Archive of Our Own ^beta

The slight murmur of wind in the leaves and birdsong slowly dragged Baltimore into wakefulness, the soft golden glow of the morning sun illuminating the room she shared with her beloved little sister, Bremerton. Idly, Baltimore was aware of the arm wrapped around her waist and the immense softness pressing into her back, and the thoughts and sensations brought a blush to her cheeks, smiling lightly as she thought about the pink-haired love of her life holding her from behind.

While she was vaguely aware of how the humans would view their relationship, it didn't matter to her. They were kansen, the war-goddesses of the sea, and they were unbound by the conventions of human standards.

However, it had still been a shock when, after what had seemed to Baltimore as just another tennis match against her sister, Bremerton stopped her in the lockerroom showers and confessed her love, uncharacteristically unsure of herself. Baltimore herself had been dumbstruck, unable to form a responce until Bremerton, regaining a bit of her usual confidence, surged forward and kissed her, breaking the trance and causing Baltimore to lean into the kiss, the two eventually breaking apart to draw breath.

"Sorry, Balti, but I've been wanting to do that for so long now." Bremerton had said, grinning at the name-ship of their class. "Been waiting for a good time to confess, but I was worried you'd turn me down, but I just couldn't let this go."

While at first Baltimore's shyness about love had made things awkward, she quickly warmed up to the idea after the first few dates, and now was perfectly comfortable with spending the rest of her life with her sister, though she was still shy about displays of affection in public, though she knew that such relationships like theirs were common in the Azur Isles.

Suddenly, the arm around her waist squeezed, and the cheerful voice of Bremerton chimed out "Good morning, Balti~", accompanied by a kiss to the nape of her neck from lips that knew every inch of her.

"Good morning, Brem. Been up long?" Baltimore asked, leaning back into the comfort of her beloved's embrace.

"Just long enough to admire. We should probably get up soon though. Bismarck wanted to talk to me today, and today's a date day."

"Mmm. Just let me enjoy this a little longer, Brem."

Yes, Baltimore reflected. It was a good morning indeed, waking up with the one you love.

-=(0v0)=-

Half an hour later, and Baltimore was in the kitchen, sipping at a cup of fresh coffee, brewed by her loving wife, watching in comfortable silence as Bremerton seemed to dance as she went about her morning, the ever-cheerful counselor moving in time with the constant lo-fi that they kept playing in the background, each note and beat emphasized by the flow of movement that came from Bremerton's own martial arts training.

Finally, right on the last note of the song, Bremerton sashayed over to Baltimore, punctuating the minute gap between one track and the next with a surprise kiss, earning her a fond smile as she swiped her own mug full of morning brew and took a hearty swig. "Perfectly timed, as always, dear." Baltimore complimented, moving to lean against her pink-haired love, Bremerton's head resting against her shoulder in turn.

"Mmm. Thanks, Balti. I know you love watching my routine, so I couldn't help but put on a show~" Bremerton giggled, bumping her hip against Baltimore's playfully.

Leaning against each other in companionable silence, the two finished their coffee, and after placing their mugs in the sink, went back to their bedroom in order to get dressed for the day. For Baltimore, this meant a comfortable pair of faded jeans and a wrap-around shirt that was more like a tunic, and her favourite necklace, a gift from Bremerton for their anniversery last year. Looking over at her wife, Baltimore saw Bremerton had went with her normal casual outfit, but had added a pair of light purple leggings underneath, making the already cute cruiser look even cuter to Baltimore's admittedly biased eyes.

Together they walked out of their room, Bremerton only pausing to grab her work satchel as she passed by it, and proceeded to walk out the door, the cool morning breeze and birdsong still present, filling the scene with a serene beauty, the scent of the flowers from their little garden wafting by. "Time for me to go to work, Balti. Love you!" Bremerton said, kissing Baltimore firmly on the lips, then turning and jogging along the payh towards the main port.

Smiling gently, though admittedly missing her sister already, Baltimore returned inside, intent on taking things easy today. After all, gone were the days of needing to be ready to fight at a moment's notice. Now she could just be Baltimore, wife and older sister of Bremerton, and that's all she really needed to be.