Milly popped the bottle of champagne when Lelouch turned her way. "Happy birthday to our scowling vice president, who – lucky for us – was too distracted to remember to avoid his celebration this year!"

The cork flew off into the corner of the council room. Kallen ducked it, because she thought no one was looking.

"President," said Shirley, "Be nicer! This year when we caught him, Lelou didn't run away. He's just—"

"He knows I'm only teasing." Milly winked. She asked Rivalz to get the glasses. Then she flung an arm around Lelouch. "How do you want to party tonight? Delinquent behavior? Some nice Spin The Bottle?"

Rivalz yelped. "Prez! Th-that game? Do you mean it?"

"That's up to the birthday boy."

Nina brought the glasses instead; Rivalz had turned to Lelouch with puppy dog eyes and neglected to fetch them. Nina said, "I like someone else, so, I don't really want to kiss…."

Shirley overheard. "K-k-kiss?!" She murmured, "If you don't, play, Nina, my chances would go up a bit—AH, th-that is..."

Lelouch put an end to amplified imaginations. "There won't be any games like that with Nunnally around," he said. He ignored the way Rivalz bit his lip and groaned.

"Oh dear. It seems that my brother has spoken. I'm sorry, everyone. You all are very disappointed?" Nunnally tilted her head at the room from where her wheelchair sat parked at the table. Her eyebrows scrunched together.

Lelouch looked at his sister fondly, before shooting a glare at the rest of the company. "Don't feel bad about it, Nunnally. None of them are worthy of you."

Milly hopped off the table, grinning. "Rude!" She failed to notice the swift, reflexive way that Kallen avoided her passing boob-grab. "After we all chipped in to buy you nice champagne? No taste at all."

Lelouch rolled his eyes and told her, "You're the one that has no taste. There's nothing to eat with the champagne you brought."

"And whose fault is that?" Milly began to fill their glasses.

"We'll get tipsy," Lelouch said.

"Good, good. That's the whole idea."

The liquid glittered. Lelouch rubbed at his temples. Kallen said under her breath, "Debauchery runs amok in this place," but quickly faked a smile as a beaming Shirley handed her a fizzing flute.

When everybody had a glass - and Nunnally's sat full of white grape juice - Milly proposed a toast. "To Lelouch!"

"To Lelouch," they all said, tossing up sparkling glasses. Even Arthur meowed from his cat-heaven corner.

It made Lelouch think about somebody else. He frowned, but was given no time to dwell on it.

"Know what goes great with champagne?" Rivalz asked him, after having drained his glass and asked for more.

Shirley said, "Strawberries do. With some cream."

"H-how did you know?!"

"It's—" She blushed. "It's romantic." She glanced at Lelouch. "Isn't it, Lelou?"

Lelouch faltered, looked away, and said, "A bit."

"Oho~. Romance?" Milly nudged them with her elbows. Lelouch took a startled step backward. "Too early for that, you two," Milly went on. "Which reminds me. Wait! The birthday boy still has to make his wish!" She hollered everybody back to attention.

"Wish it out loud, too, okay?" Rivalz insisted. "All of us are finally here together. As your council underlings, we should be allowed to understand what that mysterious mind of yours longs for."

"It isn't all of us. Not quite," Nunnally mentioned quietly.

Feet shuffled at that. Milly whispered, "Of course not, Nunnally. Thank you." She shot a glare at Rivalz, who added, "Aahaha, you know I didn't mean it to sound bad."

Lelouch cleared his throat and looked carefully away from Nunnally's sad smile – from everyone – but he still noticed Nina shudder.

"Make a wish, Lelou," pressed Shirley, to diffuse Nina's discomfort and Lelouch's undeniable onset of melancholy. Why couldn't he just focus on his party? Just because somebody else he had wanted to see had turned out to be missing…. Carefully, Lelouch loosened his hands.

Shirley's cheeks were pink and her eyes crinkled at the corners. "I'll wish for you, too. To help make it come true."

Lelouch tried to ignore the only thing he knew he longed for. He did as Shirley asked, prepared to announce something else. "I wish—"

"STOP!" Milly yelled it, with one hand in the air. "If you tell the wish out loud, it's never going to come true."

"Prez! You're robbing us of all his secrets! We thought you liked secrets."

Shirley batted Rivalz on the head, hissing that Lelouch's wish took precedence, and even Milly knew it.

"Close your eyes," Milly prompted Lelouch, strangely serious for once. "And wish."

Lelouch – after faltering an instant – did as he was told, with his head down.

"Done?"

A moment passed. "Yes, done."

"Well then, that's that. On with the celebration!"

They stayed up past Nunnally's bedtime. Sayoko came down to take the small girl off to bed after she'd dozed off in her wheelchair. Shirley's head started to droop at the table, until Rivalz managed to make Nina and even Kallen laugh loudly at something. Shirley shot up, protesting that she'd missed the joke, so Rivalz told it again with more humor, and that time even Lelouch smiled. Milly oversaw a slew of card games… and doled out more rounds of bright champagne, watching them all.

"Lelouch?" she asked, some time after Nunnally had gone to bed. The others eyed their cards off in the corner, immersed deeply in Go Fish.

"I'm fine," he said, though she had caught him glancing out the window.

"Missing someone?"

"Just a bit."

Rivalz cried out that the champagne was gone. They needed more, and really quick, because Nina had started telling lesbian stories and he wanted to hear her tell some more.

"Rivalz!" Shirley and Kallen both yelled.

Milly smiled at Lelouch, whose eyes had blown up very wide. "If the drinks are gone, I think it's time we were as well. Any plans tomorrow with Nunnally, Lelouch?"

"The day after my birthday we put up the Christmas decorations."

"You'll want to be rested, then." She rounded up the crew and said, "We're glad you allowed us to do this for you."

"Yeah," Rivalz agreed. "You were a big grouch last year, man."

"I usually spend my birthday with just Nunnally."

Shirley yawned, but she looked content. "Aren't you glad you didn't this time? I am. Happy birthday, Lelou."

Kallen and Nina echoed the well wishes.

"Sure you don't want us to help you clean up?"

Lelouch said, "I can clean up tomorrow morning." He lived here, didn't he? And he had Sayoko. "It's just some champagne glasses."

"Luckily, man. Because no one had pizza. Dunno why you said no, actually, to ordering some pizza..." Rivalz winced when Milly shoved him out the door.

They all waved and said good night.

Milly was the last to go. "You concentrated on that wish?"

"Random wishes don't come true. It's okay to give your enthusiasm a break now and then, President." Lelouch said it wryly, suppressing a smile.

"Hmn. Looks like I wasn't wrong to save you the last bit of champagne that's in the bottle. You need it, sounds like. Have a nice night~!" She left, while Lelouch looked over his shoulder at the bottle.

He cleaned up, slowly. He glanced twice at the bottle. In the end, Lelouch dumped the champagne out, then set the bottle on its side upon the table.

It really had been nice, to have most of the group together. He wasn't sure when he'd have time again to spend with any friends…. Lazily, he spun the bottle. Then he kept on cleaning, not looking, as the bottle rocked to a slow halt.

Arthur curled up and went straight to sleep. On his way to shut the lights off, the door from the hallway opened.

"Lelouch!"

Lelouch, disbelieving, raised his eyes.

Tousled hair. A boyish flush on night-chilled cheeks. Bright, verdant, expressive eyes.

"Suzaku?"

"Has everyone gone home? Oh no." Suzaku leaned over, panting, with his hands stuck to his knees.

"It's gotten late," Lelouch expressed. He tried to calm the thudding of his heart. What was… how—?

"It's not too late to give you this though, is it?" Suzaku held up a rumpled package. It sported a crushed and rumpled bow. "I'm sorry. I was in such a rush, I ended up—"

"You didn't have to bring a present."

Suzaku winced. "Well, open it. Then maybe you'll know why I did."

Lelouch accepted the gift carefully. "It's…." He peered in. "Fresh strawberries?"

Suzaku nodded, smiling. "Don't you remember that time when you ran all the way across a field for some? You wanted to bring a bunch home before dark, because Nunnally asked to eat berries that summer. You really like them too, don't you? Ah, and I know your birthday is in winter, so these ones aren't the best, plus, um… some of the juice came out when they got crushed, but still. I really—" Suzaku broke off, flushing horribly when Lelouch bent at the middle, laughing.

It felt so good to break loose like this. His sides hurt, but he didn't mind. "Suzaku, your clumsy self is quite enough. It doesn't matter."

"But, but… that's your present," Suzaku told him.

"One I really didn't need." Lelouch felt warm, at last. Relaxed. He watched Suzaku ruffling his hair.

"Ungrateful," Suzaku muttered. "You'll eat them still though, right?"

Lelouch said, "I didn't need a gift, but I never said I'm not happy to have one." His voice dropped low. "You didn't have to strain yourself. I'll eat them, Suzaku. Do you know what they need?"

"Why is there a bottle on the table?"

Lelouch looked over to where Suzaku did, startled. He would… just… deny the evidence. Suzaku didn't like it when students broke rules, and never mind on school grounds. It didn't matter to him, even if someone like Milly said—

He noticed where the bottle's neck was pointed. For a moment, Lelouch couldn't speak.

He looked at Suzaku, then back at the bottle. Something in his chest began to flutter. He fought with a very slight spinning sensation.

Slowly, he said, "What should we eat with the strawberries?"

"Um." Suzaku focused again. "More fruit? Chocolate fondue?" He thought more. " 'We?'"

Lelouch said, "I had thought of cream."

"Whatever you want," Suzaku answered, brightening. "Is it okay to hang out here? This late? The celebration's over…."

Lelouch threw out the champagne bottle. He reflected on his silent wish.

I guess you win, President.

"It wasn't a celebration without you."

Suzaku flushed and glanced away. "I see. Well. Happy Birthday then."

Lelouch grinned at his strawberries. "It is, Suzaku. It really is."

Author Note: Happy Birthday to the most amazing protagonist of all time... and to my RP Lelouch, who's also awesome. Sorry all I scraped up was a mini-fic full of cliches. Still, I'm glad I could do something.