Dream
"THE POWER OF THE STAR COMPELS YOU!"
Almost going cross-eyed before stepping back from the lapel shoved in his face, Daisuke then rolls his eyes and gestures at his own shoulders in turn.
"News-flash genius, they gave both of us promotions. And we don't even use stars anyway."
"Shut up, let me have my moment."
Moving past Daisuke into their quarters (ha, implying Haruki doesn't sexile him half the time these days), the older of the two brothers watches the younger spin on his heel and drop onto his bed, a stupid grin etched on his face.
"Can you believe it Dai? We're freaking flag-rankers now!"
Daisuke shrugs noncommittally.
"Honestly, I think I'd be happier as a skipper. Have you seen the amount work they have Rear-Admirals actually do? Before the war I was happy just stopping at Captain. Besides, even if we're finally officially replacing poor Sato, Vice Admiral Tanaka's still going to be our superior anyway. It's really just an official blessing to do what we've actually already been doing anyway, and extra rank-associated hassles to deal with on top of everything else.
Haruki just laughs.
"And that's why they're promoting you. Because they know you won't kick up a fuss or keep trying to climb once this is all over and they boot you back down to your boat. I'm just along for the ride because we've both proven to be too competent for our own good. And also probably because "Captain and Admiral Misaki" doesn't have as much of a ring as "The Captains Misaki". Or "The Admirals Misaki" now really."
Looking back at his brother and noticing the fact that Daisuke is still grimacing at the mention of JDS Kaga's current state of available captaincy, Haruki then starts laughing once more.
"Come on bro, it's not like she's going to get sunk the instant she's in someone else's hands."
"Yeah, that's easy for you to say. You trust Chiyohiko, so Kongou's in good hands. Kaga's my ship and in case you haven't noticed, we're kind of strapped for good promotable officers right now. I don't want her to end up in the grubby mitts of some sort of brown nosing incompetent like Suzuya. Asahina wouldn't have been to bad if she was still around, but she has a kid on the way now, so that means Mori is probably the best guy for Kaga right now. I swear though, if something happens to her, the first thing I'm going to do with this promotion is use it to put my foot so far up his- what?"
Frowning at Haruki's mirth and the realisation that he's been pacing without realising it, the younger of the two shakes his head.
"You sound like a dad deciding which of his daughter's boyfriends is the one he least wants to take out into the woods and stick in a shallow grave. I swear you treat that ship like she's your baby."
Rolling his eyes, Daisuke can't help but sigh and admit the truth to that statement.
"I guess I do. After all that's happened, I don't want to see something shitty happen to her after she managed to get me and my crew this far. And... well, some kanmusu seem to retain at least glimpses of memory from their previous service, and I guess I'd be lying if I didn't say I entertained the notion that I wanted to do good by her if she ever does end up coming back. We already have her namesake after all. Kaga would probably only be available long after I'm gone though if the time periods the summonings so far seem to reach is any indication."
"You know the war could long be over by then, right?"
"Good. I fucking well hope it is by then. That means whether she gets kept as a museum ship or ends up sent to the breakers, she won't have to fight and can have peace."
Glancing at Haruki, Dai then feels a grin tug at the corners of his lips.
"Not needing to summon her would also mean there wouldn't be any risk of her being knocked up by lovestruck idiot captains."
Haruki mimes being shot in the heart, even as he takes Daisuke's words for the jest that they are.
"Low blow bro! That's handsome, lovestruck idiot captain to you!"
"True. God knows I'd probably start doing measurable RPMs in whatever hole in the ground they stick me in if she ends up playing disco-stick with some sort of future equivalent of that ugly bastard Rin."
"Urgh, TMI man."
Faux-gagging at the thought of the old captain with a face only a mother could love from their officer days, Haruki eventually just settles back to grinning as Daisuke takes a seat on the bed opposite his.
"You know, the nice thing about us being Flag now is that even with all the housing issues, now they definitely have no excuse to keep doubling us like this."
"Yeah, you're staying by the way."
"What?! But I hate this room!"
"And I feel like I need to use gloves and windex every time I need to touch something not on my side of the room these days. Or any part of the room really."
"We're not that bad..."
"My broken chair begs to differ. And my now wobbly desk. And the dent on my footlocker. And the duct-tape holding my bookshelf together. And my busted spare belt, which frankly I don't know whether impresses or scares me, even if it was one ti-"
"You're an asshole."
Now it's Daisuke's turn to laugh at his brother's expense.
"I like to think I'm just getting experience for when I'm an uncle."
Haruki raises an eyebrow.
"Really? And enlighten me how that works?"
Daisuke grins.
"It's simple. I'm going to be the awesome fun kind. The one who's responsible and helpful enough you need me around and can't complain when I show up, but full of great stories and entertaining parables filled with worldly wisdom usually gained from watching your screw ups."
"I so badly want to point out the flaws in that plan, like how you are way too much of a stick-in-the-mud to ever be anything approaching fun to anybody you have an inkling you should actually be setting an example around... but then, I already know Kongou's going to take to that job with gusto and there's nothing I'll be able to do about it."
At the mere thought of "Kongou the Aunt", both brothers break out with laughter.
Settling into an amicable silence, eventually it is Daisuke who breaks it, sounding unexpectedly contemplative and thoughtful.
"You know... I always figured you would be the one to do this sort of thing first..."
"You always figured I'd knock up the ship-spirit-woman of a 75 year old aircraft carrier?"
Daisuke lobs a pillow at his brother's head and otherwise pretends to ignore that comment as he continues.
"Even if it's different from what I imagined, I always felt like you would be the one to actually settle down or have a kid first."
"Not to burst your fantasy, but this isn't exactly how I imagined it going either."
Chuckling at Haruki's grin, Daisuke smiles, sharing in the contemplative silence as their humor quietens once more.
"You know what... say the war did end? Say it ended tomorrow even? We all woke up and the Abyssals are defeated. What would you want to do tomorrow?"
Now it's Haruki's turn to chuckle.
"What would I want to do if the war ended? That's pretty simple. I dream of it sometimes..."
His gaze going distant, Daisuke resists the urge to laugh as Haruki's smile goes sappy.
"I'd take a desk posting."
Daisuke raises an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Yeah. If it means I can be closer to Akagi and the baby, gladly. You on the other hand, no matter how I picture it, I know that by hook or crook, you're going back to your boat. The only way you'll ever stay on land permanently is if they stick you in a box, but I just know you'd rather have your ass barbecued, stuck in a pot and then thrown overboard if you last that long. But until then, you'll be around. You've spent the entirety of my life nosing into my business, so why stop now?"
"It's like you don't even know me anymore."
Haruki graciously ignores him.
"I want us to be somewhere near the coast. Maybe even beach front if we can completely stop the Abyssals. The ocean's too much a part of both of us, and it probably will be for the kid. I can't imagine either of them away from the sea... A yacht would be nice. Not a big one. Just something big enough to fish off and maybe work by myself so we can go out with Akagi sometimes. I guess if Akagi really wants to splurge, we could get something just big enough to take everyone sailing or out for lunch from time to time. Maybe we could be wherever you decide to home port Kaga. Alternately, we'd want to be near Kaga-Kaga and Kongou. Being near all three of you would be great. And Hoshou as well. You could all be around more and... well... I guess I would feel safer about Akagi and the kid being on the coast if the rest of you guys are still there... somehow. Even just being close enough that you guys could come around from time to time on leave though..."
His smile now bordering on the extremes of sappy, Haruki looks at his brother with a small amount of embarrassment, reminding his Dausuke of occasions in their childhood when a more headstrong Haruki would sometimes grudgingly have to ask for "big brother's help".
"You may be an over-protective, no-fun, stick-in-the-mud of a brother... But I want you in her life. To be to her, what you've always tried to be to me, even when I didn't want it. I want her to trust you when she reaches that point where listening to parents is for chumps. I want her to love you when Akagi and I inevitably mess up over some silly issue and she hates our guts for a weekend. And I guess since Akagi's so sure it'll be a girl, I also want someone to help inevitably beat back the boys and look intimidating when the time comes. It helps you'll no doubt have the DDH back. And the Helicopters."
Daisuke starts chuckling and smiles at Haruki's stream of consciousness, while also to hide how right now he actually feels a little overwhelmed. Haruki really thinks that much of him?
Still, being able to have the best of both worlds? Family and duty?
"That sounds nice..."
Haruki grins.
"So what would you do if the war ended tomorrow?"
Thinking for a moment, Daisuke then shakes his head.
"You know, if you had asked me that question five minutes ago, I honestly wouldn't have had a clue beyond "get back Kaga". Now though..."
Looking at his brother, Daisuke smiles as tentative thoughts of the future are entertained in his mind.
"I think I can imagine a dream I wouldn't mind seeing myself having a part in..."
This story is a collaborative effort between myself, Mashadarof402, lt_agn02, and Lord K. This Chapter was written by Lord K.