I love the port at night. Fireflies, crickets chirping, tree leaves rustling in the breeze, the moonlight and the streetlights filling the fountain with silver and gold, all blanketed by the glow of the starry heavens themselves. If only the streetlights didn't block out the stars, though there were still enough to draw constellations with.
The sound of the fountain was nice for some temporary peace. I sat on the edge and dipped my fingers in, tracing the surface, feeling the cool, refreshing water caress my skin. The ripples distorted the view of the coins sitting at the bottom—the offerings of those who want their wishes to come true. Pish... kind of a stupid game if ya ask me. Though... I guess if it gives someone hope for the day, then who am I to judge?
I sighed. Where the hell is the commander? He told me to meet him here.
"Jean Bart?"
Ah... speaking of which.
My heart sparked, hearing his voice beside me. I felt my cheeks instantly warm up when I looked at him.
"Bonsoir, Commander," I said.
"You haven't been waiting too long, have you?" he asked.
"No. Only a few minutes," I said.
"Sorry," he said. "I lost something important and was trying to find it."
"What'd ya lose?" I asked.
His face turned red. "Um... well... I wanted to give you a present."
A... present? The hell did I do to deserve a present?
"Oh..." I said. "Why?"
"For... y'know... being a good secretary so far," he said.
I chuckled. "All I've done is nag and yell."
"Nah," he said. "You've been honest and keeping me in check, which I kind of need. So... here."
He pursed his lips as he handed me what looked like a jewelry box. I couldn't help but smirk at how much he was blushing. Always feels good when he's the one with the red cheeks instead of me.
Anyway, let's see what he lost and had to frantically search for. I opened the box... and I gasped.
"Whoa..." I cooed. I was looking at the most beautiful blood ruby I've ever seen, cut in a flawless teardrop-shape. I took it out to look at it completely. It hung from a chain as black and shiny as obsidian. And the sizing was perfect.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
"It's gorgeous..." I said.
He smiled. "Really? I-I would've figured you'd have found something better on a past treasure hunt or something."
I chuckled. "Nothing this clean and perfect. Wow... merci, Commander. You have good taste."
He blushed harder.
"You're welcome," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm glad you like it."
He's cute when he's nervous. Why's he like this, though? Was he that worried I wouldn't like it? Hmph... well, to me, any gift from him is more precious than even the loftiest of treasures.
I tossed my hair behind me to make room as I took both ends of the necklace in my hand.
"You're putting it on now?" he asked.
"Of course," I said. "Why not?"
"Do you... um... need help?" he asked.
"Nah, I got it," I said, instantly regretting saying that. Damn it, could've been an excuse for him to touch my hair or something. Oh well... I've almost got it, anyway.
Aaaand... there.
"Well?" I asked. "How does it look?"
Then... he did the last thing I was expecting. He got closer to me. Very close. Close enough to touch the necklace pendant.
Suddenly my heart was pounding. I could feel his warmth envelop me, completely shielding me from the cool of the night. His gaze swapped between the necklace and I. What's he up to?
"It brings out your eyes," he said.
Heh... I guess it's my turn to blush.
"It does, huh?" I asked in a hushed voice. I couldn't speak louder than that. His eyes were just so entrancing.
I gasped when he took my hand.
"Can I be blunt, Jean?" he asked.
Blunt? He just took my hand so smoothly... like it was nothing. What the hell happened to the nervous commander I saw a few seconds ago?
"Go ahead," I cooed.
He smirked. "You have... really pretty eyes."
...did he just say...? My lips broke into the biggest smile. I couldn't stop it from happening if I wanted to.
"Really?" I asked. "Don't lie to me, Commander."
He squeezed my hand. "I'm not lying. Your eyes are gorgeous, and the necklace really brings them out. Honestly, Jean..."
I shuddered when he lifted his hand to... caress my cheek.
"I think you're a beautiful girl," he said.
Damn it... I'm gonna melt. He really thinks I'm beautiful? I can't believe it! And his hand feels so good on my cheek. His eyes are filled with such light... for me. God, I'm so happy. I've never felt happier in my life. I...
...wait. This is all so sudden. As much as I love this, there must be more. I begrudgingly moved his hand away from my cheek and took a step back. He seemed dismayed.
"Commander, why did ya really wanna meet with me?" I asked. "I appreciate the gift and the compliments but that can't be the only reason you invited me here."
His smile returned. "Heh... you're sharp. I'd expect nothing less."
He moved to stand over the fountain, looking down at the coins.
"You haven't forgotten about the royal navy ball, right?" he asked.
"Of course not," I said. "Ya still need to figure out who your partner's gonna be."
"Yeah... my partner," he said. Saying nothing else, he took a coin out of his pocket and tossed it into the water, along with all the others.
"What'd you wish for?" I asked.
"Well, normally you're not supposed to say," he said with a smirk, making me roll my eyes. "But... I suppose I can tell you just this once." He looked at me with that pristine, heavenly smile. "I wished for you to say yes."
My eyes went wide. Does that mean...?
He suddenly took both my hands, looking deep into my eyes.
"Jean Bart... will you go with me to the ball?"
…I... I must be hearing things.
"M-Me?" I asked, feeling my face light on fire. "You want... me?"
"Yes," he said. "What do you say, Jean?"
God... as if I wasn't happy enough a few seconds ago. Has he felt the same way all along? There's no denying the way he's looking at me. I wanna cry. This feeling in my heart... it's invigorating. I can't stop smiling. I didn't think it was possible to feel such joy.
"Hmph... well... how the hell can I say no when you've been so nice to me?"
"Alright, Commander. I guess if you want me then... huh?"
I'm in my room. What am I doing here? Wait... was all that a...? No. No no no no no! It can't be!
I desperately felt around my neck, hoping to God...
...no necklace. Just my bare neck.
No... why? Why?! Why would my mind play a trick on me?! It felt so real! He gave me a necklace! He touched my cheek! He... said I was beautiful! God... damn it!
"Argh!" I grunted, throwing my pillows across the room as my anger melted into bitter cold sorrow.
Why is my room so cold?
I shamefully got out of bed to retrieve my pillow, only to fall to my knees, holding it in my arms as a tear trickled down my cheek. Of course it was a dream. Go figure. I'm not beautiful, and I definitely don't deserve any god damn gifts. Why would he choose me of all people? His naggy, pissy bitch of a secretary.
But what the hell do I have to complain about? All things considered, my life has never been better. Our fleet's reunited, I have a safe place to rest... it feels selfish to be sad about anything. So why does my heart still feel like it's drowning?
The sting of my past just never goes away, does it?
Great... now I'm wide awake in the middle of the night. Feels like a time where I'd go to my hideaway and paint... or grab my surfboard. I don't feel like doing either of those things, though. For some reason... all I wanna do is visit the fountain.
Damn it. I guess that's what I'm doing now.
Hmm... the area around the fountain didn't seem as tranquil as the dream version. Then again, it's hard to be anything but pessimistic when your mind is a brewing storm of emotions.
I took a seat on the side of the fountain, just like in my dream. Except... the commander wasn't coming. Tsk... he doesn't even know I'm here. As far as he knows, I'm fast asleep.
I felt around my neck. Nope. Still no necklace. Of course, because the damn thing ain't real. It was never real.
Tch... listen to me. I'm outta my mind. Is where Jean Bart is in life? The flagship of the Vichya Dominion, the mightiest Templar Knight, sitting alone at the fountain beating herself up because her crush might not ask her out. How laughable.
At least nobody's awake to see me like this. And at least the sound of the fountain was helping me relax a little. The fountain never fails to give me serenity, if only for a few minutes. I dipped my fingers in the water, drawing circles. It's much colder than I expected, but still refreshing. And there's nothing more mesmerizing than ripples in calm water. Perhaps my affinity for water comes from being a warship.
...a warship. Heh... how could I forget? The only reason I exist. I'm a weapon. A tool of destruction and death. My life has no more meaning than that.
Ugh... this isn't healthy for me. Let's just do what I came to do before I spiral further.
I looked down into the fountain at the golden floor of coins. Hmm... I wonder how many fools have given up their coin for a dumb wish.
I guess tonight I'm one of those fools.
I reached in my pocket and pulled out a single coin. I can't believe I'm doing this but... I just need a little hope. Something for my heart.
"I wish... the commander would ask me to the ball, and feel the same way about me as I feel about..."
...no. What a selfish thing to wish for. How do I know his heart doesn't belong to someone else? Dunkerque? Belfast? Algerie? Richelieu? God only knows what happens in that stupid, cute head of his.
My heart feels so cold and brittle. I'm shivering. I'm know I'm strong, but... am I strong enough to face rejection?
I took a shaky breath, feeling a tear trickle down my cheek.
"I wish... for the commander to be happy. Even if I... can't be part of it—"
I choked. It felt like my heart ripped. Damn it... be strong.
"Even if I can't be part of it... if he's happy... then I'm happy. Yeah... I'll be happy."
I tossed the coin, watching it hit the surface and sink like a stone, joining the dozens of other nameless, forgotten wishes. Hmph... funny. I can't even tell where my coin is.
It took so much strength just to toss a damn coin into some water. After all I've been through, it's gonna be a broken heart that sinks me.
Alright, that's enough beating myself up for one night. I oughta head back now. I need sleep for work tomorrow.
A/N: Wanted to do some fluff this time around. Also, much shorter chapter this time, and I'm gonna try a format with shorter, single (or double) situation chapters instead of multiple. It's becoming daunting to write. I'm thinking more like the manga where each chapter is just a piece of a bigger arc, instead of being an arc in one chapter. If I really wanna try arcs (like with Akagi), then I think this is the best method moving forward.
To everyone who left reviews telling me to fix my French, thank you so much for your feedback and the necessary changes have been made. They're all guests so I can't thank them via dms. I'm American and literally the worst when it comes to second languages (I almost failed German ffs). Feel free to correct me in the future because I will definitely make mistakes since translating between French and English seems to be difficult.
And (you know who you are) your review wasn't "slightly annoying". A "slightly annoying" review would've been "Your French is shit. Why didn't you do your research?" What you provided was constructive feedback, which helps me. So thank you. There's a review/comment section for a reason, and I appreciate you using it to help me fix a mistake.
Cheers, and see you in chapter 10.
ok for some reason FFN is being super dumb and not showing ch.10. Im so sorry, I've tried everything. To read chapter 10, you can find it on Wattpad, AO3, or search for "Jean Bart Fic" on r/AzureLane. sorry for any inconvenience. hopefully ch.11 isn't stupid or else I might have to make a new story for this entirely bc FFN support is nonexistent.