Chapter Text
Two months! It took two months for my hull to be fully fixed from those torpedo hits. But now, now wasn’t the time to keep grinding on that, right now I was really confused about what to do, I had gotten a couple of cryptic messages from Fleur over the summer break… well maybe not cryptic, but enough to send mixed messages. In one she’d be dancing around the fact that she kissed me at the end of the year, whereas in the next one, she would be acting like normal and nothing happened. Emily was messaging up a storm to me most of the break too, apparently a few boys had taken an interest in her and she didn’t know what to do about it.
Letting out a slow breath as I adjusted the bag on my shoulder and stood outside of a door to an apartment that Sam kept rented just off campus, apparently it meant a lot to her. Sliding the keycard into the door lock, I watched as the LED lights on it flashed green before I opened the door and stepped inside. It was bigger than the room I had last year, but it didn’t seem like much, a door at the far end and what looked like a closet to my left, opening up the closet I see it was huge! Like almost the size of my bedroom back home!
Putting my shoes and jacket away I heft my duffel bag up again and go to the far door, and open it up, my mouth drops open. This place has the most amazing view of the Academy and I can see my hull in the harbor from here! Looking around I see everything in here looks too well maintained, the black leather couch, huge TV on the wall, empty bookshelves, and the glass coffee table that had a letter on it. Tilting my head to the side I go over to the letter and open it as I start to read it out loud, “Julie, this is the apartment I shared with Elise starting in my second year, I’ve got a lot of fond memories of this place and some no to fond ones. Anyway, my room was down the hall on your left if you want to use it. I hope this place will let you build some fond memories too, love Sam.”
I fold the letter in half again and walk down the hall and look in the room she told me had been hers. Tossing my duffel bag onto the bed that was in there, I go over to the closet and open it up, it was huge too, and at the back I see something that was almost hidden in there, going over to it I pull it out, it was a black garment bag. With a head tilt, I take it over to the bed and unzip it, what was inside it only made things weirder, a white Iron Blood uniform was in it, and it looked too real and way too nice to be a reproduction, it also had a name tag on it, Winters. With a shrug I zip it back up and put it back where I found out before I hang up my school uniforms, shirts, skirts, dresses, and pants I want hanging then I go about loading the dresser that was also in here with my undergarments before I finally load up the vanity that was in here with my makeup, jewelry and little things. Taking a closer look at the mirror I can see that it’s been replaced since there are chips in the paint, I kind of wonder what went down here at one point.
Leaving the room, I go across the hall and see it’s just an empty room, aside from a nice-looking bed, a basic vanity, and a closet just as big as the one in Sam’s old room, or I guess my room now. With a shrug, I leave it and head down the hall a little more to find the main bathroom, with a full shower and separate tub! Going over to the tub, I start to inspect it and see that it’s not just a tub, but also a Jacuzzi! “Holy crap, Sam!” I say as I leave the room and go to the kitchen on the other side of the living room.
Once I was in there, I found another note on the stove, opening it up I read it out loud again, “Julie, be careful with the stove, it’s a little touchy on the temperature gages, if you’re going to do chicken wings, use the air fryer, it’s in the third drawer on your left.” Opening the drawer I found what looked like a well-used air fryer before closing the drawer and going over to the fridge, I was kind of surprised to see it fully stocked already. Closing it again I look around this apartment as I say to myself, “Maybe Sam’s not so bad.”
Checking my phone I cruse to myself, I had just enough time to get to the academy to get my schedule and do the welcome back event!
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With my schedule in hand, I made my way to Keel’s Up, not watching where I was going I walked into someone and we both fell down, I knew it was a girl because of how her voice sounded with that ‘oof’, adjusting my glasses I found I could see right up her skirt and I looked up to see rose-colored eyes and grey hair with black tips, her face went bright red as she looked away from me and asked, “Julia, h…. how are you?”
Fleur.
I felt my insides tie up in knots, I still haven’t figured out what to do about the bomb she dropped on me at the end of last year. I mean sure, I’ve made out with another girl once, drunkenly so, but I’ve never seriously considered doing another girl before. Standing up I extend a hand to her as I say, “I’m good, you?”
She looks at my hand, debating if she should take it or not, I know her well enough to read that much. After a moment she softly places her hand in mine and I pull her up, bumping against me, causing her cheeks to flush more, her eyes looking at my lips as she says, “I am well.”
“Julie!” I hear Emily call out, making Fleur jump away from me quickly and start to stroke her grey hair before bending at her knees to pick up the papers that she dropped. Turning around I see Emily running towards me, a big smile on her face, and she was in that red hoodie again, she came to a stop just in front of me, bending at her hips as she asks, “Wanna try and room together again this year?”
I rub my right arm and look off to the side as I say, “I got my own place this year.”
Emily hangs her head and moans, “You got a solo dorm room? Lucky!”
I laugh nervously before I say, “I’m not staying on campus,” I pause closing my eyes, and sigh, “my sister keeps a place just off campus and is letting me stay there. It used to be her apartment when she was a student here during her second, third, and fourth years.”
“Oh, that is so cool!” Emily chirps then she seems to notice Fleur and she adds, “Fleur! How was your summer?”
“Well enough.” Fleur says with a smile that I can tell must be forced and adds, “What about yours?”
Emily went bright red and tapped her index fingers together as she mumbled, “Julie’s advice to me seemed to help and you were both right, it was much more fun taking it out and playing with it.”
My jaw swung open and I ask, “No?”
Emily pulled her hood up and did up the drawstrings before she held up her right hand and mumbled, “Four times.”
I give a throaty laugh and place an arm around Emily as I tease, “Slut.”
“Oh no, am I now?” She asks in a panic.
I bend at my hips and laugh harder while Fleur says, “Non, not even close, Emilia.”
I stand upright and pull her hood down, smiling warmly at her as I say, “Of course not, Emily, not by a long shot. I’m just teasing you a little, if anything, I’m really proud of you.”
Emily looks down and fidgets with the hem of her hoodie as she mumbles, “I never would’ve done it without your guidance and encouragement, Julie.”
Grinning at Emily I say to her, “I was happy to help.”
Emily was about to say something else when her phone started to chirp and she said, “Darn it, I need to get to the housing office to make sure I get a good dorm!”
“I’ll go with you.” Fleur said and started to move off, on one hand, I think we were both a bit grateful to get out of a slightly awkward situation. Looking at my phone I shrugged and decided to just head back to the apartment.
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As soon as I opened the door, I heard a voice ask with a German accent, “Sam?”
Tilting my head to the side I quietly take off my shoes and move into the apartment I say, “No? And how did you get in here?”
Sitting on the couch I see a woman with long dark hair and small red horns that were pointing vertically, and as she twisted to face me, I saw yellow eyes narrow at me while she held up a keycard and said, “With this, the question is, how did you get in here? There are only two keys to this apartment.”
I hold up my keycard and retort, “With this.”
Her lips compress and she gets off the couch and holy crap she’s tall! She folds her arms under her bust and asks, “Where did you get that?”
“I could ask you the same thing! This is my sister’s apartment.” I say as I put my hands on my hips and lean forward.
She blinks a couple of times and tilts her head to the side as she asks, “Julie?”
“Yeah, that’s my name.” I respond defensively.
She smiles at me and starts to walk towards me, her arms out wide as she pulls me into a hug and says, “I haven’t seen you in, what, almost five years now?”
I lean back and tilt my head to the side as she adds, “It’s me, Elise, Elise Adelebsen.”
It hits me like a ton of bricks!
“You’re Sam’s old roommate and bestie?” I ask, sounding like I’m not entirely sure.
She lets go of me and nods as she says, “Yes, and sorry to crash here, but I got to the academy too late to move into facility housing today and I didn’t feel like spending another night on my hull, it’s been a long trip from Denmark.”
My head tilts to the side as I shrug and say, “Yeah, no problem, there’s still an empty room.”
Elise nods and goes to the kitchen, takes out the air fryer, and fires it up before getting out some chicken wings from the freezer she says to me, “I’ll be gone tomorrow morning, so don’t fret, the place will be yours this year.”
I move to the kitchen and sit on one of the barstools at the island and ask, “So, you’re a teacher this year?”
“I am, I was asked to help out with the large cruiser program this year, it is a highly specialized program that they rarely can find a teacher for.” Elise says as she sets the timer on the air fryer.
I’m kind of in awe of her, she looks so pretty and I can’t help it, I ask, “So, how exactly did you become friends with my hot mess of an older sister?”
Elise smiles at me and leans over the counter as she says, “Sam has this way of drawing you into her orbit and keeping you there. I cannot explain it, but throughout some surprisingly unusual events we just became friends.” She pauses and looks at her left hand and that was when I noticed the wedding band as she continues, “Sam is one of two kansen I value above all others. And if had not been for being who she is, I doubt things would’ve worked out with Volga and me.”
I lean forward and ask, “So, since you used to live here, and you know my sister so well, I was wondering if you might be able to shed some light on something.”
Her head tilts to the side as she asks, “And what would that be?”
Getting off my stool, I motion for her to follow me to my room and I go into the closet, take out that garment bag, and unzip it as I say, “This.”
Elise makes a sucking sound as her eyes go wide before she says, “I always wondered what happened to that.”
“Okay, so you know about it, why does my sister have what looks like an old Iron Blood command-level uniform?” I ask with my hands on my hips.
“Because she stole it, and used it to break into a facility in Berlin.” Elise says and folds her arms under her bust before adding, “It also caused problems between me and Sam.”
“Wait, my sister stole something and broke into a facility with it? How?” I ask in a surprised tone of voice.
“Your sister can pass for my sister-in-law, Astrid Adelebsen, at the time of this uniform she was Astrid Winters.” Elise says as she zips up the bag.
Winters…. Winters… Win… Oh, fuck!
My jaw drops open and I ask, “Sam, goodie too shoes Sam? Stole the uniform of one of Bismarck’s daughters?!”
“Yes, she later saved my life. Your sister has done a lot and not all of it good.” Elise says to me as she goes and hangs up the bag adding, “But dispute all of that, Sam has always been selfless about what she does and has only ever called in a debt with me once, and it was something easy for me to do, so I never considered it repaying a debt.”
Huh.
“So, any other stories about my sister you’d be willing to share?” I ask as I follow her out of my room and back to the kitchen.
Elise opens the fridge and takes out two cans of beer as she says, “Many, but beer will be required for them.”
I take a can and crack it open as I say, “This should be good.”
Elsie sips from her own can before laughing, “Well, let me tell you the story of what happened the first time Sam stayed in this apartment…”
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