Part 33c
Gale was still in her workout gear as she shuffled out into the crisp December air. Yoga pants and a snug-fitting sports bra weren't the warmest clothing options in the world, but her room—and the hot shower it contained within—weren't far away, and Washington winters were pretty mild. It didn't hurt that she looked
especially cute in the navy-blue and gold top, or at least as cute as a Yeoman in her twenties
could after a workout session.
It most
certainly didn't hurt that she was so sore she wasn't entirely certain she could lift her arms high enough to
remove said clothing. If nothing else, being around shipgirls—most prominently the utterly
gorgeous battleship Washington—had given her a new determination to hit the gym whenever she could. If there was a motivator better than the way Wash's hips swooshed every time she sashayed around, Gale couldn't imagine what it'd be.
Besides maybe Wash in a bikini. Or possibly naked, but Gale couldn't even picture such an elegant lady in the buff. And she
was trying.
"Yeoman?" The silky-smooth mercury-on-glass voice of none other than the
North Carolina class battleship Gale'd been fantasizing mere instants ago cut though the chilly winter day.
Gale gulped. She slowly pivoted on her heel, trying to imagine how the
hell she hadn't heard the battleship's approach. She was forty-five thousand tons. She had
no right to be as goddamn stealthy as she was. "Yes, Wash?" she said with a cringe, "How long have you been there?"
The battleship stood mere feet away from Gale, looking as elegantly perfect as ever. Her hair was done back in a simple braid that
still looked like magazine-cover perfect, and she had an enchanting half-smile on that queenly face of hers.
"Since you left the Gym," said Wash, one hand resting idly on the crook of that spectacular hip of hers, smiling like she didn't realize how perfectly that simple move framed her curves.
"Uh huh," said Gale, trying not to stare at the battleship's amazing…
everything. Apparently there was a
reason the
North-Carolina class were 'the most beautiful thing you'd ever see.'
"I wanted to talk," said Wash, her hair shimmering like liquid gold in the scattered daylight. "It's not mission-critical, if you're busy-"
"No!" yelped Gale. She would've leaped for the battleship if her legs weren't so sore. "No, uh… no, now's good."
"Mmm" Wash nodded, a strand of that honey-brown hair flipping back in the breeze with moviestar-perfect timing. "You've been avoiding me."
Gale gulped. Her heart was running a million beats a minute, and it wasn't just because of her workout. "Uh… s-sorta?" she stammered, "I mean… you're kinda hard to notice sometimes."
Wash shrugged, her alluring gaze locked on the shorter, smaller human. Apparently she wasn't buying it. "Three times in the past week you've abruptly finished your meal with Doctor Crowning as soon as I entered the room." The battleship's queenly face glowed in the midday sun, her jewel-like eyes utterly inscrutable as she stared down the Yeoman.
Gale let out a sigh, her head lolling over against her sternum. "Okay… yeah. Maybe I have been avoiding you."
"Might I ask why?"
"Because you're a shipgirl," said Gale. "And… I didn't realize that until now."
Wash blinked. Then she blinked again. Gale
swore she heard crickets chirping somewhere in the distance. "I don't follow."
"Look," Gale motioned to her waistline. She wasn't out of shape by any stretch of the imagination, but next to the walking embodiment of feminine perfection that was USS
Washington…"I have to work out to look like this. Watch what I eat… stuff like that. And you sit there eating bacon by the ton."
"Short or long?" asked Wash, "Or metric?"
Now it was Gale's turn to blink. "Wh-what?"
"Short ton, long ton, or metric tonne," said Wash, counting off the choices on her fingers like they were the most obvious things in the world. "They're different units."
Gale blinked, her jaw hanging half-open as she suddenly understood why the Admiral's hair was solid gray. "I… what?"
"A long ton it-"
"Yeah, I know," said Gale, "I…" she shook her head, a smirk forming despite her best efforts. "You just threw me for a loop."
Wash tilted her head to the side, her finger tracing out a perfect half-circle, "You're not-"
"I know I'm not!" snapped Gale. "Ma'am. Uh… just… don't think about it."
Wash nodded.
"Look, point is… I was comparing myself to you," said Gale, "But I forgot you're
not… you're not like me." The yeoman huffed, her breath turning to a frosty plume in the chilly afternoon air. Maybe she should have at least
tried to get that sweater on. "I'm from Nevada. But you get sick if you're too far from the ocean."
Wash nodded again, her other hand sliding up to rest on her broad hips. "So… I haven't done anything to tick you off?"
"Nah," said Gale, trying not to stare at the way Wash's hands perfectly framed
those hips. "Just took-" a shiver raced up her spine, utterly spoiling her attempt to look casual. "Took me a while to realize what was going- Wash?"
"Hmm?" While Gale was talking, the battleship had gripped the hem of her snug-fitting top and pulled it up to the base of her generous breasts. Gale felt her eyes bug out at the sight of Wash's bare, nicely toned stomach.
The battleship was gracious enough not to react to Gale's act of impropriety. "You're cold, aren't you?" she said, pulling her top the rest of the way up and exposing her navy-blue sports-bra. "Here," she handed the now-somehow-perfectly-folded article of clothing over to Gale.
"Uh…" Gale felt her mind scrambling to reboot. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening. Things like this
don't happen to her. She squeezed her eyes closed, counting to three as she tried to get the fatigue-induced fantasy out of her head.
Nope. Wash was still there. And she was still shirtless.
"You'll catch cold," said the battleship, her ivory skin glistening in the light at she thrust her folded shirt at Gale.
"Um…" Gale shook her head, pulling the top on as best as her exhausted muscles would allow. "Don't… won't you want it back?"
Wash smiled, "It's just a loan," she said, hooking her arm around Gale's, "until we get to your room."
- - - - - - -
A/N: USS North Carolina, Wash's older sister was nicknamed "Showboat" because of how very very pretty she was. Sailors said she was "The most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
Jersey: Guys! Guys guys guys! I just found out Bon Jovi is from
my home state! ON A STEEL HORSE I RIDE!
You're from Phily, J.
Jersey: FUCK YOU, I'M A BATTLESHIP!
