Work Text
February 6, 2014
Sochi, Russia
That was where Scott met Kaitlyn. On their very first night there, she walked up to him and Tessa and told them how proud she was that they had won gold in Vancouver, and that she couldn't wait to see them hopefully win two more golds in the team and ice dance events.They were in the Canada House, and, honestly, what could be more Canadian? Everyone was waving maple leaves and wearing red and white. They were thousands of kilometres away from home, but it was the most patriotic place any of them had ever seen. It was about as close to home as they could get without actually being at home."You're Kaitlyn Lawes, right?" Tessa asked.Kaitlyn nodded and laughed. "Right, this is my first Olympics, so you guys don't actually know me.""We've definitely heard of you!" Scott replied. "You're the third on Team Jennifer Jones, and you guys are the best women's curling team in Canada. That means you're the best curling team in the world! We're counting on you to win us a gold medal, you know. Don't disappoint us."He was teasing, of course, but Tessa tapped him on the arm anyway. "Scott!" she stage-whispered. "That's very rude to say to someone you just met! You're Canadian, remember? You're supposed to be nice!"He winked and smiled, turning to face Kaitlyn but talking to Tessa. "Don't worry, Tess, Kaitlyn loves us. We're famous; everyone does."Tessa shook her head as if she was annoyed or fed up, but she was smiling. "You're so weird."He looked at her knowingly. "You love it."Kaitlyn smiled at the little exchange happening in front of her. Like every other Canadian, after the 2010 Olympics, she fell in love with Scott and Tessa, and she was still a little starstruck seeing them in front of her."Aww, you two are so cute!" she exclaimed, breaking their small argument.Scott flashed her a charming smile. "That I am."Tessa, who was standing slightly behind him and therefore out of his line of vision, made a face to Kaitlyn that said, he's ridiculous, isn't he? This made Kaitlyn laugh. At first, she didn't know what to think, meeting Canada's ice dancing sweethearts, and now she was getting a glimpse of who they really were. Tessa was only half a year younger than her, and she knew that they could be great friends. Scott was a little over a year older than her, but he acted like a child… and somehow it was pretty cute.Scott, hearing Kaitlyn's laugh, smiled at her again. "I'm glad you think I'm funny; Tessa never does.""That's not true, I think you're funny sometimes," Tessa objected.Scott placed a hand under his chin as if he was reflectively thinking. "Now that I think about it, you do normally laugh at everything I say. It's like having Kaitlyn here makes you all serious. C'mon, Tess, don't let the Olympics get to you! We're supposed to have fun! And I guess we're supposed to win, too. But it'll be fine as long as we have fun."Throughout their conversation, the room had started to clear out, with many athletes leaving to go to sleep, trying to adjust to the jet lag. It was getting quiet, so it was a bit of a surprise when the voice of the youngest Canadian athlete rang out. Gabrielle Daleman was only sixteen years old, but she fit right in with the rest of Team Canada."Tessa! Scott!" she called out. "The team event people are having a team meeting and they need you there!""Coming, Gabby!" Tessa replied, holding Scott by the arm. "It was really nice meeting you, Kaitlyn. We can't wait to see you compete next week!""I'll be watching team figure skating first!" she called as they were already walking away. "Good luck!"
February 17, 2014
Who knew silver could be so disappointing?It was a shock to everyone, but it was worst for Tessa and Scott. After the silver in the team event, they really wanted to win in their event. The team event was like a warm up for the "real" events. And silver never really was enough. It's not like they weren't happy to win a medal, but it hurt to see their biggest rivals up on the top of the podium. Especially when they were retiring. Sochi was supposed to be the pinnacle of their career."Scott?" Tessa said, breaking the silence as they walked back to their room, hand in hand."Yeah?""Are you disappointed?""That we won a silver medal?" he replied. "Of course not, I'm so proud of you, Tess. Three Olympic medals. It's been quite the career for us, hasn't it?"He tried to sound enthusiastic, but Tessa could hear that he didn't mean every word he said. He was disappointed. They really thought they could win.They were silent for another moment. Tessa almost felt guilty for expecting gold. She should have been grateful that they won a medal. Kaitlyn and Andrew were beyond excited just that they had qualified for the free skate, and Alexandra and Mitchell couldn't believe that they had even made it to the Olympics.She didn't really know what to say when both of them felt the same way. She simply put her arms around Scott comfortingly. He hugged her back, which made her smile just a little.Suddenly, a familiar voice broke through the silence. She hadn't even known Kaitlyn Lawes two weeks ago, but somehow her voice was one of the most familiar out of all of Team Canada. They really spent a lot of time together."Scott! Tessa!" she exclaimed, running up to them.Scott hadn't smiled since they left the Iceberg Skating Palace, but now he did. He removed his arms from around Tessa to wave at Kaitlyn, who gave him a little hug."Congratulations, guys!" she exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you! Your free skate was amazing.""Thanks, Kaitlyn." he said, but he didn't seem happy anymore."What's wrong?" she asked, immediately detecting the change in his mood."Nothing," Tessa interrupted quickly.Kaitlyn frowned, seeing that there was obviously something bothering both of them. They had just won their third Olympic medal together, shouldn't they be happy?Scott, seeing that Kaitlyn had figured out that there was something up, decided to speak up."Kaitlyn, you know we're retiring, so this was our last competition... and we had such high expectations, you know that, and sometimes second place hurts a little." he confessed."Oh," she said, understanding what he meant right away. "Yeah, I get it. When my team got silver in world juniors... I thought I let them down with that last shot. Especially because we're Team Canada."Scott frowned. "Don't think about that right now, Kaitlyn. You've got some big games these next few days, and you have to look past your losses. You're an amazing curler, you know that.""And you're an amazing skater!" she replied. "Silver is still great, especially in a field of so many other great pairs. Don't be so hard on yourself. You've had such an amazing career and this is your third Olympic medal! That's amazing. Even if you didn't win, I'm still super proud of you.""Thanks, Kaitlyn." he said, hugging her.Kaitlyn's little speech made Tessa feel a little better about herself. At the same time, having someone else who had become so close to Scott in only a few days felt a bit weird. No girl other than Tessa had ever been so close to Scott. Maybe it was because they were always skating together. Their careers came first, but now that they were retiring, it seemed like Scott was more open to getting to know other girls (or just one other girl).She wasn't jealous. It had just never happened before.
February 20, 2014
Scott had insisted that Tessa should go with him to watch the gold medal game. Kaitlyn's going to make history, he had told her.It was definitely a possibility. If they won, Kaitlyn would become the youngest Canadian curler to win a gold medal at the Olympics. And they had gone undefeated through the entire tournament so far."We have to practice for the gala, Scott," Tessa told him. "I know you want to go watch the game, but it's our last performance on Olympic ice. It needs to be perfect."What she said was entirely true, and they both knew it. What Tessa also knew, though, was that she also didn't really like the idea of Scott skipping practice with Tessa in order to see Kaitlyn play. Wasn't skating always their top priority? Now that another girl entered the picture, it wasn't. That bothered her."Come on, Tessa, it's the gold medal match!" he implored. "Our gala performance is fine. We can skip practice for today, can't we?"Tessa decided to try another strategy. "Scott," she said carefully, keeping every hint of jealousy out of her voice, "why is it so important to you to go watch Kaitlyn today?""Well, we're all Team Canada, so shouldn't we cheer each other on?" he replied cheerfully. "And... I kind of like Kaitlyn; I'm going to ask her out after we get back home. 'Cause now that our career's over, dating other people shouldn't be a problem."After years of learning to hide her emotions, Tessa couldn't help but look a little crestfallen. She hoped Scott didn't notice."Are you surprised?" he asked, of course noticing the change in her expression. "I just... really like her, you know?""Yeah, I figured," she replied. "I mean, yeah, that's cool. You know what, you can go to the game. Tell her good luck."That's how Tessa skated alone for the first time on Olympic ice.
2015
London, Ontario
Tessa Virtue was skating alone. Again. It was about the fourth time in the last week. No, she didn't have a competition coming up that she was putting in extra time for. In fact, she didn't even have a performance in the near future. She just had nothing else to do.Post-retirement life never really settled in. Skating was her life, and Tessa couldn't just leave the rink forever. She didn't feel like she was done with competing. Scott, of course, was skating less now that he was dating Kaitlyn. They were always going places together, and he was always going to her tournaments to cheer her on.It hurt a little to see Scott, living a completely new life. It wasn't like he never skated. They still performed regularly together, but skating was no longer his top priority. Tessa was no longer his girl. Sometimes, she still felt like she was. They always put everything they had into their performances, emotions flooding over them with each passionate routine. Then Scott would give Tessa a hug, they would leave the rink, and half an hour later, he would be with Kaitlyn again.Kaitlyn was really nice, and that's why Tessa hated herself. She should have been happy for Scott, but she just missed him. She missed seeing him every day, practicing for most of the day and night, feeling his arms around her, lifting her up. She missed his hugs, their pre-practice and pre-show heartbeat synchronization, and most of all, she missed the on-ice chemistry. Sometimes it was there, under the lights of the biggest arenas with thousands of people watching, but when it was just the two of them... it wasn't there.Scott was never really with her. Physically, he was, but emotionally, they had fallen apart. Their days were over. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir would just never be the same ice dancers they used to be.While Tessa was out skating alone, thinking of Scott, he was with Kaitlyn, less than a kilometre away. He loved hanging out with her, but he missed skating. A lot. He also missed Tessa more than he could ever imagine. It was their mutual decision to retire, but he wished they could still skate together every day. Of course, it was his decision to choose Kaitlyn over skating, but sometimes he regretted it. He couldn't let go of skating so easily.He couldn't think about that forever, though. Kaitlyn was taking him on a surprise date, and she said that he wouldn't want to be anywhere else. He wasn't really sure. There was nowhere else he'd rather be at the moment than at the rink. Kaitlyn was probably going to take him to some scenic place in London that he'd already been to a thousand times. She just didn't know the city like he did."And we're going to enter here!" she said, taking his hand and leading him to a very familiar building.He stopped in his tracks, disbelieved. Surely she didn't mean... but that's where she was turning toward, and she was smiling and motioning him to...The skating rink. The only place he wanted to be. The place he missed the most since retiring. And Kaitlyn had somehow figured it out.She laughed. "Scott, come on! You look like you just won the lottery. Are you that surprised?""But... Kaitlyn... how did you...?" he stumbled. "You don't skate...?"She shrugged. "I know you miss skating, Scott. Don't deny it, we both know it's true. As for me... I know how to skate, sort of, but you could teach me?"His shocked expression turned into one of incredible joy as he picked her up and hugged her. Kaitlyn really did know him better than any other girl."Okay," he finally said, putting her back down to the ground and running right into the building.She followed him, both of them picking up a pair of skates and putting them on."I'm so excited!" Scott exclaimed. "We're going to skate together, this is going to be so much fun!""Yeah, but don't expect me to be Tessa Virtue!" Kaitlyn laughed as they stepped onto the ice."Did someone say my name?"Scott and Kaitlyn both turned abruptly to face the sound of the voice, Kaitlyn catching her toe pick on the ice and falling down laughing. For once, Scott didn't even notice her. He only noticed the other brunette on the ice who was staring right back at him."Tess?" he said, shocked again."That's me," she replied, skating up to him. "Fancy seeing you here."He felt almost guilty, coming to the rink with a girl other than Tessa. Skating was for Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue, not Scott Moir and Kaitlyn Lawes. It almost felt like he was cheating on Tessa."Hey, uh," he said, "I hope you don't mind that I came here with Kaitlyn... I really missed skating and she took me here. You can tell she's not really a pro."Kaitlyn had just stood up from falling down on the ice, and she gave a cheerful wave to Tessa."Yeah, I'm definitely not a great skater, but I've played a bit of hockey. Figure skates are kind of different."Tessa nodded. "Well, have fun, you two. I'm going to go now..."She started to skate away and was about to step off the rink when Kaitlyn interrupted. "Wait!"She turned around. "Yeah?""I had an idea, and you don't have to agree, but... I love watching you two skate together, and I'm not a great skater, so before you go, Tessa, I was wondering if I could watch you do a little routine?""Me?" Tessa replied, surprised. "I mean... sure, but I've never really skated singles before..."It was partially true. She had never skated singles in competition before, but lately, she had been skating alone more often than not. Less lifts were less exciting. Less Scott was less exciting."No, not you," Kaitlyn said, then corrected herself. "Well, yes, you, but I mean... you and Scott? I know you guys haven't really performed for a little bit and you don't have anything coming up, but could you maybe do an old routine?"Tessa tensed up. Skate an old routine with Scott? For Kaitlyn? Most of their old routines were full of passion and their chemistry was what made them spectacular. With Kaitlyn watching, though, that chemistry could be inhibited. Did they even have it anymore? She wasn't sure.Scott almost jumped up and down in excitement. "Yeah, we'd love to! I mean... Tessa, do you want to? We haven't skated together for a while, but I bet we still remember some of our old routines."Despite her doubts, she quickly agreed. Skating with Scott would always be her favourite thing to do, even if she couldn't let out all her emotions."What routine?" she asked."What about Sochi?" Scott suggested.Tessa made a strange face, almost as if she was wincing."Okay, then not Sochi." Scott said, laughing at her expression. "What about an older routine? Do you remember any of those?"Tessa smiled almost mischievously. "Are you up for Carmen?"Bits of the routine flashed through Scott's mind, and despite all warning bells going off, he grinned and nodded. This was going to be interesting.Tessa connected her phone to the speaker and started playing the music. They immediately began their opening moves much more tentatively than they had ever performed them. It felt a bit awkward, performing their most sexual performance in front of Scott's girlfriend, who didn't seem to mind.As they started to skate around, feeling the music, they started to become more comfortable with each other and loosened up a little. Tessa clung onto Scott a little tighter, their emotions coursing through them. He held close to her, just to feel her against him.When she jumped into his arms, she looked up at him and they both saw the intensity in each other's eyes, more intense than they had been for a very long time. Her breath hitched for a moment, then he put her back down to the ground.As they continued skating, they forgot about Kaitlyn. They forgot about everything except for the two of them on the ice, skating their hearts out. It was a familiar blissful feeling, being all caught up in each other and not caring about anything or anyone else.When it was time for their famous cunniliftis, neither of them even hesitated as he lifted her up, her legs instinctively clinging around his neck and shoulders. For a split second, Scott wondered if he should feel guilty for enjoying it so much, but the thought vanished as he held her up on him. He smiled against her thigh, remembering the time he had awkwardly buried his face in her skirt during a competition. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on the perspective), she was wearing leggings this time.As he brought her back down to the ground, Tessa caught a glimpse of Kaitlyn, off to the side, looking surprised but not upset. Tessa smiled. Scott was hers, at least until the end of the routine. He was completely entranced. He didn't even think about the fact that he and Tessa were "just friends" and he had an actual girlfriend, whom he really, truly liked. When they were skating, everyone disappeared except for himself and Tessa.It was nearing the end of the routine. Tessa acted from muscle memory and instinct, fuelled by the music, as she wrapped her legs around his waist, straddling him with their legs intertwining and their hips flush against each other's. She even blushed, remembering the very first time they had tried this position. They were doubtful at first, but soon jumped on the opportunity to practice it again and again.He leaned up into her, still supporting them both, and whispered softly, "I miss you."It was a tender, sincere statement that just didn't seem right for the passionate and wild music and routine, but it was exactly what Tessa needed to hear. She smiled back at him as they fell into their final pose and the music stopped, then she whispered back, "I miss you too."After a long pause, they hugged, like they always would after a performance, and Scott held tightly on to her until he looked up and saw Kaitlyn. Somehow, this had turned from a nice performance for her to another performance of "Tessa and Scott let out all their emotions on the ice and claim they're just friends." Walking into the rink with Kaitlyn, he had felt giddy and excited, then he got into the heat of his routine with Tessa, and now he just felt empty and hollow. He shouldn't have done that. Especially not in front of Kaitlyn.He rushed over to her, abandoning Tessa and feeling embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, Kaitlyn, I shouldn't have-""It's fine," she replied, and to his surprise, she wasn't angry or upset at all. "I know how much you miss skating and... I know how much you miss Tessa. I'm not mad, I promise. Actually, that was kind of hot. I've always loved watching you two skate together. If you want to go skating more often, I'm cool with that. Don't think I'm going to be some kind of jealous girlfriend, because I'm not."He smiled. "Thanks, Kaitlyn. You really are the best girlfriend ever. As for skating... I really want to get back to skating more often, but that would mean that I wouldn't get to go out with you as much, which would kind of suck.""Scott, if skating is what you want to do, then skate," she replied understandingly. "I don't care if we don't get to go out 24/7. As long as you're happy, I'm really happy. If skating makes you happy, then skate, and I'll be more than supportive."He hugged her gently. "Kaitlyn, you're the best. I love you. I... I should probably go talk to Tessa."She nodded as he skated over to the other brunette waiting on the other side of the rink. Tessa was skating around in circles, revelling in the memories of their recent passionate performance, simultaneously kicking herself for messing things up for Kaitlyn. She had suggested Carmen in the first place to make her jealous, but now she felt really bad about it. Kaitlyn was such a nice girl, and Scott liked her a lot. Why did she have to be so selfish?"Tess," he said softly.She continued to skate around, not looking up. "Scott, I don't know if we should-""Tess, do you want to go back to skating?" he asked, catching her completely off guard.She stopped spinning and looked right at him. "What?""Tess, I really miss skating, I really miss you." he confessed. "I want to go back to skating with you. Don't you want to compete again?"It was such an enticing prospect. Travelling the world with Scott, putting on passionate performances where they could let out everything that they felt for each other in front of the whole world to see, and making Canada proud.She almost agreed immediately.Instead, she said, "I do, I really do, but... what about Kaitlyn?""What about her?" he asked."Isn't she mad at you? Because, you know, we do that thing where we..."Scott laughed. "She's not mad, she told me that she would fully support my decision to go back to skating. I didn't even think about it before she brought it up.""But..." Tessa stammered. "You're dating her, and if we went back to competition, it would be harder for us because... I mean, the feelings... emotions, uh, how could we...?"She was trying really hard to find a reason why they shouldn't go back to skating. She knew she liked Scott. She knew she loved him. She was really, truly, completely in love with him, and he was in love with her, only he didn't know it, and the only place to let that out was on the ice. She couldn't do it if Kaitlyn was there. Scott couldn't do it if Kaitlyn was there. That's why they lost at Sochi."I think," he said, half-understanding her unsaid words, "she knows that, but she's still going to support us even if we have to act like we're hopelessly in love in front of the whole world. She's not jealous."Tessa squeezed her eyes shut. They weren't acting like they were hopelessly in love, they really were! She really wanted just to confess to him right then and there, but she couldn't do it. Not when he was still dating Kaitlyn. She would have to wait.Luckily for her, Kaitlyn skated over, seeing how they were struggling in their conversation. She looked a little sadder than before, but she took a big breath and talked to them."Hey... Scott, Tessa," she said, "I know you two want to get back to skating together. I really hope you do. But watching the start of your Carmen performance, I realized that you can't go back to who you used to be if I'm here dating Scott."Tessa saw where this was going right away. "No, Kaitlyn, you don't have to-""Tessa, it's okay." she replied. "I know you want to go back to skating. You've been telling Scott here that you don't, but we all know it's true. And when I saw his face light up when he saw that we were going skating, and even more so when he saw you, I realize that this is where he belongs. He needs to skate. It's what makes him happy."A bit slower than Tessa to understand, Scott finally spoke up. "Kaitlyn, no-"She turned to face him and held his hands in hers. "Scott, just... please let me speak. I know you like me, but you love skating. You love Tessa. More than anything, I want you to be happy, and I'm in the way of your return to skating. Please return to skating. Team Canada needs you, but more importantly, you need Tessa. I'm going to be okay, but you don't need me right now. Right now you should get back to doing what you love.""Kaitlyn," he said, hugging her tightly. "I promise, I love you. Don't do this-""It's what's best for you, Scott." she told him, and he knew it was true. "It'll all be worth it when I see you two in Korea. If I won't be competing, I'll be cheering you on.""You'll be competing." he said. "You're going to be the first Canadian curler to win two gold medals. I know it.""But if I'm with my team, I won't really be-""Youngest, then." he replied. "Maybe you'll win in mixed doubles.""I doubt it." she laughed softly, then let go from his embrace. "Good luck with your skating. I can't wait to watch you two win in Korea."
February 20, 2018
PyeongChang, South Korea
It had been exactly four years since Kaitlyn won her first Olympic gold, but that's not what Scott was thinking about. He and Tessa had just won their third gold, their fifth Olympic medal, and they were now the most decorated figure skaters in history. That's not what he was thinking about, either. He was only thinking about how much he loved Tessa, and how grateful he was that they were able to come back to their third Olympic Games.It had been just over four years since they walked down the hallway to their room together, slightly disappointed and not knowing what the future held. It was a similar situation. They walked down the hallway, hand in hand, not knowing what the future held, but they didn't care. For now, they were just celebrating."Tess, I can't believe it!" he exclaimed, still shocked and elated."I can," she replied, her eyes shining with happy tears. "I'm so proud of you, Scott.""I'm so proud of you, too, Tess! But we did this together. For Team Canada. And for ourselves.""And for Kaitlyn," she said, a little quieter."Kaitlyn? She was just with Andrew, why did- ohhh, Kaitlyn." he said, finally understanding."Did someone say my name?"They both turned around to see the familiar curler running up to them."Tessa! Scott! Congratulations!" she exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you two!""Thanks so much, Kaitlyn," he said, the sincerity in his voice coming through. "Really, thanks for everything.""It's the least I could do for all of Team Canada," she replied, knowing everything that he was thanking her for. "I knew it would be good for you."A few minutes, later, Tessa and Scott had entered their room and flopped down on the bed together. It was a normal thing to do, even if most people didn't view it as such."I love you, Scott."It was the first time she could say it and really mean it, and it felt so good. They both knew they loved each other, but knowing and admitting were two different things. She didn't have to worry about him rejecting her.He didn't say anything for a moment, and for a second she actually worried that he would reject her."I love you so, so much, Scott." she repeated, careful not to sound desperate.He still didn't reply."Scott?" she whispered, turning around to face him.He took the opportunity to hug her, and she thought she imagined the tears brimming in his eyes."Tess, I don't even have the words to describe what I feel for you, and love isn't a strong enough word." he said, sounding a little choked up. "All I know is that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize."Hearing him all choked up made her eyes start to water, and she started to laugh and cry at the same time."What's so funny?" he asked, pulling her closer to him."Typical Canadian," she murmured. "Apologizing after telling me that you love me."He started to laugh, too. "You're right, I'm a typical apologizing Canadian who dated a curler and went viral because of hockey and finally I've fallen in love with Tessa Virtue. I'm also going to find some poutine, beer, and maple syrup tomorrow so that we can celebrate in the Canada House where there'll be some moose and Muskoka chairs and we'll wear toques. How does that sound, Tess?"By now they were both laughing hysterically."That sounds wonderful, Scott. I know it'll be, because I'll have you with me."He didn't say anything but pressed a kiss to her forehead. Within a few minutes, they had fallen asleep in each other's arms.