Primary Gain

Warning: Kallen/Suzaku smex warning for all you yaoi fans.

Chapter Three

Dr. Lamperouge was standing just outside the door when Todoh walked into Suzaku’s office and put two objects on his desk; his badge, and his gun.

“But-” Suzaku couldn’t keep his astonishment from showing. According to his agreement with Lamperouge he still had a remaining week of sessions to go before he was street-certified again. When he looked over Lamperouge just smiled slightly, nodded, and left the room. Todoh gave him a harsh look.

“If Lamperouge says you’re good to go, you’re good to go.” Todoh watched him with a little concern in his eyes, “But I still want you close to home. I have an opening in my task force and you fit. It means overtime and paperwork but I can guarantee it’s more interesting than pounding pavement.”

Suzaku got a hold on his confusion, sobered, and added, “And my partner has a new partner.”

It had only been a week but Kallen and Gino were already knee deep in a triple homicide and there wasn’t room for an emotionally unstable third wheel. He’d seen it happening in slow degrees, watching as Kallen and the new kid started getting into the groove of partnership. She probably didn’t even notice, but Suzaku had. They’d been having lunch together, talked in whispers and almost-smiles, and Kallen hadn’t been in complaining about the guy for days.

The change was something Suzaku wanted to talk to Lamperouge about, but he hadn’t had the guts to broach a new subject with his father’s death looming in the horizon, but now that he had finally gotten to the point that he could discuss his father…well, a lot more seemed possible than it had before.

“Yes,” Todoh didn’t look the least bit uncomfortable about the unconscious betrayal of Suzaku’s closest (and only) friend. That was in itself enough to give Suzaku the strength to forget, to forget and move on. Still, he felt obligated in a strange way, and though he was fully capable of blowing off Lamperouge now that he had his badge back-

“I still have sessions left. I have to make time for those.”

“That’s fine.” Todoh slapped down an access card, holding it in place with a finger, “Do you accept the position?”

“Yes.” Suzaku shrugged, fully aware that he was being reckless. Todoh never worked on anything but the worst because he was the best. It was an honor, sort of, that he was being asked at all.

“Good.” Todoh stood with a stern stare, “We meet in an hour. Bring a pen and a notebook, you have a lot of catching up to do. Conference room five.”

Suzaku nodded and Todoh’s stare turned a little soft, as he said, “It’s good to have you back, Kururugi.”

When he was gone and the door was closed Suzaku sat for a long time, thinking.

“It’s good to be back.” He decided in a murmur. Despite the fact that the weight of his gun felt foreign, or that the identification in his hand felt strange, Suzaku was fully prepared to think about something besides his own personal dramas. With that freedom in mind Suzaku gave one helpless, thankful sigh.

Then he got up, composed himself, and headed towards the good doctor’s office.

Suzaku surprised himself by feeling good about knowing that it wasn’t going to be the last time.

***

Being in his own home was little comfort when faced with the magnitude of the project he had blindly dedicated himself to undertaking. In an hour Suzaku’s life had gone from agonized melancholy to not-so-irrational panic as he tried to comprehend the scope of his new trial. He grabbed a drink and wrote himself a reminder to continue his prescription with the doctor. There wasn’t a single inch of room for error and Suzaku was already overwhelmed, bolting down his first beer as he stared at the stuffed manila folders sitting on his coffee table.

Honestly he would have been more comfortable with a rabid mastiff sitting on his couch than with the stack of documents waiting quietly to consume him whole. Suzaku finished half of his second beer just staring at them, his mind in a continual loop of quiet horror.

Todoh was taking on the Britannians.

No one took on the Britannians.

And now Suzaku was helping. If there was a list of people to be assassinated once the Britannians found out (if they didn’t know already), his would be closer to the bottom because he was new, but that wasn’t a comfort. A week before Suzaku would have been delighted with the challenge, but this time being presented with the likelihood of violence Suzaku was honestly shaken at the idea of dying. It had only been a week but the idea of Lamperouge being disappointed with him, even if he wasn’t around to be chastised, stung.

Suzaku closed his eyes and remembered the feeling of being held so close, so carefully in a simple hug and wished that he hadn’t said yes to Todoh.

But he had said yes to Todoh, and Suzaku wasn’t the type of person who would back away from a conflict out of fear. If they were victorious and could manage to take the Britannians down, well, that success was worth more than one life in the long run.

For the first time in his life Suzaku made a sincere vow to be careful with himself and opened up the first file.

***

“Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”

Lamperouge had been sitting in his usual chair when Suzaku came in, blinking a little with tell-tale creases on part of his cheek. Suzaku was amused that he’d caught the doctor sleeping, but he had bigger things to think about than ribbing Lamperouge about a nap.

“Yes.” Suzaku put the always present pillow in his lap and sat back, he needed all the comfort he could get, “You’re allowed to hear information from current investigations, right?”

Lamperouge’s eyebrows rose. “That depends on what investigation you’re working on. Did Todoh offer you a job?”

“Yeah.” Suzaku decided to screw policy, Lamperouge wasn’t a security risk, and “We’re going after the Britannians.”

Lamperouge froze, his eyes wide and the slight flush of sleep washing into pale ivory. When he did finally move it was bend over to pick the fallen pen on the ground. Suzaku gave him a moment, and added, “You can see why I want to talk about it.”

“Yes,” Lamperouge exhaled and tapped his finger against the armchair, “What you’re doing is very dangerous, Suzaku.”

“No kidding,” Suzaku laughed, feeling a little pale himself, “I was going through the files last night, and-”

“Stop.” Lamperouge’s eyes rose to the clock on the wall. It was five after the hour and the man had a hand raised with a strange, intense look on his face. He was quiet for a long time, staring at the second hand as Suzaku stared at him in surprise. He was thinking, Suzaku finally realized, knowing exactly why he’d never seen the expression before. Lamperouge manipulated him so effortlessly that he probably didn’t even use a quarter of his intelligence to deal with Suzaku’s sessions. It was seven past the hour when the doctor finally moved, going to the phone on his desk to dial a number he knew by heart.

“Yes, it’s Doctor Lamperouge.” He leaned against his desk, one hand playing with the cord on his phone, “Do I have the security clearance necessary for your latest project?”

After a long while the doctor began to frown, his eyes narrowing into slits as he began to crush the cord in his fist. He looked furious, but his voice was entirely even.

“And why is it that you’re only telling me this now?”

Suzaku swallowed and hugged the pillow a little more closely, trying to decide whether or not to warn Todoh that his life was in jeopardy. Lamperouge’s knuckles had gone white and the slight flush had returned to his cheeks as he glared down the receiver of the phone.

“Right.” Lamperouge’s voice sharpened, “Try not to forget next time.”

Lamperouge hung up the phone and Suzaku jumped a little at the force of the slam, but mostly because of the thunderous scowl on the man’s face.

“Whatever it was,” Suzaku finally broke the silence, cringing, “I wasn’t in on it.”

“No, I know you weren’t.” Lamperouge smiled a little, looking down at his desk calendar.

“How?”

“Pardon?”

“How did you know I wasn’t in on it?”

Lamperouge just shrugged. “Agent Todoh has a finely tuned sense of paranoia when it comes to organized crime. You haven’t needed to learn that lesson yet, but you will”

Which was good advice, Suzaku decided, even though the idea was a ridiculous cliché. Obviously Lamperouge was used to Todoh’s suspicion, his scowl faded into a slim smile as he straightened his phone.

“So, trust no one?” Suzaku grinned, “Not even you, Doc?”

The small smile twisted into an ironic moue as the doctor took his seat.

“I suppose that’s the logical conclusion.”

Suzaku laughed a little louder than was necessary, startled himself, and finished, “So yeah, I’m pretty freaked out.”

Lamperouge gathered his writing utensils together and nodded again.

“Which part upsets you the most?”

“All of it.” Suzaku confessed immediately, ignoring the blush that rose with the truth. He was starting to feel strange with the conversational tenor the session was taking. He still felt the intense measure of control that Lamperouge always established but there was give and for the first time Suzaku felt like he had a little control too. He liked the feeling a lot.

“The magnitude of the project is daunting.” Lamperouge started writing without looking at the page, his hand moving quickly and fluidly. “Take this.”

With a single snap Lamperouge detached a yellow page and handed it forward. The first four lines were filled with titles and page numbers from four different reports. Suzaku silently memorized the information and handed the paper back. Lamperouge took it without hesitation and a small smile just as Suzaku realized that he could have kept it. The realization didn’t help his blush.

“These are in the library. It will help you understand the structuring of the Britannian institution, key players, and what’s been tried before.”

“You sound like you know a lot about the Britannians.”

Lamperouge nodded, twirling the pen in his hand, it was something he’d never done before but the movement was just as fluid and elegant as his mind.

“I almost did my dissertation on the subject. The social hierarchy and various customs are fascinating…did you know that there can be honorary Britannians?”

“No,” That phrase hadn’t been anywhere in his files, “What does it mean?”

“It means that there are people who belong to the family without being born into the family,” Lamperouge leaned back, watching Suzaku intently, “They have the same loyalties and the most of the same privileges as the ‘royals’, they just don’t carry the Britannian name. You’ve read about the Knights.”

Men and women who were little more than slaves to the so-called royalty, Knights were the equal of Mafia enforcers and fiercely loyal to the people they served. Most of them were incredibly talented, ex-military or self-taught, and the few of them that had been sent to prison for not giving up the so-called royalty had gone with a smile. They never gave up a mission and they never gave up the Britannians.

“Poor brainwashed bastards.” Suzaku sighed, wondering why anyone would freely give up their autonomy.

It was only a moment but for that moment Lamperouge looked stunned, his eyes wide as he flinched back in his seat, but the expression was gone before Suzaku could imagine why.

“Don’t ever say that in front of a Britannian,” Lamperouge said softly, his eyes drifting down to his paper, “You’ll be dead before your next breath.”

Suzaku started feeling nervous again, “Why?”

“Knights earn their title by being exceptional and loyal. They are the royals’ trusted companions, not just thugs, and they do as they’re told because the trust is returned.” Lamperouge looked up again, “It’s an intimate relationship that could be misconstrued as brainwashing, but is more like love.”

Love. When Suzaku saw the pictures of dead bodies and beaten men and women the first word that came to him was certainly not love, but he knew how destructive love could be. Suzaku would trust someone in rage before he’d trust someone in love.

“This wasn’t in anything I read.” Suzaku said duly, “It’s crazy. Are they crazy?”

“It’s easy to think that they’re crazy,” Lamperouge said, making a note on his paper, “just don’t make the mistake of thinking that insanity and irrationality are the same thing. Treat the Britannians as if they’re from a foreign nation, carefully and with respect, and you should manage not to offend anyone.”

“How am I supposed to respectfully put someone in cuffs?” Suzaku frowned, thinking of what amount of trouble Kallen’s mouth could get her into, “We’re not having dinner with the Britannians, we’re trying to put them into prison.”

“I’ll rephrase my answer,” Lamperouge frowned slightly, “Don’t be disrespectful. Don’t let it get personal. Just do your job. Interrogations stay in the interrogation room, arrests should be quick and quiet. Never ‘forget’ to get a warrant. Only expose your firearm to protect yourself or a partner. You’ll find that the only agents killed during an investigation of the Britannians are those who stepped out of line or got into a firefight.”

The words came sternly and rapid-fire so that when Lamperouge was done Suzaku was frozen in place, staring and trying to suppress the urge to salute. Instead he just nodded and Lamperouge seemed to settle a bit, the strange earnestness in his voice evaporating as he continued, “But I was telling you about the honorary Britannians.”

“Right,” Suzaku played with the tassels on his pillow and relaxed back into the couch. He decided that listening to Lamperouge was halfway between getting story time and a university lecture.

“It can be anyone.” Lamperouge continued, “Doctors, lawyers, teachers, entertainers…anyone, Agent Kururugi. The only two requirements are absolute loyalty and superior intelligence. Be careful.”

Then Lamperouge looked down, tapping the capped end of his pen against the pad as his eyes narrowed in thought. They were silent for long enough that Suzaku was feeling a little uneasy when Lamperouge looked back up again. Worried words caught in Suzaku’s throat at the sudden fire he saw in the doctor’s eyes.

“Don’t let yourself get emotionally invested with the Britannians. For someone like you there’s nowhere to go but down.”

Suzaku wanted to ask, ‘Someone like me?’ but something in the doctor had been switched off as soon as he had time to think the words. Lamperouge was suddenly and emphatically Dr. Lamperouge with a soft, placid smile, and his hand subtly poised to write. A little startled at the sudden change Suzaku allowed himself to be led into a different train of thought. They talked a long time about time management, how to take difficult tasks one step at a time, but mostly how to contain the seething rage that occasionally caught Suzaku off-guard when dealing with criminals. The ‘white knight’ act would only get him into serious trouble, Lamperouge convinced him, especially since he was re-learning how to not put himself in the line of fire when it wasn’t necessary.

The Air Force had taught Suzaku how to find comfort in repetition. Discipline came easy to him and he enjoyed the subtle praise of his peers and commanders, but Suzaku had gone to bed one night, stared up at the ceiling, and realized that he hadn’t acted independently for nearly seventy-two hours. He’d eaten the same meal at least a hundred times in a row, had no friends or lovers, spent all of his free time on base exercising…and being in a cockpit thousands of feet above the earth had become nothing but a job, another exercise to be completed with diligence, if not excellence. There was no joy, no thrill in being able to do the near-impossible, and Suzaku had understood himself perfectly at that moment because there was so little left to comprehend.

Listening to Lamperouge Suzaku remembered looking up at that ceiling and thinking, ‘…I’m my father’.

He’d looked into a mirror and seen the same dead eyes of a man adrift, approaching desperateness.

But now…

“I’ll be careful,” Suzaku smiled, setting his pillow back into its rightful place. “Really careful.”

“Good.” Lamperouge looked pleased, “Very good.”

Suzaku laughed as he closed the door, feeling better than he had in weeks. Waiting in the hallway in front of him was a young man pulling at the knot of a tie cinched tightly at his collar. He looked nervous, shifting from foot to foot, but when he saw Suzaku’s smile he calmed, his body going loose with a sigh.

“He’s going to rip you to pieces,” Suzaku grinned, clapping a hand on his shoulder, “God help you, kid.”

Suzaku smiled all the way to the conference room.

***

The tape was shaky and not entirely focused but Clovis Britannia was recognizable and completely audible as he used his wiretapped cell phone. The man was dressed like a pimp in a rose-colored suit, fur coat, and one ridiculously large diamond earring. Suzaku had been listening to his high, lilting voice for three hours, trying to figure out if he was flamingly gay or simply insane. An hour into the conversation Suzaku had figured out that Clovis called everyone ‘darling’, female or male, was extremely upset about the state of his Chihuahua, and owed some lucky person fifty thousand dollars over a game of poker.

After a second hour of listening Suzaku discovered that Clovis owned a stable of fifteen mares and ten studs, all of them show quality and ready to breed. In the next four phone calls he sent three mares off to a daily rental service (Cherry, Sunshine, and Robin), one stud for a visit to the vet (Alexander), and purchased four fillies from a man with a thick Russian accent.

“They aren’t broken yet,” The man said with a deep chuckle, “but if you’d like-”

“The last two you sent me were bridle-shy,” Clovis’ voice finally took on a serious edge, “I’ll leave that job to my own handlers. You just make sure they get here in one piece.”

“I only ship, but for thirty-thousand-”

“One piece,” Clovis snapped, “One single scratch-”

“Da, da, I get it. One piece. No scratches.”

“Good.” Clovis hung up the phone and called a second number.

“Yes, my Lord?” The voice was sweet, cultured.

“Four more for the stables.”

“Female or male?”

“Girls…hm, let’s see…” Clovis laughed, every tic of seriousness vanished, “Baby, Cinnamon, Angel and…Nadia.”

“Yes, my Lord.” The voice replied, “When do you need them?”

“Tuesday, eight a.m.”

“Yes, my Lord. It will be done.”

Apparently, Suzaku sighed and made a note, Clovis dressed appropriately. For a long time Clovis didn’t make any phone calls, he simply lounged, drinking wine as he stared out at the garden. He disappeared into the house for a few minutes and then came out again, swaying a little until he sagged back into his chair. Clovis finished two more glasses and had stripped down to his boxers by the time he picked up the phone again. It rang nearly ten times before it was answered.

“What is it now?”

He was quiet for long time, his head slowly nodding forward before he murmured, “Two-hundred. Four.”

“Approved.”

The line went dead with a small beep.

Clovis snapped the phone shut and drank another bottle of wine. After half an hour of watching Clovis slowly pass out Suzaku hit the fast forward button. It was well past sunset by the time the man rose and staggered back into his home. The DVD ended just as the door closed behind him.

Suzaku looked up at the clock, wiped his tired eyes and went to find another surveillance log. He had two week’s worth of cell phone calls, video, and surveillance recordings to go through and after three days of work Suzaku was only two days into the mess. Also, he was bored out of his mind. His notes weren’t anything that hadn’t been recorded before, and even though Suzaku knew that the ‘fillies’ were actually stolen young girls, that the ‘stable’ was filled with prostitutes, nothing could be proven.

In some stroke of genius Clovis had established an actual stable in Vermont. For every whore he named there was a horse that corresponded. Some of them were racehorses, some simply for riding lessons, and a few that would be broken in by the next week by trainers oblivious to the fact that they were facilitating a number of felonies. The only thing that soothed the edge off the anger of being unable to prove the truth was that the ‘horses’ were visited by doctors regularly, and they seemed to be as carefully kept as any real racehorse in Clovis’ stable, which from all outside reports was immaculately clean.

Still, the other terminology…mares and studs being ridden, put out for show, used for group lessons…Suzaku kept a trashcan nearby just in case nausea turned into something else.

Despite the clear evidence of a sex ring Suzaku was supposed to be looking for Clovis’ interaction with his family. It would take some impressive work but Todoh was sure they could flip the man with enough leverage. After watching two days of the man’s life Suzaku was inclined to agree. Clovis worked alone from his seat in the garden and just a phone, he didn’t have to go anywhere outside usual haunts, do anything outside his task and the few times he had called his brother he had received nothing but clipped sentences and an icy tone of disdain.

Clovis drank wine and dressed like a king just to sit alone in his garden. He was easy to despise.

Suzaku sighed deeply, opened up another jewel case and popped another DVD inside the player. The image was more focused and Suzaku could see the dullness in Clovis’ eyes as the man opened up his cell phone.

***

“I was thinking…you know tons about me, but I know barely anything about you.” Suzaku leaned back, watching as Lamperouge flipped through some documents at his desk. The man looked up with a brief flash of those oddly colored eyes, raised his eyebrows and looked back down, reading.

“That’s how the doctor-patient relationship is meant to be, Agent Kururugi. Would you rather receive this sort of help from a professional or a friend?”

“How about a professional friend?” Suzaku dug his wallet out of his back pocket and removed a small white card. It informed him that Dr. Lamperouge worked for the FBI and gave his cell number, but nothing else. Suzaku waved it a little, “I don’t even know your first name!”

When Lamperouge looked up again it was with a small smirk.

“You seriously considered hitting me our fourth session in, Agent Kururugi. Why on earth would I make a point of telling you my first name when you were already cursing my last?”

Suzaku winced and put his card away. It was true, he’d come about a smirk away from giving Lamperouge a truly fantastic black eye. Apparently he’d been easy to read, practically standing nose to nose with the man as he tried to decide which part of him to clobber.

“Sorry about that.”

“Your apology is unnecessary, but accepted.” The smirk softened into a small smile, “You didn’t actually do anything worth apologizing for.”

“I took all those pills,” Suzaku murmured, feeling a little sick when he remembered the doctor’s voice on the telephone, one moment normal and a little chastising, the next clipped with startling, intense anger. Lamperouge didn’t say anything for a long time, his pen unmoving.

“I made a bad choice by giving you access to those pills. The blame is not entirely yours.”

“But-”

“The blame is not entirely yours.” Lamperouge repeated calmly, “Move on, Agent Kururugi.”

Good advice, but all the advice Lamperouge had given him was good. Suzaku was getting used to giving in to the man.

“Okay.” Suzaku grabbed a hold of the pillow waiting for him at the corner of the couch. He looked at it for the first time and squished it between his hands, wondering how many times it had been clutched close by people like him. Still, despite heavy usage the thing looked fairly new, dark crimson with chocolate-covered tassels. It was like the best sort of teddy bear, soft on the outside with just enough give and…Suzaku’s head shot up with a grin as a memory clicked into place.

“You called me Suzaku,” He exclaimed triumphantly, nearly bursting into laughter at the sudden, scandalized look on Lamperouge’s face.

“I did no such thing.”

“You did, you said-” Suzaku thought for a second, grinned, “You said, ‘What you’re doing is very dangerous, Suzaku’.”

A number of expressions passed over Lamperouge’s face, most of which Suzaku couldn’t identify, but when Lamperouge settled with slight embarrassment Suzaku didn’t feel bad at all. Getting any solid emotion from the man was like an act of god and Suzaku wasn’t going to waste his slightly vindictive pleasure. He’d earned the opportunity to rub Lamperouge’s nose into something for once.

It was sort of nice though, that Lamperouge had been so startled and worried at the thought of Suzaku going up against the Britannians that he’d made such an enormous slip. Nice, but a little weird, Suzaku decided, if only because the doctor clearly hadn’t noticed the slip himself. The man tilted his head just enough that a black fringe of hair covered his eyes and he continued to write, so entirely silent that for a moment Suzaku wondered if he managed to offend him in some way, and started wishing he’d just kept his mouth shut.

Suzaku was about to apologize when Lamperouge exposed his eyes. They weren’t angry.

“Lelouch.” Lamperouge said, closing his folder with a sigh.

“What?”

“My name is Lelouch Lamperouge.”

“Oh,” Suzaku felt lightheaded with relief, “That’s very…French.”

Lamperouge shook his head a little in exasperation and then opened a new file. It was plain manila and unobtrusive, but Lamperouge planted his usual notebook next to it, pulled out a pen and suddenly the thing was a monster. Suzaku started feeling a little nervous again when a new pen was methodically uncapped and Lamperouge looked up with an expression that was entirely smooth, as if the previous conversation hadn’t even occurred.

“Agent Weinberg has officially taken your place beside Agent Stadtfield. Have you and Agent Stadtfield discussed the breakup of your partnership yet?”

The session had officially started.

***

“Nothing yet,” Suzaku said crossly. He was still stinging from Lamperouge’s ‘helpfulness’ with the Kallen situation, “I’m through the first week of surveillance. It’s obvious that Clovis is running a sex ring, but there’s not a single thing we could use as solid evidence in court. I’ve logged all of his ingoing and outgoing calls, and it’s the same thing.”

“Good work, Kururugi,” Todoh nodded, “Just keep on it. This is going to be a waiting game, so be patient. All we need is one slipup. Bradley?”

Agent Bradley cleared his throat, shifted through a few pages, and finally said, “Still nothing from Schneizer. His associates discover nearly ninety-five percent of our bugs and his driver routinely throws off our tails. Half the battle has been getting him to stay in one place long enough to record anything at all, let alone incriminating content.”

“Chiba?”

“Cornelia has been raising hell, as usual. Word on the street is that she and her knights are taking out the competition that’s being shipped in from the west coast. We haven’t seen much action from Guilford lately but for now I’m going to work under the assumption that he’s monitoring their drug enterprise while Cornelia is busy.”

“Has anything new come in lately?”

“Just the basics; coke, heroin, pharmaceuticals, and the custom party drugs…still no sales to anyone under sixteen. They’re making kids flash IDs.”

Todoh huffed something that sounded dangerously like a laugh and made a note.

“Still no marijuana?”

“Not that we can tell.”

“Yoshida?”

“Odysseus is still an accountant,” The man sighed deeply, “And still incredibly boring. Our inside agent hasn’t been able to get a hold of any pertinent documents. Every cent of family money still appears to be entirely legitimate on paper.”

“Inoue?”

“Guinevere hasn’t made a misstep. Everything appears aboveboard…you’ve been invited to the annual charity gala, by the way.” The woman held up a small envelope that Todoh accepted and opened. His usual stern scowl faltered slightly when he had to pull out a card trimmed in lace and smelling strongly of perfume. “Her assistant walked right up to the agents on duty and stuck it under the wiper of their car.”

“I’ll have to air out my tux,” Todoh tossed it in the trash, “Euphemia?”

“The relationship is still going strong. Considering who her father is I’m not surprised that the boyfriend has given up his usual infidelity,” the woman laughed a little, “Not that we haven’t tried, of course, but it’s a little difficult to get up-close to the President’s son.”

“Unless you’re a redhead,” Someone snickered.

Suzaku had a brilliant idea but unfortunately followed it up by opening his mouth.

“Kallen’s a redhead,” Suzaku interjected for the first time since he started working with them, “And if anyone can break up a relationship it’s her. She does this thing where she leans over-”

The staring, wide eyes finally got through his fog of earnest helpfulness and penetrated straight into embarrassment.

“and, um-“ Suzaku blushed and almost went to loosen his tie from the heat, “she thinks it’s hilarious…I haven’t won an argument in three years.”

After another prolonged moment of staring Suzaku added, “Which is probably more than you wanted to know.”

He was about to continue babbling when Todoh smiled a little, and said, “Inoue, go see Stadtfield when this is over,” And then, just when Suzaku was exhaling in relief, “Make sure Kallen knows that Kururugi recommended her.”

Suzaku wilted at the thought of Kallen’s vengeance and a few agents at the table laughed a little, exchanging looks with their friends. From the first day he walked in Suzaku had been trying to find a niche in the tightly woven group and hadn’t been successful. It was worth the beating from Kallen just to get those few smiles.

“Let’s move on.” Todoh picked up a small remote and the lights in the room faded. A bright blue square appeared on the far wall until the man next to him clicked a few keys on an open laptop. A familiar picture came up on the screen.

Charles Britannia, so-called Emperor of D.C., was an incredibly large man, not fat in the least bit but broad and tall. His eyes seemed to bore through Suzaku just from a photograph as the power of effortless intimidation took hold of the room and made the world seem very quiet. Todoh seemed to be the only person not affected as he flipped through another few pictures with nonchalance.

“Charles has been playing politics for about six months now. He regularly dines with senators and congressmen…he’s been invited to the White House with his daughter more than once.”

A picture of Charles with a young red-headed girl by his side came up. Euphemia was shaking the President’s hand while Charles watched keenly, statuesque and imposing. A few more slides showed Charles in contact with other various important people most notably, and the whole room tensed when the picture came up, drinking with the director of the FBI.

“When this first started we thought that he’d get tired of Capitol Hill and return to his empire, but Charles has made a place for himself and seems intent on staying there. He has a new accomplice aiding him.”

A young man with startling blonde hair came up on the screen. He had a long, neat ponytail and bright eyes, looking industrious as he checked his watch and spoke into his cell phone. Next to Charles the man was diminutive but there was some kind of camaraderie between them that made up for that lack. No one would see him and think that he was small.

“He’s a lawyer with one of the law firms that the Britannians keep on retainer but no one knows much about him. The man goes by V.V. Not Mr. V.V., or anything else. He’ll only respond if you use those initials.”

Agent Chiba raised her hand, “Could he be another prince?”

Todoh shook his head.

“We had an agent ask directly and Charles said no.”

“Um,” Suzaku felt another stupid question coming on, “Couldn’t he be…lying?”

It wasn’t a very big leap from crime lord to liar but no one else seemed to be concerned.

“Charles never lies about lineage.” Bradley answered tersely before anyone else could respond, “Neither do any of the other royals.”

“Oh. Okay.” Suzaku shrugged at yet another Britannian oddity, “That detail wasn’t in the file.”

A few faces turned in his direction but no one spoke until Todoh made eye contact with Chiba and nodded.

“They mimic the English royalty by allowing only the oldest son to inherit from the head of the family. As it stands Odysseus is next in line for power, but it’s obvious that he’s not going to get it anytime soon. Charles is healthy and even though Odysseus was first he’s not the logical prospect. Schneizer, Cornelia, and Guinevere seem to be more likely candidates and they’re the next closest to the throne.”

Suzaku nodded in understanding, until someone said, “-but…”

“But?”

“There’s one that no one will talk about.”

Todoh finally decided to step in, his lips pressed into one grim line. Suzaku froze in apprehension. He’d seen Todoh look like that a few times and it always preceded some sort of catastrophe.

“We’ve recorded the names of Charles’ tenth son and his twelfth son, but no one will say anything about the eleventh. As far as the Britannians and their people are concerned the number doesn’t exist.”

Suzaku was feeling uneasy but pursued the truth, “What did Charles say when you asked him?”

Complete silence settled again before Todoh spoke, intoning the message with a strange finality.

“You don’t leave your finest treasures out where the rabble can see.” Todoh said, the creases of his frown turning into dark furrows, “And you don’t give your hiding places to thieves.”

The statement was almost like a riddle, but the meaning was clear and potentially disastrous.

“He’s got someone hidden,” Suzaku whispered, unable to suppress a moment of dread and disbelief. They’d all seen what horrors the other family members were capable of and those children were occasionally displayed for the hungry media when Guinevere decided to put on a show. The FBI was watching their every movement of every moment of every day, and still they had proven to be smarter and more clever than the FBI’s best.

“Do we have any idea who he is?”

“We have our eyes on a few people but none of them come even close to deserving Charles’ esteem.” Todoh turned back to the slides. “So keep your eyes out, Kururugi. It could be anyone.”

Suzaku remembered Lamperouge saying the exact same thing about the honorary Britannians and began to understand Todoh’s strict suspicion of anyone who breathed.

The slideshow continued without any more interference. Suzaku took careful notes, paid strict attention, but at the end of the day he was still left wondering less about Clovis and more about the prospect of a hidden prince. He watched Clovis make calls on his phones, shop, and enter various nondescript buildings and tried to sort out the tangle of that riddle. It would have been simple for Charles to fabricate a convincing lie about the eleventh prince being dead or missing, Britannians generally had short life-spans, but he had offered up an odd clue instead. It felt almost like Charles was baiting Todoh…or as if he was too proud to keep his mouth shut.

Despite being a killer Charles Britannia was still a parent, Suzaku thought while fast forwarding through Clovis’ nap on the terrace. According to the conversation Suzaku had with Chiba after the conference Charles only spoke of his other children enough to confirm that they existed, which Suzaku could understand considering the sheer amount of ruthless criminals the man had spawned. The man had at least six women stashed in DC and there were more across the globe, everywhere the Britannians were starting to take hold; various American cities, London, Paris, Italy…and probably more if the rumor about South America was true. It was probably a task just to memorize all of his children’s names.

It was almost as if the man was a missionary, spreading a particularly caustic religion everywhere he decided to travel. He planted some knights, some honorary Britannians, got a couple of important women pregnant and suddenly there was a following, all claiming to see the Britannian light.

No, not a missionary, Suzaku thought, Charles could never be a servant…he was more like a God.

And somewhere he was hiding a favored son.

Suzaku looked at the clock, laughing at himself as he realized which way his mind was taking the scenario. It was nearly midnight, a full seven hours of overtime that probably would have been wasted better on sleep. After stretching with a truly expansive yawn Suzaku gave himself credit for lasting through five days of Clovis before going out of his mind, and made a special note of it on his pad. Then he sighed, rubbed his eyes, and popped in another DVD.

***

“Quarter to eleven, April fifth,” Lamperouge read from a photocopied paper in an even, strong voice, “Note to self: sue Bureau for hazard pay…Prolonged exposure to Clovis Britannia does more damage to a human body than being shot.”

Suzaku covered his face with the pillow, peripherally hoping to smother himself in the process of hiding his mortification as Lamperouge added, “But you didn’t specify which part should be wounded, Agent Kururugi. For example, is Clovis worse than being wounded in the thigh or in the-”

“Alright, alright, stop!” Suzaku very nearly threw the pillow upon discovering that Lamperouge didn’t even have the grace to look amused. “I was a little punchy, is that a crime?”

Lamperouge sat motionless, his hands folded over on the desk as he stared back.

“No.” He finally said. Then his shoulder twitched.

“Oh my god.” Suzaku groaned as realization finally dawned. “You’re laughing yourself sick inside, aren’t you?”

Lamperouge swallowed, his fingers tightened, and he managed an even but slightly choked, “Yes.”

“I really hate you sometimes,” Suzaku grouched, his face still flaming red as he clutched the pillow again. “If you’re going to laugh, just laugh. Don’t make it this big thing.”

“Laughing at a patient would be unprofessional,” Lamperouge took a deep breath and managed to relax a little, only to immediately stiffen up again. Suzaku rolled his eyes.

“The more important question is-” Lamperouge stopped again, resolutely staring somewhere beyond Suzaku’s left shoulder. Suzaku took a wild guess.

“No, I don’t have a problem watching Clovis for another twelve hours. Yes, I slept fine. Yes, I’m taking the pills. Yes, I’m taking them as prescribed. No, Kallen hasn’t managed to find me yet, and if things go right she never will.” Suzaku took a deep breath, “And no, there’s nothing I want to talk about because you’re being an asshole.”

Lamperouge made a face like he was trying really hard not to pass piss his pants and managed, finally, to blurt, “Great. Get out.”

Suzaku stood, left the office, and slammed the door behind him as he went.

Then Suzaku crouched down and put his ear to the crack, grinning as Lamperouge finally let loose and laughed.

***

The rest of Suzaku’s day was not nearly as amusing.

“Who gave you permission to whore me out?” Kallen grabbed Suzaku by the ear and twisted hard. “Huh? Tell me Suzy, I wanna know…Who. Gave. You. Permission. To-”

“Oh, please.” Suzaku tried not to give her the pleasure of squealing in pain or surprise, “Like it’s not your dream job. You’d be in here killing me if anyone else got tapped for seducing the president’s son. Let-”

Papers and pens scattered across the floor as Kallen made a place to sit. A feeling of dread immediately started to descend when Suzaku realized she was wearing the tight, time-proven and occasionally case-winning ‘get him to confess’ blouse.

“Go,” Suzaku finished with a sigh, cupping a hand around his poor, abused ear. She always went for the same one, and after three years of random violence he was lucky it wasn’t disfigured.

Kallen smirked, moved her shoulders together and leaned forward.

“That’s not fair,” Suzaku tried to look away, but he was male and therefore doomed to stare at her perfect, ample breasts and wonder absently if the office door was still open.

“Tell me what you’re working on Suzy-woo.” Kallen crooned, adjusting the pose slightly. “C’mon, you know you want to…give me a hint…”

Suzaku saw a brief peek of a crimson lace bra and mumbled, “ ‘s Classified.”

She smelled fantastic.

“Is that so?” Kallen crossed her legs in one slow, elegant movement, personally perfected to show off her equally lacey underwear in a brief flash. When Kallen whispered she leaned in close, her lips touching the sensitized shell of Suzaku’s ear. “Say it real quiet…I promise not to tell…”

“You’re a horrible person,” Suzaku groaned, wondering if he was about to get a black eye. While Kallen continued to murmur sweet nothings Suzaku brought his hand up and gave her a good pinch.

“Son of a bitch,” Kallen was startled enough that Suzaku had to lunge to keep her on her careful perch. The fact that he got a face full of breast was just a nice coincidence that ended in a not-so-vehement slap. Suzaku leaned back, Kallen leaned back, and Suzaku noticed with a grateful sigh that yes, the door was shut. He’d learned early on that the woman had very little discretion when it came to dark corners or sexual harassment policies. According to Kallen if someone happened to look in while she was getting busy they were perverts and perverts got kneed in the nuts.

“Seriously, though,” Kallen leaned back on her hands, “I want in, Kururugi.”

“You’re already in,” Suzaku felt a headache coming on, “partway at least.”

Suzaku could only wince as Kallen arched an eyebrow, snorted, and said, “That’s my line, stud.”

He was doomed…and a little pissed that she’d resort to such tactics to try to get something she already knew he wasn’t allowed to give.

“You know I can’t, Kallen.” And though he knew it was childish and immature Suzaku couldn’t help a moment of spitefulness, “And besides, you don’t really need my help anymore, do you?”

Kallen looked away, her hair swinging gently against her cheek as she became very quiet. Suzaku’s heart dropped into his stomach.

“Look…I didn’t mean-” Suzaku sighed, feeling horrible. He’d gone through the whole scenario with Lamperouge twice but just a few sentences in and Kallen looked like he’d actually pulled back his fist and hit her. “I’m…Kallen, I’m sor-”

“You pussy,” Kallen looked over with a slick smile, eyes alight with their usual fire, “God, you’re such a damn girl sometimes. They make pills for PMS now, y’know? And chocolate.”

Suzaku rolled his eyes and didn’t stop feeling guilty. Kallen was iron on the outside and Suzaku could never quite know what was going on underneath. She smiled.

“And ice cream-”

Kallen’s lips were just as soft as always as she pressed them to Suzaku’s forehead, smiling a little when she pulled back.

“I’m not going anywhere, sweetie.” Kallen murmured. “Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

“I know,” Suzaku sighed, “It’s just. So sudden. And, um, I guess I’m kind of co-dependant” That was the right word, “And I have a hard time letting people-”

Kallen burst into laughter so suddenly and loudly she left Suzaku scowling, arms crossed. Twice in one day was a bit much.

“I swear to god,” She gasped, “Lamperouge has you twisted round his little finger, doesn’t he?”

“You can go straight to hell.” Suzaku blushed, because yeah, he sort of did, but the good doc had clearly forgotten that Kallen was completely incapable of serious conversation that didn’t involve guns and handcuffs.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Suzy-woo,” She grinned evilly, “It’s kinda cute when you use big words. Tell me some more…no, let me guess-”

The situation was clearly unsalvageable, despite Lamperouge’s advice, and Suzaku knew only one way to truly get Kallen to change the subject. Suzaku tilted his head up and kissed her. He threaded one hand into her hair, using the other to hold her waist. She tried to bite, she always did when he used this particular technique, but Suzaku managed to slip his tongue into her mouth first. Kallen wasn’t so cruel to bite down then, at least not with him and not very hard. Instead she moved a little until he was sitting between her legs, his head tilted up as he coaxed her into chasing him in silence.

When they finally parted Suzaku tilted her head backwards, nipping and sucking at the tender skin under her jaw, moving down her pulse to the crook of her neck until she was gripping his hair and breathing fast. Her other hand got a good grip on his collar and Suzaku was forced to stand. Kallen wrapped her legs around his middle, her short skirt bunching up, keeping the barest bit of her modesty intact. Suzaku untucked her and slid one hand up the infamous shirt to move up her waist to her back.

“Kururugi,” Kallen gasped and growled, “Don’t you dare-”

Suzaku just laughed against her neck, unhooked her bra and took advantage of what had been offered earlier. He had her hand in his hair as Suzaku pulled the blouse down, pulled the bra away with his teeth and wrapped his mouth around one nipple, already hard. He took his hand from her neck to cup her other breast and rub his thumb over the lace. Kallen’s legs squeezed harder, pressing her crotch into his stomach as she dug her nails into his back.

“If…you weren’t…so good at this-” Despite Kallen’s gasping sentence Suzaku fully understood the truly fantastic beating he would receive except-

“But I am good at this,” He murmured, finally massaging and exposing her second breast to let his lips do their work. He gave her a tiny nip and Kallen made a soft, needy sound at the back of her throat. “So what are you going to do?”

Whatever threat she was composing was lost when he blew a stream of air against the wet flesh, catching the nipple in his mouth again to receive another small sigh.

“Well,” She tweaked his ear, hard, and took advantage of Suzaku’s brief shock to push him back into his chair. Suzaku didn’t have the time, but later he would be very impressed at how fast Kallen managed to lose her underwear and pull down his pants.

“I’m gonna do whatever I want.” She growled into his ear, taking a seat.

Suzaku had to press his mouth against her neck to muffle his moan as he slipped into her, already wet and tight and completely, unutterably perfect as she squeezed those muscles hard. All Suzaku could do was wrap his hands around her waist and hold on.
Kallen was merciless and soon it was Suzaku who was gasping in tandem with Kallen’s mouth whispering increasingly graphic images into his ear.

“God.” Suzaku gasped, thrusting up as she pushed down, kissing whatever skin he could. “Kallen…”

And then, because she could because she was evil and he was close Kallen did a very, very bad thing. Suzaku was barely coherent but his mind processed her words –

“…and I bet Lamperouge would let you fuck him if you asked nice,” She laughed, biting his jaw, “hard, right over his desk, just-“

Suzaku made one, loud, desperate noise as the image burst into a white shock of pleasure that ripped up his spine and blacked out his mind. He brought Kallen down on his cock, high-jacking her rhythm once, twice…four times until her pussy gripped him hard, and began to spasm as she cried out, fingers digging into his back. It was finally too much.

Suzaku orgasmed helplessly with dark, clever eyes watching him from behind his closed eyelids.

It was…he was…it…when Suzaku finally came back to himself it was with wide, shocked eyes that he hid in the slope Kallen’s neck. His mind was racing in no particular direction, occasionally bumping into the image of those last words as the rest of him started coming down from his trembling, thought-obscuring high. He gasped into Kallen’s neck as she began to recover too, slumped over his shoulder.

“You…” Suzaku gasped, “You goddamned bitch.”

Kallen giggled and shimmied a little, her body shaking with silent laughter as she tried to disengage and nearly fell off his lap. Her face was flushed, stretched in a grin, and Suzaku had never wanted to strangle anyone more than he did Kallen. Kallen took one look at his face and just laughed harder.

“You look like you’ve been hit with a fish,” She exclaimed, her breasts shaking as she laughed. Normally the jiggling would have attracted Suzaku’s attention but he was too busy immersing himself in bewildered horror. He hadn’t come that hard in…he’d never come that hard in his life…and it was all Kallen’s fault, but not in a good way.

Not in a good way at all.

“Poor Suzy-woo, whod’ve thought?” She tapped a finger on his lip, grinning, “Someone’s got a man crush,” She arched an eyebrow and looked down at the mess in his lap, “…or at least he does now.”

Man crush…Suzaku had a moment of vertigo as the absolute outrageousness of her mocking became truly established as infuriating. First she’d…then she had the nerve to laugh at him about it…revenge, Suzaku concluded. He had to get horrible, horrible revenge. With that simple thought in mind was able to compose himself into the same eerie calm that a certain someone regularly displayed and looked Kallen straight in the face.

“I forgot to tell you,” Suzaku smiled, “I’ve got my gun back.”

Kallen’s smile froze, her eyes widened and she said, flatly, “Oh. I hadn’t heard.”

Suzaku’s smile broadened. Kallen leaned back, and Suzaku said, “You’ve got five minutes. Starting now.”

Kallen was cleaned up, dressed presentably, in her shoes and out the door in thirty seconds, running. Suzaku could hear her cursing all the way down the hall as he levered himself up from his chair to survey the massive damage to his papers and writing utensils. Still, he remained calm, so, so calm as he wondered how to cut Kallen off before she got to her car.

Suzaku tidied himself, screwed the countdown and checked his gun…and he didn’t have time to think about how his pulse was still pounding, his skin still thrumming in ridiculous, breathtaking pleasure.

***

After a day of chasing Kallen down the hallways and beating things and people up in the gym Suzaku had managed to achieve a sense of stability concerning the incident on his chair. He’d established that he’d never had a thought like that about a man, not even when some desperate guy at boot camp had made an offer to find a dark corner and blow off some steam…hairy chests and hard muscles just weren’t Suzaku’s thing. Ever since puberty started knocking down his door Suzaku had been all about vaginas and soft curves. Once the effects of the orgasm were gone Suzaku was able to put things into a little perspective. Everything was Kallen’s fault.

What also helped enormously was that if he did ever happen to ask Lamperouge nicely (and this was purely hypothetical) Suzaku was entirely sure that the man would just stare at him for a few seconds and then very calmly call security.

Lamperouge thought it was unprofessional to use their first names or laugh at a patient, the thought of allowing himself to have sex with Suzaku would probably give the doctor a minor stroke.

So, when Suzaku entered Lamperouge’s office it was with the knowledge that he had the whole ridiculous situation seared from his mind and was ready to get down to business as usual. He closed the door behind himself, smiled, and then made eye contact for the first time since the incident. Making eye contact, he quickly realized, was a mistake. Suzaku took one look into those oddly-colored eyes and blushed so hard that he was surprised the skin didn’t just start sloughing off. Lamperouge frowned a little, watching as Suzaku very carefully took his seat on the couch and dug his fingers into the pillow he put on his lap.

“…So,” Lamperouge had an odd, discomforted expression on his face that Suzaku couldn’t identify, almost as if he was observing at an interesting but possibly deadly animal, before the look smoothed into a simple and comfortable, calculating stare.

“I have a feeling that you and Agent Stadtfield spoke recently.” Lamperouge tilted his head, “Am I right?”

Suzaku gave him a brief nod/shake and pursed his lips together before giving his rapt attention to the lamp on the man’s desk.

Lamperouge stared for a few moments and added, “You do need to breathe eventually, Agent Kururugi. The brain requires a regular supply of oxygen to function properly and I’d like to have you at full capacity.”

Right. Breathing. Suzaku exhaled in a long rush and did feel a little lightheaded but better. Better enough to swing his attention back to Lamperouge.

They stared for another moment before Suzaku scowled and snapped, “Yeah. Kallen. That goddamned…I swear to god I’m gonna-”

Lamperouge raised a hand and Suzaku snapped his mouth shut.

“I sense…a hint of hostility,” Lamperouge cut in quickly, “You two had an altercation?”

After a moment of shifting nervously and working himself deeper into the couch Suzaku finally worked up the nerve to be slightly incoherent and horribly, awfully direct.

“We had sex in my office,” Suzaku allowed his anger to carry him through the rest, “That bitch-”

Lamperouge flinched a little and then sat up very straight as Suzaku, furious, continued to blush.

“-said something about me and you, right before I was about to-” Suzaku stuttered a little as the man’s eyes opened wider than Suzaku had ever seen, his eyebrows close to his hairline. “…y’know…”

After a few moments of complete silence Lamperouge’s voice was considerably strained, but the tone was even, thank god.

“That does,” Lamperouge made an odd face, “That does sound like something Agent Stadtfield would do.”

Lamperouge cleared his throat a little, blinked a few times and frowned, looking thoughtful. When he was done Suzaku was presented with a wry smile and a shaking head as he reached over for his phone. Suzaku panicked for a moment until Lamperouge said, “Yes, Agent Todoh, it’s Doctor Lamperouge. Could you do me a favor?”

There was a small pause before Lamperouge’s smile turned sharp, his fingers absently twisting in the cord.

“I’d appreciate it if you could ride Agent Stadtfield for a while. Just do what you always do…glower, make vague comments about performance reviews, aggressive leaning...Give her something to worry about for a while.”

He turned his head and smiled softly over at Suzaku and Suzaku felt…relieved, so damn relieved. Then Lamperouge turned his attention back to his ruthless retribution.

“No, you probably don’t want to know why.” Lamperouge’s voice was grim and very pointed, “But rest assured, she deserves every second…yes. Thank you.”

Then Lamperouge turned back to Suzaku, smiled that brief warm smile, and uncapped his pen, tapping it a few times against his pad. Lamperouge’s smile slipped into a soft regard as his voice dropped a little, giving a brief but thankful illusion of privacy.
Suzaku sighed as the session officially started.

“Now that that’s settled,” Lamperouge murmured, “…I think it’s time to revisit the subject of your father. Do you agree?”

The incident with Kallen dissolved entirely. Suzaku actually felt embarrassed about making such a fuss over such a little thing as he nodded reluctantly. This time he held the pillow softly, letting his hands rest atop it on his lap, leaning back as he tried to prepare himself for the past. It had only been a few days, but all those feelings about his father were still waiting beneath the surface of his thoughts, not nearly as caustic as before, but still intimidating and dangerous. Lamperouge nodded back just as soberly, making eye contact without any issue but a small softness that gave Suzaku comfort for what was about to come.

“Your father abused you.” Lamperouge said, “And you never did anything to deserve it, Agent Kururugi. I know you understand what I’m saying, but can you accept it as truth?”

Suzaku opened his mouth, closed it, and felt a sting in his eyes, inevitably turning into hot tears as he stared at his own hands. Lamperouge just nodded.

“It’s hard to say it out loud, isn’t it?” Lamperouge tilted his head forward. Suzaku nodded again, swiping at the dampness before it could leave his eyes.

“That’s normal,” Lamperouge added almost immediately before Suzaku starts feeling horrible for not being good enough to just repeat simple words. “Completely normal, Agent-”

“Suzaku,” He cut in, hating his tears and hating have them accompanied with the reminder that he was a man who should, at the very least, keep tears at bay. Lamperouge looked at him for a long before nodding his acceptance. That single nod gave Suzaku an immediate measure of relief, because as himself, as Suzaku…he’d been teased for being a crybaby more than once.

“You never deserved your father’s abuse, Suzaku. Not one single thing.”

Abuse…so many times the fists had been followed by the words ‘for your own good”…it was easier to think that the beatings were for his own good and not that his only parent turned the smallest upset into an excuse for a punch or a beer bottle against his head.

“Sometimes I did,” Suzaku muttered, looking down on the ground, “I wasn’t an easy kid…I got bad grades, got in fights…”

“Suzaku,” Lamperouge leaned forward until they were eye to eye, “I imagine it’s difficult to concentrate at school when you’re nursing a cracked rib. Your body automatically makes that your first priority. It would have been impossible for you to concentrate in that situation.”

“…but the fights…” Suzaku swallowed hard, turning his face away, “The kids I hung out with-”

“Taught you how to protect yourself and gave you the support your father should have been giving you all along.” Lamperouge leaned back, “And the fights…you couldn’t fight back at home, could you? That must have made you very angry and frustrated. Fighting was your outlet, and a fairly tame one at that.”

Suzaku just shook his head, wiping his eyes. He’d whispered these things to himself more than once, but hearing them aloud was like being slapped in the face, as if Lamperouge was screaming for the whole world to hear. There was no way Suzaku was going to add his own voice to the cacophony.

“I’m going to make an assumption. When I’m done I’d like you to tell me if I’ve read the situation correctly. Can you do that for me, Suzaku?”

After a tense silence Suzaku nodded. He could do that at least.

“Before the incident you were forced to stay away from your group for some reason. Your friends weren’t available…maybe the disbandment was natural circumstance, maybe you didn’t have time to be with them, maybe they’d been warned off.”

Suzaku processed the statement slowly before his head shot up in shock, remembering for the first time in years, how his father had smirked, drunk out of his mind, slurring, “Your friends…all cowards…just like you.”

“Yes,” Suzaku started shaking, furious, “He… that bastard, he-”

Lamperouge nodded grimly, showing no pleasure in the fact that his assumption had been correct.

“Your father was an excellent detective and detectives, in a whole, generally have an instinct about certain things. For one, the nature of a person and their emotional limits, what they need…and Suzaku, everyone needs some sort of support even if it’s just a single person who listens to you when you need them to. Someone who sympathizes.”

Staring at Lamperouge, mouth open, Suzaku felt his childhood shift drastically at the thought that his father might hate him enough to take everything he treasured.

“Mental abuse…physical abuse…and verbal abuse. Why should you blame yourself for trying to escape torture?” Lamperouge was insistent, soft, “You were only ten years old when your father finally pushed you too far and without anyone to fall back on you were alone against a man thirty years your senior who had proven he didn’t balk at the thought of beating his only child.”

Suzaku just continued to tremble, clutching the pillow close to his chest as he strained for some sort of comfort. There was nothing there but soft cotton fabric and filling, but the clutch gave his memory of a different moment when Suzaku had been allowed to center himself with an understanding, sympathetic embrace, one that made him feel, for a second, completely and entirely safe.

Lamperouge leaned on one hand, finally asking, “Are you going to allow him to continue that torture even when he’s gone, Suzaku? Or are you going to seriously consider that in this one incidence that you were the victim, that he was a criminal?”

“I…” Suzaku hated that word…victim, “I don’t…”

Lamperouge took one more long look at him and set his pen flat on the pad, nodding.

“You have had more than enough to think about today.” He smiled a little, “Write in your journal and try making up with Agent Stadtfield if you have the time. When she comes to apologize accept and move on. Having to deal with Todoh is punishment enough.”

Suzaku snorted, slowly recovering from melancholia with something new to think about.

“Kallen doesn’t-”

Lamperouge stood, a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips and Suzaku could only sigh in defeat as he turned away. If Lamperouge said that Kallen was going to have a massive identity crisis and actually apologize to him then she would. There wasn’t any point in arguing.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll accept.” Suzaku put the cushion back and stretched, “I might even write about it in my journal. Maybe.”

Lamperouge didn’t say anything as Suzaku walked out but Suzaku was fairly sure that the doctor was rolling his eyes.

***

“Oh. Shit.” Suzaku grasped at the wall and lost half of the DVDs he had had stacked in his arms. The jewel cases made a noise like shattering glass as they scattered across the hall. Bradley made a similar exclamation as his files fluttered all over the carpet. The man was enormous and he’d been going fast. Suzaku felt like he’d been rebounded off a brick wall.

He looked down in horror to see that nearly all the jewel cases had exploded on impact, leaving bare DVDs scattered. Some of them had actually rolled down the hall. Bradley looked like he was about to die, cursing and pale as he stooped down into the mess.

“I’ve got it,” Suzaku assured him, “I’ll get it, just a second. Everything’s fine.”

“Christ.” Bradley gasped, ignoring him entirely, “Get out of the way!”

Suzaku really had no choice but to get out of the way, standing up against the wall with his hands raised and trying not to step on anything important. He watched uncomfortably as Bradley huffed, down on his knees.

“I can…the stuff down the hall-”

“Don’t move.” Bradley snapped, clearly giving an order. Suzaku stayed where he was put. After a terrible fifteen minutes Bradley handed him a stack, puffing like he’d run a mile and obviously furious as he walked away. The only thing left for Suzaku to do was to go back to his little closet with another week’s worth of Clovis’ sad, pathetic life. Suzaku entered the room to the sound of something breakable being very broken.

“Shit.” Suzaku sighed, flipping on the light with his elbow he managed to make it the rest of the way into the room without shattering anything, but it was close. He’d only broken a case but there was a bare DVD resting precisely where he would have taken his second step. It survived unscathed and unscratched only to be stared at inquisitively for half an hour.

All of the DVDs pertaining to Clovis were blue, color coding was entirely necessary when they weren’t working with pure data. Schneizer’s color was gold.

The DVD in Suzaku’s hand was gold and even more interestingly, unlabeled. Suzaku had two choices; take it back to Bradley…or watch it and then take it back to Bradley. He knew exactly what protocol dictated but Suzaku was entirely bored with Clovis and had an open DVD player sitting right in front of him. The disk was practically begging to be watched. Suzaku sat a little straighter in his chair and obliged, popping the DVD inside and pushing play. Just like all DVDs pertaining to the investigation there was a serial code, date and location before the recording began.

Suzaku watched carefully as Schneizer walked through the doors of the Hilton hotel.

He registered under the name Reginald Charles.

***

Nine in the evening on a Friday and Lamperouge was still at his desk typing away at his laptop. He was flipping through the notepad that he used during their sessions, Suzaku realized after a few moments, and transcribing the data into his personal files. Every few minutes he would sip at a steeping mug of tea, staring at the screen with a soft, pensive gaze before typing a few more sentences with his free hand.

Suzaku watched for a long time before Lamperouge noticed him in the doorway.

“Agen…Suzaku…” Lamperouge’s worried expression was bathed in the warm glow of his desk lamp. “What’s wrong?”

Suzaku found that despite his rage, his disgust and sudden desperate loneliness, he couldn’t speak.

Suzaku couldn’t speak, so he pulled himself together acted. He took three short strides to stand behind the doctor’s desk for the first time. From the position he could see that the couch against the wall looked very small, and very worn in from all the agents who had walked straight into the lion’s den without ever suspecting…Suzaku was barely breathing, staring into Lamperouge’s alarmed eyes as he looked for some sort of hint that the man was a traitor.

There was nothing. Lamperouge was just that good, that smart, but it only took one mistake to bring down a man and an empire. Todoh’s chance had been sitting under their noses the whole time, listening to their fears, their sorrows, while mercilessly bringing every agonizing secret into the light.

Lamperouge was the perfect mole. He had access to everything to everything in the building, even to the agent’s minds.

He’d been so helpful, giving Suzaku tips about taking on the Britannians. Had he been laughing inside the entire time? Suzaku found his anger, and in his anger he found his voice. Lamperouge was starting to stand when Suzaku broke the silence and then he dropped heavily back into his chair.

“It’s over.” Suzaku said softly, letting every emotion but his anger slip away, “You’ve been found out.”

Lamperouge didn’t ask questions and he didn’t bolt, he merely succumbed, leaning back into the chair with his face pale in shock if not in fear. He’d seen the look before so Suzaku could identify the moment the man stopped panicking and began to think, to plot-

“Don’t bother.” Suzaku pulled the cuffs from his back pocket, “We all know you’re smart, Lamperouge, but we’ve got you on surveillance. You’re not smart enough to get out of this one.”

Suzaku was silently but viciously satisfied when Lamperouge’s expression finally settled on fear.

Reaching down Suzaku took one slim, trembling hand in his own and brought the cuffs down. The Doctor’s whole body jerked with sudden, final snap, which seemed incredibly loud compared to the tense silence. Suzaku tightened the cuff until the man winced, his bright wide eyes turning away from Suzaku’s own. It was only when Lamperouge’s face was fully turned away, raising his other hand for similar treatment that Suzaku was able to speak again.

“You have the right to remain silent…”

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