As soon as he heard Axel approaching, Roxas lifted his lunch off his legs. A minute later, a head full of red spikes settled in his lap. "Hey, Axel," he greeted. "You're late. Class run over?"

"Had a meeting with Principal Ansem," he complained. He dug an antique cigarette case out of his pocket and pulled one of the self-rolled tubes out. He lit it up and greedily sucked in the first lungful of smoke.

"Sounds serious," Roxas said worriedly. His free hand went into the mane of crimson spikes, tugging wayward hairs back into place. "Bad stuff?"

"Just a warning about my grades, credit points, graduating. All that shit." He took another deep drag. "Let's not talk about it. Where's our resident threesome?"

"They went to get Fro-Yo. Probably be back any minute." The blond scrunched up his trash from lunch and shoved it back in his schoolbag. "Why don't we talk about Friday night instead?"

A faint smile crossed Axel's lips. "Our eighteenth birthday. Is Sora planning anything special? Or just our usual Birthday Beach Bonfire?"

"I don't know," Roxas admitted. "I love our birthday parties, but it's a big milestone. Maybe we should do something special for it."

Cat-green eyes opened, looking up at him with burning intensity. A tongue slipped out to dampen chapped lips. "What did you have in mind?"

"Maybe that old beach house?" He suggested, one finger absently twirling a bit of crimson hair around his finger.

"Yeah? On Destiny Island?" The redhead asked, exhaling smoke with every word.

"Mm. That cute rustic place," he confirmed, smiling, "with the paopu palms and overlooking the ocean as far as the eye can see."

Axel inhaled the last of his smoke and stubbed out the butt. "I'll call. Make sure it's all fine."

"Cool!" Roxas said, grinning. "I'll tell Sora and Kairi, and they can get to work organizing everything for the big party."

Axel sat up on one knobbly elbow as he tossed the butt towards the nearby trashcan, a frown on his face. "Right. A big party. For our birthday."

Roxas felt his eyebrows pulled down in a confused frown. "Well. Yeah. That's what we were talking about. Our birthday party."

"No, of course we were." He lay back down in Roxas's lap with a deep sigh. "Go back to playing with my hair, Roxas."

The blond did, obediently.