A Royal Sovereign

Chapter 13 - Stardust

3rd person POV

New York, Eagle Union

A year passed since Sovereign's promotion to admiral of the fleet. And it was already late Autumn. November, to be exact.

It was a cool Autumn noon, the heat of Summer long faded and brought with it the harsh chill of November. Trees have long lost their lush green, replaced by their bare and cold branches, only the most resilient leaves hanging on with their slender stems. The well-laid brick paths gained shades of amber, yellow, and crimson, the warm colors mixed with shades of dull and fading brown. Beautiful for some, sad and ugly for others. More leaves fell, scattered across the pathways around the largest base of Azur Lane, ferried down to the ground by the light winds till they crunched under the now thicker boots of passing shipgirls.

The chill of late Autumn failed to reach Sovereign's office, however; the radiators on and keeping it just right the right temperature to be warm but not so much to be stuffy and unbreathable. One window remained open to ventilate the room, replacing the dryer air with a moist, but cold freshness. It maximized their comfort ― and in turn, the efficiency of Sovereign and Cleveland. An efficiency that allowed them to work through the stacks of paperwork with a brutal swiftness, one envied by the rest stationed there. 

"Here's the paper you needed."

"Ah, thanks Cleve."

"Want a coffee?" Cleveland asked, not looking at him as she walked to the nearest counter. "I want a cup myself."

"I think you know my answer."

Sovereign smiled slightly as he read through the document, eyes running through the countless lines of laser-etched letters. The printer Sovereign procured two months ago when they redecorated the office in the same manner as Pearl Harbor was used exceedingly often. While not the best quality print, it was workable and far better than what was used before.

The paper in his hands was a supply request; nothing uncommon. While the document looked imposing as it had multiple pages, it was the same as any other. He skimmed through it quickly, double-checking if he didn't miss anything before signing it off with a sharp scratch of his pen. He put it to the side and took another off the tall stack that stood before him.

"Here you go," Cleveland said warmly, placing the cup of freshly brewed coffee on his desk.

"Thanks." Sovereign accepted the mug, sparing her a quick glance before he dived back into the paper.

Cleveland hummed lightly and strode behind him, hanging her arms over his shoulders and resting her chin on his head. The affection was more than welcome despite it being quite a common occurrence. It brought a warm smile to his lips, tempting him to pick the mug up and take a sip of the coffee. He swiftly laid the mug down ― freeing his hand to softly lay a hand over hers, rubbing it gently to reciprocate the affection shown by her.

"Now that I think of it," Sovereign mused, eyes slowly flickering up to make contact with Cleveland's own. "It's the first of November."

"Obviously." Cleveland grinned, not knowing what could possibly be going through his mind. "Is it special?"

"It's both our birthday today," Sovereign answered, a light tone to his words. 

"Wait, what?!" Cleveland recoiled from the sudden information, her hands leaving the soft grip of his hand. "I haven't bought any presents yet!"

'I completely forgot!'

Sovereign chuckled at her frankly cute reaction, focus firmly off the paperwork at hand. "Spending time with you is good enough, but how about we leave some work for tomorrow?"