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[Code Geass] Pilate's Court 1 (3015 words)
Fandom: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Character/Pairing(s): none
Rating: let's put this at PG-13 for blood
Warning: I don't know what's
Summary: Had an idea. Ran with it. Something about a blood curse from someone in a recently conquered Area who hates Britannia. I am tired and in pain and going to transfer some of my pain onto these characters, I'm sorry Lelouch, it just means I love you. It's about 3am and my writing is so shallow right now, but. oh well. sorry, Suzaku.
It was Wednesday when Suzaku was finally able to make it back to school thanks to Princess Euphemia’s announcement to the ASEEC that there would be no operations held that day, as Princess Cornelia had cancelled all drills for the duration. Lunchtime when it happened.
The metal cafeteria tray dropped next to them with a loud clatter just as Rivalz sat down next to him, and the shorter boy was quick to apologize for the noise as Lelouch winced from Suzaku’s other side.
“Sorry, sorry,” Rivalz said, his voice pitched in a stage whisper as he moved his tray away slightly and as quietly as possible. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the nurse’s office, Lelouch?”
“Is the headache not better?” Shirley asked as she sat down opposite them, her movements much quieter and graceful as she did her best to not aggravate anything. “Do you want another advil, Lulu?”
Lelouch made a disgruntled noise behind the hands bracing his temples, leaning on his elbows toward the table enough that his bangs covered his face, and Suzaku attempted to translate for his friend, “He says he’s fine. He already took two pills an hour ago, I don’t think he’s supposed to take another one for a few hours yet.”
“Certainly doesn’t look fine to me,” Kallen commented demurely from where she sat next to Shirley, and the other girl gave a worried hum of agreement. They managed to secure a table far away from everyone else, on the grass and under the shade of a tree, hoping that the distance from the rest of the students’ cacophony would help in some manner. “I think you’re supposed to breathe into a paper bag with migraines.”
“I’m fine,” Lelouch gritted out lowly, although his voice was shaky. “We have that oral presentation next period, and Mr. Schmitz doesn’t allow for any absences.”
“Pass or fail,” Rivalz groaned in agreement. “The only way out of it is death, and it’s worth a quarter of our grades.”
“I don’t think anyone should be allowed to do that,” Shirley argued back, although her tone was much softer than normal for Lelouch’s benefit.
“I heard from Lucy that two years ago a girl was admitted to the hospital and Mr. Schmitz still failed her because she wasn’t there,” Rivalz told them conspiratorially.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Shirley told him. “Those are just rumors.”
Suzaku only gave a nervous laugh, knowing that it was always completely random whether he had the time to attend school or not, and that most teachers might be eager to grasp at whatever reason they could to fail him. “I guess we have to give that presentation… huh…”
Lelouch gave a soft and unhappy sound next to him, and Suzaku dared just enough to reach out and pat his friend’s arm soothingly in a way he hoped would be both comforting but also not worsen the migraine.
“Maybe it’s a bug going around,” Rivalz suggested instead, digging into his food until he started speaking with his mouth full and Kallen made a noise of disgust. “Apparently quite a few interviews were cancelled today. Nina’s still despairing because Princess Euphemia postponed her televised speech on the reconstruction of Shinjuku.”
“She shouldn’t spend so much of her time focused on a royal,” Kallen scolded lightly, picking at her food, “it’s not like any of us will ever close enough to catch the attention of one. Well, outside of you, Suzaku.”
Suzaku only managed an uneasy smile at that,staying quiet and hoping no one would turn to him in that moment and trying hard not to look in Lelouch’s direction.
“Our very own knight in shining armor,” Rivalz lauded dramatically, sneakily wrapping an arm around Suzaku’s shoulders as he leaned onto the other boy. Lelouch only grunted a bit as it meant Suzaku was dragged in the opposite direction, hand still on Lelouch’s arm. It made Suzaku let go quickly, murmuring quick and quiet apologies under his breath at disturbing his friend. “Protector of the weak, slayer of evil-doers, the very epitome of—”
He was interrupted as Lelouch stood abruptly, pushing himself with his arms and taking a mere second to stabilize himself, face extraordinarily pale as he excused himself in a murmur and set off away in half-running footsteps.
“Was it too much?” Rivalz asked guiltily, his voice now back to the stage whisper from before even as Kallen wondered aloud, “Maybe he needed to throw up?”
“I’ll make sure he’s okay,” Suzaku said quickly before he was up as well abandoning his lunch at the table to chase down his friend.
“I’ll go, too!” Shirley insisted, only a mere half-step behind him.
Lelouch hadn’t managed to get very far, collapsed on the roots of another tree just a few meters into the field, and Suzaku watched his shaking form with worry as he approached and dropped to his knees next to him, trying to make his every movement softer somehow because it was so unlike Lelouch to show any weakness at all that the migraine must be getting absolutely terrible, and— “Okay, that’s it. We’re getting you to the nurse’s office. I’m sure you don’t need a good grade in Geography, anyway.”
Shirley went down to her knees next to Suzaku, and added in a soothing tone, “Yes, your health is far more important, Lulu!”
Suzaku had been willing to spot the painkillers that morning when Lelouch showed up far too pale and grimacing at lights and sounds, and then again a few classes in when his condition only looked to have deteriorated, but this was more than what a few little painkillers could help with now.
“Suzaku?” Lelouch asked, voice hoarse as he squinted up at the boy. His eyes were dilated until it looked black rather than the normal violet, and he was somehow both flushed and pale, skin dotted with perspiration and his hands cupped in front of his face in what Suzaku originally assumed was a stance to help his nausea and hopefully prevent himself from throwing up. That notion was shattered as he saw the gleaming beads of red that dripped from between pale fingers, and Suzaku’s level of concern immediately skyrocketed into a nearly full-fledged panic. “...I don’t think it’s a migraine.”
“Lulu!” Shirley screamed out in panic as Lelouch collapsed that very moment, eyes falling shut and his hands dropping to reveal the nosebleed, and Suzaku dived in to catch him, also giving a shout of alarm. It masked a very similar shout across the field as Suzaku felt the clammy skin of Lelouch’s forehead against his throat, panic rising higher as he saw the dots of red blood coming from his ears.
“Shirley,” Suzaku said shakily, slipping an arm around Lelouch’s slack shoulders and another under his knees, silently apologizing to his friend for drawing attention like that but unwilling to take the time to arrange something less conspicuous, “we’re getting him to a doctor asap. I need you to clear a path—”
“Got it,” the girl told him, already on her feet again, also looking pale as she stared at Lelouch with frightened eyes.
The two of them made their way to the school buildings at a running pace, with Shirley five steps ahead and shouting at the smattering of students still in the halls to get out of the way, and Suzaku following briskly while carrying someone who was far too light for his height, why hadn’t he noticed—
Luckily, they only had to run past a few handfuls of lingering students who jumped out of the way immediately as Shirley yelled at them, down to the faculty hall where the nurse’s office was, the room large and opulent as the rest of the buildings, with Shirley opening the door with a bang and shouting for someone to help her as Suzaku pushed past her to set Lelouch down on one of the unoccupied cots (there didn’t seem to be anyone else there, luckily enough) and wondered what he could do now that they were here, until large hands pushed him away efficiently.
“Wait outside,” the nurse, who was a large and muscular woman with blonde hair in a tight braid bun on the back of her head, demanded of them. “One of you call the principal, the other keep busybodies out of here. Now!”
Her tone had them rushing to obey, with Shirley diving for the phone and Suzaku stepping away from the cot reluctantly, eyes on Lelouch the entire time and his heart in his chest, wondering if was watching as something terrible unfolded that he was powerless to do anything about.
—
It wasn’t Principal Ruban Ashford who showed up minutes later while both Suzaku and Shirley were waiting pale-faced right outside the infirmary doors, but rather a grim-looking Milly Ashford who, for the first time since the entire time Suzaku had known her, looked frazzled as she spoke quietly on her cell phone, blue eyes scanning them both but for a moment before she entered the infirmary without any more acknowledgement, closing the door tightly behind her before Shirley could get in a question or protest.
Shirley, who had been halfway to standing, could only sit back down in a graceless manner like a marionette with her strings cut, face paling further.
“I’m sure everything will be okay,” Suzaku tried to tell her, even if the words felt flat in his mouth. His own worries made it all seem like lies, as his mind went over the day trying to figure out what he could have done differently: should he have insisted from the very beginning that Lelouch rest in the nurse’s office even known the other boy’s stubborn insistence on his own way? How could he have done it, though?
“You’re right, of course,” Shirley told him hollowly, sounding as fake as him.
It was mere minutes later when Milly exited the infirmary again, once again shutting the doors behind her, and Shirley and Suzaku ignored the ringing bells calling students back from their lunch break to their next class. It wasn’t as if Suzaku had prepared anything for Mr. Schmitz’s class, anyway, and he didn’t care if he passed or failed when he hadn’t expected to be able to go through high school to begin with.
“How is Lulu?” Shirley asked immediately, already standing from her seat with her hands wrung in front of her.
“He’s fine,” Milly told them tightly, her usual smile strained on her face. “Where did the two of you find him again?”
Shirley explained the events of the day, and Milly just shook her head and told them, “He must have run into that tree. Bruised his nose, poor thing. Knocked himself out. Must have been disoriented by the migraine—”
“People don’t bleed from their ears when they run into something,” Shirley interrupted shrilly. Suzaku could only agree with her, even if he didn’t vocalize it, instead watching Milly’s reactions carefully from where he remained seated.
“It’s what happened to Lelouch,” Milly told them calmly, “and that’s what you’re going to say if anyone asks.”
Those words made Shirley’s jaw snap shut in an audible click, eyes widening at the evidence of deception.
“Where’s Principal Ashford?” Suzaku hedged instead, because he heard how hysterical Shirley sounded over the phone, and knew that the Lamperouges were considered wards of the Ashford family. If something as serious as he suspected happened to Lelouch, he was fairly certain that Lord Ashford should have come down himself rather than sending Milly.
“He’s busy with an incident on the middle school campus,” Milly told them, which somehow only made Suzaku’s stomach drop further. She must have seen the look on their faces, because Milly then smiled at them gently, and told them, “Don’t worry, you guys. We’re going to send Lelouch to get checked over at the hospital, so he might miss a few days of school, but I’ll get a doctor’s note for you. Is this about Mr. Schmitz’s class? Suzaku, I can get you a note to excuse your absence, too. All those stories are only rumors— he talks big, but Mr. Schmitz is a big softie underneath and would definitely allow you to redo the presentation later. I think he started all the rumors himself just so people wouldn’t realize what a big softie he is.”
Milly’s expression softened after that, smile falling to something gentler, and a little sadder, “Go back to class, you two. There’s nothing more you can do here. Explain it to the others so that they don’t panic.”
Shirley very reluctantly unclenched her fists, brows drawn together in worry even as she nodded in agreement and allowed herself to be hustled away by Milly, clearly with more questions that she desperately wanted to ask.
“Suzaku,” Milly said with a faux cheeriness as she pushed as Shirley around the corner, “stay for a minute, though, will you? I’ve got a phone call waiting for you in the office.”
—
It turned out to not be a phone call so much as Cecile Croomy who had come to pick him up, after having phoned the school to excuse Suzaku from his classes for the rest of the day. Lloyd wasn’t with her that moment, but her agitation was clear the moment Suzaku stepped into the attendance office,
“Suzaku,” she greeted him sweetly, smiling even though it was obvious she was worried about something as much as she was relieved to see him alright. “...We really need to get you a phone. You’ve been called back to the ASEEC for—” her eyes darted a moment to the nonchalant receptionist who was very clearly listening even if she tried to look like she was busy with other things, “something important.”
“Right now?” Suzaku asked, feeling for the first time that he should say no to whatever assignment had been handed him. Euphemia would understand. If he told her that his friend was very sick— and something was very definitely wrong with Lelouch that wasn’t just a migraine and Suzaku needed to be here in case… in case…
“It’s urgent,” Cecile confirmed almost apologetically.
He opened his mouth to refuse for once, to tell her that he had a friend who needed him, because Miss Cecile would understand just as Euphemia would, and she would definitely encourage him to stay with his friend if the mission wasn’t urgent, but the look in her eyes was a terrible one, and Suzaku learned long enough when he could say something, and when he wouldn’t be allowed to. He shut his mouth without a word in protest, and nodded.
“Okay,” he told her, feeling like the worst friend possible. He wasn’t allowed into the infirmary and Milly would have him go back to classes anyway, so he would just— go with Cecile. Just for the moment. Until he could meet with Euphie, and explain to her that he was needed back at school.
She would understand.
It turned out that Lloyd had come with Cecile after all, although he opted to wait in the car in the passenger seat, arms crossed with his fingers tapping on biceps, looking deep in thought as light refracted from his glasses to hide his expression as Cecile got into the driver’s seat and Suzaku climbed in the back, buckling up carefully and feeling a bit self-conscious in his school uniform rather than his military one.
“I thought Princess Euphemia said that everything was canceled for today,” Suzaku hedged slowly, “that Princess Cornelia canceled all plans.”
“That’s true,” Cecile told him even as she started up the vehicle, but it was Lloyd who turned his head around to stare over at Suzaku in the back seat, his usual wide and almost manic grin missing.
“There’s been a medical emergency,” Earl Asplund told him rather seriously, “As Princess Euphemia’s knight, you’re required to stay with her while she’s vulnerable.”
“Euphie?” Suzaku breathed out, heart heavy. First Lelouch, now Euphemia?
“And Princess Cornelia, too,” Lloyd confirmed, only the slightest drawl in his tone. “All of the royal family, from the preliminary reports. Dropped like flies, one after another. Means we won’t be getting you as a pilot anytime soon if you’re to stand in some useless vigil over someone—”
“Lloyd!” Cecile scolded loudly, which made the man scowl at her for a brief moment, although he did leave the sentence unfinished.
“We’re taking you to the hospital now,” Cecile informed Suzaku as they made their way down busy roads, “your knight uniform will be waiting for you there. You’ll have to look presentable, and be prepared when the news breaks. There will be people who will question your place by Princess Euphemia’s side, and you have to show them that you’re strong enough to defend her while she’s vulnerable.”
“Yes,” Suzaku said in a daze, desperately wanting to know who was going to defend Lelouch… and Nunnally, too, then? Was that why Principal Ashford had been in the middle school campus? Because if something like this happened to Euphie and Princess Cornelia as it did to Lelouch, then did it mean that it happened to Nunnally as well?
“I,” Suzaku managed to protest as they pulled up to the military hospital that must house the royal sisters, “about— my school—”
“I’ll make Lloyd talk to them,” Cecile soothed, even as she found a spot to park. “They’ll understand your absence.”
Yes, Suzaku thought numbly as he exited the vehicle, the panic a droning din in the back of his mind, thrumming like the drumming of a heightened heartbeat until the rush of it drowned out everything else into a smooth calm, the school would understand his absence.
But he would never be able to explain to himself how he just abandoned Lelouch and Nunnally after seeing Lelouch collapse like that, bleeding, and knowing that the same thing must have happened to sweet Nunnally as well.
Was he leaving his friends to die while he went to guard their sister, who was already heavily guarded?
.
SCREAMS
Holy crap this is intense and interesting. I genuinely would like more. Happy ending? Please let there be a happy ending. Curse escape clause that involves Suzaku kissing Lelouch...
Re: SCREAMS
I actually don't remember much about writing this. ^^;; It was a desperate move on my part to distract myself at the time, lol. After this, I realised I tended to distract myself a lot in manners like hurting characters, errrrr
Re: SCREAMS
After some more suffering first of course! XD