"Thanks for having me." Massachusetts said as she and Richelieu walked to Jeans room.
"No problem, though Jean might be a mood when you see her."
"Why, I haven't I done something, have I?" Massachusetts asked with a sense of worry she'd upset the blonde.
"Oh, no it's not something you've done, in fact she'll likely cheer up when she sees its you, it's just she didn't react well to this idea of sharing with other ships from other nations." Richelieu sighed,
"Oh, why is that?"
"Some wounds are still a bit sore." The saint replied before she stopped at one of the doors and knocked "Jean it's me, I brought your guest."
"Coming!" came Jean's fed-up voice through the door, as the two waited they could hear Jean's feet and it sounded to Massachusetts like she was stomping her feet.
'Something must have really upset her.' Massachusetts thought as she heard the door unlock.
Jean opened the door with a tiny scowl only for the scowl to drop once she saw Massachusetts and a small smile appeared on her face.
"Surprised sis?" Richelieu said with a smile.
"A bit, I was expecting you make me have one of the Royal Navy girls in my room." Jean said before she looked over at the eagle union battleship "It's nice to see you Massie."
"It's nice to see you to Jean." Massachusetts said as she hugged Jean, who flinched for a second before she returned the hug.
"Aw, well I can see your fine, so I will leave you in my sister's hands, please do keep an eye on her as well."
"I'm not a child sis." Jean moaned.
"I know, but your still my baby sister, see you later sis." Richelieu said before she left the pair alone.
"See you later."
"Bye." Massachusetts said as she watched the saint leave.
"Shall we get you set up?" Jean said offering to take Massachusetts bag.
"My, how noble." Massachusetts smiled.
"I can always let you carry it yourself."
"Sorry." Massachusetts said as she handed over the bag, which Jean took inside.
As Massachusetts entered, she could tell the differences between her room and Jeans, her bed was plain and simple, Jean's bed was a four poster with curtains and the floor was marble her floor was carpet, but what caught the white-hair girls eye the most was the balcony.
"Wow, it's like a palace in here." Massachusetts said as she examined the decoration.
"You've seen our rooms before."
"That was a spare room and it looked nothing like this." Massachusetts smiled.
"You're like a kid in a sweet shop." Jean sighed with a smile.
Massachusetts let out a little giggle "Sorry, it's just so pretty, you have nice taste."
"Thanks, come on, let's get you set up." Jean said with a smile as she placed the bag on the desk, only to feel a pair of arms wrap themselves around her waist.
"Hey, what…?"
"Thank you for having me, my little privateer."
"You're never going to stop that are you?" Jean said, though Massachusetts could see the blonde smile all the same and a small blush appear on her cheeks 'Her smiles so sweet.' Massachusetts thought.
"I'm glad it was you." Jean said quietly.
"Huh?"
"Who is staying with me."
"I am to." Massachusetts smiled feeling a tiny flicker in her heart.
(Two hours later)
"Did you have a good dinner?" Jean asked as she and Massachusetts walked back to her room.
"Yes, I did thank you." Massachusetts smiled "Though I do wonder if you had enough protein."
"I had plenty thank you." Jean said with a small pout.
"Are you sure?" Massachusetts asked.
"Yes, honestly you're like my mother sometimes."
"I'm just wanting to make sure you're at pique heath."
"I appreciate it, but I'm fine I assure you." Jean sighed as she opened the door to the room and held the door open allowing Massachusetts to enter first.
"Thank you." Massachusetts said entered.
"You're welcome." Jean said as she entered "Fancy a drink?"
"No thank you, but thanks for the offer, do you mind if I go on the balcony?"
"Go ahead." Jean said as she opened her wine cupboard and began to look through the bottles inside.
Massachusetts opened the glass doors and walked out and rested her arms on the balcony's guardrails. The white-haired girl let out a sigh as the cool nights breeze blew past her, she always enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing past her.
Massachusetts smiled before she looked behind her as Jean took out a bottle and began to open it before pouring the wine into a glass and trying it before giving it a satisfied smile, Massachusetts felt her heart flutter again 'There it is again' Massachusetts thought as she thought back on the last few weeks since she'd had Jean stay over.
She'd catch herself staring and watching the blonde and whenever they hugged, she'd get a comfortable warm feeling flow through her body a feeling that made her never want to leave the girls arms.
Massachusetts leaned her head back and looked up at the sky, starting to think back on the conversation that occurred at dinner only for Jean's voice to bring her back to the moment.
"Aren't you cold like that?" Jean asked as she joined her on the balcony.
"No, in fact dressed like this I can feel the wind and I kind of like the feeling of it on my skin." Massachusetts smiled.
Jean just shook her head and stood next to the white-haired girl leaning on the guardrails as she sipped her wine.
"Don't you think you've had enough today?" Massachusetts asked remembering how many drink the blonde had that evening and noticing how tired she seemed.
"Maybe." Jean sighed "Though this is nothing compared to what I thought I would be drinking today."
"You mean your comments on sharing with someone from the Royal Navy?"
"Yeah." Jean sighed "My sisters been trying to get me to forget what happened, but it's not so easy for me to forget what they did."
Massachusetts felt her heart twist as Jean frowned 'She looks so wrong like that.' The eagle union battleship thought to herself as she also felt a need to remove that frown "Do you want to talk about it, it might help you feel better over it?"
Jean just pinched her nose as she let out a frustrated groan "You can say no if you want." Massachusetts said quickly trying to give the blonde an out if she wanted, she didn't want to force her.
"No its fine Masse, it's just a long story is all, do you mind if we take this inside?" Jean asked, "It's a little cold out here for me."
"Sure."
Jean finished the last of the wine in her glass before the pair walked inside, Massachusetts closed the doors to the balcony and pulled the curtains over. Massachusetts turned and saw Jean sitting on end of her bed and taking her boots off.
Massachusetts quietly walked over and joined her on the bed and slipped her own boots off before she spoke.
"So, what happened?"
"The short version is I still haven't forgiven the Royal Navy for what they did at Mers-el-Kébir." Jean said with a sigh before looking down at the floor.
"I'm sorry but I'm not very familiar with that engagement." Massachusetts said awkwardly.
"Both the Iris Libre and Vichya Dominion came from a bigger original force Iris Orthodoxy, when it collapsed our forces ended up on different sides between Azur Lane and Red Axis." Jean said letting out a frustrated sigh "A Royal Navy fleet under Hood arrived and tried to get us on their side, I think it was called Operation Catapult, they basically gave our fleet an ultimatum and when that expired, they fired, Dunkerque and others were badly hurt during the attack." Jean scowled.
"I see." Massachusetts mused "And you've had a grudge ever since?"
"How could I not they hurt my friends." Jean countered "I know we are on the same side now and I wasn't there, but just knowing what happened, makes it hard for me not to feel bitter to them."
"Don't you think you should let that bitterness go, it's not good for you and you were able to do it with me."
"I was never bitter at you, just envious and maybe a bit petty but I never wanted to smack you."
"And you do with the Royal Navy?" Massachusetts asked concerned.
"Only some of them, the ones responsible for what happened, especially Hood." Jean huffed "I especially hate it when she and Dunkerque talk to each other, I keep thinking how can you two just act like nothing happened."
Massachusetts moved closer to Jean before she wrapped an arm around the blonde, feeling the usual warm feeling, though she felt a bubbling in her stomach at the mention of Dunkerque's name so much in this story.
"I know your angry about your friends being hurt, but it's the tragedy of our situation at the time, I mean look at us, we were enemies and now we're friends sharing a room." Massachusetts smiled.
Massachusetts saw a small smile appear on Jean's face, which made the whitehaired girl relieved that the scowl was gone, she hated that scowl, she much preferred the sight before her of a smiling Jean.
"But we weren't enemies at the time, that's what gets me so railed up, we and the Royal Navy were allies up to that point and they shot at us like we had always been enemies." Jean sighed "It just feels like they saw us as expendable."
"Maybe it does, but we have to let it go, as far as I know Hood regrets it and Dunkerque has forgiven her, maybe you should to."
"Dunkerque was always the nicer of the two of us." Jean sighed before she rested her head on Massachusetts shoulder "Do you mind?" she asked quietly.
"No, its fine." Massachusetts said as she leaned her head a little closer to Jean's before, she started to play with some strands of the blonde's hair "This helping?"
"A little, sorry you had to put up with my rant."
"Its fine, it's what friends do for each other, especially if it helps them."
Jean let a pleasant sigh as Massachusetts kept playing the blonde hair "I'm still not going to forgive them so easily though." Jean said quietly.
"That's fine, just so long as you try and don't actually go a smack Hood."
Jean let out a small giggle "I won't, Dunkerque and my sister would be giving me an ear full if I did."
"If you don't mind me asking, is Dunkerque being hurt the big thing that makes you angry about it?"
"I guess, she was my best friend after the split."
Massachusetts bit her bottom lip a second as she felt the bubbling in her stomach increase and a possessive feeling start to emerge "Are you interested in her?" Massachusetts asked quietly.
"Interested?"
"You know romantically."
"No, she's just a friend, in fact she's dating my sister."
"Really, I never noticed." Massachusetts said surprised by this news.
"You wouldn't, they are trying to keep it private, the only reason I know is my sisters a bad lair." Jean said before moving her head so she could look Massachusetts in the eye "So if you don't mind, could you keep it a secret and don't tell them I told you, I'm not sure why I did."
"Oh, I see, well don't worry I'll keep it to myself." 'So that's how.' Massachusetts thought before she smiled and got a smile from Jean in return.
The two kept the gaze a moment and Massachusetts felt like she couldn't breathe for a second, before Jean looked away again.
"Thanks."
"No problem." Massachusetts said quietly, the two remained in silence for a moment, the only sound was Jean humming to herself occasionally, as the two stayed in silence Massachusetts could smell Jean's perfume, taking a quick glance Massachusetts saw Jean had her eyes closed 'She looks so cute like that.'
"I think it's time for bed." Massachusetts said quietly as she began to pull away from Jean only for the blonde to pull on her jacket.
"Hey, could you do something for me?"
"What?"
"Could you share the bed with me?" Jean said and Massachusetts saw the blonde blush in fact she was sure she could feel it where Jean's cheek was touching her skin.
"I don't mind, but why do you want to, if you don't mind me asking that is?"
"You said I could be a bit childish from time to time and right now thinking about the past is making me a bit stressed and I don't want to be alone right now so if you don't mind."
"I don't mind." Massachusetts smiled.
The pair shifted further onto the bed, Jean laying on her back with Massachusetts lying next to her, Jean wrapped an arm around Massachusetts waist and pulled her in tight and Massachusetts draped an arm around Jean to.
"How is it?" Massachusetts asked quietly.
"It's nice." Jean said quietly "How about for you?"
"It's the same, comforting really, it's bit of a new experience for me honestly."
"Good to hear." Jean yawned "Hey Massie?"
"Yes?"
"Could you promise me something?"
"If it's in my power."
"Don't betray me, please." Jean whispered pulling herself close to Massachusetts "I'm not sure I could deal with fighting people I care about again."
Massachusetts took a strand of Jeans hair and began to play with it again before whispering "I promise, I'll never betray you, Jean."
"Thank you." Jean smiled "Good night, Massie."
"Good night, my little privateer." Massachusetts whispered as she could hear Jeans gentle snoring. As she lay awake her mind drifted back to dinner and the conversation she had with Richelieu.
(One hour earlier)
Massachusetts sat down at the table placing her dinner in front of her, as she sat down, she could see Jean collecting her own dinner, Massachusetts smiled as she watched the blonde, she could feel the corners of her lips pull upwards and her heart flutter, Massachusetts had always though Jean was pretty, with her long shapely leg, her long smooth hair and that adorable smile she saw on occasion, Jean was beautiful in the battleship's eyes.
She knew what that all meant, it had been a bit of a shock and it wasn't intended to happen, but the more time she spent with Jean the stronger her feelings became, suddenly a voice broke her daydream.
"Oh my, I know that look, has my sister charmed you?"
Massachusetts turned to see Richelieu smiling at her with Dunkerque standing next to her "I not sure what mean." Massachusetts said weakly as she felt her cheeks get warm.
"Oh, come on Massachusetts, it's pretty clear you like Jean." Dunkerque said as she sat down with Richelieu in front of the Eagle Union girl "We know that look you had just now, you've been staring at her with a dreamy look on your face."
"Was I that obvious?" Massachusetts said bowing her head slightly so she was looking at her food.
"Quite a bit yeah." Dunkerque said as she began to eat her meal.
"So how long have these feelings been going on for?" Richelieu asked.
"Since she stayed over at mine."
"Aw, so a little while then, so what is that caught your eye?"
"Everything I guess." Massachusetts said, "She's beautiful, brave, determined, but she's also got a soft, childish side she doesn't let a lot of people see." Massachusetts said feeling her cheeks warm up "She's caring and respectful, but a little needy, but in a good way and she's got the nicest smile I've ever seen, wow I sound obsessed." Massachusetts said smiling slightly before it dropped "I suppose I'm about to get a warning not to try anything."
"Not at all." Richelieu said taking Massachusetts hands "Actually, I'm kind of glad."
"Huh?" Massachusetts said confused.
"I saw how my sister smiled at you earlier, I've not seen her smile like that since I've known her honestly, same for Dunkerque." Richelieu smiled "You have my blessing on this and I will be praying for the two of you."
"I wasn't expecting that." Massachusetts said quietly.
"I'm not going to stop love Massachusetts, especially if it brings my sister happiness."
"I'm not sure she's interested though."
"I told you, I've not seen her smile like that before, I've never seen her melt into a hug as quick as when she did with you, she lets her guard down around you a lot easier than she does others, she might not know it but she does like you, just give her some time to realise to Massachusetts."
"Massie please and are you sure you're ok with this?"
"Yes, who wouldn't want to see their sister happy."
"Thanks." Massachusetts said only for Jean to cut off.
"Am I interrupting something?" Jean said looking at her sisters and Massachusetts hands.
"No." Richelieu said smiling at her sister.
"What?" Jean said giving her sister a look.
"Nothing."
"Are you sure you have enough protein with that meal?" Massachusetts asked as she saw Jean's plate.
"Not again." Jean sighed as she sat next to Massachusetts, out the corner of her eye Massachusetts could see Richelieu and Dunkerque smiling to each other.
(Present time)
Massachusetts turned to look at Jean's sleeping face 'She is so pretty.' Massachusetts thought before she leaned over and placed a kiss on Jean's cheek, the blonde sighed and turned on her side before resting her head on Massachusetts chest, the white-haired girl smiled as she felt the blonde's breath on her chest.
Massachusetts smiled before kissing the blonde's forehead "Good night my little privateer, I love you, sweet dreams."
So we've had Massie realising next its Jean, what did you think, let me know, any criticism is welcome, also their are at least two more chapters to come after this one.