Work Text:
———
"Hey, good practice today. I enjoyed working with you." Gabriella looked up from her unlaced shoes. A tall woman had approached her, a duffel bag slung over one of her broad shoulders. Her blonde hair was gathered back into a tight ponytail, but small sprigs of hair framed her face like a halo. But the first thing that pulled Gabriella's attention was her eyes. Bright blue, clear like the water from the lake next to her childhood town. They were as sharp, now that they were off the ice, and the corners crinkled as the woman grinned and held out her hand. "I'm Madison. D'you like brownies?"
Gabriella shook her head. "I'm Gabriella. And… I prefer cookies. Why?"
"I was thinking of heading to the cafe down the street—do you want to come with?"
"Sure." Gabriella finished tying her shoes and picked up her own bag.
As she headed for the exit, Madison fell into step beside her. "What floor are you on?"
"Third. And you?"
"Oh, cool. I'm on the fourth. But we can meet in the lobby. I need to change."
The warm sun greeted both girls as they exited the rink and made their way to the dormitory. In the short distance, Gabriella and Madison made easy conversation. Gabriella's initial impression of Madison as a cold, unapproachable, popular mean girl melted away with each piece of information the American volunteered. She loved Elvis, hated pineapple, and spent her Friday afternoons at Percolation Park, the coffeehouse and bakery right around the corner within walking distance.
Gabriella had never heard of Percolation Park, but she loved a good cup of coffee. Something about Madison told her she could trust her taste. When she asked if other skaters were coming as well, Madison confessed that Gabriella was the first and only skater she'd approached so far.
"I'm still getting to know everyone… it's a little overwhelming. Figured I'd start small."
A flutter erupted in her chest at that.
The bell dinged, signaling the elevator's stop at the third floor.
"I'm see you soon. And you can call me Gabi." She stepped out of the car and turned as the doors began to slowly close.
The last thing she saw was the dimple to the left of Madison's mouth pop out as Madison gave her another grin. "See you, Gabi."
—
"Hey, Gabi, guess what?"
Gabriella looked up from her book. Her slot on the ice had ended an hour ago, but she was hanging around for Madison's sake. "What?"
She was met with a sweaty, flushed, panting Madison. Her zip jacket had long since been discarded, and when Madison flopped her body across Gabriella, her sticky skin imparted moisture across the back of her neck. "I forgot to wear deodorant today."
Gabriella sighed and rolled her eyes. She didn't push Madison off. "Don't worry, you don't smell bad."
"Well, of course. I'm a Hubbell. We naturally smell like roses and fairy dust."
At that, Gabriella huffed a quiet exhale of amusement. She never knew what would come out of Madison's mouth next. Her off-beat and subtle sense of humor always pulled a chuckle out of Gabriella, even when she wasn't feeling her best. These days were particularly rough, in the lead-up to the annual international championship. Gabriella spent several nights sleepless, and she couldn't keep food down. Most of the coaches and her fellow students didn't notice her struggle, and she liked to keep it that way. Madison, however…
It was almost like Madison could sense her emotional and mental instability. Whenever possible, she stuck by Gabriella's side. With Madison's dry commentary offering a little color to her days, she felt strong enough to keep her head above the churning waves. Hopefully, Madison knew that she appreciated the companionship. "I wouldn't go that far."
"Rude." Madison finally pulled away and plopped next to her on the bench. "What'cha reading?" She stole a sip of water from Gabriella's bottle.
"A History of Japan." Gabriella raised the book off her lap to show the cover. "I'm reading about the Kamakura period right now."
"Anything I should know?" Madison craned her and squinted at the tiny text. After a few seconds of valiant effort, she gave up and took another sip from her commandeered water.
Gabriella hummed. "Not really. It was a long time ago."
Someone yelled from the rink, "Madi and Zach! You're up!"
"I've been summoned." Madison returned Gabriella's water bottle to the floor and winked. "Thanks for donating to the Madi Hubbell hydration fund. Your contributions haven't gone unnoticed."
Gabriella just rolled her eyes as she watched Madison scamper back on the ice. What was she going to do with her?
—
Gabriella knocked on a very familiar door. A small plaque with a cute dog hung below the peephole on a command hook, and a sarcastic mat sat on the drab carpet below. In the whole hall, Madison's door was definitely the most decorated. The door opened to reveal a dressed-down version of Madison, who pulled Gabriella across the threshold and into her apartment. As soon as her shoes were tossed on the rack and her coat was hung on the back of a dining table chair, she was engulfed in a very warm hug.
Ice dance was a very intimate sport. Because of this, Gabriella had developed a deep dislike of physical touch from most people. The COVID pandemic only heightened her fears of close contact. She tolerated Guillaume because she couldn't compete without him—but even with him, some days her skin crawled the whole day.
Don't even get her started on strangers and her coaches. Men in particular set her teeth on edge. They saw her as an object, a frail doll that hung on Guillaume's arm to be protected and manipulated at their whim. They undressed her from her skimpy outfits with their eyes and always addressed Guillaume when they were together. What did she know? She was just a girl. Never mind the fact that she was a grown woman.
Madison was different. Their third coffee hangout after their usual Friday practice had begun with the older woman quietly asking if she liked hugs. Gabriella had hesitated, and Madison had immediately walked back her question, noticing her apprehension. Her anxiety caused her to ramble about her emotional baggage, but she ended it off with a tentative "yes". When they parted ways a couple hours later, Madison wrapped her in the warmest hug Gabriella had ever experienced. She was very glad she had said yes. The next few times, Madison always prefaced with asking for consent, but Gabriella grew to enjoy them so much that she offered a blanket permission. She even started initiating her own hugs.
"I missed you!" Madison sang in her ear. "You've been gone too long."
Gabriella could only snort in amusement. She did that a lot around Madison. "You just saw me on Tuesday!"
"Yeah, but it's Friday! Very long in Madison time. It's been eighty-four years…"
"And I thought I was the dramatic one."
"You are." Madison pulled back with a massive grin. "So! What have you been up to without me?"
Gabriella busied herself with fixing a cup of tea as she replied. "Nothing much. Reading a new book, doing my stupid exercises, drinking lots of water. Just as the doctor ordered."
Madison leaned on the counter next to her. "Has your tailbone recovered fully?"
"Almost. Walking up stairs is still a bitch, but I can finally sit on the toilet like a normal person." Gabriella tossed a teabag into her mug, a misshapen thing she'd found at a thrift store before the pandemic. It lived in Madison's cupboard, reserved for when she came over to visit.
"Well, hey, that's something!" Madison embraced her again. "I'm glad to hear you're on the up-and-up. Don't worry, we'll do lots of sitting on my very comfortable couch today. The full Star Wars franchise awaits us!"
Gabriella could only shake her head in bemused awe at this puzzle of a woman. She turned to the whistling kettle as she felt a fond smile stretch across her lips.
—
South Korea was exhilarating. It had truly outdone itself hosting the games, leaving her starstruck from the first act of the opening ceremony to the last performance of the closing ceremony. There was so much beauty lying under its sleek facade. She hoped she could come back again on her own—or maybe with Madison—to visit all the underground destinations that tourists rarely found.
Even then, she looked back on the Pyeongchang Olympics fondly. As she set to work for the next competition, she thought back to strolling the clean streets with her favorite American hanging off her elbow. Her camera roll was packed with countless selfies and secret candids. In a spurt of spontaneity, she chose one of the photos and set it as her lockscreen background. Gabriella could use the positivity when she opened her phone.
"Hey!" Madison swept into the café like a breathe of fresh air. She dropped a simple kiss on Gabriella's cheek as she sat down next to her. "Sorry I'm late. I couldn't find my socks."
Gabriella recollected her frantically bisexual brain cells that had scattered at the skin contact. After the shutdown and quarantines due to COVID, Madison had become even more touchy, if that was possible. Not that Gabriella was complaining. It just threw her brain for a loop every time. She hurried to formulate a sensible answer. "That's okay. I'm glad you found them. Where were they?"
"They were in my shoes." Madison sighed. "So, what's got you smiling like a goof?"
Gabriella tilted her phone so the other woman could see. "Taking a walk down memory lane. Can you believe it's already been three years? Another Olympics coming up, too." She scrolled down her album and stopped at a series of selfies in front of the rings. Madison had leaned over and smacked a warm kiss on her cheek as Gabriella pressed the shutter.
"Ooh, don't say that. Makes me feel old." Madison groaned and stirred her latte.
Gabriella just raised an eyebrow and held her tongue. Teasing Madison for being a few years older was low-hanging fruit. Instead, she locked her phone and took a sip of her coffee. "We should go back to Korea. I really miss the food."
"Arghh, I know. Maybe some day. When we retire."
Gabriella barked out a laugh. That was their usual refrain these days. The list of things they would "do when we retire" was taller than Madison at this point, probably. "I like the sound of that," she hummed.
—
Gabriella didn't consider herself a romantic. As Madison liked to joke, she was French, which meant Drama, Romance, Coffee, and Jazz was in her blood. But maybe it was just the Madi Effect. With Madison, Gabriella was different. She made loving easy. Madison smoothed out her rough edges and filled in the gaps in her heart left behind from her ex-career. They balanced each other out and moved as a smooth team. She appreciated the way Madison challenged her and taught her not to give a damn. Gabriella could write a book entailing all the wonderful things about Madison Hubbell.
After all, not many women would attempt to fight the status quo next to an openly-queer woman in an extremely close-minded industry. And yet, here they were, about to debut their act to millions of eyes.
A lone piano rang out in the dark. It began to walk down the chord progression, drawing the crowd's attention to the raised stage above.
Madison found her hand in the shadows, squeezing it twice. Even without the lights, Gabriella could hear the smile in her whisper. "Ready?" It was the same smile that had greeted her at Centre Gadbois all those years ago. All that time, all that love, had built up to this. Gabriella was so grateful that she had stuck around to experience it.
Gabriella nodded, even though Madison couldn't see her. She squeezed her hand back. "Ready."
———
