Lelouch wasn't sure who was more surprised; him or Suzaku. He was glad to see his old friend (alive!) and Suzaku seemed happy, if a bit confused, to see him too. But surprised? Definitely.

The only person (and Lelouch was beginning to question if she really was a person, with her cool eyes and complete lack of fear) who wasn't surprised was the girl they retrieved.

At least not until someone shone a spotlight on them.

"Stinking monkey. Being an honorary Britannian will not excuse you." Ten soldiers, led by a captain, stormed in.

Suzaku swore nearly soundlessly and ran up to the soldiers. "But sir, I was told this was poison gas."

Shit. Suzaku had become a bootlicking subordinate to his Britannian masters. Lelouch looked at the girl, wondering what threat she posed to the mighty Britannian Empire.

"How dare you question orders?" The captain barked. "However, in light of your outstanding military achievements I'm going to be lenient." He held out a gun to Suzaku. "Private Kururugi, take this and execute the terrorist."

"But he's not a terrorist. He's a civilian who got caught up in all this," Suzaku said, shaking his head. "I won't shoot a civilian. I can't follow your orders, sir."

An admirable stance, principled and well-reasoned and Suzaku should have taken the fucking gun before making it, because now that gun was pressed to his head. Lelouch realized he was breathing faster in fear and anger. That idiot.

"I should blow your brains out, you insubordinate animal," The captain sneered. "But you don't use them, so it wouldn't be much of a punishment."

Suzaku just smiled peaceably. "Sir, this is a misunderstanding. This boy" who's a boy? Lelouch thought angrily I'm seven months older "is a Britannian, sir. A student. He's an innocent bystander."

The captain turned his attention to Lelouch for the first time. "So he is. What's a student doing here?"

Fuuuuuuuuuck…"Skipping class, My Lord," Lelouch said, proud when his voice didn't even shake. "I certainly didn't plan to end up here." It was true enough.

"I'll bet you didn't." The captain laughed. "So you claim to be an honest Britannian? Not working with the Eleven terrorists?"

Lelouch made a face. "I don't approve of terrorism, My Lord. As for honesty…" He spread his arms, self-deprecatingly. "I am skipping class…"

Suzaku's lips twitched.

The captain shifted the grip of his pistol and slammed the butt into the back of Suzaku's head. Lelouch felt his stomach lurch. "Suzaku!"

Suzaku fell to his hands and knees, clearly dazed, but still conscious. Lelouch's momentary relief was chased away by the speculative look in the captain's eyes.

"You know each other?" He snorted. "What kind of Britannian student pals around with an Eleven infantryman?"

"It's a long story," Lelouch said desperately. "Please, don't hurt him anymore."

"You plead for his life, he pleads for yours…" The captain shook his head. "This cannot be borne. Either you are a proud Britannian or you're an Eleven sympathizer and a terrorist. Which one is it, schoolboy?"

You're presenting a false dichotomy. Lelouch wanted to snap. That would be less than helpful. "I'm Britannian, My Lord."

The captain smirked. "Then come here and show this Eleven his place."

Lelouch hesitated, then rose and approached Suzaku's kneeling form. If they gave him a gun… Lelouch wasn't sure he could use it, but at least there would be a chance. Maybe he could wound enough of them that Suzaku could get away…

…probably not. Still, Lelouch had to try. For Suzaku's sake and to get back to Nunnally.

"Get up." The captain grabbed Suzaku by the hair and yanked him up. Suzaku's eyes whirled alarmingly for a moment before fixing on Lelouch's face. Lelouch tried to smile reassuringly, but was pretty sure he looked as sick as he felt.

Then the captain shifted his grip and pressed Suzaku's face into the crotch of Lelouch's pants. They both gasped, again in surprise, and Lelouch stared wide-eyed at the captain, asking him 'what?' with his eyes.

"Put him in his place," The captain reiterated. "Drop your pants and make him suck you off like the whore he is."

Lelouch had thought he was frightened before. It was nothing compared to now.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Since he was ten, Suzaku had put a lot of effort into not having strong opinions. It never ended well for him or for those around him. He had principles and ideals, and tried to stick as close to them as possible, but otherwise, he tried to be as neutral as possible.

But he hated concussions.

It wasn't the pain, although that was bad enough, incessant and pervasive. It was the way they messed with his head, making him slow and confused and dazed. His saving grace had always been that he was faster, if not smarter, than his opponents, and concussions took that away. Also, there was the constant nausea…

It didn't help that someone was gripping his hair and pressing his mouth to the fabric of Lelouch's pants. He could barely breathe and the zipper was pressing painfully against his upper lip. He heard the captain barking an order at Lelouch and felt his friend start trembling. This was no good. Unfortunately Suzaku couldn't move from where he was placed.

"He can't." Lelouch's voice was trembling too. "He's too hurt. Please, we haven't done anything wrong." His words were pleading, but Suzaku could hear the undercurrent of rage; that same rage that had overfilled the tiny prince seven years ago, more contained in the current Lelouch but otherwise unchanged.

The captain threw him aside. "I can end his pain really easily," he sneered, cocking his gun. "It's your choice."

Suzaku closed his eyes and silently begged Lelouch to hesitate just long enough that the choice would be taken out of his hands.

A rustle of cloth and gentle, long fingers cupping his cheek. "Suzaku. Look at me." Suzaku didn't want to. Lelouch's other hand smoothed over his hair. "He's too injured." Lelouch said, his voice stronger, but filled with disgust. "If you want to shame us, I can…"

"Shame you?" The captain laughed. "Not at all. You're the bright future of Britannia, after all. This scum" a sharp kick to Suzaku's side. "should be honoured to service such an upstanding young man as yourself. It's not like yours is the first prick he's sucked."

That wasn't true, but the way Lelouch's hands tensed on Suzaku's face made Suzaku flush with shame.

One of the other soldiers joined in. "It's what they do. Why else would they join up with no hope of promotion or loyalty to Britannia, except for the chance to fuck other Eleven soldiers?"

"He's been had so many times he can probably do it on auto-pilot," another jeered. "Just stick it in his mouth and let his natural instincts take over."

"It's almost a gift," The captain said. "Allowing him this. And such a simple thing to prove your loyalties."

Suzaku finally opened his eyes, fixed on Lelouch's face. Lelouch looked horrified and furious, kneeling by Suzaku's side protectively. Suzaku forced a smile. He didn't deserve Lelouch's care and concern, but if there was something he could do to protect Lelouch, he would do it.

With a soft grunt of pain (it felt like that kick had broken a rib), Suzaku rolled over until his head was propped up on Lelouch's knees. "It's okay. I can…" He swallowed, disgusted with himself, hating that this was how Lelouch had to see him after years of separation. "I can do this."

Lelouch looked at him and most of the fury died away, leaving the horror and distaste. "Is what they said true? Are you…"

"No," Suzaku assured him. "I'm not… I haven't… Look, I'm sorry, and I probably won't be any good, but I can't let them hurt you. Please, Lelouch."

Lelouch hesitated, then gingerly undid his pants. He sat flaccid and pale, nestled in wiry black hairs as Lelouch's fingers pulled down his skimpy underwear. "Don't look at it, just…"

"Right." Suzaku wasn't really sure where to start. He shifted to a more comfortable position and gingerly reached in to fish Lelouch's cock out. It felt disproportionately heavy.

"Make sure to swallow it all," The captain reminded him. "This is a rare treat for you."

Suzaku's throat worked as he swallowed, mouth completely dry. He looked up at Lelouch one last time before ducking his head.

"I'm sorry, Lelouch."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku's apology didn't help. Lelouch had never thought much about sex, either the act or his potential partner. Shirley's attentions were flattering, but never attractive enough to pull Lelouch from his comfort zone enough to pursue them. Rivalz insisted there was something wrong with him, but considering that he'd been pining after Milly for nearly two years, Lelouch tended not to listen to his opinion. Of all the people, in all the world, Lelouch had never thought that his first sexual encounter would be with his first and most treasured friend, in the sub-tunnels of a ghetto, at gunpoint.

Also, it sucked.

Not that it was Suzaku's fault. He'd said that he'd never done this before (and Lelouch certainly believed him, after being presented with ample evidence) and he was concussed, not quite at his best. Also, if Lelouch wasn't enjoying it, Suzaku must be hating it even more.

He started off too fast, was his first mistake; taking in too much and choking. That, coupled with the head injury, actually made him throw up, fortunately getting very little vomit on Lelouch.

The smell didn't help the already decidedly unsexy atmosphere.

The soldiers laughed, and one of them nudged Suzaku in the back with his boot, cheering him to try again; second time's the charm!

Lelouch wanted to kill them all.

Suzaku was more cautious the second time around, taking in only the tip and sucking lightly before pulling off to spit because… well, he'd just thrown up. And also, Lelouch figured that dick probably tasted about as good as it looked.

And then, the teeth.

The first graze was uncomfortable and Lelouch hissed. The second was outright painful and Lelouch thoughtlessly grabbed Suzaku's hair, trying to pull him off.

This, despite the blood matting Suzaku's hair from being pistol whipped, and the fact that it clearly aggravated Suzaku's headache, might not have ended in complete disaster, if that solder hadn't nudged Suzaku forward again at that exact moment, angling Suzaku's head up and catching his bottom teeth on the head of Lelouch's cock.

Fuck, that hurt!

And to add insult to injury, the physical stimulation, while entirely unpleasant on both sides, had made Lelouch hard. He was erect, jutting out from his body and pulsing with blood, and he wasn't even a little aroused. The only thing worse would be if Suzaku was somehow reacting to this too. Lelouch checked quickly as Suzaku dry-heaved and tried to recover from another bout of nausea.

Nope. No sign of Suzaku's erection. Thank goodness.

"Are you okay?"

Suzaku nodded, then winced, clearly regretting that. "I'll be fine. Just a second…"

He had tears in his eyes. Probably just from the pressure of dry-heaving, but it was enough to make Lelouch angry enough to turn back to their tormentors. "Isn't this enough?"

"No."

And even Lelouch couldn't argue with that simple rebuttal. Suzaku took a deep breath and gingerly wrapped his hand around the base of Lelouch's erection. Lelouch flushed, hating that touch, and hating that on a purely physical level, it felt kind of good. He was seventeen, anything touching his cock would have felt good.

Almost anything. "Watch your teeth, please," he managed in a stiff, formal voice. Suzaku looked up and nodded, licking his lips and then folding them over his teeth.

…creative. Even with a concussion, Suzaku could clearly think on his feet. Knees. Whatever.

They were both stalling, though, really. Lelouch looked away, fixing his eyes on a random part of the wall as Suzaku's mouth enveloped him again.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

If Suzaku had to pick between vomit and Lelouch's cock, he'd have a hard time, but he would chose the cock. Vomit tasted sour, Lelouch mostly just tasted salty.

The weird part was, it did get easier. It didn't get less humiliating, or less disgusting, or less shameful; and his jaw was getting sore and tired, and his head ached from the bobbing; but it was getting easier, technically.

Open wide, insert cock, suck. Move tongue, take more in, breathe through nose.

Watch teeth. Suzaku really regretted that.

He managed to fit in enough that the tip bumped up against his soft palate a few times, irritating his gag reflex but not quite triggering it. If he didn't think about what he was doing, or who he was doing it to, it was almost a challenge, seeing how much he could get in without choking. And Suzaku, as long as it was physical, was always up for a challenge.

The first time he deep-throated Lelouch, it was pretty much by accident. He'd taken Lelouch in as deep as he could and swallowed and, suddenly, the soft palate barrier wasn't there, and he was swallowing around instead of against Lelouch's cock.

It felt weird, and he pulled off, but not before Lelouch let out a surprised gasp and covered his mouth.

"Sorry. You okay?" Suzaku gasped out.

"Do-don't do that again," Lelouch managed.

Suzaku nodded, but took in Lelouch's flushed face and wide eyes. "You know, you do have to come. If that'd make it happen faster…"

Lelouch's eyes narrowed. "I don't care. Just don't do that again."

Suzaku nodded again. "Okay. Then if you're okay, I'll just…"

He didn't really mean to do it again. After all, he'd promised… but his jaw was aching, and his head was pounding, and he really just wanted this over with. And Lelouch had always been too proud for his own good.

Also, as long as Suzaku remembered to breathe through his nose before deep-throating his friend, the act of swallowing around him was actually less irritating than letting his cock bump against the back of his throat. And, as a bonus, if Lelouch came, Suzaku wouldn't taste it.

The downside was that it made Lelouch make noises.

They weren't happy noises, either. They were pained or panicked; small, animalistic noises and grunts that he tried to muffle against the palm of his hand, to very little effect. Suzaku could hear the soldiers laughing at Lelouch now, calling him a virgin, comparing his face to a girl's, and sucked harder, hoping to finish this before they got any other ideas.

It didn't take long. Lelouch probably was a virgin, and didn't have great control over his reactions. Suzaku's only warning was a particularly frantic whine before Lelouch's cock pulsed and released down his throat.

Despite Suzaku's best efforts, he did get a mouthful of the disgusting stuff when he couldn't swallow fast enough. Maybe vomit was underrated; at least it came from Suzaku's own body.

Suzaku felt bad about thinking that when Lelouch slumped forward, shaking with his arms wrapped around himself. He'd never seen his friend look so miserable, not even when they'd tried to hide under the questionable canopy of a few trees, shielding Nunnally from a downpour, hiding from the Japanese and Britannian armies and without a single ally in the world except each other.

"Lelouch… I'm sorry," Suzaku said again. He knew how little that would help, but he had to offer something.

Lelouch just shook his head, unable to meet Suzaku's eyes. He fumbled, trying to get himself back in his pants as quickly as possible, then curled up again.

"A rather disappointing show," The captain said. "Certainly not enough to earn two reprieves." He grinned at Lelouch. "Perhaps one. Choose; you or your friend."

Lelouch looked up, his eyes wide and disbelieving. The captain cocked his gun again, unnecessarily, and pointed it in the space between him and Suzaku. "Choose quickly, schoolboy."

Suzaku knew that hesitation would get them both killed. "Nunnally," he hissed. "Remember Nunnally."

Lelouch finally looked at him. "I can't just…"

"You have to…"

A hand reached out and grabbed each of their wrists.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"You don't want it to end here, do you?"

"…what?"

"After all you've sacrificed, after how hard you tried. You still have a reason for living."

Lelouch was no longer in the dirty tunnels under the Shinjuku ghetto. He wasn't entirely sure where he was, but it appeared to be a place made of light and sound and little else.

"I propose a deal. In exchange for power you must agree to make my wish come true." Lelouch could see something. A… connection, a beam between two planets. "Accept this contract and its conditions. While living in the world of humans, you will live apart from them. A different providence. A different time. A different life." A series of images flashed before Lelouch's eyes; feathers, a stone symbol, child priests and priestesses, the vast emptiness of space. "The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude. If you are prepared for this…"

And one final image. His father.

Power… "I hereby accept the terms of your contract!"

It was like waking up from a nightmare and knowing how to end the dream.

"Say… how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?"

"Have you made your choice then?"

Lelouch chuckled. "You're offering me the chance to choose who lives and who dies? Isn't the answer obvious, though? The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed." He wrapped his arms around Suzaku, burying his friend's face in his lap.

"What the…"

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you… all of you, die!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Some of their blood spattered on the back of Suzaku's head and uniform. A streak landed on Lelouch's cheek. Otherwise they were untouched.

Suzaku raised his head, looking around at the ten corpses. "Lelouch…"

Lelouch smiled down at him. "It's okay, Suzaku. I can protect you now."

"The shots came from in here!" A voice called from outside and Lelouch and Suzaku both turned towards it.

"Stay down…" Lelouch ordered, then realized he was talking to air.

A sputtered gurgle and the soldier fell to the ground, knocked out by Suzaku who at least caught him at the last moment.

They were close to 200 meters away, and Lelouch hadn't even seen Suzaku move.

"…that's more than your usual barbaric speed," he pointed out, standing shakily. Suzaku straightened and shrugged self-consciously. Lelouch glared at the green-haired girl.

"What?" She spoke for the first time. "It's not like I promised our contract would be unique."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed. He'd accepted the power, not because he'd been humiliated or frightened, but out of hated for his father. Suzaku… why would Suzaku…

"Come with me," Lelouch said, ignoring the girl for now. "Leave Britannia, Suzaku. What are you doing in the army anyways? With this power… these powers, we can help Japan; we can destroy Britannia, we can…"

"We can get a lot of people killed," Suzaku corrected him. "Look, you have to leave, Lelouch. Take… take whatever she is with you. I agree that Britannia shouldn't have her. But I have to go back. I need to report this…"

Lelouch laughed incredulously. "What'll you say? 'My childhood friend made them kill themselves in return for forcing me to go down on him?' Really?"

"I wasn't going to report the truth." Suzaku smiled wryly. "I don't think I'd be believed, in any case."

"But why go back at all? They… they made you… How could you go back to these people?"

Suzaku shrugged again. "I need to. If I can do some good, even if it's only a little, I have to try."

Lelouch felt a surge of hope. "You're not really with them, right? You're working on the inside, but you're not really with Britannia, are you Suzaku? …are you?"

Suzaku looked a little sad. "I'm sorry, Lelouch," he said again. And he turned and ran out, his new power taking him out of Lelouch's reach.

Lelouch looked at the girl, who was watching him expectantly in return.

"I need a Knightmare," he said decisively, marching off, the beginning of a plan in mind.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Seven years since we used this signal. Long time, huh?"

Suzaku smiled. "Meeting on the roof like the old days."

"The old days…" Lelouch trailed off. "Suzaku, about what happened, back in Shinjuku…"

"I don't want to talk about it," Suzaku interrupted gently. "It's… whatever happened, it's over. If you dwell, that'll only make things worse."

Lelouch bit his lip and nodded. "So. What are you doing at Ashford anyways?"

"Yeah, what are the odds?" Suzaku forced a laugh. "After Shinjuku, I came to the attention of some higher-ups, and one of them said that a 17-year-old should be in school. So. Here I am. And you, Lelouch? Oh, can I still call you Lelouch?"

"Lelouch Lamperouge," Lelouch explained. "It's… Suzaku, I can't just ignore…"

"What happened to that girl?" Suzaku asked. "The one with the…" He wiggled his fingers. "Lights and stuff?"

Lelouch sighed. "Her name is C.C. and she's immortal. You should talk with her about your power. Not that she'll be much help…"

"That's okay," Suzaku said. "I'm not going to use it anyway."

"You're not…" Lelouch gaped. "Then why did you accept it in the first place?"

Suzaku shrugged. "I was angry, I guess, and I wanted to… I needed to protect you."

Lelouch's gaze narrowed. "We are talking about what happened, Suzaku. Now."

Suzaku tried to scowl, but it stalled at a pout. "Look, I know that you didn't like it. I'm sorry–"

"There you go again!" Lelouch snapped. "You apologized nearly a dozen times when it happened and you're still apologizing. Suzaku, it was kind of horrible, and I hated it, but it wasn't your fault. It was theirs. I wish… if there was anything I would wish for it would be to have spared you that. The… the things they said, and the way they treated you… when I ordered them to kill themselves, it felt good."

"Don't say that," Suzaku hissed. "Don't… not for me…" He swallowed and looked away. "Don't use that power anymore, Lelouch. It's not healthy. It's not going to end well."

Lelouch looked at Suzaku and sighed. "Will you come to visit Nunnally?"

Suzaku's head snapped up. "You… you want me to?"

"Of course," Lelouch said. "She missed you as much as I did, and I think she has the right to know that you're still alive and… relatively well." He took Suzaku's hands gently in his own. "Please come."

Suzaku nodded. "Yeah, of course… tonight?"

Lelouch smiled. "Thank you." He tightened his grip a little. "I… I am happy that you're alive."

"Back at you." Suzaku gave him a half-smile, holding his hands back.

"And… this isn't about what happened or anything. And it doesn't mean anything more than it means, but… I do love you, Suzaku."

Suzaku's eyes widened and his smile grew, covering his whole face. "I love you too, Lelouch." He laughed. "It's a little awkward saying that now, but… it's almost more important, isn't it?"

Lelouch nodded, and suddenly they were both grinning at how silly this was. Then Suzaku pulled Lelouch in for a hug.

"Your cock tasted weird."

Lelouch laughed into Suzaku's hair. "Sorry about that. Next time I… I'll slather it in soya first."

"Next time?" Suzaku made a face and Lelouch laughed again.

It was only when they pulled apart that they realized that they'd both been crying a little.