Chapter Text
Vignette 1 - Tokai Teio: A Visit
Rapping his knuckles against the fake wooden door, he hesitated for a few moments before a cheery voice beckoned him in, the man slipping through the doorframe and into the private room, leaving the buzz and busyness of the hospital behind for the moment.
“Hi hiii!” Greeted the girl sat upright in the bed, propped up by the pillows behind her. Waving with a free hand while her other hand was seemingly busy scrolling through her phone, Teio tilted her head, smiling at him. “How's it going?”
Despite the circumstances, Teio was no less cheery than usual, seemingly putting on a brave face despite her predicament. “I smuggled something in for you.” The man mused with a playful grin, reaching into his along bag and digging around the large interior pocket. “Don't let the nurses find the wrapper.” He warned, brandishing an extra-large sized bag of sour gummy worms, the horsegirl’s eyes bulging out at the sight.
Snatching the candy from her Trainer's hand without so much a ‘thank you’, Teio squealed in excitement as she celebrated in her hospital bed, punching her fists into the air in celebration. "Yes yes yes!"
“Settle down,” he warned, suddenly wondering if it had really been a good idea to get Teio the sugary contraband she was so fond of. “Don't cause a-”
It was too late. In her haste, the horsegirl had gone to tear open the bag of candy and had met unexpected resistance as it refused to budge - and when she applied just a bit more gusto to the act, the plastic suddenly gave way, causing her Herculean strength to tear the packaging asunder, sending gummy worms and sugar flying across her bed as she gasped.
Throwing her head back in laughter, Teio quickly snatched up a previously airborne gummyworm and shoved it into her mouth, earning a disapproving shake of the head, exasperated sigh, but understanding smile from her Trainer all at once. “I warned you…”
Sticking her tongue out at him, Teio continued to munch on her newfound snacks. “Your fault for bringing ‘em in the first place!”
“Don't talk with your mouth full, it's rude.” He chided, unable to truly bring himself to ridicule her.
Sitting down in a chair beside the bed, he watched as his ward busied herself with demolishing her bag of candy even further, Teio brushing away any stray sugar out of the sheets and onto the floor. “Top Gun dropped by earlier,” she mentioned, holding a gummy out to her Trainer as a peace offering, which he accepted. “Said that people keep leaving flowers at our dorm room! She would've brought ‘em, but she accidentally stepped on them when leaving since she didn't know they were there…”
A laugh shared between the two, Teio’s expression suddenly shifting downwards as her ears flattened against her skull. “It's not like I died or anything, y'know. I'll be back at it in no time! Geez, some people…”
Cheesing away with her trademark smile and closed eyes, it struck him almost as if she was trying to not look at her plaster-casted leg - as if not seeing it would make it disappear. He offered up a smile to try to reignite her energy. “It'll be a long road, but each day is a little bit closer to getting back on the track.”
“Mhm!” She agreed, chewing away at another gummy worm, her equine ears having perked right back up. “ And kicking ass!”
He chose to not correct her use of language there. Between her record on the track and what she has been going through since the accident, he felt that she had earned it - though hopefully she would keep her sailor's mouth in good order when Rudolf or McQueen were around.
The pair settled into a comfortable silence, Teio eventually rolling up the bag of candy and tucking it underneath her pillow for later. “How'd training go today?” She asked, a question she had for him every single time he visited.
He shrugged. “McQueen’s been running well. The rest of them, though…”
Another shared laugh, Teio all too well-aware of the slacker tendencies of her teammates. “Just tell ‘em that I told ‘em to smarten up! That'll whip ‘em into shape.”
“You very well might be the least-threatening horsegirl on the team, Teio.”
“Whaaaat? Even less than Special Week?” She asked in mock disbelief, unable to suppress a giggle before she continued. “Golshi always listens to what I tell her to do, y'know.”
“Don’t lie - she doesn't even listen to what I tell her to do.”
More laughter. It was like they were back in the team room on campus again. “Hey Coach.”
“What's up?”
“They're not gonna leave me behind, right?”
He paused, his gaze shifting from the sunlit window to the horsegirl's smiling expression. She was smiling through her worry, putting on a brave face even as unknown futures ate away at her.
Standing, he carefully sat himself down on the bed beside her, reaching out to affirmingly clap her on the shoulder - just like he always did before her races. “They couldn't out-run you even if they tried, Teio.”
She was clearly smiling through her inner pain and turmoil - but smiling nevertheless. Her light brown hair slightly disheveled from over a week in the hospital, the horsegirl let out a deep sigh.
“Yeah. You're right.”
“Wanna watch more of that show you like?” He wasn't trying to deflect her from it, not at all. But he knew the difference between meaningful reflections and unnecessary ruminations, and that particular question of hers was trending towards the latter.
“Sure, Coach.”
Grabbing the remote, he stood and spun his chair around to line up beside her, Teio a head and a half taller thanks to the height of the bed. All the same, the two of them lounged back as he flipped through the TV screens to pick out the girl's show of choice, settling in for a few hours of hanging out before the staff kicked him out.