CHAPTER TEN | EPILOGUE

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december 23, 1971

"ESTHER YASUI: OLYMPIC ATHLETE has a nice ring to it!"

Esther stops mid-skate, the voice echoing through the huge empty rink throwing her off her game. She turns around, jaw dropped with pure disbelief, and lays eyes on none other than Angus Tully himself.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asks, skating the length of the ice until she face-to-glass-to-face with the boy.

Angus shrugs. "Thought I'd come surprise you, your roommate said you'd be here."

"Well, I am here all the time."

"Even on your birthday?"

Esther raises her eyebrows. Stupid question. "Especially on my birthday. I leave for Japan in a month, silly."

Angus nods along, tapping his fingers on the barrier between dry land and ice. "Where you're going to win gold and do your triple spin thing and wow everybody."

She can't hide her smile. "Triple axel, and, again, it has never been attempted in competition. I'm not going to be the idiot who tries it and falls flat on her ass." She leans against the barrier. "You really came all the way down here for my birthday?" she asks.

"I mean, I came to visit my Dad in his new facility, but yeah. You too."

Esther gapes at him. "You mean I wasn't your first priority?"

Angus raises his brows at her. "Like I was when you made Jason give me your new number?"

Touché. She purses her lips and nods, conceding defeat. "You got me there," she says. "Hey, you don't have a girlfriend, do you?"

Angus squints at her. "Considering I'm surrounded by guys all the time, no. I am very much girlfriendless. Why? he asks.

Esther replies by stepping off the ice, balancing on one blade, and pulling him down into a kiss — just like she'd done nearly a whole year ago. And, just like a year ago, Angus kisses her back, one hand on her waist and the other on her jaw. Esther leaves one hand on the barrier to keep her stable, the other tangling in Angus' curly hair.

They stay that way until two sharp claps break them apart. "Yasui! Back to work!"

Esther takes a deep breath. "That's my coach," she explains, nodding her head toward a scary-looking middle-aged lady with platinum blonde hair pulled into a ballet bun.

"Yeah, go do your thing," Angus says, raising his hands in surrender as a performance for the coach. "Do you want to get lunch after?" he asks, watching Esther glide back into the middle of the rink.

She pretends to think it over for a second. "Yeah, I'm in," she says. Angus smiles and turns, prepared to leave and come back in an hour, when Esther calls out his name. "You can stay and watch if you want?"

So, Angus does. He jogs partway up a flight of steps, sitting on one of the benches with a good view of the ice. Esther's coach starts up the music and she sets off — skating the best she's ever skated, the healthiest she's ever been on the ice, and the happiest she's felt in a very long time.

Also, she still doesn't fucking know what entre nous means.

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a/n:
OH MY GOD IM FREE

i've had the time of my life writing this fic and yet i'm so happy for it to be done is that allowed???

esther and angus u are my babies and i love u both sm. and, bonus content: esther 100% wins gold, she does not whip out that triple axel, and she and angus are totally married with a few kids and grandkids by now

my question this time is very simple... did u like it? :)

seriously, thank you so much for reading! i genuinely really appreciate it. i love u all and merry christmas :)

— cube

published: december 25, 2024
word count: 0.7k