Author's Note: Once again, an apology to my beta for the horrible things I did to Kanon and Schneizel in My Mirror, Sword and Shield. Also, I enjoyed this universe a bit too much to let it go quite so quickly. The title is taken from the Coldplay song, Clocks.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, it belongs to it's owner.

Warning: explicit sex

Closing Walls and Ticking Clocks

September 13, 2015

They were having mutton again, but Schneizel couldn't find it in himself to complain. He was too tired and Kanon had worked too hard to make this for them. If he wanted something better, he would have to cook it himself. But he was a complete failure as a cook in any case, so it better to have Kanon take care of it, just like Kanon seemed to be taking care of everything.

He let his spoon drop onto his bowl, Schneizel leaning forward and resting his head in his hands. Right now he wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right at the table, but he had been raised to have better manners than that. Besides, there was the news that was sure to come in as soon as Kanon got back from town.

Schneizel looked guiltily at his plate, sighing and standing up. He should have waited for Kanon, but he had missed breakfast and lunch while he was going through what news he could get about his other siblings.

He jumped as Kanon walked into their little house, his aide raising an eyebrow before walking over to where the pot of stew was still simmering. Schneizel looked away, sitting back down on the table and waiting for Kanon to join him.

A paper and a notebook came first, Kanon settling down at the table beside Schneizel. "You skipped meals again. I've told you not to do that."

"This was more important."

"Two meals in a row?" Kanon gave a long, exasperated sigh. "Schneizel, you won't get anything done if you run yourself ragged. I hear Lelouch actually stops to eat."

"Your point?"

Kanon paused with his spoon part way to his mouth. "My point? You should eat more. Besides, I could take it as an insult to my cooking if you don't."

Schneizel raised an eyebrow, deciding that it wouldn't be in his favor to argue. Kanon always seemed to have a point these days, much to his dismay. He still wasn't used to their reversal of positions. Of course, Kanon was handling everything as quietly and quickly as he always had, but Schneizel was used to having some of his own input or being useful in his own way instead of just hiding.

He reached for the paper, absently skimming through the headlines as he searched for information that would help, aware that Kanon was leaning towards him. He ignored his aide for the moment, reading over the various headlines that either reported on the failure of another rebellion by one of Charles' children or laid out a list of the atrocities that Lelouch had committed. Schneizel sighed; it was hard enough getting news and it was impossible to get news that wasn't biased.

He threw the newspaper to one side, picking up the notebook. The pages were filled with Kanon's neat handwriting, just scraps of information that he heard and jotted down. Schneizel had to commend his aide for coming up with the excuse of being a writer that allowed him to do this without being questioned about it. Kanon's notebook was probably the most useful source of information they had.

Schneizel quickly skimmed the pages, sighing and setting the book down a moment later. "Another one?"

"Yes." Kanon was scraping the last of the stew from his bowl. "Lelouch is getting very good at picking off our people, even the well hidden ones. It might be prudent to start moving around again."

Schneizel nodded, looking around their small house. They had done that for the first year that Lelouch had been in power, but Schneizel had demanded that they stay still for a while, just because it was easier to get information. Apparently, Lelouch had finished with all his other distractions faster than they had guessed.

"Start looking for other places, never near any of our men or my siblings. That will just call Lelouch to us."

"Alright then."

Schneizel tuned out the sound of Kanon moving around the kitchen, preferring to just stare at the table and let his mind go blank for a moment. He would begin to actually process the information once he was over the shock. And, strangely enough, it felt very relaxing to not have to think at all. Since they had run from Pendragon, he had been doing a lot of the planning; Kanon working to keep them notified of Lelouch's every move.

He shook his head, coming back to the present. He didn't really have that much time for spacing out now, he had his people to contact and tell them to move and things here to deal with.

Schneizel pushed away from the table, intending to head upstairs when Kanon stopped him. "Where are you going?"

"To start the move."

Kanon turned, shaking his arm to get the suds off of it. "Yes, but that will have you up all night and you've been up the last three nights working on something."

"This is important Kanon." Schneizel glared at his aide, wondering where the shy man had disappeared to. He remembered the days when Kanon would barely speak to him for the fear of saying something wrong. And, while Schneizel preferred the Kanon that would actively talk to him about what was going on, he would rather Kanon stay silent than try to mother him. Schneizel was old enough to take care of himself.

"I am aware of that, Schneizel. But you won't be any help to them exhausted."

"I can sleep when I'm finished."

"Yes, and then you'll be vunerable."

"If it's enough to distract Lelouch from the others then-" Schneizel cut himself off at the glare that Kanon gave him, his hand tightening on the banister. They glared at each other for a moment before Schneizel turned around, beginning to climb the stairs.

He had been in bed for at least two hours before he heard Kanon come up.

He didn't feel guilty for about what he had said, because it was the truth. More often these days Kanon forgot that he was a prince, that he wasn't to be coddled and looked after. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Before Lelouch had taken over the throne, Schneizel had practically been running Britannia. He had also been acting like this in Britannia, but Kanon had never scolded him for it.

Schneizel lifted his head from the pillow as Kanon wiggled into the sleeping bag on the floor. "I'm not going to apologize."

"I don't expect you too." Kanon settled into place, staring at the ceiling. "I overstepped my boundaries. My apologies."

Schneizel didn't point out that he had cut down his work to only the essential things and had gone to bed like Kanon had asked him, his aide had probably already noticed that.

"Have you contacted them?"

"Those in the most danger. The ones that could slip away without Lelouch noticing them will be contacted tomorrow." Schneizel shifted so he was staring down at Kanon. His aide was still facing the wall, which meant that their argument wasn't quite over.

Schneizel sighed and let his arm flop over the edge of the bed, tracing the grain in the floorboard with his finger. "You know that this is very inefficient." He got a surprised noise from Kanon, that enough to make him smile. "Not speaking to each other will just slow down the process. It could be fatal in a time when we need to move fast."

"You know that everything would fall apart if you disappear." Kanon propped himself up, finally looking at him. "Clovis is useless without his entourage and Cornelia just wants to fight for the throne. You are the only one that seems to want diplomacy. It's in our own interests to keep you alive."

"Anyone can do that, I'm just the one in the position to do it now."

Kanon sat up, Schneizel seeing the abortive gesture that his aide made. He waited for Kanon to speak, hoping that the man would overcome his courtier manners. As much as he enjoyed the familiar manners because they reminded him of home there was a time and place for those things. Kanon was the only one that he could count on to be able to put aside those manners. They had known each other for so long that it had become something that was allowed between them.

He started when Kanon got up, the man walking over to the foot of his bed and sitting down. Schneizel waited for Kanon to speak, turning over to his back and folding his hands over his stomach.

Kanon finally shook his head. "You'll be accepted because of your royal blood and what you have been doing. They trust you."

"They still trust Lelouch."

"They don't know better."

"Kanon," Schneizel reached out to touch Kanon's arm, "Lelouch has suffered and this is the result of it. If we can talk to him, we might convince him to stop this."

"And what if he doesn't?"

Schneizel sighed, tapping his fingers against Kanon's arm. "He's suffering. We would put him out of his suffering. It's just…he's my brother even after all of this."

He saw Kanon nod slowly, not sure if the man really understood; Kanon didn't have any siblings. He sighed and leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. They were doing the best they could at the moment, especially with the rest of his family rushing around in a blind panic.

Schneizel patted Kanon's arm before lifting his hand away. "You don't have to follow."

"I can't leave you alone. You are barely able to take care of yourself." Kanon gave a half hearted chuckle before leaning to the side. Schneizel anticipated the move and shifted on the bed, leaving a spot for Kanon.

Kanon hesitated. "My lord?"

"Please, don't be formal, not after everything." He couldn't see Kanon's blush in the dark, but he was sure that it was there. "Kanon."

If he judged this wrong, then Kanon would just retreat to his sleeping bag for the night and not speak with him more than necessary. What they were wasn't a settled thing, just a few instances of unplanned repetition, but Schneizel wanted it settled. Then it would stop weighing on his mind and causing unwanted confusion. Then he could keep Kanon by his side and out of danger. Then he could resist the voice in the back of his head and the order on the tip of his tongue. Kanon might have been from a lower social rank, but he would never order Kanon to do that.

Schneizel tensed as Kanon leaned forward, feeling a faint puff of breath against his lips before Kanon kissed him. Schneizel smiled, wrapping his arms around Kanon's neck to pull him down, only for Kanon to push the kiss into something more demanding. As always, Kanon was far too impatient for Schneizel's slow build up and, as he hadn't done since they had left Pendragon, Schneizel let him.

He opened his mouth for Kanon, grunting in surprise when the man scrambled into his lap. Schneizel shifted his hold, letting his hands slide down to rest on Kanon's hips. His hold tightened as Kanon started to grind against him.

Schneizel gasped, jerking his head to the side as Kanon rubbed against him eagerly. His attention was swiftly distracted again when Kanon reached for the waistband of his pants. He jumped, surprised by the soft touch to his stomach before rolling them over.

Kanon froze when his back hit the bed, remaining still before thrashing in Schneizel's hold. Schneizel carefully kept himself propped above Kanon, just out of reach, absently popping the buttons on Kanon's top. His distance got a groan of disappointment from Kanon. "Schneizel…"

He chuckled, leaning forward to stare at Kanon. "When I ask you to be efficient and quick, I don't mean in all things."

Kanon didn't reply. The aide just reached up to grab at the back of Schneizel's head before pulling him down.

Schneizel had to brace himself to keep from falling too suddenly and too hard on Kanon. When he felt sure of himself, he completely lowered himself to rest on top of Kanon. Immediately Kanon's arms were clutching as his shoulders and a leg was wrapped around his waist. Schneizel chuckled and shook his head, accepting the hasty and sloppy kisses.

He would have been lying if he said that this didn't turn him on.

He wiggled a hand in between them, snagging a hold of Kanon's pants before attempting to awkwardly tug them down. Schneizel bit back a curse, having to wriggle out of Kanon's hold to actually pull the pants off. Then Kanon was clinging to him tightly again, giving them just enough space to pull Schneizel's pants off.

Schneizel let Kanon do what he wanted, working on pulling Kanon's shirt off. He tried to get Kanon to roll to one side so he could pull the shirt down, having wrangled one arm out of the sleeve. He wasn't successful, Kanon refusing to move.

In the end, they settled for a half clothed mess that would have had Schneizel wincing if he had been in his right mind. But he didn't have the time to stop and mourn the state or the fate of their clothes, not when Kanon was gently lifting him free of his pants.

Schneizel moaned as Kanon wrapped his hand around the both of them, not bothering to wait for Schneizel to move. Kanon whimpered and shifted, jerking the both of them off as he clung to Schneizel with his other hand.

He ignored the half sputtered nonsense that Kanon gasped out, pressing his forehead against Kanon's shoulder as he rocked into his aide's grip. Soon enough Kanon would just start to moan and he would stop muttering things like "Please don't…" and "I love you," because it was easier to ignore those words than accept them, at least for now.

Schneizel pressed his face against Kanon's neck, using Kanon's skin to muffle his moan when Kanon let go of him. He was about to roll and demand that his aide go back to what he had been doing when Kanon grabbed a hold of his hip, nudging him into motion. That startled a moan out of Schneizel, his hips eagerly rocking against Kanon's.

Some part of his mind was disgusted by this, some little part in the back that reminded him that this was something that teenagers did, not full grown men. But Kanon was making that pretty little sound that he made when he was getting close, a breathy moan that managed to shut his brain completely down.

He grunted as Kanon gripped his shoulder tightly, Kanon repeating his name in a high pitched whine as he came. Schneizel groaned, reaching down to take himself in hand as Kanon writhed on the bed. He came without a sound soon afterwards.

Schneizel carefully let himself fall to one side, barely able to fit on the small bed with Kanon sprawled out. He closed his eyes, slowly catching his breath.

When he opened his eyes, Kanon was still splayed out over the bed. Schneizel shook his head and scooted closer, beginning to move Kanon's limbs and shift his aide over to his side. Kanon would be useless for a few minutes more, and Schneizel wanted to be sure that he would continue to be in a good mood rather than going back to snapping at him. He hummed to himself as he worked, rolling Kanon to his side before slipping from the bed to get something to clean themselves off with.

He returned as Kanon was opening his eyes, hiding his relief that Kanon looked content. Schneizel cleaned himself off before offering the box of tissues to Kanon, his aide taking one and seeing to himself. Schneizel turned his back, staring at one of the walls. To him, it was a very private thing, a silly thought since he and Kanon had seen each other naked enough times that it was no longer a point of embarrassment between them.

He turned back when Kanon was done, alerted to that by a tug on his arm. Schneizel slid under the covers, pulling Kanon back against him and using his shoulder as a pillow. The things on his bed were far too flat and hard for him to be comfortable, especially after living in luxury for most of his life, and Kanon didn't mind. If he hadn't moved to curl around Kanon, then he would have woken up with Kanon tangled around him. There had been times in the past where Schneizel marveled at his aide's flexibility and the ability to sleep in such a contorted position.

Schneizel had just found a comfortable spot when Kanon cleared his throat. "We'll talk more about this tomorrow."

He nodded. Of course he wouldn't just let the issue that started their argument slide, but that was an issue for the next day. The issue now was trying to find a way to share the blanket when Kanon was an unrepentant blanket hog. But Schneizel was sure that the issue at hand could be settled easily.

The chase Prince Schneizel el Britannia led his younger brother on came to a halt on September 16, 2015 when Schneizel and his most loyal supporter, Earl Kanon Maldini, were apprehended when they landed in the Chinese Federation. Officials from the government of the Chinese Federation, who had previously welcomed the two into the country, apprehended them in the airport and turned them over to Britannian officials in order to curry favor with the new emperor, who had just finished subduing Princess Karine's rebellion.

Prince Schneizel and Earl Maldini were held in the Chinese Federation for a day before Prince Schneizel was returned to Pendragon at his brother's insistence. From there, Prince Schneizel continued to work for Lelouch, manipulating the network that he had set up when he had left with his followers, giving Lelouch time to hunt them down and capture them. It was through this network that Lelouch learned of the rebellion that Cornelia li Britannia had been planning in Area 6, which was the tipping point that led to the other Britannian Areas gathering their own rebellion and led to the four year long War of Ascension.

Prince Schneizel's cooperation in Lelouch's plans was guaranteed on two accounts. In interviews with the prince, Schneizel openly admits that he had hoped that he would mellow Lelouch's policy with his presence. But that strategy proved impossible as Lelouch had complete control of his government, Schneizel was essentially kept to work the network of people that connected Lelouch with the rest of his siblings in hiding.

The second reason that Prince Schneizel remained with Lelouch was that Earl Maldini was kept in custody in the Chinese Federation to guarantee Schneizel's cooperation. This ultimatum was made clear the first time Lelouch had spoken to his older brother and Schneizel was constantly reminded of the conditions that his aide would remain alive. It was under these conditions that Schneizel started to slowly dismantle the network that had kept the other siblings safe.

Schneizel escaped from a year later and fled to the EU at a time when Lelouch was too busy to follow. According to his own accounts of that time, Schneizel left because he could no longer hope to control Lelouch and because Lelouch had violated their agreement and killed Earl Maldini.

-From The Politics of the War of Ascension by Francis Barton

On September 20, 2015 Earl Maldini was lead from the Forbidden City where he was being kept and driven five miles away from the wall. Five shots were fired, one hitting his leg, three his chest and one his head. From the examinations done of the body after the War of the Ascension, it is still unknown which one was the killing shot.

Schneizel did not learn of his supporter's death until a year later.

It wasn't until after the War of Ascension had ceased that a team, led by Prince Schneizel el Britannia himself, searched for Kanon Maldini's grave. Earl Maldini was reinterred in the Royal Graveyard in Pendragon, an honor that has not been granted to any man since.

-From Victims and Martyrs by Julia Hardy