Squall held Rinoa tight as he kissed her and traveled his hands around her back. She seductively licked his lips and nuzzled closer to her boyfriend, looking into his chocolate brown eyes. Squall took in her beauty, the silky black hair, bottomless wells of emotion in her eyes, her light breath upon which rode the sweet scent of… pedigree chow?
Squall opened his eyes and was greeted by another lick from Angelo.
“Off” he grunted as he shifted suddenly and fell off the bed, Angelo easily landed on her paws and trotted over to the brunette standing in the room doorway. Rinoa rewarded Angelo with a scratch behind her ears and looked up at Squall with fake tears.
“Oh Squall, I’m shocked. What are you doing with this other woman in our bed…? I thought we had something… special… sob” Rinoa teased.
“Whatever.” Squall mumbled past her into the bathroom.
“Hey, we are all meeting up at the café in half an hour for breakfast” Rinoa sang through the bathroom door. “The others sent me up here to give you that message, and… to do awfully lewd things to you!” She was answered with the sound of the toilet flush.
“Hello? Is this thing on?” Rinoa tested her imaginary microphone.

Twenty minutes later Squall arrived at the café. It was not yet busy and he saw only two groups, one calmly drinking tea and enjoying pleasant conversation, the other was a mess of flying cake and flipped tables. He sighed and walked towards his unruly friends. The first one he saw was Irvine laying semi-conscious on the ground a few feet from the others, Selphie was hopping around singing a special “Selphie” song about coffee cakes, Quistis stood fist extended, a vein bulging in her forehead, and Rinoa sat calmly among the chaos, casually blotting a wet spot on her blouse.
“Hi hi!” greeted Selphie “Hi Squall! You’re here!” “Oh wow, you absolutely definitely must tryTHEnewESPRESSOblend!!!” Squall could swear she started to vibrate and he wondered how much coffee she had. Rinoa noticed the bewildered Squall, gave him a chagrined look and a shrug.
“Honestly, the nerve of that cretin!” Quistis uttered and sat down. Irvine was usually the focus of Quistis’ anger and was usually on the ground or strung by her whip.
“Hey Squall, I mean… Commander Leonheart SIR!” Irvine approached with a mock salute.
“Shut up dumass” Squall growled it was too early for idiots and he didn’t have to maintain his image anymore “I told you… don’t call me Commander, that’s in the past”.
“Squall, I’m getting some more drinks. Want me to get you something?” Rinoa smiled.
“Please madam, it would be my pleasure to assist you” Irvine got to his feet.
Quistis growled “You should… seeing you spilled most of Rin’s water on her”.
“An accident I assure you. So my lady, shall we?”
Rinoa chuckled, “Black with three sugars?” Rinoa already knew. Squall nodded and gave a small smile. As he watched the two leave for the coffee stand, he saw Rinoa put her arm around Irvine’s.
“Whatever” he mumbled.

“You want me to what?” Rinoa asked incredulously.
“Put your arm in mine, it’ll drive him crazy” Irvine winked.
Rinoa giggled “OK”. She did so and looked back but Squall wasn’t watching. Suddenly Rinoa was being pulled very forcefully.
“Irvine!” Rinoa wondered what her friend was doing when she saw that Irvine’s other arm was in the clamp known as “Selphie’s kung fu grip“.
“WHEEEE!!!! Coffee and bear claws!!!”
“Selphie, stop! Heel! Nein! Cease fire!” Irvine yelled as they narrowly missed an elderly couple. Selphie soared over a table, Irvine hit it face first and Rinoa was smart enough to let go some time ago.
“Selphie, what are you doing?” Rinoa asked breathless.
Selphie hopped back and landed squarely on Irvine’s chest “Quistis said I should keep an eye on this pervert!!!” Selphie yelled a little too loudly.

“How are you doing?” Quistis asked.
“I’m good.”
“Well, Rinoa seems happier. Must be because she gets to see your “cheery” face every day.”
“…”
Quistis laughed, no matter how much Squall’s personality improved, he always became silent when the relationship came up.
“Quistis, do you think Rinoa... I mean… is Rinoa… really happy with someone like me?”
“Sure Squall, she… loves you. You know that right?”
“Yeah… silly…” Squall stuffed a mini muffin in his mouth.
“Squall, what’s going on? You're not gonna propose are you?!” Quistis joked.
A minute later, Squall had once again regained a clear airway, fortunately for Quistis’ Life Saver Training.

Selphie returned with Rinoa. Irvine dragged behind weighed down by coffee and cake.
“… Huff walk slower…” Irvine unskillfully dropped the huge pile onto the table and bent over to catch his breath.
“You guys… are so mean to me…” Irvine pointed without looking up. Suddenly his ‘fight or flight’ instinct kicked in and he realized his finger was probing Quistis’ right breast. Poke. Poke.
“Imbecile!!!” With a flash of red aura, Quistis punched Irvine up into the air, juggled him with her whip and punted him away.
Rinoa noticed that Squall was getting ready to leave. “Headed back so soon?! Come on, sit down… let’s talk!”
“Talk?” Squall was getting very nervous.
“Uh, yeah… how are you doing?” mental slap
“I mean, nice weather huh?” double mental slap
“Here’s your coffee.” Rinoa shoved the cup towards Squall.
“Yea… thank you.”
Rinoa and Squall noticed that the others were watching them.
“I guess maybe we should go” Rinoa blushed.
Rinoa and the others sent a silent message between themselves; Squall wondered what they were up to.

Walking back was uneventful, Selphie sang a song about the colors of the vehicles that passed by and Quistis dragged Irvine by her whip tied to his ankles. Rinoa walked a little slower and tried putting her arm through Squall’s but he accidentally elbowed her in the breast in surprise. They both walked together red faced.
They stopped in front of Squall’s house
“Hey, what are we doing here?” Squall asked the group
“Well, this is YOUR house”
“I KNOW THAT!”
“Come on” Rinoa dragged Squall to the front door. It was unlocked and Squall immediately pulled Rinoa back out of the doorway.
“Why the heck?” Rinoa got up slowly, she had landed on the group and they all got up with much groaning and slapping of Irvine.
“I know that door was locked, let me handle this” Squall picked up a vase full of flowers that Rinoa had bought from a little flower girl in Midgar.
“Squall, put the vase down… and relax” Rinoa said slowly
“Yea, they’re all friends in there…” Selphie was silenced by Quistis
For the second time, Rinoa pulled Squall to the door and opened it.

“Surprise!!!”
Squall wasn’t really, Selphie had already told him about the party a week ago, but he acted it.
“Wow.”
Ellone ran up and grabbed her brother.
“Hi, been a while. Happy Birthday!”
Squall shook hands with his mentor, Cid, who he liked a lot more, now that both were retired commanders.
Zell offered Squall a plate of hot dog appetizers.
Edea handed him a cup of punch, and took it back after she found out that Seifer had spiked it.
Rinoa fed Angelo a few hot dog treats; Selphie, Quistis and most of the rest of the people also fed Angelo a few hot dog treats.
Zell gave Squall another belt to add to the multitude he already wore at once. Quistis’ present was a whip (with her name on it, although most people thought that she bought the whip for herself, Irvine thought she bought the whip FOR herself, but he kept his mouth closed).
Ellone gave Squall a hug…
Irvine gave Squall a personalized autograph.
No one knew what Selphie’s gift was because every time she brought it out, the wrapping gave people epilepsy.
Laguna presented Squall with a framed newspaper of the day he was born, and then five more similar to it because he wasn’t sure of Squall’s birthday…
Seifer gave Squall a pink dress, and walked off with a few of the other people’s gifts.
Cid and Edea bought a beautiful leather sheath and display holder for a Gunblade.
Ellone gave Squall her real gift, keys to a new bike (everyone was certain she was using her power on chocobo racing and stocks)

After the party was over, the group said their goodnights. Irvine shook hands with Squall, not-so-subtly kissed Rinoa and got launched out of the house by a Quistis-Squall double uppercut; Selphie gave Squall a hug and elegantly walked off, her sugar high had disappeared; Qustis also hugged Squall and whispered something in his ear, he rolled his eyes, nodded and Quistis skipped off with a new whip; Zell gave Squall a birthday punch, Squall gave Zell a birthday threatening with the gunblade.

“Well, see you tomorrow” Rinoa was the last to leave.
“Yeah, goodnight”
Rinoa leaned in and was surprised when Squall pulled her in close. “Thank you Rinoa. For everything.”
Rinoa could feel the rings on both her and his chains pressed against each other. The ring he gave her that day...
“Squall…”
“Rinoa?” Squall held Rinoa still.
"..."
“Rinoa, I have something to tell you. I wanted to tell you. I… I Lo… I’ll see you tomorrow.”
"I'll see you tommorow? Well, it's as good as it get's for now." Rinoa thought.
“Happy birthday Squall” Rinoa's lips lightly brushed his right cheek and she left, leaving her knight mentally kicking himself.

he ate my heart, then he ate my brain ♥