Best Present Ever

Here it is! The last chapter for Best Present Ever, at last. You have no idea how many times I’ve tweaked and redone this chapter. I’m still not completely satisfied. Any way I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 3: Night’s End
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The first thing Suzaku noticed was the scent. Strawberry seemed to surround him, invading the rest of his senses. The warmth was the second thing he noticed. He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so soundly. He didn’t want to move but it seemed military engraving was going to win as his mind and began to clear.

Sitting up his bare body was soon covered in goosebumps as the blankets slid off of him. Hesitantly he snuck a glance to the other half of the bed. Surprisingly the raven haired teen was gone. The brunette ran his hand over the space the boy had occupied. He couldn’t have been gone very long. The sheets still held the boys warmth and sweet scent. Suzaku doubted he’d be able forget the scent or the memories associated with it.

The knight felt his pulse quicken as his mind replayed the events of the previous night. His fingertips burned as he remembered caressing flawless, pale flesh. He saw violet eyes, dazed with pleasure, soft mewls and gasps rung in his ears. A muffled noise in the other room drew him out of his memories instantly. ‘Is he still here?’ the brunette wondered.

Reluctantly Suzaku removed himself from the bed and hissed as his bare feet met cold floorboards. Without much thought he wrapped a nearby robe around himself. The knight was so distracted trying to tie the robe closed he almost tripped over something. Suzaku quickly regained his footing and stooped to pick up the item. It was a soft strip of fabric. Emerald eyes widened in surprise. It was one of the ribbons the teen had been tied up with when he first found him.

Cautiously Suzaku crossed the rest of the room. He followed the sounds into the kitchen. As he suspected, the raven haired teen was there. The teen, currently wearing blue jeans, a faded red jacket, and what looked like a black turtleneck, turned at the sound of Suzaku’s approach. The knight was greeted with a smile.

“Good morning.” The violet eyed youth said. Said teen was standing next to the granite counter. It looked like he had been staring out of the small window over the sink.

“Morning.” Suzaku answered. The knight gasped as he caught sight of the clock. It was almost eleven.

“Don’t worry.” The teen said reading the knight’s reaction, “Gino called, said he covered for you. You don’t have to report in until this afternoon.”

“Oh. Thanks” Suzaku said with a sigh of relief and sank into a nearby chair at the table. The knight jumped as a loud beep cut through the morning’s peace. The teen chuckled and made his way to the coffeemaker.

“Are you always this jumpy in the morning?” he asked. Suzaku chose to ignore the jab and went to the cabinet, taking out two coffee mugs and handing them over to the teen.

“Thanks.” The teen said pouring both of them a cup of the steaming, dark liquid. “I helped myself to your shower and kitchen. I hope you don’t mind.” He said a little nervously as they each took a seat at the nearby table.

“No that’s fine.” Suzaku said taking a sip of his coffee. “By the way you forgot this.” The knight held the ribbon out to the teen and was amused by the small blush that crept its way onto the teen’s face.

“Thanks.” He said taking the ribbon and putting it in his pocket. “You know those weren’t my idea.” The boy muttered keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the table in front of him.

“Really?” the knight asked teasingly. Immediately he was pinned by a harsh glare from the other.

“It’s true.” The boy said, “Gino was the one who insisted on it. I’ll say this, though, the man knows his way around a knot.”

“Gino?” Suzaku asked “How do you know Gino?” Violet eyes widened in slight surprise. The teen looked away as his blush deepened.

“Well… I’m not supposed to tell you this but…” the teen risked a quick glance at the knight, “He’s sort of a… a frequent customer.”

“One of your customers?” Suzaku asked surprised at the surge of jealousy he felt at the thought. The teen smiled.

“Oh no. not mine.” He said, “Gino only goes there for only one person. I can’t tell you who she is, though, she’d kill me.” He said. The teen hid a shutter as his mind provided an image of ice blue eyes filled with flames. It was a look that absolutely promised bodily harm.

Suzaku sighed softly with relief. He didn’t like the idea of the teen with other people. Still, he couldn’t see Gino sneaking into his room and tying the naked teen to his bed. Wait. Naked?

“Where did you get those clothes?” Suzaku asked.

“I had them when I came here.” The teen replied, “You didn’t think I showed up naked did you?” Suzaku looked away embarrassed. The teen laughed. “You know, for a knight, you’re incredibly naive.” Suzaku glared at him.

“You lied to me.” The knight accused angrily.

“No I didn’t.” the teen said still smiling, “If you recall I asked if you were going to make me leave.”

“What else did you lie about?”

“I told you I didn’t lie.” The teen insisted, “I just told you what I needed to.” Suzaku looked blank. “You’re one of those people that go out of their way to help others. I just played on that a bit.”

“And you made up that story about your “employers” getting mad at you?” the knight asked. The teen shook his head.

“Are you joking? Sneaking into a government building? Not to mention the client is a knight of the rounds? We’re charging your friend a fortune. Of course I’d be punished if I didn’t come.” Suzaku fell silent.

“Why do you stay with them?” the knight asked, “I mean… if they treat you badly, why don’t you leave?”
Now it was the boy’s turn to look blank. “Treat me… Oh no!” the teen began to laugh again.

“No.” he explained, “Physical abuse is not tolerated at the club. When I said punished I meant they’d probably have me on the cleaning or cooking staff. Don’t get me wrong, I like cooking and I’m pretty good at it but for that many people? It gets a bit tiring.” ‘Well that explains why there weren’t any marks on him.’ Suzaku thought. He’d seen to that quite thoroughly the previous night.
Suzaku sighed. “I feel like a complete idiot.” He said out loud staring up at the ceiling.

“That’s fine.” The teen said with a chuckle, “You’re cute when you’re being manipulated.” The teen quickly stood and glanced out the window again. He cast a glare at the empty street.

“Who are you waiting for?” Suzaku asked.

“My employers. They said they’d be here to pick me up in ten minutes.” The teen glanced at the clock, “Of course that was over half an hour ago.” He said irritably.

Now it was Suzaku's turn to laugh. “Are you in that much of a hurry to leave?” The raven haired boy turned back to face the knight. He let his eyes trail over the other taking in the knight’s disheveled appearance. Mussed chestnut colored hair, the slightly opened robe exposing part of a perfectly sculpted chest, and deep emerald eyes completely focused on his own fully expecting an answer.

“Not really. No.” he said his mouth suddenly dry. The sound of a car screeching to a halt pulled his stare back to the window. He sighed as he spotted a familiar black Mercedes. Suzaku came to stand behind him.

“That’s them?” he asked. The teen nodded. From here, the tinted windows obscured his view so he couldn’t see the person behind the wheel. Without thinking Suzaku wrapped is arms around the teen’s waist and pulled him close.

“Why don’t we keep them waiting for a while?” he asked. The teen smiled and turned to brush his lips against the brunette’s.

“I’d love to.” He said before pressing his lips more firmly against the knights. The teen felt Suzaku’s arms tighten and sighed as he pulled back. He gave the brunette an apologetic smile as he broke away.

“Sorry.” He said, “I have to go.” Suzaku leaned reluctantly against the counter as the boy turned to go.

“W-will I see you again?” he asked softly. The teen paused. He reached into his back pocket and took out a small black card with a dark red, winged symbol on the back ground. Printed on the front was the title “Club Geass” and on the back a single address.

“That’s up to you.” The teen said, placing the card in Suzaku’s hand. Before he could pull away the knight grabbed his hand.

“You never told me your name.” his grip relaxed allowing the teen to move away.

“Lelouch.” He said as he made his way to the door, “Lelouch Lamperouge.”
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Golden eyes snapped open as a familiar form appeared.

“Witch.” The approaching teen greeted the woman leaning against the shiny black vehicle looking positively bored. Said woman simply smirked flipping her long lime green hair over her shoulder.

“Kid.” She replied straitening up and brushing invisible dust off her pristine white suit. “It’s about time.”

“Says the woman forty five minutes late.” Lelouch quipped.

“What can I say? Our perception of time has become a bit skewed over the years.” Climbing back into the driver’s seat she was nice enough to wait for the teen’s door to swing closed before pealing off. Lelouch quickly snapped his seatbelt on.

“Have a fun night Lulu?” Asked the third companion. Lelouch met similar lavender eyes in the rearview mirror.

“Surprisingly yes.” He answered the tiny blonde in the passenger seat. C.C. grinned as cut across the next lane only just staying under the speed limit.

“Maybe Kallen should play matchmaker more often.” She commented.

“How do we know this one wasn’t a fluke?” V.V. inquired. Lelouch tuned the two out as they began to discuss possibilities of the redhead pairing up new clients and staff members. Still, he wanted to thank Kallen for volunteering him for this assignment. The fiery redhead had practically shoved him out the door with Gino and had fixed him with her signature glare when he tried to protest.

‘I wonder when he’ll show up.’ He thought to himself suspecting the knight was wondering the same. He was right.

End
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Finally! The end. Please tell me what you think. Oh and I’m also thinking of another story going through lulu’s life at the club and his relationship with Suzaku.