Special Thanks:kpopmaniac615, luckless-is-me, Zakksu, Lovegranted, Lazy Gaga

Apologies. I'm sorry. :/ this week's post was supposed to be a post of Splash, but school drowned me right after I made that promise and then there was Thanksgiving. I will work hard to get it out if not next week than the next after that.

Part XI

White Apple

12/1/2011 6:47 PM

The next morning was—awkward. Most unusual for the mornings was Lelouch. On a regular weekday morning he would have still been in bed, letting Suzaku get himself fed, cleaned, and off to work. He would have leaned up and kissed Suzaku tender as he said good bye and would have slid back under the covers and let himself drift back to sleep. But that morning he'd been up just as the light of morning had peak up over the mountains.

"Coffee?" Lelouch asked his voice toneless while offering out the pot he'd just brewed.

Suzaku didn't say anything, didn't even make eye contact, as he gave a brisk nod. His hair was still wet from his morning shower and he hadn't even bothered to find a shirt. In his work jeans and Carhart wool socks he wondered over to the fridge, rummaging a moment to find the egg carton.

Lelouch didn't look much better. A dark hoody and sweat pants, He still wore reading glasses and didn't even bother to ask Suzaku if he wanted help with his breakfast. He left Suzaku's coffee on the counter for him as Lelouch took his own steaming mug with him to the table. Adjusting the glasses, he opened his book, starting to read.

And yet he didn't. His eyes darted to Suzaku.

Broad, tanned and hunched shoulders were all that his gaze was met with as Suzaku worked on frying his egg. With a snort, Lelouch looked back down to his book, trying to pick up on the line he'd left off.

At the sound of a low whine, Lelouch and Suzaku both looked up to find Charley in the doorway of the kitchen. The room froze for a few seconds and Lelouch inhaled deep, his nose rising into the air, and brow dropping.

But before anything could be said Suzaku marched around the table to the dog. "Come on, Charley," he murmured in a quiet voice as he guided the dog out the side door in the kitchen. Lelouch was stiff looked down at his book as he could hear Suzaku rummaging for the dog dish and to the large bag of dog food in the pantry. A few seconds later, Lelouch glanced up as Suzaku came back into the house. His eyes averted Lelouch's as he returned to the stove and flipped over his egg.

It had been easy for so long to slide into a comfortable groove. It had been easy to just remember the good things about each other and the nice little comments and mundane problems. It was easy to forget why the life they had had been a result of. It was easy to forget the events that pushed them together then tore them apart. It was easy to forget what it was like to have to fight to stay together.

Mornings like the one they were currently in didn't come often in their new lives. And when they did, it reminded them just how easy the civility between them could be broken. When it was shoved in their face of just how fragile the little peace they'd created really was in the end.

Suzaku slid the fried egg onto a plate and pulled out his toast before carrying it and his coffee to the table.

The silence seeped in as Suzaku sat down and without pause started to eat. Lelouch glanced up from his book a few times before rolling his eyes and turning the page. The clock on the wall ticked down to eight, when Suzaku had to be at work, but neither showed any need to hurry.

The scrape of Suzaku's fork against the plate slowed and Lelouch looked up to find Suzaku was looking up as well. Suzaku finished chewing what was in his mouth before swallowing, knowing etiquette was something important to Lelouch even after all the years together. "I was thinking Charley could sleep in the living room tonight."

'Instead of you?' Lelouch had to bite his lip to stop the curt comment from coming out. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a hushed tone to respond. "As long as it's not on the couch,"

A dutiful nod was Lelouch only real answer as Suzaku turned back to his plate. Lelouch nodded as well, looking back down at his book as Suzaku got up to rinse his plate in the sink and continue back to the bedroom to change.

It wasn't until Suzaku had left the room that Lelouch let the book in his hands drop to the table. . He looked at it for a long moment, a frown deepening on his face as he pulled in a shaky breath. Their life wasn't perfect—but it was as close as it was ever going to get. He blinked behind those dark trimmed reading glasses several times before he let the book close and his hands dropped to his lap.

"Hey, I'm leaving," Suzaku hollered as he didn't even bother going through the kitchen as he continued straight from their bedroom to the entryway.

Turning his head, Lelouch almost let the moment pass. Almost let their tense engagement continue. But—Suzaku had tried to reach out that morning with his little comment at the table and Lelouch couldn't ignore that as he closed his eyes and took a huge gulp of his own pride. "Wait."

He didn't run, but strode with bare feet back through the house and to meet Suzaku at the door. Work boots laced and zipping up his jacket, he looked prepared for another verbal blow.

Eager to be unpredictable, Lelouch instead reached up, pulling Suzaku closer to grace a soft kiss to the other cheek. "Thank you," he cooed. "You're very good to me."

Maybe out of shock, or bewilderment, Suzaku let Lelouch tip his head so Lelouch could press a kiss into the curly tangle of hair.

"I-I'll see you tonight then." Suzaku said as Lelouch disengaged and stepped back.

"Of course," with a nod, Lelouch affirmed.

"Alright," Suzaku said his eye barely coming up from the floor and shuffled to try and figure out how to get the door open so he could leave.

Lelouch gave a wry smile, admiring just how easy it was to turn his lover into a blushing boy again. It was usually the reversal for the sentimentality and affection, so it seemed only natural for Suzaku to get all flustered and not know what to say. It was a pleasant role reversal, Lelouch ventured as he continued out the door watching as his counterpart left for the day. A small smile and reading glassed still clinging to his nose he leaned against the door frame.

Thousand words? Check. Weekly Update? Check. Fight over? Check. Make-up Scene? Check. Adorable cute life of these too? Check. Well it looks like my work is done here. Oh and side note: I hope you guys aren't bored at how—mundane this fic is. It's definitely calm and chill. It's got subtle charm if I may venture that far, but I do know that it's probably more fun for me to write than you guys to read. But thank you guys so much for all the reads!

~Review if you want me to smile!~