I don't own Suzaku, Lelouch, or Code Geass.

Prompt/Day 4 (Sept 25):

Hands

*/*

Chapter 4: Touching

*/*

"I'm sorry to drag you in for this," apologized the Ashford Academy assistant principal to Cecile and Lloyd. Her school badge read Mrs. Byrd. She took a seat on the side of the conference table, near the head of it, before taking out some documents—including the Ashford Academy Student Handbook. Shuffling the papers, she spared the distinctly uncomfortable-looking Eleven transfer student a cursory glance at the foot of the table. Her eyes flicked back to Lloyd and Cecile sitting on the side opposite her as she explained, "Dr. Ashford will be joining us momentarily."

Cecile clasped her hands on the table and leaned forward. "I don't understand," she fretted. "Suzaku's never gotten in trouble at school, and now he's done something so major it requires an immediate guardian-school conference?" In the back of her mind, the researcher wondered if they could use Lloyd's engagement with Milly Ashford as a bargaining chip in whatever seemed to be the problem.

"Did he get into a fight?" Lloyd put in, raising an eyebrow above his glasses.

Suzaku squirmed in his seat.

"Oh, no," Mrs. Byrd answered, clicking open a pen to take notes of the meeting. "Worse."

The brunet student hung his head.

Before Cecile or Lloyd could question that further, the door opened and the principal of the school walked in. Dr. Ruben K. Ashford nodded a greeting and sat at the head of the table. "I presume you know by now why you're here," he said, straight to the point. "But to recap, we're gathered together to discuss an incident Suzaku was involved in on school grounds. He was caught by three separate teachers conducting himself in a manner inappropriate for Ashford Academy students. We hold our students to high esteem and expect they behave themselves properly, lest there be consequences."

Cecile blinked rapidly, trying to follow along. "Okay," she said slowly. "We understand. But what was he doing?"

Suzaku slunk down a little in his seat, an embarrassed look crossing his face.

Mrs. Byrd coughed into her hand and looked to Dr. Ashford to continue.

Sighing, the principal continued, "During lunch this afternoon, three of our faculty went up to eat on the roof. When they arrived, they found Suzaku engaging in…unsuitable sexual conduct with another student. I'd rather not get into exact details, but suffice to say, their hands were all over each other."

Cecile gasped and blushed, her hand lifting to cover her mouth. She looked at the young pilot in shock. Lloyd's eyebrow rose higher and he folded his arms across his chest, looking slightly skeptical but mostly bored.

"Obviously, this behavior cannot be ignored," Dr. Ashford asserted. "We called you in today to inform you of what has transpired and to come up with an appropriate course of action, including discipline, so it doesn't happen again." He straightened in his seat, meeting first Lloyd's eyes directly, then Cecile's.

Clearing her throat, the blue-haired researcher ventured, "In regards to the…um, sexual misconduct, was he…I mean, was it…forced?" Her voice squeaked at the last word.

Suzaku's head shot up, an indignant glare on his face. "No!" he burst out, before either school administrator could answer. "It was completely consensual on both sides!"

Dr. Ashford rubbed his forehead and sighed, but he nodded to confirm the student's account. "Yes, they were both equally involved. However, the other student is a ward of the school. Those different circumstances affect how we will handle things on that end."

"I see," Cecile said, nodding. She still seemed dazed. "I'm sure Suzaku understands he did wrong," she added, giving her young co-worker a significant look, "but what did you have in mind about what needs to be done?"

Mrs. Byrd jotted down a few notes on her papers before turning in her seat. "To start with, we believe a two-week suspension is in order. The suspension days cannot overlap with days he would miss anyway for military purposes, so we need to arrange a schedule with you. Furthermore, we plan to put Suzaku in a different class so as to separate him from the other student." Ignoring the brunet's cry of outraged shock, the assistant principal explained, "This will limit their contact and diminish future opportunities for such reckless behavior. Along this line of thought, they will also have different lunch periods." She took a deep breath. "In addition, this incident will be written up and put in his permanent file. It's a black mark on his record. If Suzaku continues to engage in unfitting sexual behavior on school grounds, the consequences will be steeper. Hopefully, we will not need to discuss them." She placed her pen on the table with finality.

Suzaku gulped, eyes wide.

Lloyd rolled his eyes and leaned forward a bit in his chair. "Is that all?" he drawled.

Cecile glared at him and snapped, "Lloyd!" in a mortified whisper. "This is serious!"

Dr. Ashford breathed deeply and opened his mouth to say something—but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Before anyone could respond, the door slid open and a thin, black-haired Britannian boy sauntered into the room. He glared at Mrs. Byrd, gave Lloyd and Cecile a neutral appraisal, shot Suzaku a warm and reassuring smile, and finally turned to Dr. Ashford with a serious expression. Clearing his throat, he began, "Dr. Ashford—"

The principal held up his hand, palm out. "Mr. Lamperouge, this meeting does not concern you," he reprimanded.

"Doesn't it, though?" the Britannian boy asked in a faux-innocent tone.

Suzaku choked on laughter.

"Because I seem to remember being very much a part of it," the student, Someone Lamperouge, informed the room. "And seeing as how my actions played a role, I believe I've earned the right to be here. On that note, I'd like to remind you of several similar cases where students were not even given a warning—"

"Thank you, Mr. Lamperouge, that will do," Mrs. Byrd interrupted, her face red with anger. "Please have a seat outside and we'll deal with you afterwards."

Cecile looked back and forth between the Britannian boy and the school administrators, honestly feeling a little lost. Suzaku visibly relaxed in his seat, and his expression was adoring as he gazed at the other boy. Lloyd started smirking. Dr. Ashford groaned almost inaudibly and looked down at the table, fingers now massaging his head.

But the black-haired boy only took a deliberate step forward, clearly defiant of the assistant principal's directions, and stood his ground. "Two months ago, Zak Marshall and Elaine Morse were caught dry-humping in the science lab. She even had her skirt up and he was thrusting against her wet underwear."

Cecile blushed hard at hearing the obscene recounting. Lloyd chuckled lowly. Mrs. Byrd opened and closed her mouth several times, apparently speechless; Cecile could almost see the steam coming out of her ears. Dr. Ashford just shook his head resignedly.

"They were given a knowing look and a verbal reminder to cool down their hormones," the Britannian student continued. "All the teachers laughed about the story in the faculty lounge. Never once were the students in any sort of trouble, even when they were found again doing the exact same thing. Then, Clayton Jones was caught red-handed fingering his girlfriend, Laurel Morgan, behind the bleachers during P.E. They were told to wash their hands and get back to their games."

Mrs. Byrd's face scrunched in anger as she finally found her voice. "That's enough, Mr. Lamperouge!"

Raising his voice, the Britannian boy kept right on at it with, "A week ago, Amber Scott was caught sucking her boyfriend's dick in the men's bathroom. Mr. Hernandez gave Joe Palmer a fist bump and asked if she was any good."

"Mr. Lamperouge, do not spread illicit rumors about our faculty!"

Still glaring, the Britannian boy started gesturing wildly as he shared, "Also last week, Angelica Hyde straddled her girlfriend Mya Stafford, in their bathing suits. The swim coach, Mrs. Gordon, told them to get their pool laps done before they got wet for each other." He paused to let that one sink in.

"How dare you imply—"

Suzaku's classmate raised his voice even more to be heard over the assistant principal. "Five days ago, Charles Bell was rubbing his boyfriend's crotch under the desk during math. Mrs. Cole specifically suggested to them that they take care of it in the bathroom and come right back to class afterwards. Ryan Sykes came back to the room with semen on his face. Mrs. Cole gave him a tissue and didn't say a word."

"That is a filthy lie—"

"Which leads me to believe," the Britannian boy hissed with another slow step forward—Cecile could feel waves of enraged energy emanating from him—"that Suzaku is being unfairly targeted due to his racial and ethnic background. If none of those other students incurred any type of disciplinary action for engaging in much more scandalous sexual behavior, then Suzaku definitely should not be dragged in front of the firing squad." He finally stopped gesturing and folded his arms across his chest; he was trembling with anger. "Might I remind you, ma'am, we were only kissing and touching."

Cecile blinked rapidly again, looking between Suzaku and the black-haired boy several times. It slowly started to click as a nondescript Britannian girl's profile, complete with big, bouncing breasts, was instead replaced by this boy in her mind's eye. Lloyd let out a soft, "Aha~!" and leaned forward again, fiddling with his glasses.

"Your hands were all over each other!" Mrs. Byrd screeched, voice pitching with mad inflection.

Scoffing, the Britannian boy semi-corrected the assistant principal, "Yes, above the belt and over the clothes."

Hands clenching into fists, Mrs. Byrd growled, "It was indecent!"

"You mean because he's an Eleven and I'm a Britannian? It can't be because we're both boys. Ashford is pretty liberal when it comes to sexual orientation," mused Suzaku's newly-revealed boyfriend. Or kissing partner, at the very least. His face was still stormy as he added, "And even in our own case, I should receive the same consequences as Suzaku. What was it I heard through the door?" He tapped his chin. "Ah, yes, a two-week suspension and a black mark on my record. I expect to have those punishments, the same as Suzaku, if he gets them."

"Lelouch…" the Japanese boy murmured, forest green eyes filled with wonder and affection.

Cecile's heart melted a tad at the look the two boys shared with each other.

Dr. Ashford, long gone silent, steepled his fingers and announced, "I've heard and seen enough." Sighing, he concluded, "There will be no further action against either of you young men, but please learn from this experience and show more restraint in the future." Turning to Cecile and Lloyd, he added, "My apologies for insisting you leave your work and come to a mandatory conference. This turned out to be a huge waste of your precious time."

Nearly snapping her pen, Mrs. Byrd scowled at both Lelouch Lamperouge and Kururugi Suzaku before walking swiftly from the room. She was in such a rush that she left her papers behind.

Taken aback, Cecile swallowed and mumbled, "Oh, no. We…we're always happy to make sure Suzaku is doing what he needs at school."

Lloyd muttered, "Not when it takes me away from my Lancelot" under his breath. Cecile smiled widely and elbowed him in the side.

Standing and inclining his head, obviously pretending he hadn't heard Lloyd's rudeness, Dr. Ashford stood and shook both their hands. He stopped and stared at the Britannian boy before shaking his head, an almost fond and amused smile on his lips. "We'll talk later," he murmured to the Britannian student. Clapping a hand on the boy's shoulder, he squeezed it once before sweeping from the school conference room.

As if given permission to move, Suzaku shot out of his seat and launched himself at his boyfriend, wrapping his arms tight around the other boy's thin frame and pressing them flush against each other. Inhaling deeply, he buried his face in a pale neck. His shoulders shook. "You're absolutely amazing, Lelouch," he breathed admiringly, voice catching.

Slowly, Lelouch returned the embrace and dropped his head to the brunet's shoulder. Turning, he pressed a quick kiss into the Japanese boy's neck.

Cecile carefully averted her eyes from the tender, private moment. Lloyd, however, stared unashamedly. Cecile couldn't help but gawk again when Suzaku suddenly lifted his head and surged in for a spell of deep kisses with the Britannian boy, both of their arms tightening around each other's torsos and their hands sliding through and pulling at hair. The other boy, Lelouch, let out a soft moan. Then Suzaku moaned. Then Lelouch moaned again, longer this time. At that point, Cecile regained control of her motor faculties and was able to drag Lloyd out the door, leaving the two boys to their steamy make-out.

"Suzaku's got quite a lawyer for a boyfriend, doesn't he?" Lloyd laughed.

Mind still reeling from the entire afternoon, Cecile turned to her boss and observed, "You don't seem surprised or upset at all."

Lloyd flapped a disinterested hand in the air. "Oh my, no," he agreed. "Nothing about that boy shocks me anymore. Do you think they're having sex on the table yet?"

Cecile staggered, face burning. "Lloyd!"

"You're right," the head Knightmare researcher said casually. "They've probably migrated to Mrs. Byrd's office desk by now."

Shaking her head, Cecile focused on putting one foot in front of the other as they signed out in the school's front office and made their way back to the university labs across the street.

*/*

Later that afternoon, when Suzaku came in to work with at least four hickies on his neck, he brandished a school memo at them before they could ask more about this 'Lelouch Lamperouge' boy. Cecile squinted at the paper. It was a standard letter to all students and families informing them of a newly-scheduled, mandatory, school-wide presentation to review the Ashford Academy Student Handbook, particularly pages 68-71, which dealt with "advanced dating protocols."

"Would you like us to attend?" Cecile asked, tilting her head at the brunet pilot. "Families are invited to help reinforce school expectations at home."

Suzaku blushed lightly and shook his head. "Oh, no, you don't have to," he said quickly. "I'm not even going." Sweat beaded his forehead.

Cecile opened her mouth, about to point out that it was mandatory for all students.

"Lelouch says during the event is the perfect time to hang alone on the roof, so…"

Lloyd smirked again. "So, Cecile," he intoned, "clear your afternoon schedules for next week. Something tells me we'll be called in to Ashford Academy quite regularly."