Chapter Text
the ocean in tokyo stretched out in shimmering blue, sunlit waves rising and falling in a lazy rythym. the breeze carried a scent of salt and sunscreen, the heat of the day softened by the occasional spray from the water.
today team spica had decided, against mcqueen’s better judgement, that a ‘casual beach day’ would be good for morale.
special week was already up to her knees in the water, splashing with childlike enthusiasm while vodka tried (and failed) to pretend like she wasn’t having fun, and daiwa scarlet sat on her towel glaring every time a gust of wind threatened to tangle her hair.
mcqueen has staked her spot under the shade of a purple parasol, towel perfectly laid out, her hair pinned back neatly so not a strand was out of place. she sat reading a book, enjoying her own company as everybody else ran around the beach. her sunglasses hid most of her expression, but anybody paying attention could tell that she had no intentions of stepping anywhere near the shoreline. its not as if she hated fun, she just hated the mess that came with the beach.
she’d even rolled her towel twice to ensure the edge wouldn’t touch any damp sand.
“an elegant retreat from the horrors of seawater,” she told herself. she was perfectly content.
or at least .. she was. until she noticed a crazed gold ship.
halfway down the beach, the taller girl had somehow convinced toukai teio to dig a “race track” in the sand. gold ship wore just her swimsuit, skin already catching the sun, her glasses slightly tipping off the top of her head. her hair was down, a rare sight to see. it fell into her eyes as she worked, occasionally trying to blow it away. there was a small piece of seaweed sticking to her leg as she ran, her bracelets moving with a ‘click!’ with each step she took. even from a distance, mcqueen could tell, she was glancing over at her. a lot.
mcqueen ignored her. or tried to.
it was always impossible to tell what gold ship was thinking at any given time, but one thing mcqueen had learned; if she caught her looking, it was only a matter of time before something ridiculous happened.
and as if right on cue, gold ship abandoned her half-built sand track, muttered something to teio, and jogged off toward the boardwalk.
mcqueen tried not to think much of it, until she saw her heading back. cradling a giant, high capacity water gun, its bright red plastic gleaming menacingly in the sun while she pumped the handle with exaggerated slowness.
mcqueen stiffened.
she looked up just in time to see gold ship couched low, stalking through the sand like some predator in a swimsuit.
“don’t you dare.” mcqueens voice was calm, even, but her eyes sharpened into a warning.
gold ship tilted her head, drawing a fake innocence. “don’t i dare what? it’s just a… delivery of hydration in this horrible heat.”
“hydration is not necessary when one is is already hydrated.”
gold ship’s smirk deepened. “that’s quitter talk!”
before mcqueen could fire back, a sharp pssshhht! cut through the air.
the jet of water hit her bare shoulder with an icy precision. mcqueen gasped, jerking upright. droplets ran down her arm and over her collarbone, making her book slip from her grasp.
“i said i wasn’t getting wet!” she hissed, clutching the towel around herself like a shield.
“that’s the thing, mac-chan..” gold ship prowled closer to her, twirling the smaller gun she held in her hand like some smug outlaw, “..you look so good wet.” she teased, continuing to step closer with that maddening calm.
mcqueen blinked, a blank stare facing gold ship as her face started flushing at the phrasing. “you are insufferable.” she sighed as she regained her composure, “i told you i wasn’t getting in the water.”
gold ship let out a small laugh, leaning down until her shadow fell over the purple haired girl, “you set the rules just so i can break them.”
mcqueen’s face heated instantly. “that’s absurd.”
the taller girl bends down, bringing the two at eye level. “is it? you sit near me at every outing. you look at me as if you’re not sure to strangle me or-”
“-finish that sentence and you’ll regret it,” mcqueen cuts in, but her voice lacked its usual steel.
for just a heartbeat, gold ship’s grin faltered. there was something else there, something less playful and far more dangerous in the way she looked at mcqueen, as if she was testing how far she could go.
mcqueen made the first move.
she stood, slow and deliberate, brushing sand from her legs until she was standing close enough that the water gun was pressed between them.
“you should be careful,” she said evenly, eyes locked on gold ship. “if you push too far, you might end up in a situation you can’t handle.”
gold ship’s breath hitched, though her smile stayed in its place. “...and what would you do if i couldn’t handle it?”
mcqueen leaned in, just enough for her voice to drop. “take the lead.”
the silence between them thickened, the sound of the waves somehow distant now.
then mcqueen’s hand shot out, not to shove her away, but to take the water gun right from her grip. gold ship let go instantly, caught off guard.
she leveled the weapon in her chest, “i wouldn’t waste water on you,” she mumbled, her tone calm but sharp, “i’d make you ask for it first.”
gold ship opened her mouth, probably to deflect with a joke, but she didn’t get the chance. mcqueen dropped the water gun onto the sand and stepped past her without another word.
it took gold ship a moment to follow, jogging to catch up. “hey, wait—are you actually going in the water now?”
mcqueen glanced over her shoulders, lips tugging into a faint smirk. “if i am, it’s not because of you.”
when they reached the shoreline, mcqueen stopped, just shy of the waves. she let the foam curled over her toes without stepping deeper. she stood there, staring out at the horizon like the rest of the world didn’t exist.
gold ship slowed beside her. “you know… you really don’t make it easy to tell where we stand.”
“that’s because you don’t listen carefully,” mcqueen said, voice quieter, almost a little frightened now. “if i didn’t want you here, you wouldn’t be.”
the breeze carried her words, leaving gold ship uncharacteristically still.
“...guess i’m staying, then.” she said softly.
they stayed there for a long moment, shoulder to shoulder, waves rushing in and stealing the sand from beneath their feet.
it wasn’t until gold ship’s fingers gently brushed mcqueens; just barely, just enough to test, that her hand twitched in the smallest acknowledgment.
they didn’t hold hands, but neither of them pulled away.