Airplane of Lust pt2 END

STRIKE WITCHES-fanfic. Minna finds herself suddenly wrestling an uncharacteristic bout of intense lusting, and it is not towards the person she would have thought.
The final chapter.
(Minna/Gertrude, one-sided Minna/Mio, Mio/Yoshika)

Read AIRPLANE OF LUST pt2 END

Disclaimer in pt 1.




AIRPLANE OF LUST pt 2 END
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by Carola “Ryûchan” Eriksson





Minna couldn't decide whether to glare at Mio or just laugh hysterically. She sighed and did neither, unconsciously pouting reproachfully at the other woman that just stood there, all clueless and normal. Mio didn't even look impatient, she just stood there waiting.

'I am having inappropriate and lustful thoughts concerning one of the young women under my command' was what Minna meant to say, albeit somewhat reluctantly. In a move she really should have expected given how the day had gone so far, her brain short-circuited and overtook her mouth, and out spilled just about everything in one lengthy and scrambled mess.

At first Mio looked surprised. Then as Minna rambled on, the older woman blinked. Finally, once Minna had run out of words and merely lay back on her desk, moaning internally, Mio scratched at the back of her neck. She did not, however, laugh. It was always something.

"So. You are telling me you are in love with... ?" Mio began slowly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Trude." Minna's response was quick and instinctive, and it made her blush as she had not even considered the possibility that what she felt was more than merely lust yet. She was just so grateful that during that uncontrolled drivel she had somehow managed to keep both Mio's and Gertrude's names omitted that she had given the first response that came to mind.

"Ah, Barkhorn." Mio nodded with an air of approval. "She is a good woman, a strong, capable soldier, and loyal. A good choice." Minna wanted to point out that choice did not really factor into it, although she agreed with Mio's assessment of Trude's qualities. "I don't see why you being her commanding officer should be an obstacle."

"What is the problem?"

"What is the problem?!" Minna's mouth worked for a moment without actually managing to produce any sound out of sheer outrage. How could Mio be so flippant about her problem? "Everything is!" With some effort she calmed herself down. "Where would you like me to start? We're both female, I am her commanding officer, and even if the first two weren't a problem she is just too young. I am also her friend, a member of her family, and that makes me the last person that should think of her this way. It just isn't right."

Mio tilted her head slightly, still without the slightest trace of judgement in her voice or expression. "Is that all?"

Minna couldn't help but chuckle briefly. "That wasn't enough? Give me some time and I'll make you a list."

They shared an oddly exasperated smile at that, before Mio frowned a little and turned towards the windows.

"You... wanted my... advice? Is that right?" That the normally so straightforward Mio would speak so hesitantly was greatly disconcerting, but Minna dared not interrupt. Despite the wording Mio wasn't really asking a question, it was rather a lead-in for her to give voice to whatever she was thinking.

"I think you should speak to her. Your situation is not nearly as bleak as you seem to think it is."

Minna wasn't entirely sure whether or not she had just been insulted by her friend, and wanted to say so, but the pensive expression on Mio's face as she gazed out the window stopped her. Usually Mio did not do pensive.

"You are very fortunate." The words were barely more than a whisper. "Barkhorn is a good and serious person, even should she not reciprocate your feelings she would never hold them against you or think less of you for it."

"I don't think your case is that much without hope though. It is rather obvious that she already holds you dear, and she doesn't seem the type to dismiss you out of hand. She also knows who she is and what she wants well enough that whatever answer you receive will be a true one, one that she will stand by. Loyalty is another of her foremost traits, so if the two of you do become involved, it is doubtful she would ever..." Mio sighed. "... stray."

"Don't wait and hesitate so long in telling her that whatever chance you had is..." Something passed over Mio's expression, causing Minna to sit up straighter in surprise. "... just gone."

What was this? Mio the oblivious, speaking about lost chances at love? Minna felt her face heat up and was distantly grateful that the room was not lit. Could she have been wrong about Mio?

"You... It sounds like you are speaking from experience." Minna carefully got up and eased around the edge of the desk, leaning against it while facing Mio. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It is just a situation somewhat more complicated and hopeless than your own." Mio smiled slightly, but it was a tight expression that felt altogether false. "Let's just say I had the chance once to speak up but did not, thinking it was not yet the right time to, and before I knew it someone else had caught her eye."

Minna felt a bit dizzy. It couldn't be her that Mio was referring to, could it? No, she was beginning to realize that she was more or less over her long infatuation for Mio, it would be the ultimate cruel joke of destiny to have Mio express romantic interest for her now. She couldn't be that unlucky... could she?

"'She'... is a fellow witch, right?" When would Mio of all people ever have had the time to meet anyone outside of the service, after all? "It isn't Perrine, is it?"

Minna couldn't quite keep the distaste from her voice as she said it. Over Mio or not, if it turned out that Perrine was the one Mio was unhappily in love with Minna would just have to go out and shoot herself. The end.

"Perrine?" Mio's wide-eyed shock was gratifying to see. "Why on earth would I... Perrine?"

It was probably inappropriate to grin, but Minna couldn't help herself. Apparently her expression made Mio think Minna had been trying to joke to put her at ease, because her expression lightened as well, a small but genuine smile appearing. "No reason."

"Honestly." Mio shook her head, still smiling a little. "It is someone I have loved for a very long time. It doesn't matter, it would have been utterly inappropriate anyway."

"Since you seem to think that Trude and I would not be as inappropriate as I do, that rather rules out both her and myself." Again Mio looked startled at the suggestion, but Minna tried not to take offense. "Honestly, my guess would have been Miyafuji, but when you say... that..."

She trailed off, blinking. "Miyafuji?" A slight but decisive nod accompanied the very guilty look Minna's words had caused. "But... you said 'for a very long time', and..."

"I loved her long before we ever met, ever since I was a small girl and she was a child."

"Wait." Minna pinched the bridge of her nose. "I know you practically grew up with Dr. Miyafuji, but I also know that our Miyafuji was in Fuso for all that time, separated from her father. There's no way the two of you could have had any contact back then."

"We didn't. Dr Miyafuji spoke of her often and with great enthusiasm... as I said it is complicated." Mio sighed again. "It doesn't matter anyway. Even if there had not been so many years between us and I had not been her mentor and teacher, I... I am not what she wants."

Minna grimaced slightly in sympathy, she understood well why Mio felt depressed thinking about it all. Young Miyafuji was a walking teenage hormone bomb, eagerly and excessively chasing the latest bouncing chest that passed in her line of sight. She wasn't a bad person by any means, just young and confused, and far too easily ruled by those raging hormones. It was not too uncommon a thing for witches, probably because they were all thrown out into the frontlines of war at the onset of those difficult hormone-laden years when youngsters were supposed to discover themselves.

Little over a year ago Erica had been the same way, Minna could not remember how many times Trude had been forced to yank Erica out of the bed of some civilian girl, while Minna herself tried to appease the angry father, boyfriend or, on one or two occasions, husband. The base still occasionally received love-letters from Suomus for Eila, and Shirley's arrival had caused a massive upheaval at the time as well. But to be in love with someone afflicted by this 'young witch' malady? No, Minna certainly did not envy that.

Remembering her own recent bout of rampant lusting, Minna felt faintly grateful that if nothing else at least the focus of her currently quite raging hormones was one person.

Wordlessly she hugged Mio, knowing there was little she could say to make things better. She will outgrow it? Mio already knew that, she'd seen it before too, but that didn't make it any easier to bear, not any more likely that Miyafuji would come out on the other side of it reciprocating Mio's feelings, or even single at all for that matter. That she should give up, let it go, and that there would be other women out there that would love her friend back? No, certainly not, she was not that callous nor would she be the one to make Mio's life more awkward by making her notice her stalkers. She had no advice to give, but perhaps just being there, being a friend Mio could talk to, would be enough.

"You win. Your situation is a tiny bit more complicated than mine." Minna said softly after stepping out of the long hug. "I won't complain any more." She winked, trying for a lighter air. "Shall we get back to work?"

Mio nodded but looked slightly amused as she made for the door. "You can complain all you like, that's fine. But at least consider doing something about it as well."

She stopped in the doorway, giving Minna a raised eyebrow over the shoulder. "But you know, in my case there is an age difference of five years." A single brown eye had Minna pinned to the spot. "I don't know if it is something you have come up with as an excuse, or as self-defence, in which case I am sorry for mentioning it, but... you seem to have forgotten that you and Barkhorn are the same age."

With that Mio was gone, leaving a stunned Minna to stare unseeing at the empty doorway.

The same age? Minna started thinking hard about it. Well, it was true that Gertrude was younger than Minna herself, but the age difference measured in months rather than years. Why had she held Trude to be Erica's age all this time?

That made it a tiny bit better, didn't it? She was still lusting mindlessly over a close friend, but at least that friend was an adult as well. Compared to how Miyafuji had just turned fifteen a short while ago... now that must feel practically criminal to even consider, and for someone as strict and proper as Mio? She winced once more with sympathy.

Very well. Talking to Mio had been a little more helpful than she had imagined, while she did not exactly know what to do about things at least she felt a little less like panicking mindlessly which was no small improvement. Unfortunately she had not come to any conclusion yet, and it was true that she needed to get back to work. The war did not stop simply because she needed some time to get her affairs in order, Minna told herself sternly and walked over to her desk, intending to go over her schedule.

She had just gotten properly started, mentally making a note that she needed to go intimidate the boys in maintenance because they were slacking off with their reports again, when there was a brisk knock on her door. Absently she gave permission to enter, quickly leafing through several sheets before looking up to see who had come in.

"Do you have a moment?" Gertrude, all crisp and pressed and spotless as usual, only glanced at her briefly before looking away. Minna's blush made an instant reappearance.

"Ahem. Yes. Yes of course." Clearing her throat discreetly because her voice had gone embarrassingly squeaky suddenly, Minna tried to will her face to stop heating. "What is on your mind, Trude?"

A warm wave of fondness came over her as she watched the tall girl fidget and dark eyes wander just about everywhere in the room except towards Minna herself. Sweet, precious and lovable Trude, stubborn to a fault and loudly so when she thought herself in the right, but surprisingly shy deep down.

"Is there, ah..." Gertrude straightened her posture and tucked both arms behind her back. It was adorable. "Is everything alright, Minna?"

"I'm fine." Minna smiled, a little surprised at how much she really wanted to brush the bangs from out of Trude's eyes. "Were you worried? I know I've been acting strange lately, and I apologize. There is just something on my mind."

From the frowning and worried expression she was faced with, Trude was not nearly placated by such a brief explanation. So Minna tried again, and this time her voice was unconsciously softer when she spoke.

"It is something I need to work out for myself. It might make me act a bit silly sometimes, but I promise it is nothing bad or related to the war."

"Have I... done something to upset you?"

"What? No!" Minna hurried around the desk towards her friend. "What makes you think... No, you haven't done anything."

"But I have." Trude ducked her head as Minna reached her, once more avoiding eye contact. "I have angered you, or made you disappointed in me. You avoid me and can't even stand to look at me. You don't do it with the others, just me, so I must have done something."

"Won't you tell me what I did? Won't you let me make it better?"

"Oh Trude, no!" Minna gasped and impulsively hugged the other girl. "You haven't done anything wrong!"

"I know it is not work-related. You wouldn't fail to decide a punishment for me if that was the case, not that I can think of anything that would call for it now. So that means it has to be personal."

"Listen to me." Minna stepped back just enough to be able to reach up to cup Trude's face with both hands, gently urging the other girl to look her in the eye. "It isn't you, and I'm not angry with you or disappointed in any way. I am the one with a problem, and I've acted badly because of it."

"I, that is, the reason..." Dark brown eyes looked at her expectantly and Minna found herself utterly unable to think looking into them. "I..."

She never consciously decided to reach up and capture Trude in a kiss, but as her mind blanked out her body simply took over. The kiss was sweeter than anything she would have dared to let herself imagine, and Trude's lips were so soft and warm... and unfortunately utterly still and unresponsive.

Coming back to herself Minna hurriedly let go of Trude and stepped back, no longer caring if her face was on fire or if she felt decidedly dizzy. She was worried how Trude would react but she was afraid to see exactly how much damage she had done. When the silence dragged on she had to will herself to speak.

"Well," She said weakly, with a touch of tired irony in her voice. "that is my problem. Didn't quite intend to let you know about it this way though."

"I'm not Major Sakamoto." Trude said very quietly after another moment of silence. Looking up Minna saw the sad expression she wore and felt her own heart clench in miserable reaction.

"Of course not." Minna's words held gentle conviction, hoping Trude would believe her. "I wouldn't have kissed you if you were."

Brown eyes widened in surprise and disbelief, and Minna ruefully regretted how much a fool she must have made out of herself over Mio all this time. "I think you know how very dear Mio is to me, but I swear that I have never nor would I ever try to kiss her. There is only one person I find myself wanting to kiss."

"Really?" The shy question was spoken quietly but with an undeniable touch of longing, and hearing it made Minna feel decidedly more optimistic.

"Yes. It is the same person who causes me to lose control over my actions lately." Her smile turned downright flirtatious. "I'd love to prove it to you better, but you know what they say... not before the first date."

"D-date? You want a date... with me?"

"Very much so." Giving in to her urge Minna reached up to brush gently at Trude's hair. "But only if you think you might like to go on one with me as well. I won't think anything less of you if you say no, just as I sincerely hope you won't think any less of me for feeling this way."

While not verbal, Trude's wide-eyed and enthusiastic nodding was more than answer enough. The sight of the other girl's head bobbing excessively up and down like just once or twice would not have been enough was too cute, and Minna felt her heart lighten at the sight.

"Yes?" She smiled, feeling a bubbling of happy excitement inside. "We won't have any time off for a while, so I'm afraid we can't go anywhere for a date just yet. How does you, me, my room, dinner and music sound for now?"

"Tonight?" Trude sounded so hopeful. "Barring Neuroi attack, of course."

"Of course." Minna agreed a tad more cheerfully than anything that had the name Neuroi attached to it called for, but she didn't care about that for this one moment in time. "That means that we will have to go back to work now, though, otherwise it will be a very late dinner."

Already she was thinking of how much of her schedule she could rope Mio into taking on, just so that they'd free up the evening. Mio would be understanding about it, although she would probably make her amusement over Minna's premature whining quite clear. Ah well, which one of them was having a date with a beautiful woman? Mio could smirk all she wanted.

Long, strong arms wrapped around her and pulled Minna into a sudden hug that was just a tiny bit shy of crushing. After the initial moment of surprise Minna just melted. It was everything she had dreamt of the night before, everything she had longed for. The warmth, the scent, the feeling of security, of rightness. Sighing a little she cuddled closer, content.

The sensation of lips very close to her ear made her shiver, before she even realized that Trude was whispering her name.

"I have loved you for so very long, Minna."

Before she could react Minna found herself lifted slightly onto her toes and rather thoroughly and passionately kissed. The kissing went on until Minna was completely out of breath, weak in the knees and leaning against the doorway.

Trude, blushing prettily as she backed out of the room, cleared her throat a little and nodded with an awkward approximation of her usual briskness. "Tonight, then." Then, with a big smile, she spun around and sprinted down the hallway.

Behind her Minna, still sagging against the doorframe, stared after Trude while getting her bearings back. She chuckled softly to herself before straightening and turning back to her desk to face her duties, sparing a few final thoughts to the preparations for her date.

She needed candles, and to make a few requests to the kitchen. There was also that bottle of wine that she had saved for a special occasion... and perhaps that green dress hidden in her closet, she doubted Trude had ever seen her wear it before. Minna spared a glance out the window.

Truly, the world could change in just the span of a day or two. How rare it was when it did for the better.