A/N: Daily check-ins... Who is your favourite horse girl?
____________
"Am I being dissected? Why can't I feel my arm!? What's going on!?!"
Silver Tear woke to the strange realization that her arm had gone completely numb, panic rising before she was even fully conscious.
The lack of sensation alone was enough to drag her halfway out of sleep, but when she tried to move, something warm and solid pressed closer instead of pulling away.
She frowned, eyes still half-closed, and forced herself to look down.
Grani was there.
Nestled against her, face tucked near Silver Tear's collarbone, hair in disarray, cheeks faintly flushed even in sleep. One hand had somehow found its way into the fabric of Silver Tear's shirt, fingers curled tight.
Silver Tear stared at her, thoughts crawling along at a painfully slow pace.
'…Oh. Just someone sleeping on my arm.'
Silver Tear sighed and relaxed back into the pillow. Moving now would mean dealing with this awkward situation, and her groggy mind wasn't ready for that. Though sacrificing one arm for an Uma Musume curled against her didn't seem like a bad trade.
Besides, this silver-haired girl felt very warm and comfortable.
Silver Tear adjusted her head slightly, letting her cheek rest against Grani's hair. If this was how she was going to wake up every time, then fine. She could think about it properly after taking a 5-minute nap.
__________________
2 hours later
__________________
Grani woke up to the feeling of being held.
It took her a moment to process it. She noticed the warmth first, then the steady rise and fall of something soft beneath her cheek, and finally the unmistakable realization that she was very close to someone.
Her eyes fluttered open.
A beautiful blonde Uma Musume with a tear-shaped mark on her cheek was right there.
For a heartbeat, Grani froze, staring up at Silver Tear's face so close above her. There was a quiet trace of melancholy in her expression, softened by sleep, her eyes barely open. Grani's gaze lingered on that face for a moment longer than she meant to.
The silence lasted only half a second before her brain finally caught up.
"—?!"
She shot upright so fast she nearly headbutted Silver Tear, hands flailing as she scrambled backward on the bed. Her face went from pink to fully red in an instant.
"I-I-I'm so sorry!" Grani blurted out, words tumbling over each other.
"I didn't mean to—I don't even remember when I fell asleep— why was I—?!"
She covered her face with both hands, ears folding in as they burned, peeking through her fingers as if the situation might vanish if she ignored it hard enough. Her tail flicked once, then twice, giving away her panic.
Silver Tear, meanwhile, only pushed herself up a little, blinking at the space Grani had just vacated.
"Where is my body pillow?" She asked, her voice flat and still heavy with sleep.
That question somehow made it even worse for Grani.
She let out a small, mortified sound and buried her face into the pillow, her groan coming out muffled. "Please forget this ever happened…"
"Ohh…."
"Why do you sound so disappointed?!"
Grani popped back up, still flushed, already opening her mouth to apologize again.
"I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have—" she began, bowing her head out of habit.
Then she stopped.
Her brows knit together as something clicked. She glanced around the room, at the familiar ceiling, the window, then at the bed.
Her bed.
She straightened a little, hands clenching into the sheets as she gathered herself, embarrassment still there but no longer in full control.
"…Wait."
Silver Tear watched her in silence, one eyebrow lifting just a little.
Grani took a breath, puffed her cheeks for a moment, then looked back at her with a firmness that hadn't been there before.
"This is my bed. You're the one who intruded."
"But my arm. What about my arm going numb because you used it as a pillow? Where is the justice in that?" Silver Tear lifted the offending limb with her other hand and let it flop uselessly, like a wet noodle. She shamelessly claimed that as if she didn't enjoy the feeling of Grani nestled in her arms.
"So what if your arm went numb? That's not entirely my fault." Grani huffed, looking like she had the high ground with her perfect reasoning.
"This world has no warmth left. Such a cold reality we're living in," Silver Tear muttered, sounding faintly dejected.
"Is there really a need to say something like that?" Grani asked, flustered all over again.
Taking a deep breath, she eased up a little, though her face was still warm. "I mean—I didn't mean to cling like that."
"But you didn't complain either." She added more quietly.
Silver Tear let out a soft hum, eyes half-closing as she gazed into Grani's eyes. "Because it was… comfortable."
Grani opened her mouth, then closed it again, clearly trying to reboot her thoughts after that last comment.
She had the distinct feeling that arguing with this Uma Musume was a losing battle. Wasn't this completely unfair? Ref!! Do something ref!!
"…R-right." She said at last, clearing her throat as she sat up properly. She smoothed down the sheets to calm herself down.
'If words weren't working, maybe start over with the introduction.'
"I—I'm Grani. Second-year." She said a bit too quickly, lifting her hand in a small, awkward gesture.
The introduction did seem to help, at least a little. Her shoulders relaxed, and the frantic swirl in her head settled just enough for her to breathe again.
"Silver Tear. First-year." Silver Tear nodded.
The exchange felt oddly formal, considering what had just happened, and somehow that made it easier to handle. Grani glanced at her, then looked away, ears twitching as she searched for something safe to say.
"I guess… we're roommates now." Grani said, her tone cautious but sincere. "I don't usually sleep like that. Just so you know."
Silver Tear tilted her head slightly. "I don't mind it though?"
Grani let out a slow breath, her shoulders loosening. "Let's just agree this was a one-time thing."
Silver Tear let out a disappointed sigh like she had lost something important.
Suddenly, Grani immediately felt regret about suggesting introductions.
Grani glanced at the clock and froze.
"…No, no, no."
She shot upright, scrambling for her phone as the time sank in. Afternoon training. She was already late.
The realization hit all at once, and she immediately started flailing for a way to salvage the situation, muttering half-formed excuses and reaching for her jacket in a rush.
Silver Tear watched her for a moment, then spoke up, calm as ever. "At this point, you might as well skip it."
Grani stopped mid-motion and stared at her. "Skip it?"
Silver Tear shrugged lightly. "You're already late. Getting there flustered won't help. We could just… wander around instead."
The idea caught Grani off guard. She hesitated, still torn between responsibility and the unexpected calm of the room, tail flicking as she weighed it.
She looked at the door, then at the clock. Her ears drooped slightly, tail giving a restless swish behind her.
"I really shouldn't." Grani muttered, more to herself than to Silver Tear.
"Coach is going to notice. And if I miss warm-ups, then the whole session's a mess, and—"
She stopped when Silver Tear appeared behind her like a ghost and leaned closer.
"But you're already late."
Silver Tear lowered her voice, warm and unhurried, the kind of tone that slid past reason before Grani could brace herself.
"If you go now, you'll spend the whole training thinking about how tired you are. Or how embarrassing it was to rush out like that."
Grani stiffened. "…That's not fair."
Silver Tear continued anyway, voice soft, almost lazy. "And it's a nice afternoon. You don't get many like this. Quiet room, no one looking for you yet."
She paused, just long enough.
"Skipping once won't end the world."
Grani swallowed. Her grip on the jacket loosened. She looked away, cheeks warming again, clearly fighting a losing battle with her own thoughts.
"I'm not the type to skip." She said weakly, already crumbled inside. Her resistance was too fragile against this Devil known as a roommate.
Silver Tear hummed, lips brushing close to her ear. "Neither am I."
"But I'm very good at enjoying accidents like this." She added.
Grani let out a long, defeated sigh and dropped the jacket back onto the bed. Her shoulders slumped as if all the urgency drained out of her at once.
"…You sound like a devil."
"But I'm the devil, Grani-senpai." Silver Tear smirked at Grani's comment.
___________________
A/N: I'm sleepy as fk so I will put this chap on hold. Might edit it back tmr.
You guys will have to stay with me in this slice of life arc until I'm done with laying the groundwork.