Work Text:
Soft afternoon light filled the room through pale green curtains. They had been living here for two years now, perhaps. The ceilings were not especially high, but the white wallpaper and bright wood flooring kept the place from feeling cramped. An ivory sofa, a low coffee table, a houseplant in the corner. Near the kitchen counter sat the little shelf of tea tins she used all the time.
Everything in it had taken shape around the life of two people.
And there, in one corner of that room, I sat on the sofa and let myself sink into memory.
In my hands was a small white lace ring pillow.
I had found it on a whim while cleaning out the closet. Light and fluffy, small enough to fit in a child's hands, it had been tucked deep in the back. My grandmother had given it to me when I was very young.
When I dusted it off and ran my fingers over the soft lace, a familiar scent rose from it. Faintly sweet, faintly toasty. It smelled like the veranda at my grandmother's house. I felt almost guilty for having forgotten it for so long and leaving it buried away.
"...This takes me back."
I murmured it to myself. It was so small.
When I was a child, it had seemed enormous. Now it fit neatly in my palm, and that alone made me smile.
Back then, rings and dresses belonged to a fairy tale too far away to ever touch. And yet now... I had reached a day when I could truly love someone.
That was when it happened.
Warm arms wrapped around me from behind.
"...What an interesting thing you have there."
A sweet whisper dropped beside my ear. One of her fluffy ears brushed my cheek, and then I felt the gentle weight of her chin settling on my shoulder.
Her perfume deepened around me.
When I turned, Dream Journey was standing behind the sofa. Of every fragrance in the world, hers was the one that calmed me the most.
"Oh, this..."
Still holding the ring pillow, I showed it to her.
"My grandmother gave it to me when I was little. Apparently she made it out of a wedding dress. She told me, 'Someday a lovely ring will rest on this.' ...But that was getting ahead of herself, wasn't it?"
I laughed at myself, and Journey's eyes narrowed slightly. Then a soft smile, touched by something lonely, appeared on her face.
"...Oh? Are you planning to marry someone?"
Her voice was quiet.
"No! Nothing like that..."
I waved my hands in a panic, and Journey let out a small breath, smiling as if in relief.
"...I see."
Then, with a small sigh, she leaned in and rested her forehead gently against mine.
"For a moment, I thought perhaps you were trying to hurry me along."
"Huh?"
At my surprise, Journey gave a small laugh.
"Hehe. I was joking."
Her voice was as gentle as perfume itself. And yet... for a joke, it had sounded awfully serious. Still clutching the ring pillow, I let her hold me. Her arms were warm and impossibly soft. For an Umamusume who could run the turf at sixty, seventy kilometers an hour, her arms looked almost fragile. And yet they were so warm, so strong.
"I am your partner, after all."
I smiled a little.
"I could never marry anyone but you, Journey."
The words were meant lightly, but Journey's body went perfectly still. She was smiling, I was sure of it, and yet the arms around me tightened just a little.
"...That was perhaps a touch too cruel of me."
A low laugh brushed my ear. Her breath stirred my hair.
"But if that is the case... then so be it."
Her fingers slipped between mine. She caressed the bare ring finger that held no ring.
"Then one day... I should like to give you a ring worthy of resting upon your grandmother's ring pillow. One that truly suits you."
Her voice was low and sweet, almost a murmur. The words were so far beyond anything I had expected that my face went hot at once, and I turned away. I was the older one. There were plenty of times I thought I ought to be the one taking the lead. But somehow she was always one step ahead of me. In the end I could only squeeze her hand back.
Watching me fluster, she laughed like a little bell, lifted a strand of my hair, and whispered:
"Should we make Europe our next trip?"
My eyes widened. Her smile filled my vision. A little mischievous, but serious.
"Europe...?"
I repeated the word, and she smiled, stroking my cheek.
"Yes. ...With the possibility of living there, perhaps."
She said it so casually, and yet so clearly, that I drew in a breath.
"You mean..."
When I asked, her eyes softened.
"...I want to find a place where we can be together more naturally. A place where I can remain at your side, always."
She said it directly, without a trace of hesitation. Ah. She was serious. Her eyes, bright as a clear sky, shimmered as she looked at me. My chest filled until I could no longer speak.
She took my hand and pressed her lips to my fingertips.
"...If possible, I would like to give them all to you properly someday. The ring. The dress. The jewels to wear with them..."
Her voice was low, but burning with warmth. The tenderness in it, and the unwavering resolve, came through so strongly it almost hurt.
"So... let our next journey be one in search of the future."
At that sweet invitation, I found myself nodding before I knew it.
"...Okay."
I gave her the brightest smile I could, and Journey's eyes narrowed in visible relief as she pulled me tightly into her arms.
"I love you, my dearest one."
Her sweet, gentle voice fell into my ear. Still holding the ring pillow, I buried my face in her chest.
The future smelled soft.