I think I'm going to do shorter chapters because I can crank them out quicker and mostly because proof-reading longer ones is a bitch and a half.
It had been 2 weeks since Suzaku had gotten that ominous letter. It stirred all sorts of conflicting emotions in him. On the one hand, Schneizel had clearly meant the mentioning of his heritage as a threat, on the other hand, he had tried very hard to assuage his fears and clearly stated that he didn't care.
Besides, what could he really take from Suzaku? Suzaku wasn't rich in wealth or entitled to any money. His loyalty and servitude was already pledged, being an employee. Still, the gesture of sending the letter itself had to have some latent meaning. Unless Schneizel was just eccentric or daft, both of which Suzaku highly doubted. He wouldn't be the incumbent president of the company if he was… Suzaku hated this. In a way, he sort of blamed Lelouch as well because the guy was Schneizel's brother and it was more likely than not that they were in cahoots together.
Suzaku kind of hated himself for not confronting Lelouch about it when he had gone to give the keys and map back to him. Why he had clearly disobeyed Lelouch's orders by returning the items directly to Lelouch rather than to Gino, was something the brunette didn't dwell on too much. But he did dwell on it a bit and the conclusion he had come up with was that, he had just wanted to see the raven-haired boy. But he didn't dare go deeper down the rabbit hole to try to figure why he harbored or acted on that desire. Well, he was always notoriously bad with impulse control.
Besides, it didn't matter much since Suzaku had become quite infatuated with the daughter of the other family that was on board. She was a blonde, buxom breasted girl named Milly Ashford and granted, he could never pursue her romantically or court her but he supposed he was charming enough to bed her a few times. Kallen had rejected his attempts, some bullshit about menstruating but Suzaku wasn't blind and hadn't missed her idly trailing behind Gino Wineberg. Personally, Suzaku had thought Gino was gay but, whatever, to each his own. And considering every other female crew member was either unfuckably ugly or spoken for, his emerald sight settled on Milly.
No way was he going to wait until Barbados to get some. Although, Barbados would be very enjoyable as well. That thought aroused Suzaku prompted him to go jackoff in his room. He pictured the little barbeque place he had gone to the last time where he had found a dark skinned beauty with contrasting blue eyes. Almost as contrastingly beautiful as dark amethyst against pale white… wait. Fuck. No. brown and blue, damnit… stupid mind... Suzaku returned to the thoughts of touching her body and entering her and thrusting into her and maybe he would go there again, maybe he would take Rivalz this time… or maybe Lelouch…
"Ahhh, mmmm" Suzaku came. GOD what a stupid thought, he was barely acquainted with the guy and kind of couldn't stand him. He needed to find Milly.
She usually played the violin on the 2nd story deck in the late evenings. Due to the increase in stress, Suzaku had started taking nightly walks around the first story deck and although he had never personally witnessed Milly's beautiful concertos since the angle from where he took his nightly walks didn't allow for it, he knew it was her since he had seen her during the day diligently carrying the instrument and its case. Suzaku always made it a point to sit or stand and listen. He figured she was must be in an orchestra, she was that good. He was quite enraptured by the music, getting depressed when she would pack up and leave after only a few songs. He had always regretted their crew's lack of musicians. Rivals stupid harmonica did NOT count, no matter how much the blue haired boy might disagree. Alright, tonight, he would go seek out Milly and start on the path to bedding her or at the least, he would get her off while she played him a beautiful melody.
It was a stunning, calm night. The stars peppering the night sky with a rather large full moon, casting a glow that lit up the ship and surrounding serene waters. It was perfect for his plan, not even Aphrodite herself could have set the scene better. Suzaku was almost giddy. He walked up the stairs and rounded the first corner to see Milly at the end of the walkway with her violin, standing up with it perched on her shoulder. He couldn't help but smirk at the sight. He didn't want to interrupt quite yet, so he hung back and listened. And it was amazing… amazingly awful. She was totally off key, and hitting all the wrong notes, and, no one in their right mind would have considered that music. Suzaku was thrown into a tizzy of confusion. She must be joking around. Maybe she noticed he would always listen and wanted to play a joke on him? Just as he was about to approach her, if only to get that caterwauling to end, he saw a figure emerge from around the adjacent corner with two chairs. It was Lelouch and he gingerly placed one of the seat down for Milly to sit on. Then he disappeared again for a few seconds and emerged again from around the corner with a… with a violin in his hand and sat himself down on the second chair (no pun intended). Suzaku froze, head slightly tilted.
"That was terrible Milly… but… not too bad for a beginner. On the other hand, have you ever considered an easier instrument? The spoons maybe? Haha, I only jest… just keep practicing" Lelouch clearly wasn't kidding and Milly clearly wasn't practicing so he saw no harm in the jab and subsequent lie.
"Yes well… we can't all be gifted enough to excel at everything we touch Lord Vi Britannia, I'm told you're rather gifted at the piano as well… and chess"
"haha, well… contrary to popular belief, there are a number activities I rather lack in, those of the physically demanding variety and… it's Lelouch, please… I insist"
"Yes well I chose the formality because I would rather people didn't think we were on better terms" Milly scooted her chair closer to Lelouch's. Suzaku felt a pang of jealousy. Milly was his conquest. (Yes, MILLY God damnit).
"haha, right, ruinous to your reputation I'm sure" Suzaku was taken aback. At the way Lelouch playfully alliterated, at the way he laughed and joked with this girl and God his laugh was sexy. Before Suzaku could throw himself off the ship for thinking that, Lelouch started playing and he watched Lelouch close his eyes and sway with the music, clearly feeling every note and emoting it back through the instrument… it was… mesmerizing. Then his eyes opened and Suzaku noticed the moon's reflection in them and his own transfixed gaze met those resplendent eyes for a brief moment and for some reason, Suzaku's stupid mind traversed back to a thought he had earlier of getting a certain violin player off while they played a beautiful melody and Suzaku ran back down the stairs and into his room. He jerked off three more times, doing so out of jealousy, jealousy that Kallen was after Gino and jealousy that Milly was so amiable with Lelouch and had an interest in him (NOT the other way around) and while Suzaku self-indulged himself, he only thought of the raven-haired boy partially, barely, once. Good, that was an improvement. However, Suzaku completely and totally ignored the fact that the music he heard earlier was playing during each of those fantasies.
'For Nunnally, For Nunnally, For Nunnally' A familiar sentiment blazed through Lelouch's mind as he excused himself from the terrible tableau in front of him under the guise of increasing his and Milly's comfort by getting them some "chairs from the galley." In reality, he needed to get out of there, the girl was insufferably horrible with the Violin, if it could even be called that while she accosted it. She was so terrible, that it threw the entire instrument's mellifluous beauty into question for Lelouch.
But Nunally had made fast friends with Milly Ashford and when Milly had mentioned she was learning the Violin, Nunnally jumped at the idea of Lelouch teaching her. So when Milly stopped and asked for him to repeat the easiest bar Lelouch could think of, he took the liberty to start the entire Beethoven's sonata no. 5 opening 24. A few minutes in, the raven-boy realized how immature he was being and stopped, opening his eyes to a clearly captivated pair of emerald eyes staring at him from a distance. And Lelouch felt his entire body flush, he didn't know why. His playing had drawn that type of response from people before but for a that brief moment when their eyes met, Lelouch had craved calling the boy closer… how much closer, he didn't know… but he wanted to play song after song for him. And Lelouch had never wanted to do that before. Ever. He only ever played for himself or Nunnally and out of duty/necessity. Then the brunette promptly turned around and scurried down the stairs and Lelouch remembered how much the guy hated him. Right.
The next night, Lelouch played the entire Sonata, while closing his eyes and envisioning those entranced emerald eyes on him and the song had truly never felt more beautiful, he only wished knowing if it sounded so. He had no idea that his muse was leaning against wall, a deck below him, weak at the knees from the sounds emanating from Lelouch's fingertips.