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The sun mercilessly beat down on the Umamusume running around Tracen's practice track. Luckily, McQueen had been instructed to take the time to "study up" for the day by the team's trainer, so she opted for sitting under the shade of a large tree overlooking the field, book in hand, with a few other books to her side.
"Hmm... I should check my running posture in the mirror sometime, I hadn't realized the unconscious bad habits one might develop..."
She skims through the instructional book, taking note of which pages list important information, when she hears footsteps approaching and a sleepy greeting from nearby.
"Oh, McQueen," Teio says in the middle of yawning. "Are you off the track for today?"
McQueen looks up from her book, smiling at her. "Teio..." the girl in question gives a smile with half-lidded eyes. "Yes, I've been recommended to do some reading since I've done some strength training for the past few sessions. You seem...tired. Are you okay?"
She pats the empty space next to her wordlessly and Teio parks herself right beside McQueen.
"I don't think I got enough rest last night," She says. She leans against McQueen's shoulder, startling the other girl initially but she leans back against Teio as well, her head resting on top of the other girl's.
McQueen smiles softly and shuts the book, puts it off to the side. "Sleep deprivation, then?"
"Mmm..." Teio mumbles. She was usually so full of energy, seeing this other side to her was refreshing to McQueen. Teio's ears droop as she nuzzles her cheek against McQueen's shoulder. The action makes McQueen's heart seize up and her words get caught in her throat. She actively tries not to tense up, wanting to make sure the other girl is as comfortable as possible.
Teio was being so... incredibly cute right now. What was she going to do? All McQueen wanted to do was spoil her right now.
McQueen hesitates for a moment, then carefully takes Teio's hand into her own. Despite her fatigue, Teio very readily laces their fingers together. McQueen's stomach is doing flips and her face grows ten times redder than it was a second ago; she's very glad Teio isn't looking directly at her right now.
She lowers her voice barely above a whisper and says, "I'm surprised trainer didn't tell you to take the day off."
"He did... but I saw you here, and I wanted to say hi first."
Another direct hit to McQueen's heart. She swallows thickly and her tail flicks around a bit, and Teio giggles softly. Maybe she was the one getting spoiled today.
"Teio..."
"Mhmm?" McQueen lightly squeezes Teio's hand with her own.
"You really should get some rest."
"But I am." Teio laughs quietly into McQueen's shoulder. Her next words come out slightly muffled. "McQueen, you smell really nice."
As McQueen feels the warmth of Teio's breath through her shirt and hears that comment, any amount of willpower she had to persuade Teio to go to bed immediately dies.
The two sit together, silent for a few moments save for the sounds of their breaths. The noises of the Umamusume training this afternoon were sounding further and further away, as if the two were in their own private world.
Teio's free hand trails up McQueen's arm, eventually drawing shapes on it very lazily. McQueen shivers and her chest tightens up and her eyes flutter, also growing half-lidded.
Ahhh, gosh... What am I going to do with you? McQueen thinks. She is powerless against the smile that overtakes her face.
Still... She should get some form of rest... Oh-
"Teio...?" She calls softly.
"Mmm?"
"I-if you're that tired, you really should get some rest. Why don't you...lay down?" She doesn't verbally specify where, but pats her legs with her free hand.
Teio giggles and presses herself against McQueen again.
"Aw, but I just got comfy..." Despite her complaining, she slowly detaches herself from McQueen's side. McQueen suddenly feels much colder and she almost regrets it until she feels the weight of Teio's head on her thighs. Her blinks take longer and longer, but she faces up and locks eyes with McQueen, who looks down at her with an unreadable expression.
"...McQueen."
"Yes?"
"Your face is so...red right now," Teio says. Her own face colors as well after saying so. "It's cute."
McQueen's face burns hot. She wants to hide away, but she can't pull her eyes away from the girl on her lap. Her heart feels like it's melting and like she might die, and yet, she's never felt more alive than now.
"You're so unreasonable," she mumbles. The adoration she has for Teio seeps into her voice, and she says, "you're plenty cute yourself."
Teio's blush deepens and she almost covers her face with her hand, but McQueen catches it with her own and smiles fondly, her thumb stroking the back of Teio's hand. Teio lets out an almost muffled squeak, not expecting the sudden forwardness from the other girl.
"H-hey, that's not fair...!" McQueen laughs at her protests, and Teio averts her gaze.
"Teio...?"
"Y-yeah...?" The girl in question pouts slightly, still looking away. McQueen decides to press a little further.
"Teio," she repeats, slower, a lilt in her voice. She keeps her gaze trained on her. "Would you look at me?"
"Mmrgh..."
Teio screws her eyes shut. McQueen lets go of Teio's hand and instead places her own hand on the other girl's head, carefully beginning to card through her hair. Teio lets out another muffled noise, and she fidgets.
Her hair is so soft... McQueen thinks.
"Please?" She leans her head lower, closer to Teio's. Her hair spills over her shoulders and falls, tickling Teio's nose. The floral scent of her shampoo wafts by.
Teio's eyes slowly open and she meets McQueen's gaze. All she can see is McQueen, and the curtain of purple around her.
McQueen smiles at her as if there wasn't anything else more precious in the world. "Good girl," she breathes.
Teio's face is fully red as her breathing quickens and her stomach does flips, and all she can get out is, "ah, uh, um-"
Seeing Teio struggle to form words, McQueen laughs. Her heart feels light. Amidst her laughter, Teio covers her face successfully and groans, knowing the sound of McQueen's voice will stick in her ears.
"I thought you wanted me to get some rest..." Teio says, weakly. "How am I supposed to fall asleep like this...?"
McQueen calms down, and leans her back against the trunk of the tree. "I suppose that is true," she says, mirth leftover in her voice. Then, she has another idea. "Would you like me to read to you?"
"Eh?" Teio calms down and moves her hands away, looking at McQueen.
"I didn't just bring educational books," She explains, looking over to the pile next to her. She spots the one she was looking for, and pulls it up."Perhaps you might fall asleep easier with a story."
Teio sees the cover from below, and says the name aloud in confusion. "The... Disco Zombie Apocalypse From Space...?"
McQueen's eyes light up. "Yes! I heard it was a unique reimagining of history. The alien zombies come in during the industrial revolution and completely change the way music culture develops. An actor I like was set to play the lead, so I wanted to look at the source material."
Teio smiles at the excitement in her voice; only she would be so passionate about such a weird sounding plot. And yet, as she heard her describe more details, she couldn't help getting interested in it herself.
McQueen stops mid-rant as she realizes she'd been rambling a bit and coughs, face flushed pink slightly. Cute, Teio muses.
"A-anyways. I'll begin reading from the start, so you can understand the story better. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, go ahead," Teio says. She stretches her arms out and shifts her head around on McQueen's thighs, getting more comfortable. The action makes the pink in McQueen's face a darker color, but she ignores it and begins to read.
As Teio listens to the soft tones of her voice, McQueen returns her other hand to Teio's head, removing it only when the time to turn a page arrives. She brushes through Teio's hair softly, enjoying the feel, and Teio sighs contentedly, letting herself be completely enveloped in the combination of calming sensations. Her tail lazily brushes against McQueen's, and they both slowly wrap around each other.
It almost feels like a waste to sleep now, Teio thinks. She starts to nod off into a peaceful nap. Guess I'll just look forward to the next time then...
When McQueen notices the other girl has fallen asleep, she closes the book and puts it aside. She must have been pretty tired, McQueen thinks. Next time I'll prepare a few other options...
She closes her eyes as she yawns and leans back against the tree again, her fingers slowly coming to a standstill against Teio's head as she, too, falls asleep.