Chapter Text
It started off innocent enough. Tachyon was her rival: a beast to defeat on the turf, and a headache-causing friend when they were just hanging out. She felt similarly about Cafe: she admired the black-maned Uma’s drive, her determination to always improve, to catch up to that standard that only she saw. They were stars in their own rights separately, but together?
Cafe was quiet where Tachyon was loud. Unwavering where the other was spazzing. Tachyon was energy, a challenge, Cafe the surety of improvement, of climbing a mountain and knowing that eventually, you’ll reach the top. Together, they formed a duo that took Pokke’s breath away every time she witnessed it; that made her pulse run and her heart want to beat right out of her chest. It doesn’t matter what they were doing: running, warming up, even just talking, it made Pokke want to…
She’s not quite sure, actually. About what she wants, or what she’s feeling, even. She thinks it's a crush? At least that’s what Fuji-san said when Pokke told her about her feelings - the older Uma found Pokke’s confusion very amusing, but sue her! She admired Fuji-san for years as well, how is she supposed to tell the difference?!
…this made Fuji-san blush and their trainer start cackling like a madman, and Pokke dared not ask what he found so funny, lest she dig herself into an even deeper hole. Anyways!
To sum up, Tachyon and Cafe were good friends of hers, so she liked to spend time with them! So it’s not her fault when she barged into their shared space to invite them to practice with her, only to find, uhm, well.
She only took a peek before she turned around and closed the door behind her, but she’s pretty sure she saw Cafe sitting on Tachyon’s lap, her hands on the scientist’s shoulders, Tachyon’s on her waist, their mouths pressing together in a kiss.
So now here she is, standing on the corridor next to the door to her best friends’ room, face heating up at a rapid pace as her mind keeps replaying the image: Cafe’s flushed cheeks, Tachyon’s vice grip on the shorter uma’s waist, her half-lidded red eyes glancing towards Pokke-
Oh shit. Tachyon saw her. Tachyon saw that she saw them.
Her ears twitch as her legs give up and she plops down on the floor. Did they want to keep it a secret? Will they be mad at Pokke for barging in on them and interrupting their… date? Kiss? Make-out session? Or more? Oh fuck, what if they-
“Pokke-san?”
Manhattan Cafe’s voice spooks her out of her overthinking, glancing up at the source of the voice - and oh. Cafe and Tachyon are standing in the doorway, looking at Pokke: the former concerned, the latter curious.
“Cafe, Tachyon, hehe…” she gets to her feet, rubbing the back of her head with an embarrassed laugh. “I see you two are busy, so I’m just gonna-”
“Now, now, Pokke-kun, what’s the hurry for?” Tachyon smiles in a way that sends shivers down Pokke’s spine, those red eyes glinting with a mischievous light. “We’re never too busy to welcome you into our room~ In fact, me and our dear Cafe were just thinking about whether or not you’d help us-”
“Did you want something?” Cafe interrupts her roommate - probably for the best, knowing Tachyon’s ideas. Her gaze is honest in a way that Pokke always appreciated - no hidden schemes or experiments. Cafe is the calm to Tachyon’s storm.
…they really are perfect for each other, aren’t they? Pokke’s heart clenches painfully at the thought. She should just go.
“It’s nothing important, don’t worry about it.” She shakes her head, forcing a smile onto her face. It’s probably lackluster, guessing from the way Cafe’s brows furrow and Tachyon tilts her head. “I was just curious if you two are up to a quick race, but I don’t want to intrude-”
“Nonsense, you’re not intruding!” Tachyon’s smile widens, the uma stepping around Manhattan Cafe to lean forward into Pokke’s personal space. “Why, I had plans to test Cafe’s endurance and stamina today, you just gave me another test subject to compare her results to!”
Tachyon spins around and marches back into their room, still muttering to herself.
“I’ll set up a camera near the track, then we’ll all run for as long as we can take it, and I’ll just have to compare everyone’s starting velocity to the one five hundred, one thousand, one thousand and five hundred meters later, and after finishing the race we’ll…”
Pokke watches the glass door close behind her, suddenly left alone with Cafe, who’s bright yellow eyes are still searching her expression, as if she wants to look into Pokke’s soul.
“Pokke-san-” she starts, but closes her mouth when Pokke shakes her head and smirks.
“Let’s just run, eh, Cafe? We need to get changed into our jerseys anyways - and I’m not letting Tachyon be the first, even in this!”
Cafe just looks at her for a moment, before nodding and stepping back into her and Tachyon’s room. Pokke took a deep breath and sighed in relief, before letting out a fierce battlecry, turning down the corridor and shooting forward with the fastest run of her life.
Her dorm might be in a completely different building while the running grounds are right outside this one, but she’ll get dressed and arrive at the course faster anyways, damnit!