Roon x Nero (kinda) (no cringy sex ahead)

ARC II Part 6.1 + Part 7

Quick note: The events in this chapter are contemporary to ARC II Chapter 4.1

ARC II Chapter 6.1
Even after Sheffield left, nobody had the will to speak for quite a long time. In the end, Eugen broke the silence.
"Commander, be aware that Sheffield didn't mean to insult you. You shouldn't see her words as an offense."
"Offense? Of course they weren't. They were all facts."
"No" she looked at him in the eye, "You're not pathetic. Realistically, you work harder than her on average and you can't deny that. If you really were pathetic you would constantly complain about your work and your dissatisfaction, but you've never done that. On the other hand, you've always hidden your stress and despite having a considerable amount of your own work, you've often added the tasks of your secretary to it."
"That doesn't mean anything.."
"It does." She articulated these words slowly, "Your excessive humbleness always lies. Even though you think it's not important, you should learn to assess yourself correctly. It's clear as day that you lack this skill, since you constantly underestimate yourself. If you rely on others to judge you, you will never obtain the right assessment and the image you have of yourself will be easily influenced by that which others have of you, just like what happened a moment ago with Sheffield."
The commander didn't say anything.
"From an objective view, you are a very considerate person who cares more for others than for himself. You're very humble, you lack confidence, you tend to have a diplomatic approach with everyone and everything and don't like resorting to violence, you're introverted but also very friendly towards everyone, even those who hate you. This is who you are factually."
"What are you trying to tell me..?"
"I'm trying to help you realize that you are a great person despite your horrible past. Your kindness and overall ability to withstand so much stress and pain is seriously admirable in my eyes. You're always gentle even when you speak and you're careful not to hurt anyone's feelings with your actions and words. And I could still keep listing your numerous good qualities, but there's no need to. Not being able to express your feelings properly does not make you pathetic at all. After everything you've been through, that is only an inevitable outcome."
"Honestly I agree." Said Nero, "Except for a certain prank you pulled on me when I was on the Sakura Empire's island, you've always helped me out, man."
"If I also may add something" Roon interfered, "I know that you contained me in that room as a security measure, commander, and as soon as you had the chance to set me free again thanks to Nero, you did without hesitation. When you came into my former room after that terrible accident and you read my diary, I noticed the sincere regret and compassion in your eyes. I know you didn't really want to resort to such an extreme maneuver and that you only wanted everyone to be safe, including me."
"Please, don't remind me that..." The commander frowned, "The fact I kept an innocent human into captivity disturbs me deeply... It makes me feel ashamed of myself..."
Eugen laid her hand on his shoulder: "None of us are blaming you for it and Roon forgives you. Don't think about it too much."
"After all, not everyone in the Azur Lane sees me as an 'innocent human'. I appreciate that alone very much." Roon smiled.
"C'mon man, you can't say it's too late to change without even trying. I've never really hung out with you but I know it must be fun. Speaking of this, we should hang out sometime." Said Nero.
"Heh... Why not?" The commander replied. After a couple of seconds, he noticed that Eugen was looking at his face intently.
"Uh, what is it?" He asked her.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that you're smiling."
"... Well, surprise, I can smile too." He kidded.

ARC II Chapter 6.1 end;
ARC II Chapter 7
Eugen got out of the changing room after dressing back up.
"You girls are pretty slow in changing rooms." The commander leaned against a wall of the lobby while waiting for her.
"Since when do you wait for people?" She asked him while approaching him.
"What? Y'all organized a whole motivational speech about change earlier and now you're surprised?"
Eugen didn't answer, but she smiled widely.
"What's with that smile? You look like a kid in a candy shop."
"I'm just glad."
"Guess I'm glad you're glad." Yeah, guess he's glad she's glad. Ah, English is such a fun language.
"Well, you're finished with work, right?" She asked.
"Of course. If I weren't, we wouldn't have come here."
"And you're not going straight to bed, are you?"
"I mean..." The commander checked the time on his phone, "It's 7:20 PM, it's still not past my bedtime."
"When's your bedtime?"
"Something like 2 AM, 3 AM on a busy day. Or rather, night."
"Fucked up sleeping schedule? Kinda relatable."
They finally got out of the hot springs and began walking. They didn't know where to go yet, but they still walked. Better than standing still, right?