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It was an evening in the summer when Pokke explicitly noticed it for the first time. The two had gone out on a date to the city’s center where a new art installation was set to debut. Tachyon saw the advertisements for the event at some point, and asked her girlfriend to accompany her to the exhibit. Pocket was beyond eager to accept.
It wasn’t easy to get Tachyon to go on a date. She had deadlines for something almost every other night, and if she wasn’t at her desk in the apartment, she was at the lab. For her to be the one extending an invitation? The stars must’ve aligned.
As they rounded a corner near the outdoor exhibition, Tachyon’s eyes went wide with curiosity, and she rushed forward. Pocket only took a second to react, but, by the time she had, her partner was already three lengths ahead.
It was strange to see that sight again; Tachyon’s back, darting away from her at light speed. Pokke’s heart clenched, and she swore there was a fleeting spark of multicolored madness that rippled across the cobblestone at her lover’s feet. It was a side of Tachyon she hadn’t seen in over a year. Her research is something she treasures, that she chases… but the boundary of her own physical limits? That’s the one question she would never answer, an itch she would never again get the chance to scratch.
“Umamusume- born to run,” or however the speech went- they’d all heard it a million times. Jungle Pocket had watched countless girls run like they lived for it. Tachyon was the only one who looked like she’d die if she didn’t.
It was incredible to see the woman she loved look so alive again. So… complete.
But just as soon as she started, she had come to a stop, gazing up at the beautiful aerial artwork of woven cablenet, swaying gently in the wind, illuminated by an array of lights from below. Pocket darted up beside her, still reeling from the moment. Tachyon inhaled deeply, seemingly unbothered by the athletic burst she’d just had.
“1.8,” she marveled.
Pokke stared at the art, and then at her. “Hm?”
“Earthtime 1.8,” she sounded as though she was falling in love. “It’s the recorded data of the height of the tsunami that resulted from the Tōhoku earthquake.” She watched the strands billow with the air for a moment. “Named after the amount of time it took from the length of our day: 1.8 microseconds.”
There was silence between the two. Pocket didn’t know what to say that would capture her feelings. “Incredible,” she decided, would be sufficient.
Tachyon had a love for many things. Physiology, neuroscience, chemistry, physics, running… and art, too, apparently. Even though she isn’t racing anymore, she’s still Tachyon. The lazy, curious, and incredible Tachyon.
She kind of wanted to stay by her side forever.
Not in the same way she dreamed about when they first got together. She used to imagine being old and in love, like they would jump from being twenty right into their geriatric years. She’d never stopped to think about the in-between.
But there they were. Two young adults in love. Navigating grad school and the job market. Paying rent. Sharing a bed together. Taking trips to the grocery store every other week. It all seemed so surreal. Those were things Pocket thought adults did, but here she was doing them. She wasn’t eighteen and dreaming of the Twinkle series anymore. She was twenty-two and dreaming about seeing her family again for the holidays. Holy shit, when did she get boring?
She thought about it for a moment. It probably happened when she found someone she wanted to be “boring” with. Watching Tachyon gaze wondrously at the display was anything but boring, though. So long as no one recognized them, they were just two umamusume enjoying some art. A brilliant researcher with a mean sprint and her infectiously passionate partner who can’t stop chasing tomorrow. Maybe it was okay that the whole world didn’t know she was the strongest right now, so long as Tachyon did.
Those scarlet eyes, corners creased in delight, softly fell from the display and found sanctuary in the golden gaze fixed upon her. Delighted by this discovery, she asked,
“Mm? Is everything alright, Pokke?” as she playfully reached for her partner’s hand.
Pocket didn’t know how to proceed, so whatever she said was a shot in the dark… “Yeah, I just- I like living with you,” she smiled softly, glancing down at their interlaced fingers.
Tachyon giggled, a little surprised by the notion. “I concur, it is quite the beneficial arrangement.”
Pocket bit the inside of her cheek a tad. Even if the meaning didn’t come across the way she wanted it to, she knew her true feelings would find their way to Tachyon eventually.
The researcher turned to face her, tilting her head slightly to the left, her tail swaying in the same direction. "You're always someone I want to talk with," she took a step inward. "I like you being close enough to call out to." Her cheeks rounded gently to accommodate her smile. "It's odd, I feel as though I'm confessing my love for you over again," she shook her head once, perhaps trying to rid herself of unnecessary butterflies.
Pocket stared, ears twitching, awestruck by the beauty of the girl standing before her. She realized she was feeling a similar way, trying to hold back from kissing her, as though it would be their first. She's allowed to kiss her girlfriend, she rationalized, softly bringing her free hand to Tachyon's jaw and closing the small gap between them by pressing their lips together. She felt a hand rest on her waist. They shared the moment for just a second before pulling back, still wrapped in the other's embrace.
Pushing a small section of hair from Tachyon's line of sight, Pocket made sure that it felt like a confession, not just a reiteration. "I love you, Tachyon."
Tachyon felt her face flush with warmth. "And I love you, my dear Jungle Bucket," she teased, before taking a moment to glance at her watch. "I don't mean to cut our time here short, but I was hoping to treat you to some dinner before the night was done. Most establishments will begin to close in an hour or so," she looked up. "Is there any place in particular that you'd like to dine at?"
In that moment, Jungle Pocket felt one step closer to proposing.
~~~
As the night came to an end, the two walked back to their home, stomachs filled with a hearty meal. Tachyon sat down inside to unzip her boots, setting them by the door. Pocket simply slipped her sneakers off. Both slid into a pair of indoor slippers. Pokke offered a hand to help her woman stand back up, which Tachyon accepted gracefully. One locked the door, and the other turned off the lights of their entryway, then made their way to their bedroom together.
Tachyon changed into her shorts and a loose sweater immediately upon entering their room. Wheeling out her desk chair, she sat down and pulled her legs to her chest, opening her laptop to see if she'd received any emails during her time away. Pokke changed into her sweatpants and a fitted tank top before entering the bathroom to take out her braids and brush her teeth. Tachyon joined her halfway through, slumping over the sink as she cleaned her teeth. Both took a capful of mouthwash to swish around for a moment. Once finished, Pokke stretched her arms and Tachyon popped some of her joints.
"That can't be good for you, and you of all people should know that," Pokke stared at her girlfriend pushing her hip in an attempt to get it to pop.
"You're right, but the urge is too great. It's very similar to the need you feel to stretch," she reasoned, relaxing when the joint let out a loud popping noise. Pokke shuddered. "Maybe one day I'll stop." She crossed to the bed and rolled over to her side, ducking under the duvet to make herself comfortable.
"Right," Pocket clicked off the bedside lamp and slid in right beside her lover, wrapping her arms around Tachyon's waist as she listened to her breathing. "Goodnight, Tachyon."
The scientist blinked and yawned before heaving out, "Goodnight, Pokke," in response.
It was soft, maybe one day it would even be insignificant, but tonight meant everything to Jungle Pocket. Her eyes shut and her body grew lighter. A new day came on to replace the last, and both Pokke and Tachyon slept peacefully knowing who would be lying beside them in the morning.