The soft glow of the moonlight dimly shines through the uncovered windows of the commander's office; Yorktown's sweat drenched skin glistening under its influence.
The Commander and the Carrier's bodies intertwined on the edge of his ornate desk, paperwork and knick-knacks strewn about with abandon.
His hands trail down Yorktown's arched back, stopping at the slight bumps of her scar right above her waist.
He embraces the Carrier in a tight gentle squeeze as his finger's trace delicately along the edges of her old wounds. Burying his face into the side of her neck he inhales her scent deeply, not letting up his tight embrace.
"Commander…" the out of breath and slightly dazed carrier lets out as she can feel his fingers lingering on her old wounds.
"Sorry…. Does it still hurt?" the commander spoke into the carrier's neck as he pulled his hand away from her scars resting them on her waist.
Yorktown returns his embrace, placing a kiss atop the commander's head.
"No…", she whispers, " Not so much anymore."
She gently strokes the commander's hair as he nuzzles into the side of her neck, neither of them willing to part with the warmth of the other.
Yorktown's brow furrows a bit as her heart tries to leap out of her chest.
While this isn't the first time she and the commander have come together like this, nor was she the only one, Yorktown can't help but think, this time might be different. For as long as she's known him, she never heard him say "love" like the way he said it moments ago, right before she was pulled into his lap.
Was it all for the sake of a joke or had he truly meant it? She had to know, for the sake of the unbearable flutter in her chest. Even if she looked the fool she would find out for sure.
"Are you alright then, commander…" Yorktown begins, the flutter in her chest spilling over, "with someone like me?
Without a thought, the commander rips himself from the carrier, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly.
Yorktown finds herself fully exposed at arms length, with the commander's unwavering gaze focused solely on her.
Her eyes averting his, as she braces herself for the commander's answer, the unbearable flutter returning in force once more.
"Damnit Yorktown…" the commander lets out, his grip on her shoulders tightening briefly, "it's because it's you…"
The flutter in her chest spills over as her vision becomes clouded in tears.
"I'm sorry if I wasn't clear before," he continues as he pulls her in, gently wrapping his arms around the carrier, "I truly do love you, Yorktown."
A great smile goes unseen, the carrier returning the hug as little tears trace down her flushed cheeks.
Proper words fail to escape her throat, only a soft whisper of the commander's name leaves from her lips.
-Somewhere near the center of the Naval Yard-
Brooklyn's fingers delicately tap away at numbers dear to her heart as she brings the phone up to her ears. The cruiser anxiously twirls the cord of the handset around her fingers waiting for the ringing to cease and a familiar voice to grace her ears.
"Hello, Brook is that you?" A slightly languid voice answers.
"Hey, Val, sorry for calling so late, but I've got some good news." the cruiser trying hard to suppress the happiness in her voice. "Mind if I drop by tomorrow to tell you?"
"Tomorrow?" the voice questions, her curiosity peaked. "Why can't you just tell me now?"
"I could~" Brooklyn teases, "but that would ruin the surprise."
"Geez~" Val replies slightly nettled, "why do you have to be so annoying"
The light cruiser could only laugh in response.
"Fine, I go to lunch around twelve-ish."
"Okay, I'll see you then" Brooklyn confirms.
"Gotcha"
"Hey Val," the light cruiser calls, getting a light hmm in response. "I love you…"
A soft exhale came through the handset, "Love you too, Brook"
The light cruiser hangs up the handset after exchanging the usual goodnights. Brooklyn sits around the fountain at the center of the base, her thoughts still on the now not so foreign object wrapped around her finger, its tightness, once strange to the shipgirl, now provides her with a warmth that wells up from deep within her chest seeping out as a slight upward curve of the corners of her lips.
The sight of long white hair from the corner of her eye draws her attention.
From the looks of it, Massachusetts had just arrived back at the base, walking in the direction of the dorms.
"Massachusetts!" Brooklyn calls waving her arm in the air as she tries to catch up to her
The sound of her name reaching her ears, the battleship turned her head towards the direction of the light cruiser who was drawing closer to her with a slight skip to her steps. The light cruiser's mouth wavering as she tries to fight off a grin.
"I take it the meeting with the Commander went well?" Massachusetts gathered as Brooklyn matches her pace next to her.
"My request got approved," she states trying not to sound too smug, "and you're going to be my escort."
The battleship's eyes widened slightly as her heart celebrated internally.
"I guess the Commander wasn't too keen on losing you to Wales for a bit, but I told him New Jersey and Essex would be able to fill in for you if need be so he relented. "
"Thanks…" Massachusetts replied as her own lips wavered slightly
"No problem, though…" a mischievous smirk crossed her face as she leaned in close to the battleship.
"Why did you want to come along anyway?" Brooklyn asks, the answer probably already clear in her head.
"The commander asked me and it got me curious…"
It was probably the night sky or the battleship's darker complexion or a combination of the two that hid her growing blush as she turned her head away from the light cruiser opting to focus her gaze on the base's ornate fountain.
A memory of the silhouette of a tall shipgirl sitting by the fountain's edge, outlined in the soft glow of the setting sun, was brought to the forefront of Massachusetts' mind. Her golden bronze hair tied into a ponytail flowed like silk down the shipgirl's back. A black cat jumping from the shipgirl's lap brushed itself on Massachusetts' leg, as their gazes finally met.
"Jean Bart…"
"Hmm, what was that?" Brooklyn asks not quite hearing what the battleship said.
"… Nothing…" Massachusetts' states snapping back to reality, "…I just want …"
' What did she want?' The battleship asked herself.
The thought of unmistakable twin quadruple turrets atop beautifully crafted riggings of black and gold sent Massachusetts's heart spiraling. She had a yearning to see them again, to bear witness to the thunderous booms that those cannons bore and the fierce ruthless eyes of the privateer that wielded them with grace, beauty, and precision. Ruthless eyes that the Eagle Union Battleship knew all too well when they had first met many years ago.
"…a rematch, I guess." The battleship spoke the first thing that came out of her occupied head.
"A rematch eh…" the light cruiser ponders, "You do know we're going as part of a diplomatic mission, right?"
A low confirming grumble comes from the battleship's throat.
"The last thing we need is for you to be picking fights…" Brooklyn states, narrowing her eyes at the battleship, " though, I could try and talk Richelieu into a joint exercise."
The Battleships's eyes light up at the suggestion.
"Relax, I said I'd try."
The two shipgirls arrive at the entrance to the dorms; a slight commotion at the front steps catches their attention.
"You shouldn't be spreading rumors like that." Independence whispered in a harsh tone.
As the pair made it closer to the stairs they noticed Essex and Shangri-La sitting atop the steps with a red faced and flustered Bataan squirming next to her sister in front of them.
"Rumor? I saw it with my own two eyes!" a flustered Essex shot out, "C'mon sis back me up, you said you heard them too."
Shangri-La could only look away, face flushed in a deep crimson.
"So Yorktown and the commander are really..." Bataan tries to confirm before noticing the pair coming up the stairs behind her.
"What about Yorktown and that beast of a commander?" Brooklyn interrupts, "He better not be doing anything unsightly to her."
"Ah... weellll~" Essex tries to come up with something but fails.
"We... were..." Independence tries her hand as well, "just talking about how the Commander thinks Yorktown's been doing really well lately."
"Yeah, that's right!" Bataan shouts as the Quartet of carriers nod their heads in unison.
The light Cruiser is a little taken aback by the synchronized response but decides to not press any further.
"Now that you say that," Massachusetts adds, recalling the few times she has seen the white haired carrier leaving the commander's office late at night. "She has been smiling more, practically glowing."
"Glowing huh" Shangri-La says laughing nervously.
Brooklyn narrows her eyes at the bunch as Essex elbows her sister in the ribs.
"Oh... would you look at the time..." Bataan holds up her wrist looking at a non-existent watch.
"I've got to feed the little one before they go to bed." she says cradling her little F6F Wildcat in her arms before disappearing through the dormitory doors.
"S...sis, w...wait up!" Independence follows after her sister, shooting an apologetic look behind her before she too disappears through the double doors.
With the pair of Light carriers gone an awkward silence fell on those still standing at the steps.
The Fleet carrier duo fidgeting slightly in place.
"Oh yeah, Essex." Brooklyn calls out, breaking the silence, "you might be hearing this from the commander tomorrow, but you might be..."
Essex could only gulp as a cold sweat came over her.
"I... I...," She begins to panic, "tell the commander I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I swear!"
"So you really don't want it?" Brooklyn asks, genuinely surprised.
"W...wa...want it?!" Essex frantically waved her arms in front of her. " I... I never really th... thought about him like that, and and wha... what about Yorktown..."
"Yorktown?" The light Cruiser scratching the back of her head "you know she's still in no condition for the role, it has to be you."
"Me?!"
"I thought you'd be really happy to be the new Fleet leader" Massachusetts's sounding a bit dejected.
"...Wait... what?"
"Massachusetts is coming with me to the joint base for the Summit so I figured I'd tell you ahead of time that you might be asked to fill in for her while she's away." Brooklyn explains.
The twin tailed fleet carrier's posture staggers, her mind completely spent.
" Ah... yeah..." Essex's frantic mind races as it slowly processes the information, "that'd be pretty neat…"
"That's a relief," Massachusetts's smiles, "I was worried for a moment that you didn't want to."
"No!" Essex regaining a bit of composure, "I mean, I'm happy to hear, I know it's not official yet, but if it's coming from you…"
"Yeah, I'm only giving you a heads up, he can still give it to New Jersey, but he knows how hard you've been working so if I know him as well as I do, you're probably going to get called." The light cruiser explains, continuing up the steps.
"So you guys are leaving early?" Shangri-La asks.
"Yup," Brooklyn confirms nodding her head, "we're going to be leaving port in a couple of days and hopefully we can get there by next week."
"Next week?" Essex asked, surprised it would take that long, "It should only be a couple days."
"Is the Commander sending you on a top secret mission before the summit?" Shangri-La's curiosity at its peak, "Is that why he's sending Massachusetts with you?"
"No, no" Brooklyn could only laugh, "I'm taking Val with me…"
"Wait, that cute girl from the coffee shop who's always stopping by asking for you? " Essex asks.
"Yeah," the light cruiser blushing slightly, "We've been seeing each other for a couple of years now."
The news hit like a sea mine as the bespectacled carrier gasps, jumping in place slightly.
"I knew it!" Shangri-La exclaims punching her sister in her shoulder only to get no reaction as a blank-faced Essex struggles to process the information.
Essex seeing how the battleship was the only one who didn't react to the news asks her,
"Did you know?!"
"I accidentally caught them kissing behind the docks last year," Massachusetts states matter-of-factly, "They made me promise not to tell anyone, so I didn't"
One could swear they could see steam pillowing out from the lead fleet carrier's ears, as her sister is unable to contain her excitement.
"My~, How Scandalous." Shangri-La says in a singsong voice opening up her notebook and quickly jotting something down.
"Don't write that down." Brooklyn pleads, slightly embarrassed.
"Who else knows?" Shangri-La pushes up on the frame of her glasses as she shuts her book.
"Besides you three, '' The light cruiser ponders, "there's the commander, I'm pretty sure Yorktown, though I never told her directly, and Vestal."
Brooklyn brings her hand up to her chest making the ring on her finger very obvious to the two carriers.
"Though, Vestal doesn't know this yet, but~"
Shangri-La let out a squeal as she grasped the Light Cruiser's hand.
"Oh My Gosh!" The grey haired carrier was no longer able to contain her excitement.
"I'm so happy for you!" she says as she pulls Brooklyn into a hug.
"Since when?" The bespectacled Carrier always the curious one.
"Just a few weeks ago actually," Brooklyn states as she brought her ring close to her lips. " I still can't believe it"
"Essex!" Shangri-La calls for her sister, "are you hearing this, why haven't you said anything"
Brooklyn lets out a laugh as Shangri-La turns towards her sister only to find an empty shell as Essex has ceased all functions.
"When she comes too, please ask her not to tell anyone else, at least not in a way it gets to the joint base before I do." Brooklyn pleads. "I want to tell my sisters in person."
"So that's why you're going, to show off your new wife to be."
"That, and" Brooklyn leans back on the railing, "it's been too long since I last spoke to my sisters face to face."
Massachusetts nods as she thinks of South Dakota.
"Yeah, I hear what you mean," Shangri-La looks adoringly at a catatonic Essex, remembering all her other sisters scattered around the globe at various Naval Bases.
"Well I guess we should get going to bed, it's getting pretty late, c'mon now sis let's get a move on..." she says as she pushes Essex up the stairs.
Brooklyn holds the door open for them as Shangri-La continues to guide the still catatonic Essex into the building.
"Thanks, and Congratulations again" she whispers as she walks past Brooklyn into the quiet dorms.
"I'll get going too" Massachusetts says walking towards her wing of the dorm, "G'night"
"Good night" Brooklyn waves back before she starts heading for the stairs to the second floor.
The floor boards quietly creak underneath as the Light Cruiser makes her way down the dimly lit hallway, careful not to stir the sleeping shipgirls resting in their rooms.
She smiles at the few Manjuu still going about their nightly tasks as they wave back before their tiny little feet carry them around the corner away from view.
Room after room she passes by, some doors decorated by its occupants, some lay bare with nothing more than a placard with a name.
A fair number of rooms have been vacant for some time, as most have been transferred to the Joint Base or various other Naval bases scattered across the globe.
Room 1804, A room once occupied by St. Louis and Helena, passes into view. For years she's walked past the empty room without a second thought, but tonight a feeling of homesickness came over her. Brooklyn was no stranger to the loneliness away from her sisters, as most of her past life was spent away from them, but fleeting visions of heads of blue and red at her sides brought a sense of melancholy and emptiness.
Room 1810, Brooklyn sliding her key into the lock, opens her door to a dim moonlit room. A quick scan finds everything as she left it, her gaze lingering on the still relatively empty side of the suite where Honolulu used to stay. Feeling around for the lightswitch she flicks it on, half expecting to find Boise laid out on her couch after complaining to Honolulu all night about something Phoenix did to her earlier in the day, but that was just a wistful memory from too long ago.
On the coffee table sits a picture frame, in it an old photograph. A photo from back before the war with the Red Axis. A group photo with a young, not quite yet commander, standing bashfully next to a teasing St. Louis as the rest of her sisters look on in amusement. Helena let out a genuine laugh that day, a sound that Brooklyn can't even recall hearing for longer than she cared to admit.
She had hoped the photo would help rid her of her sense of loneliness like it always had, but whether it was her anxiousness or the fact she would be seeing her sisters again soon, it had quite the opposite effect.
Unzipping her skirt, she lets it fall to her feet before pulling her sweater over her head. Leaving a trail of clothes behind her she walks bare towards her bedroom, pulling a blue silk robe around herself.
Pulling the curtains open she let's the moonlight in. Calm waves gently lick at the docks, the Statue of Liberty stands proud inside the confines of the Defensive walls.
She carefully slides her ring off her finger before placing it back in its box by her nightstand. Resting her head on her pillow she turns on her side looking longingly at the ring, a warmth slowly replacing her melancholy the longer her gaze lingers. One last blink was all she gave before finally drifting off into a deep sleep.
Sorry for the long wait between updates.
Next chapter I'll formally introduce Val and the cruise to the Joint base will begin.
Quick edit for some grammar.