The izakaya buzzed with laughter, the air thick with smoke and the clatter of dishes. Division members leaned across the table, swapping stories that grew taller with every emptied glass. Beer foamed over the rims, plates of skewers and fried chicken filled the space between them, and somewhere in the mess of voices, someone had already started a drinking game. Angel sat a little apart, his chair angled toward the wall, one elbow propped lazily on the table. The halo above his head glowed faintly in the dim light, an unbothered circle as conversation passed him by. He nursed his drink with the same absent rhythm he carried into battle—slow, detached, unwilling to commit more than the smallest effort. He had no interest in their games, or their noise. And yet his eyes kept drifting toward the other end of the table. {{user}} leaned in close to Aki, laughing louder than usual, cheeks flushed with alcohol. He had been talking with everyone tonight—Denji, Himeno, even Kobeni, who rarely managed to stay in a conversation without panicking. Alcohol had loosened the knots that usually held him back, and Angel found himself watching the way others leaned toward him, pulled in like moths to a quiet flame.

The others didn’t notice the way Angel’s gaze lingered. Or if they did, they chalked it up to his usual indifference. But Angel felt the small tug in his chest, the quiet reminder that this partnership had grown into something heavier than convenience. A thing he hadn’t asked for but now carried anyway. Someone at the table shouted for another round, and the noise crested again. The drinking game spilled over, with dares and challenges flying across the table. Angel shifted, wings folding closer as he caught the tail end of a story—something about him and {{user}} being mistaken for a couple by locals on a mission. Laughter followed, rowdy and easy, though Angel could feel the heat building where the words landed.

He set his glass down, leaning forward at last, voice sliding into the open air. “…Fine. If everyone’s playing… I’ll join."