The next few days felt like a blur. With Scharnhorst now having to work the lunch shift for her punishment, we had moved our sparring to the end of the day. And while it meant waking up with sore muscles every morning, it was worth it to be able to spend more time just chatting with her after our sessions.
That Friday, after our sparring match and getting cleaned up, we made our way out to the training lagoon to just relax and enjoy each other's company. Of course, the discussion as to how next week would go came up.
"So, we going back to our old lunch routine now that my penance has been done?" Scharnhorst asked as she leaned back, gazing up at the night sky.
"Partially done," I reminded her, "You still have to apologize to Taihou."
She snorted derisively but nodded all the same. "Yeah, yeah. Whenever she pops her head back out, I'll do my level best to make nice."
"I was hoping she would have shown up at some point during the week for a meal. Would've been easier to get two birds and one stone that way." I sighed and shook my head. "Ah, well, guess it wasn't meant to be. Going back to your question…I dunno. On the one hand, I do like having our lunchtime practice, helps clear the mind and get me refocused for the day. On the other hand, I like spending the end of my day with you."
Scharnhorst seemed to ponder it for a moment before she turned to face me. "Well, we could always have our matches at lunch, and then, at the end of the day, just hang out and talk."
I gave her an appraising glance before I nodded approvingly. "Not a bad suggestion. When'd you get so wise?"
She grinned and stretched nonchalantly. "Guess hanging out with you's been rubbing off on me. Give it a few years and I'll be just as wise and scholarly as you."
"Can't wait to see that," I laughed. "Speaking of scholarly, you wanna meet me tomorrow for that poetry reading you agreed to?"
"Damn, walked right into that one," she replied with a mock scowl. "But yeah, I'd go to a poetry reading. Although I don't know what us sitting around reading books does for each other…"
Her naivety was rather endearing, and I couldn't help but smile. "Sometimes it's just nice to have company. But typically at poetry readings, someone reads a poem, or group of poems aloud, and then people discuss them."
Even in the moonlight, I could see some of the color draining from her face. "Like…in public?"
"Some can be, but this won't," I quickly reassured her. "I was thinking I could come over to your place, or…maybe…you could come over to mine."
Her color, and her confidence, quickly returned and a wolfish grin played across her face. "Well, well, well…moving kinda fast, aren't we, Kurt? One hilltop picnic and you think you can lure me into your bed with some frilly poetry?"
A blush crept into my cheeks, and I could tell by the way her smile grew wider, she could see it. "N-nothing like that," I stammered. "Besides, I somehow doubt the collection of poems I've picked out would really set the mood…"
She leaned over, placing her head on her hand as she continued to study me the way a cat studies a cornered mouse. "Now I'm curious…what sort of poems have you picked out for me, hmmm?"
Now it was my turn to smirk like the cat who ate the canary. "Guess you'll just have to show up tomorrow and find out."
Her hands reached out, grabbing and pulling me close to her. "Wiseass," she whispered softly, her lips brushing mine. "That's enough talk for one night…"
The next day, bright and early, I heard the sound of someone knocking at my door. I had barely gotten dressed, and for a second I wondered if it was Scharnhorst. I quickly dismissed such a silly notion. After all, I hadn't even had breakfast yet. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to find her on the other side, wearing a casual outfit consisting of tight jeans and a t-shirt that exposed her midriff, and holding a cooler in her hands.
"Mornin', Kurt!" she cheerily greeted me as she pressed said cooler into my hands and gave me a quick kiss. "Hope I'm not too early, but I wanted to stop by before you had breakfast."
I glanced down at the cooler I was suddenly holding, then back to Scharnhorst as I tried to formulate a coherent sentence. It was way too early for surprises, even ones as welcome as her. "Uh…not yet. …did I miss a memo?"
She laughed and shook her head. "Nah, we just never set a time, and since you were so nice to make such a nice meal for me, I wanted to return the favor. So I brought over stuff to make breakfast for you!"
As touched as I was by her gesture, I knew I couldn't impose on her. "I appreciate the gesture, Scharnhorst, I really do, but I can't ask you to make breakfast for me. Not in my own home."
"Pah!" she dismissed my objections with a wave of my hand. "I know my way around a kitchen now." She got a thoughtful look and she peered past me. "...you do have a kitchen, right?"
"I do," I confirmed with a chuckle as I stepped aside. "C'mon in, I'll show you where it is. But only on the condition I help make breakfast."
She sighed dramatically and rolled her eye as she came inside and shut the door behind her. "Alright, alright. I guess you can help since it's your kitchen…" She stopped two steps in and looked around. "...where is your kitchen, anyway?"
"Follow me," I grinned as I slipped my arm around her waist. "I'll give you the full tour."
"Ooh, so fancy," Scharnhorst teased as her arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me close. "Lead on."
Now joined at the hip, we headed into the apartment. "Welcome to the living room," I declared, gesturing at the largest space in my quarters. "Here's where I keep some of my books, all one of my couches, and the tv."
"Some?" she repeated as she eyed up the rather full bookshelf in the corner. "You've got more?"
I nodded as I gestured to the bedroom. "Yep, I've got the rest in there. You know, a little light bedtime reading."
Scharnhorst disentangled herself from me as she stepped forward, perusing the contents of my small library. "Lotta books on naval history here…" she said softly, almost to herself. "Even a few on some of the ships in port…" She glanced over her shoulder at me, a mischievous grin on her face. "You got one on me, Kurt?"
"M-maybe?" I said, suddenly feeling very warm.
She glanced back at the bookshelf, then turned around to face me. "Huh. It doesn't seem to be here," she remarked in an innocent tone that was anything but. "Wouldn't happen to be in your bedroom, would it, Kurt? A little…'bedtime reading'?"
"It's not what you think!" I protested as if that would deter Scharnhorst once she smelled blood in the water.
"Don't worry about it, Kurt," she continued as she strode towards me, that wicked smile on her face. "I get it. All those sleek lines, that beautiful Atlantic bow, those powerful cannons. You've never encountered a specimen of beauty like me before. I can't blame you for being a bit…curious."
"Ha ha," I retorted as I got myself back under control. "I just like to get to know something about the history of the kansen under my command. When it comes to sleek lines and powerful curves, well…" I grinned as I reached out and pulled her closer. "I think I prefer the Scharnhorst that's right in front of me."
"Mmm, good answer," she purred as she pressed herself against me, her arms encircling my waist before she leaned in for a tender kiss. "But more intimate things later, let's finish this tour so we can eat."
Now it was my turn to sigh dramatically, rolling my eyes as I mimicked her tone from earlier. "Alright, alright."
I led her over to the single hallway and gestured to the door at the end of it. "My bedroom, the bathroom is also in there as well." Scharnhorst nodded, and when she made no move to take a closer look, I guided her to the last stop on my "grand tour".
"And at last, the kitchen," I announced, letting her go so I could put the cooler down on the counter and begin prepping for breakfast. "So, what are we making?"
"Coffee, for starters," she said as she began to rummage through her cooler. "You've got coffee, right?"
"I do, but it's a single-serve coffee maker using those little cup things if that's alright."
"Yeah, that'll be fine."
I nodded and flicked on the coffee maker before I grabbed a couple of the little cups. As I was getting started on the coffee, I heard Scharnhorst open the fridge door. "Oh, Kurt," she said mournfully and I realized what she had just seen.
"Yeah, uh…it's a little understocked right now," I muttered weakly, glancing over my shoulder at the nearly bare refrigerator.
"A little?" she exclaimed. "I'm glad I didn't assume you had anything I'd need. How do you live like this?"
I set the coffee maker to make the first cup before I turned around and shrugged. "I just eat at the mess hall. What about you? You never struck me as the cooking type."
"You'll find I'm full of all sorts of surprises, Commander," she playfully huffed as she placed her hands on her hips. "Besides, need I remind you I live with Gneisenau. We could probably feed half the base with the stockpiles she's built up over the months…" She turned around and sighed as she got back to unpacking her cooler. "Although now she's trying to convince me to make chocolates with her for this Valentine's Day. Did you know that was next week?"
"Oh, that's next week?" I tried to sound nonchalant as I switched out the coffee pods and started brewing my cup of coffee. "Guess we should probably do something. Cream or sugar?"
"I'll take it black, thanks," she answered as she finished getting everything out of her cooler. "You're telling me you didn't have anything planned for Valentine's Day?"
"Nothing as of yet…" I added the cream and sugar to my own coffee and turned around to hand Scharnhorst hers. "I'm sure I could put something together by then," I answered with a barely concealed grin. Or so I thought.
"Uh-huh," she smirked as she took the proffered coffee. "You know you're a terrible liar, right? I can see you trying to hide that grin. C'mon, what are you planning?"
At that point, I quit trying to hide my smile and shrugged. "Maybe I want to keep it a surprise. Maybe it's not set in stone yet and I don't want to promise something that will fall through later. Either way, I'm going to keep this one close to my vest. I'll leave it up to you to decide."
She folded her arms across her chest and peered at me. Although she was trying to be serious, she couldn't hide that playful smile. "I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt on this one and say it's a surprise," she finally declared, adding, "But it had better be a damn good surprise!"
I bowed thankfully to her and smiled back. "I promise, it will blow you away."
"It better!"
"It will," I reassured her. "Now, what's for breakfast?"
Scharnhorst grinned from ear to ear as she set her coffee cup on the counter and reached behind her. "Oh, just your usual breakfast stuff. Eggs, bacon, and this…" She produced a loaf of dark bread.
"Is that pumpernickel?" I asked eagerly, unable to believe what I was seeing.
"Yeah!" Scharnhorst happily confirmed, then paused. "Wait. How do you know about pumpernickel? I thought it was an Iron Blood thing."
"Had it a few times in a couple of local restaurants when I was a kid. Once I moved away, I could never find it, and most people would look at me funny when I asked about it." I shrugged sadly. "So I quit asking about it. Where'd you manage to find it?"
She smiled and puffed up a bit with pride. "Made it myself. Got the recipe from Gneisenau, and the mess hall had the ingredients we needed, so I talked 'em into helping me bake this. And before you say anything, we made it on our own time so it wasn't like we were shirking our duties, Admiral Responsibility."
I ignored the dig in favor of the gift she'd gotten me. "That's amazing, Scharnhorst. Thank you!"
"Don't mention it," she shrugged as she put it down. "To be honest, if I'd have known about that ex-pat captain, I probably would've just bought it off him."
"In any case, I'm touched you wanted to share it with me," I laughed. "So…we ready to get to cooking?"
"Hell yeah!"
After a hearty breakfast was had, we retired to the living room to relax. Eventually, Scharnhorst's eye fixed on the stack of books on the coffee table. "So, how's this work?"
While I knew what she meant, I couldn't let the obvious dig slip by. "Well, typically, one reads books by picking them up, opening them, and reading the words on the page. I can give you a few more pointers if you'd like," I grinned.
"Jerkass," she snorted, but the smile on her face belied her amusement. "I mean, do I just pick one out and read it and we talk about it, do we read it out loud?"
"Whatever you're comfortable with," I answered. "We can read a couple of poems, trade off, and then talk about them, or I could read one to you."
Scharnhorst immediately pounced on that suggestion. "Yes, that one! Read it to me."
I was slightly taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm. "R-really?"
"Mhm!" She nodded eagerly, leaning forward on the arm of the couch as she eyed me up. "I liked it the last time you quoted poetry, made it sound all pretty."
"Alright, then," I acquiesced as I took a look at the books on the table. "Anywhere in particular you want to start at?"
"I'll let you pick," Scharnhorst smiled as she leaned back and got comfortable.
"No pressure, right?" I chuckled softly as I weighed the options before me. Eventually, I settled on my old, worn copy of Tennyson, and flipped through it, looking for the poem I thought she would like the best. "Ah, here it is. The Charge of the Light Brigade, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
"Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!"
I closed the book and looked up at Scharnhorst, who was staring off into the middle distance, clearly turning the words over again and again in her mind. When she finally spoke, it was a barely audible whisper. "...damn. Really good poem, it's so…vivid. It's…it's so…so…"
"Evocative?" I suggested.
She snapped her fingers and pointed at me. "Exactly! Damn, what a sight that must have been to see," she sighed. "Love a glorious battle against hopeless odds."
"That does seem to be your niche," I smirked briefly. "Why do you like to go for last stands like that, anyway?"
She thought it over before finally shrugging her shoulders. "Because it's better to go out in a blaze of glory than to fade into obscurity. Everyone remembers the last stand of the Scharnhorst in the North Cape. Nobody remembers what happened to Gneisenau."
"Fair enough," I conceded, "But I would prefer to live out the remainder of my days in quiet retirement if it's all the same to you."
"Psh," she snorted, "Like they aren't going to put up a giant statue of you either way."
I smiled and shrugged helplessly. "Well, victory does get you some nice bonuses, like coming home triumphant and being immortalized in one way or another."
She made a sour face and crossed her arms over her chest. "Wouldn't know about that. Never been on the winning team before."
"Well, now you are," I said with a smug smile. "You're welcome."
Her barking laughter echoed off the small walls in our apartment. "Smartass," she grinned back as she gestured to the book. "Go on and read another one, then."
I flipped the book back open and thumbed through the pages until I found another one I thought she'd like. "Here we are. Ulysses…"
One poem begat another, and another, and another, until next we knew, both of our stomachs were grumbling with hunger. We glanced down at each other, then shared a nervous chuckle as we both looked at the clock.
"Time flies, huh?" I asked with a smile. "You wanna go get lunch?"
"Kinda have to," she grinned back as she got to her feet and stretched languidly. "I've seen what's in your fridge. Or rather what isn't in your fridge."
"Sheesh, I'll stop by the grocery store later today and get a few items."
Scharnhorst nodded as she wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me close. "Probably for the best," she murmured softly. "And see if you can't pick up some more of that Iron Brew…"
I didn't answer her, not verbally, instead, leaning in and pressing my lips against hers in a tender kiss.
When we broke, she squeezed me in a loving embrace and smirked. "Mm, damn good answer. As much as I'd love to keep you here for another hour or two of…interrogation, we both need to eat and you've got shopping to do."
A Commander's work was never done, it seems…
A/N-Only two chapters left! The character poll has concluded and the winner was Takao! She'll be getting the next full-length story once Until the Last Shell is completed. Expect to see a lot more combat, and I don't mean of the ship-to-ship variety. Takao's got a sword, and she's gonna be using it.
