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It was meant to be a reunion ceremony of sorts.
Not exactly a formality since they’d all had their official retirement ceremonies a few years ago, but regardless, the event was for them. For all the Uma’s who’d retired and formally moved on from Tracen Academy. As students at least, since a fair amount of them had remained as coaches and the like, to train the next generation of racers after them.
So yes, it was meant to be a reunion, but apparently, it being a reunion didn’t mean that it had to be exclusive whatsoever. Either that or some younger Uma’s who were clearly years away from retirement had found their way inside, but based on the fact that they weren’t being kicked out, McQueen had to assume that it was the former.
A few had come up to her, not enough to be irritating, and honestly, McQueen did feel flattered at the awed looks that they gave her. Sure, she may be retired, but that didn’t mean she had forgotten her own race record or how nice it felt to be rewarded for all of her hard work on the turf.
Of course, wide-eyed, younger Uma’s weren’t the only people McQueen had been entertaining.
She should have known that she would see a number of familiar faces at this gathering. And to be fair, McQueen already had, actually, considering her run-in with Grass Wonder earlier.
After talking to a few of her self-proclaimed fans, McQueen wandered over to groups that she could recognize and spoke to many more familiar faces since her initial arrival at the venue.
She’d tried to keep in touch with everyone from Team Spica, and for the most part had been successful, but when standing next to Suzuka and Special Week, who she was pretty sure couldn’t go a day without talking to each other, it was easy to be swept away in the easy back and forth that she somehow couldn’t keep up with.
McQueen was fine playing the quiet observer though, choosing to instead survey the room they were in, the one which had apparently been chosen for this event.
It was clearly shaped to be a ballroom of some sort, though tables of food and chairs had been lined up near the walls to better entertain guests, along with the presence of musicians on the small stage at the end of the room.
There was enough room for people to dance if they wanted to, but so far, McQueen was content with standing around with a drink in hand and talking to her old teammates. And it seemed most people had decided to entertain the same course of action.
Well, the next group of people she spotted told her that that fact may be close to changing.
It wasn’t hard to spot the tall figure standing near the left wall, even less so with the amount of Uma’s surrounding them. And McQueen knew exactly who it was right off the bat.
McQueen could admit to having been better at keeping up with some members of Team Spica after their retirement more than others, and the Uma currently being accosted by a flurry of guests was part of the first group.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise to her that Gold Ship would be present. Really, the only reason McQueen was caught off guard by it was because she thought Gold Ship would have at least told her that she would also be in attendance beforehand. Considering McQueen had quite literally told Gold Ship that she’d gotten an invitation, it would have been nice to know that the other Uma had gotten one too.
Well, what was done was done, and McQueen had more pressing concerns than the fact that Gold Ship had somehow managed to hold herself back from divulging pertinent information. That being said, Gold Ship was pretty much being swarmed at the moment, and looked the happiest she’d looked in…Not forever, but McQueen didn’t like it.
Sighing to herself, McQueen set her glass down, getting Vodka’s attention if only to signal that she was going to talk to Gold Ship.
She tried not to appear like she was in a rush, keeping her pace measured and her steps calm as she walked towards her target. The closer she got, the more she could observe the group that was surrounding her old teammate. And she very quickly noticed that one of the girls around Gold Ship had begun excitedly pointing at her biceps, even going as far as to grab them in wonder.
McQueen couldn’t help but internally scoff at that.
Gold Ship wasn’t even in a dress or an outfit that showed off her admittedly well-defined arms. The girl was clearly fishing for something, or she just wanted to touch Gold Ship. A thought that, for some reason, had McQueen’s blood boiling.
Well no. McQueen knew exactly why seeing that made her want to punch a wall, but she had already spent countless nights figuring that out, and this moment was not the time to unpack everything again.
Back to the spectacle she was witnessing, Gold Ship didn’t seem bothered by the touch she was receiving, merely laughing and flexing for the girls around her, who gasped at the pony show Gold Ship was putting on for them.
McQueen refused to outwardly show how much that gesture annoyed her.
She didn't even have to announce her presence as she approached; instead, Gold Ship spotted her while looking over the heads of the people surrounding her and grinned. “Mac-Chan!” She exclaimed, easily pulling herself out of the crowd around her and rushing to meet McQueen.
McQueen barely had the time to open her mouth before Gold Ship reached her, lifting her into a hug and spinning her around enthusiastically.
While the contact was nice, McQueen didn’t miss the scathing looks she got from the women whom Gold Ship had just basically ignored for her. A small smile pulled at her lips, though she would never admit to feeling any bit of smugness upon realizing that fact.
"Hello to you too, Gold Ship-san." McQueen greeted when Gold Ship finally put her down. "I didn't know you would be here too."
Gold Ship fiddled with her tie, absentmindedly loosening the material as she laughed. "Oh yeah. Kinda figured that out late cause I forgot to check my mail and stuff."
McQueen sighed, exasperatedly rubbing her hand against her temple. "We've talked about this; you can't just not check your mail for a month. Don't you have bills?"
"Yeah, but they're not important." McQueen would argue that yes, they were actually very important, but before she could get a word in, Gold Ship looked over her shoulder towards the women who had been accosting her (In McQueen's opinion) and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, ladies, I gotta chat with Mac-chan a little. But don't let me stop you from having fun. I heard the buffet has great food."
McQueen watched with a vague sense of dread as the women easily drifted off, some looking disappointed but taking Gold Ship's suggestion to heart. “So," She said, pulling Gold Ship's attention back to her. "You’re popular,” McQueen stated, trying to appear as unaffected as she possibly could. “I assume you’ve been enjoying yourself then?”
Gold Ship shrugged, clasping her hands behind her back. “Eh, they’re nice, and they liked my juggling trick back there, so hey, maybe I’m just fun to be around.” She added jokingly, sticking her tongue out at McQueen, who barely held in the urge to roll her eyes.
Yes, of course, those girls liked Gold Ship. She was charming, skilled, and relatively nice to look at.
Now, if only they knew what she was actually like, it would be a different story, which was just another reason why Gold Ship should count herself lucky that McQueen knew her and still enjoyed her presence.
She should probably avoid going down that train of thought though, considering Gold Ship was right in front of her. “Oh?” McQueen uttered, clearing her throat. “Don’t let me keep you then.”
“Aww, are you jealous?”
“What? No! Why would I be jealous?“ McQueen huffed, turning away from Gold Ship in an attempt to hide the flush on her face. And she thought she’d done a pretty good job of concealing it, but then she heard Gold Ship giggling from behind her.
Like actually giggling, which with Gold Ship either meant an impending disaster was approaching or that McQueen’s face was about to get redder than it already was.
Neither of those options was preferable.
Steeling her resolve to appear as unaffected as possible, McQueen turned to face Gold Ship. “What?”
Gold Ship only grinned, pointing downward.
McQueen almost had half a mind to turn away again, but instead she followed Gold Ship's finger and looked down. Though she quickly regretted that decision, freezing in place with wide eyes at what she saw.
Apparently, at some point during the last ten seconds, McQueen’s tail had wrapped itself around Gold Ship’s leg. And McQueen swore that its grip only seemed to tighten the longer she looked at it.
"I dunno." Gold Ship drawled, sidling up closer to her. "I think you like having me to yourself."
McQueen was sure she was seconds away from popping a blood vessel with how close Gold Ship was getting. She took a small step away from the taller Uma, urging her tail to let go of its hold on Gold Ship's leg, and forced out a groan. “Goddess, just go already.”
“Of course, milady,”
McQueen tried to ignore the pit that grew in her stomach when she heard Gold Ship’s immediate reply. Her previous retort had come out purely on instinct. Of course she didn’t actually want Gold Ship to leave and talk with some other Uma.
Squeezing her hand into a fist, McQueen reached out and grabbed Gold Ship's wrist. "No. You can stay." To her annoyance, Gold Ship didn't look perturbed at all as she turned to face her, as if she'd been expecting McQueen to call her back. McQueen let go of her wrist, gesturing vaguely towards the mostly empty space in the middle of the room where a few people had begun dancing. "Would you want to dance then? I wouldn't want to stop you if you were planning to do so with someone else, but I wouldn't be against it-"
“Of course I'll dance with you." Came Gold Ship's immediate answer, followed only by a sly grin. "And don’t worry, Mac-mac, there's no one else I wanna dance with right now.”
McQueen flushed, angrily looking down at her feet, and mumbled. “Just-Let's just dance already.”
Gold Ship offered her no reply besides holding a hand out, clearly expecting her to take it, and in that moment, McQueen did so without complaint, though she did have to force herself to ignore the proud smile Gold Ship sported at her lack of pushback.
She'd almost expected Gold Ship to pull her into some ridiculous attempt at a dance, but instead the taller Uma carefully clasped McQueen's hand in hers, while her other hand settled against her hip. McQueen didn't need much more prompting to put her free hand on Gold Ship's shoulder, letting her guide them through the first few steps of a waltz.
"I didn't know you could dance like this," McQueen commented, honestly surprised by the mere fact that they'd been dancing for a good few minutes and somehow Gold Ship had managed to not step on her feet even once.
Gold Ship perked up at that. "I contain multitudes, m'lady. And I can also do the chicken dance if you want."
McQueen couldn't tell if she wanted to sigh or laugh at that particular claim, and evidently settled on neither as Gold Ship led her into a more slow-paced dance that matched the music around them.
She was very aware of the hand that was currently pressed against her back, not with enough pressure to feel suffocating, but just enough to properly lead her through each step. Enough that McQueen could not ignore the warmth emitting from it through the material of her dress.
The onset of something that felt all too much like a blush nearly made McQueen step back, but that would probably seem more out of the ordinary. But what was she to do when Gold Ship was leading her through this dance with the ease of someone who had been dancing for years? It was almost unthinkable, but McQueen couldn't deny the poise that Gold Ship currently held, and she certainly couldn't stop her body from reacting to it.
Glancing over Gold Ship's shoulder, McQueen caught sight of the envious eyes glaring at her. And once again, she felt a stab of smugness hit her chest as she tightened her hold on Gold Ship's shoulders possessively, too quick for her to stop herself from making such a clear show of ownership when the object of said ownership was clearly unaware of what was happening.
Well, perhaps McQueen had been harboring a small crush on Gold Ship. And it was debatable whether that crush could be considered small, but regardless, McQueen was very aware of her own feelings. It was true that she'd never really seen a point in exploring them, even after they both retired, when it would be less of a spectacle, and part of that had to do with how touchable Gold Ship had remained.
Yes, they'd both retired, and yes, they'd gone off and done their own thing, but they still talked often. Even years later, Gold Ship had never stopped being a significant part of McQueen's life, so of course, why had she even worried about confessing? It wasn't like anyone was trying to take Gold Ship away from her, so McQueen had grown comfortable having the taller Uma as a permanent fixture in her circle.
But evidently, tonight was out to prove to her how easily that could change. Because if seeing Gold Ship swarmed by women had done anything, it had certainly told McQueen that she could very well lose something precious if she kept going like this.
As Gold Ship twirled her around again, McQueen tightened her hold on her hand, rubbing her thumb against the bumps of Gold Ship's knuckles as she built up her resolve one brick at a time.
Oh fuck it. She’d already suffered through four years of this crush, and Goddess knows a Mejiro should not be caught pining after someone for this long without even attempting to do something about it.
At least in this way, she’ll know that she’ll just have to move on rather than suffer more logically unfounded bouts of jealousy.
"Gold Ship." She forced out, slightly surprised when Gold Ship merely hummed in interest, but never halted their dance, instead seeming to pull McQueen closer to hear her better. That move almost made McQueen flounder completely, but she held on to what was left of her pride and continued. "Can we talk outside?"
"Uh, sure?" Gold Ship answered, cocking her head to the side. "Why, though?"
McQueen slowed her steps until they were both standing still, using that time as an excuse to calm her nerves. "I just want to ask you something, that's all." She tried to say as nonchalantly as possible. "I thought some privacy would be best for the occasion."
Gold Ship laughed as she dropped her hand from McQueen's back, clearly unaware of how much McQueen missed the pressure as soon as it was gone. "Privacy? I mean, sure, this place's got a bunch of balconies anyway."
"Great," McQueen said, grabbing Gold Ship's wrist and leading them towards the closest balcony she could find, away from the other guests or prying eyes.
For once, Gold Ship didn't say anything and quietly followed McQueen outside, practically skipping with every step she took as if this were all some fun game to her.
McQueen let go of her wrist as soon as they reached the balcony, choosing to instead press her palms against the railing and stare at the night sky. This whole gathering was meant to go on until 2 am, though McQueen had come a bit early so that she would have an excuse to leave early as well. And considering what she was about to do, she figured having an easy escape plan would be to her benefit anyway. Now, if she could just say her piece before Gold Ship got bored-
"McQueen?"
Startled, McQueen straightened herself and looked back at Gold Ship, clearing her throat for good measure. "Y-Yes? Sorry, I was just," She glanced up, eyes briefly pausing on the stars in the sky. "Looking."
Gold Ship laughed, leaning against the railing and staring up along with her. "Yeah? Can't blame you. I'm sure if I look long enough I'll be able to see planet Golgol from here."
Goddess, how was this the person McQueen had fallen for?
"Yes, riveting," McQueen said half heartedly, facing Gold Ship with an uncertain look. "But I wanted to talk to you about something."
Gold Ship's ears swiveled towards her, a soft sound of confusion escaping her. "Hm? What is it?"
McQueen took a deep breath, steeling herself for the revelation that, in her mind, could quite literally make or break the relationship they currently had. "I-" She stopped herself, shutting her eyes tightly and exhaling. "This may seem completely out of the blue for you, and I apologize for that. But recently I've realized a lot of things, and I can't not tell you this. So Gold Ship I-"
"Wait, are you trynna confess to me right now?"
McQueen's eyes snapped open, unable to hide her shock as she stared up at Gold Ship's adorably confused face. "What?"
"What?"
"No, you can't just-" McQueen huffed indignantly, angling her body away from Gold Ship in some attempt to calm herself. "Why are you asking me if I'm confessing to you?"
Gold Ship slumped dramatically, draping her arm over the railing. "Oh woooow. So, when I ask for clarification, it's still bad? You gotta pick a side here, Mac-mac, cause I feel like I'm being pulled in circles."
"One usually handles directness and bluntness with some tact. Which you don't do." McQueen retorted, halting for a moment and shaking her head. "That's not what I meant, I was asking how you came to the conclusion that I was doing...That."
"I mean." Gold Ship gestured around them. "The whole privacy thing was kinda obvious. And the dance. Oh, and the jealousy-"
"I wasn't jealous."
"So yeah, you aren't that slick, Mackie." Gold Ship finished with a grin, leaning her chin on her hand. "Didn't take much for my genius mind to figure out what you were planning. Though it does kinda suck."
McQueen could practically feel her heart drop into her stomach as the beginning of tears burned their way into her eyes. "Oh." She uttered, refusing to turn to face Gold Ship as the sting of rejection settled against her. It was said with no tact whatsoever, but it was obvious what it meant. And McQueen could feel Gold Ship gearing up to say something else that would no doubt finish ripping her heart to shreds because Goddess knows, Gold Ship was still unable to read the room when it was just the two of them.
"Yeah." Gold Ship continued, pouting. "You beat me to it. Cause I had an entire thing set up tonight. But hey, if you wanna go, I'm all for it."
McQueen opened her mouth, ready to excuse herself, but her breath halted in her throat as the actual words Gold Ship had just said washed over her.
"What?" Was all she managed to say after what was probably three minutes of silence, and Gold Ship took it with all the ease in the world.
"Yeah." Gold Ship chuckled. "I got Teio to convince Prez and Miss Empress to let me rig a pulley and stuff out here."
The image of Teio asking Rudolf and Air Groove for such a thing nearly sent McQueen into cardiac arrest.
She lowered her face into her hand, pressing her finger against her eye and bemoaning. "How...How many people were in on this, exactly?"
Gold Ship waved a hand around, not that McQueen noticed it, considering her current state. "Eh, all of Spica? Scarlet wasn't gonna do it, but then Vodka said somethin' about being the better wingman, and it hooked her. I kinda think she did it on purpose, which, hey, I'm surprised those two haven't started dating yet. Like I'm pretty sure they're roommates or something, but they're still doin' that whole tsundere thing or whatever, but-"
McQueen groaned loudly, halting Gold Ship mid-sentence. "Why couldn't you have at least confessed normally, Gold Ship?"
Her complaint earned her a gasp, one that had McQueen looking up in shock, at least until she saw the exaggerated look on Gold Ship's face. "Normal?" She repeated, hand flying up to her chest dramatically. "Are you saying you like me because I'm normal, Mac-chan? Blasphemy!"
Well, when said like that, yeah, it made sense.
Absolutely nothing about Gold Ship was normal, and McQueen liked that. For some odd reason, she liked that very much, actually. So really, she couldn't even be mad at this turn of events. Though McQueen did need to amend one more thing.
Reaching out, McQueen grabbed Gold Ship's tie, which was just barely tucked into her blazer, and tugged on it. Gold Ship had clearly not been prepared for her to do that, so she was easily pulled forward, and McQueen did not give her the time to make some stupid remark. McQueen didn't think or wait for logic to make itself known before stepping forward and kissing Gold Ship with all the force she had left in her.
Gold Ship didn't tense up, but she did exhale a soft breath of surprise when McQueen's lips made contact with hers, even more so when two hands reached up to grasp her face and tug her closer. Although it didn't take long for her to forget her surprise and melt against McQueen's surprising show of boldness, her own hands finding their way onto McQueen's waist as she tilted her head further into the kiss.
McQueen wished she could savor the act of finally having Gold Ship kissing her for longer, but unfortunately, the knowledge that they were still at a very much public gathering had the logical side of McQueen's brain winning over her own self-indulgence.
She pulled away slowly, keeping her palms pressed against Gold Ship's cheeks just as a way of grounding herself. It wasn't that she was afraid that Gold Ship would change her mind suddenly, after all, Gold Ship had kissed her back, that had to count for something. But still, McQueen needed a moment to calm herself before her heart found a way to beat out of her chest.
Apparently, Gold Ship also needed a few minutes to reboot herself, which McQueen decided she would gladly give her. It was only fair, she supposed.
"Wow." Gold Ship uttered eventually, blinking dumbly for a few seconds before shaking herself out of her stupor. "Wait, so you like me?"
McQueen could have cried, really.
Seeing the excitement in Gold Ship's eyes as she spoke was all the confirmation McQueen needed in that moment, and she eagerly matched it. "Yes," She said, smiling softly. "I love you, Gold Ship."
Gold Ship blinked again, turning her head slightly, which really only succeeded in pressing her cheek harder against McQueen's palms. "Heh, wow." She uttered, grinning shyly. "You're really good at this confessing thing, McQueen."
McQueen laughed, leaning forward to press another kiss against Gold Ship's lips. "Well, someone taught me that bluntness is often the best course of action. I just thought I'd give it a try."
The look Gold Ship gave her in return was full of nothing but wonder, and for a moment, McQueen felt like one of the three Goddesses. Like she was someone worth worshiping.
"Well, 10 out of 10 on the execution, Mac-mac." Gold Ship announced jokingly, taking one of McQueen's hands and kissing it. "As the king of bluntness, I salute you."
They undoubtedly had more to talk about. McQueen was sure that even with how seamlessly everything had gone, they would have to have some kind of discussion. But at that moment, Gold Ship was certainly not on the same wavelength as her when it came to that, as she excitedly took McQueen's hand. "C'mon, let's dance!"
McQueen laughed, letting Gold Ship tug her back inside. "We already danced Gold Ship."
"Yeah," Gold Ship shrugged. "But I haven't danced with you as your girlfriend yet, have I?"
The dopey grin Gold Ship turned in her direction made something in McQueen's chest stutter, even more so when Gold Ship finally managed to drag them back towards the center of the room. She let go of McQueen's hand and held hers up to her again, clearly giving her a choice on whether she wanted to join her in another waltz or not, though the eagerness in her eyes told McQueen that she was definitely anticipating a positive answer.
Well, who was she to deny her girlfriend a dance anyway?
"No," She admitted airily, placing her hand into Gold Ship's. "I suppose not," McQueen easily let Gold Ship pull her forward, this time having no qualms with holding her close regardless of who could see them.
And if she happened to make a show of kissing Gold Ship halfway through their third dance, that was entirely McQueen's business and no one else's.