Yet another Code Geass fanfic from me! :) I know this senario has been overused (and I've used it already in one of my Death Note fics) but I couldn't help it. There was a thunderstorm going on and I wanted to type something on my brand new laptop. So, I made up this senario and thus this fanfic was born!! :) Hope you all like it! And, once again, I do not own Code Geass. If I did...I would change a handful of things...

Storm Fright

Night had fallen on Area 11, leaving the formerly proud nation shrouded in darkness. There was a moon high in the sky, if it wasn't hidden by the storm clouds that were rolling in. And fast. Flashes of lightning could already light up the dark sky and the rumbles of thunder could easily rattle windows. The storm had yet to arrive, so anyone could tell that this one was going to be a vicious one.

Thankfully, Lelouch Lamperouge didn't mind thunderstorms. Every once in awhile, sure he would flinch at a loud boom of thunder, but not out of fear. It was more out of surprise and him being startled, than anything else. Nunally didn't seem to mind the storms, either. Lelouch remembered that she was scared of them as a kid, but now she seemed unaffected. If it was a big one, though, she would become slightly nervous. Thankfully, her big brother was there to assure her that everything would be fine.

Lelouch glanced out of the window in his room, as a streak of lightning flashed across the sky. His eyes widened a bit with surprise, as he didn't realized the storm had come that close. Just as the lightning dimmed down, the rain started to pour down, almost drowning out the rumble of thunder that followed. This is going to be a big one…he thought faintly, as he went back to his work. He was almost finished with his plans as Zero for tomorrow night. He cancelled the meeting, because of the storm.

"That should be good." he said, as he put on the finishing touches. It was already late in the night and he was more than ready for a good night's sleep. …Hopefully. CC had ventured to another part of the house, since she was allowed to at night, when everyone else had gone to bed. Lelouch wondered if she was afraid of thunderstorms, but quickly rejected the idea. The witch barely flinched at anything…unless it had to do with the harm of her precious pizza. He chuckled softly at the thought.

And his stomach growled at the mere mention of food.

Frowning, Lelouch looked down at his traitorous stomach, before pushing his chair back and standing up. He didn't have that much of an appetite during supper, so he dismissed himself, saying that he wasn't feeling all that well. Which wasn't the best idea, as that worried Nunally. Not wanting her to worry needlessly, he managed to take a few bites, before excusing himself up to his room.

"A midnight snack shouldn't hurt." he said, as he turned off his computer and left the room, shutting off the lights behind him in the process.

The hallways were pitch black, as he walked through them. Not a single light was on. The only thing that lit up the hallways, was the lightning outside, which flashed periodically. The thunder was loud enough to rattle the windows, though Lelouch did manage to jump at a particularly loud one, as he made his way to the kitchen. He thought about what he should have for a snack, as he wasn't hungry enough for an entire meal.

Pizza? No, thanks to CC, I've had my fair share of that stuff. I think we still have some leftover cake…No, that's no good either. After that one night, I'll never have sweets before bed again. Hmm…Lelouch thought hard for a minute, before a simple idea came to mind. Got it! A peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Simple, yet effective! Though I hope we still have jelly…He smiled softly at the thought of eating a PB&J sandwich. He hadn't eaten one since he was a kid!

Just as he was about to pass the main doors to get to the kitchen, lightning flashed outside once again, lightning up everything, including inside of the house. However, in that brief moment of lighting Lelouch saw something outside that made him freeze.

A silhouette of a person, standing right outside.

Lelouch's breath hitched in his throat, as he made his way to the window, peering outside. However, the lightning had already dimmed and the outside world had returned to the darkness once more. Tried as he might, he couldn't see who exactly was out there. He had only caught a brief glance, but he didn't recognize the figure at all. Who could it be at this time of night…? One of the Black Knights? No, that's impossible--if they knew where I lived, then they know my identity. Which is ridiculous. Anyone from the Student Council? No…even if it was a surprise, one of them would've called first. Then…who the hell…?

Fearing for Nunally's safety, Lelouch decided to check it out. Though he had nothing to defend himself with in case the person attacked him, he went over to the door anyway and, with a moment's hesitation, flipped on the lights, before opening the door with a single, swift motion.

What stood there before him wasn't a rebel, nor a terrorist.

What stared back at him, was a wide-eyed, completely soaked Kururugi Suzaku.

Both of them stood there for a moment, slightly stunned, before Lelouch finally came to his senses, "Suzaku…? What're you doing here?"

"D-Did I wake you up?" asked Suzaku, scratching the back of his head, sheepishly, "Sorry…"

"No, no. I was already awake." said Lelouch, waving off his friend's apology, "But you still haven't answered my main question."

"Ah, well…" A soft, embarrassed blush came across his cheeks, as he began to explain, "After I was done on base, I decided to head back here, since I forgot something in one of the rooms. I was hoping they were still open, when the storm hit, and--"

Lightning flashed across the sky right at that moment, followed by a loud rumble of thunder. Suzaku physically flinched at the noise, an almost inaudible whimper escaping his lips, as he screwed his eyes shut. It was then that Lelouch had an answer to his question.

"…After all these years, you're still scared of storms?" he asked, placing a hand on his hip, an eyebrow raised up in curiosity.

"H-Hey, it's only been seven years." muttered Suzaku, as he opened his eyes again. It was then that Lelouch noticed his friend was trembling slightly. Whether it was from the storm, or the fact that he was soaked to the bone, he didn't know.

"Either way, c'mon inside. You're completely soaked." said Lelouch, stepping aside, letting Suzaku walk in.

Suzaku relaxed almost visibly, as he walked past Lelouch and into the warm, inviting house. Being inside during a storm was a lot better than being outside in one, "Thank you, Lelouch."

"No problem." replied the former prince, as he walked in after Suzaku, closing the doors behind him. When the doors clicked shut, he saw Suzaku jump slightly in the darkness. He's so jumpy now…that's not like him. thought Lelouch, as he walked over to his friend, "Wait right here and I'll get you a towel to dry off with."

The thought of staying there, alone, in the darkness during a thunderstorm frightened Suzaku a little (even though he was inside). Either way, though, he gave a little nod, "Okay."

Lelouch didn't need to have the lights on to know that Suzaku's emerald hues were filled with fear. He gave his friend an encouraging smile, before walking off towards one of the spare closets upstairs near the bathroom. Don't worry, Suzaku. I won't be long.

While traveling in the darkness, Lelouch let his mind wander to when both of them were little kids. Back then, Lelouch was slightly scared of loud thunderstorms, but not as much as Suzaku was. The then 10-year old Japanese was so terrified during a storm, he couldn't move, 

even if someone urged him to. As more storms popped up, his fear calmed down slightly, but he still wouldn't go outside during one. Not at all. And the ones who were by his side constantly during a storm, were Lelouch and Nunally. With them around, Suzaku seemed a lot more calmer during a storm.

He hasn't changed…Though I'm surprised that he managed to keep his sanity while outside during this. though Lelouch, as he approached the closet. He stopped walking for a minute, as lightning flashed outside, lighting up the entire hall for a split second. And during that split second--

He felt someone run into him.

Both of them let out startled screams, with Lelouch whirling around to see who exactly it was…when he saw Suzaku's scared emerald eyes peering through the darkness at him.

"S-Suzaku!" breathed Lelouch, his heart still pounding in his chest, "You scared me! I thought you were downstairs!"

"I know you told me to wait and all, but--" Suzaku's sentence got cut off, as another bolt of lightning streaked through the air, followed by a loud rumble of thunder, causing him to cringe once more.

Lelouch sighed softly, his violet orbs softening, "Alright. Just follow me and stay close."

Suzaku nodded and obediently followed Lelouch, as he walked over to the closet, opening it. Inside were several towels, just in case there weren't any clean ones in the bathroom. He took one and handed it to Suzaku, "You need a change of clothes, too. Don't want you getting sick now."

"Sorry if I'm being bothersome." muttered the Japanese pilot, his eyes downcast.

"Nonsense. Don't think like that." said Lelouch, patting his friend on the shoulder, "I'm glad to help you out at anytime. Don't hesitate to ask, alright?"

Suzaku gave Lelouch a small smile and nodded, just before he cringed again, as a bolt of lightning flashed outside, a loud boom of thunder following it. Lelouch started heading towards his room, knowing that Suzaku would follow. He just hoped a certain green haired witch wasn't in his room. Though, just in case…

"Wait right here, okay?" asked Lelouch, as they stopped outside of his room, "My room isn't exactly in shape for guests right now."

"Your room? Messy?" asked Suzaku, raising an eyebrow, "No way."

"Yes way." replied Lelouch, with a lopsided grin, "Anyways, I'll only be a second, so just wait here."

After seeing Suzaku's nod in the darkness, Lelouch turned around and went into his room. And, sure enough, CC was lying on his bed with Cheese-kun in her arms. Golden orbs met violet ones, as he walked further into the room, heading straight for the closet.

"Why is he here?" asked CC, nodding towards the door.

"He got caught in the storm and is staying until it blows over." said Lelouch, as he shuffled through some clothes, "Meaning you've got to go to a different part of the house, so he won't see you."

"You're ordering me out of your room?" she asked, raising an amused eyebrow.

"Yes." replied Lelouch sternly, as he turned around, "If he sees you, we'll both be in trouble that we don't want to be in. And you don't want him to ask you any unnecessary questions, right?"

"You mean like why there's a girl in your room, sleeping in your bed?" asked CC, a coy grin on her lips. She loved pressing all of Lelouch's buttons. She always got the most interesting results.

Lelouch frowned at that. That would be awkward to explain why she was there. And why she had commandeered his bed. No doubt she would bring up the same thing she did, when Lelouch first found her at the house. And, of course, she had to say it in front of Nunally, who jumped to the conclusion that they were going to get married. If Suzaku found out--

"Just make yourself scarce before we come back here again, okay?" he asked, as picked out a pair of clothes for Suzaku and headed for the door, "If you do…I'll let you order twice as much pizza for the remainder of this week."

This got CC's attention. She sat up and watched Lelouch with curious eyes, "Is that a bribe?"

Lelouch just gave her a small grin, before leaving the room. CC stared at the closed doors for a moment, taking this time to consider Lelouch's deal. He had spoken to her just the other day, about how much pizza she ordered on his credit card. And there was still four days remaining in the week.

"I'll milk this for all it's worth." said CC to herself, as she waited for both boys to walk away from the doors.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Suzaku perked up, as Lelouch left the room, clothes folded over one arm. He immediately went to his friend's side, "Were you trying to clean up your room a little, before you came out?"

"A little, yeah." said Lelouch, with a small chuckle, "Sorry to make you wait." He handed the clothes over to Suzaku, who took them almost eagerly. And who could blame him? Wet clothes were uncomfortable, not to mention cold, "Change in the bathroom. I'll wait outside."

"Thanks, Lelouch." said Suzaku, smiling softly at his friend, "I'll have to pay you back for this, big time."

"You don't have to do anything." chuckled Lelouch, as the pair walked to the bathroom down the hall, "As I said before, I'm glad to help you out anytime."

Suzaku looked over at Lelouch, looking like he was about to say something, when a flash of lightning flashed brightly outside, followed by a loud boom of thunder, causing him to wince once again. Lelouch saw him physically shake this time, too.

"Get changed quickly, then we can head back downstairs. I was just making something to eat anyways, so I'll make you something too." said Lelouch, as he gently pushed his friend towards the bathroom. Suzaku stumbled slightly, before finally walking in, closing the door behind him.

Lelouch let out a soft sigh, as he leaned against the wall. Suzaku's fear of storms still lingered, though there was still hints of it actually scaring him to the point of him not doing something. Not only that, but his emerald hues gave away every single one of his emotions--including fear. They said that 'eyes were the window to the soul' but with Suzaku, that went on the borderline of being ridiculous. You could tell if he was lying, bottling emotions--everything. At one point, Lelouch hated that Suzaku's eyes were so easy to read, but over time he came to like them. He often wondered if his own eyes were that easy to read.

He's just too soft-hearted to hide anything. thought Lelouch with a soft smile. He looked towards the bathroom door, I thought being in the military would toughen him up just a little bit, but he's still the same Suzaku I knew as a kid. Aside from a few differences.

At that moment, Suzaku came out of the bathroom, wearing one of Lelouch's older casual outfits. It consisted of a pair of grey sweatpants and a white T-shirt. He usually wore 

them if he wasn't in the mood to be wearing anything else. Perfect for lounging around the house in.

"I had no idea that I would fit into your clothes." said Suzaku, toweling his hair dry, as he walked out.

"What makes you say that?" asked Lelouch, a little perplexed as the statement.

"Well, for one, our body types are completely different." said Suzaku, looking Lelouch up and down once, "You're a skinny stick and I'm…well…not."

"You're muscular and I'm not. I get it." said Lelouch curtly, as he frowned playfully.

"You don't have to say it that way." chuckled Suzaku, as he brought the towel off of his head. Just as he did so, an unexpected rumble of thunder ripped through the air, rattling the windows and making both Lelouch and Suzaku jump at the loud noise. Suzaku now clung onto the towel, like a child holding his blanket.

"Shall we head on downstairs?" asked Lelouch, as he began to lead the way, Suzaku close behind, "Does peanut butter and jelly sandwiches sound good to you?"

"PB&J?" asked Suzaku, his voice shaking just a little, as he was still rattled by the earlier thunder, "You have random tastes at night, don't you?"

"I'm not in the mood for something big, so why not?" asked Lelouch, looking behind him at Suzaku, smiling softly, "I do have cake, but I don't feel like eating anything really sweet."

"Yeah, eating sweet things at night isn't the best idea." said Suzaku, nodding in agreement, "Not only do you get an upset stomach, you have the weirdest dreams."

"Speaking from experience?" asked Lelouch, as they began to walk downstairs. He knew the only reason he didn't eat sweets at night, was because of one certain incident. One that he didn't wish to speak of. Especially in front of Suzaku.

"Yeah. I remember one time I ate some cheesecake before going to sleep and I had the strangest dream of my life." explained Suzaku, as the two walked into the kitchen. Thankfully, Lelouch flipped on some lights, illuminating the dark kitchen. He winced slightly, as he saw lightning flash outside the window, but the rumble of thunder was barely audible, "I dreamed that Japan was being taken over, not by Britannia, but by Cheese-kun."

"You're kidding." laughed Lelouch softly, as he took out the bread, peanut butter, jelly, and butter knives. His friend joined him by his side, as they prepared the sandwiches, "Pizza Hut's mascot taking over Japan."

"I told you it was weird!" chuckled Suzaku, as he picked up a slice of bread and started spreading some jelly over it, "After that, unless it's absolutely necessary, I never eat anything sweet before bed."

"Would jam count as a sweet, though…?" muttered Lelouch, as he licked a bit off that got on his finger. It was sweet and all…so wouldn't it count?

"Unless you eat it right out of the jar, I don't think it could." said Suzaku. He blinked as he got a bit of jelly on his finger, as well. Grinning to himself, he tapped Lelouch on the shoulder, causing the former prince to turn around. When he did that, though, Suzaku took the opportunity and wiped off the jam on Lelouch's nose.

"H-Hey!" he yelped, jumping back a little. He blinked, as he wiped off the jam with his own finger, "I'm not a napkin, you know."

"You're pale enough to be one." laughed Suzaku, as he got another slice of bread and started with the peanut butter, "You should go out in the sun more, Lelouch."

"And you should become less tan." retorted Lelouch, as he stepped back up to the countertop and started fixing his sandwich again, "Exercise otaku."

"Chess otaku." shot back Suzaku, with a playful grin. The two friends looked at each other, before laughing heartily. It had been awhile since they were together like this, just to themselves. Of course, they were in a house that had people sleeping in it, so they immediately quieted themselves into giggles.

Once the sandwiches were done, Lelouch set them on a plate and carried them, while Suzaku got the drinks (non-caffeinated rootbeer). After shutting off the lights, Suzaku followed Lelouch closely, as they went back upstairs. From behind him, Lelouch could hear his friend twitch at every lightning strike outside and whimper softly at every rumble of thunder. With the lights on, he's fine. But when it's pitch black, it's a different story. he thought, as a soft smile crossed his lips. He knew that, once they were in his room with the lights on, the Japanese pilot would be just fine.

When they reached the room, Lelouch hesitated for a moment, before stepping forward and activating the automatic doors. To his relief, CC was nowhere in sight. In fact…there was no trace of her ever being in the room. Aside from the lingering smell of pizza. Suzaku peered in, almost shoving his way past Lelouch to get into the lighted room.

"Your room isn't messy anymore." he said with a grin, as Lelouch stepped aside to let him in. He set the drinks on the desk, before plopping down on Lelouch's bed.

"I told you, I cleaned it up a little, when I got you those clothes." said Lelouch, as he handed Suzaku his sandwich. He pulled up his chair from the desk and set it by the drinks, so now he was facing Suzaku. He looked up to see his friend already biting into the PB&J, "Hungry, huh?"

Suzaku nodded, swallowing what he had in his mouth, before speaking, "I skipped supper, so I'm pretty much starving right now." he said, with a soft chuckle. He reached over and grabbed his rootbeer, taking a sip, before setting it back down and going back to his sandwich.

Lelouch smiled softly, as he picked up his own sandwich and bit into it. He was almost surprised at how good it actually tasted, since he hadn't had it in such a long time. After taking another big bite, he reached over and washed it down with a swig of rootbeer.

Is he skipping meals, because of his military duties? thought Lelouch faintly, as he glanced over at Suzaku. Though he knew he didn't have to worry about the other's eating habits, his health was another thing to take into consideration. Lelouch knew that Suzaku was skinny to begin with, however he noticed lately that the pilot had been slimming down a lot lately. If he would come for supper more often, I can make sure at least some food gets into his system.

"By the way, Lelouch…" Suzaku's voice interrupted Lelouch's thoughts, causing him to focus on the Honorary Britannian, "Your bed smells of pizza."

"Really?" asked Lelouch, blinking at the sudden statement. It probably didn't help that CC ate pizza on his bed constantly. That and, no matter how many times he washed his sheets, the faint smell of dough, cheese, and sauce never seemed to get out. Pretty soon I'm going to reek of pizza.

"Yeah. Do you eat it up here in your room a lot?" asked Suzaku, tilting his head to the side, as he took another bite out of his sandwich.

"Something like that, yeah." said the former prince, "I take a box up here when I have those long nights of studying to do."

"An entire box?" asked Suzaku, raising an eyebrow, as he grabbed his drink, "You better watch it, Lelouch. That skinny no-muscle body is soon gonna turn into a no muscle fat body."

"Oh, you be quiet." snapped Lelouch playfully, causing his friend to chuckle into his drink. Almost simultaneously, the two looked out of one of the several windows in his room. It was still pouring down rain, as it was hitting the windows in a steady rhythm. Every once in 

awhile, there would be a flash of lightning and a low rumble of thunder. Suzaku flinched slightly, but not as badly as he did when it was completely dark.

"It's not stopping." he said bluntly, as he took another bite of his almost-gone sandwich.

"Looks like its going to last all night, at this rate." sighed Lelouch, as he took a drink from his glass of rootbeer, "This reminds me of that one storm, seven years ago."

"Hey, it kinda does." chuckled Suzaku, as he remembered as well, "The one that lasted all day and all night. And it was a really bad one too. Almost like this one."

"No, it was worse. Even I was trembling." said Lelouch, raising an eyebrow, "I remember all three of us, you, me, and Nunnally were hiding in the shed, waiting for the rain to let up. We thought we would be okay inside, but…"

"The thunder ripped right through the building, like there were no walls." sighed Suzaku, shaking his head, "I think I might've squeezed the life out of your hand then." he added with a chuckle.

"My hand was numb, by the time the storm was done and over with." chuckled Lelouch, raising his right hand a little in the air, "There were actually white marks on my skin, you were squeezing so hard. Most of the time, I was whimpering about that."

"You should've told me I was hurting you." frowned Suzaku, as he ate the last bit of his sandwich, "I would've stopped."

"I told you several times to stop squeezing my hand so hard. You were so scared stiff, no words got through to you." laughed Lelouch softly, as he finished up his rootbeer first, before finishing his PB&J sandwich.

"Could you blame me? It was scary!"

"It was, wasn't it?"

The two friends laughed softly, suddenly feeling slightly nostalgic. Though the days back then weren't all fun and friendly, the best times was when either all three of them hung out, or when just the two of them went on little 'adventures.' The best memories were made during those two times. Even the bad times turned into good memories, down the road.

"Out of all of us, I think Nunally was the calmest one." chuckled Suzaku, as he reached for his rootbeer, finishing it off with one gulp, "She didn't cry or whimper or nothing. Just flinched, whenever the thunder got too loud."

"Even now, she's not scared of storms." said Lelouch, leaning back into his chair, "And I've gotten over the fear, too. Once you realize the logic of it, it's not so scary."

"Logic works for you, but not for me." said Suzaku, pouting slightly, "I'm still a little shaky, even though the lights are on and everything. I guess this fear will stick with me."

"If you have those around that care about you, then there's nothing to be afraid of." said Lelouch, smiling softly at Suzaku. Suzaku blinked for a moment, surprised at what Lelouch said, before a kind smile of his own spread across his lips.

"Mm. Thank you, Lelouch."

"You're welcome." said the violet-hued student, as he stood up, "Since you're obviously spending the night here, I'll get you some blankets and a pillow, so you can get comfortable. I'm sure you're tired after all this."

"A little, yeah." nodded Suzaku, though once again his emerald hues showed that he wasn't just a little tired--he was tired. Lelouch could tell that he had been suppressing yawns the entire time they were up in his room.

"Wait right here. I'll be back." said Lelouch. Suzaku nodded, this time with no fear written in his eyes at all. The fear of the storm had long since passed, since he had been around Lelouch.

Once the doors closed behind him, Lelouch made his way down the dark, quiet hall. He even stopped for a minute and turned around, looking to see if Suzaku was following him. He was a little surprised to find that the Japanese pilot wasn't there. He's not scared, anymore. he thought with a smile, as he continued down the hall. He jumped slightly, as a bolt of lightning flashed outside, lighting up the entire hall. The rumble of thunder that followed, though, was dim and low.

Lelouch reached the same closet that had the towels in it, and opened it. After searching around for a minute, he pulled out a sleeping bag, two blankets, and a large pillow. He planned to be the one sleeping on the floor, even if Suzaku said otherwise. If he protests, then I'll win this match. thought Lelouch with a small grin, as he closed the closet with his foot. His arms were entirely full and it made it a little hard to walk. He paused for a minute, adjusting what he had in his arms, before continuing down the hall.

When he finally reached his room, he walked in backwards, so he wouldn't bump up against something, or even scare Suzaku. When he backed in, he looked over at the pilot, "I didn't know how much you wanted, so I just got you--"

Lelouch stopped, when he saw Suzaku, curled up on his side, under the covers, completely asleep. His shoes were long forgotten by the end of the bed, and the towel that he had dried off with was tight in his grasp, almost like a child with a stuffed animal. His hands were curled up slightly by his face, his breathing nice and slow. Even Lelouch knew that Suzaku was in a deep sleep.

"He just couldn't wait, huh?" he asked softly, as he dumped the blankets and whatnot to the floor. He was about to set out the sleeping bag for himself…when he took one last look at the peaceful Suzaku. With that, Lelouch turned around and started searching for a pair of pajamas to wear. The storm's still going on, so this might be best.

After getting dressed into a pair of plain white pajamas, Lelouch quietly shut off the lights and went over to the bed, carefully climbing in next to Suzaku. The pilot didn't even twitch. Once he was completely in, Lelouch snuggled up against his friend, wrapping an arm around the other's waist. Suzaku reacted slightly, as he sighed softly and curled up a little more, now resting his head against the former prince's chest.

"Sleep tight, Suzaku." whispered Lelouch, as he planted a small kiss on Suzaku's forehead, before lying his head down. Once he closed his eyes, sleep took him almost immediately.