Work Text:
McQueen stands in front of her full-body mirror, checking her hair for the third time in five minutes.
"Should I tie my hair before leaving?" She asks the question more to herself than anything, but in the small space of her shared room there's not much in the way of privacy.
"I leave that decision up to you." Ikuno Dictus says absentmindedly. "But I will say, you seem to be quite nervous about going to Gold Ship's room."
McQueen hums softly, turning her head to look at Ikuno. The orange-haired Uma doesn't return her gaze, too focused on the book she's currently reading.
"Is it that obvious?"
"You've checked your make-up 2 times; your bag has been filled, emptied and refiled 4 times; I believe you're taking your lucky pajamas with you; amongst other things."
McQueen opens her mouth to say something, only to close it again. She feels her cheeks heat up with embarrassment at having been read so easily.
"What you haven't done is check your phone for about an hour." Ikuno continues, her eyes looking into hers for a moment before moving back to the pages. "So I don't think you want to cancel your plans."
"I... don't." McQueen agrees, a small smile forming on her lips.
She looks away from her roommate and towards her own bed where her bag is waiting for her to pick it up.
Her roommate remains as perceptive as always, but there's one thing that she got somewhat wrong. It's not just nerves that have McQueen acting in such a manner, it's anticipation.
Anticipation for what, exactly? She's not so sure herself. What she does know is that it's a feeling she only ever gets whenever she's alone with Gold Ship.
It's there whenever she goes to watch a movie alone and somehow ends up sitting next to Gold Ship from beginning to end; it's there when she goes out alone and somehow ends up grocery shopping with the taller Uma; and it's there when she goes alone to a café and (thankfully for her weight and tragically for her soul) ends up sharing half of her sweets with Gold Ship.
It's happiness, giddiness, fear and warmth, all mixed together to make her feel like she's on a date every time they are together on their day to day. And now she's supposed to spend all night in her crush's room and not make a big deal out of it?
McQueen lets out a small sigh, only then realizing that she's been standing still for a while when she really should be using her time for anything else.
"I will be taking my leave now." She informs her roommate , getting a small nod of acknowledgement in return. "Have a good night, Ikuno!"
"Have a good night, McQueen."
Grabbing all her stuff from the bed and stealing the tiniest of glances at her hair in the mirror, McQueen moves to the door of her room, ready for what's to come.
McQueen takes a small breath and moves her hand up to knock on the door. Her knuckles barely even get to touch the wood before the door burst open.
"BIG MACK!" Gold Ship shouts from the threshold, prompting McQueen to let out a little "Eep!" as she takes a step back.
"You're he— Wow! That's a new sound."
"H-how long have you been waiting there?!" McQueen screeches, her cheeks already heating up with embarrassment.
"How long have you been standing out here?" Gold Ship asks back, the tiniest of smirks adorning her lips.
McQueen shakes her head, putting a hand on her chest in an attempt to calm her startled heart.
"You're impossible." She mutters and manages to take a moment to actually look at the girl in front of her.
Gold Ship is wearing a set of dark-red silk pajamas that, despite seemingly being the right size for her, are filled quite nicely by her volup— sens— curv— muscular! muscular build.
McQueen would rather perish than ever admit how much active effort it takes, but she thinks that she manages to not look like a pervert by the time her eyes move away from the taller Uma's body. Her silver hair flows freely down her back and the lack of her iconic hat pushes her lightly away from 'handsome' and towards 'beautiful'.
She blinks, fully aware that she's barely treading the line between noticing and staring. "Gold—" she barely finishes the words before said Uma stops her by pressing a finger against her lips.
"Wait a moment while your request is reviewed." Gold Ship's tone is gentle, just like the touch against her lips. McQueen is certain that she's going to die from the heat traveling down her neck, but the other girl seems oblivious to her imminent demise.
A few seconds pass where neither girl says anything, merely looking into each other's eyes until finally Gold Ships breaks the standstill.
"Aha!" Gold Ship exclaims, taking a step back and leaning against the threshold, one arm extended towards the room. "One Mejiro MaKween has been granted access to the facilities."
It's the casualness of it all what really throws her off sometimes. Touching, grabbing, lifting, carrying, spinning (she's still not happy about that one); McQueen remains a too willing victim to Gold Ship's sudden whims and by the end of the latter's latest bit it's the mejiro's turn to play the annoyed part. And so, she does.
"I'm already regretting this..." She mutters, carefully stepping inside as if any sudden movement will activate a trap of some kind.
Gold Ship and Stay Gold's room remains, for the most part, the same as it's ever been. The only notable difference being that a large floor cushion has been placed in the middle of the room, with the TV placed right in front of it.
McQueen takes a quick glance towards Gold Ship's bed, her eyes immediately locking in onto the thing resting on top of it.
"I can't believe that thing is still there."
The door closes behind her and Gold Ship only needs to take a couple of large steps before she's standing by her side.
"But McQueenie is part of the family." She chuckles, leaning forward to grab the offending plushie from the bed. "She whispers secrets at night. And I can do this!" Big strong arms wrap around the plushie as Gold Ships squeezes it has hard as she can. McQueen is (once again, for this is not even the fourth time she has felt this way) jealous of a plushie.
Gold Ship throws the replica back onto her bed with an "Opa!" before turning her attention back onto the real one. "Look, I've also got a mystery bag of snacks!" McQueen follows her pointed finger as it moves across various items. "Tea and chili oil."
"W-why the oil?"
"Jordan's various nail polishes."
"You asked for them, right?"
"Legally obtained Spe's mangas and illegally obtained Digital's mangas."
"What do you even mean by that?"
"Nakayama's playing cards in case you wanna bet your family fortune."
"..."
"And... where did I leave my chess set?"
"Gold Ship." McQueen stops her, pulling onto the sleeve of her pajamas to catch her attention. "I'm thankful for the effort, but isn't this a bit too much?"
Gold Ship pauses, her eyes moving down to the grip on her sleeve before moving up to meet McQueen's. She gives her a sheepish smile before her eyes dart away to the side. "I... I don't know. I just went around asking people to give me ideas."
McQueen tilts her head, a bit entranced by the sight of Gold Ship acting timid for once. She opens her mouth and closes it again, unsure of what to say.
"I was so surprised when you agreed to the sleepover that I kinda realized I don't know what to do in one."
With a smile pulling at her lips, McQueen cups Gold Ship's cheek before she can think better of it, prompting the taller girl to look into her eyes again.
"I'm happy to just spend time with you. So, how about we sit down for a while and decide what to do later?"
She feels in real time as Gold Ship's face heats up, a lovely shade of pink taking over her cheeks. And, for the first time since she's known her, the silver-haired Uma seems to be at a loss for words.
"I... Me too. Yeah."
McQueen lets go of the other's cheek, taking a step back and turning around to let her bag fall onto the empty table on Stay Gold's side of the room.
"Good." She manages to say without her voice wavering.
Good. Good indeed. That was a victory. The first hint she's ever gotten that Gold Ship is able to at least be aware of some of the tension that sometimes exists between them. Something could happen tonight, and she needs some extra luck just to be sure.
McQueen pulls out her own set of pajamas from her bag, the set being a light purple and adorned with small flowers. She uses them the night before every big race and this might as well be even more important than that.
"I'm going to change now."
"O-Of course!" Gold Ship says from the other side of the room, almost stumbling over her own words. "I'll get my blindfold and—"
"What if you just look away and don't turn around?"
"Simple. I like how you think!"
McQueen herself has never felt the need to justify her closeness to Gold Ship, but there has been some instances where one student or another has voiced a question to her. She has never blamed them nor took it in a bad manner, for it is true that from an outsiders perspective one can only wonder:
'Why would anyone choose to remain close with someone who, just to name an example, once replaced all of the books in her room with ones translated to French?'
The answer she usually gives is : she can't get rid of her no matter how hard she tries. The real answer, however, is closer to something like: Gold Ship is much more than her weird shenanigans and being her friend makes falling victim to the occasional prank more than worth it.
"I should create a nail polishing tournament and not allow Jordan enter."
"You wouldn't."
"Hm, yeah... What's a tournament without a favorite to beat?"
Gold Ship's hand remains on her wrist while the other returns the brush and cap to the small bottle. And —Wow— she has nice hands. Calloused and strong, yet careful in the way the handle hers like they're something precious and... and that's enough thinking about hands!
Whatever it is that they had put on the TV for background noise seems to be enough to distract Gold Ship for a moment, and McQueen takes the chance to fantasize about reaching out and just caressing the side of her neck.
McQueen adverts her eyes right on time for Gold Ship to shift her attention back onto her.
"This was fun, Big Mack." She says, looking at the now light-blue nails.
"You've never done this before?"
"Nope! Mom only bought me nail polish one time and I used it to paint my room."
"Why am I not surprised?"
Gold Ships sticks out her tongue and McQueen shakes her head, pretending that her chest isn't filled with fond things as her mind pictures a tiny little Gold Ship pretending to be a painter... At the same time though, she also realizes that the Jordan comment was the first random thing she has said in a while.
"You've been oddly quiet."
Gold Ship pauses. She looks at her like she doesn't fully understand what she just said. McQueen in turn rakes her brain, trying to think of a proper way to voice her thoughts, but apparently Gold Ship isn't totally clueless about what she's talking about.
"Just focused, I guess?"
McQueen frowns but chooses to not push so quickly. It's true that Gold Ship acts differently when it's just the two of them, her chaotic persona morphing into something a tad calmer... Still, she gets the feeling that there's something else causing Gold Ship to be more subdued than usual.
Suddenly, Gold Ship cups her own cheeks, her mouth forming a little 'o' as she gasps dramatically.
"Wait! Is the one and only McKerel saying that she misses my voice?!" She asks, her voice purposefully grating by the end.
"Yes, I am." McQueen counters, nodding once for emphasis.
The silver-haired Uma stays frozen in her previous pose, a blink being the only indication that she heard her.
"And, since you're done with my nails..." McQueen reaches for Jordan's nail kit and pulls it closer to her. "I've decided that it's my turn now."
"You don't need to."
McQueen reaches for Gold Ship's hands and gently pulls them away from her head and onto her lap.
"I want to." She says softly, giving the taller Uma a smile that grows wider when she notices the light blush forming on the girl's cheeks.
McQueen looks down when she feels her own flush on her face, choosing to instead take a look at Gold Ship's nails.
"Do you bite your nails?"
"Only on the months that end with an 'r'."
"They are not unsalvageable I suppose."
She grabs a nail file and gets to work, all the while thinking about the best way to approach the previous subject.
"I haven't seen you all day." Is what she ends up saying after a while, an accusation even if her tone doesn't reflect that.
"I thought you wouldn't mind that."
McQueen blinks in surprise, looking up at the girl's face, only to find a serious yet curious expression.
"Why?"
Gold Ship just shrugs like that would be enough to explain herself.
"Gold Ship... you're my friend. I don't want you to think that I'm somehow glad when you're not around."
"Hm."
"Gold Ship!" McQueen insists, squeezing Gold Ship's hands to make sure that she understands she's serious.
Gold Ship looks down at their hands and her shoulders seems to drop a tension that McQueen hadn’t noticed before. Finally, she gives her a goofy smile as she says: "Aye, aye Captain Mack. Why don't I tell you about all the things I did today then? Better you hear it from me than from Meno."
McQueen would describe herself as quite perceptive when it comes to certain topics: baseball, racing, her family and Gold Ship.
As of right now, she is aware that the amount of wrappers and open bags of snacks that surround the space around them is admittedly higher than would be optimal. She's also aware of the fact that now, sitting side by side on the shared cushion, their shoulders are merely a few centimeters away from touching.
But putting aside her at-risk weight and the thoughts of arms and shoulders pressed together, she also notices that Gold Ship remains... somewhat restrained.
They are watching an action movie that they've already watched once in the cinema, and yet today there's something different. Gold Ship doesn't laugh when something comedic happens; she doesn't lean against McQueen to whisper what she would do if she was the protagonist; she doesn't even mute the movie to make up her own dialogue.
In other words: she's the perfect viewing partner. Something that Gold Ship is most definitely not.
McQueen turns her head, forgoing the movie to instead focus her attention on the taller Uma's profile. She tries to notice anything weird, but what she ends up noticing is her lashes; the gentle slope of her nose; the line of her jaw, strong and prominent...
She knows she's staring, Gold Ship probably knows too and yet... she can't bring herself to look away.
"...You're acting weird." She says, her voice quiet in their shared proximity.
"Hm?" Gold Ship turns her head, finally returning her gaze. "But I haven't done anything."
"And that's weird." Before she can think better of it, McQueen's hand reaches forward, first touching her shoulder and then sneaking it's way to Gold Ship's back. She feels her tense for a moment before relaxing once again as she rubs soothing circles on her back. "There's something you're not telling me."
Gold Ship sighs, looking into space for a moment before focusing on her once again.
"Some days ago I found myself alone on the roof after a fierce battle against the threat beyond the stars..."
???
"And being there, recovering after the arduous battle... There wasn't much to do besides thinking, you know?"
McQueen nods like she's following her line of thought, her hand slowly moving up to rub in between the silver-haired Uma's shoulders.
"And I realized that... I like you, you know? I like you a lot, Mackie."
McQueen stares up at her, her eyes open wide in shock and with her skin growing flushed at the sincerity in Gold Ship's words. Her heart beats in her ears, filling with warm only to sink down to her stomach at her next words.
"And sometimes I feel like you don't really like me? I guess?"
"What?"
"It's just that sometimes you talk about me like I'm something that you suffer through. You know when you let a cricket into your room because he seems cool but then you're stuck with a cricket making cricket noises at night; and, sure, you still like him but maybe things were better before? I guess I'm asking if I'm your Fido."
"No! Gold Ship, you... Of course I like you. You're... You're so, so dear to me."
"Mack—"
"I mean it! You can be annoying, you won't find me claiming the contrary. You mess with me at least three times a week and sometimes I really want to scream at you."
"Fair," Gold Ship nods like she's not the one being criticized at the moment.
And the words continue to roll of her tongue, thrown out like her chest couldn't keep them hidden anymore.
"I like you too, Gold Ship. I like you so, so much."
Gold Ship blinks, gaze soft, her eyes never leaving hers as a huge smile appears on her face. A strong pair of arms wrap around her shoulders, pulling her close until there's no more space in between them.
McQueen melts into the embrace, her own arms wrapping around Gold Ship's middle and pulling as hard as she can.
"Golshi..."
"You make me happy, McQueen." Gold Ship whispers, letting out a small giggle as McQueen hides her burning face in the crook of her neck. "You're my best friend!"
...
?
...
?!
"NO!"
"AHH!!"
McQueen's roar of righteous indignation is only surpassed in volume by Gold Ship's startled cry. It's now the silver-haired Uma's turn to stare in shock as McQueen breaks the hug and grabs her by her shoulders.
"You do not get to say that now!"
"S-Say what?"
"I've just confessed to you!"
They stare at each other for a couple of seconds. The only sound present being the TV next to them.
Gold Ship's eyes widen just a bit, recognition washing over her face.
"Oh..."
McQueen's breath hitches as Gold Ship leans forwards, her arms now moving to her middle and trapping her in place.
"Are you going to kiss me?" She whispers, barely even hearing herself over the sound of her own heart.
"Can I?" Is the answer she gets, delivered with a cheeky smile like she already knows the answer.
McQueen nods, her hands moving from Gold Ship's shoulders to cup her face.
At first their lips just brush together, careful and tentative. Getting used to the feeling. McQueen would think this is a dream if it wasn't for the feeling of Gold Ship's body against hers, the pressure of her strong arms a steady reminder of just who she's with.
It's only a few seconds before Gold Ship draws back, but McQueen follows after her, tilting her head so that their lips slot together more easily.
She's vaguely aware of the fact that Gold Ship turns off the TV, but the new silence allows them to focus just on one another. And McQueen stops thinking at all once Gold Ship pulls her into her lap.
"McQueenie!! Nooo!" Gold Ship screams in a panic as the plushie goes flying, slamming into the opposite wall and falling face first onto Stay Gold's empty bed.
"I'm not sleeping next to that thing!" McQueen declares, crossing her arms over her chest. "You can sleep there if you value it so much."
"But she was gonna tell me the password to the safe." Gold Ship whines, sounding as pathetic as she can muster. "Can you tell me the password?"
McQueen rolls her eyes, shaking her head as she moves to lay down on Gold Ship's bed. "Either you join me or you join it. Decide." She delivers her ultimatum by turning around, facing away from her.
She doesn't even get to count to five seconds before the bed dips behind her, Gold Ship's weight settling down right by her side.
"Your fortune is safe for one more day." Gold Ship whispers against the back of her neck, one of her arms tucking itself around her waist and pulling her as close as she can be.
"Good night, Golshi."
"Good night, McQueen."