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Lelouch wouldn't necessarily call himself a selfish person, he just had some selfish tendencies and desires. He wanted the people around him to be happy and for them to never leave his side.
Nunnally and Euphemia were happy as roommates. Sayoko lived fulltime with the two to be Nunnally's nurse and now Kallen's possibly moving in to be with Euphy. When did those two even start dating? Why did they even start dating? Lelouch shook his head. As long as his sisters are happy, then that is all that mattered to him.
“Something on your mind?” Suzaku asked. He was laying on his side with his head in Lelouch's lap, looking towards the doorway.
“Hmm… No, not really. I'm just thankful that they gave you the weekend off from the airport,” Lelouch said to Suzaku, as he ran his hand through the other's thick curls. “They've been working you like crazy.”
Suzaku hummed, readjusting his head on Lelouch's lap so that his gaze was fixed directly on Lelouch. “I know, but I really wanna go up the ranks.”
Lelouch sighed. “If income is your concern, I'm fine with where we are now.”
Suzaku shifted, reaching a hand up to touch Lelouch's face. “Yeah, but I don't want you having to work that really low income barista job at the airport forever…”
“I like working, Suzaku. I won't stop, either. Not until I finish this master's degree, that is. And then after that, I can find a real well paying job,” Lelouch took his fingers and flicked Suzaku's forehead. “The last thing I will ever be is some househusband. You know this.”
Suzaku grimaced as he rubbed the place of impact, shooting Lelouch puppy eyes. “You can humor me just a little sometimes, y'know?”
Lelouch glared down at him before glancing over at the black cat and tuxedo kitten currently loafing together by the window. “Arthur, Mona, why don't you come over and give Suzaku some tough love?”
As soon as both felines began to slink towards the two men, Suzaku shot up, placing his tan hands in front of his body as a shield. “Come on, boys, papa wasn't being mean to daddy at all. Just jokes, okay?” Suzaku reached down to scritch Mona under his chin before turning to do the same to Arthur, who bit him immediately.
“Deserved,” was all Lelouch said as he laid back down. He removed his partials from his mouth and set them in their nightly cleaning solution. “We should get to sleep soon. C.C. and I have plans for tomorrow so that you can have some papa and son time with Ren.”
Suzaku laid down on his side, facing Lelouch. “You two going out shopping together?”
Lelouch lifted his eyebrow. “How'd you know?”
Suzaku gave Lelouch a playful smile. “Just seemed like something you'd do since I just got paid.”
Lelouch smacked Suzaku's shoulder before resting against his husband. “I've missed you, but now I think I wish you were booked out for the next two weeks by Lloyd.”
Suzaku's eyes went wide. “What, why?!”
Lelouch smirked at Suzaku before settling against him. “Because you are being annoying.”
Yes, in these few moments, everything felt like it was worth it...
It's just that at the very moment Lelouch found himself drifting off to sleep at the ripe time of 2 am, a very loud cry woke him, Suzaku and the cats up. Suzaku and Lelouch shared concerned glances followed by a groan from Lelouch. He knew it was too good to be true. No toddler sleeps through the night that well in the first place. Especially not one currently under the weather.
“.. Is Ren still sick?”
“I want you to take a wild guess.”
He loved his son, he really did, but some mornings Lelouch just wanted to sleep in. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen when your 3 year old is down with a nasty case of the common cold.
Lelouch sighed when he saw Suzaku stand up from his place on their king bed. “Are you going to lay down with him in his room or…”
Suzaku turned to face Lelouch, giving him a kind smile. “I'm gonna bring him in here to be with us, if that's okay.”
Lelouch's eyes widened before he nodded. Because what makes more sense than that. Of course Suzaku would want to bring Ren in to be close with both him and Lelouch. God Lelouch could be such a selfish father.
And I was the one who gave birth to Ren, too.
“There we go, Renren,” Suzaku said from the other room across from his and Lelouch's. “That ointment on your chest will make it easier to breathe and less likely for you to cry, too, yeah? Wanna come lay in mine and daddy's room?”
And in the blink of an eye, Suzaku manifested back by Lelouch's side, but this time with their small son in tow. His mop of black curls and cat-like grey eyes were testament to how well their genetics mixed. Yet even then, Ren still looked more like Suzaku. Perhaps it's the way his curls framed his eyes or maybe the slight roundness of his face in general. Lelouch couldn't pinpoint it exactly but his jealousy on the matter was always in the back of his mind. Knowing his luck, he passed down all of his health issues to Ren instead.
Ren's eyes widened slightly as he made small grabby hands at Lelouch. Lelouch knew that was to be expected. Even if he found himself a bit disjointed and awkward with their son in certain moments, he still had a natural maternal instinct coursing through his veins at all times.
“Come here, my sweet baby boy,” Lelouch beckoned to Ren. Suzaku lowered him down so that he was able to lay snug against Lelouch's chest, immediately hiding his face in the loose fabric.
“You're so good with him when it comes to the time that matters, Lelouch,” Suzaku admired, smiling sadly as he ran a hand through Ren's curls.
“Don't say it like that, you're the one who wears him out by playing make believe with him all the time,” Lelouch huffed as he rearranged his arm so that it wouldn't lose feeling in the morning. “I could never do that. Not with my bad knee.”
Suzaku nodded but based on the look Suzaku gave him, Lelouch knew that he had more to say on the matter but did not want to express his thoughts any further. “Do you have any more input on that matter or are you going to continue looking at me like I'm stupid?”
Suzaku shook his head in fervor. “I don't think you're stupid but… it's not just your bad knee that keeps you from running around at the park with Ren.”
Lelouch threw Suzaku's pillow at Suzaku, to which the other caught with supreme precision. “You're in charge of cleaning both Arthur and the kitten's litter boxes until further notice.”
“Wh-wha-? Why do I have to clean Mona's, too?” Suzaku pouted, finally heading back over to his side of the bed in order to lay down with his family.
“Because Ren is sick and I can't help him right now due to my upcoming gallbladder removal surgery,” Lelouch chided, accidentally stirring Ren from his light sleep.
The little boy looked up lazily at Lelouch and then to Suzaku, his eyes beginning to droop once more.
“Good morning again, my blue butterfly,” Suzaku placed one of his hands on Ren's cheek, rubbing the skin below his son's eye softly. “I know, daddy and papa accidentally woke you up, that's our bad. Since you got to sleep a little bit on daddy, do you wanna sleep a little with papa now?”
Lelouch rolled his eyes. “Suzaku, please, Ren's tired-”
And just like always, Ren made grabby hands towards Suzaku this time, to which Suzaku immediately complied and scooped Ren up into his own arms.
Ren giggled at the look of betrayal Lelouch gave him before he snuggled into Suzaku's chest.
I'm sorry, daddy. Ren signed at Lelouch.
Lelouch gave Ren a warm smile, gently tousling his son's curls one more time before pushing them up and pecking his forehead with his lips.
Apology accepted, Ren. Lelouch signed back.
Lelouch wrapped an arm around Suzaku's middle, resting his head against the other's shoulder.
“Looks like papa fell asleep before either of us did, huh, Renren?” Lelouch smiled at his son, whose grey eyes became droopier and droopier. Arthur and Mona meowed from their cat beds at the window sill, voicing their own desire to sleep once more.
Right when Lelouch was finally letting himself relax, he felt a strong twinge of pain hit his chest. A sensation all too much like that from when he was stabbed like he was during the Zero Requiem all that time ago. All those worlds ago. He felt himself heaving, struggling to breathe. Not again.
A small hand pulled on Lelouch's night shirt, bringing Lelouch back to the moment. Ren's eyes were barely open, but the look he gave Lelouch was all the encouragement that Lelouch needed to keep present.
“We named you Ren because it means lotus flower…” Lelouch said to Ren, caressing his curls.
Lelouch smiled, finally feeling sleep beckon him once more. He leaned over to kiss Ren's cheek. “...Because you were the sign of our re-emergence, my dear.”