question," the older student pointed out after a couple minutes of silence. "Suzaku, how long are you going to make us wait?"

Taking a deep breath, the soldier squeezed his eyes shut. Make us wait. Not me. Lelouch knew how much Suzaku yearned for it, too, the royal bastard. Wetting his lips, the younger boy croaked out, "Forever, Lelouch. I'm sorry." Almost robotically, he freed himself from the weaker teen's grip and made a mad dash escape. Home to think up tomorrow's excuse, and to daydream about some alternate universe where he was free to give in to his best friend's advances.

Lelouch didn't follow him that time, but Suzaku knew he'd try again the next day. The prince just kept coming back, like he was sure of what he wanted and knew he'd get his way if he worked for it hard enough. If he used all his wit and charms and tricks that he honestly didn't need because Suzaku already loved him—that wasn't the problem.

Ever since he'd killed his own father, Suzaku's heart was a crime scene. Like all crime scenes, it was blockaded with yellow tape, crucial for keeping people out. Thanks to his sin, Suzaku believed that there was no way he could take the next step and truly allow Lelouch access to his heart. As much as he wanted to tear down that yellow tape and invite the Britannian prince in, he knew he didn't deserve it. He'd never been punished for the murder. The crime scene was as fresh on his heart as it was seven years ago. He could never confess, but he could be his own judge, jury, and executioner. Suzaku sentenced himself to a life of deserved loneliness.

Lelouch would never accept that. He wouldn't understand.

So Suzaku gave other excuses in a feeble attempt to dissuade him. It was all right. He had enough self-discipline and self-loathing to last a lifetime.

Without Lelouch.