[A Pseudo Night Together]

Illustrious paced nervously around her bed, glancing at her phone every time she pivoted back. She had been getting ready for bed until her mind started to occupy the incoming video chat she would soon have with Enterprise. For now, she paced continuously, dressed in a silk lavender nightgown that accentuated her fair maiden beauty.

Her anxious thoughts kept her company like an annoying house guest, and she bit her thumb anxiously out of habit. Concerns like how bad was her girlfriend's sickness? And what could be ways that she could help her? Those types of concerns riddled her mind to no end.

Obviously, the direct one she could solve at this moment was to answer the video chat that Enterprise would initiate soon. They had texted earlier that once Enterprise woke up from her power nap, then she would call her right away. For Illustrious, it was roughly eleven at night meaning, that Enterprise's time would be six in the afternoon. The Eagle ace should soon be calling her since she had put a timer on her phone so she wouldn't miss her opportunity.

Enterprise wasn't stationed at the base currently but temporally station at a port in the Eagle Union homeland.

It soured her that the time difference was one of many factors that perpetuated the notion that long-distance relationships didn't last. Despite it, they made it work. Enterprise would roughly have five more hours to herself until reaching eleven at night, and sadly, Illustrious would still be asleep during that time. She would have to wait another three hours until the royal carrier awoke around seven in the morning.

This feeling of juggling time zones made her reminisce about her relationship before Enterprise. There was no comparison except the lack of comparison that brought it to her forefront. To the only other woman she had ever been with, they didn't have to worry about time zones. If anything, they were an hour or two apart from each other in time zones. There had been a point in her life where she thought she had gotten lucky at love on her first try, and she saw it as a divine blessing from the holy light, but the cold truth was that she had been naive.

The feeling of knowing she was Enterprise's first love weighed heavy on her heart. Her love as a whole felt responsible for how this experience would shape Enterprise. Embodying the perfect girlfriend with experience backing her up, she desperately desired to make a good romantic impression on Enterprise. The silver-haired Eagle Union deserved a happy memory of first love. To anyone that could read her thoughts, one might think she was sounding ominous as if their time together was nothing more than a fleeting dream. One that could be so easily disturbed. But no, she was being dramatic and too selfless for her own good.

Perhaps it was merely the same coin but a different side and instead of being selfless, she was selfish. At the heart of her goal for Enterprise is to have a wonderful first romantic experience, that would allow total protection against heartbreak. Selfishly, she desired Enterprise to get lucky in true love on her first try. Not just for Enterprise but for her also. That's how much she loved the Eagle carrier, and with the way things were going, they were both going strong.

The chiming of her phone notified her that a video chat had arrived. The photo of Enterprise smiling back at her made her heart tighten with joy. The cropped photo she used had been the one that Enterprise, she, Unicorn, Hornet, and Yorktown had taken together on a trip shortly after the Orochi incident had been concluded. The smile she received from her was the first genuine smile of pure happiness while being surrounded by all those that filled her heart. At that time, they were still friends but that didn't stay like that for long.

The phone continue to chime and it horrifyingly donned on her that she was staring off into memory lane while present-day events were playing out. She dived toward her bed, her full body connecting with her bed like a love-sick schoolgirl, and she quickly answered the phone.

"Ent, my goodness. Sorry about the wait, I was... Ah, in the bathroom brushing my hair." The metaphorical glass shattered within her mind at her unbelievable excuse as she still had her long and elegant pigtails, as well as her ponytail. The embarrassment had been too great, and she felt dejected that the first thing out of her was a dishonest lie.

A cough resounded from the other end which made Illustrious drink in the view of her girlfriend for the first time that day. Enterprise was lying in bed, the window curtains bleeding an orange glow from outside. The archer had on a comfortable white T-shirt with an anchor design on the breast pocket. Her hair looked messy, and her nose could give Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer a run for his money. Despite her condition, she gave Illustrious an unabated smile that was nothing short of perfect. She spoke wearily with an effort to sound cheery. "That's all right, Lusty. Hehe, I know I look like a hot mess, but I look worse than I feel, honestly." She coughed off camera and returned a few seconds later to view. "Ugh… there's been a case of a virus going around the port I'm temporarily stationed at back home. So, looks like I'm unable to travel until my fever passes."

Illustrious wished she could hug her but the best she could do was hug the phone and that would obstruct their view. "You poor thing. Hmph, this isn't fair that I'm not there to take care of you as I should."

Enterprise smiled softly and adjusted her position on the bed. "Hehe, that's why I didn't want to let you know I was sick. Didn't want you to worry about something I'm sure I'm going to beat in a day or two."

Illustrious didn't know if it was the delirious state brought upon the fever or if Enterprise was trying to look tough. Regardless, she cutely gave her a stern look. "How cavalier you are to your sickness. To say that you didn't want me to worry when you're clearly bedridden is not something I want to hear."

Enterprise swallowed nervously and deflated deep into her pillow. "Lusty... I..."

Illustrious silenced her with a hand wave. "I want to know how you're doing, especially if you're not feeling well. What girlfriend doesn't want to know when her significant other is sick?"

Enterprise blushed endearingly and gave a small smile. "So, you would tell me if you were sick?" She spoke calmly.

"I would, Ent." Illustrious was a caregiver. It was in her nature to look out for others possibly more than she would look after herself. That was one of the reasons that Enterprise had fallen in love with the carrier. She had been the only one who took a hammer to the walls that Enterprise built around herself and genuinely held her in loving support. With the situation reversed, if she was the one sick instead of Enterprise, she could understand the archer's reasoning. Maybe there was a time when she wouldn't have told the first love of her life that she was sick, but that just proved how much Enterprise was different from her first love. Being a couple was a two-way street. As much as she would love to take care of the eagle ace, Enterprise had every right to also take care of her, too. If she denied that, then only resentment and hard feelings would be born.

"Hmm, now I just feel bad," honestly spoke the Eagle ace.

Illustrious placed the phone on her nightstand with it still viewing her. She then placed her hands in loving prayer, helping her get her feelings across. "You might think it's selfless to keep me in the dark and not worry but it's the opposite. We are supposed to be the other half of each other, are we not?" She dropped her hands and opened her eyes which were filled equally with love and sternness.

Enterprise felt butterflies in her stomach, and she placed the phone on her bed to make it look as if Illustrious was seeing her from a bedside perspective. "I'm sorry. I promise to tell you everything from now on."

Illustrious's sternness broke from seeing her girlfriend resting upon her pillow, her messy silver hair framing her face, and her despondently adorable expression of remorse looking at her. "I would like that, Ent. Sorry, if I came at you a bit harshly." She then followed suit, taking her phone, and angling it to make it feel like she was by Enterprise's bedside.

The archer smiled with a giggle. "No no, you're totally fine. I like it when you're assertive. Takes me back to our sessions when you would do all in your power to keep me from leaving."

The royal maiden blushed embarrassingly. "I think assertive is the wrong choice of word, darling. I was merely throwing everything, including the kitchen sink to get you to stay and participate in our talks."

Enterprise's joy in her eyes increased and she gave her a playful grin. "I'll say it again. Thank you, Lusty. I never had anyone care for me so much to the point that I saw them like an enemy. That's just the way I thought back then but you were steadfast in wanting to help me out."

The royal inched closer to the screen, forgetting that they were miles apart from each other. "Of course. You were in a lot of pain and it's not in me to cast my eyes away from it. You saved my sister and that only reinforced it, making it more personal."

Enterprise closed her eyes and hummed contently at what she heard. "Would you be going to sleep after this?"

Illustrious softened her eyes in sadness. "Yes, unfortunately. I had a busy day with Her Majesty while also helping the maids with any assistance they needed. Tomorrow, I'll be sent out to the countryside for a social gathering with Hood and some other guests."

There was an air of somberness from Enterprise as she felt like a foreign variable when it came to her girlfriend's life. While she didn't much like social gatherings, especially elegant ones with people sipping copious amounts of tea, she would rise to the challenge and join her if she was given the chance. "Oh, then you must be incredibly tired. Hey, could I... could we keep the phones on? I would like to watch over you as you sleep."

Enterprise quickly gasped and let what she said replay in her mind. She didn't need to look at Illustrious's face to know that her question had been a surprising one. "Ah! Did that sound creepy in any way? I couldn't figure out a better way to say it, but I just don't want this call to end."

Illustrious composed her shock. She was in no way appalled in any manner and in fact, it excited her for them to do a "couple" activity aside from lovers' run and sending messages to each other. With a big, relaxed smile that eased Enterprise, she spoke. "Neither do I. How about this, I'll set the timer for this call to end in an hour. At the risk of embarrassing myself and mumbling something that surfaces from my unconscious mind like a bubble."

Enterprise beamed like a kid and pulled the cover over her shoulders, snuggling herself deeper into her bed. "I got nothing else to do except sleep. I was going to pour hot water on some dehydrated noodles and watch something on TV, but I could nap for another hour."

Illustrious exhaled and she prayed for the holy light to give her strength. "Goodness, dehydrated noodles? Now I really wish I was there to make you some proper homemade chicken soup!" She quickly covered her mouth, fearing that her outburst had been loud enough to pass through her walls and into the rooms of the others.

Enterprise giggled while she accidentally coughed. "Jeez."

Illustrious smiled somberly and adjusted her pillow for herself to get ready. "Our first time sleeping together..."

Enterprise had moved away from the camera's sight to blow her nose and dropped back down on the bed. "Yeah... I like the sound of that. Goodnight, Lusty."

The royal maiden yawned and snuggled into her bedsheets. "And I wish you a good twilight, my love."

Enterprise blushed again. "You'll be getting up at seven, so I'll set an alarm at two in the morning to wish you a good morning."

The royal carrier let out an amused breath. "Ent, how sweet, but you don't have to do that."

Enterprise had minimized the screen from her phone call and had already been messing with her alarms. "You're right, but I want to. Hey, maybe I'll still be up around that time."

"What could you possibly be doing at two in the morning?" Asked Illustrious.

"Lots of things. Maybe I'll catch up on a few documentaries or have a horror film marathon while I wait for my girlfriend to wake up. Long Island got me into a phone game that has a neat storyline, so that's also an option," she said teasingly.

They laughed happily and soon drifted off together for a joint night's sleep.

The next chapter will be something a bit different. Over the course of the days, I've been working on the back lore to them meeting along with their sessions. I'll be sprinkling those chapters throughout the story maybe call them flashback chapters or something. Those chapters will be distinct and it will be easy to tell when a chapter is a flashback. Thank you all for reading and have a good holiday!