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200 meters left! Agnes Tachyon takes the lead!
Agnes Tachyon is leading by six lengths! Jungle Pocket can’t catch up!
Agnes Tachyon! Agnes Tachyon! Is it Tachyon? Is It Pocket?
It’s Tachyon! She crosses the finish line!
Agnes Tachyon takes the first crown!
It repeats. Over and over again.
Shattered, boneless.
Nothing but the bright light that faded into the darkness.
That plan was never meant to succeed, anyway. She knows that much.
Stuck in the research room, itching to run, itching to go outside and feel the grass and dirt against her feet once more; it’s tantalizing; it’s torture.
It repeats, in her head, stuck in a swirl of a never ending hurricane against her thoughts forever. Maybe she should never experiment again on herself, and leave it up to the rest.
She watches, and watches, and watches. Pocket wins the Derby, Cafe wins the Arima Kinen and the Kikuka Sho. Tachyon watches, watches, watches. She sees Dantsu is always there to support them; her own absence ringing in the noise.
Then comes the weeks before the Japan Cup. Jungle Pocket tells her to pick her shit up, but also delivers a speech coming from the heart. Tachyon knows in her mind that these opponents will be no match for her own speed, but for Pocket to still think about her all this time…
Did her image really burn into her head?
She declines. Time and time again, she’s reminded of her own injury.
“I know you quit running for a reason, but I really wanna kick your ass again.”
Tachyon would stare at that open space, like a Pocket-shaped hole just left the abandoned classroom.
She picks up all the mess she’s made since then.
The Japan Cup came, and they locked eyes for a split second– Jungle Pocket is moving forward.
She wants to move forward, too.
Tachyon ends up running all the way back to the academy, exhausted, delirious.
Happy.
—
It’s dead in the night, no one’s here to bat an eye at two sleeping umas on a makeshift bed together.
Tachyon’s ears flicker, eyes opening as she recalls her dream.
Interesting. Why did I dream about that all in the middle of the night? Did my brain think it was a good idea to replay memories that way?
Someone shifts right beside her, slowly leaning up to meet Tachyon’s gaze into the void.
“Why’re you awake?”
“Ah, Pokke-kun. I had just woken up from a dream. Do not mind me, for I shall succumb to slumber in a few minutes…” Tachyon replies, petting Pokke’s head.
Pokke grumbles and falls back onto the pillows, dragging Tachyon along with her.
She mumbles, ever so softly, “You sure are a weirdo.”
“Maybe.”
“Wanna talk about it? You seem kinda bothered.”
The scientist rests her head underneath the athlete’s chin, nuzzling gently. “Nothing much, was just a bunch of old memories that I thought I left in the dust,” she pauses, “but not all of them were bad.”
Pokke just nods, stroking her back gently. She leans into it, sighing.
“Sometimes I would think ‘What if I never continued with any of my plans’,” Tachyon starts, wrapping her arms around the other uma’s waist, “Would you still think of me?”
Pokke raises her eyebrow, “Huh? The fuck are you on? ‘Course I will. I think you’re already amazing enough by yourself.” This causes Tachyon to flush a little, not expecting genuine sincerity.
“...Thank you.”
“Y’know, I’m aware you think about that shit a lot.”
“What?”
“Your condition, your plans, your experiments, your everything. I saw it in your face, but I didn’t wanna force you to say it to me. That stuff takes time.” Pokke rubs her head, tangling her fingers in Tachyon’s hair. “I saw your exhausted ass after the Japan Cup when I went to go after you. I got all excited but also really concerned.”
“Then when you spilled all of that shit out to me… I just thought, damn. You didn’t have to hide from us.” She kisses the scientist’s forehead, a soft graze from her lips, hoping to send a message. “And I’m glad you started running again. For your sake.”
Tachyon could only let out a sleepy mumble, “I love you,” she whispers to Pokke in the dark, “and thank you.”
Pokke giggles and cups Tachyon’s cheeks, a tender kiss left on her lips. “Love you too.” She notices Tachyon’s chest rise up and down evenly, finally taken in by sleep.
She leans into her ear, the land of dreams starting to overtake her senses, “I hope you know that you’ll always be in the eyes of my forever, Tachyon.”
Pokke eventually drifts off afterwards, cuddling her girlfriend; a quiet peace.