Pre-Comment: I know exactly what you're thinking. Know what I'm thinking? SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!*

Chapter Fourteen! ENJOY IT!


Chapter Fourteen: Burning Bridges. And Everything Else.

Passion Island was renowned for being the most luxurious of luxurious getaways. It had something for everyone, although couples in particular benefited the most from its exclusive comforts designed for two as the name suggests. The esteemed reputation for being the number one lover's getaway guaranteed the resort business year-round.

And right now, Lelouch was quickly learning how plain awesome it might've been to get kidnapped here—compared to the usual places you might expect to find yourself in after being kidnapped. (You know, dungeons guarded by dragons, basements, towers in a forest, a boat in the middle of the ocean—places like that.) After a relaxing swim by the sunny, sandy beach, Lelouch had enjoyed a solitary lunch on Suzaku's tab with cocktails.

Considering how Suzaku was MIA, Lelouch had guessed it wasn't by Suzaku's design that he had gotten kidnapped here. He had also surmised that Suzaku probably wasn't here very willingly either.

Although he suspected Suzaku's unwillingness didn't involve chloroform.

After the theatrics of waking up practically naked in unfamiliar surroundings, Suzaku hadn't continued to sexually harass him—as Lelouch fully expected him to—and unlocked the cuffs before hastily vacating the premises. It was so shocking that Lelouch actually forgot about finishing his distress call and getting changed into clothes from the fully-stocked dresser of entirely new outfits.

And then came the heaven-sent phone call informing him of all the benefits he would be enjoying on this one-week stay at the resort.

For free.

FREE.

Unmistakeable bubbles of happiness exploded in his chest, exciting all sorts of impulse buying tendencies. And without Suzaku around to molest him or anything like that, Lelouch could enjoy all the pleasures of luxury in peace. Alone.

At least for now.

ooo

After enjoying herself thoroughly at the buffet by stuffing her face with forty-two kinds of pizza (Clovis thought he might be sick, but kindly said nothing because he was a gentleman), CC pampered herself more by enjoying a day at the spa before deciding to finish her afternoon off with a leisurely swim. Clovis had work today, so she was left alone and was determined to enjoy it. On his dime, of course.

She took a graceful dive into the pool, enjoying a swim down the lane to the other side, basking in the subtle warmth of the sun coming in through the glass roof and walls. It was times like these that CC forgot about everything in this world and just enjoyed life for all that it was. No need to keep up appearances. No need to swindle for a living. No need to worry about who the next meal ticket would come from. No need to be concerned with Lelouch. No more having to—

"CC! Heeeey!"

Moment shattered.

There was the rush of water and then arms that encircled her waist from behind, pulling her tightly against a flat chest. Survival instincts kicked in and she elbowed the guy in the gut hard, using the moment to get away enough to deliver a kick to his stomach and propel herself away in the water. Turning around she readied herself for a… oh.

It was just Mao.

Wait.

Mao?

"Mao? What are you doing here?"

Mao struggled in the water a moment, temporarily dazed from the sudden assault to his stomach. He coughed and spit up water.

"I'm here—" cough, cough, "—with someone—" hack, cough, "—special!" he croaked excitedly—totally not holding that miniature assault against her.

She looked around warily as if Lelouch would magically appear—considering the news report. Mao had naturally explained all of that business to her without delay, so she wouldn't 'get the wrong idea.' Marianne. Knives. Wooing away. Life at stake. Lelouch. Something about rainbows and unicorns. Means nothing. Jezebel.

CC didn't care much.

She blinked pointedly. "With… Lelouch?"

The boy turned sheet white, as if remembering something horrible.

(Probably the unicorns.)

And then he laughed loudly and nervously, turning scarlet. "Ah. Uh. No. Not him. It's a girl."

She just shrugged. "I don't know. Your announcement on air was pretty convincing~"

"Th-That was—I already explained that! I mean, ah, just… don't… um… tell Her. Please?"

Aww. He really was adorable sometimes.

CC just smiled, patting him on the head. Teasing Lelouch about sexual orientation was beyond amusing, but people like Mao were just no fun and always made her feel bad when she did.

But only a little.

And really only sometimes.

"Yes, yes, I understand. So, who's this someone special?"

"Well—"

And then something pulled him under water with a splash, the last of his air bubbling towards the surface. The next thing to emerge was orange-coloured. Water dripped off it in rivulets down and around the swimming goggles on her face before they were tugged away to fall just above an ample rack.

"Hello! I'm Shirley! I'm here with Mao!"

Oh.

CC glanced down at Mao, for whom air was no longer bubbling to the surface, and then back at this girl and smiled sweetly, tilting her head. "CC. Let's be good friends."

ooo

"…him wake up naked in bed at the hotel room was not what I expected by you helping me patch this out!" Suzaku hissed into the phone.

"Oh, Suzaku, don't you believe in fate? This was MEANT to happen! You two are absolutely PERFECT for each other! Whether you're straight or gay or he's actually a girl—it'll all work out!"

Suzaku slapped a palm to his forehead, wiping it down his face. "Milly Ashford, I thought I explained clearly to you that I wanted your help with getting myself out of this predicament, not deeper into it. And as for him being a girl: He's not, so that's that."

"Oh, but I'm sure he'd be willing to dress up for you. I mean, if those pictures Sayoko showed me are—"

"What? Pictures? What pictures? Sayoko showed you what pictures!?"

"Ummmmnothing."

"You just said that you saw pictures!"

"Pictures? What pictures?" she parroted, feigning innocence. "I never mentioned anything about pictures!"

"Milly Ashford…"

She giggled. "Lighten up, Suzaku!" she chided, clearly dodging the topic. "I said I would help you and I am. Just relax and enjoy yourself. That's all I ask. If things still look like they're going to blow up after this, I'll talk to your lover and handle all the dirty work for you. Fair?"

Suzaku contemplated that. While better judgement told him that he should probably break the egg on Lelouch's face himself, being able to avoid it altogether was so much more appealing. And, for all that she was, there were times that Milly could be reliable, and this could be one of those times.

Please let this be one of those times.

Please, please, please let this be one of those times.

He nodded in agreement. "Alright, fair. But you better hold to it, Ashford!"

"An Ashford always keeps his or her promise! Nowgomakebabieswithyourboytoybye!"

CLICK.

Suzaku blinked.

"The number you are calling cannot be completed as dialled. Please try again later, check your directory, or dial zero for assistance. Thank you, from—"

After finally hanging up, Suzaku sighed.

Here he was, stranded on an island with nothing but the receptionist desk phone to connect him to anybody. And, above all that, he was here with his fake-actually-gay-but-not-faking-the-gay-part-fian cé boyfriend whom he wished to depart from—because Suzaku was straight and his long-lost sense of morality was eating away at him for stringing Lelouch along like he had been doing all this time.

And when he thought about it, all the times he harassed Lelouch and groped him unnecessarily, the reaction he got from doing so was undeniably from a straight man that this whole 'real ex-boyfriend' situation made his mind boggle.

But when he thought about it more, it could've been that Lelouch was just really shy about being intimate. Which, of course, made all that sexual harassment he put Lelouch through just that much worse in the grand scheme of things.

"Ah… Mr Kururugi?"

Suzaku looked up at the receptionist, smiling kindly at him. "I thought you might like to know that your fiancé is enjoying our pool facilities right now if you were interested in joining him."

"Ah, thank you. Which way is it?"

"Through the east wing and down the stairs," she informed him easily.

Suzaku thanked her and followed her directions.

He decided that, maybe he should just be a man about all this and break Lelouch's heart like the douchebag he was. At least this way the guilt wouldn't be legally binding.

But instead of doing it straight up, he decided to do it right. He would treat Lelouch special—give him everything he ever wanted for this week and hope that they survive as friends on the other side. As improbable as that was, with the way things were going, Suzaku liked to be optimistic.

Yes.

He would show Lelouch a week he would never forget.

ooo

This would be a week Lelouch would never forget.

It would be, after all, his last. All the signs pointed to it. What with the way Suzaku was treating him, like a piece of meat that would later be devoured on a platter that would be licked clean, it would be sheer miracle if he survived alive. Forget honeymoon, this week was the moment to fear.

Think about it. Everything seemed to be set up just a little too well. The kidnapping. The ribbon. The handcuffs (which Lelouch tossed as far into the ocean as he could (i.e.: four-and-a-half metres)). The remote island. This nice behaviour. The free luxuries. This was all a part of Suzaku's sinister plot to finally do something evil and heinous to him. And it was all so sudden and awkward too—what with the delaying of the wedding without Lelouch's input.

Oh God.

He knew, didn't he? Suzaku knew what Lelouch was up to. He just knew Lelouch was a con-artist—that this was all just a game to get the biggest cash-out ever and retire in anonymous luxury. Suzaku knew and he had prepared everything to do something about it. No one would ever know or suspect a thing.

And suddenly, the prospect of having his chastity stolen (almost) paled in comparison to living at the bottom of the ocean with his feet in a block of cement.

Sweet Heaven.

What if he decided to do both?

Lelouch trembled slightly.

"I think it's pretty warm, but are you cold? Should I grab a coat for you?" Suzaku asked, concern creasing his brow. "Don't want you getting sick."

Calm down nerves, Lelouch ordered. Suzaku wouldn't dare do something in front of all these bystanders who are of sane mind, hopefully haven't been bribed into silence, and wouldn't poison his food 'accidentally,' right?

RIGHT?

"Oh! No! I'm fine! Perfectly fine."

Suzaku frowned, not convinced. "Is it the food? Not to your liking? You've barely eaten anything. I could call someone over and—"

"No, no. The food is great."

And not poisoned.

And not poisoned.

And not poisoned.

Please don't be poisoned.

"Then what is it? Are you not feeling well?"

"No, it's nothing. Sorry. I'm fine." Because the food is not poisoned. "Just a little… nervous, I guess."

Suzaku gave a strained sort-of smile. "Yeah, I can imagine the feeling. It'll be the first night we'll be together after all."

Notwithstanding the handcuffs night barred only by the—

STOP.

WAIT.

WHAT.

WHAT.

WHAT!?

The feelings that were suddenly taking over Lelouch's system hit him like a freight train. And in the wreckage, the only thing emerging victoriously was—

"First night together?"

Suzaku's cheeks burned uncharacteristically and he looked away. "Uh. Yeah. I mean, not including the night with the—"

Right, enough of listening to the words of violence and mal-intent coming out of this sexually-deviant psychopath's voice box. Lelouch needed a solid plan to survive the night. He desperately wished he hadn't thrown the handcuffs as far as he could (i.e.: four-and-a-half metres) into the ocean. In the event he acquired a pack of sedatives capable of knocking an elephant unconscious, he could handcuff Suzaku to something and make a clean get away. Perhaps commandeer a boat somewhere. Row himself all the way to—

A hand touched his and Lelouch jumped in his seat.

Suzaku pulled his hand away immediately, faking a sheepish smile to hide his lecherous and murderous intent. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, but you were spacing a bit."

And it was here that Lelouch mentally slapped himself. Freaking out about impending doom was not the answer to all his fears (despite how easy it was). He needed a calm head, good reasoning, and a plan of action.

But for now, play along.

"Sorry, I'm just tired. Waking up somewhere strange—" naked, wrapped in a ribbon, and handcuffed to a bed, "—is a little taxing."

Suzaku gave him another sheepish look. "Yeah, about that. Sorry. It's kind of my fault."

Lelouch managed to smile back, hoping it didn't look forced, although the twitch to the eye might've given him away. "It's a nice surprise vacation; don't worry too much about it. I'm a little glad to be away from it all."

Suzaku hummed in agreement. "Yeah, it's definitely nice."

"The company will be okay?"

"Nina can handle it," Suzaku said dismissively with a shrug.

ooo

"I am telling you that the flux capacitator cannot handle that kind of load you insane woman!"

Nina winced, clutching the clipboard to her chest tighter.

The busty blonde scoffed, puffing on her pipe and blowing a cloud of smoke into the other man's face. "And I am telling you that calling a piston a flux capacitator does not change what it actually is. Furthermore, for what is required it is adequate. If we just make it out of aluminium instead of—"

Lloyd burst into loud, obnoxious laughing. "Aluminium? Are you mad? That will make the tensile strength drop even lower! It will never work!"

"Please, if you could both—"

"If we use your inferior schematics, probably not! But in my blueprints it's taken care of by the—"

"HA!" Lloyd's eyes widened, his pupils dilated, and he grinned like an insane psychopath, looking his co-worker dead in the eye. "Don't make me laugh," he said darkly.

Green eyes narrowed venomously. Folding her arms underneath her ample bust, Rakshata advanced a step towards him, undaunted by the obvious crazy in his eye.

Lloyd held his ground, looking like a psychopath on a hair trigger.

There was a tense moment where they both glared heatedly at each other. Not completely sure of what to do, Nina glanced between one and the other. Kururugi had always somehow managed to deal with them efficiently and effectively (even if it was mandatory and only once a month), and it was just about the only thing she admired him for. It had been the sole reason the R&D affairs had never been delegated to her. But now that he wasn't here…

The sound of a tray settling down caught all of their attention and all three pairs of eyes turned to see Cecile humming away while unloading the tray full of snacks and tea onto the nearby table. When she was done, she smiled at them all sweetly.

"If you both don't calm down and enjoy the snacks I've prepared I can't say what will happen to you."

Both scientists backed down and sat down at the table obediently without a single complaint. Cecile poured them both a cup of tea and they began to eat the sandwiches, pointedly looking away from the other. Like children.

"Miss Einstein, I'll make sure everything gets sorted out and have a report on Mr Kururugi's desk by tomorrow for you."

Nina could only nod and leave, wondering what the heck she had just witnessed.

It was a good thing Cecile had no ambitions to, say, take over the company.

That wouldn't end well for anyone.

ooo

Suzaku thought the day had been going well so far. Lunch had been somewhat awkward, but still relatively enjoyable nonetheless. He could tell Lelouch was a little nervous, so he insisted they spend the rest of the day at the nearby coastal town that was just a short ferry over. As they wandered rather aimlessly around the downtown tourist trap, Suzaku kept up easy, light conversation with Lelouch, and slowly, but surely, Lelouch began to relax a bit more. Soon enough the atmosphere had become so comfortable that conversation came easy, talking about everyday things and everyday topics. There were no awkward moments and Suzaku refrained from sexually harassing Lelouch.

Yes, really.

"But this other time was a total accident. It was a windy day and her skirt just flew up in front of me. What was I supposed to do? Close my eyes?"

Lelouch frowned at him. "Of course! Didn't all those other times teach you that she has fists made of solid steel?"

Suzaku frowned, protesting, "I was five! Repercussions are the last things a five-year-old boy thinks about." Jabbing him with an elbow, Suzaku smirked. "Come on; don't tell me you haven't done some crazy things as a kid in school with your friends."

Looking away from him, Lelouch cleared his throat. "I… had a private tutor, so I didn't have friends in school," he said factually.

The first thing that came to mind was: Well, that explains a lot.

And then the less douche-baggy side of him started to feel bad for asking, even though he had no way of knowing. And then he felt even worse for not really knowing what to say. Despite losing his parents young, Suzaku always had friends and he couldn't imagine life without them.

As troublesome as some of them were.

(On the other side of the world, Milly sneezed.)

Before the silence got awkward, Lelouch turned to give him a disapproving look. "But even if I did, I wouldn't be flipping skirts of the girl I like!"

Blinking, Suzaku didn't know what to say until he noticed the slight smirk tugging at the corner of Lelouch's lips and laughed. "Yeah, you were probably the type to get your skirt flipped."

Lelouch's cheeks coloured.

"Shut up!"

"I know first-hand just how good you look in a skirt, after all."

The colour spread to his face.

"Shut up!"

"I bet you turned quite a few heads."

Lelouch pursed his lips and glared intensely at him.

Suzaku laughed into a closed fist, turning away from Lelouch, who growled lowly in disapproval. When he finally calmed down he sighed. "Sorry! I'm sorry. Here, how about I buy you whatever you want as an apology?"

Huffing, Lelouch folded his arms and marched right into the nearest store to act upon the offer immediately. A chime sounded when the doors opened and Suzaku followed him in, breathing deeply to control his laughter.

They had walked into what looked like a fancy toy store, with china dolls, detailed teddy bears, and elaborate stuffed animals which only had one copy. Locked display cases lined the walls, filled with dozens of uniquely-styled teddy bears and stuffed animals. The large, round table in the centre depicted the scene of Goldilocks and the Three Bears when she gets caught; the china doll's face was frozen in surprise. An ancient-looking grandfather clock sat behind the counter, keeping time. A polished staircase led up to a second floor.

Lelouch's eyes lit up immediately, roving over the extravagant displays. All the irritation left his face and he just marvelled at the fine detailing of all the merchandise. Suzaku couldn't blame him; everything looked hand-crafted and no two toys looked the same.

He whistled, looking around the store himself, though much less enraptured than Lelouch, who had picked up one of the teddy bears that looked like it actually might be for sale. Putting the bear down, Lelouch ventured further into the store. Suzaku was about to follow him when he noticed a blonde woman coming down the stairs, dressed in a Victorian dress. Her long hair was wrapped in pink ribbons and she engaged Suzaku with a polite smile.

"Hello and welcome! We sell unique, hand-made toys here. Are you looking for anything specific?"

Smiling sheepishly, Suzaku glanced over at Lelouch quickly before looking back at the woman. "Kind of. An apology gift. For him," Suzaku clarified, nodding over at Lelouch, who was admiring a doll behind glass. "Because my mouth doesn't know when to shut up."

The woman chuckled. "I have just the thing, Mr Kururugi," she said, quickly moving to one of the displays and unlocking a cabinet using a large ring of antique keys.

"How do you—"

"I may dress old, but I watch the gossip news channel just as much as anyone else," she said, pulling out a teddy bear wearing a blue dress tied with a yellow ribbon, wearing a matching hat. "I'd be more surprised if there was someone who didn't recognize you. Blue, for wisdom to not screw up again," she said, indicating the dress. "Yellow, for continued happiness." She turned the bear around and tugged at the silk bow.

Suzaku took the bear when she handed it to him and looked at all the detailing of the dress and the bear. Lace, beads, and stitching all worked together. Just holding the teddy bear in his hands told Suzaku that this was made with love and care.

"It's perfect. I'll take it."

The woman smiled. "Wonderful."

Suzaku found Lelouch in the back of the store and snuck up on him. Holding the bear in front of his face he tapped him on the shoulder to gain his attention. When Lelouch turned around—

"Suzaku Kururugi is a big-mouthed jerk who doesn't know any better!" he said in a high falsetto. "He wants to tell you that he's super-duper sorry and will never do it again! Probably."

For a moment, Lelouch just stood there, staring almost incredulously at the bear before his lips broke into a smile, raising a single eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Really, really," Suzaku said normally, lowering the bear from his face and offering it to Lelouch.

Lelouch just laughed taking the bear from Suzaku and turning it over in his hands, caressing the silk of the dress, and fingering the hat. "My mother has a dress just like this. It was so poofy I fell asleep on it so many times when she'd read to me." He looked up. "Thank you."

Suzaku just grinned before looking up innocently at the ceiling. "So is he forgiven?" he asked in a falsetto again.

Choking back a laugh, Lelouch sighed in defeat. "I guess he is. It is the first gift he's ever bought me."

The grin grew wider.

When they left the shop, Suzaku gave the store owner a thumbs up of success behind Lelouch's back. The woman winked conspiratorially at him and bowed her head slightly.

For the rest of the afternoon, the atmosphere was light and enjoyable. They ate crepes, they watched street shows, and Suzaku ended up buying Lelouch more stuff (inevitably carrying it all). All in all, it had been fun, and Suzaku was surprised at just how much fun he was having. Running a company didn't afford him a lot of time to just have fun, and high school seemed like such a far-off memory.

Suzaku couldn't help but feel like a good person every time he saw how carefully Lelouch carried the teddy bear—holding it in his arms the whole time. And he felt even better when he saw how much Lelouch was enjoying himself too.

But by the time they were back on the ferry, headed back for the hotel, Suzaku started to remember why he was doing all this in the first place. It was when he was alone, staring at the sun sinking into the sea, while Lelouch was in the bathroom, that a sort of depression fell over him. He had really enjoyed spending time with Lelouch this afternoon. In fact, when he forgot about the crazy relationship they were supposed to be in, he really enjoyed spending time with Lelouch—like a best friend he never had before.

And that was why Suzaku found himself depressed. Because no matter how much he would've liked to, a nagging feeling told him that being able to stay friends with Lelouch wouldn't be possible in any way whatsoever once this was all over.

Breaking a heart was one thing, but explaining that it was all a lie from the very beginning is something entirely different.

In fact, if he thought about it, wasn't being nice like this even worse? Like building Lelouch a sandcastle before stomping all over it? There were songs that warned about this.

Oh God.

What have I done, he thought in horror.

Before Suzaku could delve into the misery of that train of thought, a hand gently fell upon his shoulder. He turned to see Lelouch's concerned face and forced himself to relax, realizing he had wrung a hand in his hair and let go.

"Something wrong?"

Suzaku looked at the teddy bear in Lelouch's arms, and then back up at Lelouch's concerned face. He could feel the fruits of his own douchebaggery stab him in the conscience with a sharp knife. Unable to meet those worried, violet eyes, Suzaku quickly looked back out at the warm glowing sunset again and sighed.

"No, nothing's wrong."

Looking a bit lost, Lelouch just seemed to nod and accept that, following Suzaku's gaze to watch the glow of the sunset for a moment as silence fell between them. When another touch fell on his shoulder, Suzaku closed his eyes, unable to meet Lelouch's—not when he knew what was going to happen in a couple days.

A gentle kiss was placed on the very edge of his shoulder, right by the hand resting on his shoulder blade. Suzaku turned to see Lelouch pursing his lips, blushing hard, and looking anywhere but at him.

"I… I had a lot of fun today. And… uh… you're always telling me…

Suzaku's eyes widened slightly.

"…and I realized I never told you even once…"

Uh oh.

"…and we're going to be married one day…"

Oh God.

Oh God.

Oh God.

"…and I…

Don't.

"…um…"

Don't.

"Well…"

Don't.

Lelouch bit his lip.

For the love of all that is, please d—

"I love you, too," Lelouch whispered shyly, closing his eyes and hiding his face behind the teddy bear. No doubt his face was making the sunset glow downright envious.

Guilt of a thousand suns exploded in Suzaku's chest in a fiery tornado of pain and suffering all at once and he felt physically crippled by it. Lelouch loved him and he was just an ass who didn't feel the same despite saying so dozens of times before.

The weight of all those times were crushed in an instant by Lelouch's one.

Simply because Lelouch meant it.

Not knowing entirely what to do, Suzaku feigned shyness himself and buried his face in his arms, already hating himself for what he was about to say.

"Me too, Lelouch."

ooo

Kallen hissed in pain, causing Gino to look up at her with furrowed brows.

"What's wrong?"

She looked at the small cut on her hand and immediately started sucking on it as a small pinprick of blood appeared. "Nothing. I just… Something happened."

Gino blinked. "Something?"

"Happened," Kallen finished.

And immediately Kallen frowned, because Stupid Couple Behaviour Number 53 just occurred: Finishing each other's sentences.

Upon crossing the small space of their kitchen, Gino carefully grabbed her wrist to inspect the already healing wound. Kallen flushed. Their original room had no kitchen, but Kallen made them switch after Gino had teased her about how she probably couldn't cook—as per her personality.

Challenge accep—

But Gino was right. She couldn't cook.

Thankfully, after the first burned disaster, rather than kicking her wounded pride, Gino just smiled and ate the charred ashes she made and appreciated it. Like a man. With a stomach of steel.

Plus ten Kallen points.

Even so, both of them made the unspoken agreement that Gino would cook from now on while Kallen 'helped.'

"What's this something?" he asked curiously.

Kallen managed to snatch her hand away from his grip and turned back to her chopping to hide her colouring face. "I just… I don't know how to explain it. Something just… sort of…" she shrugged, "happened."

"Something happened, huh? Well, I hope that something doesn't come between us. It took me forever to convince boss man to let me have this time off. He's suddenly been very interested in dealing with Japan—or rather specifically, the Sakura Group's super-popular couple."

"You told me earlier. Any idea why?"

Gino shrugged. "No idea. Just last week he asked me directly about all the media rumours flying around about Suzaku."

"And Lelouch," Kallen just had to add.

"Yeah. But I don't really follow all of that media hype. It's not really any of my business and I think everyone should mind their own. If Suzaku and Lelouch are in love with each other, how is that anybody's business?"

Kallen frowned. And, sure, even though she had Gino now, it still sort of bothered her to think about it. Stupid boy. "But neither of them are actually gay—and definitely not for each other. The only thing I think Lelouch actually loves is money—" which is actually a bulls-eye assumption.

And maybe CC, she didn't add—considering she had never seen him without.

"Yeah, but you said it yourself that Suzaku looks happy, right?"

"Yeah… but…"

"Then whether they actually love each other or not, we can still wish for their happiness. It's the best we can hope for, for them."

Kallen frowned for a moment and before looking up at Gino's bright, cheerful grin. She flushed and looked away immediately, embarrassed by how easily he was able to diffuse her worries like they didn't even matter.

"I guess," she agreed uneasily.

Gino kissed the side of her head, taking her hand in his and pulled it up to his mouth, sucking on the small cut that had started bleeding a bit again.

He winked.

The colour of her face matched her hair in less than three, and complemented the hand-shaped print on Gino's face beautifully as she stormed out of the kitchen, followed by Gino's laughter.

ooo

The reality of the situation never hit him harder than it did in this very moment. Any number of reasons could've been responsible for Lelouch forgetting about such an important, crucial, yourlifewillbeoverifyouforgetthismoment moment, but none of those reasons would save his chastity now.

And that thought made him shake like a leaf.

In a hurricane.

Of fire.

And evil.

Definitely evil if the singularity of the bed had anything to say about it.

Instinctively, Lelouch shrunk himself behind the teddy bear. Tearing his eyes away from the king-sized bed littered with fresh rose petals (courtesy of hotel staff on Milly Ashford's recommendation—no, it's okay, you can thank her later), he cast a furtive glance at Suzaku. And was shocked. Because, well, the boy looked shocked.

Suzaku's eyes were empty wells fixated on the sight of the bed. A hand covered his mouth and chin partially. Pursed lips peeked through his fingers and his jaw was squared. His other hand was in his pocket. His shoulders were stiff. He didn't move. Frozen.

This was a first.

Lelouch wasn't sure if it was safe to break this trance Suzaku had entered. He had never seen him so… so contemplative. And… terrified?

Well, now he was just confused.

"Um…" Lelouch ventured quietly.

Like Zeus had struck him with divine retribution, Suzaku jerked his head in Lelouch's direction. His eyes grew wide—wider than Lelouch had ever seen them. And then he quickly turned away, glancing at the door.

"I think I'm going to go clear my head for a bit. You can go ahead and sleep without me," he said quickly before making quick tracks for the door.

Lelouch just watched him go until he heard the door click shut softly.

Um.

Not to look a gift horse in the mouth…

…but what just happened?

ooo

Once he stopped shaking, got through a fit of hyperventilation, running his hands through his hair, and taking deep breaths, Suzaku found himself sitting at the bar of the hotel. Staring into his half-filled glass of untouched vodka, he thought of nothing. And everything. And Lelouch. And the teddy bear. And his company. And Maria—

Oh God. How could he just forget Marianne?

Suzaku ran another hand through his hair, letting out a long breath. He couldn't remember a single moment of his life where he regretted anything as deeply as this. The look on Lelouch's face had been—it was—he didn't—

He let out another sigh and rest his head in the palm of his hands, fingers digging into his scalp. The whole situation was madness. Why did he think that digging this grave deeper was a good way out? If anything, Lelouch would be even more upset in the wake of the eventual break up. Suzaku knew he'd want to kill himself if he made Lelouch cry. He distinctly remembered the last time it happened.

His stomach churned.

All at once he emptied the glass of vodka.

It was refilled in the next instant without his request and he glanced up at the bartender, who nodded over at the person sitting at the end of the bar. It was a blonde man who raised his glass to him in acknowledgement with a slight nod.

Suzaku whipped his head away. And then the unspeakable happened when he saw the man get up to sit next to him out of the corner of his eye. He cursed softly. Couldn't he wallow in misery on his own?

"You look like the world has crapped upon your shoulders," the man observed.

"I'm straight," Suzaku said flatly.

The man gave him a confused look and then—

Understanding.

"Good heavens, I didn't mean it like that! I am more than just partial to the female species. I have Venus up in my room as proof. I just thought you might need someone to talk to—and who better than an objective stranger?"

Suzaku just stared at him for a moment before downing his glass of alcohol before asking for another of whiskey. And then he started from the beginning. He told the guy everything. With the exception of a few incriminating details, Suzkau held nothing back. From the first date, to meeting his mother, and proposing, Suzaku unloaded everything.

The man was a good, attentive listener, simply nodding along. And by the time it was over, he looked contemplative, absorbing it all in before downing the drink in his hand.

"You are a pretty terrible person."

Suzaku sighed, slumping his shoulders.

"But I have just the solution."

He perked up.

"Now, here's what you do. First you need to—"

"Darling, aren't you coming to sleep yet?"

Suzaku's blood froze. The Worst Feeling of All Time hit him. He recognized that voice.

He turned his head slightly, and in one of the only slow-motion moments in his life, his eyes first met with her rack as she just passed by him. And then they instantly flitted up to meet amber eyes and a smile spawned from the depths of Hell, made from the souls of babes, and as wide as the River Hades.

A million expressions in at least twenty-two languages would've been sufficient to describe what Suzaku felt right now, and none of them were decent enough to be repeated here. So the alternative was this:

#&*^!#$%) %*!)(#%&!) ()!( #*$%!& *#!& (#!* &%(!* #&!( *%&!( %*&!( #*!& (#!%!( *#&%!( %*!& %(!* #!& #!(%*&(!#*#$&!(*& #$!( #*! &#! #(! *%& !(#*$&! #(!*%&!#(%*!& #(*! &$(!*%&! ($&! (#$&! (#*&! (%&! (%*!& #!*%&^%( *#&$!)$)&! #!* &$(*!&%(+! _$! _$(!+$*!_%&!) (42.

The man's eyes lit up and he grinned, reaching for one of her hands as she slid her arm around his shoulders and leaned into him lightly. When she kissed the side of his head, her eyes were fixed only on Suzaku and were full of Pure Unadulterated Evil™.

"Suzaku, meet CC."


Comments:

I BET YOU THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER HEAR FROM ME AGAIN.

I know, it's been a long while, how have you been? I missed you too. I promise to maybe almost try harder to be kinda slightly better about updating things. So anyway. If you could rename "Liar Liar," what would you name it as? The ones to come up with something awesome just might receive something awesome in return. Like: The ability to bully me into writing a short ONESHOT of ANYTHING (ratedTorunder) related to anything I've written or the fandom in general. I know, it's not actually all that awesome; my skills as an F-rate writer are all but gun-to-the-head inducing, but it's all I can afford.

Dear Potential Winner: Please have some sort of contact method turned on.

Please R&R.

- Minute Maid

Beverage of Queens.

*I'm kidding! I wouldn't do that to you! At least I think I'm kidding. You should really hope for both of us that I'm kidding. I am so mean to you guys, aren't I?