Tsukitachi observes things.
A fleeting glance, a furtive wink, Hirato leaning over Akari's shoulder a little too closely for comfort, and Akari not being nearly as discomfited by this as he once was. Sometimes, he drops by Research Tower's offices late in the evening and looks through frosted glass, only to catch two shadows entwined in desperate embrace. He never knocks when he happens upon his closest friends like so, preferring to allow them their privacy. On those nights, he carries the wine and three glasses back to Eva's quarters. The statuesque beauty always answers the door with a knowing smile on her lips and the barest hint of pity in her aquamarine eyes.
"Feel like getting plastered, captain?" Eva inquires, taking the wine from his hands before he nods in the affirmative.
They drink. They talk. They laugh. Rarely, they'll watch a movie or play card games, but their actions never stray too far afield of the strictly platonic.
One night, Eva asks the question that Tsukitachi's been anticipating for months.
"How come you never interrupt them?" The teal-eyed goddess isn't attempting a slight, he knows. She enjoys his company. Eva is only concerned about him because he's ill-suited to solitude. And if he were unflinchingly honest with himself, he'd admit that he misses his friends.
"Because they always look like it's their last night together."
"Your point?"
"One night it will be."
Tsukitachi observes things, after all. Unpredictable and dangerous things. The sorts of things that Circus' top two commanders encounter on every new mission.