Fic: Just a Kiss Away (figure skating RPF, Tanith/Brooke)
Title: Just a Kiss Away
Fandom: figure skating RPS
Pairing: Brooke Castile/Tanith Belbin
Rating: PG-13 for tone and girlkissing.
Continuity: Takes place this summer.
Summary: Brooke knows what to get Tanith for her birthday.
Word Count: About 1,200.
Disclaimers: This is a work of fiction. The characters herein are based on real people, but the words and events are completely made up. They are not intended to be mistaken for fact, and no libel is intended. This original work of fan fiction is Copyright 2007 Mosca. All rights reserved. All wrongs reversed. Need a woman gon' hold my hand.
Notes: A response to the "first kiss" meme that turned into a real story, based on a prompt by callmesandy, who also beta read, along with sathinks. Title is from "Gimme Shelter," by the Rolling Stones.
*
"I don't mean to complain," Tanith said, struggling to balance the bouquet in her arms. "I mean, I really shouldn't complain."
"Hey, he remembered, right?" Brooke said. "Not all guys remember."
"Yeah, ha, he remembered wrong. My birthday's tomorrow."
"Maybe they came early," Brooke said. "You can't always predict the mail."
"Yeah, but flowers," Tanith said. "Flowers, you call them up and you tell them which day to deliver. Which means he told them the wrong day. Because he doesn't know when my birthday is."
"He was close."
"He's my boyfriend, and this isn't horseshoes," Tanith said. "And what the hell am I supposed to do with two dozen roses? I own one vase. It holds four. And it's at home and he sent them to the rink and --"
"I don't know," Brooke said. "Give them to people? Like, one rose for everybody."
"But it's my birthday," Tanith said. "I don't want to give away my presents. Not that I want to keep them either, oh my God, but, but. Oh my God. I'm putting these down." She set the bouquet down on the bleachers, but it rolled onto the floor. She threw up her hands.
"You could call him," Brooke said. "You could thank him. Like, talking to him would cheer you up, right?"
"Right, because I wouldn't wind up yelling at him like, you sent them to the rink? And aren't flowers, like, what you send to people when you don't know what to get them? Like, we've been friends for years, right? He should be able to figure out something... personal."
"Maybe that's what he's sending tomorrow," Brooke said. "Tomorrow, you get a mix tape and Family Guy DVDs."
"I don't think so," Tanith said. "He's been weird lately."
"How?"
"I don't know, it's like -- it's like he's trying really hard to be what a boyfriend should be, instead of himself," Tanith said. "Like, he's forgotten that I like him because he's kind of a girl."
"Or he's afraid he'll get caught," Brooke said. "Being kind of a girl."
"That's totally it," Tanith said. "But, I mean -- it's not like I'm going to report him."
"But he gets to report himself," Brooke said. "Like, if anybody asks, he can say, oh, we're so in love, I bought her two dozen roses for her birthday."
Tanith looked down at the roses on the floor and nudged them with her toe. "You think maybe they're some kind of publicity thing?" she said.
"I'm not saying that," Brooke said.
"Yeah," Tanith said. "But you are."
"Really, I -- never mind. Forget it."
"No, I -- I wanted a boyfriend, you know?" Tanith said. "I didn't want to be his Katie Holmes."
"You aren't," Brooke said. She opened up her arms for a hug, and Tanith leaned in to complete it. "And, I mean, the mix CD's going to come in the mail tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah," Tanith said, hugging tighter.
*
On her way home from afternoon practice, Brooke bought a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke and a bottle of Malibu. After dinner, she went to her room and made a mix CD: classics like "Gimme Shelter" and stupid fun stuff like "I Touch Myself" and a few things that reminded her specifically of Tanith, like "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress." It was always touchy making CDs for people, too much of her soul and her taste in one place. She wrapped it and the Diet Coke and Malibu in shiny pink wrapping paper, and she put them next to her skating bag with the card and DSW gift certificate she'd already bought, so she would remember everything tomorrow.
People at Arctic Edge were good about birthdays. Someone, probably Agosto, had gotten there early to decorate the practice rink with streamers and balloons. Meryl was sitting at a table near the concession stand, making a sign that said, "Happy Birthday, Tanith!!! Free cake, have some, it's summer." The cake itself was probably in the concession stand fridge, or else someone was picking it up. Ice dancers were organized.
At lunchtime, they threw a little party. The cake was red velvet, which apparently was some kind of joke between Tanith and Agosto, because she cut into it and saw what it was and cracked up. Everyone had a tiny, tiny piece, even though it was July. Not everyone had brought presents, so Brooke saved her bag of gifts for the locker room at the end of the day. "Oh my God," Tanith said. "You didn't have to do all this."
"Somebody did," Brooke said.
Tanith opened the card first. It was a funny one, and she laughed, and then she pulled out the gift certificate and said, "Shoes! Shoes I get to pick out. Thank you." She found a way to hug Brooke and jump up and down at the same time. "Oh, wait, more stuff," she said. She gave Brooke a perplexed look after she unwrapped the Diet Coke, but then she found the Malibu and laughed. "Girls' night!" she said. And then the mix CD, the thing Brooke was most nervous about. Tanith unwrapped it and smiled quietly, like she'd been hoping for this. She read down the list of songs, reacting to each one with a grin or a quirked eyebrow. When she finished, she said, "This is really good. I'm going to put it in my car on the way home." She paused, weighing the CD in her hand. "Thank you so much. This is everything I wanted for my birthday."
"I'm glad," Brooke said. "I mean, I thought someone should. Get you what you wanted."
"Yeah," Tanith said. She turned away to put the CD in her bag, and she seemed heavy all over. There was something she wanted for her birthday but knew she wasn't going to get, not with her boyfriend in California and apparently not the most attuned to her needs. She hadn't gotten a mix CD from LA in her mailbox this morning; she probably hadn't even gotten a phone call. It was painful to be alone on your birthday, especially knowing that you shouldn't be, that someone should be here holding you.
Brooke thought, it was only friendship and it would only be for a moment, but it was better than nothing. She put her hands on Tanith's shoulders to turn her around, and she tilted Tanith's head down so their foreheads were pressed against each other. It felt, for a second, like being twelve and practicing so that when you kissed a real boy you'd know what to do. Maybe it was a shame that you got older and stopped practicing. Maybe it was something you had to keep working on, or you lost your technique.
It didn't feel like practice, but it didn't feel real, either. It felt like competitions you couldn't believe you qualified for, so it didn't matter how you placed. There was still a ghost of red velvet cake on Tanith's breath, and her tongue was somehow soft and aggressive at the same time. Brooke had meant for this to be symbolic, but Tanith wasn't stopping. It was turning into a weak knees, wet panties kiss, and the nicer it felt, the less sure Brooke was of wanting it. She stepped back and said, "Happy birthday."
Tanith said, "Yeah. Happy."
Fandom: figure skating RPS
Pairing: Brooke Castile/Tanith Belbin
Rating: PG-13 for tone and girlkissing.
Continuity: Takes place this summer.
Summary: Brooke knows what to get Tanith for her birthday.
Word Count: About 1,200.
Disclaimers: This is a work of fiction. The characters herein are based on real people, but the words and events are completely made up. They are not intended to be mistaken for fact, and no libel is intended. This original work of fan fiction is Copyright 2007 Mosca. All rights reserved. All wrongs reversed. Need a woman gon' hold my hand.
Notes: A response to the "first kiss" meme that turned into a real story, based on a prompt by callmesandy, who also beta read, along with sathinks. Title is from "Gimme Shelter," by the Rolling Stones.
*
"I don't mean to complain," Tanith said, struggling to balance the bouquet in her arms. "I mean, I really shouldn't complain."
"Hey, he remembered, right?" Brooke said. "Not all guys remember."
"Yeah, ha, he remembered wrong. My birthday's tomorrow."
"Maybe they came early," Brooke said. "You can't always predict the mail."
"Yeah, but flowers," Tanith said. "Flowers, you call them up and you tell them which day to deliver. Which means he told them the wrong day. Because he doesn't know when my birthday is."
"He was close."
"He's my boyfriend, and this isn't horseshoes," Tanith said. "And what the hell am I supposed to do with two dozen roses? I own one vase. It holds four. And it's at home and he sent them to the rink and --"
"I don't know," Brooke said. "Give them to people? Like, one rose for everybody."
"But it's my birthday," Tanith said. "I don't want to give away my presents. Not that I want to keep them either, oh my God, but, but. Oh my God. I'm putting these down." She set the bouquet down on the bleachers, but it rolled onto the floor. She threw up her hands.
"You could call him," Brooke said. "You could thank him. Like, talking to him would cheer you up, right?"
"Right, because I wouldn't wind up yelling at him like, you sent them to the rink? And aren't flowers, like, what you send to people when you don't know what to get them? Like, we've been friends for years, right? He should be able to figure out something... personal."
"Maybe that's what he's sending tomorrow," Brooke said. "Tomorrow, you get a mix tape and Family Guy DVDs."
"I don't think so," Tanith said. "He's been weird lately."
"How?"
"I don't know, it's like -- it's like he's trying really hard to be what a boyfriend should be, instead of himself," Tanith said. "Like, he's forgotten that I like him because he's kind of a girl."
"Or he's afraid he'll get caught," Brooke said. "Being kind of a girl."
"That's totally it," Tanith said. "But, I mean -- it's not like I'm going to report him."
"But he gets to report himself," Brooke said. "Like, if anybody asks, he can say, oh, we're so in love, I bought her two dozen roses for her birthday."
Tanith looked down at the roses on the floor and nudged them with her toe. "You think maybe they're some kind of publicity thing?" she said.
"I'm not saying that," Brooke said.
"Yeah," Tanith said. "But you are."
"Really, I -- never mind. Forget it."
"No, I -- I wanted a boyfriend, you know?" Tanith said. "I didn't want to be his Katie Holmes."
"You aren't," Brooke said. She opened up her arms for a hug, and Tanith leaned in to complete it. "And, I mean, the mix CD's going to come in the mail tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah," Tanith said, hugging tighter.
*
On her way home from afternoon practice, Brooke bought a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke and a bottle of Malibu. After dinner, she went to her room and made a mix CD: classics like "Gimme Shelter" and stupid fun stuff like "I Touch Myself" and a few things that reminded her specifically of Tanith, like "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress." It was always touchy making CDs for people, too much of her soul and her taste in one place. She wrapped it and the Diet Coke and Malibu in shiny pink wrapping paper, and she put them next to her skating bag with the card and DSW gift certificate she'd already bought, so she would remember everything tomorrow.
People at Arctic Edge were good about birthdays. Someone, probably Agosto, had gotten there early to decorate the practice rink with streamers and balloons. Meryl was sitting at a table near the concession stand, making a sign that said, "Happy Birthday, Tanith!!! Free cake, have some, it's summer." The cake itself was probably in the concession stand fridge, or else someone was picking it up. Ice dancers were organized.
At lunchtime, they threw a little party. The cake was red velvet, which apparently was some kind of joke between Tanith and Agosto, because she cut into it and saw what it was and cracked up. Everyone had a tiny, tiny piece, even though it was July. Not everyone had brought presents, so Brooke saved her bag of gifts for the locker room at the end of the day. "Oh my God," Tanith said. "You didn't have to do all this."
"Somebody did," Brooke said.
Tanith opened the card first. It was a funny one, and she laughed, and then she pulled out the gift certificate and said, "Shoes! Shoes I get to pick out. Thank you." She found a way to hug Brooke and jump up and down at the same time. "Oh, wait, more stuff," she said. She gave Brooke a perplexed look after she unwrapped the Diet Coke, but then she found the Malibu and laughed. "Girls' night!" she said. And then the mix CD, the thing Brooke was most nervous about. Tanith unwrapped it and smiled quietly, like she'd been hoping for this. She read down the list of songs, reacting to each one with a grin or a quirked eyebrow. When she finished, she said, "This is really good. I'm going to put it in my car on the way home." She paused, weighing the CD in her hand. "Thank you so much. This is everything I wanted for my birthday."
"I'm glad," Brooke said. "I mean, I thought someone should. Get you what you wanted."
"Yeah," Tanith said. She turned away to put the CD in her bag, and she seemed heavy all over. There was something she wanted for her birthday but knew she wasn't going to get, not with her boyfriend in California and apparently not the most attuned to her needs. She hadn't gotten a mix CD from LA in her mailbox this morning; she probably hadn't even gotten a phone call. It was painful to be alone on your birthday, especially knowing that you shouldn't be, that someone should be here holding you.
Brooke thought, it was only friendship and it would only be for a moment, but it was better than nothing. She put her hands on Tanith's shoulders to turn her around, and she tilted Tanith's head down so their foreheads were pressed against each other. It felt, for a second, like being twelve and practicing so that when you kissed a real boy you'd know what to do. Maybe it was a shame that you got older and stopped practicing. Maybe it was something you had to keep working on, or you lost your technique.
It didn't feel like practice, but it didn't feel real, either. It felt like competitions you couldn't believe you qualified for, so it didn't matter how you placed. There was still a ghost of red velvet cake on Tanith's breath, and her tongue was somehow soft and aggressive at the same time. Brooke had meant for this to be symbolic, but Tanith wasn't stopping. It was turning into a weak knees, wet panties kiss, and the nicer it felt, the less sure Brooke was of wanting it. She stepped back and said, "Happy birthday."
Tanith said, "Yeah. Happy."