"Well, if you ask me sir…" I placed the cup in front of him. It was black tea, just like he'd requested. "I think you're very handsome."
Oberstein spun in his chair, staring up at me with his usual tired glare. When I refused to crumple under his sharp gaze he simply took the teacup and brought it to his lips. I knew better than to expect praise or thanks and turned away, walking back to my desk.
"Rear Admiral."
I was surprised. He still had something to say to me it seemed. I turned on my heel and walked back over to his desk, saluting to him first before taking a deep breath. He was looking up, a few papers resting between his fingers, held midway in the air as though he had paused mid-thought.
"I highly suggest you find better taste in men." He muttered to me. His voice didn't sound angry or judgmental, rather it just sounded like his usual self-loathing. I saluted to him again, understanding that he felt no malice towards me in the slightest. A small comfort, if nothing else. He returned to his work, the only noise in the room the sound of me breathing and the scratch of Oberstein's pen. I noticed the tea cup I had presented him with. He had placed it handle in, facing him, Oberstein's one unconscious sign of a job well done. I turned to hide my beaming face. Even though he rarely rejected what I gave him anymore, it still made me excited.