No, I didn't abandon this story! Just been busy - got promoted, traveled for work, the usual "I'm-not-writing" excuses. In any case, I'm back and I really hope you enjoy this chapter. I have every intention of continuing this story to completion. Stay tuned and please review - I am forever grateful for your feedback!
Reflexively, Misa took a step back, trying to put space between Hikaru and herself, in a feeble attempt at self-preservation. On a purely subconscious level, she ached to be close to him and the easy warmth he radiated. If this were just another normal day on duty, she would have donned her smart UN Spacy uniform suit and hat, the armor she wore against the world, and managed those feelings toward him with the decorum befitting a senior bridge officer. But today had already proven to be highly irregular, and it was only midmorning.
Misa realized she'd taken too large of a step when she found herself back to back with the older gentleman at the front of the coffee line. Whirling on her heel, startled, she stammered a quick apology to the man, who was making every effort to collect his coffee and muffin and escape the line unscathed. Hikaru couldn't help but smirk, finding her flustered state strangely endearing. He'd seen his share of flustered and angry Captain Hayase when he didn't follow her mission orders, but seeing her flustered and earnest was new to him.
She turned back to him and smiled weakly with a tiny shrug, embarrassed at her minor lapse of coordination.
"Hi, Hikaru." The words floated out of her mouth.
"Don't you mean Lieutenant Ichijou?" He replied, arching an eyebrow, crossing his arms.
As the color drained from Misa's face, she swallowed to buy herself a moment to think of a response. Shit, shit, shit… she gulped.
"I'm kidding," he replied lightly, uncrossing his arms and smiling.
"Right," she replied, trying to hide the relief in her voice.
"Let's order, yeah?" Hikaru suggested. "I'm pretty hungry and I think I can still taste last night's whiskey," he said with a smile in his voice, recalling Max's visit. I'll have my revenge on you yet, Jenius! He thought to himself with a bit of good-natured mischief.
Misa nodded and gave him a genuine smile. "What's good here?" she asked. "I usually bring breakfast with me to work."
Hikaru shrugged. "Beats me. I usually grab something cheap at the mess. I didn't even drink coffee until I enlisted."
"We practically have coffee IVs on the bridge," said Misa wryly. "Shammy likes it really strong – even Global can't handle her coffee black," she mused.
Hikaru grinned. She's cute when she tells a story.
The cashier cleared his throat, signaling he was ready to take their order, interrupting Misa's digression. Her brows furrowed slightly at the intrusion. Stepping toward the counter, she felt Hikaru's hand graze her back, gently leading her forward. A shiver ran from the base of her skull all the way down to her heel, but she didn't recoil. She decided to wing the order, having had a chance to skim the menu while waiting for Hikaru to arrive.
"Let's see, um, we'll do a pain au chocolat, the savory crepe with mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, and Gruyere cheese, and a big piece of the ham and Swiss quiche…" she started, looking back at Hikaru for input. His eyes had widened and his mouth was slightly open. If she eats all that, I'm a monkey's uncle! He thought to himself. Gotta to admire her for trying though.
"I figured we'd just split all this – I kind of wanted to try it all," she explained, giving him a gamine half-smile. "What do you want to drink?"
Hikaru pressed his lips together in thought. "Dark roast, a little sugar," he replied with a little laugh. "What can I say? I don't know much about fancy coffee."
Misa nodded and turned back to the cashier. "A dark roast with sugar and a café au lait," she finished.
Anticipating the total, Misa reached for her handbag and Hikaru drew his wallet from his jeans pocket at the same time. The cashier gave the pair a once-over, and grinned at them both.
"Captain Hayase and Lieutenant Ichijou, right?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows excitedly.
"Um, yes," she replied, surprised. "How-?"
The cashier interrupted. "I've been instructed to tell you that your brunch is on the house. Admiral's orders!" he said with an exaggerated wink.
Hikaru and Misa smiled at each other and shrugged, going along with the cashier's unexpected announcement. Hikaru collected a plastic number sign to place on their table for the food order. He led Misa over to the seating area, and together they picked a corner booth along the front windows. He took her coat from her slim arm and walked it to the coat rack near the door.
She returned to the counter to fetch the coffees before the barista could call their names out – while she was proud of her service and happy to be dining with Hikaru, she didn't want to draw any more attention to their shared meal, for his sake. He's friendly, sure, but does he really want to be here with me? Misa was her own harshest critic, despite Claudia's frequent pep talks in the romance department. "Any soldier worth his bars would be lucky to get a date with you, Lieutenant Ichijou included, if only you'd disarm your missile defenses and give one of them half a chance!"
Misa let a little sigh escape as she collected the drinks, one in each hand. She strode slowly and gracefully over to the table and set the mugs on the table, sliding Hikaru's in front of him with a smile. She slid into the other side of the booth and pushed her hair behind her shoulders. Now what? She brought her hands up to her own steaming mug and held onto it out of habit.
Hikaru's tidal blue eyes found hers and she tilted her head to the side, taking in his gaze, holding it.
"Are you cold?" He asked, gesturing to her hands wrapped around the round sides of the hot mug.
"No, it's habit, mostly. I always have cold hands on the bridge, which makes me prone to dropping these damn things. Two hands for safety," she said in a mocking tone.
That didn't stop Hikaru from reaching for her hands, taking them off the mug and into his own warm palms.
"Nope, not cold." He grinned. "But soft," he noted.
Misa smiled and squeezed his hands, and to her delight, he squeezed back. This is really nice, being here together. I wonder-
Her thoughts were cut off. "Boss!" a voice called out. "Boss!" Neither Hikaru nor Misa knew which of them the unseen speaker was addressing.
"Boss! Lieutenant Ichijou!" A male voice rang out. "It's me, Kakizaki!" Oh, great, thought Hikaru. This is going to be eight kinds of awkward. Sorry, Misa. He gulped anxiously.
Kakizaki sauntered up to their corner table and took in the sight of his superior officer holding hands with—holy crap—the frosty Captain Hayase of the bridge. He blinked disbelief out of his eyes for a millisecond.
"Oooooh, don't tell me I'm interrupting a cozy little date here!" Kakizaki snickered impishly. "A little coffee and romance for boss, here?" He continued, elbowing Hikaru in the bicep. Misa flushed scarlet and reached for her clutch, grateful to have an excuse to look away. She fished her phone out of the bag and pretended to compose a text message.
As she fiddled idly with the phone, Hikaru grabbed Kakizaki's meaty elbow and pulled him down to eye level. "Listen, buddy, I know this is funny to you, but you gotta scram," he hissed lowly, a frisson of anger filling his voice. "We're here to debrief informally before we submit our survivor's report to Admiral Global – that's it." Hikaru couldn't hide the annoyance in his voice and narrowed his eyes at his hulking squad mate. Get. Out. Of. Here. He thought, wishing telepathy was real.
Misa's heart sank at Hikaru's words as they escaped his mouth, keeping her face a blank slate, eyes still glued to the cold light of her phone screen. She couldn't have avoided hearing their exchange if she had tried, though she know he'd been trying to be discreet. She was pulled from her thoughts when Kakizaki finally took the hint.
"Yeah, well, it's been real. I'd better be on my way - don't wanna be late for my shift," Kakizaki stammered uneasily. "Ma'am," he mumbled with a nod in Misa's direction before he walked away. She didn't speak, leaving Hikaru the task of waiving off his subordinate. All Hikaru could do was glare at him as he took his leave.
Misa returned her phone to the handbag and looked up at him, debating whether to confront him. "We're here to debrief . . .That's it," his words echoed in her mind. She shook her head and Hikaru frowned, catching her stung expression.
"Don't mind him, he's a boor and everyone knows it," he spoke softly. He reached for Misa's hand across the table, trying to recapture the nice moment they had been sharing, but it was fleeting, like so many happy moments in wartime. She kept her hand pressed to the table, letting Hikaru brush her knuckles and fingers, but Misa couldn't bring herself to reciprocate his gesture.
She smiled weakly at him, trying to process her feelings, losing sight of his distraught expression as her thoughts turned inward. He probably didn't mean that. No doubt he was just trying to get rid of his obnoxious wingman, but the cool way those words slid off his tongue . . . A tiny shudder ran through her shoulders.
"Number 17," An unfamiliar voice suddenly announced. Neither had noticed the runner approach their table, but here he was, in the café uniform and holding a tray full of food. Hikaru nodded his assent and helped take the plates off the tray, handing back the plastic number sign when everything was unloaded. Misa had never been so glad to see food in her life.