Summary: Conversations happening everywhere. Rin on a fix Maki quest. Maki wants to be left alone. Eli wants an actual date. And Nico and Nozomi clash.

Every morning, Rin woke up, full of energy, the sun brightening the sky outside her window. For the past two years, she would flip over and stare for a minute at the sleeping face of the person she'd always always loved, Hanayo Koizumi. Kayo-chin was right there, and Rin could reach out for a hug or kiss or cuddle. Kayo-chin was so cute sleeping. After that Kayo-chin appreciation moment, most mornings, Rin bounced out of bed, did a quick workout, fixed breakfast and came back to see if Kayo-chin had noticed her absence yet. But this morning, Rin had serious thoughts delaying her daily joy.

"Kayo-chin?" A gentle poke.

"Not now, Rin. 'm sleepy."

"I have to go. You'll have to eat breakfast by yourself."

Hanayo opened one eye, "What's wrong, Rin?"

Not something Rin was going to answer in full this morning. But she could at least reveal who was interfering in their breakfast routine.

"I have to go fix Maki."

"I'm sure everything's okay, Rin. She loves this season and yesterday with Nico was so much fun." Hanayo reached out hugging arms.

Gloomy, Rin blocked with her phone screen facing Hanayo.

M: (╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

"She was fine last night."

Rin shook her head, "Not really."

"Is something going on?"

"I can't say."

"Rin-chan."

Rin shook her head. "If I tell you, it'll make everything worse. And I gotta go."

Hanayo finally got her hug, "I love you, Rin-chan. Go fix, Maki. Let's get ramen for lunch."

Rin bounced up, her usual morning mood restored, "You're the best, Kayo-chin! I'll text you when I"m done."

Rin was almost through the door when she spun with a wave, "See you soon."

Hanayo laughed, happy to see Rin energetic and eager to help their too often gloomy best friend.

###

"Maki Maki Maki!"

Rin's voice. Loud. Close. Maki groaned. She'd only just fell asleep. Why had she given Rin keys? She opened one eye. Rin shoved a bag at her.

"Breakfast. I'm gonna fix you before lunch."

"Why?"

"Kayo-chin's taking me out for ramen."

"Not why lunch." Maki sat up, wincing. Her eyes did not want to open, pinching against the light Rin had flipped on. "Turn that off."

"You texted the flippy table thing at 4 a.m. That's your cry for help, Maki. So your bestie's here to give you that help."

"This better be donuts." Maki opened the bag and pulled out a donut rolled in toasted coconut. A bite, then a grudging, "Okay, you can live."

Rin put a supersized cup on Maki's nightstand.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"There's nothing to fix."

Rin's face furrowed, her eyebrows nearly meeting over her nose. "Then why were you up so late?"

Maki sighed, finished the donut, took a sip of her coffee, and pulled out another donut. "I wasn't. Had a nightmare. Talked to Nico. Then I couldn't sleep."

"A Nico nightmare?" Rin's guesses about Maki's moods and motivations were unerringly accurate.

"Yeah."

"Just tell her. That you're Diamond Princess. And you loooove Nico Ni."

"I can't. And I don't."

"You do. And you have to. Especially if you want more…"

"Shut up, Rin."

RIn knew the flavor of every cotton, satin, and linen pillowcase in the Nishikino linen closet. Maki had shoved all of them in her face at least twice.

"You know I'm right, Maki."

"It'll make everything worse."

"You don't know that."

Maki put the donut in her mouth and chewed slowly and obviously, pointing a finger so Rin wouldn't miss that she was too busy to talk. True or not, that had never stopped Rin.

"Maki!"

"Rin!"

"You like Nico. Nico's nice. Why won't you tell her?"

Maki flopped back on the bed.

"Then it'll be real."

"Isn't real better?"

Maki started tossing a small pillow toward the ceiling.

"There's music and there's Nico. I can't have both. I try to write songs and bosh, there's a head full of Nico in my mind."

"Isn't that a good thing? Did you talk to her? Isn't she thinking about you too?"

"Yeah." And Maki bounced herself, briefly rising off the bed, then collapsed back on, "If I think about Nico, I don't write music, and if I don't write music, what am I?"

"Maki. And you don't have to choose."

Silence, Maki raising herself up from the bed. "Say that again."

"You don't have to choose. You don't have to hide music from Nico. Nico and you both live in a music world. Nico and music can be something you do both of. Like how you take what's upsetting you and make it scream. You can take what's happening with Nico and make it…" Rin patted her cheek, searching for the word that would tilt Maki back onto the right track, "sing."

Nico and Music, Desire and Distance, Solitude or Sensuality…Maki was staring behind Rin's shoulder, seemingly at the pattern in her bedroom curtains, but Rin was too used to Maki's daydreaming disconnect to be weirded out.

"Both." Maki said to herself. Rin imagined she'd be in front of a keyboard or strumming a guitar in five minutes."

Fix Maki, check. Now for some ramen.

###

Eli was pushing her comfort zone, idling in the no loading zone, in front of Nico's entertainment company headquarters while she and Nozomi said their goodbyes.

"So I'll see you tomorrow night." Nozomi unhooked her seatbelt and fixed her scarf.

"After rapid testing in the morning." Eli leaned in, "I always ace my tests."

Nozomi's kiss was quick, "You're adorable."

Eli frowned, "I thought I was sexy?"

"Your sense of humor is adorable." Nozomi giggled, "The rest of you is the kind of smokeshow I want in your pants access to."

Eli blushed. Nozomi leaned in for a longer kiss. Eli wanted a watch that could speed up time.

"Should I make reservations somewhere?" Eli asked.

Nozomi shook her head, "Take out and a movie instead? I know my hands would be wandering under the table." And Nozomi demonstrated, tracing the inside of Eli's thigh, causing the blonde to jump.

"I'm driving."

"We're parked."

"You're a menace." Eli sighed and slouched in her seat.

"Cheer up. I've got a gourmet takeout menu selection. Best of Andersonville."

Eli decided to assert some control over her future.

"Come over to my place; I'll cook."

"You cook?" Nozomi's face glowed.

"I cook. There will be candles. The ambiance will only increase your loveliness. You will not set anything on fire."

Nozomi pouted. "You're so demanding."

Eli shrugged, "It works for you. Maybe it'll work on you as well."

A third kiss, designed to leave Eli panting for more.

"It is. I can't wait for our date." Nozomi stepped out onto the sidewalk, "Text you later, gorgeous."

"Can't wait."

Nozomi watched Eli pull confidently in traffic, a quick wave goodbye over her shoulder. An early Christmas present, a sexy, caring, cooking holiday fling. Maybe there was some Christmas magic in the air.

###

Screeching music greeted Nozomi as she opened the door to Nico's private office, Nico's first album cover blown up and hanging behind Nico's desk. She heard someone singing "Santa's not for the rich and the naughty, Krampus come and sink the yachty…"

Nico had her chair tilted back, staring at the ceiling, hands pounding the air as demanded by the insistent rhythms of the drum pads.

Nozomi took a guess, based on recent conversations. "Diamond Princess."

"Yes. Last year's Christmas EP."

"Who are you?"

"A fan. So is Maki. Nico was thinking about a cover for the charity concert."

"No."

Nico rolled her chair to the end of her desk, "Didn't ask you. Didn't expect to see you. Why are you here and not having a sexday weekend?"

"The Rules™."

Nico blinked. "Oh."

Noozmi sensed a hesitation. "You know The Rules™, Nico."

"Of course Nico knows the rules. Nico helped you develop them. Nico is just impressed you have that much self control. And surprised you don't pack self tests."

"Does Nico follow The Rules™?"

"Nico spent all last night driving home then being woken up at 3 am by not a ghost having definitely a panic attack. Nico doesn't need rules."

Nico's continuing refusal to say the phrase with the full weight of its importance convinced Nozomi there was a truth to be dragged free.

"What did Nico do?"

"Last night? Tucked her in and sang a lullaby. Pure innocence."

"Nico-chi."

"Ironic considering the things Nico wants to do and or has already done…" Nico stopped cold, horrified, then pushed back from the desk and stood up. "Have to go grab some Christmas presents. Just text me when you've rescheduled that meeting. I have to finish the setlist for the Nishikino concert. Maki's such a Santa stan, Nico will probably mostly do Christmas songs."

"'tis the season." Nozomi kept her eyes on Nico, "Now when did you do the wild thing? And with who?"

"None of your…"

"Oh, not with that. If you don't tell me, who will you cry to when she dumps you via text mid tour. Or ghosts you."

Nico's eyes narrowed, lasers flaring. "Fuck off."

Nozomi blinked.

"Nico is shopping. Then not coming back here. Go home."

Nico stomp; door slam. Nozomi wondered if Nico had left a credit card trail on her vacation. Tarot cards were useful. Tarot cards mixed with receipts were unbeatable.

A/N: Hi.