A Matter of Honor Chapter 20, an azur lane/碧蓝航线 fanfic

Part Twenty A – Rewards

In many ways, I was sad to return to the Pacific, but with the report turned in to the Atlantic Command and an exchange of contact information with Conqueror so that we could keep in contact with each other. I think the thing I regret most about this return to the Pacific, was missing out on a possible chance to meet my other sister Dominion, but not a lot I can do about that now since me and my task force headed for home… A place that I wasn't sure I wanted to be anymore.

I mean, on one hand, I loved my mother, I loved getting to know her… but on the other, I don't know how I'm going to serve Elizabeth. I just can't, I can't trust her… I'll never know if she is only going to tell me what I want to hear to get me to do what she wants or if she will just resort to commanding me to do something she wants.

I shifted in the captain's chair on my bridge, sipping the coffee I had, a taste I picked up during the two weeks I spent at the Atlantic Command. I keep looking ahead and I can see Midway coming into view, I likely had an hour left before I was ready to dock. I had already sent my escorts ahead so that they could get home; get a good rest and something to eat.

I sighed and sipped my coffee again as I thought about what Illustrious had told me about Littorio and her change in attitude towards me was due to me not being human. Littorio had been treated, roughly, by her first commander and that ended her interest in humans. It was something that I hadn't really considered, that a human could do something like that to one of us, we are so much stronger, faster, and tougher than they are… but I guess anything can and does happen.

I sigh and get out of my chair and head down to my bow, I had found that it was easier to dock if I did it from the bow of my hull. I looked off to my starboard quarter and saw Illustrious' hull keeping pace with my own, with another sip of my coffee, I turned my attention ahead and kept thinking about how over this month-long trip I'd gotten closer with Illustrious, we had found some common ground with each other and started to try and make this work for a union between us. As I leaned forward against the railing I sense Illustrious walking up beside me, since we'd reached the equator Illustrious had switched back to her usual dress and away from the cold weather clothing she had been in. I pay attention as she comes up beside me, closer than she would have a month ago, I watch her out of the corner of my right eye as she takes a deep breath before smiling and saying, "As much as I like the Med and the North Atlantic, I like the smell of the air here better."

I sip my coffee again as I say, "I'm conflicted about coming back here."

Illustrious nods and takes my right hand with her left and lacing our fingers together as she says, "I know… Can I ask you a question, and it's one I'm not sure I want the answer to."

I nod my head and squeeze her hand as I say, "Go for it."

She uses her free hand to brush some hair that had gotten out of place as she asks, "How would you feel if this, just didn't work?"

I give her a sideways look, I think I understand where this is coming from, I had made it no secret that I'm thinking about applying for transfer and I give a sigh and think on my answer before I say, "Before this trip, I likely would've been happy about it. But I've figured out I like being around you and I think I would be unhappy if things came apart… What about you?"

Illustrious moves a little closer and leans her head against my shoulder as she nods and says, "Much the same for me, had you asked me before we got the Atlantic Command, I would've said no… but now, I know I would be."

I slip my hand out from hers and put my arm around her waist and rest my hand on her right hip before I say to her, "Thank you by the way."

She gives me a quizzical look and asks, "For what?"

"For becoming an island of calm in the stormy seas that my life had become over the last year… I really needed it." I say as I rub her hip.

Illustrious smiles and reaches up with her left hand to pat my check as she says, "We're going to dock soon… But you're welcome."

I sigh and hang my head as I say, "What can I say, I'm getting kind of anxious… something keeps putting it off."

She laughs and turns her back to the water before smiling at me and teasing, "Well that typhoon came out of nowhere…"

I move to be in front of her and place both hands on her hips and I add, "And apparently your biology said 'no' right afterward."

She sighs and hangs her head, before she says, "I was looking forward to it too, you know."

I lean my forehead and smirk as I ask, "Soon, though?"

She smiles and gives me a quick kiss before saying, "Soon."

XXXX

Once I'd finished docking, I started to descend my gantry towards someone that was waiting for me, as my boots hit the dock; she extended out her arms and wrapped me into a tight embrace as she said to me, "I've missed you."

I returned the embrace as I said, "Hi Mom."

Once the embrace ended, she stepped back and placed her arms on the sides of my arms, and looked me up and down with her red eyes before tilting her head to the side and asked, "Did something happen?"

I blinked a couple of times and shrugged as I said, "Yes and no, nothing bad anyways."

She smiles at me and let go as she says, "Well, you can tell me about it on the way to the mess hall."

I pick up my duffle and fall into step with her and I just go directly to what I think is the biggest bit of news, "I have sisters… I met one of them."

My mother turns her head to look at me, her voice taking a moment to catch up with her mouth before she asks, "Really?"

I nod as I say, "My hull is apparently the third of the Conqueror class, but my main battery is different. I got to meet Conqueror; she's the Flagship in the Atlantic…"

Wales smiles at me, but her smile fades shortly afterward as she asks, "And?"

I sigh and look down at the dock as we keep walking and I say to her, "Part of me wants to transfer there…"

An awkward silence passes over us for a moment before she asks, "Is it something I've done?"

I shake my head as I hurriedly answer, "Not at all… I just don't know how I can serve Elizabeth. I don't know if I can ever put my trust in her."

Again it's quiet for a moment before my mother tries to correct me, "Queen…"

I shake my head again as I say more firmly, "She isn't an actual queen."

I look at my mother and see her press her lips together as she folds her hands behind her back and takes a deep breath to say, "As a member of the Royal Knights…"

"I'm not a knight." I start to say, pausing before adding, "I don't really know what I am. What I do know is that I've been taken advantage of most of my life, had my trust betrayed time and time again…"

I see tears starting to build in my mother's eyes before she says, "Can we talk about this later? I… I don't want this to ruin what was turning out to be such a wonderful welcome home."

I sigh and hang my head before I say, "Sure."

My mother bites her lower lips before reaching over to touch my arm as she says to me, "I mean it, I'm willing to talk about this later, Mitchel. I just don't want to ruin the party that is waiting at the mess hall… Howe spent all day working on the cake."

XXXX

It was late by the time I got around to getting back to my quarters, once I close the door to my quarters behind me and toss my duffle bag across the room and I let out a heavy sigh. I wasn't feeling much better about being back here, my mother and aunts had been happy to see me and Howe had really gone to a lot of effort to make that cake. I moved to sit on the end of my bed and I ran my hands through my hair as I looked around this room, it was just as empty as the one I keep on my hull. My lips press together and I get off my bed to get changed into my sleepwear before I leave my room again and head downstairs to the common room.

Once I got down there, I put on the kettle to have some herbal tea, I was just so frustrated right now. I place my hands on the counter and hang my head, I just didn't know what to do right now, my mother had said we'd talk about this tomorrow. I was so lost in my own thoughts I didn't hear the approach of anyone or even take notice of them before I felt soft hands starting to rub my shoulders and a soft voice ask, "What's wrong?"

I sigh and relax at the touch as I answer, "A lot."

I look to the kettle to get confirmation on what I already knew, I had to admit due to the way the kettle was shaped it made Illustrious look kind of funny. Her hands stopped working my shoulders and she went to start scratching my back as she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

I sigh again and say, "I tried to talk to my mother about, things, and she clearly didn't want to talk about it right now."

Illustrious stopped scratching my back to slide her hands around my chest as she leaned the left side of her face against my back and she asked me, "What things?"

I stand upright and turn so that she's against my chest while I slip my hands around her waist while I tell her, "About how I'm feeling conflicted about being here; how I can't bend the knee again."

I take a moment to look into her eyes as I continue, "It was like I was breaking her heart when I said that I was thinking about applying for a transfer to the Atlantic fleet."

Illustrious changed how she was standing to be more upright as she said, "I can understand that, she did only just get you back after all."

I nod before leaning my head against the cabinet and say, "I know…"

She presses her body against mine and asks, "I imagine there are things about the Pacific fleet you like?"

I smirk and give off a half-laugh before I say, "That has yet to be determined."

Illustrious leans back, letting go of me with one hand to playfully slap my chest as she made a look and noise of mock hurt and surprise as she teases, "You're just awful."

I grin back and tickle her waist causing her to yelp and whisper, "Don't! That tickles!"

When I stop tickling her sides she sighs and rests her head against my chest again before she says to me, "I like this."

I was about to say something when the kettle started to boil and I said to her before starting to make my tea, "Sorry, I don't want to wake anyone with the noise… do you want a cup too?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as she gets on the tips of her toes to get down the herbal tea as well as a mug and says to me, "Sounds like a good plan, should I find us something to snack on while we drink our tea?"

I nod and suggest, "And then we'll head into the common room and find something to watch."

She nodded her head and that was when I noticed she wasn't in her usual dress, she was in a housecoat made of long white silk fabric with dark blue trim. When she noticed me looked she blushed a little and said, "It was a gift from Littorio years ago."

I raise an eyebrow and say, "I know you said that you never did anything with her… but things like this, kind of makes me wonder."

Illustrious gives off a soft chuckle as she takes her tea and a bag of popcorn towards the sofa and says over her shoulder to me, "She wishes we had."

Yeah… just like I wish we had by now…

I shrug and bring over my own tea and sit down beside her before I take up the remote and look for something to watch. About halfway into the show, we put on I feel my eyelids getting heavy and I look over to Illustrious to see that she's already closed her eyes and is leaning against me. I yawn turning off the TV and scooping her up into my arms and carry her off to my bed for a good night's rest.

XXXX

I'm brought out of my sleep when I feel something land on my face, hard. My red eyes open wide, but my vision is obscured and it takes me a moment before my ears pick up the sounds of someone breathing beside me and I remember last night, bringing Illustrious up to my room, tucking her into my bed before I crawled in beside her. I roll to my side and her hand falls away from my face letting me take in the sight of her sleeping face behind her I can see her housecoat on my dresser, so I guess she must've taken it off at some point in the night. I was about to take this chance to look under the covers when she mumbles, "I'm cold… warm me up."

The next thing I know, she has scooted over closer to me just as I feel one of her feet seek out my leg, the sensation of ice touching my skin sends a jolt to my brain and I start to wonder how the heck she can be cold right now…

I was about to say something when I noticed a little smile at the edges of her mouth, I knew she was awake at this point and clearly, I wasn't in a position to protest this, so I slid my right arm over her waist, feeling the waistband of her underwear and the soft cotton fabric of her top just before I pulled her in close and she made a happy sounding sigh. The next thing I know I feel her leg start move up mine and up over my right hip, just as her blue eyes open and she smiles at me and she says, "Not a bad way to wake up."

I smile and lean in to kiss her, just as my door opens and I hear my mother call out, "Mitchel, it's going on for nine o'clock…"

Illustrious looks at me and mouths out, 'Mitchel?'

I give her a slight smile before I sit up and see my mother's face bright red and her red eyes looking at my dresser as she says, "I'm sorry… I didn't know you had… company."

Illustrious sits up as well and says, "Good morning Prince of Wales, how are you today?"

I see my mother let out a breath and rests her right hand against her chest as she says, "Oh good, you're dressed still."

I rub the back of my head and ask, "Can you give us five minutes so that I can at least get dressed properly?"

My mother nods and excuses herself, as the door closes behind her, I lean back a little and get a view of Illustrious' stern and the little pocket made by her underwear and stern. The next thing I hear is a thump against my door, followed quickly by a slap on my chest and Illustrious saying to me, "Maybe later…"

I sigh before I take hold of her by the waist and puller her down over me before I grip her stern and say, "I really thought…"

She places a finger against my lips before leaning in close to whisper in my ear, "I was planning on it."

I sigh inwardly and start to wonder how many men have been cock-blocked by their own mother in the past.

She pushes herself up and off of me before reaching for her housecoat, warping it around herself and giving me a little wink as she says, "I'd like to continue this tonight, meet in the common room around twenty-two hundred again?"

I get out of my bed and slip my hands around her waist, pulling her against me before I use a hand to slide up her frame and turn her head so that I can kiss her, deeply before confirming, "I'm looking forward to it."

Illustrious smiles at me before ducking out my door and bobbing up and down slightly as she greets my mother while going past, "Lady Wales."

"Lady Illustrious." Says my mother back and I can see her cheeks are still red.

I sigh to myself and hurry getting dressed for the day, and again I come to my red jackets and I feel so conflicted about putting them on. I know to my mother, seeing me in them brings a smile to her face, but to me, right now, they represent something I just feel disdain for. Still, I take one out and put it on, just as I get out of my room and make sure to lock the door this time, my mother asks in a careful tone, "So… you and Lady Illustrious seem to be on better terms now."

I nod my head as we start walking down the hall and I say, "We found some common ground while we were on deployment… it wasn't easy at first."

I turn my head to watch my mother fidget with the hem of her skirt before she asks, "So perhaps you're not too upset with what Her Majesty did?"

My nostrils flair slightly while my lips press together and I say, "I don't trust her. Even Illustrious is questioning if she even really had a choice in becoming Elizabeth's choice."

I watch as my mother uses a hand to brush some hair behind an ear before she tries to change the subject by asking, "What do you say to the two of us heading into the town, just to be off base for a little while? I'd like to hear about your sisters…"

I understood what she was trying to do; she was trying to find a way to maybe repair any damage that had been done over all of this. I sigh and nod as I say, "Sure."

It wasn't lost on me when I heard my mother let out a breath and relaxed her shoulders before asking, "So, have you and Lady Illustrious…"

I can't help it, I laugh and shake my head as I say, "Every time I think it's going to happen, something stops it from happening. First, it was a blasted Typhoon, then it was biology, and lastly, it was you walking in."

I see Wales blush and starting to poke her index fingers together before she says, "Well, just make sure you make sure she enjoys it when you finally do."

I continue to laugh and shake my head before I look up and say, "Well, yeah."

XXXX

We had gone from shop to shop, I even ordered in a new bed for my hull and some simple trinkets, my mother had surprised me by giving me a box of condoms, sighting to me that as much as she'd like to see offspring, she would prefer if they are not here too soon. We had even found that same little stand that we had last time I was here and we took the fish and chips to the same spot and I filled her in on what happened in the North Atlantic and the Med. Once I finished telling her everything, my mother folded her hands in her lap after crossing her knees. I could see that she was thinking hard about something before she said, "I can see the appeal."

I nod as I pop a chip in my mouth before I say, "I'm a little disappointed I missed out on meeting Dominion, my other sister… I wonder what she's like."

Wales shrugs her shoulders before she says, "Both like and unlike your sister Conqueror if I and my sisters are anything to go by."

I smirk as I think about my collection of aunts and how each one is so very different, prone to infighting with each other, but how they will rally around someone or something so very quickly. I sigh and look down at my fish as I say, "I know you don't like the idea, but I'm not sure I can realistically serve Elizabeth and put my faith in her."

I watch as she takes a bite of her cod, using it as a way to avoid answering before she sighs and puts it down and admits, "Conqueror wasn't wrong when she said that the KGV class likes to think we're knights… It gives us something to distinguish ourselves with… And I can see your point with Elizabeth; she has no actual power, other than being our flagship… but for her, thinking she is a queen gives her something."

I sigh and lean forward a little before I say, "I've got nothing against things like that, I just don't like the idea that I've come to expect betrayal from every angle… from my father to who I report to…"

I feel a hand on my back, rubbing in little circles before I hear my mother say, "I get that, Mitchel, I really do… is there anything I can do to try and smooth things over between you and Her Majesty?"

I run my hands through my hair and sigh out, "I don't know."

"At least let me talk to her before you make any rash decisions, alright?" she asks me.

I nod and say, "Alright… But I can't wait around forever on this."

I feel my mother hug me from the back and side as she whispers to me, "Thank you."

XXXX

I'll admit it, I was waiting in the common room, before the appointed time and I felt so damn nervous, more nervous than I'd felt in years, over anything. My attention snapped to the doorway as I hear Illustrious say, "Oh, I guess I'm not the only one that wanted to be early."

I smile at her as I say to her, "You can still back out…"

She shakes her head and lifts a bag before saying to me, "I brought clothes for tomorrow… I'm not backing out."

Taking a moment I note that she's in her housecoat again, her hair was unbound, and on her feet, I saw fuzzy slippers. She crossed the room over to me and slipped a hand in mine as she whispered into my ear, "Let's get to your room; it's a touch drafty…"

Oh… oh!

I nod and whisper back, "I've been looking forward to this."

She squeezes my hand again and says, "Me too."

XXXX

A/N: A re-write of Chapter 20 done! I'm happier with this one, I think it better fits with everything else I'd done so far.