Work Text:
Knock Knock Knock
Grass slowly opened her eyes, groggily blinking away the sleep she had just been so peacefully enjoying.
Knock Knock Knock
Across the room, El had already sat up, attempting to wipe the sleep from her eyes as Grass slowly made her way to the door. There was only one person who would be bugging them at this hour of the night…
Grass had barely opened the door before Taiki came trudging in, flopping onto El’s bed and throwing her arms around the half-awake Uma. El managed to get an arm around her before flopping backwards onto the bed, shooting a confused look to Grass after she had shut the door. “Mi amor? Are you doing ok?”
A non-committal grunt was all Taiki got out, and Grass sighed. “Taiki, you only come here when you’re in a bad mood. Talk to us? Please?”
Taiki flipped the phone in her hand outwards, not moving from where she had buried herself in El’s shoulder. Grass peered at the screen to see a photo of Taiki’s family on the farm. It had been sent earlier that same day, with one of Taiki’s sisters holding a trophy in her hands as their father hoisted her in the air. Grass smiled; she could practically feel the joy the image radiated.
So why did it make Taiki so sad?
“I don’t understand. It looks like your sister won a race, shouldn’t you be happy for her? For your family?”
Taiki finally lifted her head from El’s shoulder, sniffling as she did so. “Course I’m happy for her. She’s been looking forward to racing for so long, even if it was just a tournament for the youngins. I just…I wish I was there for her. For all of them.”
El and Grass shared a look. It was pretty common for Taiki to get homesick and miss her family, but not to this extent. El spoke up next, “Taiki, you know they wanted you to chase your dreams here. They aren’t gonna be mad at you for not being there, sì?”
“It ain’t about them, its about ME! I-“ Taiki stuttered for a moment, scrolling through her phone before flipping the phone back around for El and Grass. It was a photo of her, much younger, standing with her family. It wad a photo they had seen plenty of times; it was taken the day Taiki left for Hokkaido over four years ago. She had lived and trained there for nearly a year before coming to Tracen to make her debut. Taiki continued, “I haven’t been home in FOUR YEARS, and any time w-we talk, its always about me! How I’m doing, how I’m training snd racing. It’s hard for them, to see my races over here. They don’t… They tell me they don’t want me worryin about them while I’m over here. But sometimes, I get updates like this and I just can’t help but wonder…”
“How much you’ve missed out on?”
Taiki turned to look at Grass. It was a common feeling all three girls had shared before, but for Taiki, coming from such a big family, it was… harder on her, to put it lightly. Her loved ones were everything to her, and to miss out on so many milestones wouldn’t have been easy, even for someone less sensitive than her. Taiki looked back at her phone, fresh tears springing to her eyes. “T-They’ve all g-grown so m-much…”
El and Grass shared a look, unsure of what to say to help Taiki. El suddenly perked up, and began rummaging under her bed. “How about a song to calm your frayed nerves, mi amor?” Grass sighed, but moved to sit on the bed, cushioning Taiki between the two girls. “You know its late El. If we wake someone up…” El flashed her a smile, pulling her guitar out from under her bed. “We’ll be quiet! Promise! Besides, how could you say no to those eyes?” Grass looked down into her lap where Taiki had decided to rest her head, and sure enough she was looking up at her with the best pout she could muster. It really was hard to say no to her when she looked like that, and she gave a small smile. “Fine, but PLEASE try to be quiet, okay?” To emphasize her point, Grass ever so gently brushed her hand against El’s tail. The disgruntled side eye she got told her the message was received, and El mumbled her agreement before clearing her throat, plucking a few experimental notes and cringing, tuning her guitar as she went. “So, any requests for our star girl?” Taiki sniffled, thinking. “…can you play my favorite? Please?” El and Grass smiled. It was a song the three knew well, and they often sang it for each other during more romantic nights. But if it was what Taiki wanted, they certainly weren’t gonna say no. El nodded and began to play, as Grass tapped put a beat against the leg which wasn’t currently occupied by Taiki. El started the song, with Grass providing some harmony.
I choose you,
Every day in a hundred different ways,
I make the choice to stay,
I can hit the open road, run my life away,
But I’d choose you, everyday
As they sang, El could see Taiki’s eyes beginning to close, a small smile finally gracing her lips. She’d always loved these moments, away from the lights and noise of a winning concert. While she loved to perform for her fans, especially after a particularly hard fought win, these two umas sitting before her were the only audience she truly cared for. And if it meant helping one of them, she would sing forever if she had to.
People wonder how we made it, how we even came this far,
Its a wondrous thing to turn around and see where we are,
Its a good thing love forgives and its a blessing love is blind,
They ask me how we made it, I say one day at a time,
Cause I choose you…
El glanced over at Grass, noticing a lack of harmony…or tapping. As she suspected, Taiki wasn’t the only one who was being serenaded, and El had to stifle a chuckle seeing Grass, still with perfect posture, completely passed out with Taiki drooling into her lap. She slid the guitar back under her bed, and gently lowered both girls so they were lying down on her bed. She stared for a moment. These beds were pretty small; just fitting the two of them on her bed was a challenge. But then again…how often did an opportunity like this literally fall at your feet?
With a bit of finesse (and a lot of tight snuggling) El managed to fit herself right between her two girlfriends. It was…surprisingly comfortable actually. Not at all what she’d expect from squeezing three Umas onto one bed. As she began to feel her own eyes growing heavy, she adjusted herself slightly so she was angled towards Taiki, and whispered in her ear, “Never forget, mi amor, that no matter how far you go, your familia will ALWAYS care about you, and they will always choose you…and so will we.”
Taiki didnt respond, instead snuggling tighter against El and smiling. Good enough, she thought, and soon the three Umas were sleeping soundly together, the worries of the night forgotten in a song…and some snoring.