Lelouch & Suzaku

The cabin's main room was dark except for the fireplace. Snow piled against the windows, muffling all sound from outside.

Lelouch stood by the fireplace, one hand braced against the mantelpiece. A noticeable limp affected his left side, and he wore an eye patch over his right eye—injuries from "that day" that never fully healed. At 23, he looked older, his face lined with pain and constant calculation.

The door opened, letting in a blast of cold air and Suzaku, now taller and broader at 23. His movements were mechanically precise, enhanced cybernetics visible where his uniform didn't cover. The emotional openness of his youth was gone, replaced by military rigidity. He carried a data case, not Christmas gifts.

"You're late." Lelouch didn't turn around.

"The pass was blocked. Had to take the mountain route." Suzaku's voice was flat, filtered slightly through his helmet's systems. "Security protocol 7-A was followed. No tails."

"I know. I was monitoring." Lelouch finally turned. "You can remove the helmet. The perimeter is secure."

Suzaku hesitated, then removed the Zero helmet. His face was scarred too—a burn along his jawline, and his eyes held a deadness that hadn't been there before. "The data."

"Always straight to business." Lelouch limped to a table. "I have information about the remaining Britannian loyalists. They're planning something for New Year's."

"Nunnally's security detail is already aware." Suzaku placed the data case on the table. "We need your analysis of their possible strategies. You understand how they think better than anyone."

A bitter smile. "Because I used to be one of them. Or rather, I used to lead them."

Silence fell, broken only by the fire's crackle. Outside, the wind howled.

Suzaku's eyes flickered to Lelouch's injuries. "How's the leg?"

"It hurts when it snows. The eye gives me migraines." A shrug. "Small prices."

"You shouldn't have survived." The words came out flat, not cruel—just factual.

"I know. But I did. And now we're both stuck in this... arrangement." Lelouch opened the data case. "The loyalists will attack during the New Year's address. They have a Knightmare prototype."

"We've identified three possible infiltration points." Suzaku joined him at the table, their shoulders almost brushing. "Your assessment?"

For the next hour, they worked with cold efficiency—two military strategists discussing an impending threat. The familiarity of it was both comfortable and agonizing.

Finally, Lelouch leaned back, wincing at the pain in his leg. "That should cover it. Nunnally will be safe."

"She always asks about you." Suzaku didn't look up from the maps. "I have to lie to her. Every time."

"You're good at lying now. I taught you well."

"You taught me a lot of things." Suzaku finally met his gaze. "Most of them painful."

The fire popped loudly. Somewhere in the distance, a tree branch cracked under the weight of snow.

Lelouch limped to a cabinet, pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. "It's Christmas Eve. Even soldiers on a mission can take a moment."

"I don't drink on duty."

"Consider this a different kind of duty." He poured two fingers into each glass. "To the world we created. However broken it may be."

Suzaku stared at the glass for a long moment before taking it. "To Nunnally. The only good thing to come out of all this."

They drank in silence. The whiskey burned going down.

"I dream about it sometimes," Suzaku said quietly. "That moment on the parade ground. The gun in my hand. Your face."

"So do I." Lelouch stared into his glass. "Different perspective, of course."

"Do you hate me?"

Lelouch considered the question carefully. "No. I hate what we had to do. I hate the necessity of it. But you... you were just the instrument. As was I."

"We were more than instruments."

"We had to become less than human to make it work." Lelouch refilled his glass. "Tell me something honest, Suzaku. If you could go back... would you change it?"

Suzaku took a long time to answer. "No. The world is at peace. Nunnally is safe. That was the goal."

"Even if it cost us our humanity?"

"Some prices are worth paying."

Lelouch nodded slowly. "Merry Christmas, Suzaku."

"Merry Christmas, Lelouch."