The next two weeks were chaotic, but Suzaku missed most of it.

He was beside Lelouch's bed, while Sayoko and C.C. tried to keep Lelouch from withdrawing into catatonia or lashing out and attempting to kill himself. Personally, Suzaku completely understood both reactions, but he was too selfish to let Lelouch go.

The geass wore off, as promised, and Suzaku couldn't even feel resentful to Lelouch for doing that to him. It had been necessary, and it had worked, and it felt petty to resent someone in so much pain for something so small as taking away the choice to be overwhelmed.

Especially because, if Suzaku could do the same thing to Lelouch now, he wouldn't have hesitated.

Genbu immediately took over, organizing a government of his allies, relegating Schneizel to a minor role, and leaving Suzaku and Lelouch out completely. There was some resentment towards that, but Suzaku didn't care, even when people snuck past security and into Lelouch's sick room to ask him about how he felt. Lelouch, of course, didn't answer anyone's questions, not even Suzaku's. Suzaku found his mind clearing, as the last of the drugs he'd been on wore off, and Lelouch's wellbeing stopped him from wallowing in his own guilt and worry.

But two weeks into the transition, Schneizel made an official visit.

"Come. And bring him."

"He can't be moved," Suzaku recited by rote. Both C.C. and Sayoko had hammered into his head that the moment Lelouch caught an opening, he would do something drastic. If they wanted him to live, they would have to keep him here and constantly supervised.

"He'll behave himself for this," Schneizel said, with that aura of self-assurance, looking over Suzaku's shoulder at Lelouch. "It's his father's execution."

There was a long moment but, eventually, Lelouch raised his head "Who?"

"Suzaku. As much as I advocated for you, no one's letting you near a blade. Suzaku will execute the former Emperor the same way he executed the man who ordered the bombing of Area 0."

Lelouch blinked, slow. "Sword."

Schneizel snorted. "I can see why they're not trusting you with anything sharp. Come on, I'll hold your hand while your lover finishes what you started."

Suzaku hesitated. Sayoko stepped out from the shadows and moved beside Lelouch, carefully checking his arms for bites. "I'll stay with him as well, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Schneizel agreed easily. Suzaku swallowed and nodded; he trusted Sayoko.

But he didn't trust Schneizel. He had far too many reasons to want Lelouch dead or gone. In fact, Suzaku was just now remembering after the chaos and grief at the end of the war, Suzaku and Lelouch had both suspected Schneizel of being complicit in the attack on Area 0, hadn't they? And it made sense; it had been the last rallying point for the rebellion, it brought the forces out of Area 0 and into the field, it made those reluctant to leave their secure hideaway feel less safe and untouchable…

"–overall success."

Suzaku paused in the hallway at the sound of Genbu's voice. There was no one else around, as everyone was waiting in the palace courtyard for the execution and Genbu, used to the doors in Area 0 that closed automatically, had left the door to his room open a crack.

"But Schneizel's still popular, especially with the younger crowd. The last thing we need is another rebellion."

That was Kusakabe, probably. Suzaku had only met the man once, at one of the 'Zero' debriefings, but he had quite a distinctive voice.

Genbu snorted. "If that's what it takes. But I think that, between his insane brother and his ties to the Emperor, we can defeat his 'popularity'." Genbu laughed. "And it worse comes to worst, I can get Suzaku on board, now that his pretty little companion is more… tractable."

"That's certainly one of the bonuses of the attack on Area 0," Kusakabe agreed. "I hadn't even thought of targeting the sister."

"She wasn't in any of the sections we targeted, that was the beauty of it," Genbu said. "It was fate! Fate has led us to victory, and fate will lead me to rule Britannia, as I was meant to!"

"All hail Britannia," Kusakabe said, his voice laden with sarcasm as he and Genbu laughed.

Suzaku crept away, not sure what to do. Without Lelouch's geass, all he had to rely on were his own instincts, which were telling him to smash open those doors and beat Genbu and Kusakabe down with his bare hands. Maybe there were letter openers or bread knives he could use to finish the job.

But he couldn't do that. He couldn't just murder people in cold blood, no matter what they'd done.

He walked out onto the field, the blood-thirsty cheers of the Numbers, freed from the Areas and now simply Britannian citizens, filling his ears as his mind raced. He wasn't a killer. Lelouch could be, if needed, Marianne certainly could have been. But he wasn't. He could wait, just be patient and let someone know what Genbu had done.

She wasn't in any of the sections we targeted

Surely there would be justice then. Surely Suzaku's word would be enough.

any of the sections we targeted

Surely no one would decide that decisions made in wartime were exceptions, that Genbu had served loyally and steadfastly, and that a misjudgement wasn't anything balanced against all the good he had done. Surely the chaos that allowed looting and violence to run rampant, even now, while the victors were trying to build up an organized police force with oversight wouldn't stop the investigation into Genbu's wrongdoings.

sections we targeted

Surely no one would tell Suzaku he was imagining things. Or paranoid. Or being played as Schneizel's pawn. Or manipulating facts for his own ends.

we targeted

"You know what to do," Schneizel said simply, offering a ceremonial sword to Suzaku as Genbu and Kusakabe took their seats. "Good luck."

Suzaku nodded, still numb. Charles was sitting in a mockery of his old throne, stripped down to rags, but wearing his impressive wig. It looked clownish on him without the other royal finery.

As Suzaku got closer, he could see that Charles was tied, his arms to the armrests, his ankles to the chair legs, his waist to the back of the chair. The chair itself was anchored to the rock it sat upon. The only part of his body he could move was his head, which he raised to look Suzaku in the eye.

Suzaku unsheathed the sword and approached the makeshift 'throne'. Charles had orchestrated all of this. He'd sent his children to their deaths, one after another. Nunnally, Lelouch, Cornelia, Euphy… they lived or died at his whim. He'd enslaved most of the people under his rule, and made their lives unbearable. His actions had led to everything that had happened, no matter how much he wanted to lay the blame at Lelouch's feet.

But he hadn't had anything to do with Nunnally's death.

Suzaku looked up, into the audience, at Lelouch. He was sitting beside Schneizel, just in front of and to the side of Genbu, and his eyes were dull. There was no hatred there, and no love. As Lelouch looked at Suzaku and his father, it was as if he was looking at strangers.

Watching his father die here, like this, wouldn't help him. And who was Suzaku doing this for, if not Lelouch?

"I do know what to do," Suzaku murmured.

Charles's lips lifted in a smirk that mirrored Lelouch's uncannily. In that moment, Suzaku had no doubt they were father and son. "Then do it," Charles challenged him.

Suzaku nodded, brandishing the sword, raising it for everyone to see.

The cheers were almost deafening, and still, Lelouch didn't react.

And then Suzaku flipped the sword around, quickly getting a feel for its balance and heft, and shot it like a dagger straight through Genbu's left eye.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

He had no idea what happened next. Kallen and Gino told him about it later, while also filling in how they'd escaped from the Pendragon soldiers (Gino had been shot and Kallen covered him as they tried to lead the guards away from Kaguya's hideout. Only Lelouch getting the other guard to call them back saved them from being captured or killed, something that Suzaku decided to use to get Lelouch out of his depression and self-blaming mental spirals if he fell deeper into them) and been caught up in the final surge, led by Schneizel, into Pendragon's heart.

After that, they had both been kept away from the power center, interrogated for their 'defection' after Senba's death but more investigated as if there were concerns that Lelouch had exerted undue influence over them. Until Charles's execution, they'd been kept out of the limelight, despite the stories of their heroics quickly turning into myths alongside Zero's legends.

They had been well placed, seated near Schneizel and Genbu, in a place of honour, but clearly below the ad-hoc leaders of Britannia. From where they were sitting, they had a very clear view of everything that happened from the point Suzaku killed Genbu to the aftermath.

After two of Genbu's men grabbed him and dragged him away, there was chaos and confusion. According to Kallen, Charles started laughing, and according to Gino, his booming voice rang out over the screams and shouts of the crowd.

Schneizel tried to calm everything down, distracted just enough so that Lelouch could get to his gun.

Or so everyone claimed. Part of Suzaku wondered if Schneizel had let his brother have it, knowing that whatever Lelouch planned to do with it, whoever he planned to shoot, including himself, would work out well for Schneizel.

Sayoko saw it, just a second too late. Lelouch's aim wasn't brilliant, but even he could hit a stationary target the size of his father from the relatively close distance he sat from him.

In fact, he could apparently hit him nine times, emptying the gun into his father's head and chest and neck and left leg. Not a single bullet had gone stray.

By this time, Suzaku had been chained, and was in the middle of being beaten unconscious.

Again, everyone agreed that it was Kanon who had saved him, arriving in time with enough guards to stop the beating. Suzaku's pride had a little trouble believing that, but everyone else insisted.

By the time the crowds were calmed, Genbu was dead, Charles was dead, and Kusakabe had been taken in as a 'witness' for 'questioning'.

No one knew what 'questioning' entailed, only that at the end of it, both Genbu and Kusakabe's parts in the attack on Area 0 and the deaths of the civilians had been revealed.

After that, there was no one in the way between Schneizel and the seat of power.

Except Lelouch.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"We're going home."

Lelouch looked up, and Suzaku felt his heart start beating again. "Home?"

It was just one syllable, but it sounded like Lelouch again. "Yeah, home."

"Area 11?"

Suzaku shook his head. "There's nothing there for us now." He sat on the bed beside Lelouch, threading his fingers through Lelouch's. "Our houses are gone, did I tell you?"

Lelouch didn't give a bitter laugh, like he would have before the war, but his hand tightened on Suzaku's. "You did not. But it seems… appropriate."

"Mhmm," Suzaku wordlessly agreed. "I've never really had a home, Lelouch. That year with you, it was the closest I've ever come. But you have."

"With Nunnally and mother," Lelouch said, and the fact that he could talk about them at all spoke to how much progress he'd made.

Suzaku nodded. "Yeah, but that's not all." He tipped Lelouch's head up, until he could look into Lelouch's eyes. "My home is wherever you are, Lelouch. And I want your home to be with me."

"Suzaku." Lelouch leaned in and kissed him, the first contact he'd initiated since the death of his mother. Suzaku kept it gentle, and tried not to rejoice in it too much.

"So let's go."

The high school Lelouch had gone to in Pendragon had been renamed the "Ashford Academy", with Milly's father running it. He'd had a small heart attack in Area 0 during the war, and no longer felt up to running an Area or the equivalent. A school, however, was more his pace.

The housing around the school had become student housing. Lelouch and Suzaku moved into the room Lelouch had lived in during the year he'd lost his memories, and both of them were surprised to find it unchanged after the war and subsequent looting.

"This is where you slept?" Suzaku asked, pleased with the double bed.

Lelouch nodded. "I'd think about you… about Zero… and…"

Suzaku wrapped his arms loosely around Lelouch, careful not to make him feel trapped. "You don't have to just think about it any more." He leaned in and Lelouch tilted his head, allowing Suzaku to kiss him. Suzaku was careful with him, gently laying Lelouch on his back, untucking his shirt and sliding a hand over Lelouch's abdomen as Suzaku settled between Lelouch's legs. The skin was smooth and soft, unmarked and unscarred from any of the battles he'd fought, from all of the losses he'd suffered.

Physically, Lelouch was just as perfect as he'd been on the day they'd met.

Lelouch slid back, accommodating Suzaku and hooking his legs over Suzaku's hips. It was a position they'd been in dozens, maybe even hundreds of times before, and it felt as natural as breathing for both of them. Almost instinctively, Suzaku slid into place, stopping just short of pressing Lelouch into the bed as he usually would, sensitive to Lelouch's delicacy. For his part, Lelouch didn't seem to mind, didn't even really seem to notice, as he kissed Suzaku with his eyes closed and his hands trembling lightly against the back of Suzaku's neck.

He seemed almost skittish, more so even than the first few times they'd been together. Maybe because this was his dorm, because when he'd been here, he'd thought himself a curious virgin, experiencing the blush of lust for the first time. Suzaku smiled; Lelouch had been his first. Maybe this was a chance to be Lelouch's, in a way.

At least he knew enough of what Lelouch liked to make this good for him. They could start out gentle, slow, and then… Suzaku broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against Lelouch's, taking a moment to just breathe with him as their noses brushed. "Lelouch."

Lelouch swallowed hard, and his tongue darted out, nervously tracing over his swollen lips before retreating back past his parted lips. Suzaku took the opportunity to kiss him again, lightly, before turning his attention to Lelouch's chin and jaw, kissing his way up his cheek until…

He paused as a new texture and flavour graced his tongue. Slick, salty, wet… Suzaku blinked and pulled back. "Lelouch?"

Beneath him, Lelouch gave a full body shiver and turned away. "It… it's okay, Suzaku. I don't even know why… I'm fine. Really. Keep going."

"I can't," Suzaku said, horrified that Lelouch would ever think that he could. "You're not fine, you're crying."

"I know, I can't stop, I just…" Lelouch arched up and kissed Suzaku, hard and emotionless. "I can do this for you, I promise, Suzaku. I can still be good, I can still–"

"Stop it, Lelouch!" Suzaku hadn't raised his voice to Lelouch since before Lelouch had used his geass on him. Lelouch flinched away, hurt surprised flickering over his face before his expression melted into a mask of indifference. Suzaku sighed. "I love you. I'm not going to leave you, ever, no matter what. You don't have to do this, and you certainly don't have to do this now." He moved until he was lying behind Lelouch, spooning him with one hand under Lelouch's shirt, resting on his stomach. "Is this okay?" Lelouch nodded. "Don't just say yes; tell me the truth. Is this okay?"

Lelouch hesitated, then stretched, pressing his back more firmly against Suzaku's, and hooked one leg over Suzaku's, entwining their legs in a position that Suzaku remembered as being comfortable at first, and then painful when the leg sandwiched between Lelouch's fell asleep. But then Lelouch placed his hand over Suzaku's hand on his stomach, lacing their fingers together, and Suzaku had no complaints whatsoever.

"This is okay," Lelouch said, his voice thick with an emotion Suzaku couldn't identify.

Suzaku just nodded. "Okay." He could smell Lelouch's hair and feel his warmth, and every time Lelouch breathed, Suzaku's hand moved with him. It was soothing, enough that Suzaku closed his eyes and let himself drift off.

"Wha'bout blankets?" Lelouch murmured, sounding more than half asleep himself a few minutes later. Suzaku just grunted and nestled closer to Lelouch, unwilling to move for anything more than a genuine threat to either of their lives.

Apparently, Lelouch agreed, because the next thing Suzaku knew he was blinking at the sunlight streaming in from the half-open window, in the same position he'd fallen asleep in the night before, Lelouch lying silent and peaceful, without a trace of a nightmare, nestled in his arms.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

It wasn't that straightforward.

Lelouch wasn't cured overnight by snuggling and Suzaku's restraint. As they slowly started to live their lives together again, Suzaku noticed that Lelouch would often drift off in the middle of a job, stopping whatever he was doing and staring at a random point as his mind went elsewhere. Escaping, ruminating, dwelling, torturing himself; Suzaku was never sure what he was doing, but it happened at least once a day at first, and often several times.

This wasn't a problem if Lelouch was in the middle of sweeping or dusting, but he had placed himself in charge of cooking as well, and Suzaku had twice had to save burning food from becoming a safety hazard rather than just a ruined meal. He was worried that an accident would do what the Hunger Games and civil war hadn't, but he couldn't just tell Lelouch that he wasn't allowed to cook anymore.

For one thing, when Lelouch actually managed to finish a meal, he was a much better cook than Suzaku. For another, the insult and injury to Lelouch's pride would doubtless set his progress back.

And he was making progress. The nightmares were less frequent, although no less severe, and Lelouch was starting to initiate conversation and even intimacy. He'd actually kissed Suzaku's cheek as he served him breakfast that morning. He hadn't done that for… a very long time.

But then he'd gone to fetch his own plate, and Suzaku had to follow after him when he hadn't come back within five minutes, caught up in whatever his mind did when he stood and stared off into space.

"Maybe we need help," Suzaku admitted once Lelouch was eating.

Lelouch shrugged listlessly. "What good would it do? And who would help us?" He raised his eyes from his plate, and Suzaku could see how tired he was, how worn. "I'm trying, Suzaku. I promise I am."

"I know, love." Suzaku worried at his lower lip. "Maybe Schneizel could help us find someone. He's basically in charge since Genbu's fall, so he'd have quite a bit of pull."

Lelouch's eyes sharpened suddenly, and Suzaku was struck by how vivid the purple was when Lelouch actually managed to focus on him. "He is, is he?"

"Yeah, so maybe…" But Lelouch had turned away again, back to his meal, and Suzaku trailed off, feeling dismissed.

But Lelouch didn't drift off again for the rest of the day.

His nightmares, however, came back that night, just as violent as ever.

Still, that seemed to be a turning point. No matter how miserable Lelouch's sleep was, he seemed to have more energy after that, finishing his chores with the efficiency he used to have, then spending time scribbling down notes on pieces of paper.

Suzaku occasionally stole glances at whatever Lelouch was working on, unsurprised to see they were nothing but meaningless gibberish to him.

When it was important, Lelouch had always used mental codes.

Or he was still crazy, just more proactive about it.

Either way, Suzaku was willing to accept it. Their dorm room became a small but workable home, stocked with simple ingredients for wholesome meals. They had a small green space outside and Suzaku managed to gather seeds and seedlings and coax a small, late, garden from the ground, with flowers and vegetables and even some strawberry plants that likely wouldn't have any berries until next year.

It felt like an investment, a promise that he and Lelouch were making, to be together as long as they had a home and something to look forward to.

Which was why, with less than a week before school was supposed to begin for both of them, he was surprised by Lelouch turning to him after supper and demanding that they visit Schneizel the next day.

"Are you sure he'll see us?" Suzaku asked.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow in a saucy expression Suzaku had missed dearly. "It would be far too risky for him not to. We're unknown variables, possible players who have been off the field for so long that we're unpredictable. He'll see us."

He sounded certain, focused, which was a definite improvement from the usual listlessness. Even the way he moved as he cleared the table spoke of purpose and intent, rather than just going through the motions. He and Suzaku didn't talk as they washed dishes together, but once he'd dried the last plate, Suzaku knew that he'd do almost anything to keep this Lelouch, the one he remembered falling in love with, healthy and sane and in his life.

"Should we pack anything, or were you just planning on a day trip to see him and back?"

Lelouch looked at him and smiled, not a brightly surprised smile, but a smugly self-assured smile, the one he used to wear when Suzaku gave in to his demands, whether through logic or coercion.

Suzaku had missed that smile.

The dirty, soapy water from the dishes splashed against the floor and soaked into Suzaku's shirt as Lelouch grabbed him, holding him still and kissing him with an almost alarming sudden passion. Suzaku made a muffled sound of not-quite-protest as Lelouch pushed him against a kitchen counter and pressed against him, only releasing Suzaku's shirt once he was assured that his hips were pinning Suzaku in place.

It would have been the work of moments for Suzaku to escape. He really didn't want to.

Especially when Lelouch's hands, now free of their task of holding Suzaku still, moved immediately to the front of Suzaku's pants, deftly unzipping them and then sliding inside his underwear, searching for skin-on-skin contact. This wasn't abnormally fast for them, they'd managed quicker handjobs, even racing to see who could finish first and quietest when Marianne and Nunnally had been in the house with them, but considering how the only contact they'd shared in the past few months had been spooning and kisses, Suzaku felt that maybe slowing down wouldn't be a bad idea.

Unfortunately, his body had other opinions. The breath he took to tell Lelouch to cool things a bit was spent in a strangled moan as Lelouch's hand wrapped around his cock, moving exactly how Suzaku remembered it, exactly how Suzaku loved to be touched. He couldn't help but arch into Lelouch's hand, his head falling back to expose his neck as he tried desperately to fill his lungs through a throat tightened with lust and needs and utter pleasure. Lelouch latched onto that neck, sucking hard and vicious, and just short of painful as he jerked Suzaku off. Normally, it would have taken more to make Suzaku lose control, but it had been a long time, and Lelouch was never this aggressive sexually, and mostly Suzaku just wanted to.

He did manage not to scream out his orgasm, maintaining what scraps of dignity he could by clenching his teeth and grunting instead of whining as he came over Lelouch's hand and both their shirts and pants. He could feel the puff of air against his throat as Lelouch laughed softly, either in mockery or satisfaction and Suzaku didn't care which. It felt so good to have this back, even if it was only for a little while, even if Suzaku might have to go months again without it.

But he didn't want to think about that. He reached for Lelouch, determined to return the favour, but Lelouch moved away, just fast enough that Suzaku's post-coital dulled senses weren't quite fast enough to catch him.

For a moment, Suzaku was afraid something had gone wrong, that he'd lost Lelouch already. But then Lelouch looked at him and held out his hand.

"Bed."

Suzaku grinned and took the hand. "As you wish."

Apparently, Lelouch wasn't done with being controlling. The moment they reached the bedside, he pushed Suzaku down, tugging off his pants until Suzaku was naked from the waist down and his shirt was wet and sticky from the dishwater and the remains of his own orgasm.

He must have looked a wreck, but Lelouch leaned back for a long moment and just stared, with a look of pure appreciative hunger, at Suzaku splayed out for him.

Having Lelouch look at him like that had been an unrealized fantasy of Suzaku's for a long time. He'd always had a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that Lelouch might have stayed with him out of convenience, or for safety's sake, or because Suzaku was the least awful thing that had happened to him. Lelouch had always insisted he'd wanted him, but it was nice to see proof of that, unveiled in Lelouch's open expression, too far gone for lies or deceit.

Suzaku basked in it a little, spreading his legs out and canting his hips as he bit his lower lip. Lelouch's eyes widened at the show and flew up to meet Suzaku's, searching frantically for something in Suzaku's expression.

Whatever he was looking for, he must have found it, because in the next moment he was throwing himself on Suzaku, hands everywhere, lips and teeth kissing and nipping and sucking at whatever skin they could find. Suzaku mirrored him as best he could, untucking Lelouch's shirt and getting at that soft skin, tugging up and up and eventually breaking a rather breathtaking kiss to yank the shirt over Lelouch's head and toss it aside. Lelouch's head turned to follow it, then snapped back to Suzaku, a determined expression on his face.

"I want you."

"You got me, Lelouch," Suzaku said, grinning like a fool. "I'm all yours."

"No, I…" Lelouch frowned, frustrated, and then turned away to fumble at the bedside drawer, taking out a bottle of lube and coating his fingers before sliding his hand between Suzaku's legs. "I want you."

Oh. Oh. Suzaku was surprised, actually, at how unsurprised and unhesitant he was. "Then take me."

"Suzaku, I–"

"Fuck me, Lelouch." Suzaku wanted this. He wanted this without even knowing it since before their second Hunger Games, when Lelouch had been terrified and furious with him at the stunt he'd pulled with the gamemakers. For a moment, then, Suzaku had thought that maybe…

But no. Lelouch had just worked Suzaku up again and rode him, still in control, but that moment of uncertainty had clearly left its mark on Suzaku. The thought of Lelouch taking him, rather than being scary or new, was exciting and relieving, like scratching an itch and opening a present all at once. Suzaku wanted it and, even more, he wanted Lelouch to want it.

And he did. He had hesitated, as if unsure, but at Suzaku's demand for Lelouch to fuck him Lelouch's eyes had gone hard and hungry, and his fingers pressed against Suzaku's ass, smearing lube over his butt-cheeks and making Suzaku clench at the strange pressure.

If there was one thing Suzaku regretted, it was not trying this himself, to make it easier on Lelouch.

Lelouch, however, was endlessly patient, despite having gotten Suzaku off while getting nothing for himself. "Just relax, Suzaku. It's weird at first, but I know how to make it good."

He did. He must; for all Suzaku's virgin fumblings when they'd first gotten together, Lelouch had always taken pleasure in their couplings. That couldn't have been just dumb luck and good instincts on Suzaku's part, surely.

Suzaku managed to relax, although the excitement was making that rather difficult. It was work, bottoming! He laughed a little at the thought, and Lelouch's finger slid in to the second knuckle, smooth and easy.

It did feel weird. Suzaku wanted to ask if it had felt weird to Lelouch, but Lelouch cut him off with a kiss. "You're doing very well. Now, to keep my promise…" Suzaku felt the added stretch as Lelouch's finger curved, making a sweeping search inside him, pressing and…

"Oh…"

Lelouch smirked. "I see." He looked so insufferably proud of himself that Suzaku didn't want to tell him that he'd been more surprised than anything else. It didn't feel bad, or at least no worse than anything else, but he'd teased Lelouch like this before and it made Lelouch writhe.

It just wasn't making that much of an impression on Suzaku. He shifted under Lelouch, trying to be encouraging. "More…"

Lelouch slid another finger in, and Suzaku bit his lower hip to muffle his moan. Of disappointment. This wasn't working.

It didn't hurt, but it was… uncomfortable was the kindest word Suzaku could use. He spread his legs wider, until he felt his thighs burn, and decided to get it over with. He reached down and gently pulled Lelouch's hand away, smiling up at Lelouch's suddenly hesitant expression. "I'm ready." As ready as he'd ever be.

At least Lelouch just took him at his word, lining himself up and pushing into Suzaku. Suzaku focused on breathing and relaxing and making everything as easy as possible. Lelouch slid home inside him with a soft squishing sound and stopped, his arms shaking as he waited for a sign from Suzaku to move.

For a brief moment, Suzaku just let himself feel Lelouch inside him, the burning stretch and pressure of Lelouch's cock sitting inside his body. It felt okay, tolerable, but the thought that he and Lelouch were connected like this, like the mirror image of all the times they'd been connected with Suzaku's cock inside Lelouch, was kind of nice.

This time, the smile Suzaku directed at Lelouch was genuine. "You can move."

And Lelouch did, thrusting awkwardly, unable to find a rhythm or regular depth, occasionally stimulating that strange place inside Suzaku that sent odd tingles throughout his body, more often not. It was clumsy and noisy and weird, but Lelouch's mouth was open as he gasped, his eyes closed and tightening just a little at the apex of every thrust, his nostrils flaring as he pulled out to thrust again, as if to catch Suzaku's scent. A little drool escaped out of the corner of Lelouch's mouth, and his face flushed deeply with exertion, turning tomato red. He looked nothing like the lovely vision he presented when splayed out under Suzaku's ministrations, instead, he looked more real, and lost in the sensations of what he was experiencing, too far gone to control how he looked.

It happened sometimes when he was riding Suzaku, or when he was especially eager to arch into Suzaku's thrusts, losing himself in the moment and forgetting to put on a mask.

He always looked ridiculous and beautiful when he did that.

Suzaku felt his own body start to respond, unable to resist the appeal of a joyous Lelouch. He reached up and pulled Lelouch down to kiss him, groaning as that changed the angles of Lelouch's thrusts and put more pressure on his anus than before.

Lelouch moaned in return, redoubling he efforts and snapping his hips in fast little thrusts, getting the most out of the least work. Suzaku chuckled and wrapped his legs around Lelouch's back, urging him in deeper, loving that Lelouch couldn't resist him.

"Just finish," Suzaku murmured, as Lelouch started trembling. "Don't wait for me, love, just let go."

Lelouch whimpered and shook his head, but his body agreed wholeheartedly with Suzaku's suggestion, and he thrust one last time, quivering, before he collapsed on top of Suzaku, a sweaty, spent mess.

Suzaku was still hard, which was better than when they'd started, but that seemed so unimportant compared to what they'd done. "You okay?"

"Mhmm…" Lelouch nodded against Suzaku's neck, his mouth open over Suzaku's shoulder, leaving a wet spot as he lifted his head. "You?"

Suzaku shrugged. "I'm not the one confronting my brother tomorrow."

Lelouch sighed and rested his head on Suzaku's shoulder, shifting his cock out of Suzaku to lie beside him. "True. That'll be…" He trailed off as something caught his attention. "Would you like a hand with that?"

"Hmm? Oh." Suzaku grinned as Lelouch gestured at his erection. "Yes, please."

Lelouch pursed his lips thoughtfully, then slid down the bed, until his head was at the level of Suzaku's groin. Suzaku's grin faded as he breathed out in anticipation. "So worth it."

Those were the last words either of them said that night.

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"Lelouch, what an absolute pleasure!" Kanon's smile didn't reach his eyes. "And Suzaku, of course. What brings the two of you here today?"

"We're here to see Schneizel," Suzaku said firmly. They'd talked it over in the early hours of the morning, just before the sun rose when neither of them could sleep. Lelouch would save himself for Schneizel, Suzaku would deal with everything else.

Kanon's fake smile turned into fake pity. "I'm afraid that's impossible. He has a very full slate today, and can't–"

"He's refusing safe passage for Numbers who want to leave their Area," Lelouch said suddenly.

Suzaku frowned; when had Lelouch been paying that close attention to anything outside himself? Until a few days ago, Lelouch had barely noticed him.

Kanon looked taken aback too, although he instantly covered it up with another insincere smile. "Ruling such a vast and diverse land is complicated. Compromises must be made…"

"Ruling," Lelouch repeated, the word practically dripping with disdain. "Not 'administering'? Not 'governing'? Interesting choice of words, Kanon."

"You can't–" Kanon started saying, but Lelouch looked like he'd had enough.

"Suzaku."

There was no active geass on Suzaku, but just hearing his name in that tone of voice was enough. Suzaku crossed the room in two steps, disarmed Kanon of the knife he'd just drawn, and pinned him to the desk in three quick, sharp moves.

Kanon tried to say something else, but his face was smushed into the desktop, and it came out muffled.

Lelouch moved past them, to Schneizel's office, and turned the handle. The door was unlocked.

He looked over at Suzaku who cocked his head questioningly. Lelouch looked thoughtful for a short moment, then gestured with his head for Suzaku to follow him with Kanon. Suzaku nodded and yanked Kanon up by his hair, shoving him into Schneizel's office behind Lelouch.

Schneizel looked unsurprised. "I told Kanon I was busy."

"He imparted that message," Lelouch said easily, placing himself in front of Schneizel's desk, looking down on his seated brother. "Suzaku and I decided to overrule it."

"Now, Lelouch, you must know that you can't just–"

"You're forcing the Pendragon citizens to spread out into randomly assigned Areas, to work the land."

Schneizel shrugged. "As they forced the Numbers to. What's the problem?"

"You're breaking up families and enslaving people in the name of justice. But it isn't. It's fair, but it's not just."

Kanon snorted. "Semantics."

Lelouch turned to him. "I assure you, Kanon, the proper use of words is a weapon like any other." It was Suzaku's turn to snort; with Lelouch's geass power, the proper use of words was a power unlike any other.

"You've also forbidden most Tens from leaving their farms."

"We need food," Schneizel said, calmly.

"Badly enough to continue forcing people to provide it for you?" Lelouch asked.

Schneizel sighed. "And what's the alternative, Lelouch? Letting people starve?"

"People aren't idiots, Schneizel. Perhaps there will be a few lean years while we reallocate resources more fairly, more evenly, but needs will be met, eventually. We're changing an entire culture, it's meant to be rocky."

"It's my duty to smooth things as much as possible," Schneizel protested. "If I don't…"

"People aren't idiots, Schneizel," Lelouch repeated. "You might keep power for a year or even ten, wielding as heavy a hand over the people as our father did. But unless you're willing to go to the lengths he was, you will be overthrown in a matter of years, not decades, and remembered as a tyrant rather than a liberator."

"It's not that simple. You're being naïve."

Lelouch shook his head. "No. Having faith in the people I fought for, the people I killed for, the people for whom my sister died, is not being naïve. You're not a god, Schneizel. You're not even a king." Lelouch leaned forward, palms on Schneizel's desk, maintaining firm eye contact. "You're a servant of the people, and you work for them, for their betterment. You need to give them choices, to advise them and let them make their own decisions. Tell the farmers of Area 10 that they won't be worked as they once were, that they own the land now and will profit from what they grow. Tell the people of Pendragon that they must be of use or they will be destitute. Tell the world of your vision and let those who follow you prosper, and those who turn away suffer the consequences of being short-sighted."

There was an energy in the room, a tenseness to the air. Two wills clashing; Schneizel in his seat of power, Lelouch backed by the power of geass.

"Be a leader, not a slave-master," Lelouch continued, his voice dropping seductively. "If you're right then you look wise and beneficent. If you're wrong, then at least you won't have forced others down the wrong path." He smiled. "With me at your side, with Zero backing you up, you'll win over hearts and minds, which is so much more useful than corralling bodies and breeding resentment."

Schneizel stood up, slowly, and held out his hand. "I always did want you by my side."

Lelouch smiled and took the hand offered him, shaking it firmly. "Schneizel, I promise that I won't let you out of my sight for more than a day."

Suzaku breathed out. It might be temporary, Lelouch might need to renew his geass daily, they might have just trapped themselves here, but they were together, doing something useful.

Lelouch was alive and awake again. Suzaku was by his side and in his bed and his heart. Britannia was healing from civil war.

And the future looked nothing but promising.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

AN: And that's the trilogy! Thanks for everyone who made it this far (especially for the long wait for this fic) and especially everyone who commented and reviewed, or added this to their favourites!

I was of two (well, three) minds about the ending. Part of me wanted to do a Code Geass ending with Lelouch killing himself to rid the world of geass and then Nunnally coming back to rule over Britannia; part of me wanted to do a Hunger Games ending with Lelouch and Suzaku living a 'normal' life and dealing with their losses, but in the end I decided to go with puppet masters! XD

Speaking of, Schneizel is a little OOC from the Code Geass version at the end, mainly because he's never had the chance to properly rule like he did in the series. Geass!Schneizel would never be so heavy handed. :p

I'm also putting this series up on AO3 for easier archiving over the next few weeks.

Thanks again, and may the odds be ever mathematically rational, but practically irrelevant due to chaos theory! (And also in your favour.)