MORNINGS

WARNINGS: Nothing much there.

Thank you all you people who reviewed and thank yout thank you thank you my awesome beta, CyberPunker, for betaing this. I didn't expect you to contact me so quickly! I didn't even think anyone would beta this! And moreover, thank you all you guys who faved or followed. Love you.

His throat was dry, there was a steady pounding in his head and bright sunlight was attacking his eyelids.

Suzaku just wondered if there could possibly be worse mornings than this one.

He sat up, trying to ignore the way it made his stomach flip and his world sway.

"Geez," he muttered, wondering if he was going to throw up right here or not.

Something between a snort and a giggle sounded near him.

Too loud for his liking.

"Morning, lover boy," someone whispered.

He ran a tongue over his lips. "Morning," he grumbled, his thinking too paralyzed for him to wonder who it was.

A hand was tucked into his messy curls, fondling them. "How do you feel?"

He swallowed as another wave of nausea flooded him. "Terrible," he admitted.

"You shouldn't have drunk so much," the voice said kindly. "You must have a terrible hangover, you were totally sloshed."

"Yup," he mumbled, afraid of opening his mouth more. "I remember."

Another amused sound. "You do?"

He nodded and sent his world spinning again.

This was his curse; no matter how trashed he was, he always remembered everything that happened. Which was sad, 'cos he did all sorts of crap when he got drunk.

This reminded him…

Of yesterday.

The hand in his hair was small and soft, and the voice was feminine…

"Shirley?"

"No," the voice replied with a soft chuckle.

A flash of panic cut through his hazed mind. If it's not Shirley, then…

"Just open your eyes already."

And he obeyed, fighting all that screamed at him not to do it.

Bright light attacked his eyes, blinding him for a moment.

He shifted his eyes from the window, turning his head to the side…

And found Milly sitting next to him.

He swallowed. This was most certainly not the closet he fell asleep in. That meant he found them there. And… brought him there?

He cleared his throat and forced a weak smile on his face. "Why, hello, madam prez."

It was kinda weird, saying madam president to a girl clad in lavender pajamas with sheep on it.

"Good morning, Suzaku," she smiled at him broadly, her hand leaving his hair as she waved at him flirtatiously.

"Whe-" he had to swallow once more to get the question out of his mouth. "Where am I?"

"My room," she answered, waving her hand around. "Cozy, right?"

He looked around, trying to avoid looking into the bright window. "Yeah. Homely."

Milly's expression turned serious. "So you remember what happened yesterday?"

He nodded again. "Yes. I got drunk and left with Shirley and…" he blushed heavily. "Things happened."

Milly crossed her arms. "Yeah. Things certainly happened. You banged out little copper-top."

He blushed again and his eyes dropped to the golden sheets of Milly's bed.

"Imagine my surprise," Milly continued, her tone varying between amusement and bitterness, "when I went into the closet in the evening to store some stuff there and found Shirley lying on the floor completely naked, looking like some dam goddess of sex."

Suzaku blushed a bit more (not that it was possible) and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"But that wasn't the surprise of the day, Suzaku," Milly was pouting now. "The surprise of the day was that it wasn't Lelouch who she was snuggled up to. It was you."

"Madam pres…" he began, but she cut him off.

"Not that I wasn't grateful to you for giving me such hot gossip, but do you understand what mess did I have to dispose of?"

He looked up. "Mess?"

There wasn't even a blush on her cheeks when she continued. "No, Suzaku, I don't mean the actual, physical mess, like your cum on the floor or your clothes hanging on racks. I mean the social mess. I couldn't let Shirley – and you – go through the awkwardness of waking up naked and in addition to it on each other. I had to find clothes for both of you and get you to a proper bed, then make sure you both won't mess up when you wake up."

Suzaku just stared at her.

He never knew – and it was probably because he never needed it – that Milly helped her schoolmates like that. He always thought she is just the devil-may-care type of girl, he couldn't imagine her helping people when they got themselves into some crappy situation.

"Where is Shirley?" he asked finally.

"In her room, I guess. You'll both be skipping some classes today."

Suzaku could imagine why. His head still ached. Be bit down on his lip. "Um… does she remember?"

Milly shrugged. "Vaguely. She remembers kissing you, but not much else."

"I see. So…"

"Nah, she doesn't know you had sex."

Suzaku blushed again. "That's… good?"

"In a way," Milly drawled. "Of course it is kinda embarrassing not to remember your first, but it's fine she doesn't have to face the fact it wasn't Lelouch."

A memory floated through Suzaku's mind until he was finally able to comprehend it. "I wasn't her first."

Milly grinned. "Yes, you were, Suzaku."

"No, madam president," he insisted, not quite realizing he was discussing Shirley's love life with Milly Ashford. "I'm sure of that."

Milly kept grinning. "You mean that she didn't have her maidenhead, right?"

Rosy changed to crimson. "Um… yes."

Milly leant forward, a little mischievous gleam in her eyes contrasting with the innocent look she gave him. "Have you ever heard… of accidental penetration with foreign objects?"

Suzaku seemed glad there wasn't a brighter hue of red. "Ah… I see…"

"So you understand why she didn't tell anyone? It's quite embarrassing."

"H-how do you know about it, then?" he stuttered.

She smirked. "I was at it."

One part of him wanted to know what object it was that robbed Shirley of her virginity, but that was the kinky part of him, and kinky parts are the first to give way when you've got a headache.

"I… um… see," he mumbled.

Milly giggled. "You're cute when you're embarrassed."

His eyes widened. "Wh-What?"

"You're cute when you're embarrassed," she repeated. "I mean, those big green eyes, blush and so… it's cuddlesome. Do you like cuddling?"

A muffled "gah" escaped Suzaku's mouth. "Uh… pardon me, madam president?"

She kept smiling at him radiantly. "Cuddling! Like hugging and petting and yeah, maybe a bit of pawing."

The lovely tomato Suzaku's head became turned to the side. "Uh… no, madam president. I'm… not the type."

"Come on! How do you mean that? Everyone likes cuddling!" she squealed (yeah, squealed. Weird.) and dived forward, wrapping Suzaku in a tight hug.

It was quite nice, when you left out the fact that she knocked his breath out and her breasts made it hard for him to take a breath in.

He blew Milly's wavy hair out of his face, letting her squeeze the brains out of him. He was gentlemen, after all.

And this is how it went for another minute, Milly's hands hooked around his neck as she nestled against him.

"Um… madam president?" he said weakly after the said time.

"Yes, Suzaku?" she whispered cheerily, trying not to deaf him.

"Could you please let go?"

"No," she replied simply. "Because I deserve a reward for helping you and Shirley. And I want to hug you."

"You've already hugged me."

She grinned into his shoulder. "Hey, you should be glad I didn't want you to fuck me."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I am, madam prez."

C.C. lay sprawled on Lelouch's bed, eyes closed, using the fact that Lelouch couldn't tell if she was sleeping or not, and thus didn't bug her when she was enjoying the lazy Tuesday morning.

She could hear rustling as he buttoned up his shirt, humming some annoying melody.

Sometimes a word escaped his lips as well.

It sounded like mana.

She shifted in the bed, turning on her side as she let out a little puff sound.

She heard him… chuckling?

The little son of… lady Marianne was chuckling at her?

He kept on humming the annoying melody when he moved closer.

She felt the bed shift when he sat beside her "sleeping" form, his breath brushing her face when he lay down facing her.

That's what he did when he thought she was sleeping?

She pretended to murmur wordlessly from sleep, turning over again.

He was motionless for some time and C.C. almost suspected him of checking her up from behind.

Then he finally moved, rising up again and walking over to his desk.

She let her eyes open slowly, sighing and ruffling her hair slightly before sitting up.

"Good morning, Lelouch," she said blankly. She definitely had better self-control than him.

"C.C.," he said, looking a bit surprised. Not even a bit like a guy who just delighted himself with watching her sleeping. "You're awake."

She stretched a bit, biting back a yawn. "Obviously," she retorted, but not angrily. When he kept looking at her, she tilted her head to the side. "Did you want something from me?"

He nodded and put on his jacket. "Actually, yes. I wanted to inform you that you're moving. To the Black Knights HQ."

"Why," she asked almost immediately.

"It is starting to be dangerous to have you around. With Euphie and Suzaku wandering around Ashford. You'll be safe with them. They know about you anyway."

"I see," she replied lazily, lying down on her stomach. "But what will you tell to your sweet little Euphie?"

Lelouch watched her for a while. This sounded a bit jealous. At least the words, her voice was calm as usual. "Why should I tell her anything?"

C.C. shrugged. "She saw me. And she things you and I are some sort of pair. She's going to be curious if I will stop coming round."

He looked away. "I'll tell her we broke up."

This made her fight to keep down a smile. "But we aren't breaking up, are we Lelouch?"

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "No, of course not. I am not abandoning you, C.C. I am merely finding a safer place or you to live in."

This was more genuine than she wanted it to be.

"Oh, I see," she said, letting the smirk adorn her pale face. "But that's too bad; I've just found something to do on boring weekends."

He tensed. "This is not going to happen again, C.C."

She stared at him emotionlessly. "You didn't like it?"

"I did," he answered, maybe too quickly. "But I don't want this to happen again."

"Aw, it's a pity," she said, somewhere between deadpan and mocking. "You actually weren't that bad, considering that was your first." She caressed the sheet with her toe. "Second could be even better."

She saw as he swallowed and tried not to be smug.

"Are you trying to play upon my ego?"

She pulled her Cheese-kun closer and laid her chin on it. "Yes."

He watched her, trying to compose himself. "I have to go to school. We will talk later."

"Okay," she replied and watched him gather up his stuff. "Have fun, Lelouch."

He just grumbled something in reply.

Mana mana… pull me closer, baby … mana, mana… let me feel the rhythm… mana, mana… oh closer baby, I can't feel your heart beat… MANA MANA!

Euphie rubbed her eyes as she padded into the dining room, dressed just in her simple sleeveless night gown.

"Good morning," she yawned, flashing a smile…

Toward C.C. who sat (practically kneeled) on a chair with an open box with pizza and a computer in front of her.

She looked up at Euphie and nodded. "Good morning."

Euphie rounded the table to peek at the screen, and blushed when she noted C.C. was wearing just one of Lelouch's button-up shirts and panties.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm watching a video on Brit-Tube," C.C. replied and sunk her teeth into a slice of pizza.

Euphie watched the singer clad in silly, short, spangled dress who just kept on jumping up and down while repeating words mana, mana randomly into the beating music.

"Oh, you like that kind of music?" she asked with a smile.

C.C. grinned slightly. "Not really," she answered with her mouth full of cheese. "But I heard Lelouch singing it this morning."

Euphie blushed. "Oh," he mumbled. Then she realized something. "Wait… really?"

"Yup," C.C. mumbled around the mouthful, smiling slightly.

"He was singing Mana?"

C.C. just nodded this time.

Euphie's eyes were wide, as if she just found out Lelouch is watching porn secretly.

"I've never thought he was like this…"

Mana mana… BABY!

The song finally ended (thank goodness) and Euphie drew back from C.C., aiming toward the kitchen.

"I'm… going to have some breakfast, you want something?" Euphie asked nicely, bravely shrugging off the shock.

"No, thank you, I will stay at my pizza."

"Okay," Euphie sing-songed. "By the way, why aren't you at school? I thought you're attending as well."

"Oh, yes, I am ill, and I didn't want to infect my roommate, so Lelouch invited me to stay here," she said, repeating the story Lelouch suggested her yesterday.

"That's nice of him," Euphie smiled.

"Yes, of course."

"Um… did you two… erm…"

C.C. turned her head from the pizza to the young princess. "Are you asking if we had sex?"

Euphie's face flared. "Y-yes."

C.C. stared at her, brows raised in curiosity. "Why?"

Euphie looked at the floor. "I heard… sounds yesterday."

C.C. smiled. "I see. Yes, we had sex. You were afraid I was hurting him?"

Euphie's teeth found one of her pretty pink lips and bit into it. "Um-hm," she hummed. "Sort of."

"I would never hurt him," she said, completely genuine than stood up and picked up her pizza, walking away. "Enjoy your breakfast."

Kallen moaned into her pillow.

Her phone was buzzing, but she honestly didn't care.

She lost track of Suzaku at the party and ended up sitting on a deckchair the whole afternoon, sipping pineapple juice and fending off all of the pushing guys who seemed hypnotized by her boobs.

This was the nice thing about Suzaku – he was pushy sometimes, yes, but he had the decency not to stare at her chest. He generally seemed a bit gay to her – he never stared at girls with nice curves, never talked about disgusting things like boys use to…

Hey.

He wasn't gay, was he?

She moaned into the pillow again.

Of course he wasn't. That chat they had yesterday – he was clearly flirting with her!

The phone just kept buzzing…!

She flipped over and reached out to grab her phone from the nightstand.

Then she realized...

It was her Black Knight phone.

She quickly picked it up.

"Kallen speaking."

"Morning, Q-1."

Something warm spread through her chest. "Zero."

"Yes, it's me. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"It's okay."

Zero paused for a while. "I have a mission for you, Q-1."

"I'm listening," she said, her mind quickly focusing. She could almost imagine Zero with the phone at his ear.

Speaking of whom…

Was Zero ever checking her up?

She couldn't tell because of the mask.

But… would she care?

She shook her head as Zero continued.

"I need you to transport a person to our headquarters."

"A person?! To Black Knights HQ?!" she repeated, disbelieving.

"Yes. Do you remember C.C.?"

Kallen's blue eyes narrowed. C.C.

She was the girl she found Zero with at Narita, wasn't she? Zero's "important friend".

Not that Kallen was jealous. She just hated the girl's guts.

For no particular reason.

"Yes."

"She has to be protected. Therefore, she will live in our headquarters with the rest of you."

"I see," Kallen mumbled.

"I need you to be at six o'clock p.m. on Saturday on the same train where I first encountered you. Do you remember?"

"Yes."

"Very well, then. You should have no problems identifying her – she has a unique hair color. And she knows you. All you have to do is to get her safely to the headquarters. Understood?"

"Yes, Zero."

"Can I rely on you?"

"Of course," she retorted proudly. "I'll be on the train at six o'clock exactly."

"Well. Then I'll see you at the Sunday meeting. Goodbye, Q-1."

"Goodbye, Zero."

He ended the call and Kallen embosomed the phone, squeezing it.

If Zero wants her to protect the girl, C.C., then she will do it.

But… somewhere deep inside, she can be jealous, can't she?

FUN FACTS:

A big part of this lazy Tuesday morning was thought out… on lazy Tuesday morning. And typed on hot Tuesday afternoon… and evening. It actually took some time.

I wanted to put some more action into that… but I was so engulfed by the idea of the characters having a not-so-great morning on such-a-great day…

And yes, my first idea was to make Milly ask Suzaku to fuck her in return for her helping him.