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"Before creation, there must come destruction" - Lelouch
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"Ohgi, assemble the team. Yes. The Six Houses of Kyoto are now under my command. Their resources are mine to control from this day forward. The plan...was... a success."
The cellphone slowly slides from his trembling hands. As if the energy is draining out of him, Lelouch slowly crumples against the leather couch. His eyes, usually a cunning shade of indigo, now drifts listlessly to the burgundy carpet with an unknown emotion. CC, who was diligently typing away on their shared laptop, lifts her gaze from the screen to regard him.
It has only been two weeks since the last time they met in his private office.
"Diethard, please patch me through to CC. I haven't been able to locate that witch for more than-" Lelouch stops as he enters his office. The high rise chair swings around, revealing the subject of his conversation. CC sits with her legs crossed, her green hair braided and set across one shoulder, looking prim and proper behind his desk.
"Actually belay that. I found her. Yes, we'll talk about this later." Lelouch snaps his phone shut. He shoots her an irritated glare. "Where have you been the past two weeks?"
"Working," she answers simply. Her gloved hand slides a thin manila folder towards him. He snatches it up without another word, and skims through it.
The words "merger" and "marriage" flash before his scrutiny, and he inhales a breath sharply. "Where did you get this?"
"In just two weeks, Euphemia Vi Britannia will sign the merger agreement with the Kururugi Clan as well as announce her official engagement to his eldest son, Suzaku Kururugi. From what my intel tells me, if this deal is pulled off, there might not be an empire for you to take over after a few years," CC summarizes the details in her flippant tone, casually brushing off his initial question.
She stands up from the desk and walks over to the elegant, small chess table that he always has in his office. It is obviously an expensive vintage set with its dark cherry wood and richly lacquered surface. She looks down at the carefully arranged pieces. They started this chess match a few weeks ago. It is now her turn. She ponders for only a mere few seconds. Takes a pawn, and moves it one spot.
"Your move," she says. Knowing Lelouch, he will never back down from a chess match. He is a prodigious genius at the game. An average person, even a cunning one such as herself, normally stood no chance. The trick is to not think too hard. Lelouch is an anticipator and reader of his opponent's moves. But if CC do not know exactly what she herself is planning, then sometimes Lelouch over analyzes himself into a pothole. Sometimes.
He doesn't disappoint. With a tired sigh, the dark-haired teenager sits down at the chess table. He leans on one elbow, and examines her move.
"You just left yourself open," he points out in a matter-of-fact tone. CC hides her grin by turning away and facing the window. It would not be Lelouch if he cannot see a bluff from a mile away.
Lelouch picks up his white bishop from the board. He taps the ivory piece against his chin in a contemplative manner. "Why is my father allowing this? We have a more dominant presence in the market than the Kururugi Clan. Having this kind of shared holdings in our real estate sector will only weaken our market share."
"Maybe he just wants his children to be happy. She will be well taken care of, and it is one less heir to worry about."
He barks out a humorless laugh. "CC, don't joke. It's frightening." Then a pause. "Is this what Euphy wants?"
"I cannot tell you that. You'll have to ask her yourself. We should have a plan at hand should the merger...happen."
Lelouch relaxes and leans back against the chair. Strategy. Planning. This is what he is familiar with and what he can always rely on. He twirls the white chess piece in his hand with practiced ease.
"This is a modern case of Shakespeare. Romeo from the Kururugi Clan and Juliet from the Britannian family. Two potential heirs pretending to be star-crossed lovers in hopes of ending the corporate feuding between two empires. CC, what do you say we end this romance before it turns into a tragedy?"
CC does not reply right away. She leans against the cool glass of the window, looking out into blood-orange horizon of a setting sun. When she eventually answers him, her voice is completely flat.
"If those are your orders, I will see them through."
Lelouch smirks. He sets down the bishop on its new square.
"Check."
"Lelouch. What happened?"
This is not what he wanted. His plan, his carefully crafted masterpiece of a con, lies in shattered broken pieces on the floor.
What have I done?
Lelouch shuts his eyes. The images does not stop replaying in his mind. White papers with corners dripping crimson. A blood-curdling scream from the man besides the door.
He hears her footsteps padding towards him, muted by the thick, gold-trimmed carpet. He does not want to face her now, does not want to see her pity or even worse, her sad, knowing smile.
"Leave me," he commands.
"Tell me what happened. As your ally and second in command, I deserve to know."
Lelouch grounds his jaw tight. There's a twitch near his left eye, and he can feel the beginning of a migraine.
"We- I... miscalculated. The rumors and fake evidence we planted worked. Euphemia's reputation was damaged beyond repair, and the Kururugi merger would look like a joke to the public. But instead of breaking off the marriage like we thought they would, the Kururugi heir insisted to go through with it. And to stop him... Euphy-she-" his voice ends in a strangled sound. He doesn't need to say it out loud, his strangled words hang empty in the room. The silence is deafening.
CC's hand goes to his shoulder. "Lelouch. I am sorry."
No. Anything but this. He doesn't want-doesn't need this.
"I don't want your pity!" He is up on his feet, glaring daggers at the gray witch. "Are you happy now? Our Geass contract is getting out of control. The more lies I tell, the more lies I need to spin in order to save our asses. Is that what you want!? To cover everything up in lies so nobody can see the truth?"
CC blinks slowly. Her face smooth and blank, she says, "You are getting too emotional. This is not your fault. I know you did not mean for it to happen. But you need to accept-"
"Shut up!" He explodes. Lelouch shrugs off her hand, and heads straight to the adjoining room, remodeled to include a modest bathroom and bed for when he needed to stay overnight at the office. "I need to be alone. Leave!"
He viciously tugs at the tie around his neck. Rips and throws his clothing on the floor instead of hanging them up neatly. Lelouch blindly twists open the shower valve, and watches the hot stream of water fill up the shower stall.
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"I've renounced my title Lelouch."
He took a step back. Shocked and speechless at her simple declaration.
"You-you're serious about this? All your assets, all your stocks are-"
"Gone. Yes. I do not care for them. It's called a merger, but really I'm just relinquishing my holdings to Suzaku."
"So you are familiar enough to call him by his first name? And you're... you're going to marry him?"
She smiled. Nodded her head. "I trust him. Suzaku Kururugi is a good man and I seriously believe the the future lies with him. Of course I have to be responsible for my actions. When I announce my marriage officially, it will show everyone that our families can resolve their differences and work together to make this world a better place."
"You are a fool Euphy. An amazing fool."
She giggled. A stab of envy jolted through him. Euphemia, the cheerful, bright-eyed princess with all the money in the world, never looked happier without a penny to her name.
He hated that. Hot, boiling anger curled in the pit of his stomach. All that he has worked on, all the time and investments he had made to conquer his father's empire, it paled in comparison to what Euphy now had in her grasp. Of all people, it had to be Kururugi?! His sworn enemy and rival since birth!
"The last couple of days made me stop and seriously consider what is truly important to me. I think you should try it too. Stop caring about the name, the numbers, and spend some more time with Nunnally. She misses you, you know?"
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The water is mind-numbingly hot. Steam rises in billowing waves to swallow up the enormous bathroom, and Lelouch hisses in pain as he steps into the shower stall. He stands underneath the unrelenting jet of water, letting it punish him, burn him.
Trying to get clean. Trying to forget.
His right hand balls into a tight fist. And he pounds it against the wall besides him.
Thud.
The study. The growing pool of blood staining the white scattered pieces of documents.
Thud.
The prone form of his half-sister face down on top of the desk. A bullet hole right in the middle of her forehead. The tiny revolver still grasped in her pale lifeless hands.
Thud.
The pure anguish painted across the young man's face. His elegant features twisted into pain and his voice howling with despair. That must have been the Kururugi boy. Now Lelouch could see why the heir would still want to marry Euphy despite the now notorious reputation.
He loved her.
No sound.
He looks to his right. Another hand is covering his hand. He registers the pain then. His skin, cracked and bleeding underneath the abuse, is cradled with soft flesh instead of the linoleum wall.
"CC," he sighs, "What are you doing?"
"Stop it Lelouch. Haven't you done enough?" He didn't even hear her come up behind him. He hangs his head, not wanting to check if she is naked as well.
"No. You of all people know this is just the beginning. I've already instructed my teams to move in and take advantage of the confusion. Cornelia will no doubt be devastated, security will be lax. Diethard also knows what to do with the incriminating evidence and-"
"Stop." Her voice is firm and clear. "Stop it Lelouch."
"Don't tell me what to do!" He yells. Without warning, he whips around and pins her to the wall. Both hands clamp down on her wrists, and he snarls out, "I've had just enough of your games, witch."
CC meets his gaze without fail. Her fair skin flushes pink from the heat of the shower. She is actually wearing a pair of black bra and panties, and he isn't sure if he is disappointed or relieved.
"You're hurting me," she says tonelessly.
Lelouch feels the words like a slap. He releases her.
"Just... what are we doing here CC? Please, tell me," he chokes out, eyes burning with self-loathing, "tell me everything will be worth it in the end."
She does not. CC remains quiet, and Lelouch sinks to his knees in front of her. The weight of his actions crashes down on him. Clovis, found buried alive in the aftermath of Narita Mountain. Hundreds more died by his command that day, but he has never experienced something that struck this close to home. He has never been at the actual scene, seen the grisly aftermath with his own two eyes.
Until now.
He can feel her hands stroking his hair slowly. She pulls him closer, and Lelouch leans his forehead against the smooth skin of her stomach. His body begins to shake with uncontrollable convulsions. Dry, heaving sobs rock through his entire person as he tries to steady the torrent of emotions. Through it all, CC stays silent.
Eventually, he recollects himself. With red, dried eyes, Lelouch stands up and calmly turns off the water. Among the quiet sounds of dripping water, CC leads him out of the stall, and like a child, he obediently follows without a word. She takes a towel from the rack and pats his shoulders and torso dry. She flips the towel around, and begins to dry his hair.
"Don't." His hands stop her wrists. "CC. Don't... be like this."
"Like what? I need to make sure you are still of use to me. Do you not remember the promise you made me?"
"No, I remember."
"Do you regret it? There is still time to turn back."
"No. No, I am past the point of return. The only path from now on is forward."
She tugs on the ends of towel. Brings their faces close. Nose to nose. Her amber gaze challenges him, clear and brilliant as crystals. "Then show me your resolve."
His mind goes blank. To make her point clear, her gaze lowers to rest on his mouth.
He stiffens. He never initiates physical contact with her. Even after the night in Narita, it is always her who would drape her arms around him, who would sneak a few kisses before she retired to her own bed. Now she stands in front of him, waiting.
Is it possible to declare stalemate without even making a move?
His eyes are tired and dry. Voice hoarse from shouting out orders and swallowing back unshed tears. Sleeping with her means mixing business with pleasure. She is a business partner. A much needed confidante and yet barely a friend. Not a good idea.
Lelouch finds his own self control stretched thin. Intimacy is unexplored territory for him. Something he doesn't care or make the time for. But she is offering herself. A choice? No. Not from where he is standing. More like a momentary distraction from the grief and despair disguised in the form of a challenge.
Part of him appreciates the gesture. Really, he does.
And the other part is cursing her into the bitter depths of hell.
His lips meet hers in a clumsy clash of emotions and resentment. Her mouth is soft and yielding, and he wonders if her body will be just as pliant and willing underneath his.
Lelouch groans into her mouth. He is already hard. This is not... acceptable.
CC backs away slowly. With each inch she draws away, he surges forward. She leads him with furtive kisses, one step at a time, until they reach his bedroom. She maneuvers him around, lowering him to the mattress gently on his back. Her long, supple legs come up to straddle his hips.
She kisses his lips, his cheek, each one of his eyelids as well as his temple. Her wet hair falls around them like a protective curtain, shielding them from the cruel realities of the world. Luminous, ageless eyes hold his gaze. Even now, they are guarded. Maybe for that reason alone, he gives in.
She knows how dangerous trust is. She gives him none and he returns it in kind. Because of that, because of the way they both are, the situation feels ok. More than ok, it feels... right.
She arches into him, her breasts pressing against his front. Her hips grinds against his erection, creating a delicious friction of pleasure.
"Undress me," she gasps out. He doesn't need to be told twice. His fingers fumble with the clasp at her back. As her damp lingerie hits the floor, CC hums her approval. She takes his hands, and directs them to both sides of the flimsy cloth that hugs her hips
"Your move."
He does. And revels in the silken texture of her exposed skin.
"Keep going." She urges him on with quiet demands. It compels him, drives him. Doesn't leave room for resistance, and Lelouch now understands how a woman can cause the fall of an empire and drive great men to bouts of insanity.
He shushes her with his mouth. She opens up for him. The normally cold, untouchable witch is now a heated, writhing mass of moans and softness. Her mouth lays waste to his usual rationale and logic as it skims sensitized skin. The underside of his jaw, teeth scraping against his Adam's apple, and caressing the dip between his collarbone. She rolls them over, so he lays on top. Her breasts, her thighs, even the patch of wiry hair between her legs brazenly rubbing up against his front.
Trembling, unsure, his hands map out her body. Reveling and memorizing the curves and the supine planes of a woman. Feather soft in some parts, firm and toned in others. At the same time, he faintly registers her hand drifting lower. Making its wanton path to his erection, and grabs. He flinches.
"Shh. Relax." Her voice. Toneless. No hints of comfort.
She guides him down to her entrance. Her legs locking him in place. Urges him with a roll of her hips. Resistance is futile and pointless.
Don't think. No thinking. Just… feel.
His eyes smart. The tightness. The closeness. Her.
A sharp gasp. He realizes it's his. CC stills. She glances up.
"Ok?"
Her eyes. Lelouch is stunned. In all the times he's seen her, he's never seen such vulnerability from those amber depths.
"Y-yea." All of a sudden he feels exactly like the awkward teenager he is. His first time. Inside her. Embarrassment slams into him like a tidal wave, and he almost withdraws completely.
"No." Her legs tighten around him. Winds itself tighter. Warm, wet friction.
"Keep going. Show me." The words have a different meaning now. What was once taunting words now sound like a soft plea. Almost like she needs him to be ok.
Lelouch lowers himself closer to her, his elbows framing her face. His mouth finds that soft hollow at the base of her neck, and he begins to move. She rewards him with a low, tantalizing groan. Her hips rising to meet him in a careful dance. Alluring, tempting. Promising more pleasure if he follows.
And he does. Without question or hesitation now. He drives into her. Reckless and desperate. Seeking a release from the building pressure. The war no longer on the back of his mind. Schematics, plans, preparations. All vanished. Nothing but pure, animalistic instincts.
Her moans quicken. The muscles bunching and releasing. She pulls him in, her lips clinging to his slick shaft as he draws out. Uneven breathing punctuate the muted room. Without warning, spikes of sensation explode through his body, spreading like wildfire. Eyes clenching shut, he violently gasps out as he empties himself.
Lelouch collapses on top of her. His entire body warm, lax, and flush. Her hands come up to lazily stroke his hair.
"You said her name." CC's toneless voice snaps him back to reality.
"Who?" But he already knows which name he had said. She does reply. Silence settles over the two like a blanket.
He blinks. There's wetness careening down past the bridge of his nose, to melt with her hair. In the tiniest of voices, he says, "...I loved her too."
She shushes him with a hand, and draws him into her arms. Lelouch is a well-practiced liar, a soothsayer with a notorious silver tongue.
Yet they both know who the real master of lies is.
"We have a contract. I promise you, I'll stay with you till the very end," CC whispers into the dark crown of his head.
And only one of them knows it's not the truth.
Notes:
Tadaa~ After a year I chug out one chap! Lol I'm on a roll... NOT. Real life has been really taking over my time, and things managed to quiet down this month. I don't see myself spending much time writing tho, so best bet is to add this story to your story alerts. There are still many scenarios I want to explore with this AU, and don't hesitate to leave a suggestion or two in the reviews.
- I think Euphemia need to be martyred in any Code Geass thing. Her death was a turning point for the plot as well as for chara development. Harder to make a massacre happen in this modern-world universe, but a bloody suicide can have a similar effect. In case people are wondering, the Black Knights planted some evidence to ruin her reputation (also causing her father's company stocks to fall conveniently) to deter Kururugi from the merger+marriage. But since Suzaku loves her he would insist on the marriage, and she loves him enough to not want his reputation or his company damaged by her ruined one. She also knows that the likelihood of them actually marrying with a happy/normal life is pretty much impossible now... so her drastic action is also partially due to grief. Somehow I knew they were going to be starstruck lovers in the series the moment they started having feelings. It was too pure/innocent to belong in that world. D:
- This is a "no turning back" moment. Both in the Geass coup, as well as L x CC's relationship. Both parties know they're cannonballing into disaster, but it's too late to turn around. Same with the Persephone analogy, the bite of the first drop of pomegranate sealed her fate with Hades. The dark red color of the fruit also resembles blood, another reference to death.
- I'm not a big fan of "grief comfort" sex. And I'm not sure it's executed that well in this chap, thoughts are welcome~ It ended up as an odd competition of who is being more messed up. CC taking advantage of his vulnerable state, or the fact he was still thinking of a dead sister while having sex with another woman. ha. ha. *runs away and hides*
-Never going to be able to escape this fandom and this pairing. OTL