In Spite Of War... (Warspite x Reader)

War... War never changes.

Your father was well aware of that when he went into battle with his fleet to take on the Abyssals. He never returned home. As next in line, you had a huge obligation to lead the next generation of troops into battle.

Today was merely your seventh day orientating yourself to this new life of yours. You always considered yourself a soldier's son and resigned to the costs of being one. The constant moving based around your father's stationing, being called out by your peers due to their tastes on war, and waking up to the slightest crash every night and praying that the enemy doesn't raid your home.

But now you're a soldier yourself. And with it, new costs. You took an anxiety pill that your doctor prescribed to you when you first discovered your father died. You were already accustomed to taking medicine to reduce your stress, but this was the time when you felt like you're barely feeling anything different.

For the first few days, you end up crying when you were alone, weeping on how you didn't want to die like your father or how it just wasn't fair that you were assigned to fight in his stead. Though as the week drew to a close, you were able to bottle up the tears inside, though at the cost of being emotionally distant from your peers.

"BURNING LOVE!!!" You were suddenly tackled by a woman who was around the same age as you. She held you pretty tightly as she snuggled you. Your heart beat slightly quicker than normal, but you calmed down. "Hey there!" You immediately knew that the person holding you was Kongou. She was recruited sometime before your father died, but joined the same platoon as you.

She was different from most other people. She was what was called a Fleet Girl. Nobody knew where they came from, whether they were spiritually the reincarnations of Imperial Warships or were created in a secret lab somewhere in the Pacific. What is known though is that they were so well-bodied for battle with the Abyssals that the JSDF employed more Fleet Girls and less actual ships, thus reducing the number of causalities.

However, they needed an admiral to lead, and that's where you come in. Your father was a skilled admiral and was responsible for reclaiming some of Oceania, including Hawaii where you were born and raised at. The JSDF concluded that you would be a good candidate for replacing him. Kongou let go of you and petted your head, though you didn't seem to smile.

"Hey, they just recovered one of your dad's old soldiers. I figured you can talk to her and stuff." Kongou said. You looked and raised an eyebrow. 'Recovered'? What did she mean by that? You nodded and she took you by the hand. You tried to keep up with Kongou's fast speed.

-_-_-_-_-

When you entered the hospital wing with Kongou, you just realized what Kongou meant. Your father was no stranger to the Fleet Girls. His own fleet was comprised of them as well. You were looking at one of his own Fleet Girls right now.

She looked to be a few years older than you, at least telling by her size and build. She had long blonde hair braided to the side and icy blue eyes.. She seemed to be wearing a white, princess-like gown and had a silver fancy necklace. Completing the outfit was a tiny black and white crown on her head.

"Ah, you must be the Admiral's son." The most noticeable feature of her was her wheelchair. She took the time to wheel over to you and smiled. She had such a soft voice to her.

"She survived the battle, but unfortunately, her rudder and engines was blown out and... I'm sorry, is this personal?" Kongou turned to talk to Warspite. She shook her head.

"No. It's alright. I lost the use of my legs, but I'm expected to receive custom rigging at some point later in the month. Then, I'll be as good as new." She said.

"Well, you wanna have tea?" Kongou asked.

"That'd be lovely." She said.

-_-_-_-_-

Throughout the tea session, the woman introduced herself as Warspite. She was one of your father's top ships. You've heard some stories about her fights with your father, many of which were told at the table, with Kongou roaring in laughter.

"And that's when Akagi ate the entire cake. The entire cake!" Warspite said. Kongou continued to laugh.

"Oh man, that's a good one, Warspite." She said. Warspite smiled, but soon turned into a frown as she turned to you.

"I'm very sorry about what happened to your father." Warspite said.

"..." You kept your stoicness. Warspite wheeled over to you.

"Tell you what, I need to re-orientate myself with the base. Would you like to help me?" Warspite asked. You nodded, not out of anything else, but out of your obligation to your father and duty.

"Kongou," you said, "I'll meet you back at the dorm."

"Um... Okay." Kongou said. You then got up and pushed Warspite's wheel, maneuvering her around the base where she'd see the places she used to go to.

-_-_-_-_-

Eventually, you and Warspite ended up in a large field. The smell of the sea was faint, but to you and Warspite, it felt as though it was right in front of you.

"That was amazing... Thank you." She said. You, on the other hand, just frowned. Warspite took a moment before she spoke up. "Hey, can you do me a favor?" She asked.

"Sure."

"Can you carry me over there?" She pointed to the tree. You went over and hesitated. "Don't be shy." She gave you such a beautiful smile that made you blush.

"I... I just don't know how to carry you." You muttered.

"It's easy. Come here." You did just that as she grabbed the back of your neck. "One hand on the back, the other below the legs." She said. You did just that, your hand sliding from her exposed thighs to below her knee where the soft fabric of stockings were. You then lifted her up. Despite her size and her being a Fleet Girl, she was quite light. With one lift, you were able to carry her. She then softly giggled. "This is how your father carried me, you know." You just blushed further, feeling her warm legs as you carried her to the tree.

You gently lay her against the trunk as she exhaled. She simply looked at you.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?" You said. She shook her head.

"No. You're not. You're scared, right?" She asked.

"N-no... I'm not scared." You said. She then frowned.

"I know a new person when I see them, and their emotions are often always fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of war. Fear of death." As she said that, you trembled. You had to admit it yourself: you were feeling those very well. "Your father was scared too... Before we went to battle..." She stayed silent for a while after that. "I found him crying in his room the night before the battle. Despite all the efforts he's made, your father was just as scared as you are right now." Warspite said.

"... How can you slander my father like that?" You said.

"I'm not... I'm trying to tell you that... That we're all scared." She said.

"How can you say that? You're built for war! You're supposed to feel no fear! No pain! Isn't that what a soldier's supposed to be?!" Your voice cracked. Warspite simply smiled and shook her head.

"No. We're not always meant for war..." She then patted her lap. "Lie down." She said. You did so. You laid your head on what seemed to be the firmest pillow you've ever laid down on. She then placed her hand on your head, brushing your hair with her fingers as she hummed. "We're also mediators. In spite of there being war, we do have time for peace, do we not?" She asked.

"... Yeah..." You said.

"Most of us take on the job of comforting those who have troubles... Joining a war, fighting battles... Losing a father." She said. She held your hand with hers as you began to cry a little. "It's okay... Let it out... If you want, rest a little. I won't mind." She said. You nodded and cried a bit on her soft, stockings-covered legs. Eventually, you fell asleep on her legs and when you woke up, you noticed her sleeping as well. You picked her up and carried her to her chair, wheeling her back to her room.

Before leaving though, you took her hand and after a moment of feeling her palm, kissed the back of her hand.

"Thank you..." You said to her. As you left her room, your resolve became stronger. No longer were you scared of fighting, because you know that in spite of war, the world will always be made of love and peace.