Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. The only profit I make from this fanfiction is the joy of writing and sharing my headcanons.

Thank you to everyone who commented, left kudos, started following my Tumblr, etc. :D

Thanks to my lovely beta-reader, TheGeminiSage, for looking over this whale of a tale. She is love. Go read her Undertale comic, Refuse. :D

The chess metaphor discussion scene is dedicated to Sugarby for being such a faithful reader and coming up with one of Suzaku's teasing lines. The scene as a whole turned out more serious than expected, but. Yeah.

Please enjoy the slow burn romance and let me know your thoughts. I really want to know how the relationship-building is coming across. Or if you have a favorite part or quote, please share so I know what I'm doing right. If I could improve something, let me know that, too. x3

Chapter 6: Setting Boundaries

Suzaku felt enchanted, cocooned in a blissful waking dream of wishes come true.

"Are you happy?" Lelouch whispered, brushing Suzaku's bangs back and pressing their foreheads together as closely as they'd wedged themselves against the inside of the bedroom door. The privacy was appealing after the disruption of dinner, where they'd had to control themselves in the presence of company. It had been harder than anticipated with the heightened elation of novelty buzzing under skin.

Eyes glistening with affirmative answer, Suzaku kissed Lelouch square on the mouth. With a hint of huskiness, he emphasized against Lelouch's lips, "Of course." Pulling his new boyfriend closer, Suzaku sank into Lelouch's embrace after too many hours spent keeping physical distance. Nunnally and Sayoko hadn't meant to interrupt before, but they'd done a fine job of it anyway. It didn't matter, though. Suzaku had Lelouch now, and Lelouch's touch felt like a reawakening.

Simpering into the kiss, Lelouch held Suzaku just as close. He trailed his hands down Suzaku's back and sides, his movements growing more daring at Suzaku's resulting shivers and choked-off moans. He pulled back after a long moment to catch his breath, a rosy tinge on his cheeks and a proud gleam in purple eyes.

Suzaku smiled at the sight and, overflowing with emotion, glanced to the side. His gaze flicked to the bed like it was a homing beacon of questions. But it wasn't Suzaku's place to invite himself to climb between Lelouch's sheets, and to be honest, he wasn't sure he wanted…

Following his eyes, Lelouch stiffened for a second before grabbing Suzaku's hand and leading him to sit atop the bedspread; he angled his body so their knees would knock together. The smile he directed towards Suzaku grew more relaxed as the seconds ticked by.

Lelouch's composed attitude made Suzaku more anxious instead of creating a contagious calming effect. Was Lelouch faking it or was he truly that comfortable welcoming his new boyfriend to his bed on the first night of their relationship? He'd had a mini-freakout about not knowing how to kiss, let alone… Suzaku wobbled with dizziness as his mind raced with expectations. Everything seemed to be moving so fast now that it was happening, feeling especially rushed after being stuck at standstill for a week of uncertainty. The room felt hot, and Suzaku's neck started to sweat as he sank onto the bed, looking anywhere but at Lelouch's face.

"Suzaku." Lelouch's voice sounded amused.

Attention snapping to his boyfriend, Suzaku startled and licked his lips, tasting Lelouch on them. "Y-yes?"

Purple eyes darkened at the appearance of Suzaku's tongue, but Lelouch leaned back and restrained himself from getting reacquainted with it. Instead, he stared Suzaku straight in the eye and pressed, "What's wrong?"

Tilting his head, Suzaku thought through what he wanted to say. It took longer than he'd like to sort out his tangled thoughts, running together as they were. Was it only this morning when he'd last been afraid that he'd lost Lelouch forever? After a few dozen heartbeats, Suzaku said, "I am really happy to be with you, Lelouch. I've been wanting this for a long time." He took both of Lelouch's hands and squeezed them, awed at the physical proof of Lelouch's presence after everything and desperate not to let him slip through his fingers this time. Then he took another deep breath and admitted, "I'm just scared that something is going to ruin it all. I don't want to go too fast and lose you."

"You won't lose me," Lelouch reassured him, his pale face set with determination. "I've already made my decision. I chose you." He followed up his words with a quick kiss.

Suzaku kissed back reflexively, amazed at how the initial awkwardness and doubts were already fading into comfortable familiarity (though apparently only to make room for new ones). "Still," he said when he eased back, "we should probably talk about what we want out of this." He leaned in and hugged Lelouch, mumbling into his neck, "I just don't want any more miscommunication like what happened before."

"I don't either," Lelouch agreed. "As for what I want? Well, Suzaku, I want more than just kisses with you."

Suzaku sucked in a deep breath as his blush rushed back full-force. "Le-Lelouch!" he croaked, eyes wide as he scooted back and stared at the older teen. He hadn't thought the virginal prince had it in him. Then again, hadn't Lelouch mentioned sex in a roundabout way on the couch earlier? Suzaku's blood heated at the memory, even as his stomach churned. Suzaku knew that Lelouch had (unknowingly) starred in a grand number of his wet dreams, but in reality Suzaku didn't want to jump headfirst into sex. Despite Lelouch's words and their afternoon together, Suzaku still felt a twinge of fear that it was all a hoax. Twice since getting together a few hours ago, Lelouch had mentioned breaking up—once over kissing, and once over Nunnally. Any moment now, the other shoe would truly drop, and Suzaku didn't want awkward mistake sex straining their friendship. How should he tell his boyfriend that he wasn't ready to go all the way? Suzaku frowned and took another breath, face scrunching as he wondered how to word his intentions.

"What?" Lelouch cocked his head, eyes searching Suzaku's. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy to know that it's not all physical for me."

A tiny lightbulb started to glow in Suzaku's brain. "Not all physical…?" he echoed.

Lelouch nodded, looking serious and decisive. "Right. Even though I enjoy kissing you, you're still my best friend. Little things like you being here for dinner? Those are still important to me." He shifted nearer to Suzaku, an intense look on his face as he summed up, "I just need you in my life, Suzaku. I don't want our relationship to devolve into kissing and nothing else. I need your friendship and closeness behind anything we do together."

Suzaku's lips twitched at Lelouch's awkward and surprisingly sentimental directness, and he couldn't help but laugh out his worries. Forestalling any hurt protests, he leaned in and kissed his boyfriend quiet. "I want that, too," he concurred with another blush, squeezing Lelouch's hands in his again. "I just thought, at first, that you were saying you wanted to…uh, well, sleep with me. You know, when you said you wanted 'more than kisses,' I thought you meant…" He felt a wave of embarrassment mixed with relief wash over him as he fumbled with his words.

It was Lelouch's turn to blush bright red, and he had to close his eyes as he got himself under control. "That's…another prime example of miscommunication," he observed. He opened his eyes. "At least we clarified that one before it turned into another mess."

"That could've been bad," Suzaku agreed.

"All things considered, though," Lelouch went on, swallowing thickly. "Since we're on the topic…I'm not saying I'm ready now, but when the time comes, I know being with you will make it special." His blush darkened despite his obvious efforts, but he kept his gaze steady on Suzaku's.

Dazed, Suzaku felt his heart flip in his chest. "That's…yeah," he managed, blinking at the confession. It felt easier to breathe. Lelouch didn't want to rush their relationship after all, so Suzaku wasn't letting him down. Aiming to even the playing field, he laid out, "I'm not ready yet either, but I'll never push you even if I am ready first."

Lelouch smiled as soft as a cat's purr meeting silk satin. "I know. I trust you."

Suzaku swayed, light-headed, at the admission. Trust was such a huge, huge deal for Lelouch, after all. Face shining, Suzaku leaned in and kissed Lelouch again. They alternated between massaging their lips and tangling their tongues, and it was always a blast of excitement for Suzaku to discover what move Lelouch would pull next as he passionately took over the direction of their kisses. Suzaku would never get tired of this. He let Lelouch's bottom lip slide out from between his teeth and sighed, "I love you."

Lelouch's expression showed he was just as enthralled with Suzaku. "I love you, too," he said, his voice and meaning equally deep. "And since we're hashing things out, I need you to know: I want us to be committed to each other. No one else." He tenderly cupped Suzaku's cheek. "I know it seems obvious, but it's not always. I just…"

Suzaku leaned in and cut him off with another kiss, his tongue flicking Lelouch's. "Sh, I know," he purred when they separated. "It's okay. That's why we're having this talk—to set boundaries and make promises so we know what to expect from this relationship. Like I said, I don't want to lose you. I don't want to overstep."

"As if you could," Lelouch said fondly, ghosting his fingers over Suzaku's jawline.

Suzaku bristled. "I might accidentally if you don't tell me what you want."

"You'll hear about it if I don't like something," Lelouch promised. "As long as you see to my main needs, we can figure out anything else as it comes up." Before Suzaku could ask, he spelled out, "I want a monogamous relationship, I want your friendship behind what we do, and I want your signed resignation from the military."

Suzaku snorted, starting to feel more at ease. "I can give you two out of three."

Lelouch sighed melodramatically, rolling his eyes. "I suppose if I have to share you…"

Swallowing down laughter at the deliberate misinterpretation, Suzaku warned, "Lelouch."

"It was worth a shot," Lelouch grumbled.

Suzaku raised an eyebrow. "It was," he agreed pleasantly. "Too bad for you."

"You're not being a very nice boyfriend right now," Lelouch scoffed. "You should be nice to me. I'm your boyfriend."

The repetitive words made Suzaku's skin heat as he basked in the new label of their relationship. Normally, he didn't like labels. 'Lelouch's boyfriend,' he could get behind. He knew his boyfriend was goading him, but Suzaku just couldn't bring himself to care. "You bring up a good point. I'll be nicer," he teased back, letting the laughter bubble up.

Lelouch grinned with his trademark triumph, making Suzaku's heart thump faster still. "And you?" he pressed. "What else do you want so I don't overstep?"

"I want what you want," Suzaku breathed earnestly, leaning forward with half-lidded eyes.

Lelouch's smile widened before morphing into a devilish smirk. "Why, Suzaku," he said with false innocence, "if you want to quit the military that badly—"

Suzaku stopped and rolled his eyes, his lips twitching. "Lelouch, give it a rest. You've used up your limit for tonight."

Lelouch cocked his head and nudged Suzaku's shoulder. "So I can try again tomorrow?"

Snorting, Suzaku shut him up with a kiss. He was growing more comfortable initiating things—he still felt excited that Lelouch wanted him to!—though he admitted to himself that it caused a special sort of thrill when Lelouch, normally so withdrawn, instigated intimacy. And when he took control.

As if reading his mind, Lelouch started to fall sideways, gently guiding Suzaku to lie with him on the bed and taking care to never let their kiss break. He grasped Suzaku's hair above his nape, holding him in place as their connection escalated. Suzaku retaliated by stroking Lelouch's cheek before cupping it in the palm of his hand. Soft moans and heavy breathing cracked their kiss into segments, but the action progressed even when their lips were parted. Their hands began to wander within unspoken safe limits—in hair, on faces, on backs and shoulders and arms—making them mussy and disarrayed as careworn treasure. Warmth infused every gesture, compelling the forward momentum of their make-out adventure into fresh realms of experiences. Each kiss, each touch, was a step deeper on their journey, and now there was no turning back. At the very least, for good or for ill, they'd always have this between them. Right now, everything felt divine. Their heads never stopped moving, drawing back and pressing forward, tilting for new angles and positions, sliding and bumping against each other as they practiced responding to each other's body signals. Their skills increased, leveled off, increased again, dipped, swelled, rose, dropped, leveled, surged... They caught each other's gaze between lip locks with heated and hazy eyes, blending intimacy with sensuality inside their interwoven dreamworld materialized. The bed was heaven-soft beneath them, providing comfortable stability for their explorations. Nothing else existed outside their loving experimentation.

"Since we're talking about boundaries, I'm fine with kissing," Lelouch volunteered after a particularly arousing spell of caresses. Despite his initial wariness towards Frenching, he sought it out now like he was starving for it.

Suzaku chuckled knowingly. "I can tell." He swept his fingers down the curve of Lelouch's jawline, delighting in Lelouch's full-body shudder and smoky expression. "I love kissing you, too."

Lelouch pressed forward again, swallowing Suzaku's moans before trailing feather-light kisses across Suzaku's cheek, behind his ear, down his neck…at least as far as he could go before the high uniform collar blocked his path. After a moment of indecision, he started kissing back up the way he came, pausing by Suzaku's ear to whisper, "Are you okay with this?"

Suzaku jerked his head in a slight nod and pressed Lelouch's mouth to his neck again. "Uh huh," he groaned. "Feels good. More."

With a light laugh, Lelouch pulled back and jested, "Have I reduced you to this state already?"

Suzaku blinked at him through glazed eyes, trembling with temptation. "Why are you surprised?" he asked. "Lelouch, you're a dream come true."

Of course Suzaku had tricked Lelouch into intensely kissing him as a means to block any more embarrassing proclamations. After all, Suzaku figured there was no other way for Lelouch to respond; always the strategist, Lelouch would go for the most effective method.

Lelouch woke up at dawn with an armful of sleeping Suzaku. His heart soared as memories trickled through his brain, connecting yesterday to his current exhilaration. Even in the dim light, Suzaku looked amazingly at peace. With a grin and a deep breath, Lelouch untangled his legs from his boyfriend's and dropped a light kiss on Suzaku's forehead, causing a smile to flutter across Suzaku's face along with a sigh of Lelouch's name in his sleep. Taking another moment to simply watch Suzaku in the dawn, Lelouch finally made himself scoot off the bed and collect a fresh uniform from his closet. He crept on tiptoe so as to not wake the other boy, often pausing in his routine to glance over and make sure that Suzaku was still there and still comfortable.

With Suzaku deep in dreamland, Lelouch left to take a shower. It felt refreshing to peel off his wrinkled, slept-in clothes, but he wouldn't trade last night with Suzaku for anything. They'd stayed up late reconnecting, talking and kissing and laughing, and neither had suggested that Suzaku should probably return to his military-issued dorm. Instead, they'd fallen asleep together, still dressed in their school uniforms as they lay wrapped around each other like leeches. It hadn't been too uncomfortable, all things considered. In fact, on the contrary, being tangled with Suzaku was…

I got a wonderful night's sleep with Suzaku in my bed, noted Lelouch as he scrubbed shampoo in his hair. Thank god C.C. left after all or I'd have never gotten the chance to hold him.

Like the splash of cold water on his face, Lelouch remembered the Black Knights. He still had duties to them, and he couldn't afford to let Suzaku distract him so thoroughly. As he cleaned his armpit, he tried to decide which corrupt official to take out next in keeping with his publicly proclaimed goal of challenging oppressors. Ideas ricocheted around his mind even as he hustled back to his room, newly cleaned and dressed, but all thoughts of his rebellion ceased the moment he saw Suzaku sitting in his bed and looking blearily around.

"Good morning," Lelouch greeted with a cordial smile, forgetting all about the Black Knights despite his best intentions. Seeing Suzaku is such a pleasant surprise.

Suzaku blinked and wiped a spot of drool from the corner of his mouth. He looked down, embarrassed. "G'morning," he mumbled.

Rolling his eyes, Lelouch strode forward and sat on the bed. He leaned in to give Suzaku a peck on the lips.

At once, Suzaku reeled back, suddenly wide awake. "Ew, Lelouch!" he complained. "Morning breath!"

"…I just brushed my teeth."

"I meant me," Suzaku explained, rubbing the back of his head and looking down with a small, sheepish smile.

"I still love you, Suzaku," Lelouch said fondly.

Suzaku's breath hitched at the early morning confession. He ducked his head, trying to hide a blush. His eyes flicked up to Lelouch's after a few seconds. "I love you, too, Lelouch."

Thrilled, Lelouch's smile broadened at the declaration. This is the way to start a day, he decided. For all the problems they'd had getting to this point, now he could relish the experience. Grasping Suzaku's hand, he offered, "I can get you some towels if you want. While you shower, I can make breakfast." As much as he'd have liked to hide away with his new boyfriend, life went on and it was best that they return to reality together. He paused to think things over. "I don't have any spare uniforms in your size, though…"

It took a few moments for the information to settle in Suzaku's sleep-addled brain. When it did, he sat ramrod straight, green eyes wide and frenzied. "Lelouch!" he groaned. "School! We skipped all our afternoon classes yesterday!"

"I didn't hear you complaining once I got you on the couch," Lelouch remembered dryly.

Suzaku blushed again and playfully smacked his boyfriend's shoulder; Lelouch pretended to be hurt, but he knew full well the smile in his eyes gave him away. "I'm serious, though!" Suzaku insisted. "We cut class. We're going to be in so much trouble."

Lelouch smoothed a hand over Suzaku's hair, trying to comfort him. "Relax, Suzaku. You worry too much. We both miss class all the time. It's not suspicious." Besides, this isn't the first time I got you to skip class. "You didn't get in trouble last time, remember?" His blood heated as he remembered that perverted nobleman trying to solicit his Suzaku—not that Suzaku had been his officially at the time, but Suzaku had been destined for him all along—and Lelouch licked his lips as he remembered how beautiful Suzaku's skin had proven to be last night.

Suzaku groaned, "Yeah, but if the military discovers that…"

"They'll kick you out?" Lelouch asked hopefully, taking advantage of the new day's blank slate.

"Lelouch!"

"What?" Lelouch asked with an indignant sniff. "Is it so wrong of me to want my beloved boyfriend safe?"

That gave Suzaku pause. He looked deep into Lelouch's eyes, but apparently found only concern. "I know you don't understand," Suzaku said, running his hand down Lelouch's arm. They both understood the complications of an Honorary Britannian soldier attending a Britannian school. He shifted a bit on the sheets. "Actually, I should probably go home and get ready for school." He glanced at the early morning light creeping through the window, assessing the time. "If I leave now, I should be able to just make it." He started to roll out of bed, then went still at Lelouch's frown. "Is something wrong?"

Lelouch shook his head, damp black hair swaying. "Not…really," he answered, looking back and forth between Suzaku and the door. His gaze caught on Suzaku's anxious one before he deflated. "It's just," he said through clenched teeth, "I'm a bit bothered that you call the military 'home.'" Long, pale fingers started plucking at the bedspread. "Your home is where you belong: here."

Eyes softening, Suzaku reached over and hugged him close. "You're right," he murmured in Lelouch's ear. "My real home is with you."

Lelouch returned the hug without thinking. "Then don't leave," he ordered petulantly. "You could stay here…with me."

Suzaku just tightened his hold and laughed, sounding a bit breathless. "My military dorm is in the university right across the street from Ashford. It's…convenient." He nuzzled Lelouch's neck, breathing in his fresh, clean scent. "I have to go get ready, but I'll be back with you before you know it," he assured Lelouch with a staunch set of his shoulders. "You'll see more than enough of me, I promise."

Surprised at Suzaku's living details, Lelouch only responded with a simple, "Good." He's been so close, and I just never realized. Nodding, he slowly relinquished his hold. "Will you have lunch with me on the roof?" he asked, wanting to make sure they had something lined up. "Alone," he clarified needlessly. The roof was their place.

Following suit, Suzaku nodded with a happy gleam in his eye. "Of course, Lelouch. I'll be all yours then."

Lelouch busied himself with ironing his wrinkled uniform as a distraction from Suzaku's unsolicited departure. He would hold his boyfriend to his promise.

"It took me awhile to ditch Rivalz," Suzaku apologized by way of explanation as he approached Lelouch. The sunshine was warm and inviting and, with Lelouch waiting for him wearing such an alluring smile, it was hard to remember why he'd had such mixed feelings about the roof lately. It started to come back to him when he looked closer and noticed Lelouch scurrying to stash away his phone—but at least this time he was stowing it in his backpack instead of in his front pocket.

Lelouch only donned a smirk and swept Suzaku into a demanding kiss, wasting no time in running his tongue along Suzaku's lips like an addict getting his fix. Suzaku opened his mouth right away with a low groan, forgetting all about Lelouch's cell, and fought to keep up with his boyfriend's zealous enthusiasm. After a few good minutes of tongue-twisting, Lelouch separated from him and sat down, leaning against the roof wall and calmly offering Suzaku a container of homemade rice—as if he hadn't just kissed the living daylights out of Suzaku.

Breathing heavily—more from heightened emotion than exertion— Suzaku slid down the wall next to him and accepted the food. "Whoa," he gasped. "Miss me much?"

Lelouch hummed. "You have no idea."

Suzaku tilted his head. "I think I do." I've only been waiting for you forever.

Lelouch laughed, rich and deep. "Well, then, I retract my words." He moved closer and offered Suzaku a spoonful of rice, glaring at the Britannian utensil—probably for being a Britannian utensil instead of Japanese chopsticks. "I thought it was torture to see you across the room and not be able to touch you," he confessed, slouching against the wall.

"It was almost impossible for me, too," Suzaku shared, his eyes and nose crinkling with mirth that this was their current reality. "I didn't want to make a scene by kissing you in front of everyone, though, so I controlled myself." He raised an eyebrow, still trying to control his breathing. He was growing more used to Lelouch's rather mushy behavior towards him now that they were boyfriends, remembering Lelouch's admission from yesterday that he wanted to try being a bit more emotional and demonstrative in his affections. Suzaku was a safety net that Lelouch could practice such foreign interactions with, and Suzaku was delighted at every implication of that. However, he had to ask, "Are you seriously trying to feed me?"

Nodding, Lelouch pushed closer. Overbearing nurturing behavior had become one of his prime methods of demonstrating affection due to all his years taking care of Nunnally; Suzaku understood, even if it wasn't his preferred style. Noticing Suzaku freeze up, Lelouch paused and asked, "You don't like it?"

Suzaku thought about it. "It's a little romantic," he conceded, "but I like being independent." He searched Lelouch's face. "You, of all people, should get that."

Again, Lelouch nodded. He put the spoon down and handed everything over to Suzaku. "I do," he said. Something buzzed and vibrated in his school bag, but he reached for his own lunch instead.

"Wait," Suzaku panicked, shrinking back. A gritty pebble dug into sensitive skin. "Are you upset?"

"Of course not," Lelouch assured him with a smile. "It's important that we can tell each other when we're uncomfortable with things."

Suzaku heaved a sigh of relief. "You're right," he agreed, picking out the pebble with his fingernail. It left a slight indent in his palm before things smoothed over into normalcy, looking fine but stinging a bit longer under the surface. "I just don't want to disappoint you."

Lelouch took a bite of food and stared contemplatively at his boyfriend as he chewed and swallowed. "Suzaku," he asserted, "the only way you'd disappoint me is if you went along with something you didn't like just to avoid potentially hurting my feelings."

"Oh," Suzaku said in a small voice, sensing how close he'd come to doing just that. It was habit.

Lelouch squeezed his shoulder in comfort. "It's okay," he said, his meld of words and touch soothing the sting better than antiseptic cream and a band-aid. "We're both still learning what it's like to be together, and to be honest…" He shifted closer, his violet eyes as radiant as the sun shining almost directly overhead. "To be honest, I think we're doing a great job now that we're back on track."

Suzaku blinked before smiling wide. It was true. Now that they'd crossed their humongous setback, they'd taken leaps and bounds with their relationship. Their strong, lasting friendship was providing a firm foundation for their future. They were already comfortable with each other, and their communication was improving now that they'd learned it was a problem. Of course there was still a long way to go, but they were handling themselves pretty decently—especially considering that they'd been officially dating for less than twenty-four hours.

"Suzaku," Lelouch said, pulling him from his thoughts. With Suzaku's gaze fixed on his, Lelouch wondered, "So far we've lucked out, but what were you thinking about telling the others?"

Wolfing down his rice, Suzaku squirmed. "I hadn't—really—thought about the others," he admitted. The clouds sailed so far from the sun. Letting the expanse of open blue sky calm his inner wiggles, Suzaku said, "Lately, the only one on my mind has been you." He shot an easy smile at his boyfriend. I really have obsessed over you lately.

Light pink crept over Lelouch's cheeks, but he coughed self-consciously and mumbled, "Cute, Suzaku." He grasped his boyfriend's hands and prompted, "We need to decide where to go from here. I haven't told anyone about us other than Nunnally."

"Me neither," Suzaku was quick to put in.

"Mhm," Lelouch acknowledged, eyeing the distant clouds with a furrowed brow. "I think I'd like to keep it that way, at least for now."

Suzaku nodded. "If you think it's best, I'm fine with that. I know you're an extremely private person, Lelouch, and I respect—"

"Right, but what about what you want?" Lelouch interrupted, turning back and tightening his hold. "This relationship goes both ways, Suzaku."

At the sentiment, Suzaku felt a rush of warmth and dizziness that had nothing to do with sunstroke. Lelouch really is the perfect boyfriend. Leaning his head back against the wall, Suzaku took some time to think. The wind curled the wisps of cloud into different formations, making the skyscape look different at first glance even though nothing had really changed. "I love you," Suzaku reiterated, squeezing Lelouch's hands in turn. "I want everyone to know, but I'm happy just being with you. And, like I told you last night, I've been waiting for you for a long time." Eyelids dropped to half-mast as he relaxed beside Lelouch, drinking in his presence. "At the moment, I can just savor this privately."

Purple eyes softened like cooked rice. "Yeah. Thanks, Suzaku." Lelouch suddenly snickered. "Hey, could you imagine the chaos if Milly and the others got word of this and stuck their noses in our relationship?" He swung his head from side to side. "I don't want to deal with that, especially not this soon."

Suzaku scoffed lightly, "Oh, come on. Madame President isn't that bad. What's the worst that could happen?"

Lelouch's face pinched. "Abject. Humiliation," he predicted, stone-serious.

Suzaku laughed harder, but more so at Lelouch's infamous dramatics. "You know her best," he managed with a shrug, still chortling a bit. His giggles died down as a wave of guilt crested over him. "In any case," he said, throat tightening, "I would feel really bad if Shirley found out about us."

Tilting his head, Lelouch prompted, "Because of her crush?"

"She's in love with you!" Suzaku corrected. He withdrew his hands from Lelouch's and started mindlessly playing with the remains of his food.

Sighing, Lelouch nabbed the rice away, making Suzaku look at him without distraction. "She's not in love with me," Lelouch refuted. He tucked the rice behind him, in the shadow of the wall. The spoon clinked against the bowl as he let his point settle in the air. "She doesn't know me." He stared hard at Suzaku, unblinking with intensity. "The real me," he amended, leaning in and letting his eyes do the talking.

Suzaku rolled his shoulders. "That's not her fault," he said, trying not to get distracted by captivating pools of purple. "I bet she'd love the real you, too."

"Okay, even so," Lelouch replied, a note of frustration in his tone, "I'm in love with you." He shook his head, veering back. "Even if you never came along, my feelings for her still wouldn't be the same as hers for me. Besides, Shirley is a nice girl. She might be hurt at first, but she'll be happy for us." He recaptured Suzaku's hands. Held on tight. "Look, I don't want to tell anyone anyway, but what I really don't want is for you to agree to this out of misplaced guilt. Suzaku, it's not like you're stealing me from her."

Suzaku swallowed down a host of arguments, settling on a glum, "It feels like I am." His thumbs traced circles on the backs of Lelouch's hands. "Apparently, I'm selfish enough to start something with you anyway."

Eyebrows drawing together over a deep frown, Lelouch argued, "It's not selfish." He pressed closer into Suzaku's gentle touch. "I want you, and you want me. No one else matters." He hesitated before clarifying, "Even Nunnally. Despite what I said yesterday, I don't think I could give you up—even for her." Purple eyes tightened with determination. There was something shadowy and heavy layering his words as he enunciated, "I just need you to see that no one else can ever come between us."

"Yeah," Suzaku agreed softly, awestruck by the weighty confession. He'd choose me over Nunnally? Sliding nearer, he mulled over Lelouch's stance and Nunnally's acceptance. He was so relieved that their relationship hadn't caused any drastic family problems. There would be no angry paper cranes bearing him away on Nunnally's command after all, and it was a refreshing reminder that sometimes nightmares were just manifested fears. With a warm smile at his boyfriend, Suzaku admitted, "I know you're right. It's just…hard." I don't deserve you. You're too good for me.

Lelouch kissed him.

Suzaku sighed, all thoughts of Shirley, Nunnally, and self-doubt suddenly forgotten. He could definitely get used to this.

A tender expression snuck onto Lelouch's face after they'd disentangled themselves (again) and managed to focus on eating their lunch instead of eating each other. The rice was almost gone before Lelouch spoke up again. "I suppose going public would make people look closer at us," he said, watching the clouds drift across the horizon. "I don't want them digging too deep and discovering that I'm a lost prince of Britannia."

"We have to guard your secret," Suzaku said with a firm nod. It was why he hadn't wanted to be friends openly in the first place.

"Dating is kind of a bigger deal than just friendship, and our past is a big part of our relationship," Lelouch added, giving Suzaku's hand a squeeze. "You know people would look into it." He shivered under the hot sun. "And you know," he mused after a few moments spent in companionable silence, "I like the thought of this thing between us becoming our new secret."

Suzaku felt a thrill race down his spine.

"Besides, it's safer this way," Lelouch went on in a matter-of-fact tone, finishing up his lunch with one hand so he wouldn't need to release Suzaku's. "Most people just wouldn't understand what we feel for each other. I don't really care about what other people might think of us, but even so…" He hesitated, shooting a worried look at his Japanese boyfriend. "I don't want to attract trouble. You have a hard enough time here as it is."

Again, Suzaku's heart beat like a hummingbird. He's always looking out for me. Oh, Lelouch. "I—I'll be fine," he managed around the sudden lump in his throat.

"Still, I don't want to take chances at the moment," Lelouch said with the firm conviction of a commander. "Just in case something goes wrong. I don't want you getting hurt." He put away his lunch materials, leaving the roof spotless. "You know how people get about things like this. I'm just trying to be practical."

Suzaku nodded. "Yeah. I see that." He suddenly sniggered again. "Hey, can you imagine what Synclair Worth would have to say about us?"

Lelouch rolled his eyes skyward in exasperation. "That simple-minded bigot? I try not to concern myself with him and his friends as much as possible." He waved a hand flippantly, as if dismissing the bullies' opinions altogether. "Synclair Worth, Anthony Bristol, and Cameron Remington are the scum of society."

Suzaku laughed harder, trying to picture his tormentors' faces. "They'd be so disgusted."

"Who gives a shit?" Lelouch bit out with a toss of his head. Lifting an eyebrow at Suzaku's gaping expression, Lelouch pressed, "What? You've heard me curse before."

(I'm an Honorary Britannian, an Eleven.

Do you think so little of me—you think I give a shit about that?)

"Nothing," Suzaku hurried to say. "It's just that you're normally so…proper."

Lelouch's eyes darkened. "I'll show you 'proper.'"

Suzaku snorted and mimicked, "Cute, Lelouch." Happiness bubbled in his chest as Lelouch burrowed into his arms, sandwiched tighter than ever against him, and melted his brain as he demonstrated 'propriety' with a newly-skilled tongue. Suzaku moaned louder as he registered Lelouch's leg shoot out and kick his backpack, complete with phone, a little ways away. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but Suzaku felt a rush of victory nonetheless.

"Someday," Lelouch said in a low tone after pulling back and maintaining steady eye contact, "someday, I want everyone to know you're mine." He tapped Suzaku's lips. "And that I'm yours." He removed his finger and leaned forward then, barely pressing their mouths together as he finished, "Someday we can be together openly. In a safer world." He kissed Suzaku hard and pulled back. His purple eyes held a harsh, dogged glint in them that Suzaku could relate to but didn't fully understand.

Instead, Suzaku only nodded in yearning. "I can't wait for that day," he murmured. "I don't like lying, but it won't be forever. At least we'll be together in the meantime."

A kind of hunger lit Lelouch's face, somehow enhancing his attractiveness. "We'll make the most of it," he asserted. He reached to tug open his boyfriend's jacket, stopping to wordlessly check with Suzaku about whether this was acceptable. Suzaku froze initially, but nodded his permission within seconds. Lelouch's breathing increased as he popped open the first couple buttons of Suzaku's white under-layer shirt, giving him the flexibility to move that damnable collar out of his way.

Suzaku gasped and clutched at Lelouch, moaning once Lelouch latched on to his now-bared neck, kissing and sucking with fervor. His body trembled in Lelouch's hold, and his focus wavered as he lost himself in the sensations. "Ngh, Lelouch!" His moans tapered off into the empty air, getting lost in the wide sky and swept away with the clouds.

"Suzaku," Lelouch grunted into his neck, hands grasping at brown hair like a lifeline. With a final lick, he surged up to claim his boyfriend's mouth in another messy kiss.

They were just really getting into it (again) when the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. With a groan of disappointment, Suzaku gently pushed Lelouch off. The air between them felt unwelcome. Lelouch, acting like a spoiled prince, protested against class—"I want you and only you and nothing else"—before catching sight of his handiwork, a pleased smirk stealing across his face.

"Wha—what is it?" Suzaku asked breathlessly, scrambling to refasten his clothes.

"Nothing," Lelouch responded with more false innocence. He helped Suzaku smooth out some wrinkles, his movements infused with superiority.

Suzaku just indulgently shook his head, pressing his fingers to the spot where Lelouch's mouth had been so busy. Are we moving too fast? he wondered with a slight chill of fear. But I'm his and I want it this way. We're both happy with this. That's enough.

He stood and offered a hand to his boyfriend. "Shall we, then, Lelouch?"

They exchanged secret smiles when Milly chewed them both out for missing the Council meeting that lunch period.

Not even Synclair Worth, Anthony Bristol, and Cameron Remington could push Suzaku off cloud nine.

The first post-it note was a pleasant little surprise. Lelouch trudged into his room after a long day, complaining to himself about how Suzaku had been called away by the military during afternoon classes. Suzaku had shot him an apologetic look on his way out the door to play soldier, and Lelouch had slumped in his seat; he was already crabby from lack of sleep, and now there would be no boyfriend kisses until Suzaku returned. Lelouch found it a bit odd and even disconcerting how quickly he'd become dependent on Suzaku's lips. He was halfway lost in a recent memory of them when he spied the innocent post-it note standing out on his pillow. Raising his eyebrow, Lelouch took a step closer and read the note with a sense of diminishing caution: I love you. I'm sorry you're having a bad day.

There was no signature, but Lelouch would know that scrawled handwriting anywhere. His face softened at the sentiment. Suzaku must have dropped by before heading off to base in order to leave this note to brighten his day. His boyfriend really was a thoughtful romantic, and Lelouch found his heart warmed by the small gesture of affection.

With a fond shake of his head, Lelouch turned and noticed another post-it on his desk. Starting to smile, he walked over and read: I'll make you happy as soon as possible. His smile widened and he spotted yet another post-it on his chessboard. That one read: I'm going to daydream of your lips every second I'm gone. Feeling his cheeks heat at that one, Lelouch saw one more post-it note on his bedroom couch that read: You're amazing in every way, Lelouch. I miss you already.

"You're going a little overboard, Suzaku," Lelouch grumbled, though a portion of pleasure sliced through the annoyance. It was nice that his boyfriend paid such close attention to him and went out of his way to make him happy. His bad day was already better thanks to Suzaku's little notes, though he still desperately missed the man behind the words. He sighed with longing and gathered all the notes together for safekeeping. "I miss you, Suzaku," he admitted to the empty room.

Lelouch couldn't wait to show his appreciation with more boyfriend kisses.

"You know, Lelouch, I love it when you kiss me all wet and wild, but it kinda kills the mood if I start choking on your saliva," Suzaku teased. He shifted on the couch, causing Lelouch's body on top of his to move, too.

Lelouch pulled back and blushed, self-consciously wiping his dripping mouth with his sleeve. "I was thinking that, too," he acknowledged. He sat up fully, straddling Suzaku's stomach, his knees digging into the couch cushions on either side of Suzaku's prone body. "It's a little disgusting when it runs everywhere."

Suzaku nodded, adding, "I don't need a river of spit sliding down my throat." His expression was open and spirited, green eyes glinting with friskiness.

"Okay, Suzaku, you made your point. I'll kiss better," Lelouch promised, a little grumpily. He crossed his arms over his chest and licked his lips. "The things I put up with from you…"

Suzaku smirked up at his boyfriend. "Do you drool over every cute Japanese boy you see, Lelouch?"

Blinking rapidly, Lelouch lifted his nose in the air with a sniff. "Apparently only the stupidly annoying ones," he retorted flatly.

"Oh, then there must be only a small pool of people who fit your tastes," Suzaku figured mischievously, ignoring the slight.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow and implored evenly, "Suzaku, please leave the wit to me."

Jutting his chin out, Suzaku pushed on for all it was worth: "I didn't know Britannian princes slobbered all over their significant others. Did they teach you that drivel in royal etiquette class?"

"My god, Suzaku!"

"Whatever you want to do, Lelouch," Suzaku answered in response to his boyfriend's question about what to get up to that night.

It was the one answer Lelouch didn't want to hear. "In this relationship, I consider us equals," Lelouch said, leveling his palms on the same plane of air. His words were all the more meaningful considering his status as an undercover prince. All thoughts of kisses, cuddles, movies, dinner, and chess games faded from his mind as he sought to drive home this important point of balance between them. "It's not a dynamic of kings and pawns."

"Lelouch, seriously, drop the chess metaphors," Suzaku suggested around a strained little laugh, looking uncomfortable. "Trust me, even you can't make them as cool as you think."

Lelouch raised a challenging eyebrow and shot back, "I'm plenty cool without the chess metaphors, thank you very much."

Suzaku chuckled his agreement, a soft light shining in green eyes. "That's true," he relented. "So you can stop bringing them up. We don't need to constantly describe our romance in terms of chess, you know."

"It's just how my mind works," Lelouch defended himself, forever the strategist prince.

"I know," Suzaku said, rushing to reassure him with palms up. "It's not that I don't respect your favorite hobby, but enough is enough. Besides, you did tell me to speak up when I didn't like something between us."

Heart-stung, Lelouch asked, "And what exactly makes you uncomfortable about chess?"

Suzaku hurriedly shook his head and clarified, "Not chess itself, Lelouch." Raking his fingers through his hair, he looked at the ground and said, "I mean, chess as an ordinary game is one thing, but constantly likening our new relationship to chess moves makes me feel that the whole thing is a bit staged and calculated…" Struggling to get control of his tremulous voice, he went on, "Or maybe, our feelings really are a game to you, and you're just pulling my puppet strings like you play your chess opponents."

Horrified because this fear of his intentions displayed a lack of stable belief in them, Lelouch narrowed his eyes to slits and protested, "Nothing about us is contrived!" He immediately squashed the instinctive guilt about hiding Zero and tried to persuade his boyfriend's usual optimism. "We have something real and special between us," he added, thinking of the genuine mesh of messy emotions that grounded him but still made him feel like he was flying. Watching Suzaku's still-wary expression, Lelouch thought back. Suzaku had roundabout complained about being likened to a chess piece on the day they'd gotten together, but he'd also then given permission for chess metaphors in heated moments, claiming that it was "sweet" of Lelouch to romance him in his element…

With a weak smile, Suzaku said, "Yeah. The sentiment behind this chess metaphor was still sweet, though. I think of us as equals, too."

No, you don't, Lelouch wanted to argue. You clearly consider me higher, worth more, and that's not right. We should be on the same level. Lelouch's supreme authority urge was satisfied by the Black Knights, never Suzaku; that was exactly what he'd been trying to convey with his latest chess metaphor, which apparently had only perpetuated the problem. If romantic chess talk was an issue for his partner, it had to go. Tampering down his annoyance, Lelouch sighed and offered, "No more chess metaphors, then, Suzaku. I'll show you that our feelings aren't some game to me. However I can."

By day ten of their blooming relationship, Suzaku started to relax and believe that Lelouch meant to stay.

"Honestly, this is just for us," Lelouch said with a small smile. He twirled the camera expertly in his hands, checking his bedroom wallpaper for use as a decent backdrop. "I just want to document our relationship. Someday, we won't have to be secret. In the meantime, we're going to want to look back." It was high time they captured snippets of their everlasting romance.

Suzaku stepped forward with a lowgrade smirk. "And you know once they find out that Milly and the others will want to see proof of our early days."

Lelouch shuddered and insisted warily, "…As I said, this is just for us." Beckoning his boyfriend all the way to his side, he leaned into Suzaku, stretched out his arm, and snapped a picture. Eyeing the outcome, he criticized, "No, no. We need to do more outrageous poses."

Raising an eyebrow, Suzaku suggested, "Or we could just be natural."

"We could," Lelouch agreed lightly, "but where's the pizzazz? I want to capture our fireworks."

Suzaku relaxed his mildly protesting stance, his eyes softening with fervent affection. "Lelouch," he said, "we make fireworks together no matter what. They'll come across." He wrapped his arms snugly around Lelouch's middle, embracing him close.

Slipping one arm around his boyfriend's neck, Lelouch pressed his temple against Suzaku's and looked slightly towards the camera lens.

They ended up taking several photographs, both crazy poses and ordinary caught-in-the-moments. Lelouch's favorite was, hands-down, that second snapshot where they were hugging tight, foreheads pressed intimately together…and the depth of love in Suzaku's green eyes shining clear for the camera to capture.

Suzaku insisted on playing twelve games of chess with Lelouch the following evening. Each match was over embarrassingly fast, but the point wasn't to win. It was to prove where chess had its place in their relationship—as a pastime that made Lelouch happy, and by extension, Suzaku.

Feeling like he was about to drop dead, Suzaku finally escaped the classroom prison. It was exhausting trying to keep up with both school and the military, even with his friends' help. After missing a couple days, he'd gotten the make-up work and, because of his absences, spent most of his current math lesson completely lost because he was missing some crucial middle steps taught while he was gone. He had little, if anything, to build on. The thought of trying to wade through messy numbers and formulas for homework made him want to literally crawl underground—like when he was a child escaping to his secret base at the Kururugi Shrine.

Collapsing into his seat at the Student Council table, he blinked wearily when a familiar pale hand slid some finished math homework pages in front of him. "What?" he asked around a yawn, sliding down in his chair. Things just weren't clicking.

Lelouch chuckled. "I made an extra set of completed homework so you could copy the answers," he explained, throwing back his shoulders with pleased pride. "I turned in one page to the teacher for credit, but I saved this for you." As Suzaku raised his heavy head with astonishment at his boyfriend's intelligence and craftiness, Lelouch forestalled any arguing with, "I know how drained you are, Suzaku. You need this. I also know you're morally obligated to refuse, but hear me out." He held up his palm, violet eyes crinkling, and promised, "I will legitimately teach you how to do this yourself later, when you're up to it. For now, take the answers so you can turn them in and stop worrying about them."

Conscience eased, Suzaku nodded his acceptance, relief flowing through his body like a stream in a drought. Nobody else could ever have convinced him to cheat. "Thank you, Lelouch," he mumbled, wanting to express his appreciation with a kiss, a cheek cup, an arm caress, anything—but Rivalz and Nina were settling in at the other end of the room and he had to stay his hand. He would make it up to Lelouch later.

For now, he would duplicate some math answers provided by someone irreplaceable.

"Dammit, Suzaku, cut it out!" Lelouch screeched, wriggling in his bonds.

A roguish light gleamed in green eyes. "Sorry, Lelouch, but it's the president's orders."

"Yeah, like you're not enjoying this at all?!"

Suzaku hummed noncommittally, sending a playful wink in his secret boyfriend's direction as Kallen walked in and stole the spotlight.

Idiot, Lelouch bemoaned, trying to fight the heat in his cheeks. His embarrassment was already at sky-high levels due to being forcibly tied to a chair and partially undressed in preparation for a cat cosplay event, of all things. Milly had shoved a pair of fake cat ears on his head as Rivalz held his head still, and Shirley was attempting to give him purple whiskers with inane amounts of make-up. Suzaku, though, Suzaku was the one who'd hogtied him down and ripped open his clothes—leaving him vulnerable to the others' brands of torture.

At least all the others on the Student Council were more focused on Arthur's belated welcoming party (the guest of honor was licking his privates as he gave himself a thorough bath on the cat tree) as well as on the Black Knights' recent debut to pay attention to how enthusiastic Suzaku had been in his role.

Lelouch breathed a silent sigh of relief for small blessings.

His attention piqued when Suzaku grew overwhelmed and touched to the point of tears that everyone on the Council was alive and well from the hotel jacking, even though this reaction was a little late in coming. Rivalz stepped up to be a good friend, and Lelouch felt his heart melt just a tad from the sight. Hadn't it only been a few weeks ago that Suzaku had refused to go to the movies with the Council members because he hadn't felt comfortable enough with them?

His whole body softened at the scene. How could he stay mad at Suzaku after this?

Lelouch smiled warmly, raking his eyes down his boyfriend's blue cat costume. He looks ridiculous. He rolled his eyes. Simply ridiculous. He strained to see past the fuzzy fabric, trying to glimpse one of the hickeys he'd left on that tanned neck. He shuddered in remembrance, feeling something tighten deep in his belly. A part of him wanted Suzaku to just climb into his lap as he was tied down and—

"It's not that bad," Milly cut in and reminded him, apparently mistaking the reason for his increased trembling. "Just be grateful I'm only putting you in a cat costume instead of a French maid's outfit!"

Suzaku's eyes flashed with interest from across the room, and Lelouch fought down a blush and swiveled his head away.

He really wanted to peel that absurd costume off his boyfriend.

"Before you ask, it's okay," Suzaku offered, reaching for Lelouch.

Tugging at blue cat ears, Lelouch pounced. "I can take it off?" he asked breathlessly. At Suzaku's nod, Lelouch ventured, "…I can take it all off?" He ran a hand through newly-freed brown curls, justifying his request with, "It's a one-piece."

Laughing, Suzaku only said, "I told you that you could."

Lelouch's hands trembled as he dragged the costume down Suzaku's body, trying to ignore how Suzaku's breath hitched whenever his knuckles brushed directly against skin. He forced himself to breathe when his boyfriend stepped out of the fursuit pooled on the floor, clad only in matching blue boxers. Suzaku shot him a tentative smile, and with a start of surprise, Lelouch realized that the Suzaku was insecure.

"You have absolutely nothing to be worried about," Lelouch crooned, running his gaze deliberately slowly from Suzaku's feet up to his eyes. All that military training definitely had a positive impact on Suzaku's physique, and Lelouch almost drooled at the excess of firm, toned skin at his disposal. It was their first time as boyfriends that they'd allowed themselves to bare any skin below the neck. It was a milestone.

Of course, this wasn't the first time overall that Lelouch had seen or even touched Suzaku's body. He remembered tending to Suzaku's wound after the Lake Kawaguchi hotel jacking, but that had been an entirely different situation. Still reflecting on the memory, Lelouch stooped to collect the discarded costume and put it on a coat hanger, knowing he must be confusing Suzaku with the interruption but unable to help himself. He took his time hanging it up, needing things to be organized, and smoothing out the wrinkles as he struggled to get his hormones under control in the meantime. Finished with his laundry task, Lelouch stepped closer to a noticeably worried Suzaku and cupped his face. "You're perfect."

After the slight disruption, Suzaku visibly relaxed and held Lelouch's hand in place against his cheek. "I love you," he said, green eyes sparkling with affection.

"Love you, too," Lelouch answered automatically, but no less wholeheartedly. He followed up his declaration with a deep kiss, losing himself in Suzaku's touch. They'd gotten better at Frenching without too much spit, and all the practice had been fun. Building a romantic relationship was a lot harder and more uncomfortable than the movies made it seem, but Lelouch couldn't think of anyone he'd rather brave these new waters with than Suzaku.

Lelouch barely noticed his boyfriend's hands tugging at his clothes until Suzaku drew back with a gasp and asked, "And, can I…?" Eager hands pulled at Lelouch's black cat costume again, making his meaning clear.

At first, Lelouch stiffened. He felt comfortable with Suzaku's body; he didn't necessarily want to get undressed himself. There was just something so open about removing clothes, and Lelouch didn't do 'open.'

"I won't push you," Suzaku said hastily, reading Lelouch with the ease of practice. "If you aren't ready, then just say so."

Hesitating, Lelouch brushed his fingers down Suzaku's arm as he thought over his options. "I want…" he started, then thought better of it. He tried again. "I'm not ready for s—sex," he blurted, his face heating up. Normally calm and articulate, he felt himself slipping with Suzaku in the newness of their relationship. He looked anywhere but at green eyes. Speaking of hard and uncomfortable…

Suzaku chuckled. "Neither am I," he said.

Lelouch relaxed, finally daring to meet his boyfriend's gaze.

"You can stay in your costume," Suzaku said gently. "It's whatever you want."

Lelouch melted a little more. Suzaku really is the perfect boyfriend. "I want us to be fair and balanced," he answered. "But I don't want to take my clothes off with you yet." He hid his face in Suzaku's naked shoulder, feeling acute embarrassment at the admission. He had to be straight with his boyfriend, though, at least about this. He just wasn't ready to have all his layers stripped away, physically or metaphorically.

"Then do you want me to put some more clothes on?" Suzaku suggested, hugging Lelouch in reassurance.

"…No," Lelouch finally said, touched that his nearly-nude boyfriend was listening so intently and trying to make it work. They really had come a long way with their communication. Wrapping his arms around Suzaku, he groaned at the feeling of all that soft, smooth skin. It truly had been too long since he'd been able to touch it.

Suzaku laughed again, stroking Lelouch's hair. "Okay," he said easily. "Then what do you want to do?"

Lelouch squirmed a little in Suzaku's hold, feeling the heated flush spread even farther. Suzaku was giving up control, leaving the decision in Lelouch's hands. Letting him steer their relationship. Lelouch recognized the offering for what it was, his heart constricting with feeling.

"You can tell me anything," Suzaku reminded him. "And for the record, I'm fine with continuing like this. I don't mind being in my underwear, even if you have on ten layers, Lelouch."

Pulling back, Lelouch tilted his head, one corner of his lip turning up in a sardonic smile. "Ten layers would be insufferably hot," he said dryly.

"You're insufferably hot no matter what," Suzaku joked back, earning himself a light slap upside the head.

With a put-upon sigh, Lelouch backed his boyfriend up and pushed him unceremoniously onto his bed. "I just want to keep going like this," he decided after several moments of deliberation, causing Suzaku to nod. Lelouch followed after, crawling atop his mostly naked boyfriend and feeling a thrill of excitement. Lowering himself, he caught Suzaku's lips in a heated kiss, glad for the familiar position. They'd been getting used to each other with Lelouch on top, leading their kisses, ever since that first day horizontal on the couch.

It made for a somewhat easy transition into new territory. Lelouchknew how to do this.

He also knew how to kiss his way down Suzaku's neck, as he'd left quite a few marks there in the past couple weeks or so. To date, Lelouch hadn't felt comfortable letting Suzaku return the favor, but seeing his boyfriend gasp and squirm in delight under his ministrations was making him curious. He thought about letting Suzaku mark him as he gave into temptation and rubbed his palms flatly down Suzaku's chest, drawing out a low moan. Transfixed, he repeated the motion, noticing how Suzaku twitched when Lelouch's thumb accidentally brushed a nipple.

"Le-Lelouch!" Suzaku gasped, his hands instinctively coming around his boyfriend's back.

Raising an eyebrow, Lelouch probed, "Yes? Good?"

"Oh, yes! That was incredible. Lelouch, keep going. You can…you can touch me anywhere…" Suzaku babbled, guiding Lelouch's fingers deliberately to his hardening nipple.

Eyes narrowing with resolve at Suzaku's enthusiasm and permission, Lelouch tilted his head and ventured slowly out of his comfort zone. He pressed hot, wet kisses along Suzaku's shoulders and upper chest, every so often latching on to suck based on his boyfriend's low moans of encouragement. He's sensitive…here, Lelouch discovered with another thrill, nuzzling an erogenous patch of skin below the shoulder. He mindlessly rolled Suzaku's nipple between his fingers, putting more of his focused concentration on mapping his boyfriend's skin with his lips. Pausing in his work, he looked up towards Suzaku's face. Suzaku was panting for air, but his head was tilted down and his green eyes—darker than Lelouch had seen them yet, pupils blown—were pinned right on his own.

"Kami-sama, Lelouch," Suzaku groaned, and Lelouch felt a zinging jolt at the Japanese spilling from his boyfriend's lips.

Keeping his eyes trained on Suzaku's, Lelouch lowered his mouth again—and licked a long stripe up the hard planes of his boyfriend's chest. Suzaku keened, throwing back his head. Pleased with himself, Lelouch did it again, this time catching a nipple with his tongue. Suzaku's whole body jerked.

We're getting somewhere, Lelouch realized. His heart beat fast in his chest, matched by Suzaku's thrumming under his fingertips. I'm doing this with him. Satisfaction swept over him in a wave. I'm pleasing Suzaku.

As a slow and thorough study, Lelouch kept licking, sucking, and kissing his way up and down Suzaku's chest. Ah, he's so delicious. He paused as his lips encountered some thick, raised skin close to Suzaku's pectorals, and he pulled back. Narrowing his eyes, he lightly ran his finger over the small line of blemished skin. "A scar?" he asked, flicking his eyes to Suzaku's. "How did this happen?" He pressed his finger harder against the mark, knowing every scar had a story.

Suzaku chewed his lip as he thought back. "That one is from my second week in training," he said at last, a little hesitantly. "I might've fallen and rolled into some barbed wire."

Lelouch's eyes widened in shock and anger. "At the Honorary Britannian camp?" he pressed. Another wound that awful Britannian military has inflicted on my Suzaku.

Suzaku nodded. "It was my own fault," he said quickly. "No one pushed me or anything. I was just too careless, but at least I learned to watch my surroundings better."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow but bent to deliberately kiss the scar; Suzaku shivered at the touch. Pulling back again, Lelouch searched for more scars. Now that he was really looking for them, he noticed them scattered haphazardly around his boyfriend's torso. How had he not zeroed in on them before? Suzaku obviously had a habit of being too reckless, letting himself be abused, or both. With a sigh, Lelouch traced his fingers across tan skin to a scar on Suzaku's side. "What about this one?" he asked.

Suzaku laughed. "That one's from a training session with Tohdoh-sensei; it was my first time using a Kendo sword and I guess I really wasn't ready."

Lelouch cracked a smile before kissing that scar, too, and trailing his lips to the next one. "And this?"

Suzaku blinked. "I think that one is from the interrogation about Prince Clovis's murder. It's all really fuzzy."

Blood suddenly boiling, Lelouch pressed his lips even harder to that particular mark. They've hurt him so much. I will make them pay. "You're so brave," he whispered into his abused boyfriend's scar tissue, pressing closer for comfort.

"I'm really not," Suzaku mumbled back, goosebumps rising on his flesh as Lelouch continued to map his body and demand backstories. There were a couple more scars from training fights, one from when he fell in the river as a boy and sliced his skin on some sharp rocks, and a few more leftover 'gifts' from the Purebloods during the numerous violent interrogations following Prince Clovis's assassination. Lelouch already knew about the wound from the Lake Kawaguchi scandal. With another sigh, Lelouch finished exploring Suzaku's front and prodded him to roll over.

"I remember this one," Lelouch said reverently, giving in to the urge to nuzzle and kiss the area of scar tissue strewn around Suzaku's lower right back; there were lots of little brown dots, small pockets of raised skin, and even some indented skin from all the shrapnel dug out of the wound. Lelouch raked his eyes over the entire array of injuries and breathed, "This is where you were shot. To save me." Closing his eyes, he pressed his face against the spot and breathed deeply.

Suzaku sighed and relaxed into the mattress. "It would have been much worse if my father's pocket watch hadn't deflected the bullet. The little scars scattered around are actually from the broken glass of the watch face cutting me, not the bullet itself. I mean, the shrapnel did leave some marks, but overall…" Fidgeting, he struggled with his words and finally reiterated, "It could have been worse."

"Worse as in…?"

Suzaku squirmed. "As in, I'd be dead?"

Lelouch inhaled sharply and pressed another kiss to the little scars. "Suzaku."

"It's okay," Suzaku soothed. "I'm alive. I was lucky."

Lelouch shook his head and pushed Suzaku to roll over again onto his back. He gazed passionately down at his boyfriend. "It was too close. You almost died."

Suzaku stared back at him, green eyes wide and solemn. "I'd give my life for you in a heartbeat, Lelouch."

"Idiot!" Lelouch hissed. "You shouldn't—anyway, you already proved that in Shinjuku. Don't you ever make me fear for your life again!" It took all Lelouch's legendary willpower not to enforce the order with Geass; he'd resolved never to use the power on his boyfriend. Suzaku's free will mattered too much.

Nodding hurriedly, Suzaku agreed and craned his neck up for a kiss. "I'll try my best."

"You need to do more than 'try,'" Lelouch retorted before leaning down to accommodate Suzaku with a peck. "I need to know you're alive and safe."

"Yes, Your Highness," Suzaku said warmly. His eyes glinted as he tangled his hands in black hair and guided Lelouch back down for another, more involved kiss—one with lots of teeth, tongue, and saliva. Groaning into the older teen's mouth, he said, "I need you to get back to what you started, Lelouch."

With an exaggerated eyeroll, Lelouch returned to his original task of exploring his boyfriend's body with his hands and mouth. Suzaku's request showed that he was uncomfortable talking about his past wounds, particularly from Shinjuku, and Lelouch had to respect that and steer them back towards more pleasurable pastimes. Lelouch moaned as he got into it again and kissed and sucked his way across Suzaku's heaving chest, leaving marks of his own to tell a different story.

All of Suzaku's groans and gasps fleshed out their tale with sensory detail.

It felt slightly odd to be engaging in such unfamiliar physical acts, but more than anything, Lelouch felt high on power. One hand reached out to hold his boyfriend's, keeping them both anchored, and Suzaku's fingers curled between his on instinct. Heat rose in his body, and his cat costume started to feel a little too stifling. They were both getting sweaty, but for once Lelouch, usually so finicky, didn't mind; Suzaku was just too addicting. With that in mind, his lips closed purposefully around his boyfriend's left nipple and he pressed the flat of his tongue experimentally against it.

"Lelouch!"

As he worshiped his boyfriend's body, Lelouch thought back to the Student Council party. Suzaku had been extremely sweet, getting so emotional about their friends. I just want to take care of him and make him happy. My Suzaku. A rush of misplaced jealousy rose in him as he remembered Rivalz pull Suzaku to the floor in an attempt to get him to unwind, and Lelouch angled his head and sucked harder. His free hand slid across Suzaku's slick chest to grasp the neglected nipple there, and he pinched it tightly. Suzaku let out a strangled cry, and Lelouch hummed. That's right, Suzaku, he communicated with every flick of his tongue and fingers, you're mine. I'll make you unwind.

The heat was getting unbearable, and Lelouch finally pulled back with a gasp. His gaze locked with Suzaku's, and he reached to tangle both of their free hands together. "I love you, Suzaku," he said, his whole body feeling lighter than air. His heart thumped erratically as he realized again how much Suzaku had just shared of himself; it was inspiring. Lelouch slowly, intentionally brought his boyfriend's hands to his cat costume. "It's okay," he offered with an unwavering smile. "It's okay, I'm ready now."

Suzaku's simple, heartfelt smile somehow trumped all his other reactions.

If Suzaku had thought his body was on fire before, it was nothing compared to when he pulled Lelouch down flush against him, skin on skin. Lelouch choked back a moan as their naked chests pressed together, and it was Suzaku's turn to run his hands up and down the silken-soft skin of Lelouch's back. He felt a rush of dizziness at the sensation, having wanted to touch Lelouch like this ever since that day in the boy's locker room. He'd had to wait unbearably long for this chance, and it had been torturous when Lelouch had paused their heated explorations and insisted on hanging up his own cat costume beside Suzaku's to avoid wrinkles. Lelouch's quirks made this more real, though, and the real thing was way better than he'd imagined.

Lelouch buried his face in Suzaku's neck, and Suzaku soothingly traced circles on pale shoulder blades. "Shhh," Suzaku said. "It's okay. You're perfect," he echoed, remembering how Lelouch's words had put him at ease just a bit earlier. Suzaku wasn't normally self-conscious about his body—he was usually pretty damn proud of it—but Lelouch always had such high expectations that it was easy to feel like he was falling short. Especially when it came to their burgeoning romantic relationship and all the things it entailed.

"It's not that. You just feel so good," Lelouch said breathlessly, pressing a kiss to Suzaku's neck.

Suzaku's heart thumped faster. "Yeah, you too." Keeping a firm grasp on Lelouch, he rolled them over until he was on top. He felt Lelouch stiffen beneath him at the change, so he removed himself and sat up, taking his first chance to just appreciatively stare at his boyfriend's body. Lelouch had always been slender, but it was more noticeable without any clothes to hide his frame. His skin was creamy, so pale compared to Suzaku's own, but it fit the Britannian prince's ethereal image. He wasn't built like Suzaku; he cut gym class all the time and it showed, yet his upper arms were muscular from taking care of Nunnally all these years. His skin was unblemished but Suzaku knew that Lelouch's real scars were burning under the surface. Suzaku blushed as his gaze slid over Lelouch's tight black bikini briefs, already stretched over a half-hard erection. It brought Suzaku's attention to his own stirring need. His eyes flicked back to Lelouch's face, which was steadily reddening the longer Suzaku stared at him.

"…You can tell me I'm perfect now," Lelouch prompted, his fingers twitching uneasily.

Suzaku laughed, feeling the tension dissipate a little. He could always count on Lelouch to be Lelouch. "You are perfect," he reassured. He reached down to slide his fingers through his boyfriend's again.

Something in Lelouch seemed to relax at that, and he squeezed wordless gratitude through their fingers. His eyes traced Suzaku's body above him in turn, and he inhaled harshly once he noticed the tent in Suzaku's boxers. He immediately closed his eyes, pressed his own legs together, and rolled over until he was lying face down on the bed. Burying his face in his pillow, he took a few deep breaths before peeking over his shoulder at his patient boyfriend.

Suzaku just tilted his head and readjusted their hands, making sure to keep a tight grip despite Lelouch's new position. "Does it make you uncomfortable?" he asked quietly, shifting a bit on the bed.

"…A little," admitted Lelouch. "I know it's basic biology, but experiencing it with you is different than reading about it in a textbook."

Nodding, Suzaku used his free hand to tenderly brush some of Lelouch's hair off his sweaty forehead. He's letting his weaknesses show. He never does that! God, I love him. "I get it," he said. "It's okay to be embarrassed. It's new and big—"

Lelouch snorted.

"I meant it's a big deal!" Suzaku said in a rush, feeling his own cheeks grow even hotter.

"I know what you meant," Lelouch assured him, sneaking another quick peak at Suzaku's clothed erection. "It's just weird, being with you like this and my body does that. You have so much power over me, Suzaku, but since it's you, it's okay." Usually so cynical, Lelouch didn't sound entirely convinced, but his tone was still more certain than Suzaku would have expected of him. Considering it was Lelouch. Heaving a sigh, Lelouch concluded, "I'll get used to it."

Suzaku's heartbeat quickened at the confession—especially because he knew his boyfriend was such a control freak—and he grinned, remembering how fast Lelouch had taken to French kissing despite his initial apprehension. "Yeah, you will. We both will." He ran his hand up and down Lelouch's back in a reassuring caress, stilling his movements when Lelouch suddenly tugged Suzaku's hand free and determinedly rolled over again, leaving Suzaku's palm resting on his chest instead. Without a word, pale fingers grasped a tan wrist and urged Suzaku to keep stroking. His breathing growing more shallow, Suzaku ran his hand all over Lelouch's torso. He felt Lelouch's stomach quiver as his touch dipped down that far, and Lelouch's underwear grew a little tighter. A thought struck Suzaku, but he swallowed it down and simply stared at Lelouch, narrowing his eyes in a puzzled expression.

"What are you wondering about now?" Lelouch mused, always noticing Suzaku's needs. He wriggled under Suzaku's ongoing caresses.

Suddenly embarrassed, Suzaku shook his head. "No, it's too personal."

"Suzaku," Lelouch stressed with an eye roll. "We're boyfriends now. We've been doing a lot of personal things together. Just ask." He reached out and slid his own hand up Suzaku's chest, letting it rest over his rapidly beating heart.

Fidgeting a bit uncomfortably, Suzaku finally got out, "Did I ever…make you hard?" He let his hand drift to stop over Lelouch's pale breast, subconsciously mirroring his boyfriend's position.

Lelouch flushed but slowly nodded, pressing his face into Suzaku's boxer-clad thigh. "Yes," he answered, voice muffled. "Mostly because of those dreams." At the mere memory of them, Lelouch's length stiffened into full hardness.

"Me too," Suzaku put in, his own need sky-rocketing from his boyfriend's reaction. "But if we're being honest, you made me hard when you changed into your gym uniform on my second day at Ashford."

Lelouch lifted his head in surprise, purple eyes widening. "Really?" he asked, clearly intrigued. "You've been wanting me since that far back?" He squirmed, plainly embarrassed and trying to ignore his body's reaction.

Suzaku nodded sheepishly. "Yeah. That's why I, um, had to 'use the restroom' and why I didn't want you to wait for me." His hand fluttered on Lelouch's prone body.

Preening a bit, Lelouch smirked. "You've been jerking off to me since the beginning," he said smugly. He started to relax on the sheets, visibly growing more comfortable despite both their bodies' escalating responses.

Sputtering, Suzaku shook his head and—wait, did his refined, silver-tongued prince actually utter the vulgar phrase, 'jerking off'? Which brought him to his defense. "No!" he insisted. "I never…touched myself. I felt ashamed, and I didn't want to ruin our friendship." He snatched his hand away from Lelouch's body.

"How would I have ever found out?" Lelouch asked, raising an eyebrow and catching Suzaku's hand back.

Suzaku shrugged one shoulder carelessly. "I don't know," he admitted. "It just felt wrong to actually do something about it." He took a shuddering breath. "You know, without your permission." His hand trembled in his boyfriend's hold.

Lelouch's eyes gentled. "You have my permission from now on."

"Really? You don't mind?"

"Suzaku, it's kind of hot."

Suzaku's eyes popped open wide. "Lelouch!"

Pleased, Lelouch chuckled deeply. "What? I thought we were supposed to be honest with each other, especially about these kinds of things." His fingers trailed down Suzaku's chest and stomach, stopping to rub right at the line where underwear met skin. His eyes narrowed a bit before he tacked on, "I'm…okay with you touching yourself when you think about me, but I'm not ready to touch or be touched. Down there."

Suzaku grinned shakily, willing his erection to stop twitching from his boyfriend's closeness and cuteness. "That's fine with me. And, uh, it goes both ways. Have you ever…?"

Lelouch shook his head, eyeing the bulge in Suzaku's boxers, and confessed, "I normally wake up to wet bedsheets." He licked his lips, looking up Suzaku's mostly-exposed body with a heated gaze. His cock jumped, and he hurriedly crossed one leg over another, gasping at the sensation. He closed his eyes and shook his head, breathing hard. "Anyway, I'm, uh, glad you're not making fun of me about all this."

Suzaku just shook his head. "Why would I make fun of you?" he asked fondly. He leaned forward to drop a quick kiss on Lelouch's bare chest, right where his hand had rested earlier. "I know you. I know you like to ease into things until you know you can control everything." He hesitated then, rolling his shoulders. "I also know you like to be on top. Sorry for rolling us without asking." I always mess up. Lelouch really deserves better. He glanced down at the bed, letting his bangs cover his eyes.

After a few moments, Lelouch sat and tilted Suzaku's face up to meet his eyes. "It's fine," he said in a low voice. He took a deep breath, obviously searching for the right words. "I like lying on top because I feel a bit safer—"

"You have more control," Suzaku cut in with a serious expression.

Lelouch nodded. "Yeah. But…" He traced Suzaku's body with his eyes again, and then moved to press his left hand against Suzaku's lower back, right on the scarred-over Shinjuku wounds. Suzaku inhaled and recalled their grand reunion again; by the look on his face, Lelouch was remembering, too. "This is where you were shot," Lelouch repeated rapturously. "To save me." He leaned in for a quick kiss before adding, "I trust you. I feel safe with you."

Suzaku's head swam at that display, not for the first time. Lelouch doesn't normally trust people. This is huge.

"I'll need to get used to it," Lelouch said with a hesitant smile, "but I think I'd like to try that again. You on top, I mean."

Suzaku immediately shook his head. "You don't need to force yourself for my sake—"

"It wouldn't be forced," Lelouch interrupted. "I froze up because I wasn't expecting it, but…when I remembered it was you…" He swept his fingers lovingly back and forth across Suzaku's wounds. "I mean, you've already almost died for my sake. I know you won't hurt me." He leaned in for a longer kiss. "Come on, Suzaku."

Giving in, Suzaku initiated another kiss. He slowly lay Lelouch back down, following after him until they were pressed chest-to-chest again. He carefully angled his hips away from Lelouch's, remembering his boundaries; Suzaku couldn't keep himself from thrusting a couple times against the bed, though, making Lelouch smile a bit knowingly around their tongues. Wriggling into a more comfortable position, Suzaku broke the kiss and asked, "Okay?"

Violet eyes narrowed in consideration. "Yeah," Lelouch answered after a few seconds. He reached around again to press the palm of his hand over Suzaku's glass-and-shrapnel wounds, as if reminding himself of his resolve. "You feel…warm. Your weight is kind of comforting, actually. Like you're guarding me. Keeping me grounded."

Suzaku let his head drop, and he nuzzled into Lelouch's neck. Their heartbeats raced against each other's skin. "I love you," he whispered. I'll always protect you, Lelouch.

"I love you, too," Lelouch whispered back. He tilted his head back on the pillow, allowing his boyfriend more access to his neck, and ordered, "Now kiss me." He pushed a bit on the back of Suzaku's head, guiding him to where Lelouch wanted the attention. "You…don't have to hold back." His pulse jumped beneath Suzaku's lips.

Suzaku's arousal spiked, and for the first time, he latched his lips onto that pale column of skin and sucked.