You awaken to a loud noise, startled.
Your heart thrums; it's the sound of gunfire in the distance. Growing closer, you're certain. You gasp a deep breath, each echoing thud sending a jolt through your limbs.
The night air is cool against your skin—you can't stop the resulting shivers. Your mind is clouded in a fog, contrasting the adrenaline flowing through your veins.
You feel like a coiled spring, ready to pounce; yet your body is frozen. Your eyes adjust to the faint light, your sheets in a tangle around your legs as you finally recognize the ceiling. You're in your bedroom, safely tucked in the heart of the Azur Lane dorms. It would not be remiss to say it's one of the safest places in the world.
But your body tells you otherwise. The booming noise has since stopped, but its cause is a mystery. You check your phone, sending a quick message to the ops cell.
They report no disturbances.
Your shoulders slump. If there was anything approaching a threat, they would have known about it. Despite the peaceful quiet that now fills the night, your heart still thunders inside your chest. Your mind refuses to abate, trails of thought running roughshod like a stampede of wild horses.
You glance at your phone, mindlessly scrolling in an attempt to drown your feckless worry.
A distant voice, a voice of reason, shines through the slog.
You're not alone on this base. How many times have your subordinates—friends—offered you help, regardless of circumstance?
Opening the message app, you tap on the first conversation you see. In the corner stands a tiny icon, holding a facsimile of long white hair and a teasing grin.
Your fingers move without thinking, resulting in the whoosh of a sent message.
It's the middle of the night. Even for you that's asking too much: surely she won't—
Scarcely five seconds pass before a reply dings, the simple three letters filling your vision.
Omw
Your heart flutters, but for the first time since you'd awoken, you feel some semblance of peace begin to settle against the chaos rampaging in your skull.
It's hardly a few moments later when you hear a knock at your door. You move automatically to open it, pondering her rapid response. You know how far it is from your room to hers; she may very well have flown here at that speed.
Speed that could only belong to the shipgirl now standing before you. The dimmed yellow lights of the hallway cast a silhouette against Prinz Eugen as her eyes affix to your own. Normally, the tantalizing nightgown she's wearing would steal your attention—but all you can see are her orange eyes, alight with concern.
"Herr Kommandant, what do you need?"
"Eugen… I'm sorry, I—"
She steps forward in an instant, her finger pressed against your lips.
"Shhh… None of that." Her gaze roams over your shoulder, no doubt looking at the mess that was once a perfectly made—to Belfast standards—bed.
"I see…"
Her attention refocuses on you. You try, but you can't help the unprompted shiver that jolts your body, at the worst possible time. It gets surprisingly cool at night on the tropical island, afterall. It's only to be expected.
With a softhearted hum, Eugen's arms wrap around you. They're warm, and so very gentle in their embrace… But you can also feel the comforting strength that lies beneath the white sleeves of her gown.
Like all of her kind, she was a contrast of incredible beauty, and inconceivable might. Others—everyone—didn't understand, seeing them as just more tools in the belt of the military.
But not you.
You trust the person holding you more than anything in the world.
Your shivering—from the cold, surely—finally stops. A soft voice, melting like sweet honey, hums in your ear.
"It's alright, Kommandant. Your beloved Prinz is here for you."
You let the shipgirl guide you back to the bed, before she gently lifts you into her arms, with all the ease of lifting a feather.
Perhaps you would feel embarrassed—if you weren't so used to it. An invisible smile tugs on your lips as the cruiser scoots onto your bed, holding you close to her well–proportioned body.
You feel the light touch of fingers stroking your short locks of hair. Prinz Eugen whispers tender musings into your ear, as you finally feel the nervous rush from earlier drain away, leaving you exhausted, but content.
Sleep is just around the corner, no doubt; but there's something you must do first. You turn your head, moving one arm to allow you to reposition so you can see her face. You stroke her well-defined chin almost without thought, her perfect beauty never failing to sooth your heart. There's little light in the room, but it's enough to see the warmth in her sunset-colored irises, and the unyielding love they hold.
"Eugen… Thank you."
"'Tis nothing, Kommandant."
Her lips curl into the shape of a smile—genuine, you well know, without a trace of the mockery it used to hold. You match it with your own smile, as she leans in, her lips brushing gently against yours.
It is a kiss of utter softness, filled with the ease and reassurance of a deeper love. She lingers, obviously hesitant to pull away; you yourself wish the kiss could last forever.
Reluctantly, Eugen moves her lips to your ear, murmuring as she pulls you into her warm embrace.
"You are safe; I will watch over you. There is nothing that can separate us, mein Kommandant."
You sink into the cushy confines of her chest, offering no resistance. And why would you?
There's no place in the world you'd rather be. No place safer—no place where you feel more loved. Your eyelids begin to flutter as your body relaxes, the gentle beat of her heart lulling you to sleep.
The last thing you're conscious of is Prinz Eugen's final words, spoken with barely more than a whisper, following you into the world of dreams.
"Rest, my love. Be at peace."
Sleep claims you; your rest is filled with a serenity that is indescribable.
Still learning how not to abuse dashes.
Just a short one-shot, after a restless night. Perhaps a prelude to my monstrous al fic, if I ever get around to finishing/posting it.