Yukari sprinted across the BC Freedom's helipad, naturally bedheaded hair becoming even more dishevelled as she neared the Breguet's roaring blades. Her infiltration uniform was even worse for wear, completely scuffed, rumpled, torn, and covered in a fair amount of footprints after having been trampled by the sensha-dou team's riot, not to mention the bruises she could feel forming underneath, and she was pretty sure she jammed a finger or two- but Yukari could not be in better spirits.
That was some premium footage she got there! With it, Miho could put together some brilliant plan to exploit the discord of BC Freedom's team and get one step closer to getting Kawashima into university!
She whooped as she jumped into the helicopter, stumbling a bit on the landing. It was a heart-racing espionage, one that she would happily go on again if it meant helping her team out. They all counted on her, and she was determined to put together a killer Akiyamafilm before she returned to Ooarai. After all, the briefing was in only six hours!
"Thanks for flying me, Miss Chouno! This really is such an honour- Wah!" Yukari clutched the back of the pilot's seat as the helicopter lurched into a takeoff. BC Freedom's school ship began to shrink from view as Ami Chouno steered them up and away.
Also, the Ami Chouno was flying her! Not only a captain from the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force, but a member of the honest-to-goodness Sensha-dou Federation Strengthening Committee! Yukari thanked whatever fortune had given her the privilege to have her as a sensha-dou instructor. Yukari still couldn't believe she was the one chauffeuring her to and from BC Freedom. She was almost as much of a celebrity as Miho Nishizumi.
"Good job, very nice, Akiyama!" She turned back to shout over the whirring and rumbling of the helicopter, no doubt mishearing Yukari. Yukari would have to put on the headset to give her a proper thanks. "I am getting the hang of this chopper now! It has been so long since the Federation allowed me to fly one!"
Another sudden wobble almost threw Yukari against the wall, and she caught herself just in time. Holding onto one of the rope holds on the ceiling, she secured headphones snuggly around her ears.
"What was that last part, Miss Chouno? I didn't catch it."
"Nothing to worry about! I am glad you came when you did, any earlier and you would have had to wait for me! I got a call to swing by Ooarai and pick up a guest, just came back now!"
"A guest...? Who?" Yukari wondered. She glanced behind her into the hull of the helicopter. In an instant, her confusion became delight.
Snuggled against the corner of the vessel, collar of her jacket pulled up and Field Marshall's cap covering her eyes, Erwin slept peacefully despite the rumbling, roaring environment. Yukari beamed. She supposed this almost was like the familiar rumble of her StuG III for her. Actually, any rumbling vehicle would probably never fail to remind any sensha-dou team member of their tanks, like the sound of clip-clopping hooves might remind a rider of their horse.
(Except tanks were way cooler than horses. The girls at Yukari's middle school were the weird ones.)
Anyway, what was Erwin doing here? Not that she was upset, far from it- A helicopter with Erwin in it was a helicopter Yukari wanted to be in. It would be so fun, talking about famous battles as they flew above the sparkling sea, the rumble of the Breguet engulfing them, Erwin's arms engulfing her... Yukari shook her head to refocus.
She promised herself she would stop fantasising about that impossible relationship. Another reason why she had to make sure this Akiyamafilm was perfect, to make sure it helped Ooarai win their match, is that Yukari's rejection recovery was riding on it. Since Yukari had haphazardly confessed all her bottled up feelings for Erwin during the Pravda match (without her painstakingly crafted love letter!! How could she have been so unprepared, letting her emotions just rush out like that?!), Yukari had gotten the message that Erwin would rather things just stay platonic between them.
And by Nishizumi she was going to keep it platonic! It was already incredible that Erwin wanted to stay friends even after all that, so Yukari was trying to smother her love with a pillow until it suffocated.
But, that was much harder than she had initially thought. So, if she couldn't trust her feelings, she could always trust sensha-dou! If Ooarai won, that meant her crush would disappear and she and Erwin could be two gals being pals. If Ooarai lost, however, Yukari figured she would have to distance herself from Erwin for her own sake, no matter how much it would pain her. Maybe she could go backpacking, go on a tank pilgrimage or something and try to distract herself from all her warm fuzzy feelings.
Even if Pravda didn't go quite the way she intended, the scouting mission with Erwin had been magical all the same. Her feelings for Erwin, unfortunately, had only grown, her heart only beating faster, and if Ooarai didn't win this tournament she was sure she would combust like a Sherman. And then what? Would her relationship with Erwin just be scrap metal on the side of the battlefield? She couldn't be scrap metal!
But those were future Yukari problems (Unless Ooarai won the tournament! Which it would!), and right now, she needed to get a handle on her feelings, because she was feeling so happy at the sight of her Erwin that she was having little trouble restraining herself from tackling her into a hug, which would most definitely wake her up.
Yukari was slightly confused, though. She knew Erwin had her monthly Historical Game Night today. And true, it was just about noon, and it started at six, same as Yukari's meeting, but the trip back to the Ooarai school ship would have them back no earlier. The helicopter was landing on top of the building with the student council office, a long way away from the History Club's house. Too far to get there in time.
Erwin was a very punctual person: she'd rather eat her German Field Marshall's cap than even consider being late to Historic Game Night. She remembered Erwin saying the History Club was going to have a karuta tournament, and she had been so excited about it. Why would she risk being late for it by being stuck in a helicopter?
"I'll be on channel two if you need me!" Miss Chouno said, switching channels before Yukari could inquire further.
She could ask Erwin about it when she woke up. Yukari instead happily plopped down beside Erwin, sure she was grinning like an idiot. It had been a while since they were able to have some alone time together. What with Yukari being in a flurry of packing and planning for the infiltration, and Erwin and her club having a furious battle with some termites that were trying to turn the History Club's home into a meal, the past weekend they hadn't seen each other as much as they were used to.
She was looking forward to hanging out with Erwin once they had finished their match with BC (which Yukari figured they had a good chance against since that team was in the midst of a civil war, if her scouting didn't deceive her), but it was such a treasure to be with her now. Especially now, after the intensity of the espionage, her calm, familiar presence was grounding Yukari, like even in her sleep Erwin was telling her 'everything's okay now, I've got you'. Yukari could already feel some of her stress ebbing away just sitting next to her.
Not all of it though! She needed some stress if she was going to edit all her footage before the meeting. Stress is what kept her from flopping onto the ground and letting exhaustion squash her like a Maus.
Yukari took out her camera and pulled her camo-patterned laptop out from the backpack she had stowed away on the helicopter. She had a matching camo USB cable, but it didn't have any militaristic stickers on it like her laptop. She was about to plug the cable into her camera, but a quick flash of white hot pain reminded her of her most-definitely jammed fingers.
"Ow! Shoot-" The camera tumbled out of her fingers, and Yukari lunged for it, catching and clutching it protectively to her chest. If the camera, if the precious footage was in any way damaged, Yukari would probably commit seppuku with her single-turret 7TP eraser topped pencil. She had to deliver this crucial information to her team. Besides the match being important to her nonexistent-love-life recovery, everyone else was depending on her. She couldn't let them down.
Unfortunately, in her heroic lunge to save the camera, she had fallen across Erwin's legs, who was now stirring. A beautiful chocolate brown eye looked down at her from underneath Erwin's cap, much to Yukari's horror.
"Erwin! Sorry for waking you, you can go back to sleep." Yukari finished with a whisper, pushing herself up quickly from a bleary-eyed Erwin and yanking her cap down over her face. Although, she was dying to ask why Erwin would jeopardise Historical Game Night by being here, since Yukari couldn't think of anything that could possibly be more important to Erwin than Historical Game Night, but Yukari could ask later when she woke without having the girl she politely rejected falling on her.
Erwin pulled her cap up, both of her gorgeous eyes taking in Yukari who was still trying to pull her cap down and shush her back to sleep. After a split second, panic covered her normally smug, calm face. She hurriedly secured her headphones, but still practically yelled through them.
"What the hell happened to you!?"
"Huh? What do you mean-"
"You look like you've been dragged through Vimy, Guderian! The only thing that doesn't look pulverised is your hair." Erwin sat up straighter, looking at the sleeve torn off Yukari, the dirt on her face, the stinging scrapes scattering her knees and elbows. "Where are you hurt? Where aren't you hurt?"
"I'm fine, really!" With her adrenaline dying down, Yukari felt like she could feel the throbbing of each individual bruise across her body, but she wasn't hurt! Not hurt-hurt anyway. "This is all part of missions like these, Erwin, all part of the job. I have to get right in the thick of it to get that good stuff, or that crème de la crème as the BC Freedom girls say!" Yukari held her camera up proudly.
Erwin zeroed in on the dusty footprints along her torso and face. "So who was the one who did this?" She asked lowly.
"Well, it was no one girl who did anything, and it wasn't aimed at me, not on purpose! See, there was kind of a riot-"
"A riot! A riot, Guderian-" She took a breath to calm herself. Erwin reached out to hold Yukari's cheek in her hand, brushing off some debris with her thumb, speaking softly. "I'm just glad you got out of there."
Yukari's face warmed in her crush's- friend's hand. Yukari was used to handling herself; Erwin didn't have to be so concerned over her, and yet she was. Yukari gave her an easy grin. "Don't worry, I wouldn't screw up a mission like this."
"But I do worry. Not about the mission, but about you," Erwin sighed. As much as Erwin was being a sweetheart that made her heart melt a thousand times over, Yukari figured there were a few dangers for her to be concerned about. Although infiltration and spying was a common part of sensha-dou, that also meant there was the possibility of capture and interrogation. Lots of things could go wrong in espionage, so it was never a completely safe job. But then again, what part of sensha-dou was? "Let me clean your face up at least. I think I see another footprint. I really hope you don't have a concussion, Guderian."
"I've been concussed before, I think I'd know. This Breguet would be a nightmare if I was!" Yukari laughed, handing Erwin her WWII military canteen from her backpack while Erwin pulled out her handkerchief. She carefully blotted a bit of water onto it before bringing it up to gently wipe the dirt and grim away from Yukari's face. Yukari tried not to focus too much on how warm her hands were, how they cradled her face so delicately.
"Can you still go to the nurse's office when we get back? I can come with you if you want." Erwin said, tilting Yukari's face to get a better angle. This wasn't the first time Erwin had cleaned her face like this. Since Pravda, Erwin had taken to touching her up a bit after a rough round of practice covered her in whatever grime the Panzer IV had to manoeuvre through. Yukari figured this new routine was Erwin's way of letting Yukari know things were cool between them after Pravda, and Erwin even let her clean her face, too! Yukari's heart squeezed. How lucky was she to have someone as kind as Erwin in her life?
"As soon as we touch down at Ooarai, I've got to sprint to the student council room for the meeting. And you've got Historical Game Night, you can't miss that!" Yukari said adamantly, because it was obvious. It was Historical Game Night.
"The others would want you to go to the nurse's, too, the meeting be damned." Erwin said firmly, the intensity of her stare pinning Yukari, her warm hand still holding her jaw. "And don't worry about Historical Game Night, I asked the others if we could start later today, and Caesar is going to use that extra time to make some ancient fried cheese curds. Globuli, I think."
Yukari baulked at 'meeting be damned' because that seemed a bit extreme when it was something as important as a sensha-dou strategy meeting, but Yukari was trying to understand why Erwin would move her plans around like that. Didn't she like her routines? Yukari held still as her thoughts spun around her head.
Erwin wiped away the last of a footprint, putting the canteen and handkerchief aside before rummaging under her seat. "I'm glad I thought to put a first aid kit in this." She muttered as she dragged a large cardboard, twine-bound box out from under their seat, looking up at Yukari, smiling. "I brought you something."
Yukari squealed, dropping down onto the ground only semi-painfully to properly read the side of the box. Her previous confusion was forgotten for the ecstaticness she always got when seeing any paraphernalia related to World War II.
"Is this a CARE Package? Is it for me? Did you paint the box yourself? This looks so authentic! Just like the ones the US sent out to Europe after the Second World War! Oh wow, it's even all beat up, like it's actually been delivered!" Yukari rambled excitedly, inspecting the stamped 'C.A.R.E.' across the box (Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe!), rubbing the worn twine tied around the box between her fingers. Erwin laughed, blushing slightly.
"I used an old box from one of Saemonza's fortress models she ordered, then stamped it up myself. It's not filled with all the actual provisions though, no powdered milk and lard or anything like that. But I thought you might appreciate a care package that at least looked like the original ones," she said. She scratched her neck, looking nervous, as if Yukari would be disappointed that the box's contents weren't the same from 1946.
"Erwin, I don't think you understand how much I very very very much appreciate it! Thank you! Can I hug you?" How could Yukari not hug her after she had created this masterpiece? At Erwin's amused nod, she pulled her down into the tightest hug she could muster, the headset's mic knocking awkwardly against her. She tried to keep it brief, though, not forgetting her wits even with something as cool as a CARE Package in front of her. When she moved away to open the package, Yukari noticed she had smudged some dust on Erwin's neck.
"Oh, sorry! I've gotten you dirty," Yukari frowned, pointing to her neck. Her arms that she had so carelessly thrown around Erwin had also gotten their fair share of barragement during the riot.
"Guderian, that's nothing compared to the state you're in. This package might not have powdered milk, but has more useful after-mission supplies for you to use." Erwin smirked, untying the twine and opening up the box.
Erwin had packed the box to bursting with all things Yukari-coded: There were hardtack biscuits, pretzels, dehydrated berry mixes, dried apple slices, banana chips, sunflower seeds, beef jerky, peanuts, almonds, chocolate covered peanuts and almonds, trail mix, granola bars, the little peanut butter thingies with the little cracker sticks, water, a canteen, a headrest, a fluffy blanket, pyjamas, her Ooarai uniform- Heck, even her own tank shaped slippers, a pair of cozy-looking Mark IV's.
Erwin reached past all that and into the depths of the goodies, pulling up a small first aid kit, knocking some chocolate covered peanuts and banana chip packets out. The presence of the banana chips surprised Yukari. Yukari absolutely loved them, but Erwin had a thing about banana chips. She wasn't allergic or anything, she just couldn't stand the smell of them. And yet she put them in the care package, knowing full well that she couldn't open the windows in a helicopter, that she would be trapped in with the smell of banana chips that caused her nose to wrinkle in such an adorable way.
Yukari's mouth hung open slightly as she gazed up at Erwin, who was busy sifting through the first aid kit. Yukari was... Awestruck, to say the least. The thought that went into each and every item, the effort, the beautiful packaging that Erwin knew would have Yukari geeking out... Yukari loved it. But there were some big glaring questions spinning around her mind, and there was one that slipped out before she could stop herself.
"Why did you do all this?" Yukari asked, before realising how that might sound. She frantically waved away the previous statement. "I mean, I love it, absolutely. But- it would have been a lot easier for you to do this after the BC Freedom match, when things were calm for both of us. I mean, I don't understand how you could move Historical Game Night to later! You love that!"
Yukari took a breath in. Erwin had paused her searching in the first aid kit and was staring at her with an expression Yukari couldn't quite decipher. Eyebrows were a bit scrunched, maybe she was confused? But there was a sparkle to her eyes, a sweetness? Maybe? Yukari continued as her heart beat faster, "So why all this? Not just the package, but somehow getting onto the helicopter, meeting me out here when we're just going to go right back, and you might even be late. Why?"
"Because I care about you."
She said it like a fact. Which, of course Yukari knew it was. Because she and Erwin were friends. But there were easier ways to care for your friend, right? She still couldn't wrap her head around Erwin doing all this just for her.
"Listen, Guderian, you always work so hard for others, for the team- hell, for me." Erwin smiled down at Yukari with a tenderness that gave her a funny swooping feeling in her chest. "You push yourself, and sometimes I feel like you push yourself too hard. And I know I can't make you stop pushing yourself, it's part of what makes you you. But I thought I could at least support you."
Erwin held her gaze a second longer, as if to check if her words were truly reaching Yukari. Maybe there were, maybe they weren't. She still felt like she was missing something. But the longer Yukari was sitting idle the more the battle between stress and exhaustion was ramping up inside her.
She could keep pestering her with questions that would probably-most-definitely hurt Erwin's feelings or she could get started on the footage before she let her team down. How long until they got back to Ooarai? How much time was left? Six hours wasn't all that long to begin with, what with all the second-guessing and reworking she did with her films.
Erwin reached into the package, her one hand emerging with both pyjamas and dehydrated strawberries clutched between her fingers. The pyjamas were actually Erwin's, Yukari noticed. They were the soft khaki coloured ones, the button up shirt with 'Sturm, Swung, Wucht' neatly on the pocket while the bottoms were a collage pattern of Erwim Rommel's face.
"I know you're feeling stressed right now," Erwin said, and Yukari smiled at how Erwin always seemed to know what was on her mind. Time was ticking down, and the thought of giving an incomplete film to the team made her stomach turn. "So I thought we could break into some snacks and get cosy. Just relax a little."
Oh no. No, that would be horrible. Whatever Yukari had assumed Erwin knew about her thoughts seemed to be a load of bunk. She knew she meant well, but in what world could Yukari, on a tight timeline for something involving the magnificent art of sensha-dou and her just as magnificent team- how could Yukari just relax?! She had a job to do, a duty, and she couldn't squander her time, even if it was with someone as wonderful as Erwin (who she- secretly, guiltily, honestly- thought was as beautiful sensha-dou...).
Yukari felt a twang of pity for her, that she went through all this effort to plan something nice for her and all Yukari saw it as was a waste of minutes. Under literally any other circumstance, Yukari would love to wear Erwin's pjs and eat army-worthy snack food. Maybe curl up together and rewatch Four Tank-Men and a Dog, swapping facts and giggling until they fall into blissful sleep with tank-filled dreams.
But she was busy, and Erwin must know that. Right? Yukari knew if she did try to go along with 'relaxing' while she leaves reconnaissance footage unedited her antsiness just might tip off Erwin to her feelings, hurting her feelings more. No, it was better to be forward and direct, strong like a tank cannon.
"Erwin, thank you, I'm sorry, but honestly IthinkthemostrelaxingthingformerightnowwouldbetogetmyeditingdoneASAP," Yukari hurriedly said all in a single breath. She clenched her good fist, steeling herself for the disappointed face Erwin would probably be wearing in a second. She'd have to make this up to her sometime later, because if there was one thing Yukari hated just as much as disappointing the team was disappointing Erwin.
Disappointment did not cover her face, however. Instead, Erwin smiled a knowing smile.
"Of course we're going to do that, Guderian." She put down the pyjamas and strawberries and reached farther under the seat, pulling out her backpack, and from it she pulled out her laptop.
"I'll help you." She grinned her smug little grin. Yukari's eyes widened, and her heart fluttered. Erwin always knew exactly what she was thinking.
⚉⋆⚉⋆⚉⋆⚉
This was supposed to be a oneshot I swear!! Hope you like it so far!
Word Count: 3,956