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"Suzaku," Lelouch purred. "Will you please come to the third parlor?"
"I'm kind of busy," Suzaku said. He frowned. Lancelot's comm link had given its perfunctory beep, and he let it switch over automatically. He had expected to hear Lloyd's mocking drawl or Cecile's kind voice. "Can it wait?"
"Are you refusing your Emperor?"
"No," he muttered, flexing his hands on the KMF's grips. "I'm telling him to wait. How did you get this line, anyway?"
"I refuse to answer stupid questions. Come up here."
Suzaku sighed. "I'm busy."
"I don't care," Lelouch snapped. "Get up here."
"Right," Suzaku said, peering at a display. "Or what?"
"Or I'll order someone to shoot himself." He could hear the smile in Lelouch's voice, but it was not light-hearted or cajoling. There was honesty in the threat, like a knife held gently to his throat. "I'll wipe a city from the face of the earth. Set an unsuspecting village ablaze."
"Lelouch," he said steadily. "Don't play games."
"A game? My, you are merciless. The third parlor, Suzaku," he said, his voice low in his throat, "or I will order the palace maids to tear out each others' throats."
(He didn't run, though he thought maybe he should have.)
The hallways were deserted, the third parlor's grand, filigreed doors shut. Suzaku pushed inside and took a few steps. He caught his breath and waited, and the new darkness resolved itself into the familiar shapes of bookshelves, a chaise lounge. The arching windows were veiled with heavy curtains, and sunlight pried through the cracks where the fabric met and diverged. By light the room was large, but in this unnatural twilight the walls were closer, claustrophobic.
"You're late," Lelouch said. Suzaku turned slowly to look; Lelouch stood poised in the dark corner of the bookshelves like some classical painting, his robes and his skin bled to shades of grey.
"I'm not late," Suzaku said.
Lelouch smiled, his slim fingers playing across a vase of roses at his side, sliding up the slick porcelain to brush his nails against a flushed dark bloom. "Well," he hummed, and plucked a petal from the rose. "Not too late, I suppose. No one has died." He tilted his head and met Suzaku's eyes and in a graceful motion swept his hand back and tipped the vase from its pedestal. Roses splayed across the hardwood, smashed porcelain littered among the stems. Water flecked Lelouch's pristine robes and soaked into the hem where it dragged the floor, but he made no move to lift it away.
From somewhere hidden, a girl darted forward and began gathering the vase's shards, her head bowed. Suzaku watched her with trepidation and saw her hands tremble. He wondered if she knew the threat to her will, her life. Lelouch stepped over the mess of water and roses and she faltered and froze, bowing low, and then there was blood pricking at her fingertips where she held the sharp-edged pieces too closely. He lifted his eyes as Lelouch stepped into his space and put the rose petal against Suzaku's lips, pressed it along the line of his mouth and then over his cheek. It smelled rich and sweet.
"You called me?" Suzaku said stiffly. "Is there something--you require?"
Lelouch released the petal to let it flutter down the lines of Suzaku's cape and ran his fingers along the underside of Suzaku's jaw, lifting his face. "Always, dear knight. I'm surprised you feel the need to ask. I want you to fuck me," he said, level and clear. Not a command, but with the clear air of expectation. Suzaku clenched his teeth and blushed, stupidly. There was the startled clink of porcelain, and from the corner of his eye, Suzaku saw the maid falter. She did not look up, but her hands suddenly lost their purpose, and she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. He didn't let his gaze dart to look at her.
"This isn't the time," he said, so that only Lelouch could hear. "Stop being melodramatic."
"Ah," Lelouch breathed, and his eyes sank half-closed. "The girl is a problem, then? Is she too distracting? Problems can be fixed, it's easy enough." He wet his lips and raised his eyes. "She's holding such sharp things," he murmured. "It can be dangerous." He leaned in and pressed his lips gently to the corner of Suzaku's mouth, to the place the rose petal had touched.
Suzaku didn't close his eyes or respond, and when Lelouch pulled back, he said firmly, quietly, "Come with me. We'll go somewhere else."
"Privacy isn't difficult," Lelouch said. He tilted his head and traced his fingers over Suzaku's cheek, over the curve of his lips. "I have a reputation to uphold. Blood will wash."
Suzaku grabbed his wrist and squeezed, warning. "Leave her out of it," he said. The paths Lelouch's fingers had traveled over his face tingled. Lelouch's mouth twisted as he smiled and his other hand fisted in Suzaku's cape and pulled him in again. Their mouths met, rough, and Lelouch was hungry and fervent, working Suzaku's lips apart quickly and with purpose. He licked into Suzaku's mouth and leaned against him, and even though Suzaku still held Lelouch's wrist out and immobile, Lelouch's control was absolute, even up through the flush that crept up Suzaku's neck and to his ears. He felt himself start to respond, unconsciously moving his body to fit against Lelouch's, his free hand going to push beneath the drape of regalia at Lelouch's hip. Lelouch gave a low, humming laugh into Suzaku's mouth and as he pulled back he caught Suzaku's lip in his teeth and bit down hard enough that Suzaku jerked back and released his wrist.
Suzaku dabbed at his lip with the edge of his glove and peered at the slash of blood on fabric. "Ow," he muttered.
Lelouch took advantage of his distraction and darted his hands in to fiddle with the catch of Suzaku's cape. "Fuck me," he breathed. "Do it, now. I don't play games." Suzaku took a reluctant step back, and then his cape was in a heavy pile at his heels and he stopped so that he wouldn't trip. Lelouch slid his hands along his sides and down his back, nails dragging across the curve of his ass. There was a streak of blood at Lelouch's mouth and as he leaned in, a sliver of light fell across his eyes and made them a sudden, startling violet in the darkness.
The maid had escaped during that little scuffle, Suzaku realized as Lelouch sucked a bruise onto his neck, his clever hands fighting blindly with the zipper of the flight suit. He retreated again, his own hands uselessly pulling at Lelouch's robes. He tasted the coppery edge of blood as Lelouch found his lips again, and the sting of the bite made the kiss sore. "Come on," Lelouch murmured. "Do it, if you have any nerve."
"You don't have to manipulate me," Suzaku managed. He took another step back, fumbling a hand for the edge of a table. Lelouch's hands tugged the flight suit away from his neck, baring the line of his collarbone. His laugh was hot against Suzaku's skin.
"Of course. You could have let her die." He licked a searing stripe up Suzaku's neck. "I thought you would, you know," he breathed. "Another victim for the greater good, a story to horrify the masses. Or perhaps you really wanted an audience."
"Don't push me," Suzaku said lowly. His fingers found the line of buttons on Lelouch's robes and rested there. He could feel the pound of Lelouch's heart, the heat of his skin beneath his tunic.
"I like pushing you," Lelouch purred. One of his hands found its way up to fist in Suzaku's hair, the pain sharp. "Otherwise," he whispered, "you're a coward."
Suzaku gave a wordless growl and twisted free, grabbing Lelouch's wrists and shoving him back to stumble and sit on the chaise lounge. He had caged Lelouch's body with his own, on hands and knees with Lelouch sprawled beneath him, before he realized that Lelouch was laughing, harsh and triumphant. He felt anger spark in his chest that he had taken the bait, but before he could do the sensible thing and get up, Lelouch reached and slid his fingers behind Suzaku's neck. "Good," he said, and dragged Suzaku down.
His hands fumbled and pulled Lelouch's clothes away from his skin, exposing the smooth span of his chest and belly. Suzaku pressed close, pinning Lelouch's thin wrist with his supporting hand, kissing roughly at Lelouch's mouth as he reached with his other hand and rubbed his fingers over Lelouch's nipple. He hooked his foot under Lelouch's ankle and nudged his legs further apart, easing his knee up to spread Lelouch's thighs. He felt Lelouch smile, and he sent his hand lower to knead against the crotch of Lelouch's pants. Lelouch jerked at that--finally, Suzaku thought, fucking finally, he reacted--and he shifted his hips up into the contact and just melted, releasing a vulnerable sound against Suzaku's lips. He lifted a knee to curl a foot into the cushion by Suzaku's calf. His erection swelled at the attention until Suzaku could trace its straining pressure against the crotch of his pants, and Lelouch tensed and rocked himself against the line of Suzaku's thigh.
"Are you going to make me say please?" Lelouch said, his voice remarkably steady. His lips were dark and wet, his eyes half-closed and lost in the shadows. He was breathing harder, and as Suzaku watched, he ran his tongue along the edge of his lips and smiled.
"You wouldn't," Suzaku said. "Even if I tried to make you." Lelouch's teeth gleamed. Suzaku swallowed and thrust against him, rocking on his knees to rub them together. Lelouch bared his throat and hissed out his breath. Suzaku grabbed his free hand from where it was curled limply around his neck and slid Lelouch's long fingers into his mouth. He sucked at his fingers, his lips kissing at Lelouch's knuckles, and thrust harder. Lelouch made a falling sound and panted into the cushions, his pinned hand clenching into a fist. The friction between them created a torturous, electric feeling, a heat that pooled in Suzaku's gut and made him aware of a thin layer of sweat on his back. He was hard, as hard as Lelouch, and he could hear his own harsh breathing over Lelouch's throaty sounds below him.
Suddenly, something very local crashed to the floor, and they both jumped. Suzaku spat out Lelouch's fingers and panted, "The fuck was that?"
A few seconds of silence, and then Lelouch let out his breath and relaxed. "The sound of your dignity shattering," he murmured, stretching bonelessly beneath him. "The Knight of Zero, reduced to a common concubine, albeit a beloved one." He trailed his spit-wet fingers up Suzaku's front and dragged the zipper down, his fingers scraping across the hair trailing down Suzaku's belly. "You know," he breathed, "the people probably assume you're my whore. Are they right?" Suzaku tried to ignore him, but he felt his neck burn. He attempted to act nonplussed and leaned over Lelouch instead; beyond the lounge he spied a puddle of water and broken rose stems scattered across the floor: another grand vase in shambles.
Suzaku sat back on his heels and snugged Lelouch's knees up, pulling his hips down to fit between his thighs. "I don't think whores are blackmailed into sex by their clients," he said, peeling Lelouch's long robes away. He pulled off Lelouch's shoes and let them drop to the floor.
Lelouch lay draped over the cushions, his head lolling. "Yes, but you aren't being paid, either." He smiled. "So what then." He shifted up to get a cushion under his shoulders and tilted his head to look at Suzaku. He beckoned, impatient and wordless, and Suzaku obeyed and moved forward again. Lelouch arched against him, his other hand finally sliding beneath the flight suit to skim over Suzaku's ribs and his hip. He loosened Suzaku's belt and let it fall away. The fabric gaped open and allowed for a breath of air against his bare skin, and he shivered. He could smell the roses, their petals crushed and fragrance released.
Lelouch reached up and fanned his fingers through Suzaku's hair and kissed him, suddenly gentle and coaxing. "You're stalling," he said. Suzaku thought of the velvet touch of the rose petal and licked his lips. He tasted blood and flower and Lelouch.
"Okay," he said. "Okay. Hang on." He dragged himself up and wobbled to his feet. He felt along the end table and didn't find a drawer. Overlooked shards of porcelain crunched beneath the heels of his boots where the maid had opted to run rather than finish her hasty clean-up. At least she was smart, he thought, and went to the small writing desk in the corner. It was mostly empty but devoid of dust, smelling faintly of furniture polish. In her escape, the maid had put her armful of roses here, neatly bunched together despite everything. They were full and perfect and natural, wickedly curved thorns obvious even in the dark corner. He slid the main drawer open, rattling an empty inkwell and fine quill, and a small tin rolled forward from the back. He pried its lid off and sniffed: hand creme, and who knew how old, but it would do.
He turned and Lelouch was there, ghostly-pale in the shadow and naked but for his cape, held over his shoulders like a blanket. He stepped forward, crowding, and slid his hands beneath Suzaku's flight suit and pushed it back over his shoulders. Suzaku took a reflexive step back and bumped against the desk, and the tin in his hand banged against the wood as he slapped his hands down to catch himself. Lelouch said nothing, bent his head to scrape his teeth along Suzaku's shoulder and pulled the flight suit away, his fingers hitching as they met the top edge of his gauntlets.
As his nails drew stinging lines over Suzaku's shoulder blades, the small of his back, Suzaku focused over his head and the smudged, bloody footprint on the floor, its outline blurred by the path Lelouch's heavy regalia had taken over it. He hesitated and took Lelouch's elbows. "You shouldn't have," he started. "The vase--"
Lelouch hummed and bit gently at the tender skin of his earlobe, his weight heavy and angular. "When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned."
"You're bleeding," Suzaku pointed out. Lelouch ignored him and sank down, his hands leaving swathes of heat in their wake as he smoothed them over hip and thigh. He settled to his knees and the cape draped and spread around him. He looked up through his bangs and Suzaku had time to shift his weight uncomfortably, his hands starting to reach to pull Lelouch back up, and then Lelouch's mouth was on him, lips and tongue hot on his groin through the tight fabric. Suzaku made a sound through his teeth and gripped the edge of the desk, hard. Lelouch lipped the outline of his cock, working his mouth against it like a slow kiss, and his hands played up Suzaku's thigh to the top of his boot. The zipper's rasp was maddening and slow as Lelouch dragged it down, freeing Suzaku's leg of leather.
Suzaku clumsily tried to kick the boot away and failed, and Lelouch peeled it away from his leg and moaned against him, his eyes closed and his mouth wet and open, lewd. The vibration sent electricity shivering up Suzaku's spine, and his hips twitched forward. Blood roared in his ears, and he swallowed. Lelouch divested him of his other boot with agonizing languor, smoothing his hands down Suzaku's knee and calf. There was the terrifying graze of teeth over his erection and then he groaned and jerked Lelouch to his feet, shifting so that they switched places and he could push Lelouch back to sit on the desk's edge. The roses trembled, and a few slipped over the edge to fall silently to the floor.
He stripped hastily and pulled his legs free before Lelouch caught his face on the way back up and licked into his mouth. He fumbled with his gloves for a few long seconds, and then Lelouch snapped, "Leave them," and slid his hand down to close around Suzaku's cock, his blood-wet foot twining around the back of Suzaku's knee. He rocked close, his own erection pressing hotly against Suzaku's belly, and he squeezed and stroked his fingers up the underside of Suzaku's cock. A sound made its way out of Suzaku's mouth, like the air had been crushed from his lungs, and heat prickled over his shoulders and neck. Lelouch's cape fluttered from his shoulders and encircled him on the desk as he hitched his legs up to hook his ankles together behind Suzaku's hips. His slim fingers closed around both of them and jerked them off together, and Suzaku pressed his face against the join of Lelouch's neck and panted, his hands searching for the hand creme. His nerves were on fire. He felt lightheaded, intensely aware of the slide of Lelouch's fingers, the edge of his nails and the searing contact of them together, close and damp. Lelouch breathed some ragged, lost obscenity against Suzaku's neck and arched, his thumb rubbing hard across the ridges of their skin, Suzaku's swollen head, wet with pre-come.
His fingers sank into the open tin, the creme cool and soft and flower-sweet. He pushed at Lelouch's hips to give him access, and Lelouch gripped Suzaku's shoulder with one hand and dropped his head, his shoulders heaving. His hand continued to move over them in blind pressure, rough enough to make Suzaku's knees weak, and the desk creaked as it took more of their combined weight. Suzaku felt into the tight space between them and slid his fingers over Lelouch's hot flesh and tight muscle, spreading the creme to make it easier. When he pushed fingers inside, Lelouch's fingernails dug into his shoulder and he rolled his hips to accept him. Suzaku curled his fingers into the press of wet heat and Lelouch lifted his face and put his mouth to Suzaku's neck. He made a small sound and bit at the thin skin there, and then he was laughing breathlessly, only a shade away from hysterical.
"Is there--something funny?" Suzaku managed. Lelouch was tight around his fingers, and Lelouch's hand was distracting enough, all long fingers and aching friction. Suzaku panted against Lelouch's hair; he was rigid and trembling, his back glazed in sweat, and his hand tensed and squeezed at Lelouch's ass. There was a second of silence, and then Lelouch laughed again, shaking, and shook his head. He lifted his face and gave a razor sharp smile. His hair was inky black in the shadow, whip-thin strands stuck to his flushed face with sweat. He lifted his chin and brought his lips to Suzaku's again, humming a gentle negative sound. He ran his teeth along Suzaku's lip but did not bite down again. Suzaku scissored his fingers and Lelouch's head fell back, his throat contracting. Still he smiled, and he moved his own hand, shifting to jerk off Suzaku alone, slow and thorough.
Suzaku released a shaky breath through his teeth and pulled out his fingers--and Lelouch shuddered and squeezed his legs tighter around Suzaku's waist--and he felt for the lotion again. "Why are you like this?" He spoke to Lelouch's neck, to his cheek, his temple. He slid his hand between them and closed his fingers around their cocks, Lelouch's hand, the creme melting upon contact with hot skin, the friction now slick. Lelouch's cock was stiff and hot in his hand, flushed dark and leaking. Lelouch curled his spine to angle his hips, and his hands both traveled up to hook over Suzaku's shoulders. One of them now slid wetly over his muscles. Suzaku caught his breath and shifted to grab at Lelouch's thighs, lifting him from the desk.
"I just," Lelouch said, showing his teeth, "want them all...to know you're mine." His breath hitched as he sank over Suzaku's cock, and he tensed and pulled himself closer, his grip tightening. Suzaku's vision narrowed as he buried himself in Lelouch, tighter and tighter, intense. He didn't have the brainpower to point out that Lelouch had been sucking hickeys onto his neck for the better part of half an hour and his lip still hurt, so there couldn't be much question about ownership. He breathed against Lelouch's neck instead and squeezed at Lelouch's thighs, braced against the desk and rocked into it. The desk creaked as he thrust, and Lelouch panted harshly next to his ear. His nails dug half-moons into Suzaku's shoulders and his bony heels pressed into the small of Suzaku's back, but it was a good, grounding pain, and Suzaku didn't mind. Welcomed it, on some weird level.
"Fuck," Lelouch gasped. "Harder." Suzaku grunted and leaned him back across the desk because his arms were trembling with the strain, regained his footing and increased his pace. Lelouch's hand flew out and snatched at the curtain where it draped behind the desk. He arched and fisted his hand and pulled, making a high, keen noise. Suzaku slapped his hands down on the desk and rocked forward. His nose was pressed against the underside of Lelouch's jaw when Lelouch jerked under him and came in a spill of heat.
There was an ominous tearing sound somewhere overhead, and even though Suzaku felt half-blind with the orgasm crowding out all coherent thought, his survival instincts were intact, and he glanced up. Lelouch let go of the curtain with one hand and cupped his chin and licked into his mouth, even ran his tongue along the swollen edge of the cut. "Keep going, beloved concubine," he murmured, the barest slur to the edge of his words. Suzaku's hands slipped in sweaty condensation on the desktop and he groaned through his teeth.
He came with Lelouch's fingers tangled in his damp hair, a dried smear of blood down the back of his leg from Lelouch's foot, the cloying smell of roses mixed with sweat. Shuddering over the desk, his arms full of Lelouch. The curtain was askew on its rod, and shafts of sunlight lit dancing dust motes and a long strip of the floor beside them in gold. It made everything else very dark, made the afterimages more vivid, as though one or the other, light or dark, was a mirage or a dream. Lelouch's eyes glittered with reflections of this new light and he shifted beneath Suzaku. He reached up and slid his fingers in Suzaku's mouth, pressing a soft, velvet rose petal against his tongue. He met Suzaku's eyes and smiled, a sharp edge of teeth, and said nothing.