A/N: I always love when other peeps do these kinds of fics, so I thought I'd have a go, too. The ten lives all have a common connection to each other, and it'll be a wild ride, but hold on! I'm a sucker for happy endings. I never bother with warnings – you're all big kids, I'm sure. Enjoy :)

One.

"Come on, Rox, it'll be fun!" Axel laughed as the traffic lights in front of them changed to green and he stepped so hard on the accelerator the rear tyres spun. Damn, he loved the smell of burnt rubber.

Roxas, sitting in the passenger seat beside him didn't look convinced. "It's hard enough trying to save money, let alone ditching work and going on a road-trip across two states for a two hour, overpriced concert with watered down beer – filled to the brim with annoying, teenybopper assholes, who only know the one song."

Axel swerved harshly, just managing to avoid mowing down a woman jogging on the side of the road wearing gym gear, of all things. Why the hell was she exercising at ten o'clock at night? His eyes narrowed. Fitness freaks – he'd never understand…

Shifting into a higher gear, Axel upped the k's a notch. They weren't really in any rush to be anywhere, but having just finished work they were both keen to get home. Those cones weren't gonna smoke themselves! Flooring it through a yellow light, his attention flicked back to his friend beside him. "You used to be cool, man. A year ago you would've sold your first born child to see Brian Johnson rocking it out live!"

"Yeah, yeah," Roxas flicked his cigarette ash out the window and took a small drag. "Shit changes – houses don't just pay for themselves."

Axel snorted, veering dangerously close to a wheelie bin that happened to be too close to the kerb. He wanted to hit it, just because the owner deserved it for not dragging it back in.

"Come on, Rox! Paying off a house in this day and age? You'd have to sell both of your kidneys, and if you've got no kidneys, who will I have to drink with then?" He scarfed his way around a tight corner, confidently knowing these roads like the back of his hand. He could probably drive home blindfolded if he had to, and not get lost once.

"Jesus, would you slow down a bit? I fucken' swear your driving gets worse every time I'm in the car with you." Roxas fumbled to get a better hold on his smoke before bracing himself against the car door frame just in time as Axel took another corner on two wheels, the tyres screeching through the quiet streets.

Axel just laughed and shot Roxas a sly, teasing smile. "Guess I can't help it – you do drive me a little bit crazy."

Axel was still watching as Roxas settled back into his seat, and hurriedly turned to look out the window. If he'd been able to see Roxas' face right then, Axel knew he would most likely be a little bit flushed.

Still grinning over his perfectly executed, terrible pun, and successfully putting that heat in Roxas' cheeks, Axel went to slap on his indicator to turn right, but flicked his windscreen wipers on instead. He ended up turning left anyway. He shrugged. Hey, at least he'd tried!

Roxas bought the still glowing stub of cigarette back up to his lips and sucked it right down to the filter. He flicked it out the window a second later, the embers bursting and skittering on the road far behind them. "We got any food at home? Maybe we should stop at Maccas."

Axel's grin widened at Roxas' blatant attempt at changing the subject before it relaxed into his signature smirk. He was just opening his mouth to answer when the lights coming up in front of them turned red.

"Shit," he hissed, slamming on the brakes. They managed to stop just a little bit over the line. No worries! They'd had plenty of time.

"Oh, my fucking God, Ax!" Roxas groaned, throwing his head back against the head rest, burying his hands deep into his unruly hair. "Puh-lease don't kill us! I just spent half a pay check buying Fallout 4 – I kinda want a chance to play it!"

Axel rolled his eyes, leaning over to muss a hand through Roxas' messy blond spikes. "Alright, keep your skirt on." Moving his hand from Roxas' head, he started shuffling around in the centre console, digging himself out a cigarette of his own. Scrabbling around for his lighter in the mess of receipts and burger wrappers on the floor, he just got the end lit, right when the lights turned green again. He set off at a more sedate pace this time.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll shout you Maccas," Axel said, taking a drag and blowing the smoke out through his nose. "We should get more for later, too. We're gonna have the meanest munchies."

"You know what would really make me feel better?" Roxas murmured quietly, something in his tone making Axel's hand twitch sporadically along the steering wheel.

Roxas turned to face him, his blue eyes serious. "Tell me why you kissed me the other night."

Oh, shit.

Axel sighed and chuffed hard at the smoke held between his lips. He'd kind of been expecting this a lot sooner to be honest, but knowing that wasn't going to make this conversation any easier.

Axel indicated correctly and turned left. They were about a block away from McDonalds now with a few more sets of traffic lights between here and there. He would've rather preferred to talk about this at home, but really, it was his own fault for leaving it the way that he had. They'd been friends for years and he'd never said a thing. Of course, Roxas would be confused. Axel just hoped he wasn't about to be rejected…

"I know we've been friends for ages, Rox, and I guess the other night I smoked a bit too much to keep hiding it, but…" He looked over at his friend, his expression wistful with just a little bit of hope shining in his eyes. Roxas was staring at him intently, his lips slightly parted. Axel could see Roxas was just as nervous as he was. He was sure they'd been thinking the same thing for a while now.

"To be honest, I've always – "

Roxas' eyes flew unbelievably wide.

"AXEL, LOOK OUT!"

A gasp of air stuttering past his lips, Axel stomped on the brake, just as he whipped around in his seat to look out the window. The cigarette fell from his lips.

It was too late.

The last thing he saw were the glaring lights of the semi hurtling through the intersection straight towards them, his last cognitive thought being –