Work Text:
Today felt unusually off.
It was one of their date nights—but the keyword is night. They were already making it back to Tracen when the sun was just setting over the horizon—the sky wasn't even dark yet, it was still a very vivid orange.
Her heart's beating a thousand miles per minute, Taishin was stressed beyond words—usually their dates were more energetic but today... Creek wasn't up for their usual stuff. Before she would attentively listen to what she says, cheer her on at every turn, and be unbearably touchy, but today was everything but. She had a hard time paying attention, her cheers were admittedly quite half-hearted, and she was almost nervous to touch her. She looked like she had been thinking about something all day, she could tell, and Taishin prayed that it wasn't what she thought it was.
Maybe... somebody got hurt and she can't take her mind off it. Yeah. Hopefully.
Please. It doesn't matter if they've only been together for about a month, just please. Everything has been going so nicely, please... don't let this be the end of her happy streak. And to think, she was really beginning to like this life of hers.
She looks to her right and sees Creek looking uncharacteristically sorrowful. She evades eye contact, her lips are so pursed it must hurt, and her body language is so... closed.
"C-creek?"
"O-oh! Y-yes, Taishin?" She usually calls her dear. Worrisome.
"Is... everything alright? You've been kinda weird all day? Did something happen?"
"Oh, no, no, no... I've just been thinking."
About what. Her eyes widen as they begin to sting, her tail begins to swish around, her heart is starting to hurt like it's been pierced, and whatever appetite was starting to return died—she felt like dying. She didn't want to know anymore. Maybe... maybe if she just stays quiet Creek would reconsider. This could all just be a spur of the moment thing, she could probably sleep on it and return to her senses. Please.
"Oh... okay. I see." Taishin nervously replies—her tail swishes uncontrollably, and she feels something bordering her eyes. She wipes her eye with her sleeve, reprimanding herself for her thinking. Nothing's happened yet, why is she so worried? It could be nothing. Right?
As she finishes wiping her forming tears and vision returns to her eyes, she notices that Creek stopped walking with her, she was quite a few steps behind.
No.
"Taishin...."
Please.
"... I'm sorry."
PLEASE.
"I truly do love you but... maybe this wasn't supposed to be the way we're meant to be."
It's like time stopped. All she can hear is her own heartbeat and a terrible, terrible ringing in her own ears. Her hands lie limp at her sides, her tail doesn't even swish in response anymore, and her legs—the legs they built together felt as brittle as glass. She opens her mouth but nothing comes out—her breathing is terribly off as well. She can't even cry right now, either. In her shock, she just stares. Into the eyes of the girl she, now once, called her lover. There truly are fates worse than death.
She didn't even notice Creek closing in on her, and as her hand glances a hair on her arm, her nerves finally send a signal to her brain. She unconsciously swats her hand away, something she'd never even thought she'll ever do again. Their eyes meet for the first time in hours, and Creek's heart drops to her stomach.
She's never seen Taishin in such despair, even on that fateful night. Her eyes dilated with no sign of stopping, her mouth agape, and head cocked 45° to the side. Before she could even try to hug her, her once beloved was gone.
She ran down the road like the world was burning behind her, where to—she had no clue. She had to get out of there. She just had to go. She can worry about "where" later, but as far as she knew it was anywhere but by Creek's side. Not anymore.
For the very first time in a long time, she walked into her dorm room alone—her eyes blended in well with the darkness of the unlit room. She doesn't even bother turning the lights on as she simply sits down on the edge of her bed and do what usually would bring her comfort: grooming her tail. She reaches into the bedside drawer and pulls the kit out, she unzips it and takes out a brush. She immediately puts it back in, zips the bag up, and places it back where it came. She can't do it right now. Taishin usually did it for her.
She curls up on her bed and clenches her bedsheets tightly taking in the now vacancy of their shared bed. Did she make the right choice? She cares for her deeply but... a romantic relationship was just too much. She enjoyed the physical closeness they shared, and even moments they kissed, but for some odd reason even she couldn't explain... she just couldn't. Today was too much for her mind to handle, she needs to rest. She slowly pulls her blanket on top of her and prepares to go to sleep, but not before glancing to her right—where Taishin usually laid—one last time.
I'm sorry. Please be okay.
.
.
.
The moon shines through the window, illuminating some dust in the air. She comes to and realizes she never changed out of her clothes, and it immediately floods memories back into her head. The bewilderment... the pain on Taishin's face as they broke up, and the way she stumbled over her own legs as she ran off.... She checks her phone, and if she wasn't already on the verge of tears, this most certainly pushed it over the edge. Countless missed calls, missed messages, all on one topic: Taishin.
She turned her location off, Hayahide flooded her messages with questions, Tama pressed even further as she was pressed by Hayahide—it was all just a mess.
She finally gets out the bed, and immediately collapses to her knees at the side of their empty bed.
"Why..." She hopelessly mewls into the sheets that still carry Taishin's scent, "Why did I let you run... why did I do that to you...?" Visages of Taishin's face rush into her head, "I loved you... so why did I hurt you...?"
"WHY?!" Taishin yells as she completes another lap, running at max speed, "WHAT DID I DO WRONG?!" All that pacing Creek taught her was thrown into the wind in her anguish, in less than 7 hours, over a year of hard work and discipline was cast aside. She didn't concern herself with that anymore, not even her own well-being—"why" was the only thing on her mind. Her eyes were tearing from the wind and her misery, her throat itched and closed as she gasped for air—the air was thinning as she ran at top speed with zero regard for stamina.
As she rounds a corner, suddenly she feels a sharp pain in her leg combined with a horrible sound.
She falls.
A response from her brain—endorphins are released in a massive wave, and dramatically slows her perception of time. She watches as she descends toward the ground with widened eyes.
This is it.
There's no coming back from this.
It's already known at this point that if an umamusume were to fall going max speed, they would undoubtedly die.
As she cascades to her own demise, she can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of peace wash over her.
She already felt like there was hardly any coming back from this. She had loved Creek with all her heart, even if they weren't together for long. But they were roommates. She could ask for a roommate change, but that sounds like too much of a hassle. Getting to know somebody new all over again—in the year she's about to graduate no less—it all sounds annoying. She knew she wasn't alone now, she still had Hayahide and Tickezo. She should focus on what she has left to her—hell, maybe it isn't all too bad being just friends with Creek.
Yeah. She can still be her friend. But she wanted more—she ached for more. She has everything ahead of her still, she was still highly successful but... her leg was undoubtedly broken now. It'd be hard to tell if she'll ever run again. She might not care about proving herself anymore but still... everything just... sucks. There's still a chance she would survive, it's a sliver, but it's there. But honestly, at this point, and with her head inches away from the ground and still falling, she can't help but think...
dying would be less of a hassle.
She shoots awake with a terrible gasp as she wakes up in a cold sweat. Her frantic breathing and rapid awakening wakes up the beauty beside her, immediately concerned about her darling's wellbeing.
"Taishin...? Are you okay, dear...?" Creek groggily asks as she reaches for Taishin's hand and the instant she touches her she jolts and instantly pulls her hand back.
Her vision is hazy, her eyes dart between her hand and Creek with a look that can only be described as pure distress.
"Taishin, what's wrong? Was it a bad dream?" She sounds muffled, her head is spinning like crazy... and Goddesses her stomach...
*HRK!*
In a rush, she leaps out the bed and runs to the restroom, leaving Creek reaching out for her in her wake. She isn't too quick to follow behind, slipping on her other sleeve of her camisole as she gets up from the bed and face to face with the now shut and locked bathroom door. She opens her mouth to call, but then she hears a dreadful noise, from behind the door—Taishin's retching as she keels over the toilet and empties the sick that conjured up in her throat.
Creek rattles the door desperately in an effort to open it, but it's no use—not unless she wants to break it and pay for the damages. Even if her excuse was beyond reproach, she'd still rather not pay those damages....
Wait, that's right—a key! They were all given keys in case their roommates push their luck and hog the bathroom, and thankfully Creek is never one to lose things. She quickly runs to the bedside drawer and finds the key in it's own neat place set aside from the rest of her things, and darts back to the door and unlocks it at last.
The sight in front of her causes her to pause and cover her mouth in shock.
Her poor, sweet Taishin—curled up into a ball right in front of the toilet, sniveling repeatedly "sorry and "I'll be better".
"Taishin..." Creek weeps as she walks forward and kneels down in front of her. Her hair is utterly a mess—it sticks to her face and mouth due to her sweat, tears. and vomit. To say her condition is horrendous would be an understatement—but none of that matters to Creek.
That's still her cherished and treasured Taishin.
She slowly approaches the ball, trying her hardest to not make any sudden moves to trouble her. She slowly wraps her arms over her and picks her up and into her arms where she cradles her and whispers reassurances into her drooped ears as her tail flails about. She would rather use a paper towel, but she doesn't want to make any sudden movements, or let go of Taishin—so she reaches over and tears off some toilet paper and wipes her quivering mouth.
"I-I... I-"
"Shh~... don't worry. I'm here. I'll always be here. My precious Taishin." Creek whispers as she wipes her messy hair from her face. "Do you feel ready to come back to bed with me? You don't have to if you don't want to sweetie. I'll lay right here with you all night." Creek coos as she rests against the bathtub, Taishin still in her arms. "Talk when you're ready. Take your time. I'll listen to every word. Like I always do, and what I'll continue to do."
It takes a while before Taishin is able to form coherent words—for ten minutes she cried into Creek's bosom as Creek caressed her head and dandled her. "Please... please never leave me...." Taishin mewls into Creek's arms at last.
A nightmare about us breaking apart... oh, Taishin.... "It never once crossed my mind."
"Please... I'll be whatever you want, I'll... be perfect just... please don't leave me.... I only got this far because of your help... I don't know what I'd do without you."
It's taking everything in her to not smile right now, but hearing Taishin be so sincere about how she feels about her.... "Hehe... My silly little Taishin." She coos as she wipes a tear from her face, "I don't want perfection. All I ever wanted was you."
A peck on her forehead does wonders—her rapid breathing begins to stabilize and she gets more coherent as her tears are wiped and forehead is kissed more and more. After a couple moments of cuddling, she finally gasps, "I... I want to stay with you forever. I want to get married, I want to have kids—I don't care if it's too early to be saying it it's the truth.... Just please don't leave me...."
"Of course not." Creek airs, interlocking their hands and wiping her tears from half-lidded eyes with a thumb one last time. "I promise. I'll always love you—no matter what. Do you believe that?"
"Y-yes...."
"Then it'll be just that."
"Mnh... creek... I..." And just like that, she was asleep—and with a couple more minutes of warmth and dandling, she stayed so.
"I love you too. Now, back to bed—the both of us." Hoisting the girl up, her head comfortable in Creek's natural pillows, she slowly makes her way to their bed. As she pulls back the covers to get a good night's rest after such a turbulent episode she can't help but look down and feel her heart skip a beat. She looks so... peaceful. Her body moves up and down, up and down slowly as she breathes—snoring a little bit too. Giggle-worthy. She'll be her pillow for tonight—and by the Goddesses, she would have it no other way.
"The sweetest dreams for you, my dear."
*CHU*
*BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE-* *CLIK*
"My... morning already?" Creek moans as she softly clicks her alarm off. She could hear the clacking of loafers and the clamoring of students running to get to class, and breakfast first. It was always a race to get to breakfast first, people didnt want big eaters like Brian, Oguri, and Spe getting to all their food first. Luckily, Creek and Taishin weren't affected by the desperation of many and the voracious appetites of few, their little fridge was stocked with assortments of fruits and juices—breakfast was always a quick few steps away.
Speaking of breakfast—just what will they have for today? She recalls she made a wonderful fruit juice a couple days ago with Taishin, maybe that will do... alongside that nice yogurt parfait.... Goddesses... I'm just blushing thinking about feeding it to Taishin....
She moves to get up, but she can't.
"Hehe, not letting go, hm?" Creek giggles as she softly caresses the hand holding onto her shirt for dear life.
"Mnnh... don't go...." Taishin mumbles from the bed, "Come back... I miss you...."
"But I only left for a couple seconds! We need to get ready for school, dear!"
"I don't care. Come back...."
She should really get ready for school, her hair takes quite a significant amount of prep even with Taishin's help. That's what she planned to do—but the gaze of her darling, a gaze filled with yearning that can only be produced from such anguish melted her heart.
"Hehe... just this once, ok?" Creek smiles as she slips back into bed, followed by Taishin crawling on top of her and resting on her cloud-like frame. Breakfast would have to wait, she supposes, after all, they have all morning to get to that.
But... she should probably cover her tracks.
Tama is a bum
7:32 AM [TamTam⚡]: Who changed the name. and wtf is that photo...
7:36 AM [Inari🦊]: Sorry!! I did it in my sleep 😜
7:36 AM [TamTam⚡]: watch your back.
7:37 AM [Inari🦊]: make my day!!
8:11 AM [Oguri-chan🍚🍙]: guys why is everyone trying to stall me getting to the cafeteria i wanna eat too...
8:12 AM [Inari🦊]: other people would like to eat breakfast too oguri, a little patience goes a long way.
8:15 AM
Good morning, everybody!!😁🩵 I hope you all had a good night's rest!🤗 It looks like my Taishin fell sick!!😭😰
Could any of you kindly tell our teachers that I will be absent because I will be taking care of her? Thank you, and enjoy your breakfast!😊🥰🤗
8:17 AM [TamTam⚡]: so many emojis....
8:17 AM [TamTam⚡]: First i gotta get oguri to breakfast then I gotta tell teachers that ur taking care of Taishin... you all have me doing too much, be more thankful for me!!!
8:19 AM
I truly am!!! Thank you so much!🥰🤗 I'll be sure to give you a nice reward the next time I see you!!☺️
8:20 AM [TamTam⚡]: pls dont.
That settles that! She happily places her phone on her nightstand and directs her attention to Taishin below her... whose ears lie flat on her head. She's already back asleep. That's fine though—more than fine. They might have to do some catchup training and school-wise to make up for this skipped day, but they'll cross that bridge when they get to it. Together. Forever.
Just as Taishin fell into slumber enveloped by Creek's warmth, Creek does the same, holding her even tighter.