Double Trouble
The chafing on Lelouch's wrists was easier to conceal than the bruise on Schneizel's face. Her sleeves covered the evidence. Schneizel, on the other hand, was forced to wear makeup. As a male with unblemished skin it wasn't very obvious. Lelouch only knew because he made her test out the arrangement of toners on him the next morning. Her excuse that she "didn't wear makeup," was met with a steel glare.
"Neither does Kanon. I can't very well be seen looking like this, however."
She nodded and experimented with different liquids, powders, and sticks until the green, purple, and red spot blended in with his ivory skin tone. Her hand got steadier as time progressed. The trepidation didn't cease; it was only the external show of it that was covered in addition to the reason. That was a lie. The mark disappeared. Schneizel's eyes remained terrifying. His gaze bore into her, but the pastel purple didn't sparkle with affection. She was an animal at the zoo, and one her keeper realized wasn't domesticated.
Her desire to brag about the punch to Kallen was overshadowed. It wasn't like it did anything other than get her into trouble. She didn't have the chance, regardless. After multiple votes taken the day before, all with the same result, Britannia gained control of congress. That wasn't anything to celebrate; Schneizel gracefully accepted the news, and declined the begrudging offer of a reception, using his sick wife as an excuse.
Lelouch bit the inside of her cheek as she was led through the low-key affair, consisting of her brother's public swearing-in ceremony. Schneizel stood on the podium next to Kaguya, who looked at his serene face with disbelief, and betrayal. The two teenagers eyes met and Lelouch felt her traitorous action be brought to the surface despite the interaction being no more than that. Kaguya knew. By the way the rest of the representatives acted, she was the only one, and possibly the Tianzi. It made sense. Kaguya was on personal terms with all the officers of the Black Knights. She would have heard about Schneizel's meeting.
It wouldn't take much to connect the dots, realizing that Zero's disappearance, and the unwilling election were connected. Kaguya knew Lelouch's former identity. She knew that 'Lulu El Britannia' used geass to force congress to act against their will. The one who created the UFN slaughtered it. It wouldn't take a genius to figure that out once the entire puzzle was laid out.
Schneizel smirked, although Lelouch theorized to anyone else the smile appeared innocent, as he said his oath.
"I, Schneizel El Britannia, Prime Minister of the Britannian Empire, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United Federate Nations against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God." [1]
Lelouch felt sick. She fled the scene, followed by Kanon, where she emptied her breakfast into the ocean. The Earl awkwardly held her hair back as he gently scolded her to stop testing Schneizel. He thought they were past that phase. She would have swatted him away, infuriated by his words, if they weren't so predictable. Of course the best friend would take sides based on loyalty and not action. Her only conviction was that there was no one in earshot who would cause the man to be quiet. The two remained alone long enough for him to lecture.
The ceremony was over more quickly than it began. Lelouch found her participation, puking her guts out, the remaining time appropriate. For once the child found an applicable time to make her violently ill and exhausted. She tensed when the hand on her back seemed to double in size, and her hair swung down around her face. "It's over," Schneizel commented.
She thought he would send for the Damocles to pick them up for one last power play. Lelouch should be flattered, really, that he wasted the opportunity. The Flying Fortress that landed was the Avalon. It was still probably loaded with at least one FLEIJA, and could intimidate well enough. His message of control was meant for her. It became clear, and not merely speculation, when he casually asked if she agreed to his statement "the Avalon always felt more cozy."
Her brother's hand remained on her lower back as she dredged through the halls, stopping at a particular door she remembered. Kanon's excuse that "the Avalon housed more complete medical facilities," didn't help. Schneizel chose the location, where her initial medical exam took place, for another reason. At least the doctor who oversaw the event committed suicide. A middle-aged woman greeted her. Lelouch remained irritated during her blood and urine samples. Discovering she gained 5lbs already lifted her mood a tad. That explained why she felt like the formal wear version of 'fat guy in a little coat,' from the comedy flick 'Tommy Boy.'
Even with the corset backing completely lose; it was still a tight fit. Lelouch felt less exposed than expected when the material was lifted to her natural waist. If she were wearing a shirt and bottoms, the top would only need to be pushed up slightly, with the bottoms pulled down to her hipbone. Perhaps it was the different aura from the last time she laid on the exam table, or the genuine upturn of the woman, Cheryl, mouth. She wore casual clothing, a hydrangea printed blouse and jeans, with curly dishwater blond hair tied back in messy bun. In spite of the stark difference in ethnicity, and gender, the midwife reminded Lelouch of Ohgi. Average. She certainly wasn't one of Schneizel's usual employees.
Cheryl asked about Lelouch's sleeping, and eating patterns as she light pressed around Lelouch's lower abdomen, feeling the size and location of her uterus. Symptoms, both current and projected were rattled off. Her attention remained on her patient; Schneizel remained standing nearby, but was rarely addressed. Lelouch liked that. She theorized that the woman was likely picked up specifically for her homey charm. If it was a standard medical office, and not a giant facility housing space for everything from operations to check ups, Lelouch imagined the walls would be filled with stereotypical photos of nature with inspirational quotes. Some stylized picture of pregnant woman would be included, considering the profession.
She hissed when a cool gel was squirted not far from her pelvic bone. Cheryl giggled, apologizing that she should have given warning. The transductor of the sonogram machine spread the lubricant, and Lelouch had the desire to relieve herself again when Cheryl pressed it dangerously close to her bladder. Lelouch stared in awe at the strange grainy black and white image on the monitor. It didn't look like a baby, or even a mutant alien thing. She didn't know what she was looking at: grainy grey, with a black blob in the center. Unrecognizable grey blobs moved within the blackness.
"Oh I just love being right!" Cheryl said, pushing a sequence of buttons that made a strange, rhythmic whooshing sound emit from the machine. "Congratulations, Mama! This is the heartbeat of Baby A. Very healthy. 120 beats per minute."
"Baby A?" Lelouch asked breathless, staring at the screen with a newfound perspective.
"Mmmhmmm!" Cheryl beamed, patting Lelouch's arm with her free hand. "Fraternal twins." She removed the hand to point at the top blob, encased in its own bubble, zooming in to where it began to take form. "Here is the head, torso, and legs." A line appeared on the screen at the crown of the head, and was dragged to the fetus' butt. "Looks like this one is measuring a bit ahead, or your LMP [2] is off. That happens a lot. There is a two weekish variance. This says eleven weeks and two days. As long as they match, no issues."
The whooshing sound continued as Cheryl zoomed out, and moved the transductor to a different angle. Lelouch peeled her eyes off the screen when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Schneizel moved from his standoffish position to hover close enough that Lelouch wondered if he would have joined her on the uncomfortable table if he could fit. Her snarky question if he "had been feeding her fertility drugs," died in her throat. Her brother looked dumbstruck. His arrangement of masks fell, leaving a dazed look of disbelief.
"Twins," he murmured, drawing circles with his thumb through the thin material of her cropped blazer.
Lelouch smiled weakly despite him not seeing the gesture. Schneizel's eyes were glued to the monitor. She placed her hand over his, and he absently linked their fingers. Twins. She was as dumbstruck as he, and probably much more flustered. If having one child at eighteen was unnerving, two was obviously double the trouble. That's not even to mention the added risks and complications, fear of pushing two small watermelons out, or having a cesarean section, nursing - no wonder her breasts were already massive in comparison. Would she ever be able to sleep? One baby left a person sleep deprived. She couldn't imagine two.
The heartbeat changing to another, slightly slower pattern brought Lelouch's attention away from her brother, who at that moment she neither feared nor loathed, and back to the screen. Baby B had a heart rate of 115, and was a few days behind his or her sibling. As long as the difference in size didn't get above 10-15 percent, it was normal and healthy. No two persons are the same, even in the womb.
Lelouch reached out to run her fingers over the smooth screen once the image zoomed back out. Cheryl began rambling off instructions as she examined more thoroughly, moving the device to get more angles. The teenage mother's eyes remained on the two wiggling forms, her dread turning into elation. Her body felt light and fuzzy with a heightened sense of love and attachment. She noticed Schneizel started playing with her hair, doubting he noticed himself. They both stared at the screen, Cheryl standing not at all out of place on the opposite side of the exam table.
Kanon was a wonderful man for bringing her a new dress during the appointment. When Lelouch finally slid down off the table, she saw a purple lump placed on a piece of medical equipment by the door. The article was clearly maternity wear, and that wasn't all that set it apart from her usual wardrobe. It was still black and purple, floor length, and elegantly simple without sacrificing details. There were sleeves, billowy ones that extended past her wrists. It wasn't tight fitting, both the bodice, and skirt left room for growth; she only owned one other empire waist dress. The main color was purple, with swirls of black at the chest and sleeves. It was the opposite of her eye patch. What struck her as the most unusual, however, was the fine white embroidery at the hems.
Since coming into Schneizel's possession, Lelouch hadn't owned anything white. The closest she ever came was the khaki blazer of her school uniform that was returned. Nothing new contained the color, or absence of color if speaking with an art major. Kanon was making a point. She sighed, enjoying the aesthetics of the garment, and not the symbolism. Her hypothesis would be tested in the coming months. She was going to get huge enough that multiple sizes would be required. More white would undoubtedly start creeping into her clothing.
The bliss of her exam was sullied even more when Schneizel lead her down another known corridor, despite it only meeting the soles of her feet three times: when she was shown her cage initially, the escape that was interrupted by Nina, and when she finally was transferred to the Damocles. Her hope that the 250 sq ft apartment was somehow changed, that it's taint would be overwritten like the medical wing, was dashed when the door opened, revealing the same environment as before.
Schneizel pushed against the small of her back, urging her forward, when Lelouch stood rooted at the entrance. She didn't want to go back to the way things were. Lelouch never lived for the past. At a time she was focused only on the future. Her current philosophy was a mystery. It certainly was not a desire for the past though.
"Brother." She said, turning to face him. "Schneizel." She corrected, although he didn't seem to mind being called by his role like she did.
He caught her hand when she moved to touch him. It was unlikely he assumed she would strike, considering her reach was tentative. Schneizel rubbed the chafing at her wrist, exposed from the loose fitted sleeves falling victim to gravity. His guarded expression revealed callous eyes. The pastel purple of them softened for a moment when he glanced at her stomach; it didn't linger when he established eye contact. He sighed, releasing his hold.
"Stay in here." He ordered before turning his back to leave the room.
The furnishings were the same, yet there were several changes made to her old cage. The most obvious change was the door, which was unlocked. It took a few days for Lelouch to realize it. Unlike the last time she made no effort to escape. Schneizel's promise of punishment still kept her up at night. At one point she got bored enough that the lure of cracking the code that locked her in overwhelmed her fear. She reasoned she could always fix it once she was done, and realized there was no code. Needless to say, she spent the rest of the day wandering around the different levels of the Avalon, expecting someone to rush at her. When she eventually turned in for the night, it was clear that her limited freedom was not an oversight. Schneizel still trusted her not to run away.
Her closet contained clothes, including extremely unflattering maternity panties. Lelouch gaped at the articles. They reminded her of grannie panties. The one time she had her cycle near Schneizel, her underwear was still sexy little things with ruffles, lace, or if nothing else appealing patterns. For some reason she found the alteration offensive, and she refused to wear them.
She had an outlet to the outside world, a tablet computer, with a rather toned down parental security setting. Lelouch snorted when she first noticed Schneizel's useless attempt to control. By the time the device showed up on the table, she was feeling much more sure of herself. She hacked every firewall except the one that prevented her from assessing his personal files. This wasn't due to lack of trying so much as her brother's superior security when it came to his own privacy. The settings were on a loop, rewriting code endlessly. The program must have been quite the endeavor to create.
She quickly became up-to-date of the world news, finding the media's manipulation of events more audacious now that she no longer held Diethard Reid's reigns. Even Milly's reports of her actions were disgustingly skewed. Lelouch wondered what her friend really thought, knowing her disdain of Britannian politics from hushed conversations at school. That curiosity wasn't enough to place a phone call. Lelouch's preliminary attempts were all to the same person. Nunnally. Of course her little sister wouldn't answer her cell phone. Still, Lelouch assumed that the Apple ID remained the same even if she changed numbers after becoming Vicereine.
The only other person she had the gall to call initially was Kallen.
Lelouch's underhanded role in the Black Knights was ironic. At the same time it was the foreseeable next step in Zero's legacy. She truly was the phantom leader of the military organization. Saying she acted as deputy would suggest that anyone knew of their secret conversations, or the amount of persuasion it took to convince Kallen to take a more influential position. Getting her to put on the king piece costume was, apparently, more than the girl could handle. They compromised on her requesting, and obtaining, the position of General Commander. Xingke replaced Ohgi after the Black Knights split off from the UFN, once again becoming a rebel group devoted to the citizens, and not a corrupt government. The Britannian military acted as the protectors of democracy and freedom. According to the media, that is.
The goal was modest in comparison to the lofty ones Zero proper boasted. In truth, Lelouch wasn't really sure what her goal was anymore. Her orders were sometimes nonsensical. Occasionally 'Kallen' suggested moves that aided Schneizel, and other times she moved to trap him. The drive she felt as Zero didn't exist in that space, and wasn't portrayed through properly through FaceTime. The black and white personality blended to grays. Gone was her idealistic aim, and willingness to sacrifice that ideal to end. Was she truly only sneaking "for something to do?" If her true intentions were to defeat Schneizel she was going about it all wrong. Her first move should have been to order Jeremiah to undo her geass command on the council. Her loyal knight remained on an orange farm. She couldn't decide what else to do with him.
Perhaps the issue lied with Kallen. She wasn't much of a public speaker, and was much less willing to take risks. Apparently sacrificing millions of lives for one's goal was a character trait of the royal family. Your average (or ace) knightmare pilot was only willing to sacrifice his or her own life, and suggesting suicide missions went against that moral foundation. The Black Knights' actions did little more than maintain the status quo. The countries that would give Schneizel the six percent he needed were, for the most part, remaining neutral. It was a slow bleed. Truthfully the only thing the Black Knights were accomplishing was buying time for Lelouch to decide her alliance, and accept her loss.
The redhead did manage to convince Nina, who went into seclusion at Ashford Academy, to join her once hated organization. If the Einstein knew who was really pulling the strings, she would have been a harder sell. The reports and blueprints Lelouch received regarding an eliminator developed alongside Rakshada would be enough to put Schneizel in a stalemate. The only issue was the .04 second margin for error. It would require magical means to implement especially on a large scale. Luckily her brother seemed intrigued enough by the resistance, and threat of his precious FLEIJAs being obsolete, to participate in a Cold War. He held majority votes, but had yet to completely take control of congress.
At least, that's what Lelouch deduced based on his actions and her intimate understanding of his personality. Schneizel didn't visit her. With the damage done, there was no reason to force conjugal visits. His partner of choice was once again Kanon, favoring sodomy. The prospect didn't make her jealous, not like the idea of another woman did. She saw him at antenatal appointments, and continued to win half her matches, only the game was played through a chess app.
He was still hurt and angry. Lelouch was grateful that he was waiting until that anger subsided before inflicting his punishment, considering she was still doing things that would upset him. The longer he left her alone, seeing only his elation directed at the babies, the less her theories on his behavior seemed sound. Her brother appeared to handle her outburst the same way their father had. He abandoned her. The only reason she was still kept was because of her status as an incubator. He wouldn't even punish her the ways she imagined.
After a week her episodes slowed, and after two they almost completely ceased coming. Originally she believed said punishment was the lack of his comfort and intervention. The idea that he was the instigator along with the pacifier was logical, albeit emotionally draining. She was already drained enough physically. She didn't want to think he was capable of doing that to her, and putting his unborn children through that stress. It didn't make sense. Then again, someone who named a weapon of mass destruction after the goddess of love was clearly deranged. The mythology that Freya received half of the souls in the afterlife seemed too fitting, considering Schneizel had enough warheads to massacre half the population of the world in the name of "love and peace." Releasing her of the burden of her fits was also counterproductive to the notion of punishment. Lelouch found herself thumbing the smooth gems of her eye patch whenever she thought about it. It was funny that whenever her mind wandered to how horrible of a person Schneizel was she stroked the amethyst, and when her thoughts followed a different trajectory she stoked her stomach. No matter the reason, she wasn't complaining about lack of fits.
Round Ligament Pain provided enough misery. The myth that morning sickness only lasted until the second trimester, and came in the morning was laughable. Cheryl insisted that once her hormone levels evened out, a lot of the negative symptoms would fade, leaving her in a honeymoon period before she got to big to function. Lelouch already felt big, and it wasn't even half way done.
Schneizel's callous ceased when they were in that medical room. Her love/loath conflict vanished too. If she were to say she loved him when he looked at the screen, and rubbed her rounding belly, it wouldn't be a lie. Any other time surely, but seeing him stare starry-eyed at the screen melted her heart.
"Lila," Lelouch said, anticipating the cool gel. It didn't catch her off guard any longer. "I like Lila for a girl."
"No." Schneizel said, the hardness of his features faded. "We aren't naming our kid Darkness."
Cheryl laughed, putting away the soft measuring tape she used to guess the size of the babies before using the sonogram machine. She reasoned it was good to do things with and without technology, and then compare the results, rather than relying on machines alone. "How about we let the kids decide. If I feel confident enough to determine the genders today, and one is a girl, Lulu gets to name that kid. You, your highness -"
"Please, just Schneizel." He reminded.
"Right. Schneizel. I don't know why it's easier to remember for Lulu, maybe because of feminine bonding." She winked. "You can name the other one, or at least get more of a say in the matter. After doing this for twenty years, I'd say it's a good idea to just agree. Especially since names usually pick themselves. They just come to you one day."
"Fine." He conceded.
Seventeen weeks was past the cusp of speculation and moving into certitude, and yet Lelouch already knew. Call it woman's intuition. One of the babies was a girl, and that was her name. Over the past month the blobs that were her children morphed into easily recognizable bodies. They were little humans, and even interacted with each other. In addition to sucking thumbs, and exploring their own bodies, the babies started to reach for one another. More than once Lelouch found herself tearing up watching them on the screen while Cheryl dealt with the technicalities of the ultrasound.
They were probably going to have a stronger bond than her and Nunnally. Lelouch fought the urge to unlink her fingers with Schneizel's at the notion. The request to talk to her sister stayed at the tip of her tongue during each appointment. It would probably be the best time to do so since it was the only time they interacted in person, and he acted lovingly towards her. The cold, calm indifference didn't surface until afterwards, when he walked her back to her room.
"Ok! Moment of truth here." Cheryl beamed. "Baby A is sleeping with legs wide open. Should I zoom in or skip over that part of the body?"
Lelouch was correct. The smaller one with a faster heartbeat was indeed a girl. Schneizel scoffed, accusing the women of "plotting against him." Lelouch tensed slightly at the phrase before relaxing immediately after. He wouldn't sully the moment by divulging his knowledge of her activities. Baby B was not immediately named, however, he too was more than happy to show off his parts during the anatomy scan. Boy and girl twins. That had to be something of fiction; it was too perfect. They were perfect. Besides the usual miseries of a pregnancy of multiples, there were no complications, or added risks. She was even gaining weight exactly on schedule, no doubt Kanon's constant supply of nutritionally dense food helped.
"I was going more for the meaning of the word in Hinduism." Lelouch said when the spell of the sonogram was broken. Schneizel helped her off the table. Such gestures would only last a few more minutes. He quirked a smile, and waited for an explanation. "Without going into a lengthy dialog, Lila, or Leela, is the divine manifestation of Brahman, God's, pastime or play in Hinduism. It's like Maya, but not, considering that that "illusion," exists to make us forget our connection, our Atman [3]. Lila is the cosmos, and Brahman revealed through action."
"Why do you like that name?" Schneizel whispered. His hand trembled slightly in her smaller one.
"It uh." Lelouch hooked a piece of her hair behind her ear, feeling unnerved by her brother's response. As much as he tried to remain impassive, he looked - something she couldn't quite put her finger on - under his guarded features. "It just popped into my head after an episode. Or during. I'm not sure. Anyway I like it. C.C. and I used to talk philosophy, and Hinduism was one of her favorites because of all the stories."
"That's fine." He replied curtly. "That name is apposite."
Schneizel didn't walk her back to her apartment that day. As much he didn't protest her choice in their daughter's name, it struck a chord with him. The starry-eyed gaze vanished when he glanced down at her stomach. Lelouch instinctively brought her hands around it, protecting her unborn children from his stare. When he stormed out of the room, she couldn't help but be reminded of Suzaku.
A/n: Thank my kid for never sleeping the same time as me, but still insisting to be cuddled, for the quick updates lately. Seriously I swear she only sleeps when I am awake. If I get slow on updates (over a week), hopefully it means that I actually got to rest. That would be amazing.
Epic time-skip, even though it's really only a month or month and a half. I just wanted to get Lulu out of the crappy, not fun to write about part of pregnancy. I don't even remember my first trimester. Speaking of. Sorry for all the technical terms. Without having a ton of footnotes just know pregnancy sucks. The only good parts are feeling the baby and ultrasounds (much more common with twins.) Cheryl is based off my midwife, and please excuse my hippie pregnancy and parenting ideals as they show up in this fic.
I can't tell if this story is really predicable or I'm just making some people really happy. To the person who wrote a review about twins, I tots laughed when I saw it because I was writing that section at the same time.
Footnotes:
[1] This is the oath congressmen take here in the US of A. I just changed the nation.
[2] Last menstrual period.
[3] The divine/true soul. In code geass terms, it would be synonymous the collective unconscious, and being one with God.
