Body Pillow, an azur lane/碧蓝航线 fanfic

Body Pillow, an Alabama short.

Captain Julius Rax yawned as he stepped off the Greyhound, it'd been a long flight from San Diego to Honolulu and finally to Midway. He undid the top button of his tan warm weather uniform before taking his cap and slinging it under an arm to run a hand through his short light brown hair. With his duffle bag in one hand, he looked around at the runway of his command, knowing full well that this place had its own insanity waiting for him.

He looked to the gate leading from the runway to the base and saw his self-proclaimed protector standing there. He shook his head as he said to her, "Dak, you know you don't need to meet me here."

She shrugged her light brown shoulders and adjusted her dark brown braided ponytail before saying to him, "I know, Sir. But you also know about this place, and we both know how some of the girls get."

Captain Rax hung his head and sighed out, "Yeah… But the more extreme ones tend to keep themselves in check. It's like they have a bit of a cold war going on."

She shrugged and took his duffel from him, slinging it with ease over a shoulder while the two of them started to walk through the base and she told him, "Nothing much happened while you were away, what did they want anyway? Last time we had a commander fly out in the middle of the night, we got you a few days later."

Rax raised an eyebrow at the battleship as he teased, "You almost sound disappointed."

South Dakota felt a very feminine giggle escape her lips, her cheeks flushed as she said to him, "Not at all Sir, just 'Bama's still having issues with sleeping."

He gives her a sideways look and asks, "Why?

South Dakota shrugged again as she said, "No idea, I just hoped that after she won big at the auction, she'd sleep better."

"Auction?" he asked.

"I don't know much about it, Sir. I actually took the day off and enjoyed the beach." She said.

XXXX

Later that day Captain Rax tossed his duffle onto his bed, taking out what clean clothes were still in there as he tossed the dirty ones into a pile by the bedroom door. With that done he went over to his dresser and opened it, his head tilting to the side as he found it empty. Putting what clean stuff he had for it away, he then turned his attention to his closet, opening it he found it empty. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he called someone.

XXXX

Alabama lay on her side, a pillow with a shirt on cuddled tightly against her chest, her nose buried into the collar on the shit that the pillow wore, a smile on her lips as she enjoyed her nap. Her phone on the nightstand started to make some noise and she buried her nose into the shirt more and cuddle the pillow tighter before she let go of it and rolled onto her back to reach for her phone. Activating the link as she put it to her ear she said into it, "Alabama."

"Alabama, Captain Rax. I just got back to my quarters to find all my clothes are gone and your sister mentioned some kind of auction?" said the voice on the other end.

Her red eyes opened wide and she shoved her pillow off the other side of the bed as she said, "Wha… What auction?"

"I don't know, only that Dak said that one went on and that you were there, while I was away and I get back here to find that all of my clothes are gone." He said again.

Alabama started to rub the back of her head and made a nervous-sounding laugh as she said, "Maybe I do know something about that."

She heard him sigh on the other side of the phone before asking, "What was auctioned and who were the winners?"

Alabama gulped a little as she moved to look at her pillow and said, "Your clothes. The clean ones went fast, but not as fast as things you'd already worn."

"Who." He stated again.

"Akashi arranged everything!" Alabama blurted out.

"Figures. Let me guess, the usual suspects won?" he said with aver irritated tone to his voice.

"Some stuff might have gotten torn up." Alabama said sheepishly while reaching for her pillow as she added, "Roon, Akagi, Taihou, and Unicorn were in a four-way tug-o-war for a lot of it."

"Unicorn? Sweet, little innocent Unicorn?" he asked, the shock and surprise in his voice.

Once she got her pillow back on her bed, Alabama looked at her right hand and the little bite mark that was on it as she said, "She's not that innocent or sweet."

She heard him sigh before asking, "Dak also mentioned that she thought you won big at it, what did you get?"

Alabama flushed brightly as she mumbled, "One of your shirts, one that you were wearing before you left."

There was silence on his end for a moment before he took a scolding tone, "Alabama, w-"

"I sleep better with it! I put it on my body pillow and cuddle it; I can't sleep without cuddling something." She blurted out, hugging her pillow close.

An awkward silence passed over the phone line before the Captain spoke again, "I think we should sit down and talk about this. Can you come to my quarters?"

Alabama gulped again as she looked down and said, "Yes, Sir."

"And bring my shirt, please." he added.

XXXX

As a knock came to his back door, Captain Rax tilted his head to the side before going to it and seeing Alabama standing there, her pillow held close to her chest, with his PT shirt over it. HE rubbed his chin while opening the door for her. As she walked in she hung her head low and started to pull the shirt off of it as she reaffirmed, "It's the only one I got. The rest either got pulled apart or one of those four got them."

He looked at her sideways for a moment before pinching his nose and asked, "Did it really help you sleep better?"

"Yeah." She mumbled once she took it off and put it on the table.

He was quiet for a moment before picking it up, thinking about the time that South Dakota came to him, asking if there was anything they could do to help Alabama sleep better. He had suggested back then trying a body pillow, it had helped, but it still wasn't letting her get fully through the night. Rolling the shirt around in his hand he asked, "And you're sure it was just my shirt that helped?"

Her light brown cheeks went dark from the blush that was on them as she mumbled, "Hugging something that smells like you do, really cleared my mind of all the spooky things that climb in there at night. Since I got this, I've had great naps and a full night's sleep."

With a sigh, he handed it back to her as he said, "Then keep it. If it helps, that's the important part."

Alabama slipped the shirt back over the pillow before she dropped it and latched on to the captain, tightly, burning her nose against the side of her neck as she said, "Can I try cuddling you? My pillow works, but this feels better."

"Maybe a little." He said taking a moment to add, "We can try something on the couch and see how it goes."

She squeezed him tightly, a popping sound escaping from his spine before she let go and asked, "Which way?"

He sighed and gestured to his living room, watching her go, his head tilted to the side as he watched her hip movement and rubbed the back of his head, reminding himself that this could be problematic. Picking up his phone he sent a message to South Dakota, asking her to come by his quarters and just keep an eye on things. Before he headed into his living area and got comfortable on the couch, just as the white-haired beauty snuggled against him and shut her eyes, a smile on her lips. Not five minutes afterward, he felt her squeeze him tightly as the snoring set in, she was out. With the extra weight on his side, Rax reached for the TV remote and put on a movie as sleep started to take hold of him as well.

XXXX

South Dakota walked with her sister Massachusetts and she said to her, "Massie, what do you think the Captain wants me to keep an eye on?"

Massachusetts shrugged and tugged on her coat as she said, "No idea. But have you noticed, 'Bama actually slept last night?"

South Dakota nodded and reached into the pocket where she kept the spare key to the Captain's quarters as she said, "Yeah, it was kind of strange actually."

Once the door was open, South Dakota looked around quickly, noting that the Captain's shoes were by the door still, she waved in Massachusetts before heading to the living room off of the main entrance. Standing at the entrance to the living room, South Dakota tilted her head to the side and waved to her sister over to see what she saw before whispering, "I wonder how long this has been going on?"

Massachusetts titled her head to the side and ran a hand through her white hair while she looked at her younger sister, wrapped around the Captain and squeezing him like he was a pillow and she whispered to South Dakota, "This might explain why 'Bama has trouble sleeping."

South Dakota shrugged and looked around the living room and she spotted a body pillow on the floor with the Captain's PT shirt on it, picking it up before she gave it a sniff and noted that it smelled like the Captain. With a raised eyebrow she handed it to Massachusetts and whispered, "I don't remember this having a shirt on it. I'm going to go and check something upstairs, can you watch the doors?"

XXXX

Upstairs South Dakota went into the Captain's room, looking for any indication that there may be some kind of history between him and Alabama, but all she found were empty or nearly empty drawers and closet space. Heading back downstairs she saw Massachusetts sitting in the kitchen, scrolling a Juustagram. Without looking in South Dakota's direction, Massachusetts asked, "Did you see anything Dak?"

Sighing and sitting down at the table South Dakota shook her head and said, "Only a ton of empty dresser and closet space. I wonder if that auction had anything to do with his clothes?"

Massachusetts turned her phone over as she said, "I was wondering the same thing, especially after finding that body pillow, so I thought I would check and I found this."

South Dakota looked at the picture on the screen, one of Akagi in the Captain's favorite off-duty shirt with the tag line; 'Look what my beloved gave me.'

Massachusetts added before scrolling to an image she snapped of Alabama snuggling the Captain on the couch, "I kind of want to troll her with this picture."

South Dakota smirked as she said, "Do it."

Taking out her phone South Dakota kept refreshing the app until a new post appeared, showing the image of her sleeping youngest sister wrapped around the Captain with the tag line; 'Young love.'

As devices started to trill in the living room, the two sisters her movement on the couch and they both got up to go and watch what was going on. On the couch Alabama sat up, stretching and yawning before reaching for her phone and looking at the new post. As she processed what she was seeing, the color drained from her cheeks. Looking up, she saw both of her sisters, the color coming back to her cheeks for an instant before becoming deep red. Before she could react the Captain woke up and checked his phone and spoke first, "Oh hell."

Looking around quickly Captain Rax spotted South Dakota and Massachusetts standing in the kitchen with grins on their faces as they asked in unison, "So, how long have you two been conducting boarding operations?"

Alabama rubbed the back of her head and laughed nervously as she said, "We haven't. But I've never slept so well before."

Rax looked at Alabama sideways for a moment, he had to admit, it was nice to feel squeezed in his sleep after so long, with a shrug he said, "Not that I'm against that idea."

The three kansen all looked at him and blinked before asking, "Wait, what?"

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before saying, "I get lonely, and being the only guy in this place is… difficult at times."

The three sisters looked at one another for a moment, almost like something unspoken was agreed upon as Alabama said, "So, can you be my personal hugging pillow and we can see about that other stuff?"

Rax's head tilted to the side and he asked, "Wait, what?"

Alabama rubbed the back of her head as she blushed and mumbled, "I get lonely and I think about it too. And I always feel better when I get a hug from you."

Massachusetts cleared her throat before saying, "How about me and Dak go and get the Captain more clothes from the stores, and you two figure this out?"

Alabama latched onto Rax, squeezing him tightly as she said, "Sounds like a good idea."

XXXX

A/N: This was a fun little jaunt, I may come back to this and expand upon it later.