#clovis x reader

It’s after Nico yawns for the fourth time that Clovis has had enough.

“It’s not even my fault,” he mumbles, shuffling over to where Nico is curled up on the bed of the Hades Cabin. I laugh, covering my smile with my hands as Nico glares at me wildly ineffectively due to the way his eyelids droop.

“‘S your fault,” Nico definitely doesn’t pout, but he doesn’t resist as Clovis removes the book from his hands. “Go away, sleep inducing bitch.”

Clovis rolls his eyes and bodily moves Nico into laying down. Admittedly not without issue; Nico isn’t big, but Clovis does, like, zero exercise. A snap of fingers catches my attention, and I focus back on the boys in the bed.

“You come here too,” Clovis sighs, muffling a yawn into Nico’s hair. “Nap time.”

Raising an eyebrow, I drag myself off the floor and shuffle over. “I’m not the tired one, why do I have to sleep?”

“It’s about comraderie.” Four hands reach out and pull me into the small bed that for sure should not fit all three of us. “You’re the grounding presence.”

Nico nods sagely. “Exactly. Napping with a child of Hypnos and a child of Hades is dangerous, you need to help or we’ll have nightmares.”

“Will you now?” I roll my eyes, but I tuck myself behind Nico, squishing him between myself and Clovis. “Can’t have that, my poor hopeless loves.”

Proximity to Clovis is like being wrapped in a blanket that had been put in the dryer on a cold night, and Nico can have this almost soporific effect when he’s tired. Really, I had no hope once I agreed to lie down with them, my eyes fluttering closed of his own accord.

“Who wasn’t tired?” Clovis teases, reaching over to poke my cheek.

“Oh, fuck off, you two really are dangerous,” I mumble, swatting at his hand and nuzzling into the back of Nico’s head.

Nico is already mostly asleep, heart rate slowing and breathing deepening. “Shut up, both of you.”

Clovis and I glance at each other with fond exasperation, rolling our eyes at each other. “Sorry, Neeks,” he whispers, reaching a hand up to tap the end of Nico’s nose. “Go to sleep, we’ll keep you safe.”

At the tap on his nose, Nico is lulled properly into sleep, exhaling softly as he drifts off into dreamland.

“Your turn,” Clovis murmurs, hovering the same finger over my nose with a small smile. “Let’s keep our boy safe and grounded, yeah?”

I nod, reaching down with a sort of invisible tether, pushing through the floor of the cabin and into the earth below, securing a connection to my mother’s domain. Clovis gently taps my nose, and within a few seconds, I’m fast asleep.

The child of Hypnos looks over the two others in the bed, affection settling warm and heavy in his chest. “My turn,” he murmurs to himself, and closes his eyes. “I’ll come find you, I promise, like always.”

"Do you have an issue with that?" 

"I..." you hesitate, "...well, I just thought of something." 

"Whatever you mean by that, you should say it quickly. Our time is limited." 

"Wouldn't it be a lot more convenient to keep him alive?" You follow him into the elevator. 

"How so?" He raises an eyebrow as the doors close. 

"If you ordered him to follow all of your commands, you would have the authority of a royal through him." 

"Neither of us know the extent of this power yet." Lelouch's eyes narrow. "That would be a gamble at best." 

"Aren't you a fan of those?" A small but intense silence settles into the elevator. Lelouch stares at you incredulously for a moment. Then he smirks, bursting into a short laughter. 

"Very well. I can see the potential in that idea. I'll need to adjust a few of my future plans, but I can make this work. Right... with this, I could arrange an endless supply of knightmares..." Lelouch trails off into his thoughts until the elevator comes to a halt. 

The prince glances up in confusion at first, then recoils in terror. "No... this isn't possible! How did you get past my defenses?!" 

"Oh, it wasn't an issue at all, your highness. All they needed was a bit of persuasion." 

"You..!" Clovis cuts himself off, sucking in a harsh breath. "...Very well, you've bested me. What is it that you want from me?" 

"How about you start by ordering a ceasefire?" Lelouch remains in the shadows with you as the royal reluctantly calls for the battle to end. As the troops are shown to retreat on his holographic map, he turns back to Lelouch. 

"Are you satisfied?" 

"Very. Well done." 

Clovis questions Lelouch's next steps with sarcasm dripping from his tone. Lelouch smiles, walking closer and pulling his helmet off. His face basks in the dim light of the room. The older prince's face twists in pure shock as his brother kneels before him in taunt. Soon after, Lelouch shifts his position again and goes back to pointing a gun at him. 

"I'm overjoyed, Lelouch! What a blessing to have you back! We should depart for homeland immediately-" 

"So you can use me as a tool of diplomacy again? It seems you've forgotten why we were used as tools in the first place." 

Lelouch recounts his mother's murder, her status as the strongest knight, and her origins as a commoner. He orders the prince to reveal the truth, but all he says is that the second prince and princess know. After Lelouch's eye ceases to glow, Clovis begs for him to believe in his innocence, which he does. Even so, Lelouch's gun remains pointed right at the royal's head as he steps forward. 

"Please, you can't! We may have different mothers but you and I are still blood!" 

"You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty." As Lelouch stops in front of the prince, your eyes dart to him. Your heart clenches and you frown, panic seeping to your head.

Bearing witness to more death than you already had, listening to the last words, final pleas of someone- uncertainty seeps into your veins, you do not know if your psyche can handle that. Fearing Lelouch's reassurance earlier was a lie, you shut your eyes. Well, if it is necessary, there is nothing you can do. He has played a part in all of this too, no matter how much he pleads, you remind yourself. 

The silence hangs in the air like a noose around a criminal's neck. Knot yet to be tied, the guilty one awaiting judgement. Even so, the first stone is never thrown. Lelouch's calm, enigmatic smile persists as he lowers the gun, "...which I would have gladly done, if my partner had not pleaded your case for you, how lucky." 

The prince stops quivering, eyes wide, in relief this time. His grateful stare darts to your shadow-shrouded form for a second before he crumbles. Tears of horror slide down his cheeks and he whispers breathless 'thank you's, claiming Lelouch will not regret this. A frown falls onto your lips; this is likely the first time the royal has feared in such a way, for his own life. 

"You get to live under one condition: you are to serve me with utmost and unwavering loyalty, until the day that you die!" Lelouch exclaims, eye burning magenta again. "Lelouch vi Britannia commands you, obey me!" 

Clovis drops to his knees out of sheer fear. Is it entirely from the hypnosis or cowardice, you do not know. Lelouch reiterates that he can get the prince killed at any moment he wishes to. He will know if the royal as much as thinks of betrayal. The prideful man's terrified shudders serve as confirmation of his surrender, and you leave with Lelouch to ensure your alibis. 

Your disguises get burned in the nearest incinerator you can find, easily disposed of. On the walk to the school dormitory, a strange feeling washes over you. The trees remain the same, swaying in the soft wind. Streets are still filled with normal people going on about their daily lives, gossiping and complaining on the way. Markets stay open, birds fly across the blue sky, newspapers tell the same old stories- everything looks the same, in spite of your world having been flipped inside out and thrown upside down. 

"It's as if nothing happened. We may as well be walking back from an arcade or something," you hum in contained amusement. 

"Yet, even so, everything has changed," Lelouch responds. A breeze of wind flutters the evergreen leaves of the trees crowning the sidewalk. Traffic calm, hues of gold and maroon seeping into the royal blue sky, the world itself shifts. As the day falls to an inevitable end, a new era dawns. Perhaps twilight will linger for a while longer, but now you have no doubt; this revolution, pursuit of freedom- this is what you were made for. 

The following day seemed rather mundane and boring. Normal tasks like figuring out expenses of clubs and juggling finances should have been a piece of cake compared to gunshots and getting caught in crossfire of an army and a rebel group. However, after a night slept so poorly, you almost missed yesterday. 

Falling asleep on the job was not an option though, Milly made sure of that with her curled up magazine. "Wake up Lelouch! I know you're asleep, your hand stopped moving!" 

"Well, you don't have to beat me up over it, do you?" 

"Serves you right for ditching me like that!" Rivals grinned. 

"We ditched you to help car crash victims..." you muttered, tired eyes scanning documents. 

"Yeah, sorry but what was up with you yesterday?" Shirley asked. 

"That's enough, you guys! Let's not get sidetracked here," Milly cut in. "If we don't come up with a fix for the club activity budget now, there won't be any money left at all!" 

You lost the conversation in the screwed up distributions of school funds. A bitterness seeps through you as you realize how many stupider clubs than yours have a much higher funding. Milly cuts through your thoughts with an abrupt shout. "GUTS!!!" 

"You trying that guts spell again?" 

"Yep, I want you people to start putting your all into this!" 

You scratch the side of your face, trying not to faceplant into the table. "Already am... sleep deprivation's getting to me though..." 

"I don't think your 'magic' is going to do a whole lot," Lelouch says. 

"Actually, it's got me going madame president!" Shirley smiles. 

"A sound body leads to a sound mind, I see." 

Shirley places a hand over her bicep with a proud grin. "Yeah, I train hard at the-" 

"That's not what I meant. You're a ten." Shirley pauses at Milly's words. "From what I've seen in the girl's bathroom anyway, you've been filling out in all the right places, huh?" 

Shirley shrieks defensively as Rivalz tries to check if the president's words are true. You lift your gaze, now filled with judgement, from the complicated paperwork. "You know, I love talking about titties as much as the next person, but this is rather inappropriate of you, ma'am." 

"When is it an appropriate time to talk about that?!" Shirley screeches with a face red from embarrassment and anger. 

"February, probably, since it's breast-" 

"I think (Name)'s right..." Nina whispers. 

"About titties being a great topic? I totally agree-" Rivalz gets cut off. 

"N-no! Not at all, those aren't on my mind, ever!" Nina panics. "I just... think we should focus on getting this done... please." 

"Yeah... from the looks of it, this'll take a while. You know, you're real lucky I can't be bothered to extort money out of you in exchange for my help right now." 

"Oh, your generosity knows no bounds, (Name)!" Milly teases. 

After far too much time spent dwelling on them, the club activity budget is finally fixed. Too worn out from trying to sneak more funds to the drama club under Milly's watchful gaze, you flop down next to Shirley. Socializing could wait, for now you wanted someone quiet, someone who generally focused on studying. However, in spite of your clever pick of seat, fate seemed to have it in the cards for you to speak to someone today. 

"Why is he staring at her like that..?" Shirley mutters with her face halfway shoved into a book. 

"Hm... what do you mean?" You place your book down. 

"That red-haired girl, why has Lulu taken such an interest in her?" 

Craning your head, your mouth parts as the mentioned girl comes into view. You look away quick to keep your composure; your new classmate is a terrorist, there is totally nothing shocking about that. Briefly meeting eyes with Lelouch, all you need is a meaningful blink to know your thoughts are the same. 

Leaning your head onto your palm, you smirk to hide your shock. "Heh, well, she is real pretty. No wonder he's staring!" 

"You don't think... he would be-" 

"Shirley, you know he just likes the mystery around her. Give it a few days for him to figure her out and he'll go right back to his normal,  closed off self." You turn nonchalantly back to your textbook. 

"I guess you're right... I just haven't seen him stare at anyone like that before." She reluctantly follows your example. 

You chuckle. "Honestly, I think you should just get it over with. Either you win or he'll let you down gently." 

"The- there's no way I could do that," Shirley whispers harshly, "I don't wanna risk ruining our friendship! We've known each other for way too long." 

"He's pretty smart though." You sigh. "Who's to say he doesn't already know?" 

"No way!" Shirley's voice bursts into a higher volume. She shrinks immediately after and denies being in any distress when asked. 

After your classes have ended for the day, you pass through an empty hallway, humming a quiet melody. In spite of your casual demeanor, calm smile resembling the first rays of spring sunlight, your mind trembles under thoughts like dark clouds before a storm. 

"(Name)!" Lelouch appears from behind a corner and grabs your shoulders. 

Shoved into a wall out of nowhere, you try to shake off the confusion and shock. "Huh- what's wrong?" 

"My power doesn't work twice on the same person!" 

"What? How'd you find out? How big of a mess-" 

"Oh, it's not today that's the problem." Lelouch hisses out quietly, "It's that guy you spared!" 

"Huh? Oh... oh!" You slam a hand over your mouth. Recalling the events with the prince, the revelation comes to you. Lelouch used his command to make Clovis unable to lie to him. Useful as it was, that means the order he gave later for the royal to serve him was void. 

"That mess with him is your fault, so you'll fix it. I have my hands full with that Kallen girl." 

"Right." You grimace. "Well, my classes are over, so I'll get going. Can you force him to let me in or will need to do that on my own?" 

He scoffs, backing away from the wall. "Of course I can. All you need to do is follow my instructions. This is all a nuisance, but one I'll have no trouble handling. Just another roadblock, dammit." 

Leaving Lelouch to his muttering and thoughts, you leave for the prince's quarters. As he had said, all you needed to do to get past the guards and security was listen to him. In mere minutes, you arrived at the door to the prince's personal chambers. One knock was all it took to get him to nearly smash the door into your face. His bloodshot eyes reflected fear, tremors rushing across his quivering lips. 

"Please, do come in." He forces a polite smile on his twitching face. You follow his plea and step him, letting him close the perfectly painted, mahogany wood door. 

Before a single word leaves your parted lips, he falls to his knees. Not even giving your shock the time to set in, he presses frantic kisses to your shoes. "Uh... what exactly are you doing right now?" 

"You... you are the reason I am alive, no? You convinced my bloodthirsty, traitor of a little brother to spare me." He stops his kisses, turning to look into your eyes. "Whether I like it or not, I am indebted to you." 

Recovering from the surprise, you take a calm step away from the man. "Hm, while your compliance is appreciated, there's not much you can accomplish by buttering me up." 

"Right, right, of course, naturally..." he trails off, hesitating before standing up. "Well, what is it that you require of me, savior?" 

"I am here to ensure your loyalty, that's all." 

"Ah, that- that's hardly necessary! I swore that in exchange for my life, I would serve my dear brother with utmost and unwavering loyalty. See, I even remember word for word what he said! That... loyalty extends to you, of course as well, you haven't had a change of heart, have you?" His voice trembles, leaking with desperation. 

"You really seem to value your own skin, huh." You coldly point out the obvious. 

"It is only natural, my savior. No one wants to die. So, although I am deeply unsatisfied by my current... circumstances, I don't mind them as long as I get to survive." 

"...I suppose so." Your response is a mumble as you take an absentminded step further into the room. This is likely the most pathetic, honorless man you have ever encountered in your entire life. Royals preach devotion and unyielding loyalty but of course, this does not apply when their own flesh is on the line. When blood spurts from the necks of the upper class beneath the blade of a guillotine, only those cunning ones who can convince the common folk of their own purity survive. 

"Ah, perfect, so we can agree on something." He exhales with delighted relief, which melts into a saccharine smile. You resist the urge to raise a mocking eyebrow as he equips a mask of charisma and allure. He may not know you, but you remain insulted he would think you of all people would ever fall for that. 

"You are far more sensible than my younger brother. I cannot understand why you would choose to work under such a brute." He steps closer, confidence growing as you allow him to cradle your face. The prince remains blissfully unaware of your apathy, too oblivious to pick up on the subtle, annoyed twitches of your jaw. 

"Someone of your nature deserves far more than a life of such pointless violence. Surely all of this bloodshed is something you disagree with, is it not?" 

"If fighting with the aid of other elements fails, fire against fire is the only option." 

"It doesn't have to be. We could be civil about this." His smile morphs into one of feigned sympathy. "My younger brother is merely bitter about the loss of his inheritance, something caused by his own foolishness. He doesn't care about the people, but you on the other hand-" 

"Are you done yet?" Boredom seeps through your voice. He freezes in shock as you remove his hand from your face. "You sure seem to enjoy hearing your own voice. Making assumptions, thinking you can trick me with that talk, but..." 

"Let me just make one thing very clear to you." Grabbing firmly onto the hair on the back of his head, you tug him closer. "You cannot convince me to turn against him. Don't bother trying." 

A tense silence looms in the air. Neither one of you makes a move. It is as if the world has come to a stop, the slightest shift like a clash of a blade on a battlefield. Even so, his sword has long ago flown out of his grasp, yours right at his throat. However, the ice gets shattered, time moves again with swift footsteps in the hallway. 

Both of your eyes widen in shock as the door swings open. There is no time to move, flinch, even to breathe as a soldier walks in. It is an older man of a decent rank and even a medal or two hanging from his uniform. That high rank is why he had the nerve to barge into a royal's private chambers in the first place, you presume. Even so, the man stumbles upon seeing the two of you in such close proximity. 

"Par-pardon me for rushing in, your highness! Valuable information arrived from homeland mere minutes ago. Since you are the one in charge of the military in this part of the empire, I figured I should inform you of it as soon as possible!" 

"Oh, I certainly am intrigued by those reports, but for now I'll have to ask for you to leave. You see, I was in the midst of a rather... private conversation with my betrothed." He pulls you to his chest, a faint smirk on his lips. 

"You-! You... I..." At first you snap at him in pure wrath, but allow your tone to soften. Understanding what he is getting at, you avert your gaze and mellow out your body language. "Please, your highness, I told you I wished to proceed slowly..." 

"Ah, but my love, when you've bewitched me so, how could I ever hope to contain myself?" 

"You flatter me far too much, dearly beloved... I apologize, all this anticipation, and your honesty... is simply overwhelming." Your eyes meet with his, both of your expressions perfect. His gaze is pristine, lips curved just right to seem enchanted, a well-trained facade. Yours are parted in practiced awe, irises sparkling, a mask carved from need. From different upbringings, artform learned for different reasons, you begin a dance of deceit, a twisted performance of love starring a captor and a prisoner, lines of who is whom blending in the peculiar circumstances. 

The officer clears his throat. Apologizing for the interruption, he continues with a bow, "My deepest apologies, your highness. If it is your desire to be left alone with your betrothed, I shall gather my bearings at once. A thousand congratulations on your engagement, I wish for your love to flourish as beautifully as this holy empire." 

As soon as he leaves, you turn to the prince with a scowl. His smile remains a practiced one, one of false apology. You resist the urge to outright growl in frustration, this is going to be a pain to explain to Lelouch. 

Proceed to Chapter Four;