"So who do you think's going to win?"

Mikasa looked up at me from her work on her aft decks. "What do you mean?"

"The exercise tomorrow," I said, not looking up as I delicately painted the windows on her bridge. "Who do you think will win?"

She idly tapped the end of her paintbrush against her lips as she pondered the question. "If Shokaku can come out of her shell and realize her leadership potential, she'll sweep the field. If she can't, it's going to be a long, slow struggle, but in the end, she'll be done in by Hood. Which was an excellent choice, by the way."

"Thank you," I grinned, sparing a glance at her as I rinsed the paint off the brush and began again. "Wanted someone a little more...traditional and less impulsive. Good partner to bounce off of for a first-time commander."

"So you do want the Sakura/Union faction to win."

I laughed and shook my head, standing up to look her in the eye. "Alright, look, I won't say I'm not biased. After all, I'm from the Eagle Union and you're from the Sakura Empire so yeah, I do want to see both factions shine. But as the Commander of Azur Lane, I want to see everyone learn something from this. The more we can find out what works and what doesn't, the better off we'll all be when the Sirens decide to try and go on the offensive again."

After another moment of her staring me down, I broke and shrugged helplessly. "Okay, fine, it'd also be nice to celebrate the reopening of the model museum along with a win for the Sakura Empire."

Mikasa allowed herself a satisfied smile as she basked in her small victory. "I thought as much. And don't worry, I don't think you'd act in any sort of biased or improper way in order to get such a victory."

"Absolutely," I agreed. "They need to stand on their own or fall on their own and learn from their strengths and weaknesses. Otherwise, they'll be pummelled when they go into actual combat. To say nothing of the loss of trust with the other factions."

"And your girlfriend," she teased, her playful smile quickly fading to a look of uncertainty. "Girlfriend. It seems a bit strange to call myself that… Does it seem strange to you?"

The more I thought about it, the more the word choice seemed...odd, somehow. "Yes and no," I slowly began. "On the one hand, there really isn't another word for it at this stage in our relationship. We haven't been, uh...intimate…so we're not lovers." We both blushed at the word, an unspoken "yet" lingering in the space between us. "But girlfriend and boyfriend seems a bit...immature, I guess?"

Mikasa nodded emphatically. "That's it. I know I said I thought it would be sweet if we were inseparable high school sweethearts, but I didn't mean it so literally."

"I know what you mean," I chuckled as I pondered other terms for our relationship. "I guess the closest would be 'significant other' or 'partner'."

Her finger tapped her chin thoughtfully as she pondered the options. "I guess 'significant other' would be best for the time being. Although they should probably work on coming up with a new term that sounds more...mature."

"Yeah...womanfriend and manfriend just doesn't have quite the same ring to it."

Mikasa laughed softly and shook her head. "Not at all. Although while we're on the subject, when do you want to have our second date?"

I was taken slightly off guard by the sudden subject changed, but fortunately, I had already planned to bring this up. "I was thinking tomorrow night, since it's the last night before the exercise, and once that starts, we're going to be pretty busy."

"Good point," she conceded as she nodded slowly. "And yes, I think tomorrow will work for me. What did you have in mind for this 'romantic dinner' you have planned for me?"

I grinned playfully and shook my head. "All in good time."

Her warm laugh filled the back office. "Go on, then, keep me in suspense. Just remember turnabout is fair play…"

"Don't threaten me with a good time," I teased as we both returned to our work, and little by little, the Mikasa, like the museum itself, was restored to life…

The next day rushed by in a blur. A flurry of last-minute paperwork, preparations, and patrols that all needed to be done before the exercise tomorrow. The patrols were especially important-the last thing I wanted was for the Sirens to show up when over half of our ships are equipped with training rounds and torpedoes. There was also one last request from the Iron Blood and Royal Navy team...

The familiar polite knock on the door was swiftly followed by the familiar polite voice of Belfast. "Master, may I enter? I'm here on the Queen's business."

I managed to stifle a groan as I set aside the planned fuel expenses and composed myself. As I was straightening my jacket, I caught Mikasa giving me a reassuring smile and a confident nod. And while it may seem strange, even those two little gestures eased the tension and helped me to unclench, such as it were. I cleared my throat and said, "Enter."

Belfast quickly slipped inside and made her way to my desk, politely curtseying as she reached it. "Begging the Master's pardon, but Her Majesty wanted to make a sudden...petition for your approval."

I leaned back in my chair and appraised Belfast with a cool look. "Go on."

"Her Majesty requests an observer be assigned to the Combat Information Center to ensure that the judgments are rendered in a fair and impartial manner."

As I've said, I don't much care for demands to be made, and the implication that I would act in a less-than-proper manner had me bristling. "I see," I said slowly through clenched teeth. "So Her Majesty feels I'm incapable of acting in an impartial manner?"

For a brief second, Belfast's calm, poised demeanor slipped, and she looked flustered as she realized just what she'd stepped in. Her recovery, however, was remarkable. "Her Majesty would imply nothing of the sort. She simply desires someone to...explain the actions of the fleet during the exercise. An...advocate, if you will."

That sounded a lot less insulting and made a lot more sense. Of course, I'm sure they would be there for the original reason given, but at least now it wouldn't be the slap in the face as intended. "If you'll give us a moment," I answered, and Belfast curtseyed again before leaving the room. As soon as the door shut, I turned to Mikasa. "Your thoughts?"

She wasted little time in answering. "While she could have been a little more...diplomatic in her request, I have no objections to observers sitting in. Although I feel there should be parity and an observer should be assigned from the Sakura Empire and Eagle Union team."

"Agreed." I turned back to the door and called out. "You can come back in now, Belfast."

Once more, the Royal Maid swiftly and gracefully entered, and once more, curtseyed before me. "Have you reached a decision, Master?"

I nodded solemnly. "I have. I will allow an observer from the Iron Blood and Royal Navy team, but only if the Sakura Empire and Eagle Union team agrees to send one of their own as well."

Belfast nodded and bowed in assent. "As you wish, Master." When she turned to leave, I called out to her.

"By the way, who did you have in mind to send as an observer?"

She turned back around and answered, "Her Majesty recommended Odin to the position."

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at that pick but kept any commentary to myself. If the Royal Navy chose to deprive themselves of a valuable tactician for the exercise, that was on them. "Very well."

We waited for the door to shut behind her before Mikasa and I turned back to one another. "Well, let's get ahold of Shokaku and see who she wants to send as an observer. If she wants to send anyone."

"On it, Commander."

In the end, Shokaku decided to send Bremerton as an observer, which I thought was an interesting choice. One side sends a tactical expert, the other sends a people expert. I was curious as to the reasoning behind each choice, but I decided to wait until after the exercise to question the respective commanders. Besides, I had little time to spare to get home and begin cooking that romantic dinner I promised for Mikasa.

As soon as I came through the door, I tossed my jacket and cap aside, rolled up my sleeves, and got to work. I laid out my cutting board and grabbed the ingredients I would need: flour, salt, and a bottle of water called kansui. Akashi was rather insistent about it when I asked her what ingredients I would need, and while part of me was fairly certain it was a ploy to get me to part with my hard-earned paycheck, I really couldn't afford not to take her at face value and leave things to chance.

So I mixed everything together(using chopsticks, as Akashi insisted), and once it was the right consistency, gathered it onto a sheet pan, covered it, and slipped it into the refrigerator. While I waited for the noodles, I took the opportunity to get started on the broth and pork…

I had just managed to get myself cleaned up and the cloches on the dishes when I heard a knock on the door.

"Be right there!" I called out as I lit the candles, dimmed the lights, and quickly walked to the door. On the other side, as I expected, was Mikasa, an enthusiastic, if somewhat uncertain, smile on her face. In place of her usual uniform, she had opted for a beautiful black evening gown that showed off the curves I hadn't even realized she had. I was, in a word, speechless.

"Hello, John," she greeted me in a soft tone. "I hope I'm not too early."

It took me a moment, but I was able to collect my jaw from the floor and answer her. "Not at all," I smiled as I ushered her inside. "You're right on time."

"Thank you," she politely nodded as she swept past. "What do you think of the dress? I decided to go with something a little more modern."

She gave that little slow spin of hers, setting the hemline of her dress twirling. "I think you look gorgeous," I answered. "Really shows off your…" I caught myself and cleared my throat as I thought of a better way to say it. "...ah, attributes."

Her cheeks flushed, but her smile grew larger and she bowed slightly. "Y-you're too kind." There was an awkward pause before Mikasa broke the silence. "So...what's for dinner?"

The thought of her trying something modern and me making something old-fashioned popped into my head, and I chuckled at the irony. Mikasa gave me a curious look and I shook my head. "You'll understand in a moment," I reassured her as I held out my hand. "I feel in this case, I'd like to show, rather than tell you what dinner will be, so if you'll follow me, please…"

Her smile returned, as she took my hand and I led her into the dining room. I escorted her to her chair and made sure she was seated comfortably before resting my hand on the cloche before her. "Now, this was my first time making them, so I hope you won't be too hard on me," I said with a wry grin. "Mikasa, I give you…" I raise the cloche with a dramatic flourish, revealing-

"Shoyu ramen!" Mikasa gasped in delight before a thought popped into her head and she glanced back up at me. "You said you made this? For me?"

I grinned and nodded as I took my seat across from her, removing my own cloche and setting it aside. "From scratch, the old-fashioned way, chopsticks, kansui and all."

The bright smile on her face and the pride in her eyes told me I had already hit a home run before she even took her first bite. "That's...that's...incredibly thoughtful, John. Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," I smiled back. "I only hope the taste keeps that smile on your face."

She chuckled softly and glanced down at her bowl as she plucked the spoon from her place. "I think you're okay," she reassured me. "It smells delicious and looks equally tantalizing." She dipped the spoon into the broth and brought it up to her lips, taking a slow sip of the hot liquid. Her eyelids slowly shut as a broad smile crossed her face. "It's perfect."

I practically collapsed in my chair at her pronouncement, sending my heart soaring to hear that all that work and effort was worth it. "That's such a relief," I sighed as I picked up the spoon and took a sip of the savory broth.

She gave me a look as she raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you taste it before serving it?"

"Oh, I did," I answered, "but I've never had actual ramen before so I had no way of knowing if it was...well, authentic."

She gave me a proud smile. "Well, you pulled it off. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to try these noodles before they get too soggy."

As she switched to chopsticks, I did the same and gathered up some of the noodles, carefully lifting them to my mouth as I took a bite. They were still chewy and soaked in the same delicious flavors as the broth. As I happily(but quietly) slurped them up, I realized I probably wasn't going to be able to fit all of the noodles in my mouth. I paused for a moment, unsure of what to do in this situation. Do I just bite off the noodles and lower the rest back into the bowl? Is that some sort of Sakura faux pas? Would she even care?

Fortunately, Mikasa bit off her own noodles and I followed suit. She finished chewing before gracing me with yet another grin. "So...how long have you been planning this?"

Her grin was infectious, and I couldn't help but grin back at her. "Since the first date. I thought about doing a western-style dish like steak or fish or something like that, but I wanted to make something your way. To see things from your perspective."

"And?"

"I'm definitely coming around to your way of thinking," I said slowly. "I can certainly understand the appeal of doing it the traditional way. It feels very...focused, very zen. But it takes a lot of work to get there."

Mikasa grinned knowingly as her eyes flicked towards the kitchen. Even though she couldn't see anything, she still knew. "Made a mess of the kitchen, hmmm?"

"Little bit," I understated. To say it looked like a bomb went off would be generous.

"I did the same thing my first tries at making ramen from scratch," she laughed. "It was a bit of a disaster area, but I was pleased with the overall result. It gets easier and less messy over time, I promise."

"Well, that's a relief. I don't think I'll be making these every day, but it's good to know it'll get a bit better each time. Now I just need Akashi to come down on the price of kansui…"

Mikasa shook her head. "Little chance of that happening while the war is on. Granted, there are other ways to make it without kansui, but if you want to make it the traditional way, you need that water."

"Why? What makes it so special?"

Mikasa hastily finished the noodles she was slurping up and dabbed her mouth with a napkin before answering. "The water is slightly alkaline, and it, in turn, makes the noodles slightly alkaline. If you didn't use it, you'd wind up with a big bowl of mush when you tried to boil them."

That was an unexpected answer. "Oh. Well, glad I took Akashi's advice, then."

She grinned. "Did she help you make this?"

"Sort of," I shrugged. "She gave me the recipe and sold me the ingredients. I thought the 'special water' was just her trying to pull a fast one on me, but I'm glad I was wrong and I made the right call."

"She can be...a little suspect at times when it comes to her sales practices, but she won't steer you wrong. Might steer you to something overpriced, but not wrong." Mikasa paused for a moment before asking, "And what did you have in mind for our third date?"

I couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. "Now who's being the bold one? I believe a wise woman once told me we should finish one date before planning the next?"

Now it was her turn to laugh. "I seem to recall an innovative gentleman telling me that since things were going so well and it seemed unlikely to go south, that why bother waiting?"

"I do believe the innovative, dashing gentleman deferred to the wisdom of the beautiful woman in that scenario."

Mikasa smiled that familiar victorious smile as her eyebrow slowly arched upwards. "Even though he'd already begun planning the second date anyway?"

Busted. I held my hands up in mock surrender. "Ya got me. As for the next date...I'm not sure just yet. Anything on your dating bucket list?"

"Aside from dating in general?" she asked wryly.

"Point taken." I sat there for a second, wracking my brain for something we could do together off the top of my head. "Haven't really thought that far ahead, to be honest. I knew we'd both be busy with the exercise, so I figured I'd have time to come up with something." For a moment, I felt the old familiar panic, the worry that if I didn't keep things entertaining enough, she'd move on, as implausible and ridiculous as that thought was.

If Mikasa noticed my internal panic, she gave no indication, instead, giving me a reassuring smile. "It's alright, we've got time. As you said, we're going to be quite busy with both the exercise and finishing up the Mikasa."

I felt the panic subside, beaten back down by the rest of my rational mind as she laid my fears to rest. "I almost forgot about the model with everything going on."

"To be honest, so have I from time to time," she admitted. "But I'd like to finish it up before the grand reopening and there's not too much left to it."

"Sounds like a plan."

Mikasa nodded, then fixed me with a playful look. "So...what's for dessert?"

The moon was shining brightly as I walked Mikasa back to her apartment, the two of us arm-in-arm once more. Dinner had gone well, as had dessert, and I offered to escort her back home before we both got a good night's sleep.

"Busy day ahead of us tomorrow," Mikasa mused as she glanced up at the clear night sky.

"Mhm," I quietly agreed, following her gaze up to the sky. Amongst the sea of stars hung a full moon, its silvery light illuminating the base. "Tonight was wonderful, though."

"It was," she nodded, still staring up as we stopped in front of the Sakura Empire dorms. Eventually, she's able to tear her eyes away from the moon and turn her amber gaze to me. "Thank you again for a splendid evening, John."

"My pleasure," I smiled, catching the moon reflected in her eyes. "I can't wait to do this again with you."

"Mhm." There was a pause. "I should probably get to my quarters now. Busy day tomorrow."

"Mhm." Neither of us made any attempt to disentangle ourselves, or even move apart. Instead, we continued to drift closer to each other once more. "Get a good night's rest."

As the moon creates an inexorable pull on the tides, so did our feelings create an inexorable pull on each other. Our bodies met, our arms wrapping around one another as our lips drew closer and closer together. This time there was no fear, no anxiety, and no Shokaku to interrupt us. We knew what the other wanted, and this time, there would be no stopping us. Our lips met, tentatively at first, as if we realized that once we passed this point, there would be no going back. And then, together, we plunged into it, damn the consequences. Once more our lips met, but this was no mild peck, this was a passionate hungry kiss. This was years of heartache, fruitless searches, and long-held anxieties being burned up in the fires of a new romance.

The only thing that distracted us from our sudden makeout session was the jarring thump as Mikasa bumped into the wall of the dorm. I hadn't realized that I'd been pushing her back and I broke the kiss to apologize.

"I'm sor-" was all that I got out before she grabbed my head and pulled me back in for another kiss, my apology muffled by our locked lips.

When we finally broke, both of us were panting hard, our hair mussed and tangled, but we both had smiles that threatened to split our faces. Mikasa composed herself, smoothed her hair and bowed slightly. "Well...on that...glorious note...good night, John."

I returned the bow with a gentlemanly one of my own. "Good night, Mikasa. See you in the morning."

I watched her go for a few seconds before heading back home. I don't think my feet touched the ground the entire way back…

A/N-Huzzah, the first kiss! In other news, the character poll has reopened once again, accessible from my pinned Twitter post. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!