The dawn came much too early for my liking, along with my alarm. It felt like only minutes ago that I finally slipped into bed for some much-needed rest. Mikasa and I stayed up way too late into the night talking to each other, and I got to bed with barely four hours' sleep to spare. With a groan, I pushed myself upright and fumbled for my accursed alarm, resisting the urge to smash it against the wall, and slapped the off button repeatedly until it finally silenced itself. I idly wondered how Mikasa was faring as I shuffled off to get showered and ready for work.

One hot shower and shave later, I felt like a vague impression of a fully functioning human being as I made my way to my office. I was running a few minutes behind, but hopefully, Mikasa would be able to forgive my tardiness. I placed my hand on the door, turned the knob, and tried to open the door to my office, only to find that it was still locked. Did she lock me out of my own office because I was late? Mind still spinning(and still sleep-deprived), I fished out my own key and unlocked the door to find my office was empty. Now things were getting downright puzzling. It wasn't like Mikasa to be late, but she clearly wasn't in the office, and there were no messages from her on my phone. I decided that I should investigate this personally, and discreetly, and after checking to make sure my schedule was clear for that morning, locked the office back up and headed out to her apartment.

Just to be on the safe side, I swung by the model museum and found it locked up as well before heading the short distance to her apartment. When my first few knocks went unanswered, I knocked harder, stopping just shy of pounding on the door.

"One moment!" I heard her voice sleepily call out, and a minute later, Mikasa opened up, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Whatever I was originally planning on saying vanished from my mind as soon as I saw what she was wearing. She had on a pair of short-sleeve silk pajamas with manjuus all over them that managed to make her look both cute and dangerously alluring. Adding to the cuteness was a little foam noodle slipped over each of her horns. "Co...mmander?" she muttered. "What are you doing here so early?"

It took my brain another second to re-engage and think of something to say. "Just stopping to check up on you," I smiled ruefully as I showed her my watch.

Mikasa gasped and went as white as her pajamas as she saw the time. "O-oh my! Oh my goodness! I-I'm so sorry, Commander, let me just-" before she could even finish her thought she was already down the hallway, her long hair trailing behind her.

I watched her go for a moment, admiring just how unbelievably adorable she was before I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. "You okay?" I called out after her, not wanting to follow her into her bedroom.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine!" she called back, her annoyance evident in her voice. "Just mad at myself for oversleeping!"

"I have to share some of the blame in that. I was the reason you were up half the night, after all."

"Yes, but you got up on time!" she shot back, her voice muffled through half of that as she slipped something over her head. An undershirt, I surmised.

"Could have easily been the other way around," I countered.

Her bedroom door swung open and she strode out, looking tired, but presentable. "And if it was, I would be admonishing you for your lax behavior!"

"Well, I'm just not the admonishing type," I playfully smiled, much to her continued consternation. "Come on, let's get to the office and get us a nice hot cup of coffee."

"Ah, that's the stuff…" I sighed as I took a long sip of the freshly-brewed black nectar known as coffee. Beside me, Mikasa took an equally long swig of the still-steaming liquid and nodded in agreement.

"I think we'll need quite a bit of this to get through the day," she stated.

"Probably. And while I wouldn't want to do that every night, spending time talking to you last night was definitely worth losing a few hours' sleep."

Mikasa blushed and hurried back to her desk, shuffling some papers around to disguise her embarrassment. "C-commander, you're too kind…"

I grinned to myself as I took another sip of coffee. "Oh, before I forget again if you don't mind me asking, what were those little foam things on your horns?"

She back up at me, somewhat puzzled. "Foam things?" she repeated. For a second, the confused expression remained on her face until it sank in. "Oh! My horn covers. They make sure I don't accidentally tear open a pillow or cut up a blanket while I'm sleeping."

"Ahhh," I said slowly, "That makes a lot of sense." I hesitated before I asked my next question. "If it's not too personal...what's it feel like?"

It took her a second to get what I was asking about. "What does what feel-Oh! You mean my horns?"

"Mhm," I nodded. "Obviously, never had a pair myself, and I've always been kinda curious."

Mikasa furrowed her brows and tapped a gloved chin against her lip as she pondered how to answer the question. I couldn't help but find her expression unbelievably cute. "It's sort of like wearing a hat all the time. Like when someone touches the brim of your cap, you don't feel the actual touch, but you still feel the change in...pressure, I guess?"

"That's a rather interesting and relatable way to put that, Mikasa. Thank you."

Her cheeks were a deep red by that point, and she continued to fidget uncomfortably. "Y-you can touch them if you like…" she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

I was stunned by the offer, unsure if I should take her up on it or not. "Oh! Only if you're completely okay with it. I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable o-or anything like that."

She nodded quickly, her face becoming even redder, and I was beginning to wonder just how red it was going to get before something burst. "I...I trust you."

She lowered her head and I stepped forward, my hand slowly reaching out as my fingers barely grazed one of her horns. She let out a quiet gasp, and I paused, worried I had done something wrong. But when she didn't object or move away, I continued to gently explore. It felt smooth, almost polished, with the barest of striations towards the base where it disappeared behind her silky black hair. The ball of my thumb ran over the tip, and while I'm sure it could do damage if she really tried, it wasn't as sharp as I was expecting.

As I continued to caress and explore her horn, I became aware of a faint scent, one that was growing stronger and stronger. It smelled like cherry blossoms, with hints of jasmine and other fragrances I couldn't recognize. I idly wondered where the smell was coming from until I felt Mikasa's bangs beginning to tickle my chin. I don't think either of us had consciously realized it, but our bodies had continued to drift closer and closer to each other until we were almost pressed up against one another. I froze, and Mikasa immediately froze as well, having come to the same realization the second I stopped moving. Slowly, her amber eyes looked up until they were gazing into mine, and I gazed back into hers. I felt her hand rest on my hip, and my own slowly trailed up her side, and along her arm.

It was as if a veil had been lifted from my eyes, and suddenly before me was a beautiful, smart, and supportive woman, vulnerable and lovelorn. I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms and kiss her passionately, and it took every exhausted fiber of my being to resist that urge. Still, I found myself being drawn inexorably towards her, and she moved towards me in kind, her eyes still locked on mine. Neither of us showed any resistance to the other in that hypnotic gaze, and we both let ourselves be drawn to its natural, passionate conclusion.

Or we would have, if someone hadn't knocked on the door. We both practically jumped out of our skins, managing to get entangled further with one another before we were able to hurriedly extricate ourselves from our sudden inadvertent embrace. As Mikasa looked away, hurrying back towards her desk, I straightened my uniform and tried to sound as normal as possible. "Who is it?" I asked, stalling for time as I headed back to my desk.

"Shokaku," came the muffled reply on the other end.

I quickly took a seat, grabbed a report off my desk to look like I was doing something perfectly normal, and said, "Enter."

The elder crane sister cracked the door open, peering around it before fully stepping inside, glancing between Mikasa and me. She eyed us suspiciously before slowly heading to my desk, a request form held in her hands.

I looked up at her and she stared at me for a moment before she asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Of course it is," I snapped back a little too quickly and suspiciously, "why wouldn't it be?"

"Because you're reading that report upside down."

Uh-oh. There was a pregnant pause as I looked down in terror and saw that the report was, indeed, upside down. I quickly stole a glance over at Mikasa, who was giving me a panicked stare, then back to Shokaku. I stared at her for another moment before letting out a nervous laugh, which Mikasa echoed until Shokaku began to anxiously chuckle along with us. "I thought it was a little hard to read," I chuckled as I put it aside.

Shokaku continued to look me up and down as if I were crazy. "Are you sure you're okay, Commander?"

I smiled again, this one warm and genuine at her concern as I nodded. "I'm fine, just a little fried. Stayed up way too late burning the midnight oil and the coffee hasn't kicked in yet. What do you need?"

She hesitated, but in the end, put her concerns aside as she handed over the paperwork. "Just need to use the meeting hall in the Sakura dorms tomorrow for some...ah...team-building exercises."

I raised an eyebrow at her as I took the form from her outstretched hand. "Team-building exercises?" I repeated. She simply gestured with her eyes to Mikasa and mouthed the word "models".

"Ahhhh, team-building exercises," I acknowledged as I signed off on the paperwork. "Good luck on those. I'm sure you've almost got the team...built by this point?"

She smiled in return and nodded as I handed the form back to her. "We're working on a few, but the Mutsukis have been doing an amazing job."

"Outstanding." When Shokaku didn't leave, I waited for another moment before speaking up. "Was there something else?"

"Just a quick question, sir."

"Shoot."

"Why did you nominate me to be fleet commander?"

I leaned back in my chair and gave her an appraising stare. "For starters, you're well-liked by both Eagle Union and Sakura Empire kansen. Unlike some other members of the Fifth Carrier Division, you aren't engaged in feuds with members of the Eagle Union. And you need the experience. You're a strong, capable kansen who I have no doubt lead the Sakura Empire to many victories. But you've got to learn how to lead others to those victories as well. And finally, you came very highly recommended."

Shokaku blinked in surprise. "Who?"

I grinned and pointed over to Mikasa, who simply gave Shokaku a confident smile and a single nod of approval. The crane looked both awed and flustered and clutched both hands to her chest as she looked between Mikasa and me.

"You've got this, Shokaku," I said. "Now get out there and show the rest of the world what we already know."

"Hai!" With that, she saluted, then bowed to each of us before quickly exiting the room.

As soon as the door shut, Mikasa and I both slumped into our chairs and let out a long sigh. "That was close," I began, "Good thing Shokaku knocked, or that would have been hard to explain."

"Mhm," Mikasa nodded, casting a glance at the closed door. "Certainly an unbecoming position to be seen in."

"Agreed." There was an awkward silence that descended over the office, and we stared at each other, the unspoken question in our eyes. I was about to broach it when Mikasa averted her gaze and loudly cleared her throat.

"In any case, we had best get back to work," she announced as she looked back down at the reports on her desk. With the moment gone, I returned to my work, but I still couldn't help but shake the feeling that we had crossed a Rubicon of sorts…

The weather that evening was beautiful, and we decided to make the best of it by getting some airbrushing done outside so we could enjoy the view while we waited for the paint to dry. I had dragged out a couple of chairs, and we sat next to each other as we watched the sky turn from violet to inky black.

"So," I said, glancing over at her, "if we're not going to display this, where's it going to go?"

Mikasa smiled as she looked over at the inverted hull of herself, still glistening with red paint. "I have a secret collectible section of the museum where only I, and those I deem worthy, can view the items within."

"Oh? Mind if I ask what else is in there?"

"This will actually be the first thing to go in it," she answered.

I smiled and bowed my head to her. "I'm honored."

The silence descended upon us again, and my thoughts turned inward towards the morning's events. How far would we have gone if Shokaku hadn't interrupted us? What was it in that moment that connected us so deeply? We'd been spending a lot of time together, and I've really been enjoying her company...but was there a romantic spark there, as well? And did Mikasa feel the same way? It certainly felt as though she did back in the office, but one fleeting moment brought on by precious little sleep was hardly proof positive.

My ruminations were interrupted by Mikasa's cheerful question. "You ready for tomorrow?"

For a second, I couldn't remember what was happening tomorrow, and then, fortunately, it all clicked into place. "I am! Cherry blossom-viewing, right?" When she smiled and nodded, I continued. "Is there anything I should bring? What's the dress code for this sort of thing?"

"Not what you Unioners would call your 'Sunday best', but nothing too casual, either. Probably at least something with a collar, at least. Aside from that, I'll handle the snacks and drinks this time."

"Got it. So this is sort of like a picnic?"

"A bit," Mikasa nodded slowly. "It's more about the company and watching the petals dance as they fall than the actual food."

"Speaking of, what does one normally bring to eat at a cherry-blossom viewing. Anything special?"

"Mostly snacks and food that's easy to eat on the go. Sushi, cherry blossom cookies, a bento if you're going to be a while, let's see..what else...oh!" Mikasa's face suddenly lit up. "Dango!"

"Dango?"

She looked at me as if I'd gone insane. "John, don't tell me you've never heard of dango before!"

"Name rings a bell, but...I don't think I have," I answered apologetically.

"Kids these days," she sighed theatrically as she shook her head. "Dango is a dumpling made from rice flour that's typically served on sticks, three to a stick. It's sweet and a little chewy and very delicious."

"Okay," I nodded as her description jogged my memories. "I think I've seen those around the base at festivals before."

"Mhm. Dango's pretty popular as a festival food, and for cherry-blossom viewing, you can make a tri-color dango stick. One green, one white, and one pink to represent the cherry blossoms."

"That's pretty neat. Do the other Sakura girls take cherry blossom viewing as…" I struggled to find the right word, "...enthusiastically as you do?"

That seemed to take the wind out of her sails a bit, and she slumped back into her chair. "A few. Shokaku, Nagato, a few others. But most don't, which is a real shame."

"Youth is wasted on the young," I quipped.

Mikasa grinned at the remark and looked up at the night sky. "True. I remember going to my first couple of viewings more out of a sense of duty as the flagship of the Combined Fleet than any actual excitement to go. Age has a way of highlighting your priorities, you know?"

"I'm starting to get that," I nodded in agreement, following her gaze skyward. It was truly beautiful tonight. I only hoped it would mean a good day tomorrow. "Things start coming into focus, you start really figuring out what you want to do..for a lot of reasons." Like having a serious talk with the woman you almost made out with this morning.

She nodded sagely. "That it does. Although having dangerous jobs like ours probably hits the point home a little bit harder."

"Yeah," I sighed softly. Again, now would be a great time to have that conversation. I looked over at Mikasa and called out to her. "Hey, Mikasa?"

She shifted in her seat and turned her gaze to me. "Yes, John?"

I froze. Like a deer in headlights, I locked up and my brain came to a sudden, screeching halt. What if I made things awkward between us? What if she didn't feel this way? What if it was just us being really tired? What if I'm misremembering things? Was I prepared to damage this friendship for the sake of some tiny thing that almost happened? In the end, my spirit quailed and my resolve faltered. "How's the model doing? Think I'm starting to feel a little tired, wanna hit the sack soon."

Mikasa, still blissfully unaware of my sudden reversal, smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Ah, we can move it into the office, it'll be fine in there, don't worry about it. I should probably turn in, too. Think we could both use a good night's rest."

We both stood up and I smiled at her while I inwardly kicked myself for my cowardice. Maybe Mikasa was right, though, maybe a good night's rest would help ease my mind.

It wouldn't.

A/N-Well, that was close! I'm sure things will be much better and not awkward at all. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!