Work Text:
There are days in Tracen when the world feels loud — hooves pounding on dirt, whistles echoing across the field, trainers calling out instructions one after another. Papers stack up, my schedule overflows, and my head feels a little too full.
Today is one of those days.
Meetings, reports, training plans… everything blurring together into one long stretch of work.
By the time the sun starts sinking toward the horizon, my shoulders already feel heavy.
But then—
I see her.
Nakayama Festa stands by the track fence, arms resting lazily over the rail, one ear flicking as the light hits her hair just right — streaks of gold tangled in deep violet. The gentle breeze carries the faint smell of grass and warm earth, and she glances back at me with that familiar, almost mischievous smile.
And just like that…
The weight fades.
“Yo,” she says casually, eyes half-lidded, like she already knew I’d come. “You look like you wrestled the entire administration department.”
I laugh weakly. “Feels like I did.”
She tilts her head, watching me for a moment — not teasing, not smug. Just… quietly attentive.
That’s something about Festa people don’t always notice.
She’s loud on the track. Bold. Daring. A little reckless.
But when it’s just the two of us…
She softens.
“Rough day?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I admit. “A lot on my mind. And even more on my desk.”
She hums thoughtfully, then pushes herself off the fence.
“Then,” she says, stepping closer, “let’s ditch all that for a bit.”
My brows lift. “Ditch work? That doesn’t sound very professional.”
She smirks.
“It sounds necessary.”
Before I can protest, she grabs my wrist gently and starts walking — slow, unhurried steps leading me toward the quiet back path behind the training grounds. The sky above us glows orange, sunlight washing over everything like warm honey.
The world feels calmer here.
Quieter.
Just us.
We sit beneath a tree, the grass cool beneath us, the air filled with distant chatter and fading hooves. I lean back, exhaling for what feels like the first real time today.
“…Thanks,” I murmur. “I didn’t realize how tired I was.”
Festa stretches her legs out, tail swaying lazily.
“You’re always carrying everything,” she says lightly. “Everyone’s expectations. Their worries. Mine, too.”
Her voice softens.
“You deserve somewhere to breathe.”
I blink.
For a moment, the silence sits gently between us — not awkward, not heavy.
Just warm.
The sunlight brushes across my face.
And suddenly… I understand.
This feeling.
Like warmth spreading across my chest.
Like sunlight on my skin.
I’ve been with her through grueling races, narrow losses, reckless decisions and brilliant victories. I’ve scolded her, encouraged her, chased after her when she ran too far ahead.
But sitting here…
Where everything is quiet…
Where she doesn’t have to be strong…
And I don’t have to be composed…
I realize:
I look forward to this.
To her voice at the end of the day.
To the way she smiles like the world isn’t as heavy as it feels.
Festa leans back beside me, arms behind her head.
“Hey,” she says softly. “Let’s forget the past junk for a while, yeah? All the stuff people say we ‘should’ve’ done. All the regrets. Throw it out.”
She glances at me — serious, just for a heartbeat.
“Let’s live the way we want to.”
My chest tightens — not painfully.
Just full.
“…With you?” I ask.
Her ears twitch.
A small, real smile forms on her lips.
“Yeah. With me.”
The wind moves gently through the leaves.
Something inside me settles.
I don’t need anything grand or dramatic.
Not right now.
Not a confession shouted from rooftops, not fireworks bursting across the sky.
Just this.
Her shoulder brushing mine.
Her presence beside me.
Her laugh when she tilts her head back toward the sky.
“I used to think,” I say quietly, “that my job was just to guide you.”
She scoffs lightly. “You do a pretty good job of nagging me, I’ll give you that.”
I smile.
“But lately… when the day gets exhausting… the thing I look forward to most is seeing you.”
She pauses.
Her tail sways once.
Slow.
Deliberate.
“…Idiot,” she mutters, cheeks faintly warm. “You can’t just say things like that out of nowhere.”
“Sorry,” I laugh softly. “It’s just… true.”
We fall into a peaceful silence again.
The kind where nothing needs to be said.
Where just being here together feels enough.
And I finally realize —
This isn’t sudden.
This isn’t overwhelming.
This isn’t something crashing down all at once.
It’s gentle.
Gradual.
Bright.
Like sunlight slowly warming cold skin.
Like looking at her and thinking —
So this is love.
And I don’t want to go back to a time before I knew what that felt like.
Festa nudges my arm lightly.
“Hey,” she murmurs, almost shy. “Stay like this a little longer.”
I nod.
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Always.”
And for the first time in a long time…
The future doesn’t feel heavy.
It feels warm.
Hopeful.
Like falling — not into something scary —
but into something soft.
Into her.