"For me?" Suzaku mumbled, olive eyes falling to the rose Lelouch held out for him.
The prince grumbled as he forced the rose into his friend's hand. There was such a deep blush on his face Lelouch thought his skin was going to melt and slosh off. He was so embarrassed. It was the last time he'd ever take advice from a woman about this matter. He figured Milly had an idea why he was asking what to do for Suzaku's birthday… and Shirley, well, she probably thought the roses were for her.
iNote to self: buy more roses/i.
Suzaku's face seemed to light up as he took the single rose from his friend. Deep red petals spiraled out in a wide bloom, threatening to explode and rain down to the floor. The soldier shook his head, brunette bangs shielding his eyes. He instantly became unreadable to Lelouch as he fingered the stem of the flower, carefully avoiding its thorns.
"You didn't have to, Lelouch," he stated, his tone dull and almost uninterested. The smile had disappeared off his face.
"Shut up," Lelouch hissed folding his arms across his chest; he leaned back against the table behind him, "it's your birthday." Violet eyes looked away from the sudden emotional mess in front of him, "I missed the past seven of them, and you deserved something, as cheesy as it is."
"I didn't even realize it was today until you came over."
Lelouch grit his teeth, an aggravated groan shattered in his throat as he stood up straight, his fists shaking at his side. "Idiot!"
"Huh?" it was breathless as it left the soldier's lips. The chestnut bangs falling away from his wide olive eyes as he looked back at his friend.
"It's pathetic, the way you never think of yourself first," Lelouch snapped, anger resonating throughout the room.
Eyelids became heavy, eyes even further masked by his hair once more as he looked back down at the ground. "I would think you'd know me better than that by now, Lelouch," Suzaku muttered, still toying with the stem of the rose underneath his fingertips; this time pressing the calloused pads on the thorns. Maybe if he pressed hard enough he could finally feel something.
Suzaku set the rose down on the table, not bothering to find a makeshift vase for it. Something told him Lloyd didn't have a real vase in the apartment. The rose remained on the table top after Lelouch finally left for the day. Which really wasn't fair to the rose, it never asked if it could join Suzaku in his endless spiral of self-hate.