Hi guys! So I was supposed to write a oneshot for Munakata's BD, but then the idea of this fic came up... The other day, I was reading a book on aviation and thought it would make a nice setting for a MikoRei AU. Then I went on tumblr and saw the new poster preview. It begged to be done, I thought, it begged to be done...

The day is about to give way to the night but Munakata's shift is not over just yet. First person in charge of planes' departures and arrivals in the Japanese territory, he has to do the survey of flights' schedules, weather conditions and the integrity of planes, so that all that's on board reaches its destination; the shipment, of course, because many lives depend on these medicines, victuals, or even the couriers; but first and foremost, the pilots, because these men who risk their lives have a family, a home to return to.

Today, or rather, tonight, Munakata is waiting for two planes to arrive, one coming home from a mission in the East, and another ground handling from the West and supposed to resume its journey tomorrow.

Aboard the plane supposed to land first is Yatagarasu, HOMRA's crow, a young pilot known for being intrepid, if not careless. Still, he is one of their best pilots.

The person in charge of the maintenance of the planes, Fushimi Saruhiko, is waiting with Munakata. He is a former pilot, actually having joined with Yata, but he has switched sides to be part of the ground personnel. It's not that he was a bad pilot -on the contrary, but Munakata had noticed his talents for bricolage and everything related to technologies and proposed him to join the Blues. The boy, who wasn't very satisfied of his job then, didn't need much convincing.

Yata's landing has been scheduled for about half an hour from now and there has been no communication telling otherwise, meaning that all has been going well. Still, Fushimi has been pacing up and down the landing strip like a future father waiting in the hallway of the delivery room, fearing that his wife and baby will never come back to him alive.

Looking at him, Munakata wonders why he seems so worried. No news is good news says the proverb, but then again, he considers that, having been a pilot himself, Fushimi must know better that things can go from better to worse in the blink of an eye.

The teen is not supposed to be on duty tonight, so it is even more intriguing to see him here. He obviously doesn't look like he wants to be distracted from his preoccupations, but an unwelcoming facade has never been an obstacle for Munakata when he's decided to cheer on his subordinates.

"Fushimi-kun," he calls, only to be welcomed with a scowl, but he doesn't relent just yet. "I'm sure your former friend is going to return safe and sound, so you need not to worry so much."

"I'm not worried about that virgin," the other counters.

I'm not asking about your sexual lives, or lack of, as it is, is what Munakata wants to reply, but then he recalls that he is there to comfort the grumpy boy and decides against the teasing. "Then, for what reason have you been going back and forth on the strip since earlier?"

"If that airhead damages his plane, I'm the one who's going to have to repair it," Fushimi says, looking away.

"But it would be cut from his bonus." It is Munakata's way of telling that the boy has no reason to act carelessly.

Fushimi snickers at that intuiting Munakata that he's at least managed to distract him a little, "Heh, the idiot has already enough trouble as it is paying for his rent so what would happen if you cut his paycheck further."

"These are the rules, Fushimi-kun. Pilots must return with their planes unarmed, or else they get sanctions."

"Tsk, this is why members of HOMRA despise the ground personnel. You just don't understand. It's not like their engines get damaged only because of the pilots. Sometimes it's something that can't be helped."

Munakata does understand that much, but he looks at the teen with a penetrating gaze, "Fushimi-kun, we're not here to worry about such details, but to get things done. Regardless on who or what the fault lies, if the results are the same, why should the sanctions be different? It is to make sure that they take extra-care of their planes. If because of that we get hate, then again, we aren't here to be loved either. It is all for the greater good. Isn't that why you joined our team?"

"I joined because my skills here aren't wasted like in these planes and with these idiots, no more. I couldn't care less about your 'greater good'."

"Well, that's fine too, as long as you get the job done," Munakata says with a smile. People's motivations do not matter, the ones they claim or the ones they hide. Because Munakata's no fool; if Fushimi wants to put his talent to the best use, then this place isn't for him. So it's fine if Fushimi is only here so he can look after a certain someone who can't look after himself. He's a skilled mecanician, it's all that matters.

A familiar buzz echoes from the distance, a signal that a plane is approaching. Upon hearing the sound, there's a flash of relief in Fushimi's expression, immediately wiped to give way to a wide smirk, leaving no trace of the sight of that future father pacing outside a delivery room.

Munakata too feels relieved, of course, because every plane that returns safely is a new victory, and every plane lost to the unforgiving sea a defeat, and he's lost enough battles like that…

Minutes later, the engine lands without incident, and the pilot gets off the cockpit, leaving his plane to the care of the Blues, without even sparing them a look. When the crow sees Fushimi, with his smirk still firmly plastered on his face, he seems reluctant to move in his direction; he apparently didn't take Fushimi's change of clan very well. Still, Fushimi's stationed at the only exit of the airfield, so Yata has no choice but to go meet him. When he arrives before Fushimi, the taller boy leans toward him and drawls, "Miisaakii, haven't you got shorter while you were away?"

"How many times will I have to tell you to stop calling me like that?!" shouts Yata. "And what are you saying, anyway, you stupid Monkey, people don't just become shorter like that!"

"Well, sure, ordinary people don't," the mechanic admits. "But the pressure of landings and takeoffs, and your stupid brain… maybe they all contributed to make it happen."

"Haaaah? What does my brain have to do with that?!" the crow exclaims, and Munakata, who can hear their conversation, thinks that he is right, but still finds it amusing that he seems to find it normal that 'stupid' has been appended to his brain…

Yata shakes his head and continues, "I think you're losing it, Monkey." He then takes a closer look at his former comrade, "And you, haven't you become paler, now?"

"Tsk, how should I know…"

"You're totally paler, Saru," the redhead insists. "That's what you get from staying indoors too much. Serves you right for leaving HOMRA! You'll end up as white as a ghost at this rate, I tell ya!"

"White as a ghost?" Fushimi snorts, "Then maybe I should do just that so I could scare you like the poltroon you are~. Because you're afraid of ghosts, eh, Miisaakii?"

"You won't say that when you're so sick you can't even get out of bed!" Yata protests, ignoring Fushimi's implication of him being a coward. "And I bet you're still having that shitty diet of yours, aren't you, Monkey?"

"What I eat is none of your business, stupid," the other teen answers with a scowl.

"Well, I hate to admit it but you took pretty good care of my plane the other day, so I owe you one. And in return, I'll treat you some real food, Monkey, don't thank me." And as he says this, he drags Fushimi out of the facility.

"Hah? I don't need your gratitude, you idiot," the Blue mumbles, but follows him anyway.

Munakata watches them walking away and thinks that people have indeed various ways of showing their concern, and those two have particularly curious ones. But as long as it works, somehow, Munakata won't complain. Happy subordinates are effective subordinates, so really, it works well for him.

Munakata returns to his office after that one successful outcome. There's still about an hour before the next plane arrives, and if nothing happens, he is intending to use that time doing some puzzles. The day has been full of anguish and he feels like he could use some distraction now.

His hopes are deceived, though, when he finds his second-in-command, Awashima Seri, waiting for him in his office. It's not that he dislikes her company or anything, but it's just that he knows that she never personally comes unless something serious has happened. He can't help swallowing a little before speaking, "What are your reports, Awashima-kun?"

"Sir," she starts after saluting, "I came to inform you that Suoh Mikoto's plane is going to be delayed by about an hour."

At the word 'delayed', Munakata lets out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. Delays, even if they strain even further their schedule which is already hard enough to handle as it is, are still victories in their own way. The shipment still reaches its destination, and the pilot still gets to come back alive. "Is that so… And what is the reason for that contretemps?" he asks after a moment, but finds that it doesn't really matter as long as the plane eventually arrives.

"It seems that the pilot had to delay his departure because of strong winds."

"I see." It's a quite common occurence, actually. "But you didn't need to bother personally giving me that information, you know?"

She then looks at Munakata and answers, "I just thought that maybe you would want to know. Aboard this plane are important things after all."

While Munakata considers that, indeed, the shipment in that one plane is particularly important, by Awashima's gaze, he has the impression that it's not what she's talking about. He doesn't dwell on the thought though, and thanks Awashima for coming to inform him.

Before the blonde leaves, Munakata tells her, "I shall handle the rest for tonight, Awashima-kun, so you can go home now. Transmit my salutations to Kusanagi-kun, he hasn't been around for a while."

She blushes at that last part and barely manages to salute him before exiting the room hurriedly.

Munakata smiles, thinking that it's good to know that there are reds and blues who are able to get along. If everyone could be like that, it would surely improve the performances of both parties and he decides that he'll organize an event that would ease that reconciliation. He then settles on his desk to finally give some attention to his puzzles.

After several moments, he finds that he isn't able to concentrate, always glances outside the window tapping on the table with a piece of his puzzle, on the lookout for any movement in the sky. When he realizes what he is doing, he thinks about Fushimi earlier, when he had been waiting for Yata's plane. Then he recalls how Awashima sounded like she wasn't talking about the cargo when she mentioned the important things in the plane…

A sound, the purring of a motor doesn't let him make the connection between these two thoughts. He immediately breathes a sigh of relief at the sound, gets up and moves to meet the newcomer.

He's smiling, on the way. He makes the review of this long day: two victories, zero defeats, and prays the gods that every coming day could be like today...