Care Package || GuP Yukari x Erwin

4: Care Package (i said i cared about you, didn't i?)

Yukari slowly awoke to the sound of seagulls, waves, and ships. Even in her half-awake state she was keenly aware of Erwin missing from the helicopter.

The Bruguet was still and almost too quiet compared to the roaring and rumbling it created when being flown. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, yawning. The blanket slipped off her, and the air felt slightly chilly, or maybe that was just the remnants of her dream still clinging to her. The helicopter also felt like it was on solid ground, which meant it probably wasn't really on land, but the Prince of Whales resupply ship, although one could say it was too flat and too barge-like to really warrant being called a ship.

It was one of many stations throughout the world, what with all the many school ships and floating cities around nowadays, and an ocean pit stop was useful for any travelling boats or aircrafts. Some even had more amenities than gas and a convenience store, such as parks, restaurants, or hotels. Yukari knew this ship from previous missions, and knew it had a lovely little ice cream shop by the stern that she would occasionally treat herself to if she had the time. Well, thanks to Erwin she definitely did have that time now.

The Bruguet was the only helicopter, but some trawlers and a busted-up tugboat were alongside the long length of the ship. Few people milled about, fueling their vessels or getting snacks from the various food stalls. Stretching, she got up from her spot in the helicopter, switching her Mark IV's slippers to regular shoes so she wouldn't get them dirty on the deck. Although, she would look a little out of place walking around in her Rommel pjs, but they were Erwin's and they were cosy so she didn't care.

Her foot caught slightly on the care package as she hopped out of the helicopter, causing her to land with a slight wobble. Yukari stared at it with a tightness in her heart. Erwin had really pulled out all the stops to support her, but Yukari still couldn't get over why she did it. Not just because she had Historical Game Night that she might be late for, but it just all seemed like so much effort just for Yukari.

Erwin... That dream lingered in Yukari's mind, bright as fresh snow on a sunny day. It wasn't fabricated; it was the memory she had tried to hardest not to ruminate on lest she start bawling her eyes out in the middle of sensha-dou practice and forget how amazing it is that Erwin still wanted to be her friend at all. But, now that she was looking at the memory again, was it really as clear cut as she thought? A fluttering in her heart was telling her maybe not...

"Ah, good to see you awake, young Akiyama!" Miss Chouno appeared around the side of the helicopter, dragging a long fuel tube with her, the familiar smell of petrol in the air.

"Sorry! Do you need help fueling? I'm not sure how different a helicopter is from a tank but I'd be eager to learn!" Yukari said enthusiastically, feeling guilty for not helping out when Miss Chouno was so nice to chauffeur her like this. She hadn't had the chance to help her with refuelling on the way to BC Freedom since the school ship had been closer to Ooarai then, but it totally slipped her mind that she should be helping her revered sensha-dou instructor instead of being such a freeloader!

"All good, Akiyama, I am just taking this back now!" She laughed, gesturing to the fuel tube. Miss Chouno looked at Yukari, her expression simultaneously neutral and intense, as was the norm for her. "Although, I want to apologise to you."

"Apologise? Why would you apologise to me? Wait, don't bow! This feels wrong!" Yukari said hurriedly as a captain of the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force and member of the Sensha-dou Federation Strengthening Committee did an impeccable seventy degree bow, back straight as a tank cannon.

"I told you that it would take six hours to get back to Ooarai, with a pitstop in between." Miss Chouno said as she straightened up. "I'm more used to flying larger cargo aircrafts, and assumed that this little Breguet was slower than it was! My expectations affected my experiences, and I've realised after talking with the clerks here that we could have been travelling much faster and much more efficiently!"