Chapter Text
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
Having managed to catch herself mid-fall, she scrambled to tug her bedsheets away from the mattress, Daiwa Scarlet flailing helplessly as the spilled tea soaked through the bottom sheet. The horsegirl desperately tried to salvage her bed from the mishap, haphazardly setting the large teacup and saucer aside - thankfully unbroken - as pillows were tossed onto the floor, the auburn-haired girl giving her sheets a tug strong enough to free them as her expression faltering.
In an instant, her spilled tea had managed to soak all the way through and into the mattress, leaving a large, dark stain that took up a sizable portion of her bed. Her bottom sheet, as well as the comforter, were both stained by the spill, leaving Scarlet holding the stained fabrics as she gazed emotionlessly at her ruined bed.
“...Damn it.”
With a sigh, she let the sheets fall to the floor as she liberated her last roll of paper towel from the small storage nook in the dorm room, her mood souring even further as she unrolled a measly 4 squares before the roll ran out - hardly enough to try to soak up the mess.
She tried valiantly nevertheless, tossing aside the used-up towels into the bedside trashcan as she surveyed the mess, ruminating on what to do. What she had planned to be a quiet, relaxing night before her big race the following day - enjoying a new package of tea, her favourite type of biscuit, and a good book - had quickly turned into calamity, ruining her plans. At the very least, though, Vodka wasn’t around to see her-
“Yo! You still awa-”
Scarlet jumped in fright as the dorm room door slammed open, the girl letting out a shrill yelp as her arch nemesis returned, Vodka standing slack-jawed at the mess before her.
“...what the hell did you do?”
“Mind your business!” Scarlet snapped back, a blush quickly rising to her cheeks as she scrambled to maintain her dignity in the face of being embarrassed in front of the largest pain-in-the-ass of her life. Gathering up her sheets from the floor, Scarlet stormed out of the room without so much a glance towards Vodka, ruined fabrics dragging behind her as she set off for the nearby shared laundry room in a huff.
Watching her go, head craning out of the door and down the hall, Vodka sighed. ‘ Why is she the way that she is? I didn't even do anything…’ she mused internally in exasperation, closing the door as she surveyed what her roommate had done to their room. Piecing together the empty teacup, stained mattress, missing sheets, and Scarlet’s less-than-pleasant mood, the tomboy rolled her eyes as she set down her bag and tossed her jacket aside, equine tail flicking from side to side as she ruminated on what to do about the mess.
—
Glowering, Scarlet put on her best ‘ leave me alone’ expression as she could muster as she returned from loading her sheets into the wash, barging through the door back into the dorm room. “I don't want to hear-”
Cutting herself short, the horsegirl froze at the sight. Sitting on the nightstand that separated the beds was a fresh cup of hot, unspilled tea. Nearby, Vodka had found a comfortable position on the floor, resting atop a collection of spare pillows and blankets, a damnably smug smile on her lips. “Don't spill it this time, you hear?” She teased, clearly having taken the opportunity to get one over on Scarlet. “Big day tomorrow, you need to get your rest.”
Grumbling, Scarlet closed the door. “You better think twice before you try telling anybody about this.”
With a guffaw, the tomboy horsegirl kept on the offensive. “And what - give up my blackmail over you? As if.”
It took every ounce of willpower she had to not snap back once again, Scarlet pretending as if she hadn't heard what her roommate had said. Striding over and carefully picking up the fresh tea, she took a sip while looking over her bed, the stain having spread further through the mattress while she was gone. “I think it's a lost cause…” Vodka chimed in, rising to her feet. “Kiseki could probably get you a new mattress, but I bet she's gone to bed already.”
Letting out a sigh, Scarlet tried her best to keep herself steady. Months of training, day-in day-out for the race tomorrow. And now she not only had just tanked her mood, but she had also ruined her chance at a good night's sleep. Perfect.
“Get yourself some rest,” Vodka continued, snapping Scarlet out of her ruminations by elbowing her in the ribs. “Don't try and claim I've never done nothing for ‘ya.”
Befuddled, she shot Vodka a glare. “What're you talking about?”
“I set you up on my bed.” Vodka replied with nonchalance, glancing away and motioning towards her bed with a nod, on which Scarlet's pillows and blanket had been set up. “...Like I said, big day tomorrow.”
It took a few moments for the synapses in Scarlet's brain to fire off and connect, her head tilting in confusion. “You…” Her roommate was sporting a terribly uncharacteristic blush, trying to play it cool but clearly uncomfortable at the prospect of having to lay her intentions bare such as that. “...Really?”
“Just don't spill!” Ruining the moment immediately, Vodka dove back into her pile of pillows and blankets at the foot of her bed, her evergreen ability to rile Scarlet up rearing its ugly head yet again.
Thankfully, the tea helped her bury her annoyance, at least for the time being. Indeed being careful to not trip on her own feet again, Scarlet sat on the edge of the bed and took a short while to polish off her tea, finding the taste and aroma to help soothe her nerves and-
“I really don't get how you can drink that stuff.”
Ugh.
“And I don't get how you can put up with those nasty energy drinks.” She retorted.
Vodka's head peeked up from below the bed, the horsegirl grinning. “It's easy - they help me run faster.”
“And the tea helps me relax, which you are doing the opposite of right now.”
“Mmm…” Her jabs successfully parried, Vodka watched as her roommate climbed into her bed and pulled up the sheets, taking it all up for herself without so much a ‘thank you’. “Feeling good about tomorrow?”
They weren't always back-and-forth, jab-for-jab - only most of the time. Scarlet shrugged. “Mostly, I've done all I can to prepare.”
“I'm sure you'll win like always.” Giving her a slightly sarcastic thumbs-up, Vodka's ears twitched, something that Scarlet picked up on.
“Is something the matter?”
“Hmm?”
Playing dumb. Typical. “I said, is something the matter? You've never been good at controlling your ears or tail.”
Her brows furrowing, Vodka mercifully decided to not keep up her too cool to care tomboy act. “Just hope you can pull it off tomorrow, is all. It’d be a big one for your career.”
She had never been one for big shows of well-wishing or congratulations like some of the other Team Spica members, so to hear Vodka say as much as that made Scarlet’s cheeks flush. “You can catch up with me in the winner's circle after.” She replied with a certain machismo, the horsegirl fluffing up her confidence as she settled back against her pillows.
Vodka grinned. “It's a deal, then.”
The dorm room slipped into darkness as Vodka rose to get at the light switch, Scarlet trying to settle into the unfamiliar bed. Same sheets, her typical pillows, identical mattresses…
And yet…
The fact that it was Vodka's bed could not escape her mind as she tossed and turned, trying in vain to find a comfortable spot. First she was too flush, then she became too cold when removing the blankets. The mattress felt too hard in some spots and too well-worn in others. It was the same room as always, but seeing it from a different vantage point threw her off. Plus, she really needed to get to sleep for tomorrow - but she also had to get in touch with Kiseki about a new mattress, and-
“Hey.”
“GAH!”
Vodka laughed as Scarlet flailed in bed, having been snuck up on. “You're keeping me up with all your tossing and turning,” she said through her laughs, having shuffled around to the side of the bed to reach eye-level with Scarlet. “Can't sleep?”
“Not really…” Scarlet grumbled, having recovered from her temporary embarrassment and sat up, Vodka flicking on the dim bedside lamp.
“Guess that tea didn't do you any good, huh.”
“I guess not.”
The two sat in silence for a few moments before Vodka broke the awkwardness with a sigh as she reached towards an object on the nightstand. “Here, hold still.”
Reaching out, Vodka carefully grabbed hold of her roommate's tail, beginning to drag a soft hairbrush along it, Scarlet having frozen at the act. Her gaze lowered behind her bangs, the low lighting of the room betrayed the heavy blush on Vodka's cheeks, the horsegirl busying herself with trying to help out. In silence, the two girls sat for a few minutes before Vodka switched tools, pivoting to a thick-toothed comb to help smooth out Scarlet's tussled tail, before switching back to the brush once more. “I find this always helps me out.” She said bashfully, the tomboy showing a rare soft side of herself to her friend.
Scarlet had sagged back into the comfort of her many pillows, the serenity of the moment helping lull her closer to sleep. “Mmm…”
More brushing, and she felt her eyelids growing heavy. The switch to the lamp flicked off and plunged the room back into darkness, Vodka moving to stand up from the bed. In an instant, the sleepy horsegirl snatched hold of her roommate's wrist, rooting her in place as they both froze. It had almost been on instinct, Scarlet not having thought any of this through.
“What're you…”
“You'll probably hurt your back sleeping on the floor.” Scarlet hastily explained, her words getting away from her before she could think.
The implication of Scarlet's statement hung in the air, both of them digesting it. “I…” Vodka started before trailing off.
“O-Only if you want to.” Smooth recovery. Idiot.
For a few agonizing moments, Vodka didn't reply, and when the tomboy rose from the bed and slipped from Scarlet's grasp, she winced slightly. Idiot idiot idiot.
It was only when she felt the sensation of a couple of pillows being tossed beside her, along with an extra blanket, that Scarlet's eyes began to adjust to the darkness of the room. Clambering onto the bed was Vodka, an inscrutable expression on her face as she squeezed herself between Scarlet and the wall, setting up her accommodations. “Only because you asked.” She said curtly, not out of frustration or reluctance, but because of embarrassment, the normally ice-cold horsegirl’s cheeks steaming red.
Scooting over to give her roommate more space, Scarlet adjusted herself as well so they could both fit more comfortably. Settling down, the pair lay in silence for a few moments, refusing to look at one another.
“Goodnight.”
“G’night.”
Turning away from Vodka, Scarlet let out a deep breath, sleep still mercifully close as she settled down, trying to suppress the fact that Vodka was merely inches away from her, also trying to sleep.
In the very same bed.
It took a couple of moments to cool herself off again following that realization, but soon enough Scarlet felt herself slipping into sleep, the sensation of another tail resting next to hers weighing on her mind.
___
Slowly rousing awake, Scarlet kept her eyes closed, not wanting to get up right away. She had slept through the night and even beat her alarm, the room quiet save for some light breathing, the pillow she was hugging rising and falling with every breath.
The pillow… Breathing?
Cracking her bleary eyes open, it took a few more moments for the realization to hit.
That's not a pillow. That's Vodka. I'm in Vodka's bed. She has her arms wrapped around me. My face is in her chest.
It took every single atom within her to keep composed, eyes wide and cheeks instantaneously beet red. Her roommate was still asleep, but it seemed that at some point during the night, the two of them had gotten intertwined, arms and legs mingling together with Scarlet as the little spoon - and it felt…
She pushed that sensation down as best she could, yet Scarlet couldn't help but keep herself in that position for moments longer, closing her eyes yet again. Vodka was warm, her arms holding surprisingly tight for being asleep, her form slender against Scarlet's own. If she just tilted her head up towards Vodka's more, she could even-
The blaring sound of Scarlet's alarm sent her scrambling, which only caused Vodka to react similarly as she awoke, the two girls a tangle of limbs and tails as Scarlet reached for her phone on the nightstand, silencing the alarm. The room falling silent, Vodka was still half-draped over her roommate as Scarlet turned back towards her, the pair making eye contact from mere inches away, face to face.
“I-”
Before Vodka could speak, Scarlet had jumped up and out of the bed, nearly tripping on herself yet again like she had the night before. Her long hair a mess, the girl tried to play off what had just transpired, smoothing out her light pajamas before addressing the tomboy. “I'll be getting ready now!” She spoke with haste, hurrying over to her closet to pick out her outfit for the race, flicking through the hangars. “Then I'll grab some breakfast then head to the track then I'll do some warm-ups and-”
“Scarlet.”
“Hm?”
Turning back to the bed, Scarlet took in the sight of Vodka having sat herself up in bed slightly, a deep blush on her cheeks and cheeky grin on her lips, her short brown hair a total mess. “Wanna work a good luck kiss into your busy schedule?”
Scarlet's eyes widened at Vodka's jab, the horsegirl instinctively turning back to the closet and picking up a shoe, chucking it at her roommate. Ducking away from its trajectory, Vodka broke into laughter as Scarlet told her off, hastily slipping herself into her racing outfit before she could suffer any more slings and arrows.
Not wanting to stay a single second longer around Vodka than was absolutely necessary, Scarlet piled an array of items into her shoulderbag before slipping on her running shoes, turning for the door.
“Hey, Scarlet.”
“What?”
Vodka's previous teasing grin was gone, instead replaced with a look of earnestness. “I'll see you in the winner's circle today, remember?”
Her hand frozen on the doorknob, Scarlet thought back to her off-handed joke from the night before, Vodka clearly having taken it seriously.
“...See you then.” Idiot.
Hurrying out the door and shutting it with just the right amount of gusto to let Vodka know of her displeasure, Scarlet hurried down the hall to go meet up with her trainer, the images of Vodka’s sleeping form burning bright in her memory.