Lelouch was glad to be home. He struggled through the council meeting, finding it difficult to concentrate on Shirley and Milly's plan for an upcoming event.
He made his way through the kitchen, grabbed a glass of water, and continued to his bedroom. He knew Nunnally and Suzaku would be out a while longer and planned to take advantage of the quiet time.
The young prince climbed under the cover, curling up on his side and pulling his knees to his chest. He grabbed one of Suzaku's pillows, burying his face in it. The object smelled like its owner, providing some comfort to 'Lelouch as he attempted to rest. He turned on his laptop, electing to play some of his favorite songs to relax. No sooner had he closed his eyes, the plan was interrupted by his ring tone.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out the device, and drew in a breath.
"Hello?"He answered, in what he hoped was a sufficiently normal tone. He hadn't bothered to check the name.
"Hey, Lu," Suzaku replied softly. "I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing."
"I'm fine. I told you that this morning." the prince insisted.
"Yeah, you did. But like I said, what you say and what's happening can be very different. You really shouldn't hide things from us. We love you, Lelouch, and we want to be there for you, but you have to let us in sometimes, you know? It might be easier for you to stop being so stubborn and-" Lelouch scoffed.
"You're talking to me about being stubborn? You're just as bad, if not worse." the ill teen pointed out.
"I don't know about being worse, but yeah, that's what I'm saying. Stop it."An involuntary, painful moan escaped Lelouch before he had the chance to stifle it. He mentally kicked himself for the failure.
"Do you want us to come home? we're not that far out."Suzaku offered.
"No. Where did Nunnally decide to go?" Lelouch asked, changing the subject. Suzaku sighed heavily.
"The butterfly garden. We can be back in-"
"No. Nunnally hasn't been out much over the past few days. Don't worry about me." Lelouch insisted.
"Just because you tell me not to doesn't mean I won't. You know that, right?"
"Maybe you should learn to take your own advice." Lelouch retorted.
"Damn it, Lelouch, would you just-I'm not doing this with you. I don't want to fight about this." Suzaku said.
"You're the only one arguing and getting upset." Lelouch pointed out.
He lay still, hoping the pains would cease. He closed his eyes, feeling himself beginning to drift, exhausted by his illness. As Lelouch predicted, it wasn't long before the familiar voices were heard just outside the door.
"I'm just going to talk to him, that's all," Suzaku promised.
"Good. I hate to see you two fight," The young girl said.
"No one's fighting, Nunnally." The knight assured as they reached their destination. "We'll be fine. We always are, sooner or later."
"I hope so." Nunnally sighed. Lelouch groaned softly, forcing himself to sit up, picking up the computer. He moved to his desk, grabbed his water glass, and lowered himself onto the chair. A second later, the door clicked open, Suzaku and Nunnally entered, making their way over to him.
"You're home early, Big Brother." The young girl commented cautiously. "I thought we weren't going to see you until tonight."
"That was the original plan, but I figured I could get more done if I just brought it home." Suzaku sighed.
"Yeah? Well, let's change that plan one more time." He grabbed the computer, closed it, and lightly tossed it onto the bed.
Suzaku-"
"Whatever they have you doing, it's not important right now. We need to talk."
"You can't just-" Lelouch began.
"I can, and I did. You're going to hear me, Lelouch. How many times are you going to sit here and lie to me? I know you think you're protecting us, Lu, but this isn't getting us anywhere. Something's going on, and I need you to tell me what it is." Suzaku's tone showed not the anger Lelouch expected but a deep concern.
"I don't know what you're expecting me to say. I told you-"
"Please, Big Brother?"Nunnally pleaded. "If something's wrong, let us help. We love you."
"I love you too. You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine." Lelouch soothed.
" Funny, it didn't sound like you were fine on the phone." Suzaku countered.
"I have so much to do. If I sounded a little-"
"Stop it. I'm trying to be patient with you, Lu. I really am. You look tired, you-"
"I do have early classes, you know." Lelouch pointed out, taking a sip of his water.
"Yeah, I get up around the same time. You don't usually-why don't you want to admit it?"
"What?"
"Brother?" Nunnally called before Suzaku could reply. Lelouch turned to her. He could see the concern in her eyes. "please?" she continued softly.
"You're important to us like Suzaku said. we need you to be okay."
"I am. I just need to-" He stopped suddenly, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach. Lelouch instinctively rested a hand on the source of his discomfort. Suzaku shook his head, turning to the princess.
"Brother, what-"
"It's fine." The dark-haired teen assured her. Suzaku knelt in front of his love.
"You want to tell me the truth now?" Lelouch didn't reply. Instead, he leaned forward, resting against Suzaku, who wrapped his arms around him. It was clear that Lelouch no longer had the energy to pretend. Suzaku took note of the fever. "Can I talk you into lying down for a while?"
Lelouch shook his head.
"There's too much-"
"Yeah, I know, you're busy. You won't be doing much of anything if this keeps up. You might feel better after you rest." Suzaku rose to his feet, gently pulling Lelouch from his chair.
The prince grasped Suzaku's jacket, burying his face in his shoulder. Nunnally frowned, her eyes cast downward.
"Come on. I think the best place for you is our bed. The only thing you need to worry about right now is feeling better." He helped Lelouch to bed, watching him immediately curl up on his side. Nunnally shared a worried glance with her friend.
The knight sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing the ill teen's back.
"Lu?"He called softly.
"What?"
"Do you think you need a doctor? I want you to tell me the truth."
"No. It's probably stress." He muttered.
"I guess you'll be taking it easy then. Until we figure out what's going on with you, I don't want you doing a lot."
"Suzaku-"
"You need rest. You've been there for me when I wasn't feeling good. This last time I was sick, I ended up in the emergency room, remember? With the high fever? We must've been there forever. You didn't go to class that day at all. You took care of me, you, and Nunnally. When I was better, I told you two that you didn't need to. You said you did it because you love me. You know what? I love you too, more than you know. I asked for this. When I asked you to be with me, Lu, I knew there would be times when you might need a little help. You always have so much going on. Let me do this for you."The knight offered.
"Don't you have other-"
"You're more important." Suzaku insisted.
"I'll help too," Nunnally added. Lelouch lifted his head to meet her gaze.
"It's not your job to worry about me, Little sister. I'm the oldest. I should be-"
"You've been looking after me my whole life. You didn't give up on me. It's my turn to help you." Nunnally fixed the blanket around her brother. She brushed back a few strands of hair from his face. "Just for a while." Lelouch gave a faint smile.
"Alright, Nunnally. Just for today. I'm sorry you had to leave the garden. I'll make it up to you. When I'm feeling better, the three of us will go. We'll stay as long as you want." Nunnally smiled back.
"I'd like that. But one step at a time, Lelouch. Get better first. That's the best thing you can do for me right now. Do you need anything?"
"No," Lelouch said softly, allowing his head to rest on the pillows once more. "I think I'll try to sleep." Even as he said this, Lelouch knew it would be difficult to relax. Suzaku continued to rub Lelouch's back soothingly. Lelouch would finally fall asleep after an hour.
Nunnally and Suzaku remained at his side as he slept, unsure of what to do next. They knew it would do no good to push Lelouch, but worried that he was still hiding something.
It would take time for them to figure it out, but with Nunnally there, Suzaku was hopeful that they would.
