Totally and utterly based off a roleplay with my friend. : D No clue about the title, might change later. Been listening to too much Fallout Boy and Cinderfella was too overused.
Timeframe: 2000-2018 (Code Geass)
Slightly au... meaning Lulu isn't a power hungry nutcase working two sides of psycho street.
Kind of Cinderella-ish.
Hopefully no typos.
Happy Demyx Day?
x.x.x
The Disloyal Order of Sunflowers
When Lady Marianne had suggested putting a trellis covered in wisteria across part of the great stone walls that kept their lives private, the governess immediately told her it was a bad idea. The Lady didn't listen, wishing only to be able to smell sweetness every time she opened her bedroom window.
Of course, as these things always go, the governess was quite right and Marianne should've just shut up and listened. Marianne's eldest son (eight years old and proud of it), the eleventh Prince to the Britannian throne, had attempted to escape three times in the past two days over that wall, but this fourth time was the charm. Before anyone in the palace could realize he was missing, the little raven boy managed to climb his way to the top of the wall. That didn't last long however, because the young Prince possessed the strength, stamina and weight of a newborn kitten, and a breeze pushed him right off.
He toppled right over the ledge, landing unceremoniously on top of another human body with a warning yelp of "Look out!" Said human body let out a strange noise as all the air was suddenly forced out of his body upon impact and fell to the ground with the Prince on top of him.
Forest green eyes, framed by messy curls of auburn hair, fluttered open, meeting bright violet orbs and a curtain of black bangs. The brunette boy blinked, frowned, and then promptly let out a whining "Ow...!"
"S-sorry," the Prince muttered, blinking slowly at the other boy. He hadn't seen any other children who weren't servants or relatives because he wasn't allowed to talk to outsiders, so he was... awfully intrigued by the brunette. "I didn't break you or anything... did I?"
"Break me?" the boy asked incredulously, blinking up at the other with wide eyes. "What about you, falling out of the sky an' stuff?"
Sure enough, that was the exact way it seemed to him in his head. He hadn't noticed the young Prince teetering precariously on the edge of the wall, so the only thing he could come up with was that the Britannian fell... well, out of the sky.
The raven boy shook his head, feeling a small smile tug at his lips and glanced himself over. "I'm fine. The... sky isn't really that big, not too bad a fall." For some reason, he felt it necessary to lie, especially with the growing commotion inside the palace walls once the maids realized the Prince had gone missing. "U-um... listen, we should probably... run."
...On the other hand, there was the possibility that the boy had escaped from the castle grounds. After all, people didn't just fall from the sky.
"Run? Why? Is someone after you?" the brunette boy asked, pushing the other away so that he could sit up without knocking their foreheads together.
"Not yet, but they will be in a moment." The little boy spoke very eloquently for such a young child, and though his body was thin and frail looking inside his expensive clothes, his violet eyes were sharp, staring off somewhere behind them. He jumped up and pulled insistently on the brunette's hand, trying to tug him up.
After getting over his initial shock, the other boy leapt to his feet with surprising ease, practically dragging the raven-haired boy after him as he burst into a sprint. They ran for the cover of the blooming magnolia trees that surrounded the castle grounds, petals and twigs and dead leaves crunching beneath their feet. The young Prince knew that if they stayed there, they would both be found, so he led the brunette farther into the trees until they came to the field of sunflowers that grew on the outskirts of the sparse forest.
"In here!" the Prince hissed, shoving the other boy into the green stalks and jumping in after him. The sunflowers towered over their heads and the ground beneath their round heads was dark, soft and quiet. Both boys collapsed to their knees, panting heavily and clutching the stitches at their sides. The brunette recovered quickly, but the raven seemed to be having some trouble.
"Whew..." The brunette boy grinned and swiped his messy bangs out of his eyes, glancing around. "You picked a sunflower patch?"
The Prince scowled (though it looked more like a pout on his face), his cheeks puffing up. "Well, I would've run for the city-" (The castle was nestled comfortably atop a hill, overlooking the bustling city down below.) "-but I can't handle that much physical exertion."
The brunette merely blinked at him and cocked his head. "Fiza-whatty? Anyways, you wouldn't wanna go down there now, there's Knightmares there."
"...Knightmares? What are they doing in the city? Are they attacking?"
The brunette gave him a look and chuckled, shaking his head. "No, silly, they're patrolling, jus' like they do every night. You're from the castle, aren'tcha? Aren'tcha s'posed to know?"
"...No, I fell out of the sky."
"Yeah right. If you're a sky person, then aren't you supposed to have wings? Lemme see."
"...I don't have any."
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
The Prince huffed and crossed his arms, glaring at a ladybug that was slowly skittering its way up a sunflower stalk. "Well, sorry, I'm not very well-informed on these sorts of things... So are we just going to stay here all night?"
"Why not?" the brunette asked, a grin stretching over his face, leaning back on his hands. He obviously wasn't from the same background the Prince was, that much could be said from his ripped jeans and slightly torn black shirt, and messy auburn hair. ...Or maybe that part was just natural. "I don't got anywhere to go and you don't wanna go back, right?"
"Because it won't be very comfortable," the little aristocrat grumbled, brushing some dirt off his silk shirt. "And it's dirty. And what if it rains? We won't be protected if we stay here."
"Aw, we'll be fine," the other drawled, jumping up to push some sunflowers out of the way. The setting sun in the distance drenched the sky red as it sank behind the city's skyline. "See that colour? That means the weather's gonna be good."
The Prince didn't look convinced, pulling his knees to his chest and sighing. "...Do you usually sleep outside like this? Don't you have a... y'know, home to sleep in?"
"Only sometimes. Mostly when I get bored. And it's not cold, it's summertime, duh." The boy flopped onto his back, completely unconcerned with the things that were bothering the other, and stretched. "'Sides, it smells nice."
"...What were you doing anyway, sneaking around the castle in the first place?"
"...I was bored. ...Well, I was kinda already outside and the Knightmares kinda creep me out, so I just thought I'd come up this way and do some explorin'. What were you doin'?"
"My sister was trying to put me in a dress again so I ran." He lay down cautiously beside the brunette boy, curling up into a little ball. He was starting to feel a little agoraphobic. "My... name's Lelouch."
"So you are from the castle!"
"Well, obviously, I thought we'd established that," Lelouch scoffed, rolling his large eyes. "So what about you? Do you have a name, or did your parents think you weren't worth it?"
"'Course I gotta name!" the brunette grumbled, tilting his head towards the Prince and regarding him with a glare. "It's Suzaku, okay? Su-za-ku. My mom picked it out."
"Well, you didn't respond, so how was I supposed to know?" Lelouch giggled and moved a little closer to Suzaku's side for warmth, being used to sleeping with thick, downy blankets. "Japanese?"
"That's right," Suzaku replied somewhat proudly, his grin borderline cocky.
Lelouch sighed softly and averted his gaze up to the sky. It was really dark by then and stars sprinkled the navy blue like dust. It looked like... he was sleeping outside with his new friend. His siblings would have a heart-attack if they knew he'd succumbed himself to the dirt. "...T'morrow... wanna play hide an' seek, or somethin'?" he asked softly, voice thick with sleep.
"Only if you think you can keep up with me," Suzaku answered, a hint of amusement lacing his voice. He grinned and lifted his hand, ruffling Lelouch's hair, but the young Britannian was already asleep.
x.x.x
In the morning, Suzaku kept true to his word and both boys stumbled back into the the grove of magnolia trees, rubbing their eyes and giggling in the morning mist.
"I'm counting to ten so you better run..!"
They spent the better part of that morning clambering over roots and skirting around tree trunks and poking and teasing each other. On the most recent hiding spot, Lelouch found Suzaku easier than before. He grinned broadly at the cluster of bushes and sang "Gotcha!" Until, of course, he was lifted into the air.
"No, I gotcha," a stately looking teenager with blonde hair and very regal attire cooed, lifting a struggling and yelling Lelouch into his arms. "You nearly gave your mother a stroke. How could a brilliant little boy like you possibly think that this was a good idea?"
"Let me down, Schneizel! Get off me!" the youngest Prince whined, flailing and kicking his legs in an attempt to break free.
Suzaku crawled out of his hiding place, blinking in confusion and picking a leaf out of his brown curls. He regarded the blonde (who was now holding his new friend captive) with a look of distaste, scrunching his little nose and crossing his arms firmly over his chest. "Who're you?"
For a second, the eldest Prince looked like he was going to punt the runt, but decided to let it go, letting out a chuckle instead.
"Prince Schneizel, at your service," he said, somewhat unkindly. "Here to pick up my mischievous little brother. He's worried his mother and siblings terribly."
Lelouch continued to struggle, to no avail, with protests that fell on deaf ears. "Go back by yourself!"
Suzaku scowled and scuffed his shoe against the ground. "Sooo... are you taking him back then? Are we gonna play again?"
"Ohh, no. If little Lulu-" Said boy growled at the nickname, "-ever gets unpunished, he has so much to do. Being a Prince is hard work, you know. Not that you have to worry about such things, so why don't you just run along?" When Suzaku didn't budge, Schneizel frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Before I call the Royal Guard."
Suzaku took a step back and Lelouch panicked, fumbling for something around his neck. The chain snapped apart and he threw the object in the brunette's direction. It flashed gold and purple in the light. "Don't forget me! Okay?"
Suzaku snatched the object out of the air and ran before the older Prince could do anything to stop him. "I won't!" he called over his shoulder, flashing the raven-haired boy a grin as he disappeared among the sunflower stalks.
Lelouch sniffled and smiled slightly, feeling a little relieved, but only for a short while.
Schneizel shifted his grip on his little brother and looked at him distastefully. "That was a birthday present from your mother, wasn't it? He'll just sell it, you know. That boy looked like he hadn't eaten in days, and that medallion is worth more than anything anyone in that city owns."
Of course, the blonde only looked towards worrying the pants off his little brother as punishment for running out of the castle like that.
And he succeeded, because for a few years after that, Lelouch would wonder every day if Suzaku had sold the charm. Ever since he had escaped, security had been tightened and everyone kept their eyes on him, so it was hard to find out. Eventually, he convinced himself that Suzaku had forgotten about him and just went and sold the stupid thing. After all... he needed to eat, right? As a few more years passed and Lelouch grew into a teenager, he started to wonder again. Not knowing for sure made him nauseous, so he asked Schneizel to look into it. The blonde refused to let Lelouch think about the commoner, so he pretended to search and told his brother that the charm had been sold several years prior. It broke the prince's heart, but he didn't speak of it again, pretending to have forgotten.
And a few more years later, when both boys turned eighteen (one only slightly older than the other), Suzaku finally found himself standing in front of the gates to the Britannian palace, eyes on the verge of falling shut as he inhaled the familiar scent of magnolia blossoms and sunflowers. Memories hit him full force, and he felt his chest ache.
The brunette was dressed in a Knightmare's flightsuit now, white and navy blue, buttoned all the way up to his throat and clinging to his lean body. A small gold and purple charm was attached right above the zipper, still gleaming brightly after all those years.
Suzaku sighed softly to himself, tuning out the sound of Lloyd chattering away with a couple of the guards standing at the gates and tried to ease the anxious churning in his stomach.
"Alright, we're expected!" Lloyd exclaimed with a look of scary excitement. "Ohoho, and what this on the uniform I made you?" he asked, leaning close to examine the little charm. Suzaku, who already used to Lloyd's... quirks, didn't move away. "From a nice girl, I suppose? No matter, though it does look familiar. Come on, come on, we can't keep Schneizel waiting, he'll have us murdered!" (Though he sound extremely excited over the prospect.) He headed past the wrought-iron gates, fixing his glasses with Suzaku at his heel.
The brunette had crinkled his nose at the mention of the blonde prince. Over the years he had mellowed out into a friendly, dependable person, but whenever he heard the name Schneizel... he just wanted to punch a hole in a wall. Despite all this, he followed his boss without protest, nervously tugging at the cuffs on his gloves. "I kind of wish I hadn't eaten breakfast," he muttered under his breath.
"I can't believe you really ate all that," Lloyd said, almost in awe. "Even I won't eat Cecile's cooking. Suzaku, you're my hero."
Once again, Suzaku couldn't tell if the man was being serious or not, especially with his cackling laughter, but he decided to spare his sanity and not question it.
They went through the main hall, which was decked out in shining white marble and windows that reached the ceiling and chandeliers that hung every twenty feet, and headed towards the audience chamber.
"Well... I had to. You saw the look she gave me, right? The if-you-don't-eat-this-I-will-grab-the-nearest-piece-of-machinery-and-bash-you-in-the-head-with-it look. ...But I suppose if it makes me a hero, then I can live with that."
"I don't know, I would take my chances with the machinery, I hope you have something for-ah, Prince Schneizel! How fantastic to see you again!" Lloyd threw his arms open and bowed (and Suzaku thought he couldn't be stranger even if he tried).
Schneizel only nodded in greeting from his throne (Suzaku resisted the urge to bite his knuckles). On both of his sides were the younger, lesser royalty-a woman with waves of lilac hair and purple eyes, a girl about Suzaku's age with light, almost pink hair and bright periwinkle eyes, a younger blonde girl with closed eyes...
...And the last one, who stood out the most. The ebony-haired, violet-orbed prince sat on the far right, staring boredly out the nearest window with his elbow resting on the chair's armrest and his chin propped up in his hand. He hadn't noticed that his old childhood friend was standing a mere fifteen feet away from him, as he hadn't been told the name of the new Knight, and therefore didn't care.
All of Suzaku's desires for Schneizel to spontaneously combust suddenly flew out of the proverbial window the moment his green eyes fell on the lithe raven teen, sitting there with a look of indifference on his face. His heart stuttered, skipped, leaped and lodged itself in his throat, pounding against the pendant that was buttoned to his uniform.
The blind girl beside the youngest Prince reached for his hand, tugging on it insistently. "Lulu? Lulu, who is it?"
"Who cares?" Lelouch drawled, voice carrying through the room. "I'm not worried about some silly ceremony."
His sister pouted in disappointment and crossed her arms.
"So this is the guinea pig for your new project, Count?" Schneizel spoke up, almost sneering instead of smiling. There was something about the brunette that he didn't like... "He seems a little... common."
Lloyd shrugged, cocking his hands on his hips and glancing over his shoulder at said 'guinea pig.' "I didn't pick him, the Knightmare did. Besides, he's perfectly capable, so I have no complaints."
Suzaku jerked himself out of his reverie, wrenching his eyes away from Lelouch with more force than he thought was necessary and tapped a fist against his chest, taking a bow. "...Kururugi Suzaku, at your service."
x.x.x
Hmmmmmm. Not quite sure what to say. Did you enjoy it?
WILL YOU REVIEW IT? D: