A/N: These are coming fast and furious for now, but won't be for long. As my profile states, I'm active duty with the RCN, an engineer by trade and we have sailing coming up. A short 2 week stint out with a weekend in Seattle, and then at the end of May my ship is leaving for RIMPAC and then LA Fleet Week (so if you're in the area, come get a tour of a Canadian ship and you might see me!) and we'll be back in September at some point.

Couple of points: I do like to personally respond to reviews, so don't be surprised if you drop me one and get a message back! Also, the *major* outcry for Abyssal's means that I will indeed be doing them, but like I said, be patient. I've never played the game, and I've only watched about half of the anime.

After this one, it'll be an Admiral x Shigure so keep your eyes out!

Thanks!

Fireworks

"Come on Admiral, you never let us do anything fun!" Tenryuu complained, standing in front of his desk with her arms crossed.

"You're joking, right?" Andrew deadpanned, glancing to his secretary Nagato and then back to the light cruiser "We just had a movie night like a week ago, and two months ago, there was the party for defeating the Battleship Princess, and then the month before that, it was the Valentine's Day dance."

"Yeah but sir, we scored a major victory today. That should be cause enough for celebration!" she argued, making a good point.

"This is a military base, we can't celebrate every victory that comes our way, but I can see your point. Everyone is stressed and needs to blow off a little steam. If you promise to keep it a manageable gathering, I have no problem approving it." he said, signing another requisition form.

"Of course sir," Tenryuu replied, smiling widely "A small celebration was all I had in mind. Starting at 7 tonight."

She saluted, walking out of the office, whistling happily as she went.

"You are aware Admiral, that this is going to be a massive party with large costs and a heavy cleanup." Nagato stated flatly, not even looking up from her report.

"I know," Andrew sighed, standing and looking out the window "I have a feeling that it would've been happening whether or not I approved of it.

"But let's face it Nagato, everyone has been under a lot of pressure, and we did pull off a stunning victory, so a little celebration is in order to help everyone relax and make us stronger for the challenges that lie ahead.

"The last thing we need is someone snapping from being pushed too hard or from overwork. I know Akashi would be more than happy to take a night off."

"Understood Admiral. Will you be partaking in the festivities tonight?" she asked, finally glancing up to his statuesque form in front of the windows.

"Like I said Nagato, everyone deserves a night off. Especially you." Andrew replied, chuckling lightly as he turned off his computer "C'mon, let's get some lunch from Mamiya's. My treat."

Looking at her watch, Nagato was about to inform the commander that he was ten minutes early to lunch, but looking at the laid-back expression, she smiled thinly and stood.

"Your funds will be taking a hit then Admiral. You know how much battleships can eat."

"I know," Andrew said, grinning slightly "But I don't mind."

Locking the office door behind them, he resolved to take the rest of the day off and ordering Nagato to do the same.

And, even though he didn't outwardly show it, he was indeed quite excited at what Tenryuu had planned for the evening ahead.

Evening had finally rolled around on the base, and everyone had gathered at the parade square, where several large booths had been put up, with two handling drinks, three for food, and one was a DJ booth where Naka was currently putting out some wicked tunes.

"I must admit, they really outdid themselves planning this party." Andrew chuckled, sipping on his gin and tonic.

One drink wouldn't hurt to be honest.

Not bothering to change beforehand either, he smiled at the boisterous women around him all having a good time and letting loose.

"That is agreed Admiral. I believe it was Tenryuu and Aoba who went through most of the trouble to set this up." Nagato replied, taking a sip from her wine as the pair wandered through the chaos.

They had even let the members of the JMSDF who were responsible for general maintenance of the base join in on the festivities, and it was safe to say that everyone was having a good time.

"Okay folks, time for something a little more exciting and explosive!" Naka yelled through the microphone, voice amplified to even louder levels then normal, causing Andrew to wince slightly.

All at once, a cacophony of fireworks exploded in the sky, lighting it up with splendor.

Most were caught in the pure beauty of it, and watched in awe as many colours intermingled together, creating a pastel of majesty that few had ever seen.

All were watching in joy, except for one person.

One was watching in downright terror, unable to move, frozen in time.

"Oh my god. Not again. Please not again. I can't take the pain of that again."

"Hey…Nagato?" Andrew questioned, looking at his secretary "What do you think…Nagato? Are you alright?"

The concern in his voice mounted as he looked at Nagato, standing stock still, hands shaking slightly, and her red eyes wide with an emotion he never thought he'd see her wear.

Unhidden fear. She was bloody terrified.

"Uhhh fuck. She's having a panic attack it looks like. Or she's in shock. Gotta get her inside and sitting down. Get her away from the noise and try to find out what happened." he thought, his own enjoyment forgotten.

All he cared about now was helping Nagato.

Putting an arm around her shoulder, he was able to coax her to the closest residence that was available.

Which just happened to be his house.

Closing the door and turning on a lamp, he led her over to the couch, sitting her down and taking the half empty glass of wine from her hands and placing it on the coffee table.

"Nagato?" Andrew asked, his voice gentle so as not to startle her.

The sounds from the party and fireworks outside were still audible, but they were severely reduced from what they had been while on the parade square.

The battleship blinked twice and shook her head, looking around the living room of his house.

"Admiral? How did I get in your house? What happened?" she asked, clearly confused at what had happened.

"That's what I'd like to know as well Nagato." he replied softly, taking a seat next to her on the sofa "One minute, we were at the party and everything was fine, and the next, you're frozen, staring off into space looking terrified."

She blushed deep in embarrassment, turning away from his eyes and mumbling "Don't worry Admiral it won't happen again."

"Please Nagato, I know you're trying to be all tough and serious, but you don't need to. It's just you and me, and I won't think any less of you if you show a little bit of emotion. What's the matter? Don't you trust me?" Andrew questioned, blatantly concerned for her.

He did think that it was a little bit of a dirty trick, asking if she trusted him when he obviously knew she did, but hey, desperate times and all.

"I do trust you Admiral, but I just don't want you to think of me as…weak." she informed him quietly, looking down.

Chuckling gently, Andrew laid his hand on top of hers "You're a member of the Big 7 and you have eight 16-inch guns, and I know you could beat me to a pulp without even breaking a sweat. There's no possible way I could ever think of you as weak."

She sighed, looking into his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity, and decided to finally tell him.

"Operation Crossroads." was all she said, allowing him to figure the rest out, which didn't take long.

"Right." Andrew replied quietly, feeling her thread her fingers into his. Obviously, the memories were a lot for her.

"You were in both tests but sank after the second one. Shot Baker I believe, a 23-kiloton yield." he mused after a moment "You must have been terrified."

"I was, and those fireworks out there brought the memories rushing back, so I froze up." Nagato replied, leaning her head on his shoulder for support "It was just like I was back in Bikini Atoll, slipping beneath the surface of the water."

Aware that his secretary was falling asleep where she sat, Andrew said "C'mon, you can stay here for the night. I'll take the couch. You're dead on your feet after all that excitement."

While he was expecting a fight or protest from her, all Nagato did was nod sleepily, standing up and allowing him to guide her to his bedroom.

"The bathroom is right through there, and I'll be just out in the living room so holler if you need anything. I'm just gonna change really quickly while you get settled," he stated "Will you be comfortable enough sleeping in your uniform?"

"I'll be fine sir." she said wearily, sitting down on the bed as she watched him grab a set of flannel pj pants and a t-shirt from the dresser.

Changing quickly and brushing his teeth, Andrew walked back in quietly, flipping off the bathroom light and into his bedroom.

Nagato had turned off the main light and turned on a small bedside lamp and was sitting up, her boots discarded off to the side as she regarded him, barely awake, but a small smile on her face.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay here Admiral. And for listening to me." she said quietly, laying down in the large bed.

"No trouble at all Nagato. I'll always make time for you. Have a good night." Andrew replied, grinning slightly as he walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Pulling a pillow and a blanket from the small closet in the hall, the Admiral settled down on the couch for a decent sleep, content that he had helped someone out who mattered to him.

He was laying awake on the sofa for about half an hour, cursing his stupidity.

"Ah crap. I gotta take a leak."

Figuring Nagato was probably asleep by now, and cursing the layout of the house, he gently opened the bedroom door and snuck to the bathroom, closing that door behind him and flicking on the light.

He was as quiet as possible, but the toilet still made a little bit of noise when flushing, which in the silent house sounded like a bomb going off.

Wincing at the noise, he turned off the light and crept across the darkened bedroom, the sounds of celebration quiet, but still there.

He had nearly made it out, when he head a sleepy voice say "Admiral?"

"Sorry I woke you. I had to use the head." Andrew quietly said, walking over and sitting on the bed beside where she lay.

Silence reigned for a few moments, before he stood and took a step, but a hand grabbed hold of his arm.

"Stay with me?" Nagato asked, and he could almost see the askance in her eyes "I just don't want to be alone after what happened."

Dead silence was all that was there, save for our light breathing.

Andrew took another step away, before nodding and walking to the other side of the large bed, sliding beneath the comforter next to the battleship.

A comfortable silence lapsed between them, as Andrew turned on his side towards Nagato smiling lightly and letting his eyes droop.

Just as he was starting to nod off, he felt Nagato shimmy over, pressing her back into his chest and intermingling her legs with his.

He heard a sigh of contentment as he draped and arm around her stomach, pulling her just a little closer towards him.

"Night Nagato." Andrew murmured, placing a gentle kiss on the crown of her head.

"Night Admiral." the battleship mumbled in reply, before sleepily saying "Love you."

"Love you too Nagato." he thought, a megawatt grin breaking onto his face as he finally drifted off to sleep with one final thought.

"I will do anything I can, to keep her safe."

Fin