Author's note: I love Code Geass. In my opinion it is one of the best anime series out there. I love to read the stories more than I love to write, but occasionally when I find a lack of certain themes, I will choose to write some myself. I am in no way boasting my own writing capabilities, I am merely satisfying a need to read stories that I would like to read. I'm sure many of you feel the same way. If so, I would be happy to hear from you, whether it be through private messaging or feedback. I am always looking for new angles, new ways to improve my style, and new themes to work with. So feel free to leave comments, suggestive criticism would be appreciated.

Side note: I don't own Code Geass. If I did, it probably would not have turned out as amazingly epic as it did.

Reminder: This takes place within R2 so if you're not near the end nor into R2, then I suggest you save this read for later.

Enjoy!

A drop.

Another.

Another.

It irritated him; the continuous dripping, the constant plopping sound of a drop hitting the cold marble surface of the sink. Had he forgotten to tighten it? No, it would have woken him up earlier if that were the case.

…

C.C. Without a doubt, it was her. It was always her. No matter what it was, she always managed to find a way to pull at his patience and annoy him to no end.

The raven-haired Brittanian opened his eyes and let them adjust to the darkness before him. It was nighttime on the Black Knights ship, and therefore no light to light up the prince's room. He turned over in his bed, looking to see if his accomplice was there next to him. She was not; not unusual of her. She did sleep, but never for long.

It had been many months since they had started sleeping in the same bed. He had allowed her to share his with him back at the mansion since his old room could only hold one. When they moved into the Black Knights' ship, they had a considerably bigger room but still slept in one bed. After all, there was no point in having two since C.C. rarely slept anyway. Neither minded so they kept it as is.

In this time he had learned a lot about her sleeping habits: when she slept, how she slept, what she did in her sleep, etc. He also had learned how irritating it was to deal with her at night with her constant shifting, getting in and out of bed, even her greediness with the blankets.

Drip.

Drip.

"Ugh," he muttered.

He stepped onto the soft carpet of his extravagant room, given to him by the officers of the Black Knights, and stood up in the darkness. Slowly he walked towards the bathroom and without flicking on the lights, went ahead and tightened the faucet. Satisfied, yet still a little annoyed, he made his way back to bed.

"You could have asked me to do that," spoke a soft voice.

Lelouch was startled. He turned in the direction of the voice. Next to the bathroom door, he made out the silhouette of a girl. His eyes focused better and he saw that she was sitting, her hair masking the majority of her face. She had her arms wrapped around what seemed to be the shape of Cheese-kun, the stuffed doll she had taken a liking to.

"I'd rather you learn to tighten the faucet after you use it C.C." Lelouch said. "What are you doing there?"

Lelouch made his way to her. She shifted and gripped the doll tighter. "I couldn't sleep," she replied.

"You rarely do anyway," remarked the Brittanian as he took a seat next to the hunched figure. "What's wrong?"

She closed her eyes. "Nothing," C.C. exhaled. "Pay me no attention. You need to get back to sleep. Zero has a long day ahead of him in the morning."

Lelouch sighed as she turned away from him. He looked up at the ceiling and contemplated the situation. The prince of the rebellion was at a loss for words, and knew of nothing to comfort his afflicted companion. She was rarely like this, rarely vulnerable in front of anyone, even Lelouch. She was inhuman, a sorceress, one who had lived countless lives and experienced everything the world had to offer. Yet, even with everything she had been through, she must still retain remnants of her human existence. Humans are flawed, emotional, full of weakness and as strong as C.C. appeared, she was still at least a little human deep down. And she needed someone, someone to comfort her.

They sat there, silent for a while. C.C. clutched her beloved doll, her face hidden from the Brittanian. The ship hummed quietly, and occasionally you could hear the soft sounds of a guard's footsteps passing in front of Zero's door.

The prince brought his head back down and stood up. He sighed, stepped in front of C.C., and bent down, placing his arms beneath her.

"What are you doing?" she cried softly in surprise.

Without a word, Lelouch picked C.C. up in his arms and brought her over towards his bed. She looked up at the prince, taken aback by his actions. His face was soft, softer than she was used to seeing. He always had a serious expression whenever he was working and when he wasn't, his face was tired, fatigued and worn out from a long day of work. He did more work than the average high school student, even more than the average adult. But he was after all Zero, the masked vigilante that had singlehandedly struck a devastating blow to the fortitude of Britannia.

He set her down on his side of the bed which retained a little of his body heat. He pulled the covers over her, leaving her head still exposed. He then walked around to the other side and climbed into bed, likewise pulling the covers over himself.

"Go to sleep C.C." he murmured, shifting to get more comfortable.

She sighed. This was a side of him she rarely got to see. A side he now showed to no one since the loss of Nunnally. It was kind, loving, tender, everything she never was to him. But she could never return that treatment. She was merely his guardian, his accomplice, the witch who had given him the power of the Gods. Sometimes she wished she had not though; she wished she could take it all back and never had met the boy. He was unlike the rest, her supposed 'partners.' He would not die carelessly or go crazy for lack of control. He was precise, accurate, and even sometimes coldhearted. It didn't matter though, the fact was that she had ruined his life, just like many others before him. No matter how she looked at it, it all lead back to her. Her and her selfishness.

She sighed again and slid herself closer to him. She leaned her body into his, matching the shape and curve of his body. Her loose arm wrapped around his waist, which startled him.

"C.C. wha-?"

"Shhh," she said bringing herself closer. "I'm cold. The blankets aren't doing it for me so I need your body heat."

Lelouch settled down. "Always looking out for yourself huh?" he asked.

She gave no reply.

He passed it off and closed his eyes, pulling more of the blanket over them. He placed his hand over hers and soon drifted off to sleep.

She ran her hands through his hair. His scent was comforting, soothing in a surprising way. She silently thanked him for everything he had done for her. Others had shown her compassion before, yet not like his. He care for her from afar, he protected her unconditionally and without question. He didn't smother her, they were merely accomplices, helping each other through this battle. This is what she had wanted, at least for the time being. When it was all over, she would confront him, and take all the answers she wanted, just like in the beginning.

"I will protect you Lelouch vi Britannia," she whispered.

She leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "I will be your shield, and protect you and save you from anyone and anything as long as you will have me."

She smiled and then pulled back, unlatching herself from him and turning her body outwards. She stepped out of bed, carrying Cheese-kun. As she made her way to the door, she heard him move. She stopped and glanced back.

"And I will be your sword, fighting for you as long as you will have me," he said, eyes still closed.

She faced forward again and smiled. Then, with her lovely Cheese-kun in hand, left the room to her prince in search of a midnight morsel.