Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

??? 23rd, 2027, 1:45 PM, Base, ???

*Beep*

*Beep*

*Beep*

*Sobbing*

*Beep*

*Beep*

*Beep*

Chapter Text

???, ??, ????, 11:50 PM, ???, Texas

“John! Why aren’t you asleep?!”

“I have to finish this project before tomorrow!”

“And you’ve waited until the last minute to do so?!”

“No! I’ve been working day after day to finish it!”

“So you’ve been lazy?”

“That’s not—”

“Go to sleep.”

“But—”

“SLEEP!!!”

Chapter Text

August 16th, 2027, 9:30 AM, Base, Commander’s Office

The Commander, Howe, Mary Celeste, and Hai Tien were currently standing in the office; watching the T.V. as the news played.

“Now let’s go to Tirpitz-san for the weather,” Mikasa said.

“Danke, Mikasa,” Tirpitz said. “For today, cloudy skies which will become a thunderstorm starting at 2130 hours. From there, the storm will be sweeping over us with an easterly heading, and will remain over us until 1300 hours. Afterwards, there will be sporadic hours of rain and clear skies to make way for a full day of sunshine on the 18th. Then another storm will occur on the 19th, starting at around 1300 hours. There will also be an even larger storm coming in a week’s time — lasting the entire day, I will update you all more once the date draws closer.”

“Sounds like it’s going to be a crazy week for us,” Mikasa whistled. “Make sure that everyone is well informed of the weather, hate to see someone get soaked out there.”

“Are preparations being made? ” the Commander asked the other three.

“The Tempestas are battening down the hatches of our abode, we should be doing fine. New Jersey and Volga are also ensuring that the main living quarters are going to be good once it hits.” Mary Celeste informed him.

“Standard procedures are underway in the town for the impending storms. Businesses have already accounted for those days, as well,” Hai Tien reported.

“Patrols and shipping have already been informed two days ago, and the hydrophone system is able to record accurate data even in turbulent weather,” Howe assured the man.

“Excellent. Am I missing anything? ”

“What about you, John?”

“Me? ”

“Yes, you! Are you going to be fine out there?”

“I should be fine. The house has already survived storms before, and I have a generator in case the power does go out at my place. ”

“Ooh… If you say so.”

“Well if that’s everything taken care of, I’ll let you all go. ”

Exiting the office, Howe returned to her desk as Mary Celeste and Hai Tien came up to her.

“Quite cute of you to be worrying for the Commander,” Hai Tien noted. “But I’m wondering what you would have done if he hadn’t assured you of his well being?”

“I was just concerned,” Howe said, going to her computer. “It isn’t fun to be by yourself for several hours… I guess I was hoping to get as much time with him before the storm hit.”

“Well there’s another option,” Celeste alluded to. “You could just wait out the storm with him.”

“Like, spend the night at his house?”

“Yeah! Though I guess you will be missing some time with your sisters, huh?”

“Perhaps you can talk with them about that?” the light cruiser suggested her next action. “See if they’re okay with the idea.”

“And if not, it’s not going to be the end. There are plenty of friends for you to hang out with while you wait out the storm.”

“True. Hmm… I’ll talk with my sisters to see how they feel. Thanks for suggesting that,” the battleship nodded before pulling out her phone as the other two walked away to perform other duties.

           Howe_Cookies: ! Family Talk !

           King George V: What’s going on, Sis?

           Howe_Cookies: I was wondering if I could spend the night with John.

           Howe_Cookies: How’d you girls feel about me doing so?

           D_O_Y: Like a child asking permission…

           King George V: I’m perfectly fine with it.

           Monarch: Same.

           D_O_Y: Aye.

           TywysogWales: No problem here, just get as much pleasure as possible~

           Monarch: Wales, don’t say stuff like that to her!

           Howe_Cookies: What does she mean by that?

           Monarch: Don’t worry about it.

           D_O_Y: Thou thinking about bringing thy familiar?

           Howe_Cookies: Yeah, but I wanna surprise John about this.

           Howe_Cookies: Lugging around his crate would give that away.

           Howe_Cookies: But I think I have someone to take care of that for me.

           TywysogWales: Probs for the best

           TywysogWales: I remember him being antsy whenever you weren’t around.

           King George V: Just remember to pack your stuff before you see him tonight.

           Howe_Cookies: Of course.

As Howe got off the phone, the Commander’s head popped out of the door.

“Just got a message from Ash, they're still coming tonight. ” he wrote. “When do you think we should swing by to grab some ingredients? ”

“Hmm… I think I might have some of them at home, so I’ll swing by to grab them,” she said, hiding the fact that she’ll be getting her stuff for her stay.

“Btw, what are we going to make for them? I was thinking about some pork chops. ”

“That sounds delicious, Love. I was going to bake them some Whoopie Pies.”

Chapter Text

August 16th, 2027, 9:17 PM, Base, Commander’s House

“… And if you want to achieve the best results, think of your role for a week straight. It will make your lines sound natural,” Gneisenau META told Howe.

After settling on what to do for Halloween, Howe has been asking the only people she really knows about the D&D roleplay. During the day, she asked the Starter Squad and the METAs on Monday nights about tips on playing the roles. Although she’s played the role of a maid before, she still needed practice, and her sister could also need the help.

“Thanks, Gneisenau,” Howe thanked her.

“We should be the ones thank you and the Kommandant,” Scharnhorst META retorted. “Those pork chops were amazing~”

“And your cookies never fail to disappoint,” her sister added.

“Aww, thanks.”

“We’ll be going now, we hope you two stay safe and have a good night.”

“You, too,” she said as the lollipop-lover left with her sister — the sound of thunder echoing in the distance.

“Sounds like it’s going to come down any moment now. ” the Commander commented. “You should head home now, too. ”

“Actually… I was thinking about… staying the night here…?” Howe nervously suggested.

John’s only reaction was to blink, not really sure how to comprehend what he had just heard. After a few long seconds, he began to write on his tablet again.

“You sure? ”

“Yeah, I even brought some clothes and toiletries in my bag.”

“What about your sister? ”

“We talked after this morning, and they’re perfectly fine with me being here with you.”

“Charles? ”

“Already taken care of,” she said as she walked to the laundry room. There she carried out a pet crate with Charles already in it; along with his toys and some food on the top.

An hour before the METAs left, Renown META had arrived at the KGV living quarters on behalf of Howe to retrieve her pet. After choosing what to take with her, with the assistance of Wales and Monarch, she carefully carried the crate and other items from there to the house; coming around the back and placing him in the room. In return for her work, Howe gave her an entire container of Whoopie Pies to take with her.

“Well I guess I would be a terrible host and boyfriend to kick you out now, especially after all this planning you’ve done. ”

“Thanks, John,” Howe spoke as she let Charles out, the ferret immediately roaming around the house.

“Can I just ask why you wanted to do this? ”

“Is there something wrong with me just wanting to spend some more time with my boyfriend?”

“No! No! If anything, I’m ecstatic to have you here! I’m curious what you wanted to do after I said ‘yes’? ”

“Huh… I never thought that far…”

An awkward silence befell the two as they pondered on what they could do now. It was way too late for them to do anything, and they spent most of their energy already.

*Flash* *Thunder*

Their thoughts were interrupted by the storm finally making its presence known as heavy rain pattered the windows and roof of the house. Charles scurried from underneath the coffee table in the living room and up John’s legs, and dug his claws into them.

“Oh dear, Charles!” Howe said as she rushed over to pry her ferret off of his legs. “What did I say about doing that~?”

*Ferret Noises*

“Are you alright, Love?”

“I’m good, will he be fine? ”

“Yeah, Charles gets terrified whenever lightning strikes. You have to keep soothing his back in order to calm him down.”

“May I try? ”

“Sure~” she agreed, handing him over to him. “Just do it slowly and rhythmically. You can stop once he falls asleep, then the noise won’t bother him.”

Doing as instructed, John rubbed the back of the mammal’s spine — calming him down like his owner said. Even as the next lightning struck, Charles remained calm due to this trick.

“Do you wanna change into your bedwear? I’ll look after him while you do that. I’ll even get the guest room prepared for you. ” John said.

“Yeah, I’ll go do that,” she nodded, grabbing her bag and heading to the bathroom upstairs. As she went to change, John went to the couch and continued to stroke Charles as they listened to the storm rage on.

Rage…

The man started to think about that; more specifically, his own troubled emotion. He felt terrible that Howe had to see that side of him on that day, even if it was not directed at her. And he felt the same for the helpers in his head, trying their best to resolve this problem despite the tides being against them. He wants to be better, to let go of that rage, to be free of the guilt that’s been eating at him for the past year and a half.

But he can’t bring himself to forgive…

Ridding himself of that thought, he focused on something else that’s been on his mind for a bit now.

“When do you think I should tell them?” John asked Charles as another lightning bolt rend the sky.

*Ferret Noises*

“Maybe at a later date…” he said as he went upstairs to start to set up the bedroom for her, picking up the crate to take upstairs.

Once upstairs, he heard the shower pouring down as he went to check what the room needs. It’s been a while since someone’s used the room, the last person being his sister during her stay. Flicking on the light switch, John saw that the maids had already cleaned and prepared the room for the next person — making his task easier. Place the crate next to the dresser, as he sat himself on the bed with Charles and thought about anything else Howe would need.

“Okay, I’m done,” Howe said, entering the room. She wore a pastel pink button-up pajama with her hair let loose.

“Do you need anything else in here? ”

Scanning the room, Howe shook her head and seated herself next to her boyfriend. Scooping up Charles into her lap, she gave a quick kiss to John on his cheek and said, “Thank you for asking. Now, I think we should both be going to sleep, getting a little late and we still have some work to do tomorrow.”

“Right. Night, Howe,” he agreed, returning a kiss to her forehead before going to go change himself. Once he left, Howe made sure Charles went to sleep before putting him on the bed and pulling out her phone.

           Howe_Cookies: How are you all doing over there?

           Monarch: We’re doing fine, finished a game of Scrabble with Nelson and Rodney.

           TywysogWales: What about you? Doing fine?

           Howe_Cookies: Yeah! John and I are about to go to sleep.

           King George V: Same over here. Except Yorkie.

           D_O_Y: Aye. My time for rest isn’t nigh.

           Howe_Cookies: Well then, see ya tomorrow. Night!

           TywysogWales: Night.

           King George V: Good night.

           D_O_Y: Aye. ‘Til Afternoon.

           Monarch: Rest well.

With that out of the way, Charles snoozing on his back, and the storm was still going; Howe decided she would turn in. Lifting the covers and tucking herself in, she shut her eyes and wished to join the realm of dreams.

5 minutes passed…

15 minutes…

30 minutes…

An hour…

But Howe couldn’t reach it, something was keeping her awake. This had never happened to her before, and she wondered why. The bed and sheets weren’t the problem as they were pretty comfortable and weren’t restricting. It wasn’t the storm as she’s slept through many storms before. It wasn’t Charles as this was how the two usually slept.

Maybe I’ll get some warm milk… Howe thought as she gently got out of bed and headed downstairs. After grabbing a glass and warming it up, she sipped at it and pondered on her conundrum. Perhaps sleeping in a different room was making her restless; her body may need a little more time to become accustomed to her current situation. After drinking the last of her milk and washing the glass, she was about to head back into her room when she got a random thought in her head.

I wonder if John is also awake…

Tip-toeing her way over to his door, she first turned on the hallway lights before gently applying pressure on the knob and slowly opened the door slightly. Sticking her head through it, she barely made out the outline of her boyfriend sleeping soundly on his bed. Then Howe also noticed the bed was pretty big for one person.

Perhaps… I could sleep next to him?

As if John heard her thoughts, the man rolled over to the left side of the bed, leaving enough room for her to lay next to him. Now it was a really tempting prospect. She wouldn’t be doing anything weird to him while he slept, and perhaps this could help her sleep in some strange way. Plus, it wouldn’t be super strange as the two are a couple — she reasoned that this is something one would do with their significant other.

Leaving the door cracked open, she returned to her room to retrieve Charles. Thankfully, he wasn’t woken up, and flopped over as she carried him to John’s room (I mean, have you seen ferrets sleep?). Once she turned off the lights outside and slowly closed the door behind her, she sneaked her way to the bed. She first placed Charles down before slipping into his bed with him. It wasn’t too dissimilar to the one in the guest room, and Howe could already feel a little drowsy.

Most likely due to the milk , she concluded. Plus, I’ll get to see him first thing morning… I think… I could get used to this… Good night, John…

Closing her eyes again, she began to drift into sleep — until something jolted her awake once more. John had rolled over from his side, and slung an arm over Howe as the two were intimately close to one another. She was about to question if he was conscious this whole time, but she could hear his slow breathing. Though shocked and a little embarrassed by the situation, it slowly faded into warmth — both literally and mentally. Adjusting slightly so that his arm was wrapped around her stomach and the other underneath her, she shut her eyes and slowly faded from consciousness.

Yeah… I could definitely get used to this~

Chapter Text

August 17th, 2027, 7:04 AM, Base, Commander’s House

As the storm still roared outside, John was having a nice moment of rest. He was having a pleasant dream about going on another date with Howe before it cut to the two meeting his family back in Texas. It also helped that his bed was very soft, spacious, and warm. In fact, it felt a little warmer than usual, but he chalked that up being summer. But wait, it was warmer in front of him, instead all around him? Why does it feel like there’s some weight on his left arm? And why does something feel soft and round-like on his right hand?

Now curious, he reluctantly opened his eyes to see what was there. They soon started to bulge out of their sockets as he saw the familiar blonde hair and pink pajamas of Howe laying next to him. He also felt that his right arm was wrapped over his girlfriend; specifically over her chest, and he could guess where his hand lay. He was about to move, until she started to wake up as well.

Howe fluttered her eyes open, having just woken up from a dream of her and Anson going on a little stroll before meeting up with the rest of her sisters to go watch some fireworks. She hasn’t seen her in a while and is hoping to join her for Halloween. As she was getting her senses back, she felt something touching her breasts. At first, the battleship thought it could be Charles, but she could see in the corner of her eyes that he laid on his back on the covers. The woman moved her arm over it, and could make the rough outline of someone’s hand — and she quickly deduced who it could be.

“John…” Howe groggily called out to him without turning around. “Umm... What are you doing…?”

“I could ask you the same thing…” John retorted.

Rolling in the bed so she could face him, she responded with, “I was having some trouble sleeping… And after getting a glass of milk, I saw *yawn* that your bed was spacious… A random thought came into my head and here were are… So… What about you…?”

“I-I swear it wasn’t on p-purpose.”

“I know… but why did you keep on doing it~?” she asked with a grin; his only response was to blush profusely. Cupping his cheek, Howe closed the gap between them and both were entwined in a deep kiss. “Next time, ask for my permission, okay?”

“Of course,” the man agreed as the two slowly got out of bed. “You can go change first; need to make the bed since Bel and Shef aren’t coming.”

“Thanks, Love…” she accepted, picking up her ferret and heading to the door. But before leaving she turned back and asked. “Can… Can we sleep together another time…?”

Blinking, John grabbed his tablet and wrote, “I wouldn’t mind, as long as you’re willing to do it. Hey, what do you want for breakfast? ”

“I’m pretty sure I saw some pancake mix at one point, let’s have some of those.”

Later that day, in the KGV household…

After waiting out the storm, doing a small bit of work at the office, and meeting up with Joffre and Penelope, Howe returned to her home to have a nice dinner with her family — minus Monarch, who was running late due to a last minute call from Vanguard.

“So Howe, how was your sleepover at the Commander’s?” King George V asked, putting down her plate of broccoli chicken casserole.

“It wasn’t much given that we just kind of went to sleep immediately after telling him,” Howe admitted, taking a bite out of her dinner. “But I didn’t have much energy to do anything, either.”

“Shame,” Prince of Wales commented. “Whatever you do on those Monday nights must be a lot of work.”

“Surely something intriguing happened. Come, recount thy tale to us,” Duke of York pleaded.

“There isn’t much to tell, Yorkie. I told him that Charles and I would be staying the night, he agreed, we cleaned up, we slept in the same bed together, we had breakfast—”

Forks were dropped by the other sisters after hearing that fourth thing their little sister said, with Wales pounding her chest to not choke.

“WOAH! WOAH WOAH!” George interrupted her recap. “YOU TWO SLEPT TOGETHER?!?!”

“Yes…?”

“As in, you two, in the same bed?!” Wales continued, with her sister giving a confused nod.

“My, who would think our blood could be so shameless~” York teased.

“I don’t get it,” the little sister innocently said, throwing more confused looks at her sisters.

“Right, um… Wales, you wanna tell her the implications?” the eldest offered.

“I guess. Now, Howe, I’m going to tell you something that may be out of your comfort zone, but we’re gonna need you to listen. Are you okay with that?”

“Suuuuure…”

“Now. When a man and a woman love each other very much…”

10 minutes later…

“Sorry I’m late,” Monarch said as she opened the door, hanging up her cap and jacket on the coat hanger. “Vanguard was really excited to show off her new figure she got, and she wasn’t taking—”

But the half-sister paused her explanation after seeing that her sisters were dead silent, and Howe had a crimson blush across her entire face.

“Okay, what did I miss?”