A/N: Written as a Yuletide 2017 exchange gift for vivaforever597.

Usually, when the group went out to eat after practice, the entirety of Aqours was involved. They would stumble into whichever family restaurant was closest, or a place they hadn't tried yet, and they would file into a booth without a care in the world. Sitting by year group was pretty common. At least, for the most part. It didn't always end that way.

Chika would herd Riko in the booth next to her and chat off her ear. It was the same, but Riko was used to it, nodding and growing comfortable with it.

However, Riko was through for a loop today.

The third years were busy. Riko didn't blame them, because they needed time to themselves as a trio.

Chika and You had gone off to have fun together. Riko had realized they hadn't spent time together recently and pushed them away. Chika had insisted she come along, but Riko had seen the signs of loneliness in You's eyes. It was time for her to step aside a bit from them and give them space—after all, they were best friends and Riko wouldn't intrude.

So that left her, Hanamaru, Ruby, and Yoshiko.

Riko never spent much time with the first year trio alone. When both the first years and Riko were together, Aqours was assembled. But she still felt nervous when while they searched for a place off the beaten path. Was she supposed to act differently? Should she act more like a cool upperclassman and start the conversations and be more lively?

Riko's head spun. She was overthinking it. She shouldn't be that worried. These were her friends, and she had come this far. But she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she wanted to make a good impression on her own without You or Chika.

But it wasn't Hanamaru or Ruby that made Riko the most nervous. Yoshiko was giving her looks. Those weren't any particular kind of looks, either. Those were the intense looks that someone in her doujins gave right before they pressing their love interest up against a wall and— Riko inhaled sharply. She couldn't let her mind run away on that track.

Yoshiko pouted whenever she looked away from her. She walked next to her step-by-step, too, and glared at her when she didn't return it. Warmth bloomed in Riko's chest. She didn't have time to ask before Hanamaru pointed them in the direction of their destination. Riko didn't have any objections, and she raced inside before Yoshiko could do it again.

When they found their table, Yoshiko directly faced Riko and leaned closer towards her. Riko blanched at how close she came and grabbed the table for support. Yoshiko placed both hands on her hips as though she were making a life-shattering decision. Riko gulped. Mesmerized, Riko looked into those pink eyes, unrelenting fire burning within them.

"I'm sitting across from Lily!" Yoshiko declared. Her voice darkened. She advanced towards Riko and nodded firmly. "I want to watch over one of my most dedicated, loyalist little demons from suffering a horrible, terrible fate! We will share the burden!"

Riko did not like the sound of that.

"Burden?" Riko echoed. "Why do you need to—"

"Yoshiko-chan is forward today," Hanamaru said, deadpan, although there was a sparkle in her eye. She scooted into the booth first on the right side.

Riko squeaked. What was that supposed to mean? "Forward?" Hanamaru was more fluent in Yohane-ese but she didn't know what she was implying.

Yoshiko whipped around to glare at Hanamaru this time, and the shift in her position made Riko dizzy. She missed that no-nonsense gaze instantly…

"Yohane!" Yoshiko reminded Hanamaru with a huff. "In a place like this, it's still Yohane!" But no one was listening except for Riko. The steam coming out of her ears was enough to block her out temporarily.

Riko still couldn't shake the feeling she was doing something wrong if Yoshiko wanted to "watch" her, no matter how much of an act it may be overall.

Ruby giggled. She was relieved to sit across from Hanamaru, though. She slipped in before Riko.

Yohane flopped in the seat next to Hanamaru. She pointed accusingly at the spot across from her, wagging her finger impatiently for her to comply. Sighing, Riko sat down as Yohane didn't peel her eyes from her for even a split second, wondering what on earth she had gotten herself into.

Hanamaru and Ruby started off the conversation talking about practice. Riko folded her hands on her lap and glanced out the window. Desperately, she tried to mentally fan away the heat enclosing her heart. She couldn't calm down. She knew she had to look anywhere but at Yoshiko… anywhere else… she wouldn't be able to look away if she did…

Without realizing it, Riko's attention drifted. But the chatter in the restaurant and Hanamaru and Ruby squealing alerted Riko to her own lack of interaction. Again, Riko gripped her skirt, evaluating the situation before heading in. Out of nowhere, her stomach grumbled and reminded her she was hungry,

This was getting nothing accomplished. Riko couldn't feel like a third wheel forever. It was routine to pass them at school and practice singing with them. You and Chika not hanging around her didn't make her stand out like a giant sore thumb.

Riko braced herself, and she went for the kill.

From the corner of her eye, Yoshiko was still giving her an eyeful. Yoshiko's elbows were on the table and her eyes locked on Riko's face. Riko jumped, smiling nervously, lost at this point. Yoshiko likely could pick up on that behavior, too—she always seemed to zone in on her when she wasn't in a good mood, or upset, or scared about something. Riko wasn't entirely sure why but Yoshiko's looks made her pulse race in a way she never thought possible. Today's looks were just… forward, as Hanamaru had said. She clutched her skirt tighter, staring down at the polished, lamented menu in front of her.

Right, Riko was hungry. She couldn't make them wait because Yoshiko was making her heart race.

Ruby cast her gaze between Hanamaru and Riko. She was about to say something, but her words died on her lips the moment Riko started reading her menu. Ruby couldn't tell whether she was insecure or thinking too deeply about her dinner, so she shrugged it off for the moment. Riko seemed twitchy and she didn't want to bother her too much…

On the other hand, she had her own insecurities to deal with. Hanamaru had her eyebrows knit and her lips pursed. Her menu was raised to her face as she scrutinized the contents with force. She could only see half of her face from her angle, but Ruby imagined a serious life-or-death frown as Hanamaru picked out the food from the dinner section.

"So many pictures of food… behind this plastic is a paradise, zura…" Her voice was full of wonderment and awe. Hanamaru dropped the menu. She put her finger on a picture of a grilled fish and dragged it across to a bowl of vegetables. "The pictures of food are vivid and colorful. Can I we eat everything?"

"That might not be healthy, Maru-chan," Ruby said.

Ruby couldn't understand what she was thinking, but she wondered what kind of world it must be in her head. When Hanamaru read books, they usually didn't have so much impact. Even the fairytales she read with intricate backgrounds and watercolor pastels were the closest to doing it justice because those were so entrenched in dreamy visuals. Ruby had seen those books scattered on her floor before, so she understood Hanamaru's delight. It was close to seeing delicious food at a fairytale bouquet.

She didn't have the heart to tell her that the food on the menus was fixed in advertisements to appear tastier. It would take away the magic. Either way after vising restaurants so often, Hanamaru hadn't noticed the corporate deception quite yet.

All the same, something about that made Ruby's own nerves settle. She smiled and wished it was possible to send that energy over to Riko. Fiddling with her menu, she got to work on deciding her order. There were so many options, and she had picked that one dish out last time she had gone out… and that looked kind of good but it was also expensive…

"What do you want, Ruby-chan?" Hanamaru asked. She looked up at her, squaring her jaw seriously.

"Oh, um…" Nothing was as revolutionary to her. Now that Hanamaru had asked her, her choices flew out of her memory the moment she was on the spot. "I don't know. I don't know what I really want..."

At least someone else didn't know what they were doing, either. Riko sipped her ice water, fingers tense. She listened to their exchange. Yoshiko was tipping the menu back and forth dramatically. She peeked out at Riko. Riko didn't know what that expression meant, but if she had to guess...

Ruby's head shot up. "I want to get what you want," she piped up. She thought that was reasonable. She wanted to taste what Hanamaru was eating, and she couldn't always do that. That gave them something to talk about. It was playing it safe but she couldn't help it. Sometimes she wanted to understand her how she felt deep down and match her feelings, including what she thought about Ruby herself…

Ruby's cheeks heated up. She didn't know what she was thinking. In nervousness she accidently brushed Hanamaru's leg with her own from under the table. Her cheeks reddened and she hid her face behind her menu again. She was being too lax, but…

"Again?" Hanamaru asked. Her tone sounded slightly disappointed but distinctly thoughtful. She looked up at Ruby with that quirk of her mouth and narrowed Ruby loved, judging her suspeciously.

Ruby gulped. She shouldn't go along with everything that she did, but if it brought them closer together… She felt like she had cast a fishing line into the water and the tiniest fish were snatching her bait off her pole. She was close to getting Hanamaru's attention but about a light year away at the same time.

"I—I just like whatever you like," Ruby replied, dropping her menu on the table. While it wasn't original it was essentially the truth. She always got what she wanted to eat the most and this was it. "I'm okay with anything. P—Pick anything you want."

It sounded like a date when she thought about it like that! It wasn't lack of confidence, it was hoping she would get the hint. Ruby shook her head happily.

She glanced at Yoskiko and Riko. Yoshiko had been acting funny since they had left practice. Now, she was staring at Riko. Of course, they didn't have feelings for each other, did they? They were polar opposites. Yoshiko was wild and unpredictable and Riko was well-mannered and polite. She and Hanamaru were quiet but determined types.

Anyway, she would support her if they liked each other. Maybe they hadn't noticed their feelings.

Riko was seeing another story unfold in front of her. Yoshiko batted her eyes in that seductive fallen angel way and Riko's mouth went dry. No, no, Yoshiko—Yohane—totally wasn't flashing her looks. She was imagining it. This was a consequences of her worries. Riko slumped down in her chair. Riko should let things slide into place on their own.

Telling herself this, Riko steeled herself. These were her friends! Just because she was a year older than them and she didn't always spend time with them as a year group didn't mean anything. She could be a good influence on them by being herself, right?

Riko opened her mouth to speak.

Yoshiko's hand slammed on the table.

Hanamaru, Ruby, and Riko jumped in their seats. Yoshiko's jaw was set. She stared directly at Riko as though trying to burn holes in her, the expression ten times less patient. Riko cowered backward at the sheer intensity of it. Something about that ferocity was not what Yohane would usually do, especially when it was her. Maybe Hanamaru. Not Riko.

"What do you say, Lily?"

She didn't know how to respond because… had she said anything in the first place? Wait, what was she talking about? What had she been doing a second ago? She felt mesmerized by just looking at her.

"Eh? I didn't say anything. At least I don't think I did…" Riko trailed off. Something in the pit of her stomach leapt, not knowing why she seemed so determined to fire up Riko. Was that what it was?

"You did!" Yohane accused. She slammed her palms on the table and stood. Riko winced. "I heard the dark echoes and sizzling embers from within your burning soul. They are mirrors of the anger and rage you feel!" Her voice likewise deepened.

"Rage?" Riko wondered curiously, fiddling with her menu. She was calm, now. "I'm kind of the silly one for not being able to decide on what to order."

Footsteps next to the table alerted the table to the waitress' arrival. "What can I get for you all?"

Even though she had been so engrossed in her menu, Hanamaru placed it down flat on the table and nodded directly at a picture of a juicy bun. "Hamburger. Several layers and toppings! I want to try everything!" Hanamaru decided confidently. After a moment's thought, she added, "With fries."

Ruby hadn't expect her to go all out on everything. Hanamaru had started to eat ravenously recently. But she had to take the plunge. She had promised. "S—Same for me!" she squeaked without thinking.

"Are you sure, Ruby-chan?" Hanamaru asked.

Ruby nodded her head vigorously.

Riko went with gyoza. Yohane went with it, too, announcing that it was like "food of the fallen angels because they were winged shaped." Riko simply laughed at that. They were like that, in a way.

"Yocchan…" Riko said, voice turning serious after the waitress stepped away. "You're acting… I mean, I'm fine, but you're kind of… I don't… Are you—"

"You can't be so meek to the messengers!" Yohane told her. "If you're too soft, the darkness will descend and swallow you whole! But—" Yohane put her foot next to Riko's under the table and winked. "I can be your messenger of love! You can use my strength!"

Riko sip out her ice water on the table. She choked. Had she just told the messenger of love? Ruby fumbled for a napkin and helped her clean up.

Hanamaru grabbed Yoshiko by the sleeve and pulled her down to a sitting position. Yoshiko pouted. "You're embarrassing her. Keep your declarations of love in check until after dinner, zura. It's more romantic to confess by moonlight, you know?"

"Yohane!"

Ruby and Riko exchanged blushing glances while Hanamaru pinched Yoshiko's cheek. They weren't sure why the other was blushing, but they shared something significant in their exasperation.

The meal went by less awkwardly once the food arrived. Riko reached for one of her gyoza, but she noticed the glint in Yoshiko's eyes a second too late. Yoshiko pushed their plates together, and Riko's hand landed on hers. It wasn't the heat in the gyoza that made her cheeks color again; Yoshiko's fingers laced around hers and guided her hand to pick up one of her gyoza on the plate. She blew a full-lipped kiss at her and Riko's stomach did a funny flip-flop.

"Let us," Yoshiko said, "ride on the wings of love! Say 'ahhh' for the ascension to the greatest heights. The only chance to eat the same meal with me!"

"Of love?" Riko nearly yelled. The gyoza went limp in her fingers, but Yoshiko lifted her hand towards her.

Yoshiko clutched at her, defying Hanamaru. Hanamaru shot her a really? glance from over her five-layer hamburger dripping with condiments. "I love my most beautiful little demon, Lily!"

Ruby nibbled on her fries and looked wide-eyed between them. Riko wasn't sure if she was upset that she wasn't the greatest little angel anymore, but she didn't seem like it, tears in her eyes.

"Yocchan, that's okay," Riko said. Luckily for her, Yoshiko couldn't reach all the way across the table to put the gyoza in her mouth. Her fingers slipped out from Yohane's, tingling where her hand had been. She ate the gyoza in a few bites. Yohane watched her carefully, nodding approvingly after each swallow, smirking. Under her scrutiny Riko felt like she was indeed riding on wings with her—Yohane was practically all she could think about. Riko's body was as light as a feather in the wind.

Yohane kept a close look out for her, and Riko, cautious, reached out. Yohane didn't clutch at her fingers each time, but when she did, Riko melted more and more into her seat. She was relieved (and reluctantly sad) to find that she was done when her fingers couldn't find anything leftover on her plate.

Her entire body was on fire.

Yes, Riko needed something to cool herself down. After that dinner, she had to have something that would erase the heat and fear and shivers down her spine. Dessert. Dessert sound really, really good.

More footsteps approached their table. "Desserts?"

Riko startled. But the real problem was, she had no idea what to eat for dessert. Her stomach was already full of butterflies scraping their gentle wings against her ribcage and it couldn't be too heavy.

"Anmitsu," Hanamaru said. She looked at Ruby. "Do you want to share again?" Something in her tone was playful but teasing. Hanamaru gave Ruby a knowing, loving smile. Ruby blinked, amazed—she hadn't expected that but it was clear what that meant to her. She hadn't been sure Hanamaru would reciprocate her enthusiasm. Ruby was happy.

"I want the drink that has the fruit our ancestors fell to when they picked it when the Earth was young and the fallen angels not yet here. That devilish red fruit," Yohane intoned. She clenched her fists. "And the cold depths of the winter that followed that outrageous day, still steeped in darkness!"

"Huh?" the waitress asked. She automatically looked over to Hanamaru for some clarification.

"She wants a parfait," Hanamaru told her, translating the fallen angel speak without batting an eyelash. "I think chocolate ice cream and strawberries."

"I'll have a—" Riko begun.

"The same thing. We're sharing the deadly drink you bring us!" Yohane told her, cheeks puffing out. "Fallen angel girlfriends share everything."

Chills went down Riko's arms. Girlfriends!

Smiling, the waitress nodded and walked away.

Hanamaru dropped the last layer of her sandwich to pinch Yoshiko's cheek. "You're out of control."

Yoshiko stuck her tongue out. "Let go!"

While it made her warm and fuzzy for some reason, Riko again wondered why she was acting that way…

The desserts didn't take long to arrive. Ruby and Hanamaru shared their anmitsu. Riko dreaded the moment the parfait glass was dropped in front of her, but Yoshiko grabbed both straws before she could protest. She sheared the paper off and plunked straws both in the cup, pleased with herself.

"Eat the fruits of other labor with me," Yohane said.

Had she been serious? Riko knew she must be.

"But it's yours, so—"

"As my little demon, I give you this honor. Sip the elixir with me and let it reenergize your wings."

Riko looked down at the strawberry and chocolate parfait. This was Yohane's favorite, not hers. But she was drawn to it like a magnet due to Yohane's silky smooth tone and enticing smile. She didn't reach for an extra spoon like instinct said to do.

Hunching over, Riko drew the straw into her mouth. Yoshiko's angry face was closer to her, and Riko's heart beat faster. The jolt of flavor from the ice cream hit her tongue. Yoshiko winked at her again. Riko's head felt dizzy at her proximity and the ghost of breath on her cheek. Yoshiko pushed the glass closer to Riko's side of the table and followed the glass, leaning closer and peering down at her.

Admittedly, Yohane looked kind of cute, cheeks puffing in and out incredulously as she sucked slowly and deliberately. Riko was mesmerized. Her sweaty palms gripped the edge of the table. Riko wondered what it would be like to pass the distance and share the same straw at the same time…

Riko balked and blushed. What was she thinking!?

From Yoshiko's point of view, Lily finally looked like she was having a good time. That's all Yoshiko had wanted in the first place. She had looked sullen and upset, and Yoshiko understood how that felt. But as her face loomed closer to hers, she couldn't help but think about things a fallen angel definitely shouldn't. Yoshiko's feelings for Lily were just too strong for even the fallen angel Yohane. She shouldn't favor any of her little demons, because they were all special. She had thought she should make her feel extra special. Her chest tightened at the thought. She couldn't stop herself after starting; Yoshiko had gone all the way hoping it helped her get closer to Riko. Now, the fallen angel façade was beginning to dissolve and the butterflies were returning…

Reality was slapping Yoshiko and the parfait's flavor was nothing but the imagined taste of Riko's sweet lips and there wasn't anything else in the world...

Like a tea kettle, Yoshiko's face warmed up to impossible levels. She pushed herself back against her seat. Riko shot her a quizzical look, but Yoshiko was a step ahead. She dived under the table and hugged herself into a fetal position. From the looks of it, she wasn't going to come out anytime soon.

Nobody knew what to do for a minute. Hanamaru and Ruby finished eating, and Riko stared at the floor, regretful. Did she do something wrong? She had just been following Yohane's lead the entire time. Hanamaru scooted out of the booth.

"Yoshiko-chan," Hanamaru said, kneeling down to her level, "come out, you're causing a scene."

Ruby nervously glanced to both sides. People hitting the dinnertime rush were flooding in and filling up the tables around them by the twos, and a line was beginning to snake outside the entrance doorway. "Come on, Yoshiko-chan… we have to give the table to someone else, it's getting really busy…"

Yoshiko shook her head vigorously. She pressed the palms of her heads against her eyes and leaned back against the table's pole. Her hair whipped against Riko's knee. "No! Go away! I can't look at anything anymore. Fallen angels aren't considerate," Yoshiko sniffed. "I won't come out until the fires of the underworld—" She babbled to herself, lost in thought, not looking up at her three friends.

Wait…

Was that why she was so embarrassed, because she had been considerate? Had Yoshiko wanted to make Riko feel included the whole time?

Riko sighed. She couldn't say she was upset. Suddenly, her insecurity and neediness made sense. Yoshiko got into those moods and Hanamaru bailed her out of her bubble. Riko wanted to be the one who did it this time. The sheer protectiveness in that feeling shocked her, but she wasn't apprehensive.

Riko joined Hanamaru in the aisle. Taking a deep breath, she bent down. She wrapped her arms around Yoshiko. Surprised, Yoshiko looked up at her, and instantly Riko blushed, not really know what she should say. She laughed awkwardly and tapped her foot on the floor. "It's… okay… I liked it, so…"

It was an awkward position trapped underneath the table and lying a little bit on top of her, but Riko didn't mind as much as she thought she would.

Ruby watched. So they did like each other! That mystery solved itself. She forgot the stares from the surrounding people sidestepping them in the aisle.

Hanamaru knew better, though. She was okay with the whole thing, but it would be better if they did that in a place that wasn't a restaurant. She poked her head under the table. "Come on, lovebirds."

Yoshiko sniffled. She wanted to put her arms around her, too… Riko's arms were nice and warm… But Hanamaru appearing sent her over the edge.

"You ruin everything, Zuramaru!" she shrieked. And then she grabbed Riko's hand and bolted out from under the table. Yoshiko and Riko raced out of the front door. Riko didn't realize what was happening until she just about hit a waitress on the way out.

Hanamaru and Ruby shrugged at each other. It had worked out, more or less. "Let's go, Ruby-chan," Hanamaru said, and she reached and grabbed Ruby's hand. She squeezed her hand tight.

Ruby smiled. "Okay, Maru-chan," she said. They walked to the cash register hand-in-hand.