Happiness In Slavery R2

TURN 6


The room was relatively still and quiet, the only sounds being the faint static hum of so many monitors and occasional shuffling of one other team member who, reasonably content that Lelouch was doing nothing more deviant than making a sandwich on the monitor screen, was leafing through a magazine. Rolo went to the archive monitor, fortunately located away from the other man. He flicked quickly to the location and time slot of the recordings which might have caught his damning interlude with the target, but sighed quietly with relief. That monitor obviously hadn't been recording at that time - he felt a great weight lift from him as he realized that he hadn't compromised his position in the team. Hadn't jeopardized his opportunity to remain close to Lelouch.

"I'm returning to headquarters now" he announced, and the guy nodded his head in acknowledgment.

He backed out of the room and closed the heavy door carefully. But as it clicked shut a hand grabbed his shoulder hard and forcefully yanked him away from the door. Rolo coughed, winded, as he was spun round and slammed into the opposite wall. The merciless grip tightened next on his blazer collar and forced his face upwards, to meet an enraged pair of eyes that practically spat green fire.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" His voice was a low, animalistic snarl.

"L... Lord Kururugi..." Rolo stuttered, wide-eyed with surprise as the Knight towered over him. "Wh.. what's the matter...erk..."

He choked as Suzaku twisted the material in his fist tighter. "I think you know."

Rolo clutched desperately at Suzaku's hand, pressing himself back against the stainless steel wall of the tunnel, trying to slide away but he was caught firm. "Lord Kururugi... please... I don't know what you want... let me go!"

"The truth!" Suzaku spat as Rolo cowered. "Don't fucking play dumb!"

"Kururugi... please... it hurts.."

"You weren't due to be in the operations room today... "

"I... I thought I'd left a file in there.."

"Liar!" Suzaku hissed, pressing his neck back against the wall hard. Rolo's eyes watered. "I know what you were doing just now..."

Rolo felt his heart drop like a stone and his legs weakening. Oh God, don't say it... please don't...

"You were going to erase a recording..." his voice was low, dangerous.

Rolo swallowed nervously, but maintained his clueless facade. Suzaku couldn't possibly know could he? There had been no recording that he had found...

"Why would I be..." but he was cut short as though Suzaku knew he was going to deny it further.

"Well, there's no need to worry..." he whispered in a horribly mocking tone of fake reassurance, a nasty grin tugging at one corner of his mouth, absolute confidence in what he was about to say next "I got there and erased it first."

Rolo could only look at him strickenly.

"You could have wrecked the whole operation.."

"He... doesn't suspect..."

"IDIOT"" Suzaku hissed loudly in his face, making Rolo shrink back even more. "If he does, do you think he would make it that obvious! You know full well how dangerous he is as well as the stakes resting on this mission. This is a matter of international security!"

Rolo screwed his eyes shut. " Are you going to... report me?"

"No."

Rolo staggered away from Suzaku as he released him.

"The evidence is gone and I am the only one who knows. We can only hope that this hasn't affected everything we've worked on so far." He glared at Rolo darkly "Don't you ever do anything like that again.."

Without even waiting for an answer, the green eyed monster turned and swept away down the hall.

***

Suzaku locked himself in his room, still dim from the closed curtains which he hadn't drawn when he had woken up. When he had sat up slowly, disorientated, his mouth dry as a desert and his head pounding. On the bedside table sat a half empty glass of water, a mostly empty whiskey bottle, and a piece of paper pushed under it. Suzaku leant over to grasp the paper, wincing as the movement made his body ache. He felt like he'd been hit by a bus. Collapsing back against the pillows breathing shallowly against the nausea, he squinted at the words on the sheet.

Thought you'd feel a bit rough when you woke up so I left to give you some space. I'm gonna drop by about six-ish - if you don't want to see me don't answer. I'll understand. Gino x

Suzaku tensed. Flashbacks of the previous night started to come back to him. He had stormed back after witnessing Rolo attempting to seduce Lelouch, and too pained to know what to do with his rage, had ended up rooting recklessly through the common room cabinet for the strongest liquor it held. Not used to drinking spirits, the first swigs were agony as they seared his throat and stomach, but as the alcohol took effect, leading him down into a less agitated stupor, it was becoming less harsh the more he drank. He vaguely recalled Gino appearing at some point, and then he was back in his room. Gino had undressed him.. which was why he was still naked now. And then... then...

Suzaku got shakily out of the bed, his hand clamped to his mouth as he staggered to the bathroom. He crashed to his knees before the toilet and retched, but only a thin, watery stream of bile came up. He panted harshly, white spots dancing before his eyes, his body shaking with the effort of holding up his aching frame. A tickling sensation moving down the inside of his thigh distracted him and he rubbed at it, but his fingers came back wet, smudged with a slightly viscous, white fluid. Suzaku's eyes widened with horror, and his stomach clenched again.

Exhausted, and certain he couldn't throw up anymore, Suzaku dragged himself back to bed. Oh God... Gino... I threw myself at him... He had a dim recollection of being on his back and Gino looking down at him, his blue eyes lit with passion although his expression seemed concerned, his hands holding Suzaku's legs apart as he thrust in between them...

How am I going to explain... I don't want to have to tell the truth...

And right now his mind still wandered miserably, even though confronting Rolo had lifted some weight from his heavy heart. But was it possible that Lelouch had discovered the plot... had Rolo told him? Or were his memories returning? Or worse yet... was he really the kind of person who would lay hands on his own brother... maybe that sick desire wasn't just restricted to the Second Prince Schniezel. His Lelouch.... Lelouch should be belong to him and no-one else... He shrugged off his cloak and lay down heavily on his bed, still mussed from the night before, the barest scent of Gino still seeming to linger in the fabric... or maybe that was just a guilty imagining. He himself was hardly untainted now... drink and desperation had led him to pull a pretty stupid stunt himself. He wondered how he was going to try and patch things up... Gino would be coming to see him in a few hours time. He had gradually recovered from the nausea and pounding headache but he still felt debilitatingly fatigued.

He came to with a start at a gentle rapping on his room door. He glanced up at the wall clock... it had just gone six. He ran his fingers agitatedly through his hair... he'd slept through the whole afternoon and now Gino was outside as promised.

"Suzaku?" a voice called softly. It was definitely Gino.

Suzaku got up and walked to the door. He hesitated, his heart thudding painfully in his chest, an embarrassed flush already topping his cheeks, but then he forced his hand to move to the handle, flipping back the catch and pulling it gently inwards. A shaft of light spilled into the room from the corridor beyond, but then it was blocked as Gino, equally hesitant in his movements, peered slowly round.

Suzaku looked up at him from the dimness of the room beyond, his face starkly illuminated by the bright light from the corridor behind him, his eyes huge and vividly green, his expression like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. It was a relief to see him up and dressed, even if he appeared to be once again sitting alone in the dark.

"Do you want me to come in for a while?" Gino tried gently, no pressure.

"Okay.." Suzaku drew back and Gino stepped into the room.

"Do you wanna put your bedside lamp on... the other lights might be a bit bright."

Suzaku nodded, sitting down on his bed and leaning over to switch the lamp on. Gino sat down as well, but kept a respectful distance.

"How you feeling now?"

"Rough, but I'll live" Suzaku looked at his hands clasped in his lap.

"Suzaku... you're... not mad at me are you?" Gino glanced sideways at Suzaku nervously, but the other Knight's gaze stayed fixed in his lap. "Because of what happened... do you remember?"

Suzaku nodded.

"I shouldn't have taken advantage... even though you were kinda insistent. And you said you'd done it before, which threw me..."

Suzaku tensed, but Gino continued.

"I like you a lot Suzaku, I don't want any bad feeling between us."

Gino is a really nice, genuine guy, Suzaku thought miserably. And in a moment of madness I could have wrecked it all.

To the side of this fixed gaze, Gino moved closer. His fingers stroked down Suzaku's jaw gently, but firmly tilted his chin up to face him.

He's not Lelouch though... not Lelouch...

His eyes slid shut as Gino kissed him.

***

The school regime resumed with the arrival of Monday morning. Rolo barely paid any attention to any of his classes, too eager to find Lelouch for lunch. He found the usual suspects in attendance as he walked into the common room. Milly was tutting.

"Rivalz..." She sighed with exasperation "I thought you were done leading Lelouch astray like this."

"I know, I know..." Rivalz apologized a little sheepishly, but his eyes still twinkled with amusement. "But how could we turn down such an invite? To play in the Babel Tower of all places in that exclusive club!"

"We all know you're only interested because it's a bunny girl club" Shirley said, pinking slightly, making it just a little obvious that she didn't approve of Lelouch going, but not because of the gambling.

"What's going on?" Rolo asked as he dropped his bag on the table. "Who's going to the Babel Tower?"

"Lelouch wants to... it's another chess match."

So it is going ahead... Rolo thought dejectedly. He had been called unexpectedly to a meeting on the Sunday night to be informed that the Britannina HQ had planned and now intended to implement another trap to flush out C.C. and the remaining Black Knights. Only three major operations had been executed before, each engineering a premise for Lelouch to leave the Academy into an area where the Black Knights would have the best chance to strike if they intended to, but all had been quiet and uneventful.

"Rivalz, you have a test the day you intend to sneak out, and i can't allow you to skip it" Milly tutted, waving her finger.

"But Presideeeeeent..." Rivalz whined.

That test had been engineered too. Rolo cleared his throat.

"I have a free period, I can go along and keep and eye on him"

"Ah there we go!" Milly said brightly as Rivalz' face fell. Lelouch gave him an apologetic shrug.

"I'd rather stay out of these petty politcis, I'm only interested in the match."

"It's decided then, Rolo is more sensible than you anyway Rivalz" Milly laughed as Rivalz banged his head down on the desk in exasperation.

"You can still help me get out, Rivalz" Lelouch offered comfortingly. "I'll be skipping a remedial PE lesson for this and Miss Viletta will be after me, and I'll need you to aid my successfully escape."

"Argg... whatever..." Rivalz mumbled into the desk.

"Anyway, enough chatter about that, we were going to review the summer event schedule over lunch" Milly brightly changed the subject, pulling out an A4 organizer. "I want good suggestions for themes and activities."

"I've got a bit of a headache from my last class, the room was a bit stuffy," Rolo interjected. "I came to see if Lelouch wanted to get outside for some fresh air with me."

"Sure." Lelouch got to his feet. "We'll only stay out for the first half of lunch hour, I promise we'll be back to offer our ideas too."

"You had better" Milly waved her pen at him, grinning.

It was hot outside, so the pair quickly sought shade under a tree. Lelouch took a swig from the drink he had brought out with him, and offered it to Rolo. Rolo gazed out over the gardens, very much preoccupied by the details of the plan. Hopefully, it would be another failure and there would be no threat to his peaceful existence with Lelouch. He stole a sideways glance at Lelouch, who also seemed far away, thinking about something. He didn't want this to have to end.

"I'm sorry" he said quietly "I didn't mean to put you in an awkward position on Saturday night.."

"Hmmm..." Lelouch looked at him as though he had only half heard, then he coloured a little as he realized what Rolo was referring to. "Oh... no... you didn't do anything... inappropriate."

"I love you Brother, I wouldn't ever want to upset you."

"Don't be silly.." Lelouch put his arm around Rolo's shoulders and drew him close. Rolo sank against him with contented relief.

But it wasn't enough to chase away the unease settling over his heart.

***

Suzaku's mobile phone went off, but he ignored it, pulling Gino closer as the blonde Knight moved against him. When they were both finally spent, and Gino was snoring softly in a satiated slumber, Suzaku inched carefully out from beside him and walked to his desk to pick up the phone. Only one missed call from Viletta, and a voice message.

Suzaku listened, semen running slowly down the insides of his legs and his expression hardening as he took in the news.