Third(ieth) Place: 3.1k, NiceTeiMaku, Romance, Fluff, Comedy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATIE!
(A link to the Ao3 page for those who find it easier to read there and who want to check out my other works. Also, done in part to celebrate my own 30th birthday, though no self inserts were made in the creation of this.)
“And there you have it! Your Autumn Tennoshou champion, Nehai Caesar!”
Nature panted as she stumbled to a stop past the finish line. She didn’t even need to look at the scoreboard to know where she was. Not even third but instead seventh. A complete blowout for her and so short after her win at the Takamatsunomiya. One more of these and people would start asking-
“Nice Nature, how do you feel about your placement? After getting sixth in your last race, do you think this might be the beginning of a new slump for you?”
Oh. Lovely. Looks like it wasn’t something people waited on anymore. Didn’t they know what manners were? She looked at the reporter and sighed. He was young and enthusiastic, just like the girl who’d taken first. He was probably looking for a hot scoop to follow and get known for like the one who first noticed that she managed to take third pretty often. At least, at one point…
She sighed as she properly stood and raised her hands to help exaggerate a shrug towards the problem. “If it happens, it happens. It’s not like I’ve ever been exactly the one in the spotlight after all. You’d probably be better off just checking out third place instead. She isn’t getting much attention anyways so you should have a chance.”
The reporter paused for a second before his lips twitched a little downwards and he pushed the microphone he held closer to Nature. “Don’t you think that’s disrespectful to your fans! They want to see you win after all! Bare minimum, they want to see a good race but if you’re not going to-”
Nature held a single finger and placed it on the mic. Earlier in her career she might have panicked or put her hand up like a stop sign but instead she met his gaze with eyes as cold as Christmas snow. That shut him up before she said, “I put everything I have into each race. I always have and I always will. That’s also why I can be comfortable like this. Now, if you don’t mind,” Natie said as she scratched the side of her head, “I have plans and need to get to them. Good luck.”
She waved farewell to the racetrack and reporter alike, certain in her statement. Unlike when she was younger though and she found herself screaming into a hole because she knew she couldn’t have done any better, now it comforted her, letting her wear a smile as she left. If she had anything to be nervous about, it was what awaited her.
Those nerves got much worse once she realized she’d been duped. The very minute of her arrival at the bowling alley was when Dictus finally texted her. She claimed that Tannhauser had hurt herself and ALL of Canopus had to stay behind to take care of her. Tannhauser getting hurt? That she could believe. That even TURBO was needed to help with it? No way. That left only one option for what she was doing. A set of ‘gifts’ probably in her mind to celebrate her thirtieth race.
And those gifts waited for her patiently in a wheelchair and a laugh. They weren’t dressed in anything fancy, just like had been the plan for what was supposed to be a low key celebration, though of course one of them would still come in a dress. It’d go against her family name not to look at least that good, not that the ball of energy that stood on wobbling legs didn’t still look good in her crop top and shorts. They looked good like they always had. Together. Just the two of them.
You know, maybe she would just say she was needed to take care of Tannhau-
Nature sighed as she paused mid turn from running off. It made what already feel silly feel all the worse as she turned back and gave the two of them wave. How many times had she avoided Teio after a race after all? At least then she’d had the excuse of having lost to her or not wanting to talk to her after having had such a poor performance. Today… Today it was for the same reason as it always had been. The reasons that used to make her lash out at being called ‘Natie’. Something so cutesy, from a girl with so much energy, it just didn’t suit her.
But eventually, just like it did today, she couldn’t keep denying that it made her happy. “Heeeey.” She knew she couldn’t be heard as she strode through the alley. The small wave was enough to get Teio to at least not hop out of the lanes to come and grab her or anything, though whatever McQueen said while she waved probably helped too. That gave Nature at least enough time to get her rental shoes and hop down before she was further shouted at.
Indeed, as she stepped towards the booth, Teio gave her a grin and said, “You know, Caesar better not start thinking they’re the next me just because they managed to beat you twice now!”
Oh. Good. They saw the race. Greeeeeat. That’s exactly what she needed for this surprise little hangout instead of party. She put her ball in the ball return before only then coming to the table. She didn’t even answer Teio though, not before she came over to McQueen and slipped her hands onto her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. McQueen gave her a squeeze on her elbows before nodding and saying, “Congratulations on your thirtieth race. You should hold your head high for such an achievement.”
“I mean, would have been better if it’d been a win…”
Both Nature and McQueen rolled their eyes at Teio before Nature put a hand on her hip and said, “You know, you’re not the only one who won against me twice or are you saying your record is only as impressive as Helios’?”
Teio puffed her cheeks up at that before shouting, “Hey-”
“Oh my,” McQueen said as she covered her mouth with both of her hands, “she’s even beginning to sound like Helios!”
Teio glared at both of them before hopping onto the hardwood of the lanes and plucking her ball from the return. She then held it out to them as she hissed out, “I’m going to make you pay for those words.” Then, with a hurried little tapping of her feet that she was good about not raising as high as she did back when she was racing, she made her way to where she needed to be while never looking away from her rivals. Not until she did three spins, stopped and-
There was utter silence as slowly the ball drifted straight down the gutter. It had hit it hard enough to threaten to pop back out but instead it just nestled in and trudged its way down the lane. It hadn’t been aimed forward so how was it supposed to go quickly along its track? No, instead, Teio looked ready to implode by the time it finally fell into the dark space behind the pins.
Natie picked up one of the seven glasses of water that were on the table, took a sip and then let Teio out of her misery as she got up. “You know, since I’m only paying for three bowlers instead of seven, why don’t we just call this a practice game? I’m probably a bit rusty too.”
Teio let out a chuckle and a nod as she nodded but McQueen wasn’t about to let her off so easily. She wasn’t as generous as Nature after all and so her words cut harder as she said, “Rust doesn’t make one forget to use the holes on the ball, does it? Make it two for now. I will not have my name be embarrassed by playing against someone who is going to end up dropping their ball through the floorboards when she lobs it.”
Teio’s face turned bright red before it then turned to Nature. She stomped a foot down before saying, “You know how to play, right? I bet with one game of practice, I’ll stomp both of you!”
Natie giggled a little at the fire and her eyes glanced over to where McQueen was winking at her. Teio could never catch when McQueen was actually playing games with her but Nature knew better. She just didn’t know how to provoke either of them like they could with one another. Just a reminder that she was the third wheel as she shrugged and said, “I’m already paying for the games so what do you want to bet? Just kidd-”
“Winner gets whatever they want from the losers!” Said with all the force and confidence of someone who couldn’t even conceive of being the one who would lose. Nature meanwhile paused hard. How often did a noble Mejiro bowl? And Teio might be great at a lot of things but if she didn’t bowl, she didn’t bowl. So what would she ask for with such an offer? Just the thought made her cheeks burn which brought about ideas that were not allowed. Not even after a hundred races.
“They want to see you win!”
“I can agree with these terms.”
Natie was the one who got to pout this time as she had hoped McQueen would give her an out. Without even that though… “Alright, alright. First we have to get to lessons though, right?”
Teio nodded before hopping straight back and far enough to end up right between Natie’s arms. Then those bright, cocky blue eyes shone on her as she asked, “I’m in your hands then.”
A plume of steam erupted from Nature’s head as she let out a noise that only Chiyono could hear. She then shook her head rapidly and bounced away from the flirt. Teio had done that sort of trick to her way too many times. Even a brat like her had to know what sort of impression she was giving off, right? Her eyes then glanced back over and caught Teio raising an eyebrow at her while putting her arms behind her. Innocent or…
“Lessons! That’s what we’re doing!” Nature pecked at the controls for the lane, erasing all but the one player they needed to have Teio try her hand at a game. She then plucked up the ball and began teaching as best as she could. Showing the technique, telling Teio how it worked, stuff like that and… After five frames it wasn’t exactly going great. Teio couldn’t shoot straight-
“McQueen! We’re in a montage right now!”
-to save her life. Instead, she seemed to fold under the pressure of her throw like her bones did.
“Is everyone out to get me today!”
And Nature even knew how she could really help. The sort of lessons her mom gave her when the bar closed and the two of them and some of their regulars all went down to the alley. It was easy then though because they were family. To be that close to others was just… awkward. Confusing. Dangerous. All things she shouldn’t be doing, let alone while in front of McQueen. This would simply have to d-
“That’s also why I can be comfortable like this.”
Nature’s eyes glanced over to McQueen and Teio before letting out her breath and reminding herself of her place. What made her okay with that place. What made it so she had so few regrets. Besides, if she won like this, having half assed helping a friend, how could she show her face at Tracen again?
So now it was her turn to get too close as she placed her hands on Teio’s arms. “Okay. Let’s do this right, huh?” She then slowly moved her arm down, letting her fingers linger on her friend’s tanned skin as she rested her forehead on the side of Teio’s head. Her breath was warm and soft as she whispered, “You’re too stiff and overthinking it. You don’t need to spin like the others, you just need to aim straight.” Her fingers reached Teio’s wrist and she coiled her hand around it. Turning two arms into one as she swung it backwards in an all too practiced motion for her. She did this every time she went back to see her mom after all and just like when her mom had taught her like this-
A bell chimed for the strike as Natie let go of Teio and wiped the sweat off her brow. In her eyes, she’d done pretty good copying her mom. In Teio’s, who hadn’t moved and was just standing there as she thought her face was melting off, she was wondering why Natie was trying to KILL HER. It was why when Natie asked if she needed another try at it, Teio jumped down about half the lane before scrabbling for purchase on the waxed wood and shouting, “No! ”
McQueen merely stared at the two of them dumbfounded, especially since somehow Nature just shrugged at that. She had nothing to add, especially because smacking Teio for saying no would maybe be a little too blunt. Instead, it was her turn to pout as she took a sip of her soda.
At least until Teio got back to the top and asked, “Hey, actually, can you do that more? I might be good but one time isn’t enough. Pleeease?”
That was too much for McQueen to just sit about for as she chirped, “What about that no you just screeched loud enough to hear back at Tracen?”
Teio put her hands on her hips as McQueen took a ramp up to the hardwood and shifted her hips to the right as she said, “That was just because she’d caught me off guard! You wouldn’t expect me to learn the technique with only one strike, right? Not even I’m that good.”
That only got an eyeroll before McQueen said, “The great, invincible Teio saying she’s not that good? Can you be any more obvious?”
“And a Mejiro objecting to me getting help to beat her? Who’s being obvious!?”
“Maybe I just want a few lessons myself since I hardly have a wealth of experience at this?”
Nature had no idea what to do about the bickering. Maybe she normally would like the teasing she gave Teio earlier but this was actually about her? And wanting lessons from her? Why did either of them want that? She wasn’t some prodigy after all, even at bowling. They ought to just relax. Maybe McQueen didn’t like how close she had gotten to Teio? She was just- OH GOD WHAT HAD SHE DONE!?
Natie covered her face with one hand as it grew flushed with heat. It wasn’t helped by thinking about how Teio was asking for more of that. Why would she do that!? And of course McQueen would get upset about that but then why would she ask for lessons? It was all too confusing and she knew what the easy answer would be. To run. To just get out of there before she caused more of a mess. She was reading too much into all of this, just like Dictus was with this little trick. That was all it was. If she tried any harder, she’d just be opening up herself to getting hurt. It was as simple as th-
“If it happens, it happens.”
Those words stopped her as she took one step away. She was never in the spotlight. Never the biggest deal. So if she went into a slump, if something happened to her, why should she worry? As long as she gave it her all like on the track…
“Hey, um, uh…” Nature swallowed hard as Teio and McQueen looked over to her as she scratched her cheek. The words she said were weak and soft but she forced them out, syllable by syllable. “If you b-both really think you’re that bad, we can spend today just practicing. I s-s-still, you know, want that reward though. Think of it like a price for your lessons.” She chuckled a little as she broke eye contact with the two of them, unable to keep looking upon their radiant faces as she barely managed to whisper, “Just a single peck on the cheeks. If that’s-”
“NATIE! NATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIENATIE!”
Before any of the three could say anything, a blue blur shot straight into Nature, crashing both her and Turbo to the ground. The tiny shark of an uma squeezed her big sis tight before jumping up, fists at her side as she said, “I finally got out of the closet Dictus locked me into and got here as fast as I could! I didn’t miss too much, did I?”
The look that McQueen and Teio gave Turbo could kill someone with even an ounce of situational awareness. Instead, Teio just said, cold as ice, “Not much, double dumbass.”
Which only got stomps from the intruder as she yelled, “It’s Twin Turbo!”
The sound though was enough to get the attention of the attendant at the counter of the alley who paled at the sight before shouting, “Hey! No cleats on the wood! Get over here right now if you don’t want to be kicked out!”
Turbo whined for a moment as she took a step towards Natie before stomping a few more times before she said, “Don’t go anywhere! We’re going to make this huge like you did for me!” Then she finally shot off like a jet, leaving the three of them with only precious seconds before she and probably the rest of Canopus would be there.
It was all the time that Nature needed though to make sure everyone forgot about her stupid little stunt. She knew better than to overreach after all. So as she got on her knees to get up, she said, “Sorry about her. She’s just always excited and it meant a lot to her when we did this to her so-”
And then silence. Silence as twin lips pressed against her cheeks. Just for a moment. And yet their warmth lingered, even as Nature’s heart felt like it stopped. It didn’t restart until McQueen rolled forward a little and gave her a warm smile and said, “You owe us lessons now.”
Teio gave her a wink as she added, “So it’s a date.”
Then the two made their way back down to their seats to wait for everyone to gather and celebrate the race. The future and its questions could wait, even as Nature had a hard time not just giggling to herself from time to time as she looked forward with a bit more excitement than she’d thought she’d be having about it by the end of the day.
Just another lesson to her for why she kept trying, even if she was still third place, even here.
