As the evenings became colder and windier, Unicorn had taken to spending more time indoors rather than outdoors. The usual sundress she wore was replaced with something warmer complete with a thick fur-lined coat. While plenty of people were still perfectly fine with the cold, she found herself lying on the floor in front of the blazing fireplace, turning pages of books while occasionally looking through the window to see the lethargic gray sky. It may have been warm by the fire, but all Unicorn had to do to remind herself of the cold was to press her palms against the window glass and see her breath fog up the clear panes.

Some people would knock and enter, but it was either Illustrious wondering what she was doing or one of the maids reminding her that it was suppertime.

The usual tea times were moved from the gardens back inside, but Unicorn found herself leaving earlier and earlier: part of the reason was because there were no interesting plants and bugs she could observe indoors, but also because the commander stopped coming to them. It seemed as if all the usual members didn't pay much attention to his absence either, and it was easy enough to, given how little he actually participated in conversations.

The commander. That last meeting with him was still fresh on her mind, despite it being more than a week ago. It wasn't her first time being so coldly scorned, but it was the first from someone she cared about. Unicorn could think of half a dozen reasons why he did it, but it didn't change the fact that his distant response made her bite her lower lip until it bled.

She asked Yuni a million times already why. And this time, her closest friend could offer no good answer. It confused her. She didn't think the commander was a bad person, but she didn't feel welcome in his presence anymore.

So that's how she spent her time. Flipping through pages of historied prose and poetry in front of the fireplace, with just her and U-chan. Thinking of what her friends were up to. Thinking of what the commander was doing. There was no fireplace in his office from what she remembered. Wouldn't he be cold? The sky outside only turned darker shades of grey, now looking more threatening than ever. And Unicorn was fast running out of books that she could read comfortably. Illustrious was too busy to explain every single hard word she came across, and Unicorn was getting tense from staying inside all the time.

So she put on the thickest parka she could find in her closet, and ventured outside after getting explicit permission from Illustrious.

The wind was howling, and Unicorn had trouble closing the door after her. The gale seemed to cut straight past her bulky snow jacket and chill her entire body. Clutched against her chest was A Tale of Two Cities, a book that Victorious had recommended but Unicorn had great trouble reading. She originally wanted to go to the Iron Blood dorms to seek out Z23, who probably could help. Unicorn could always remember that Z23 worked in the library quite often, and was always reading tough books.

But the Iron Blood dorms were quite far away. Despite it being quite a while since international conflict, the dorms were constructed explicitly so to limit interactions with bitter rivals. A good move at the time, but Unicorn was feeling quite daunted by all the distance she'd have to cover.

An idea slipped into her mind: benign but dangerous. How about the commander? Last she remembered, he was wrestling with difficult and hard words for work. But she had not forgotten the last time she had gone to him. She didn't want to bother him again with her inane request to help get through a book.

So Unicorn stood there, in front of the turned-off water fountain, shivering as another gust passed. There was nobody in sight in the normally clustered plaza save for herself. She'd catch cold quick if she stayed out like this for much longer, like sister Illustrious had warned. But she didn't know where to go.

She didn't want to inconvenience the commander. But then again, same with Z23. They both must be terribly busy. Another gust blew, and Unicorn ended up sneezing. She didn't know where to go. It was tempting to go back and just spend the rest of the day huddled under her thick comforter in front of the roaring fireplace. But she had resolved to go out and figure out this big heavy book in her arms today. So with a moment of hesitation, she began to walk towards the Iron Blood dorms. A few steps in, she changed her mind and cut across the grass to where the commander's office and quarters were.

—

It was cold and dark inside, once Unicorn managed to pull open the door against her frictionless mittens and the wind. It was a stark contrast to the Royal Navy dorms, with its homey candlelight and lanterns which lit every corner and room. But the hallway here had no lights turned on. Unicorn fumbled for a switch on the wall but could find none, so she carefully made her way with the little light which crept from the window blinds.

The idea jumped into her mind perhaps the commander was out today. That would explain why all of the lights were off, why the heater was off, and why it felt like she was going to be jumped at any second, straight out of a horror movie. Unicorn swallowed back her apprehension and kept one hand on the book and the other against the wall, counting the numbers of doors she brushed past.

Seven doors in on the right, the office was locked. She was tempted to wait just like last time in front of the door, but something told her that he really wasn't inside this time. Also, the hallway only offered respite from the wind outside. It was still cold enough for her breath to fog up.

So another five doors and to the left, was what Unicorn thought was his quarters. She'd never been inside, so she wasn't sure if she had remembered correctly. But the doorknob turned, and she found the room inside was no less dark than the rest of the building. Or any less warmer, either. But this time, there was a light switch.

It took a moment to realize someone was hunched over a table, because they were just as motionless as the rest of the furniture in the room. It was the commander, unmoving, with a bottle of wine and a glass. His skin was deathly cold.

Unicorn backed away slowly, as everything started to fall into place in her mind. There was no way…

The silence was shattered by a snore, and the commander turned his head to rest on its other side.

Unicorn couldn't help but giggle at the sight, the absurdity of thinking a sleeping man was dead filled her with relief. Still, he was deathly cold, and Unicorn did what Illustrious had always done for her whenever she fell asleep elsewhere of her room: she found his bedroom, pulled the comforter off the neat bed (she mentally apologized to whichever maid had made the bed) and draped it over the commander's back. There was no fireplace here, but Unicorn wouldn't have trusted herself to have split the logs, carry the wood, and start a fire by herself. Thankfully, there was a thermostat within easy reach on the wall. Within minutes, warm air was blasting through the vents and she could feel her own hands not feel ice-cold anymore as she pressed her hands to her cheeks.

As for the wine bottle… Unicorn would've had serious concern if it were empty. But the bottle was still corked. And the glass was clean. Perhaps he meant to drink, but fell asleep before he got to do so?

But he was still asleep. She put the bottle and glass aside so that he wouldn't knock it over, and retrieved her book, turning it to the first page which dissuaded her so many times before.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…"

—

Charles Dickens had written a difficult book. There were many words she didn't understand, and she only got more discouraged when she didn't understand what most of the characters were saying. But every time she was tempted to give up, she remembered that time where she had read the commander's difficult paper work, and tried to push on. She imagined both Illustrious and the commander commending her for the effort.

What she didn't expect was the commander to wake up about ten minutes later. He got up from the table suddenly, and Unicorn could only wince as she heard his shoulders and spine crackle and pop an uncomfortable number of times. He didn't seem to notice her, but instead staggered to his feet, and grabbed the glass and drank three cups of water from the tap.

He rested like that for a while, leaning against the countertop, water dripping from his chin, and taking raspy breaths. Then he asked softly, "Unicorn, why are you here?"

The answer was obvious, and right in her hands. But it seemed like such a trivial matter now, and she realized that she just went into his room without his permission while he was sleeping. It broke every courtesy that Illustrious had ever carefully instructed her to follow. And so she could say nothing, and wanted to bury her face behind her beloved plush animal. But she had left Yuni behind because she couldn't carry both Yuni and the book at the same time.

She heard his weary sigh and he said something indecipherable as he placed his glass in the sink and took off his white officer's coat. Unicorn snuck peeks while his attention was diverted, as could not help but notice that he looked much smaller without that coat of authority. In his t-shirt, the usual contemplative look he wore looked more akin to constant worry.

He threw his coat over the chair with the blanket and sat across from her. "You turn on the heater and get the blanket?"

She nodded, trying to focus on the pages rather than his face. She read "taking the life of an atrocious murderer, and to-morrow of a wretched pilferer who had robbed a farmer's boy of sixpence" over and over again.

"Well…" he began. "I appreciate it."

Unicorn felt her heart beat a little faster. She squeaked out, "You're welcome."

The short exchange lulled into silence again. The commander's restless fingers tapped out an unsteady rhythm against the tabletop. "I need to ask you again: what are you doing here?"

It still sounded silly in her head, but she decided that he wasn't angry after all, but only curious. "I, um, wanted help with this book."

"What book?"

Unicorn closed the book, a finger on her current location, and showed him the cover.

"A Tale of Two Cities… hm. And why did you come to me rather than Illustrious?"

This was starting to feel more of an interrogation than anything else, and Unicorn was wholly unprepared. "Big sis was busy… and I thought that you knew hard words because of your work..."

He ran his hand through his hair. "I mean, you're not entirely wrong. I'm just surprised you came to me out of everyone else. Like, I'm sure Z23 is also free and probably better at explaining things than me."

"I wanted to see you."

"Oh." His face turned red, and he turned away. Unicorn had to suppress a giggle. She'd never seen him this abashed before.

He cleared his throat. "So, uh, you just want to ask me the definition of some words while you read."

Unicorn thought about it for a second. "Can we switch off every paragraph?" She originally wanted him to read everything, like Illustrious would usually do, but this seemed like a more fair option.

"Alright." He switched seats to sit beside her, and pulled up his chair so that they could both see the pages. "Why don't you start?"

Unicorn followed the words, and tried to emulate Illustrious' cadence and pronunciation to the best of her memory. It was difficult: Unicorn was much more used to reading in her head and talking to U-chan hardly offered the same kind of practice of sounding out Dickens' eloquent words. But whenever she stumbled over the words, the commander offered his piece. He was surprisingly good with all of the difficult terms.

When it was his turn to read, his usual monotone baritone gained a pep Unicorn hadn't heard from him before. It was the same practiced voice that Illustrious had, one of a story teller. Although he did not try to change his pitch for the various dialogue dependent on gender like Illustrious would have, the commander's cadence was comforting. Like the older brother she never had.

She reddened at that thought. Unicorn knew he asked to not be called "big brother," but it was hard to keep that image out of her mind. He fit perfectly as the aloof sibling who had to be dragged out to social gatherings but always had something interesting to say, far away from the adults table while looking at some book or insect which aroused his interest. And unlike all the commanders before him, he didn't look down on her. He had entertained most of her requests but never yet refused her on account of being too young.

But that last meeting still remained fresh on her mind. She'd already forgiven him in her mind, because he wasn't in the right state of mind. He looked better now, but not by much. Suddenly, she wondered if she was imposing on him by wandering in and demanding to help her read a book when he should be resting.

"Uh, are you feeling tired?" he asked.

Unicorn started and realized that she was zoning out for quite a while. She was in the middle of shaking her head but couldn't stifle her yawn.

"We got through about three chapters. I guess you can pick up the rest at another time." He picked up a napkin and used it to mark their place, and closed the book with a resounding finality.

There was a short pause. The commander took in a deep breath and said haltingly, "Sorry about what I said earlier."

It took a moment for Unicorn to realize that he was talking about the last time they met. "Um, it's okay—"

He didn't say anything in response, but chose to study the woodgrains on the table, tracing its lines across its surface.

Unicorn wasn't sure what else to say, but she waited.

He didn't take his eyes off the finger smears he made. "Unicorn. Why do you keep coming back?"

She wasn't sure of what to say, but he continued on anyways without hearing an answer.

"I don't understand why you keep coming back when I've done nothing but do the bare minimum. I-I…" he stopped. "I shouldn't be saying these things to you."

Unicorn couldn't claim to be an expert on interpersonal relationships. She spent more time talking to her inanimate stuffed animal than anyone else. But her first instinct was to stay. So she stayed, and placed her hand on his own. It was cold.

He didn't meet her concerned look and instead continued to gaze at the table for a minute, before suddenly saying, "I have to ask: what would you do if all the sudden, you were incapable of fighting the Sirens? After the people in charge realize you're useless and move you out of this port and you're left the fend for yourself. You'd have to work somewhere with your hands, eking out whatever you can to make ends meet. And then—" he took in a shaky breath and smiled bitterly. "God, I sound so pathetic."

Unicorn was a little afraid. It was certainly the most that she'd ever heard him talk with such fervor. She could say nothing and squeezed his hand a little tighter. His frigid, uncalloused hands which had never been burdened by any tool besides a pen or keyboard.

He kept going, undeterred, talking faster and faster as he continued to rant. "I mean, I'm sure you'll be able to make ends meet, Unicorn. Almost everyone seems to be able to do it. All the guys back in college, despite getting themselves blackout drunk every weekend seem to be handling themselves just fine right now." His hand crumpled tighter. "The only reason right now I'm a commander of a fleet is because I could play a game better than anyone else at the academy. But it turns out Amagi is better than me. One of your own, better than some no-name fellow who can't seem to do anything else but move little pieces across a holotable! I—"

He stopped suddenly. "I think that's everything that needed to be said. And it didn't make me feel any better about saying it. Don't know why I thought it would."

Unicorn couldn't find the right words to say. It was akin to watching a parent or an elementary school teacher cry for the first time. When the giants once so greatly respected or feared finally fell, what did you do? What can you do? There was no advice to give that could bring any comfort or reassurance.

But she could feel the deep ache that was written in his eyebrows and his clenched fist and his choked breath. And although she was woefully unqualified to help with a problem which she had never dealt with, she still wanted to help in her own way as best she could.

—

The commander didn't react at all when Unicorn embraced him. He looked down and said, "Sorry. I don't know why I said all that stuff to you. You didn't sign up to listen to someone's problems like that."

Then he felt the hot tears through the fabric of his shirt. "Unicorn, you don't need to cry for me," he added lamely.

She only continued to cry in their awkward embrace. So he tried to console her by placing his hand on her head, but he could only bitterly think about how he managed to make someone else cry from his own problems while his own eyes remained dry. It was the same numb feeling he had felt yesterday when he contemplated trying to drown all his turbulent emotions with alcohol. But he never developed the habit of alcoholism, and ended up nodding off at the table.

He felt awfully cold. The heater was still running; he could hear the vents happily humming with activity. Unicorn's hands and hug had the warmth of a living, thinking being. Yet he didn't feel warm at all. Even as Unicorn cried right next to him, all he could think about was taking a long bath with scalding water and letting his mind wander until his skin turned pink and he caught cold in the eventual lukewarm water.

He wondered when she would stop crying.

It took a while, but she eventually sniffled and let go. The commander couldn't help but feel relief when she finally did, but this time he didn't get disgusted with himself for feeling so. He figured that Unicorn would eventually pick up her things, say goodbye quietly, and leave just like last time, but instead she remained steadfast in her seat, hands in tight fists, looking at her lap.

His patience ran thin. He played along and read several chapters of fiction at her bequest, and now she wanted more and more time! He just wanted to just strip out of his sticky shirt and go boil himself in his bathtub for several hours. What was she waiting for?

"Commander," she said, still not looking up from her lap.

"Yes?"

"Unicorn knows that she isn't as good-looking or mature or smart like Miss Amagi. I don't know what to do most of the time. But what Unicorn does know is that you're not happy. And you're still not. So I'm going to stay here until you are! Because— because…" her voice choked from another sob.

All of his crude selfish apathy was forgotten. He could only stare dumbly at the meek girl.

"I know I sound silly right now… but I don't really know what else I can do. So I'm going to listen to everything you're going to say! And I'm going to cheer you up! And then… and then…"

The commander tried to swallow, but found it hard to do so. He couldn't ignore the quavering in his throat. His rasping sigh was uneven but eventually managed to get out, "I appreciate it."

Unicorn looked up from her lap and he could see her tear stained face mixed with a hopeful smile which looked grotesque, like a crying child being forced to smile for a family photo. The thought of it made him laugh out loud.

She really was too nice for her own good. To do all of this and bare her heart so brazenly, it was a lot more honest than he had ever been since he was six. But she had done so anyway. Just for him.

His laugh was strangled by a sob, and he could feel his own tears spring. The commander said quietly to both Unicorn and himself, "You've really done it this time."

When she came in for another hug, he welcomed it, her wails against his quiet tears.

A/N: Happy belated new year. I haven't been having a particularly good time myself personally, and I wanted to get this one out between Christmas and New Years. A previous draft had that maybe they'd all sing Auld Lang Syne together. Maybe there would be an impromptu party in his quarters and he'd be able to suspend some of the thoughts in his head or outright dispell them once and for all.

Instead I got something a little more bitter. Writing this entire little piece has been therapeutic, but I guess I underestimated by how much. My mental state was pretty much at square 1 again, and I might have ended up with something more similar to chapter 2 or 3 had my writing not improved.

For the new year, I won't make any resolutions, but just plan on trucking through another year. Another year to my life, another year to family and friends, another year to this fic. I still don't have a set ending yet for any of these. I'm having tremendous difficulty with goal setting, but maybe I can figure that out this year.

Finally, thank you for the triple digit favorites as well. I'm glad that a bunch of you all are still with me and dropping reviews. Here's to another year. May everything get richer and fuller as time passes for all of us.