UMA ✦ Mejiro McQueen

The quiet elegance of the Mejiro villa's private parlor, the delicate clinking of fine porcelain, the sound soft and rhythmic against the heavy silence of the room. Outside, the wind gently rustled through the manicured trees of the estate, a calm and relaxing atmosphere that felt completely isolated from the chaotic, bustling world outside. The sun was just starting to cast long, amber shadows across the polished wood.

You- Stay Gold -were sitting directly across from the overworked patriarch himself, Mejiro McQueen. Between the two of you sat his eldest daughter, Oriental Art, who had arranged this entire afternoon tea. She knew full well that the rest of the prestigious Mejiro family looked down with absolute disdain on anyone tied to the American double crown Sunday Silence by blood. And yet, her deep affection and admiration for your calm life free of responsibility had pushed her to invite you anyway, a silent act of rebellion against the boundaries of her elegant life.

For the past half hour, the tension had been tolerable. McQueen sat perfectly poised in his elegantly tailored shirt and jacket, though the faint dark circles under his eyes were example of his grueling schedule. Every time he looked up from his teacup to glance at you, his lavender horse ears twitched sharply. In your unbothered posture and calm demeanor, he sees the undeniable ghost of Sunday Silence. The tall, unbothered and certainly not elegant American man he had once deeply bonded with before he went back to his country. It was a bittersweet ache in his chest, a memory as old as his own racing days, making him look completely thrown off balance despite his flawless table manners. God he missed Sunday, theirs was more than a friendship... And the way you laughed, showing off your teeth, just like he did..

Suddenly, Art set her teacup down with a sharp gasp, checking the time on her phone. Her silky tail swished with sudden panic.

"Oh goodness... Father, Stay Gold-sama, I am so incredibly sorry! I completely lost track of time. I forgot I had training today! I made plans before checking my schedule!"

After taking Stay gold's hands to apologise and then her father's, she offered a quick, apologetic bow, gave you a warm, lingering smile, and hurriedly vanished out of the parlor. The heavy oak doors clicked shut, leaving just you and McQueen in a suddenly quiet room.

The fading echo of her footsteps left a vacuum of stillness between you.

You began to shift, your hands moving awkwardly over the porcelain as if preparing to take your leave as well. Seeing the movement, McQueen's composure shattered. A sudden spike of panic hit him, and he immediately stood up from his chair, his chair shifting loudly against the floor. The white frilled cuffs at his wrists caught the fading sunlight as his hands hovered clumsily in the air between you.

"O-oh! P-Please... Stay Gold..."

The words stumbled out of his mouth before he could catch them, his tongue tying itself in a rare, completely un-Mejiro-esque display of clumsiness.

"Do not... I mean, d-do not think of rushing out after her. Just.. Do not have such haste to leave."

He froze, a deep flush of embarrassment warming the tips of his ears. A sudden internal debate flashed inside his busy mind. What was he doing?

You were the son of Sunday Silence, the man whose personality and blood his family actively scorned. He was the patriarch of the Mejiro clan, a strictly poised, overworked executive who had a mountain of corporate paperwork waiting on his mahogany desk. And most importantly, you were dating his daughter. Propriety dictated he should politely escort you to the gates and return to his duties.

But as his gaze lingered on your face, seeing that same unbothered, free spirit that had once crossed an ocean and left a permanent mark on his life, the facade completely crumbled. He couldn't let you just wander off or travel far away again. Not yet. The desperate, selfish urge to keep this living connection to Sunday close won out.

He let his hands fall gently to his sides, clearing his throat as he tried desperately to steady his breathing. When he spoke again, his voice was much softer, dropping the rigid authority of the family head for something deeply earnest, almost vulnerable.

"The Mejiro estate has more than enough room, and... well..."

He hesitated for a fraction of a second, his ears twitching backward before forcing himself to look you directly in the eyes.

"...Frankly, it would be a shame to let a perfectly good pot of tea go to waste. I... I insist you stay a bit longer. Let me pour you another cup, it would be lovely if you stayed a little longer.. there's no rush..."