A/N: Hello Ladies and Gentlemen! I'm back from the abyss! Happy New Year! Just finished my Christmas vacation, and it's back to work on the ship for me tomorrow.

Now, this is partially a true recount of events. Some names have been changed to preserve privacy and such, but some of this did actually happen! I was on a date that I thought went well, and I did get that text message, word for word. I swear to god! Needless to say, I was pretty annoyed when that happened, and angry, which in turn drove my creativity through the roof and caused me to write this.

Dunno what girl I'll write for next, but right now, enjoy some Kongou cuteness. Though you'll probably all hate me, but Kongou is only my second favorite girl, with Haruna taking the number one spot (for the Kongou class anyways).

But I digress, you're all here for the story, not to listen to me. Enjoy!

Bad Day at the Office

Exhausted?

Check.

Mentally drained?

Agreed.

Royally pissed off?

100%.

Needless to say, Admiral Dixon was not in a good mood that day.

It had started the previous evening, with a simple social outing, a date is what some would refer to it as.

Having found out that an old friend from high school was now living in Kure, the pair had gone out for dinner and a movie.

His friend, Emelia, was more than pleased when she learned that he was living in Japan, in the same city that she was teaching in no less!

The both of them immediately agreed to dinner plans.

That had been a month previous.

The night before, they had gone on another date.

Nothing too difficult, just dinner and a movie.

And everything seemed to be going well.

Conversation flowed through dinner easily, and he had no problems drawing a laugh from her when he told a few of the stories of what his…charges were up to in the day to day operation of the naval base.

The movie was also very enjoyable, what with it being the newly released picture known as VICE.

All in all, it had been quite an excellent night, and he marked it up in his book to making a few points with an old friend and drawing closer to an actual relationship.

That all came crashing down with a simple text message from her.

'You're not a bad guy, but we're just extremely different. Please don't take it personally. You're very kind and sweet, but nothing could work out between us.'

Of course, he didn't let it show in conversation or mannerisms while replying to her messages, but needless to say, Andrew was not pleased.

That was why, when he stalked into the foyer of his office, Nagato already at her desk dutifully filling out the morning report, he was wearing a deep scowl.

Not even pausing to say good morning to his secretary, he opened the door to his office, muttering "No one is to disturb me today." and closing it with slightly more force than necessary.

A slight frown was on her face as she noted the odd behaviour.

"I wonder what happened…" she pondered, pausing her work "He's never been this angry before. Not even when Mogami and Kirishima crashed that motor pool car into one of the dorms."

Casting a worried look at the door, she began working again, her mind plagued with what could've happened in one night to cause such an abrupt change in attitude.

He had been smiling yesterday when they left the office, even appearing slightly giddy as they parted ways.

For the life of her, the battlewagon couldn't figure it out.

She'd mention it to Mutsu later…her sister might be able to figure it out.

Inside the office, Andrew couldn't help but glower at his phone, the message from the previous evening sitting open, seemingly taunting him.

With a final growl, he deleted the conversation, wiping it from his sight.

Standing, and not caring that it was only quarter after eight in the morning, he pulled a bottle of whiskey out of his cabinet and poured a large amount into a glass over ice.

Returning to his desk, he opened the window behind him and pulled something out of his desk that he didn't think he'd need for a long time.

The chilly January wind breezed in, but he paid it little mind, as he pulled a bag of tobacco out of another drawer and proceeded to pack a healthy amount of the substance in his pipe.

Lighting it with his trusty zippo, he felt the sting of nicotine enter his system almost automatically.

Taking a sip of his drink, he pulled the first file off the pile and opened it.

Oh joy, the monthly Fleet Expenditure Report.

"Ah. It's gonna be one of THOSE days. Just was I bloody needed."

The morning continued much the same, with repacking a bowl of tobacco about once an hour and chain smoking, the ice in his drink long melted, but still with plenty of alcohol left in the glass.

A knock sounded at the door, and he glanced at the clock.

12:17pm

"Lunch, but I'm not hungry." he thought, ignoring whoever it was, though they seemed to be more persistent.

"I asked for no interruptions!" Andrew shouted, which caused the knocking to stop abruptly.

The door quietly opened, causing him not to notice as one of the girls stuck her head in.

"Heyyy Teitoku-des?"

"Of course it's Kongou." he thought, sighing mentally.

Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he wearily turned to look at the fast battleship who had stepped into his office, her head tilted slightly to the side as if contemplating something.

"What can I do for you Kongou? I gave Nagato strict instructions that I wasn't to be disturbed today." he mused, putting the pipe back in his mouth and signing the form in front of him.

"Yes! She mentioned it at the commissary. I overheard her telling Mutsu that something was wrong so I came to cheer you up, desu!" she said, walking forward until she was standing next to his desk.

Sighing, audibly this time, he put a weak smile on his face.

"While I appreciate the gesture Kongou, really, I do, but I'm not in the mood right now." he stated quietly, looking outside at the snowy ground.

"C'mon Teitoku. I wanna help you. Please talk about it with me?"

Turning the puppy eyes and cuteness up to 11, Andrew couldn't resist her, and he said "Alright. Take a seat."

Recounting the previous night, he could see her face go from the expression of 'awwww' at the date plans, to downright livid when he told her about the discussion that had gone off after the date.

"She doesn't deserve you Teitoku-des. If someone treats you like that, she's not worth it." Kongou growled, her hands balled into fists.

"Thanks. That means a lot." Andrew replied, a wan smile on his face as he repacked his pipe once again.

"I'll make you feel better by the end of the day Teiroku! That's a Kongou guarantee, desu!" the battleship vowed, as she stood and hurried out of the office.

"I'm not sure if I should be worried or not." Andrew thought, finally getting up and deciding to get something to eat "Though I can't lie, she made me feel a little better."

That evening, walking to his quarters, he was a little surprised to see the lights on in his house.

"Could've sworn that I turned them off when I left this morning." he muttered, fishing the keys out of his pants pocket and unlocking the door.

Walking inside, he dropped his cap on the entryway table, locking the door behind him.

"Heyyy, Teitoku-des. Welcome home."

Almost jumping out of his uniform, he was startled, and as he was about to turn around and slightly berate the battleship, his mouth suddenly went very dry.

Leaning against the doorway into his dining room, was indeed Kongou, but her outfit left him damn near speechless.

The black evening gown, accentuating every curve to her body, was nearly floor length, with a high slit running up the side, showcasing her mile long legs clad in black stockings and ending in high heel shoes, those few small things making her a hundred times more delectable.

"Uhhh…"

That was the only statement that his muddled brain could come up with as he looked on at the stunning spectacle in front of him.

Finding his voice, and trying to ignore the musical laughter from Kongou, he questioned "What's going on?"

"It's a make-up date, desu!" she cheered, bouncing slightly as she watched him "Your last one was a bomb because the girl didn't appreciate you, this one is a make-up, with someone who does appreciate you. Me!"

Suppressing a snort of laughter at her reasoning, the delicious smells in the house showed that dinner was indeed ready, and that there was no time to waste.

"Alright Kongou, I'll go along with this. You've fulfilled you're guarantee." Andrew smiled, inclining his head to her.

"No way Teitoku-des! The guarantee doesn't expire until the night is over!" she cheered, grabbing his hand and leading him to the candlelit dinner table where two plates had been set out, already piled with food.

Surprise was visible on his face as he looked at the intimate setting that she had set up, and the absolutely delectable meal that had been placed on the table.

Kongou giggled, letting him play the gentleman and pull out her chair, before he sat in his own.

"I must say, if I had known what you had laid on, I would've dressed a little better than this crummy uniform." Andrew chuckled, taking a bite of the roast beef and marvelling at how it melted in his mouth.

"No way desu! It had to be a surprise or else you might not have agreed to it." Kongou replied, digging into her own meal with gusto.

Conversation was light and entertaining, with hardly a word spoken about the office or about the failed date the night before.

It was almost as if this really was a real date, and not just a small token to make him feel better.

Before long, with all the dishes in the dishwasher and the table cleared, Kongou grabbed his hand and led him to the living room, pushing him down into a sitting position on the couch, before she sat next to him and curled up, her head on his shoulder.

"Alright, what's next?" he asked, managing to keep the note of anticipation out of his tone.

He really was having a good time, and he was excited to see what Kongou had planned next for their evening.

"Movie time!" she cheered, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV, before pulling up Netflix and starting to browse the list of movies on demand.

The pair settled on Avengers: Infinity War, and remained curled close.

Andrew put his arm around her, and Kongou made a little noise of contentment as she snuggled closer into him, one of her fingers drawing patterns on his clothed chest.

"I could see myself in this position every night. Satisfied, safe, with a lovely girl on my arm, curled close to keep me company…Kongou was right…Emelia wasn't worth my time." he thought with a smile, tightening his hold just a little more on the battleship.

All too quickly (though it was actually just under three hours) the movie had ended, and looking at the clock, Andrew decided that it was time to say goodnight to his companion for the evening.

"C'mon, I'll walk you back to your dorm." he stated, standing and trying to ignore the cute little whine Kongou made in protest.

While walking, the pair marvelled at the stars overhead, the clear night and the bright moon setting a perfect atmosphere for them.

"Thanks Kongou. You really outdid yourself tonight. Your guarantee to make me feel better has been paid in full, and in return, you may do one thing that I will not get angry at you for." Andrew smiled, as they stood in front of the doors leading into the battleship dormitory.

"Anything?" she asked, cocking her head adorably to the side.

"Anything at all." he confirmed, his ever-present smile still there.

Grinning seductively, Kongou didn't give him the chance to react as she leaned in and claimed his lips with hers.

Deepening the kiss without hesitation, Andrew let his fingers walk up her back before tangling one in her luscious brown hair, the other holding her around the waist and keeping her pressed against him.

They separated, both grinning like idiots and Andrew was the first to speak.

"Alright. That doesn't count because I'm not angry. Same time next week?"

"YES!" Kongou squealed, before diving back in for another kiss.

After a few more minutes, the pair separated for good, and just before he was out of earshot, he heard Kongou murmur "Goodnight, my Teitoku-des."

When Nagato came into the office the next morning, and found a small vase of Japanese Snake Gourd's on her desk.

Sticking her head in the Admirals office, she found him dutifully at work, sipping from a cup of coffee with a smile on his face.

"Good morning Admiral. I'm glad to see you're feeling better today." she smiled, coming in as he waved her over to his desk "Thank you for the flowers. They're lovely."

"Morning Nagato. Yes, I'm in a much better mood, and it's all thanks to you." he grinned, pouring her a cup of coffee from the dripper he had in the corner.

Noticing her confused expression as she took the cup and sat down, his smile only grew.

"Let me tell you about yesterday, and why you're to thank." Andrew stated, before launching into his recount.

Fin