"Rise and shine!" Cecile burst into Lelouch's rooms in a whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm. "Today we reach the capitol and you'll want to look your best."
Lelouch uncurled from the soft sheets and even softer pillows, blinking blearily. It occurred to him that, apart from the thin panties he'd worn as underwear, he was naked. "Cecile, I know I'm the female Tribute, but I'm not actually a girl."
"Hush, none of that," Cecile chided. "I'm here to help, and even naked boy bits won't stop me from doing my job."
"What dedication," Lelouch said wryly and kicked the covers off. Cecile maintained eye contact.
"Alright, shower first, and we'll see what we can do about that hair."
Lelouch took longer in the shower than he needed to, luxuriating in the warm cascade of water that massaged his body and warmed and softened his skin. The shampoos and soaps smelled ridiculous, but after he used them and rinsed off, he realised he'd never really been clean before, just varying degrees of more-to-less dirty.
Remembering Cecile's jab about towel use to Suzaku, Lelouch grabbed the fluffy white thing and viciously rubbed at his head. He was just starting to get a headache when Cecile opened the door.
"Oh, no, don't…" Cecile snatched the towel out of Lelouch's hands, leaving him naked and dripping. "Honestly, boys." She shook her head. "So rough." She wrapped the towel around Lelouch's waist and steered him out of the bathroom, sitting him in front of the vanity and running her fingers through his hair.
It felt nice. Almost all his irritation with her melted away as she rubbed in some foamy white stuff and played around with his hair for a good ten minutes. She sighed as she finished. "I wish you had pierced ears. Earrings would look so good with this hairstyle."
Lelouch looked at his reflection, and had to admit he looked like a girl from the neck up. His hair looked softer and shinier, falling around his face to accent his cheekbones rather than just randomly wherever it felt like falling. Cecile opened the lipstick. "Let's see you do it this time."
With a careful, steady hand, Lelouch coloured his top lip, then his bottom, pursing them together and blotting them out on a tissue. Cecile wiped over the odd smudge and smiled proudly. "Now the eyeliner."
Once Lelouch was made up and dressed, it was time for breakfast. Lelouch checked himself in the mirror, one last time, and saw an eerie shorthaired ghost of his memories of his mother from when he was young. "This is… incredible."
"Now if only we could find you some shoes…" Cecile smiled. "Ah, never mind. We should go eat. Remember, watch your make-up. Don't touch your face or it will smear."
Suzaku shoved a mug into Lelouch's hands as soon as he entered the dining car. "You have to try this."
The drink was warm and sweet, with a flavour Lelouch had never tasted before. He nearly burnt his tongue trying to get more. Suzaku grinned at him. "It's called hot chocolate." The grin faded. "Uh… are you wearing lipstick?"
"And eyeliner and blush." Lelouch smiled over his mug. "What do you think?"
Suzaku blushed. It was rather… interesting. But then again, he tended to blush easily. "It's… you look pretty."
"Thank you." There wasn't much else Lelouch could say to that. It wasn't exactly the kind of compliment he wanted to get, but it was what he'd been going for. He just wished it hadn't bee quite so easy.
Lloyd cleared his throat. "And on that civilized and saccharine note, let's discuss your alliance."
"Our what?" Lelouch demanded. "I thought we agreed that that wasn't going to happen."
"You agreed," Lloyd corrected. "Suzaku had a somewhat different opinion, and I think his is more valid."
Lelouch shot a glare at Suzaku, who at least had the grace to look abashed. "I'm sorry, but I think Lloyd's right. We need each other to survive."
How absurd. "And what if, best case scenario, we're the last two left standing? Considering you could probably break me over your knee, that leaves me at something of a disadvantage."
Suzaku shook his head. "I wouldn't."
He seemed so… sincere, so honest. And a boy who blushed as readily as Suzaku did wasn't likely to be a skilled liar.
And even if he was… Lelouch was pretty sure he was better.
"Alright, fine. Area 11, alliance." Lelouch sat down. "Where should we start?"
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Suzaku let Lelouch and Lloyd hammer out the details. He already knew what he had to do – follow Lelouch's lead and Lloyd's instructions. He did offer to go over the information on the other Tributes, but Lelouch had them all (all twenty-two of them) memorized, including their appearance, their visible strengths and weaknesses, and what little was known about them from ambush interviews of their loved ones.
Or, in the case of the Tributes from Area 2, their competitors.
Lloyd did that creepy cackle again and the two of them settled down to talk strategy. Suzaku tried to follow, but he kept getting people mixed up and had nothing really to add.
Instead, he just watched Lelouch.
For someone who'd been so sure he had a Zero chance of survival, he was certainly working hard at not dying. It was good to see, that thirst for life. It would make it easier to protect him.
Her.
This was hard.
The car went dark, all the outside light suddenly disappearing and only the dim interior lighting remaining. Suzaku moved before thinking, instincts from hunting taking over as he plastered his back to the wall and tried to see if anything (like a hovercraft) was coming for them.
"We're going through a tunnel," Lloyd said casually. "That means we'll arrive at the capitol in about an hour."
Lelouch bit his lower lip. "I should go freshen up."
Lloyd shrugged. "The capitol is pretty big. We'll enter the city limits in an hour, but we won't arrive at our destination for at least two."
The idea of a city so huge that it would take hours to travel through it in a train like this was incredible to Suzaku.
Lelouch stood. "I think I want to be ready as soon as we hit the capitol. Gird my loins, and all that." Lloyd shrugged and waved him off. Lelouch turned to Suzaku. "Would you like to come?"
The invitation was unexpected and a little unnerving. "Yeah." But Suzaku would take whatever Lelouch offered him.
Lelouch's room was identical to Suzaku's, and only smelled slightly different, the scent of powder and sunshine from the south-west facing window and something that must have just been Lelouch. The bed was made and nothing was out of place, but there was only one chair. Suzaku hesitated, not sure what he was meant to do.
Fortunately, Lelouch made up his mind for him, sitting on the bed and patting the mattress beside him. Suzaku sat.
"I… I wanted to talk to you privately," Lelouch said, his voice soft with unusual tentativeness. "About what you've done for me… giving Nunnally and my mother my last message. That really does mean a lot, Suzaku."
Suzaku felt something warm and heavy settle in his chest. "It was nothing."
"It was vital to me," Lelouch corrected. "They're all I have. They're everything to me. And I just…"
He turned towards Suzaku, taking his hands. "I'm not going to make it. I've realized that from the first. But you can." Suzaku opened his mouth to protest, and found Lelouch's finger in the way. "Shh, just listen. I know I can trust you, Suzaku. And I know that if you make it, and if I've helped you, you'll honour that as best you can. So please, if I can help you win these games, please watch over my mother and sister for me."
Suzaku wanted to argue. To tell Lelouch that he would do everything in his power to make sure that Lelouch was the one returning to Nunnally. But his mouth was dry and Lelouch's finger was soft and he smelled really good…
"Please, Suzaku."
Lelouch's soft plea sent an inappropriate jolt through Suzaku's groin. Suzaku closed his eyes and tried to convince himself not to fall for Lelouch. He wasn't even a real girl!
Not that it mattered. One way or the other, at most only one of them would be alive at the end of the games.
Suzaku smiled and relaxed and let himself feel whatever he felt. It couldn't hurt, and might even help.
"I promise, Lelouch. I'll do whatever you need me to."
That clearly was not the answer Lelouch was expecting. His eyes widened, the fake softness disappearing as they searched Suzaku's face suspiciously. Suzaku felt his smile widen – this was the real Lelouch, the one who coolly suggested to a young orphan that he find a way to survive and then walked away.
And, oddly enough, Suzaku was just as attracted to him as he was to the softer, feminine Lelouch.
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What was Suzaku's game? First the insistence on an alliance, and then his easy promises, as if they cost him nothing to make. As if just making them made him happy. Lelouch didn't believe for a second that Suzaku was a manipulative super-genius, hiding a cold killer under his cheery exterior. The odds of Area 11 sending the perfect combination of a clever, strong, handsome Tribute were…
About as low as the odds of Nunnally's name being picked.
Lelouch's mind veered away from that thought. Maybe Suzaku was just dim, as Lloyd had labelled him.
Suzaku reached out and touched Lelouch's arm. Lelouch jerked back, instinctively tensing as if he could fight off anything Suzaku chose to throw at him.
"You okay?"
All Lelouch could read in Suzaku's eyes and warm voice was concern. Damn him.
Lelouch smiled. "I really do need to freshen up. Meet me in the dining car in half an hour."
Suzaku was waiting for him, his usual bright, innocent smile lighting up his face upon seeing Lelouch. If it was an act, it was a consistent one. Lelouch swallowed his suspicions and just let himself be glad that Suzaku was naturally charismatic and boyishly attractive. Britannian citizens had the option of sponsoring Tributes, paying into a fund that allowed their mentor (Lloyd, in this case) to send them needed supplies. With Suzaku's charm and good looks, he could easily net a few rich older women.
Lelouch, a freak of a boy dressed up as a girl, would have it less easy. But that didn't mean he couldn't use Suzaku to his own advantage.
He opened the drapes wide on one of the windows, checking to see if could catch a glimpse of the outer walls of the city. Not yet.
"Here." He patted the seat beside him. "Kneel here and wait. Lloyd said that there are often crowds waiting to wave at the train as it rolls by. We're going to wave back."
"…why?"
Lelouch smiled. "First impressions, Suzaku. Area 11 isn't exactly a favoured Area. If we're going to get sponsors, we need all the attention we can get."
Suzaku snorted. "You didn't see your reaping. I can promise you that you got people's attention."
That wasn't exactly a good thing. The kind of attention that a rebellious, arrogant kid from the outlying Areas got was never positive. "…fine. Then this is my chance to make a better second impression."
Suzaku's smile was fond, and Lelouch had to look away. Charming as he may have been, Suzaku was still a potential enemy. Every time he looked at Lelouch like that, like he cared about him for some unfathomable reason, it made Lelouch nervous. "We're coming up to the city limits."
That made Suzaku's smile falter and Lelouch sighed. "Try not to look like you're going to your death, Suzaku."
Suzaku shot him a look, then laughed. "Your sense of humour sucks."
"Made you laugh." And then they entered the city, surrounded suddenly by huge, improbably designed buildings, colourful and clean and nothing like the white-and-dun shacks that made up Area 11. For a long moment, Lelouch forgot about their audience, forgot to smile and wave as he gaped at the richness and majesty of the capitol city. Pendragon. The home of the people who almost sent his sister to be brutally murdered.
That thought brought him back, and he forced a smile on his face, waving with one hand as he pinched Suzaku with the other. Suzaku jumped and gathered himself as well, mirroring Lelouch's wave but wrapping his free hand around Lelouch's waist.
"What are you doing?"
"I feel like I'm going to fall out."
Lelouch knew what he meant; it was easy to forget, even looking out the window of the train as they drove through the deserted plains and mountain ranges, that they were moving faster than anything they'd ever seen before. But now, despite the fact that Lelouch was certain they'd gradually slowed down over the past half-hour or so, watching the people and buildings whiz by was making him a bit sick.
He moved his hand up, half hugging Suzaku with a firm grip on his shoulder.
"I've got you."
"Thank–" Suzaku turned his head and suddenly their noses were touching, soft and smooth, and a sensation Lelouch had never felt before shivered down his spine. He turned away as quickly as he could, dropping his arm.
Suzaku's hand stayed right where it was.
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This was bad.
Suzaku was beginning to think he had stage fright. Of all the threats that being a Tribute necessarily implied, putting on a show hadn't been one that Suzaku had given much thought to.
Lelouch, on the other hand, clearly had.
From the moment he'd stepped on stage in Milly's borrowed dress, his head held high as he took his sister's place, Lelouch had been performing. He hadn't even bothered to make his arguments for the mayor or Cecile, but addressed the camera directly – either the capitol or the gamemakers themselves. Such audacity, such confidence…
Suzaku had watched it in real time, but he hadn't understood what he was seeing. It was only when it was rebroadcast, and Suzaku watched it from the perspective of the audience that he realized how brave and bold Lelouch was, the way he never faltered, as if he knew he could get away with this. Like he was entitled to it, simply because he was Lelouch.
And everything since then – the dresses, the make-up, the smiles, the soft voice and the graceful movements and the sultry looks… Lelouch had been acting this whole time. There had been glimpses of the real Lelouch – cold eyes searching Suzaku's face for any sign of duplicity, genuine smiles of pleasure at some of the food, a quick and sharp mind behind the simpering façade… But mostly the Lelouch Suzaku had come to know over the past two days was a total fraud.
It wasn't a comfortable realization.
That, coupled with the stage fright (and the thousands of eyes staring at them as they moved through the city, gawking at the latest sacrifices), and the dizzying speed at which they were moving, made Suzaku nauseous. He leaned closer to Lelouch and breathed in his scent. His eyes and ears might trick him, but Suzaku had other senses that were more honest.
And under the rose-scented soaps, Lelouch still smelled like Lelouch. His own unique scent mingled with the scent of Area 11.
Suzaku wanted to kiss him.
He almost did.
But the look of surprised horror on Lelouch's face when their noses had brushed made it clear that such advances were not welcome. The way Lelouch released his hold on Suzaku was just as clear, although at least he didn't move away,letting Suzaku's arm stay where it was, with his hand resting just above Lelouch's hip.
Even knowing that Lelouch was a completely fake didn't stop this tactile connection to him from being comforting. He was probably the last person from his Area that Suzaku would ever see. That, in and of itself, meant something.
The train pulled into the station, and Lloyd and Cecile were there, checking them over. Well, Cecile checked Lelouch over, retouching his make-up and reminding him to talk to his stylist about shoes, and Suzaku was stuck with Lloyd.
"You look a little green around the gills, boy."
"I feel a little green," Suzaku admitted. "Maybe I should get Cecile to give me a tip or two about make-up as well."
"No," Lelouch said, clearly having overheard their conversation. "It's best that you look a little unsteady. Area 11 isn't known for having strong contenders, so even with your obvious physical prowess there's a chance you might be underestimated. Work that angle."
Suzaku was a little puffed that Lelouch thought his physical prowess was obvious. Lloyd smirked. "That certainly perked you right up."
Lelouch sighed and smiled with affectionate exasperation. "Honestly, are you just contrary for the fun of it?"
Suzaku felt himself blush. The last thing he wanted to tell Lelouch was that his compliment had made Suzaku feel all warm and fuzzy. "Sorry. I'll try harder."
"You'd better. You were the one who wanted this alliance, remember?"
"I remember." Suzaku invoked the memory of all those gaping faces, the buildings that could probably hold a million people, and the fact that he was relying on someone who was perpetually lying to him.
Lelouch made a soft, almost discomforted, sound. "Impressive. Can you cry on command as well?"
"Probably." Tears had always come easily to Suzaku. Considering he could still catch a fish or take down a wild dog while crying, he never really considered it a weakness. "Should I?"
"No. Just keep looking… overwhelmed."
Easy enough.
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Lelouch found himself relieved to be separated from Suzaku. It was just taking too much energy to watch him and watch himself.
Although being stripped naked and having all the hair ripped from his body by a team of over-excited stylist apprentices wasn't exactly a breeze either. They even waxed between his buttcheeks, and that was outright painful. But at least none of them seemed upset at having to deal with a male.
When his stylist walked in, he hoped there was an error. From the look on her face, so did she.
"Female Tribute from Area 11?"
"Yes."
"Huh."
"…if this makes you uncomfortable…" Something about her gave Lelouch the creeps. She seemed to be modified, like a lot of the capitol citizens, with bright green hair and golden eyes, but her unnatural colouring and bearing seemed… like they'd naturally occurred. Like her hair was supposed to be an impossible shade of green, her eyes were supposed to make her look like a cat.
She looked up at him, and Lelouch had the uncomfortable feeling she'd read his mind. "Insert comment about me having seen more impressive… specimens."
Or maybe she was just going to make penis jokes.
"Insert typical rebuttal about proper use of said specimens trumping the size."
She laughed. "I'm C.C. I'll be your stylist."
"Lelouch. But you probably already knew that."
"I did indeed. And I must say that, as much as I was looking forward to this challenge, it doesn't seem like it will be as difficult as it sounded. You're very pretty."
"…thanks?"
"I don't know if that was actually a compliment, considering you're a guy." C.C. frowned. "We're going to have to do something about that hair, though. Who hacked it like that?"
On of her assistants tittered, and Lelouch bristled slightly. He thought Cecile had done a pretty good job with it. "I cut it myself." He also cut Nunnally's hair and, occasionally, their mother's. He would admit that, generally, he did a better job on theirs.
"It shows." C.C. reached out and touched Lelouch for the first time, roughly checking the length of his hairs against each other. It didn't feel nearly as soothing and comforting as Cecile's hands had been. "I do wish it were longer, but we can work with this. Scissors."
The entire process was like that – impersonal and occasionally rough, but never cruel, which was a nice surprise. If Lelouch thought he'd been clean before, he'd never been exfoliated. He could feel the very air with a renewed sensitivity, and the pallor that he'd inherited from his mother made his skin seem to glow once the pink marks from being deep-cleansed faded.
C.C. smiled, small and satisfied at the end result. "Oh, yes. Very pretty indeed." Her eyes dropped just below Lelouch's waist, and Lelouch fought not to cover himself up. "I suppose that rules out any tight or see-through clothing…"
Lelouch set his jaw, swallowing hard. This didn't matter; nothing mattered. He would be dead in about a week. "You can remove it if it's an issue."
There was a long, heavy moment of silence, from C.C. and all her assistants. Then she smiled again, only this time it looked sad. "You really do think the worst of us, don't you?"
Lelouch didn't answer. It was true, but agreeing would only make things worse. It hardly mattered what she did to him. Even if she were as kind and gentle as possible, she'd still be sending him to his death.
C.C. reached up and cupped his cheek. "We have a contract, you and I. As long as I'm your stylist, I am your ally."
Not a friend, but an ally. Lelouch could accept that, more readily than he could accept an alliance with Suzaku. "I understand."
"I will make you shine. And in return," C.C. said, "you will make my creations shine."
It was easy enough to understand that; working together meant they'd both gain. "I accept this contract."
"Good, now… brace yourself. It takes a real man to wear heels."
Lelouch stared at her incredulously, hoping this was a joke at his expense, a way of breaking the tension.
It wasn't.
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Area 11 was known for its sakuradite mines, a source of energy for the most advanced electronic equipment and most military machines. Sakuradite ore was pink. Therefore Area 11 costumes were traditionally…
Pink.
Suzaku hadn't thought he had strong opinions about fashion. Clothes were to protect you from the cold or branches or rough surfaces. But it turned out he didn't like pink.
The cut wasn't bad, at least, easy to move in and it covered him completely. The outfit itself was one piece, tight and zipped up in the front, with a high collar and elevator shoes. Suzaku was a little perturbed by the shoes, until he remembered that Lelouch was a little taller than him, and they'd probably want to hide that.
Apart from the pink, the material was impressively comfortable – not too warm or cloying, soft and smooth against his skin, and it moved easily when he did. There were clear lines running over the material at his shoulders, over his chest, around his waist, but nothing on his arms or legs. Suzaku played with those just once, flicking at them, until his stylist slapped his hands. It was amazing how relaxed they were with him, as if the fact that he'd be killing people in less than a week meant nothing to them.
I could kill you all, Suzaku thought idly. Run off and leave a trail of bodies in my wake until they caught me and put me down. But you'd still be dead.
He smiled at his stylist as he positioned him on the chariot.
"Ah, here she comes…" Lelouch and his stylist walked out to join them. Where the pink outfit looked somewhat ridiculous on Suzaku, on Lelouch it made him look soft and ephemeral, like a pixie or fairy. His hair was cut shorter and framed his face, accenting his cheekbones and lips, but it was his eyes that stood out – large and bright, contrasting and complimented with the pink dress.
No, not a dress, Suzaku realized. A gown.
It was covered with the same clear lines as Suzaku's, only Lelouch's were on his skirt and threaded through his hair. His stylist helped him up, and it was only when he stood beside Suzaku that Suzaku realized that, despite the elevator shoes, they were the same height.
"Heels?"
"No comment."
Suzaku grinned and fingered the long clip-on earring that draped down to Lelouch's shoulder. It was made of the same clear stuff that covered their clothes. "You look pretty."
"You look ridiculous," Lelouch returned, and their eyes met and suddenly they were both laughing.
The chariot lurched into motion, and Suzaku grabbed Lelouch's hand. Lelouch looked at him, wide-eyed and confused, but his fingers wrapped around Suzaku's hand in return and he didn't pull away. Or let go.
It was enough to give Suzaku the strength to turn to the crowd and smile and wave, like in the train.
The procession wasn't long, but Area 11 was near the rear, so the sun was already setting by the time they reached the waiting crowds. Normally, having gone through ten other Areas worth of Tributes, the audience would be winding down, but they still seemed oddly perky. Suzaku waved and smiled and turned to Lelouch.
And then he realized why.
Lelouch was glowing. His hair, his earrings, his gown, every one of the little clear lines were glowing like captured fireflies, only in a soft pink. Suzaku's chest was similarly glowing, he only now noticed, the lines looking oddly like…
They were a circuit. An open circuit. That would close when Suzaku's glowy pattern merged with Lelouch's, and the symbolism was rather blatant. Suzaku grinned and released Lelouch's hand to snake around his waist. He felt Lelouch's surprised gasp as he tensed, and then slowly relaxed, bringing his arm up to rest his hand on Suzaku's shoulder.
The crowd cheered wildly. Suzaku's waves grew broader, more exuberant, as Lelouch's became more demure and restrained. Suzaku caught a glimpse of them and they really did look like two pieces of a puzzle, incomplete without each other, fair and lovely – a Lord and his Lady.
They stopped at their position in line, between Areas 10 and 12, and Lelouch rested his head in the crook of Suzaku's neck. Under the sounds of cheering, Suzaku could hear Lelouch's voice, dark and warm.
"I hope you know what you've gotten us into, Kururugi."
