The light that managed to seep through the tinted window was yellow bleeding into orange, a warm, embracing evening light. It was time to leave; Batou's miraculous return had destroyed any possibility of anyone doing something useful. She shoved her chair away from her desk, letting it bang into the wall. She made it nearly to the door when Batou's head appeared around the frame, as if ready to duck away at the first sign of danger. "Hey, Major. Do you need me for anything? I'm beat."
"No. I don't need you." Irritation made her cross her arms protectively over her chest.
"Cool. Hey..." He hesitated. "Are you still mad?"
"No." She was surprised to find that she wasn't. "Don't worry about it."
"Okay. 'night." He vanished from the frame. The corridor floor creaked painfully under his footsteps.
Before she could bite her tongue she said, "Batou."
The creaking eased. He peered back around the door. "Yeah?"
"If you and the Chief ever pull some shit like that again, I really will kill you both. I don't like being out of the loop concerning my own team."
He saluted. "Yes, ma'am."
Just before he ducked away again, she added, "Hey."
"What?"
She tilted her head, stared at the blank ceiling. "Don't die on me for real either, okay?"
A tiny movement quirked the corner of his mouth. "I'll do my best."
The Major looked at him then, allowing a weary smile to crease her face. He grinned back, and was gone. She could hear the floor complaining under his weight all the way to the elevators.