Que Sera, Sera

[BlackAkuma]

Gabby’s breathless response spoke volumes, more than any explanation could’ve. It wasn’t just what she said, but the way she said it—that utter disbelief, from someone who knew Alicia so much better than her. She had been around the woman for a relatively short amount of time, but from their first match, she’d always come across as easy to get along with, open, sociable. They’d shared so many things during their training session. It was honestly one of the best conversations she’d had with…anyone, really.

Even now, as Gabby cranked the hold, a worried part of her wondered if her sister had the better view of things. Maybe she was seeing things that weren’t there? Wishful thinking? All in her head?

That kiss. Was that kiss a bad idea? Alicia had gone quiet after that…

Bah. There was a question Dizzy really wanted to ask, but she was still trying to find the proper way to ask it as she sprang into action and sent Gabby running off. The younger Soto sibling was fast on her feet, more comfortable in the ring than she would’ve guessed for someone so new at this. Her motions were good, crisp, clean, but a little on the nose. One of the things Alicia had drilled into her was how to watch her opponents, look for the setups, and that heavy clomp told her all she needed to know.

A dropkick. A good one, but it wasn’t going to hit. Dizzy hopped out of the way, let it fly by, and she was ready when Gabby came down on the canvas. She dropped behind her, reached out, and tried to wrap her legs around the woman’s throat, tucking her ankle behind her knee to secure the figure-four headlock. A good way to slow Gabby down and sap some of that energy…and to properly continue this conversation.

”She’s that guarded? Really?” She kept the hold tight, but not so tight that Gabby couldn't speak, though she might need to put some effort into it. ”Doesn’t she have friends back home? She’s never had, you know…someone? Someone close?”

[HawtWheels]

Gabby didn't want to presume, but she knew- she knew this beat. She had written this exact dialogue tree in at least a dozen different drafts. This wasn't just casual curiosity - this was the "Investigation Phase" of a slow-burn romance, as they called it. Dizzy wasn't asking for trivia. She was checking the perimeter of Alicia's... emotional availability. It was textbook. It was adorable. And it was worrying that Gabby had to be the one answering the questions because she didn't know if she knew the answers any better than Dizzy.

Meanwhile, gravity was a cruel mistress, and Dizzy was a quick opportunist.

Gabby felt the air swoosh past her boots as the dropkick connected with absolutely nothing. She crashed to the canvas, the impact jarring the breath from her lungs, but before she could scramble to a vertical base, the world tilted. Or rather, it was squeezed.

She felt the smooth, firm pressure of legs wrapping around her throat, cinching tight in a figure-four. For a split second - a traitorous, instinctual heartbeat - Gabby’s brain focused on the warmth of the skin, the dominance of the position, and her face flushed. Then she remembered this was the woman who was entangled with her sister, and the momentary rush left her body as quickly as it had arrived. Maybe she should imagine everyone with her sister, and she could focus better when caught in holds.

She groaned, less from the squeeze - though Dizzy's thinner legs could do some damage - and more from the sheer awkwardness of the situation, and began to claw at Dizzy’s ankles, trying to pry the hold loose to get a clean breath and think about her answer at the same time.

“Fr... iends? ...Sure,” Gabby wheezed, her voice strained as she fought against the pressure on her windpipe. She bridged her hips, trying to roll the Italian over, but Dizzy had the leverage. Gabby slumped back, momentarily resigning herself to talking through the choke. “She had... has... a few old members of her... 'crew.' Then some... people who want to be seen with her.”

She grabbed Dizzy’s shin with both hands, trying to push it away from her chin to articulate better. She gave herself an inch of space and elaborated.

“But someone close? Like... knows her favorite gift and, uh... oh, ow, sorry that was my fingernail... her biggest fears and... what she looks like without makeup?” Gabby shook her head as best she could within the vice grip. “No one... I know. But I don't know if she would... have told me.”

She peered up at Dizzy from her compromised position, her brown eyes searching the Italian’s face upside down.

“That... make sense?" she asked, just as she started to twist her bigger hips so she could turn over and pull her head out of the vice by force.

[BlackAkuma]

Dizzy posted up on her palms, lifted the hold, and created a firm base to keep Gabby under control. While the younger Soto had none of her sister’s imposing muscle, she was still a good deal bigger than herself, enough that she knew better than to take her head on and had to work with every advantage. Leverage was her friend, a weapon that Alicia had taught her how to use well, and there was something funny about using that lesson to punish her sister. Somehow, she suspected Alicia would’ve found this funny if she were here. Shame she wasn’t.

Dizzy’s legs might have been small, but with the figure-four, that worked in her favor. She didn’t have the leg power to make a headscissor work, but like this she could crank the pressure with a hold one her leg, really slip her thighs into the neck, and maybe even knock her out. Not that she would even consider such a thing - she also suspected Alicia wouldn’t appreciate her sister being put into the hospital. But it made controlling the larger woman much easier, especially as they continued their little confab.

Learning something about Alicia’s friends was interesting. It was easy to see how a woman like her could attract people like flies to honey. She had that ‘It’ look. The kind of glow that couldn't be taught or mastered. You either had it or you didn’t, and Alicia radiated it. In another time, in another age, warriors would’ve sought her favor and composed poems in her name.

Or maybe that was just her imagination running wild. The image of Alicia in a toga, lounging in the shade and eating grapes while her servants fanned her, did appeal.

It was a fleeting feeling, one that was erased when she learned that Alicia hadn't had any confidants, at least none that Gabby had known about, and a soft frown came over her at the thought. Alicia was so cool, so hip, so fun, it was hard for her to imagine someone not wanting to be close to her. Or maybe they had wanted such a thing, and Alicia had pushed them away. Her mind came back to the table, where they’d talked about how she felt with Gabby around, all the weight she’d carried…

”Kind of?” She answered Gabby’s question with a little shrug. ”She’s a rock, you know? I don’t know how she is with anyone else, just with me. But she was a good ear when I needed one. It felt like she was used to it. Used to being that support.” Her mind wandered a bit, loosening the hold without thinking. ”And god, she was so fierce, too. You should’ve seen her wrestle my Mom, Gabby. She had so much life, and it was amazing, and it was-”

She didn’t have time to really elaborate, as Gabby was mouting her escape attempt, rolling them over and trying to slip free. There was little Dizzy could’ve done to stop her, so she didn’t bother trying. Instead, she let go of the hold, slide down her foe’s body, wrapped her legs around the woman’s waist and tried to pull her neck into a chokehold, latching on like the world’s sexiest limpet.

[HotWheels]

Gabby dragged in a ragged breath the instant the choke loosened, sweet, precious air flooding back into her lungs. But before she could even think about rolling clear, Dizzy was already moving, sliding down her back like warm silk, legs snapping tight around her waist, arm curling under her chin in one fluid, infuriating motion. Alicia should have done a worse job training her.

Dizzy’s thighs cinched in, not crushing, just enough to remind Gabby exactly who was driving right now. She dropped to her forearms, trying to crawl forward and shake the Italian off, but every inch only made those legs squeeze a little tighter, coaxing tiny, undignified huffs from her throat. She couldn't focus, either, because she was thinking, as usual: “She’s a rock,” Dizzy had said. “She was a good ear.” “Used to being that support.”

The words looped in Gabby’s head while her pulse hammered against Dizzy’s forearm.

A rock. Yeah. Alicia was a rock, alright. An immovable, silent one that carried the whole house on her back without ever asking anyone to help lift. She shouldered burdens, not feelings. Never feelings. Gabby had spent years watching her sister absorb every storm the family threw at her (money problems, Mom’s bad days, Gabby’s own quiet breakdowns) and just… stand there. Or... get what needed doing done. No late-night confessions, no tears, no “hey, I’m scared too.” Just a look that said, "I got this, go back to sleep." Support, but never the kind that required words. Never the kind Dizzy seemed to be describing. Gabby’s chest tightened, and this time it wasn’t just the body scissors. She couldn't decide if she felt a twinge of jealousy or a twinge of pained happiness that something might have changed here for her sister.

Okay, she wanted to breathe and think at the same time. She planted her palms hard, pushed up to all fours, then suddenly dropped her hips, trying to flatten Dizzy beneath her. As she did, she reached back, fingers finding Dizzy’s ankles to separate the calves just enough to wedge her own knee through. With a sharp twist of her hips she rolled them sideways, aiming to reverse the position and finally, finally get on top.

Halfway through the motion she caught Dizzy’s eye, upside-down, and Gabby spoke while she could.

"She carries things... for people," Gabby murmured, almost to herself. Then, louder, as she freed her neck and turned over, she continued. “And fights her way through... everyone's problems."

She finished the roll, swinging a leg over to straddle Dizzy’s waist, hands planting on either side of the smaller woman’s head as she leaned in, brown eyes narrowed, cheeks burning. It took her a moment to catch her breath.

"But she doesn't express things. Not... with words, anyway." Feeling entirely uncreative, Gabby went for a move the subject of the conversation would have tried - a grapevine, her legs trying to worm between Dizzy's. "She just does. Acts. Beats up moms, I guess."

[BlackAkuma]

Dizzy clamped on tight, but not too tight. Small as she was, she’d built up some decent upper-body strength over the past few months. That wasn’t saying much, since she’d started out as a skinny little nothing, but even so, she was happy with the improvements, making her far more of a threat than she had been. The results were definitely showing with Gabby.

”Nopenopenope.” She giggled a bit, despite her best intentions, as Gabby tried and failed to throw her off. ”Scusa, signora. You’ve got to try something else.”

To Gabby’s credit, she did just that. It was subtle at first, just trying to work at Dizzy’s ankles and unhook them, but then she threw herself to the side and everything went topsy-turvy, helter-skelter. Dizzy suddenly found herself looking up at the woman’s eyes - a little darker than her sister’s hazel pair.

Dizzy tried to squirm herself free of whatever Gabby was doing, but she was too slow on the draw this, time, and the woman got on top of her. Not only that, but she was working her way down, slipping those legs between her own, going for, of all things, a grapevine hold—one of Dizzy’s favorite moves to be in.

When it wasn’t being applied by the sister of the woman she had feelings for.

That this was making her a touch uncomfortable spoke volumes - after all, it wasn’t as if she’d ever had qualms hitting on the relatives of women she crushed on in the past. If she’d never met Alicia or didn't care what she thought, she would probably be trying to do all sorts of things to the younger Soto right now.

But she had met Alicia. She did care. And the woman kept popping into her head—every second, every moment.

Dizzy squirmed in the hold, instinctively trying to get her shoulders up, but she kept her lower body markedly still, wanting to grind as little as possible. ”She does act. Yeah. But…” She chewed her lip, stewing over her next words for once. ”We talked. When you and my Mom were having your little book club thing, we talked. About the way she’s so used to carrying the load, and how she feels now that she might not have to be that superhero anymore. I think she’s done it so long, she’s not sure how to turn it off, and I want to…I just want to…”

Gah, she couldn't think like this. Dizzy scrunched up her face and closed her eyes, trying her best to summon some calm. ”I’m sorry, can you maybe transition to another move?” Dear God, anything else. ”This is kinda…well…”

[HotWheels]

Gabby felt the subtle shift under her - the way Dizzy's hips went unnaturally still, her squirms confined to just enough to keep the shoulders off the mat without inviting more friction. It was a far cry from the fluid counters she'd expected, and for a split second, Gabby's mind snagged on the possibility of bad mechanics because she had worked so hard on them. But then the words filtered through, painting the picture of Alicia unburdened, finally allowed to set down the cape she'd worn so long.

A superhero. Yeah. That fit. Alicia had always played the part without complaint, the big sister who fixed the leaks in the roof and the gaps in the budget before Gabby could even wake up to notice. But Japan... this had been supposed to be her escape, hadn't it? The one place where she could breathe without the weight of home pressing down, where Gabby wasn't there to add another layer to the load. She probably thought she was free of it all. No more playing savior to the little one who couldn't quite stand on her own. The thought twisted in Gabby's gut, sharp and unwelcome, because what if her showing up had yanked that freedom away? What if Alicia was slipping right back into the role because she thought Gabby had chased her across an ocean, too stubborn or too blind to see she didn't need to?

But she didn't need to. Gabby wasn't some fragile thing anymore. She'd sold everything, packed her notebooks and her doubts, and stepped into this ring because she wanted to - because the itch for spotlights and stories had burrowed too deep to ignore. She could handle the falls, the stares, the ache in her thighs from holds like this one. She was handling it. Or trying to, anyway.

Dizzy's voice pulled her under with a scrunched plea, the discomfort plain as day in that trailing "well...", and Gabby blinked hard, the haze shattering. Heat flooded her face - oh... crap, right, the thighs and the hips and the... - and she gasped out a quick, mortified "Sorry!" before her body caught up to her brain. She released the tangle of legs in a hasty scramble, rolling sideways off Dizzy's hips and onto her butt beside her, knees drawing up tight to her chest like a shield. The canvas was cool against her butt, a small mercy amid the sudden awkwardness knotting her stomach, and she pressed her forehead to her kneecaps for a beat, breathing deliberate and shallow.

"Yeah it's habit now, that wasn't..." She trailed off, peeking sideways at the Italian through the curtain of her own hair, cheeks still burning. The guilt sat heavier now, tangled up with the half-formed thoughts she'd been nursing. "It's just... it makes me wonder if me being here is making it worse. Like maybe she thought she could finally stop handling everything under the sun, and now... I don't know. Now she has to again? Which is silly."

Gabby bit her lip, the words spilling more bluntly than she'd meant. "But I didn't come here for that. I came because I wanted to. I missed her, yeah, but... I'm not a kid anymore - I can take care of myself. Or at least... I'm trying not to make her carry me, too."

She uncurled just enough to prop herself on one elbow, brown eyes searching Dizzy's face, tentative but earnest. "Does she... say stuff like that to you? About feeling like she has to keep going?"

[BlackAkuma]

Yeah, Gabby was a daydreamer, all right. Dizzy had known a few women like that, even her own mother from time to time. They got their heads wrapped up in the clouds, and for a few seconds it was like the world didn't exist outside of their heads, so wrapped up in their own thought processes that they tuned everything out and went into a trance.

It was cute. Really. Dizzy just wished Gabby had picked a better moment to vacation in La-La Land. Like, say, when they were stuck in this extremely compromised position that she absolutely did not want Alicia walking in on, dolce dio.

Thankfully, reality seemed to click in soon enough, and she got the message in the most adorable way possible. Dizzy stifled a chuckle as the younger Soto sibling scrambled off in a hurry and balled up into her shell, utterly mortified. It was so hard to believe that this was the sister of the woman who had been grinding her on the ropes two minutes after they first met.

For Dizzy’s part, she sat up and gave her thighs a quick rub to get feeling back into them. Daydreamer or not, Gabby had done a good job wearing her out with those. The woman had some real talent. Her mother had asked her to report back and let her know how well Gabby held her own in the ring, and so far? Flying colors.

”It’s cool.” Dizzy waved off the apology, though she was glad that the topic swiftly came back to Alicia. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it as things got heavier, as Gabby laid out some of her fears, her worries. Cross-legged, she spun about on her butt and faced the woman in full, reading her features as best as she could, trying to get a real sense of what was going on here.

She waited a few seconds after Gabby finished speaking to chime in, giving what she said true thought. ”It’s hard for me to say. I’m the only child of an only child, I don’t have any siblings. I mean, not that I know of, but that’s…” She shook her head and kept them focused, not wanting to go down that particular road today.

”What she told me is…how did she put it…” She wracked her brain, trying to remember the details of their conversation beyond the way it ended. ”She said she just doesn’t trust that things are going to go well. Like she’s not used to this stability, I guess. Like she’s waiting for the bottom to fall out, and it’s just a matter of when. If that makes sense.”

Dizzy held up a comforting hand and leaned forward, tempted to put a hand on Gabby’s shoulder, but unsure if they were that close yet. They’d only just met, but their connection through Alicia made her feel closer than most people she knew already. ”I don’t think you being here is a bad thing, though. Tokyo can be a lonely place when you’re coming over. It’s not, like, actively unfriendly, the people are nice enough, but when you don’t speak the language and everything is new, it’s hard to fit in. I’ve got my Mom, Alicia could use someone, too. It’s good that she has you.” She chewed on her own lip, before she spit it out. ”And me. I hope.”

Dizzy pushed her way back up to her feet now that the feeling had mostly returned, and extended an arm towards Gabby, offering to help her stand again and reset. ”She might be afraid you can’t handle yourself, but that’s the good thing - you can prove her wrong, right?”

[HotWheels]

Waiting for the bottom to fall out. Gabby sifted through all Dizzy said, but that part stuck out the most, maybe because it saddened her.

That sounded exactly like Alicia. Their whole childhood had been one long string of almosts: almost enough money, almost healthy, almost okay. Mom’s flare-ups, the landlord’s knocks, the weeks they ate rice and bread or beans and bread or whatever else they could get for a few bucks at the store. Alicia had always been the one holding the line, arms crossed, daring the next disaster to try its luck while problems pinged off her. Even when things finally steadied - Mom selling the business, Alicia’s checks and modeling jobs coming in steady, Gabby’s own little nest egg from stories - her sister never relaxed, like peace was just the calm before the next storm. Part of it was ambition, but part of it was anxiousness, she was sure.

She didn't bring that up, though; that seemed more a topic for Dizzy and Alicia themselves. Instead, Gabby exhaled, slow and shaky, and tried to explain something that seemed more to Dizzy's interest. She clearly cared for Alicia in some way to know these things and for Alicia to have expressed them to her, and that mattered. “She’s never really been lonely, I don’t think,” she said quietly, lifting her head at last. “Or if she is, she’s never let on. She can walk around all day taking care of things, not say a word to anyone, and look… fine. Content, even. Me?” A tiny, self-conscious laugh escaped. “That’s probably why I’m here, honestly. Chased the one familiar face across the planet.”

She reached up and took Dizzy’s offered hand, letting the smaller woman haul her to her feet. The contact was brief, warm, and grounding. Gabby brushed off her thighs and started to add, “But it's not about me. The point is, you must be doing something right if she-”

The gym doors banged open.

Alicia strode in wearing one of those skimpy gym sets she favored - sports bra barely containing anything, shorts that were more suggestion than clothing. Her twintails were half-undone, features scrunched up, phone dangling from one hand like she’d been strangling it the whole drive. Gabby didn't read lips well, but she could have sworn she saw Alicia mouth that the next person who honked at her was going to get suplexed through a windshield.

Her gaze swept the ring, lingered on Dizzy for a beat longer than necessary - something soft flickering behind the irritation - then slid to Gabby. One eyebrow arched, and for a second she thought Alicia could read her thoughts and knew what she had been about to say. Gabby tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly very interested in the ropes. Knowing Alicia, though, she was probably wondering why Gabby was overdressed, too.

She dropped her bag with a thud. “Traffic fuckin' sucks. You two been waitin' long?"

Gabby glanced at Dizzy, then back to her sister, and kept her voice light. “Not too long. We were just… catching up.”

And maybe... they should do more of that later. Maybe Gabby needed to exit stage right and let whatever this was simmer a bit. It felt... right. For the time being, though, she just listened to avoid seeming like she was running away.

[BlackAkuma]

Dizzy was never what you would call a ‘good listener’, even with topics she cared about. Flighty at the best of times, her attention had a way of wandering off, losing track of things, easily distracted. She probably had some kind of ADHD thing going, though her mother never had her officially diagnosed. She’d learned to get through it well enough. Being homeschooled probably helped.

But when Gabby spoke and talked about Alicia’s life, she had Dizzy’s full, undivided attention. The tiny Italian leaned forward, fully absorbing what she said. She almost wished she had something to take notes on, like there’d be a test later.

What she said made a lot of sense. Dizzy had already sussed out the sensual dynamo she’d met in the ring was a bit of a front, that the real Alicia was something closer to the one she’d trained and yapped with and hung out with in the gym. It seemed like she had a lot of mask - the one she wore for the fans, the one she wore when she trained, the one she wore for her family.

Dizzy wanted to think she was working her way through them, that Alicia was opening up to her. That they could just…be. She’d already gotten deep, it felt like. How much deeper would she let her go?

Dizzy had a million and one questions she could’ve asked, and now that the ice had been sufficiently broken, she was prepared to throw out a few more. But, as luck would have it, that was when the woman of the hour made her presence known, bursting into the room and immediately changing the temperature. Dizzy lit up at the sight of her, a Pavlovian response, though she quickly tamped it back down to a smoldering smile, one that grew a tad sheepish when Alicia looked her way a second longer than she expected.

When Alicia spoke, Dizzy looked back to Gabby with a glance, almost as if she’d forgotten the other woman was there for a moment - because she sort of did. She let the young Soto answer as she stood up, dusted herself off, and smoothed her hair out into something reminiscent of presentable. ”Yup, traffic in Tokyo sucks. Welcome, you must be new here.” It actually wasn't that bad overall, but the closer you got to the stadium, the worse it got. Tourists didn't know how to drive, got turned around, made it a mess.

She flicked a tongue her way and leaned on the ropes with her elbows, enjoying the rare opportunity to look down on Alicia. The view was nice from this angle. ”Yeah, we were just warming up. Don’t worry, bella. I’ve got plenty of energy left for you.”

She said it straight with a slight dose of cockiness, keeping her tone a lot more playful and a lot less amorous than she would’ve if Gabby weren’t around. Come to think of it, she would have to take extra care to stay PG13 while these two were in the same room, lest things get extremely awkward.

[HotWheels]

Gabby stayed back, practically taking mental notes.

She watched Alicia shoot Dizzy a look that could have peeled paint, but it didn't amount to the usual dangerous glare Gabby was used to seeing directed the people who genuinely sassed her sister. No, this seemed different. It appeared less “I’m going to deck you.” Gabby read, “Keep talking and I’ll shut that mouth myself.” Gabby’s writer brain immediately froze the frame. She had struggled to write that exact expression - that specific blend of annoyance and intrigue - a dozen times in her drafts. She almost wanted to ask Alicia to hold the pose later so she could study the micro-expressions: the slight tilt of the chin, the darkening of the eyes. Perfect reference material. Also, not the time.

Ultimately, Alicia just dropped her bag and hopped onto the apron, muttering something about charging double if she had to babysit Angela Belti's two favorite pests for an hour. Gabby started to retort - still a touch sensitive about it despite Dizzy's assurances - when her phone lit up on the apron. She trotted over, grateful for the distraction. One swipe revealed a string of messages. Alix. Alix? About books?

Hiya Gabby!
There's a sale going on at Beckett's! Up to 75% off!
Got a few books I think you might like too!

Gabby bit her lip, shooting a guilty glance upward. Alicia remained distracted; she told Dizzy she’d tie the Italian to the hood of the car next time so people would feel pity and get out of the way, or something else ridiculous. Gabby breathed a sigh of relief. She had yet to explain to her sister exactly how she knew Alix. “Oh, she’s just my porn star friend who drags me into kinky matches sometimes” didn't serve as a great conversation starter.

But the texts offered a lifeline. A perfect, serendipitous escape hatch.

“Oh! So, okay,” Gabby said, perhaps a little too loudly, acting surprised as she looked up from the screen. “I actually... I think I need to go.”

Alicia paused her verbal sparring, arching that skeptical brow. Gabby held up her phone like it held the secrets to the universe.

“I just got a message from a friend. There’s a massive sale on books,” Gabby explained, rushing the words. “I need to grab some things and some gifts for Mom, and... well, for everyone. I'm really behind.”

Alicia looked unimpressed. "So? The deals ain't goin' nowhere tonight."

“Well no, but...” Gabby picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder with decisive poise, like Alicia couldn't talk her out of the idea. “A friend I've made invited me, and she's always pretty busy, so...”

Alicia narrowed her eyes, her lie-detector clearly pinging, but she didn't push. She just huffed. Gabby tried not to feel guilty for fibbing a bit. She was... she was being a wingman, right? Sure. In fact... she could offer up the right solution for Dizzy on a platter, here. Alicia loved physical gifts. No one in the world would know that until they gave her one.

“Besides,” Gabby added, backing toward the ropes as her eyes swung between them, the eye contact with Dizzy lingering a second longer than necessary in hopes the other woman would get the picture she tried to paint. “It’s a pretty good night for any sort of... Christmas shopping. With friends. Might be a better use of time than sparring in a busy gym, right?”

She gave Dizzy a final, significant look - one that screamed trust me on this.