Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The stadium hosting the junior ice-skating championship is not too terribly packed, likely both because of the arguably less important type of competition and the unfortunate scheduling times for this year’s in particular, making it hard for people with day jobs to attend, but North and Connor take it as the perfect time to unwind and enjoy some downtime from their own training while still keeping their eyes on the ice.

Niles disapproved vehemently, but then again their different trainers have imparted very different views on the discipline as a whole— North and Connor are easily one of the best duos around, but they still skate primarily out of passion and enjoyment.

Ever since he started training solo and with his new instructor, Niles has entered a cycle of training, winning, and then training some more.

It’s effective to say the least, and Niles might be ready to qualify for the Winter Olympics this year or the next, but his siblings worry about his happiness, sometimes.

Neither Connor nor North care very much for Amanda Stern and her teachings.

Still, Niles is a grown ass man and lives on his own, so there’s a limit to how much they can meddle.

“Hey, look!” North tugs Connor out of his own thoughts and points to the rink, “This should be interesting.”

Ah, looks like the next performer is from Jericho. No one exactly knows how the team name came about –no one on the outside of it at the very least– but it’s a tightly knit group of talented individuals, known for their unwavering support of each other and their… creative liberties, to put it politely.

Some of these amazing people even made the Olympics, several times over, though some of the more conservative commentators have had blatant bias and their daring performances often lost them some points due to their provocative nature.

Media outlets in the field even used them as a means of comparison for the Anderson siblings themselves, often considered the pinnacle of classic ice-skating perfection, with Niles as the ultimate Golden Boy; Connor even had someone ask him if he considered the Jericho crew his and North’s de facto ‘rivals’… he nearly laughed in the face of the reporter and just politely stated that everyone on the ice is their rival and that the people of Jericho are as amazing as they are a challenge and left it at that.

Gossip-mongers will stoke that fire whether he says anything about it or not, and North finds it as hilarious as he does— especially because Niles, instead, takes this supposed rivalry incredibly seriously.

Connor stops looking at the young dancer making her way on the ice, after being encouraged by both the sweet-looking blonde coach and a man half-hidden in her shadow that he doesn’t quite recognize although he could swear that silhouette is familiar, shoulder sling and all, but he pays that no mind and exchanges a look with North:

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

His big sister’s smirk is an answer before the words even leave her mouth:

“Niles will pitch a fit when he knows they were here and he wasn’t!”

In his defence, Niles is neither a teenager nor does he have a teenage protégé, but he could have attended as a spectator, like them.

The song starts, and, in true Jericho fashion, it’s not a song one would normally think about for an ice skating routine.

Cindy Lauper’s “Girls just wanna have fun” starts and one Alice Williams makes her debut on ice for the very first time.

According to Simon, one of the event’s two commentators, she is all of twelve years old and has trained with Chloe, the main coach for the Jericho team, with a little help from the man beside her— revealed by Simon to be none other than Markus Manfred, three-times men's World Champion and two-times Olympian bronze medalist; recently recovering from an injury severe enough that it had the entire world thinking he had retired from the ice for good.

Josh, the show's other commentator, politely redirects the conversation to young Alice, though not before playfully jabbing at his companion's supposed 'huge fanboy crush' over the former medalist.

Alice's skill is unpolished but definitely there, and she makes up for the rough edges with sheer energy and multiple leaps— she is presenting all the potential of a true future Jericho team member; and if Connor was a talent scout he'd definitely keep his eyes on her.

As it is, his eyes stray from the tween dancer to her coaches, not in the least because Markus Manfred, former medalist and supposed God on the Ice, is dancing along to her routine, one-handed as though he may be replicating every single cutesy little gesture.

Niles would be so pissed to know that the man he hoped so desperately to crush in an Olympic game but still begrudgingly admired for the insane amounts of talent concentrated in one person quite evidently does not possess the gravitas Connor's twin brother has come to consider a necessary part of being an athlete.

"We should film it and snapchat it to him."

God, North can be such a bitch sometimes. Connor loves it.

The string of colorful swears punctuated with demands to stop being made fun of that they receive is endlessly amusing, and they're still stifling giggles while they join in with the crowd to applaud Alice's performance as she leaves the ice.

Only then Josh lets the conversation shift briefly back to the fabled Markus:

"You know, I talked to Markus a little, earlier, and he said he's going to be at the next Improv-Ice."

"What? Really???"

"Your fanboy is showing again."

"So what? I'm a fan, sue me. He's an amazing skater."

Josh chuckles, but carries on:

"Fair enough." He says, mercifully dropping the fanboy bit, "But yeah, apparently the sling is just a precaution nowadays, and he'll enter Improv-Ice to test out his body in an environment with less pressure compared to, say, an international championship."

"That is fantastic news!!!"

From that, the two commentators move on to talk about competitions and seamlessly switch back to introducing the next young talent for this particular competition, but Connor is intrigued.

Anyone willing to jump back on the metaphorical saddle after an injury that kept them years off the field is worthy of respect –doubly so if one is to think Markus' last appearance on the ice before the accident was when he was 'already' 28, just over two years ago, and he won his second bronze medal back when he was 25.

A lot has changed over the years, but there is still quite the stigma on age in regards to athletic disciplines on a competitive level. Which is why, despite being children of the craft, Connor and North decided to stick to tournaments and stay away from the Olympics. Plenty of fish in the sea and all that.

Their mother, Veronika Anderson, formerly Veronika Lance, was an Ice Queen herself and 1996 silver medal before she eventually found herself retiring to enjoy her growing family; while their father, Hank Anderson, made a name for himself as a hockey player in his youth and coach in his later years.

North was the first born, himself and Niles coming as a surprise double-deal; and Cole, the youngest of them, was the happiest of accidents— neither of their parents thought they could still conceive, and while the youngest Anderson is not quite spoiled rotten (yet), everyone has a soft spot for the little menace.

Going on a tangent in his own thoughts for a second, Connor thinks how lucky they all have been –they were never forced into the field, they all just naturally took a liking to the rink, so even though sometimes it was a bit boring to hear the expectant way people spoke about them, North and him always made sure to emphasize their own love for ice-skating and the very personal imprint they leave in every single one of their performances together, enjoying the odd creative streak here and there while still complying with classical standards.

Niles was just as lucky in terms of passion, despite squandering that luck on the obsessive pursuit of victory and perfection: train incessantly, compete to win, rinse, repeat.

«Wait, so you're telling me my sworn nemesis is going to make his return on the ice on the same competition as me and you don't think it's that big a deal?!»

"Niles, breathe between sentences, Jesus." North chastises with a shake of her head.

They're on speaker right now, but Connor still doesn't do anything to hide his snort.

"Also, you do know that the whole sworn nemesis thing is painfully one-sided, do you?"

They can practically feel Niles bristle through the phone, it's that bad.

«That only makes him more irritating!»

"...and now it sounds like you're lowkey thirsting for the guy."

«Gross! North, what the fuck?»

Yeah, probably not the best thing to say to a guy who is quite literally married to his job.

Still, it was on a silver platter and it's their familial duty to tease, so Connor only laughs along.

"He can't be that bad a guy."

«Come to Improv-Ice. You'll see.»

Connor has every intention to: if nothing else, it will be very amusing to watch his brother lose his shit at a complete stranger... not that he ever would in public.

The day of the event comes, and Connor feels stupidly giddy with anticipation.

There are several big names on the list; and even though this is a more casual contest the stakes are still quite high in terms of pride and recognition –there are three categories to be judged for: technique, showmanship and audience's favor.

The monetary prizes are negligible compared to other competitions that Niles has effortlessly won, but somehow his two siblings know he will obsess over winning this particular one, all because of a former medalist six years his senior who probably barely even knows his name.

Idly, he wonders about the next time their parents will bring Cole along to watch his brothers and whether or not he'll have to explain to his littlest brother that it's not really healthy to be as single-minded as Niles tends to be when facing a challenge of any sort.

A few names come and go, performances nice but unremarkable because of their improvised nature –all contestants were told to pick a song and given 24 hours to make something out of it– and then it comes: Niles' turn.

His twin brother means business, he chose a solemn but not too boring song, and executes his routine basically flawlessly, jump after jump, despite only having had a day to prepare it.

One could almost bring that routine before a team of Olympic judges, with a few tweaks and a little more time. It even follows the basic Olympic freestyle rules in terms of obligated jumps to include, and the absolute mad lad finishes it off with a freaking triple axel, because why not be a complete and total show-off?

The announcer cannot help but remark that they definitely know who's in the lead from a technique standpoint, which Connor recognizes as both an impressed praise of Niles’ almost unmatched skill and a polite way to avoid talking about his brother's stiff countenance, which can come off a bit... soulless at times, and has been defined by more blunt commentators as the one thing hindering his progression to the Olympic games he so yearns to qualify for.

But then she makes the mistake of introducing the next skater as “the biggest threat to Niles' victory tonight”, unwittingly fueling the fire just as Niles joins back up with them at the rink’s edge.

"...he was a three times World Champion and a two-time Olympian, returning to the ice after two years away! Let's give a warm welcome to Markus Manfred!"

The skater does the customary round of the rink before getting into position and for a moment Connor has to check that his lower jaw is still attached to his skull.

He remembered Markus being a great skater, he did not, however, remember the man to be as overwhelmingly gorgeous as he is, clad in a black shirt and what looks like black latex pants, complementing his tan skin nicely and bringing out his freckles— the only thing marring his perfect features is the vertical scar splitting his right eyebrow down the middle and the discoloration of an eye that was once green like its counterpart but is now light blue, making for both a dark reminder of the dreadful accident that nearly took Markus' life and a stunningly enticing peculiarity.

"Con, watch yourself, I can smell the gay panic from here."

Connor does not have the time to even react to North's amused whisper, because, in a stark contrast to Niles' austere performance, the unmistakable beat to "I'm Sexy And I Know It" starts, and Markus kicks it off by suggestively dragging a hand down his chest in a body-wave before starting to advance towards the audience.

He tosses his head around as he pirouettes once, before gathering some momentum and shifting into a series of wide-legged spins that are indulgently slow with an unrepentant use of the toe pick as the pillar for said pirouettes.

Yes, Connor can see how Markus would not be considered the most conventional of dancers, especially after shaking his shoulders suggestively as he goes for anther body-wave; at the part where he stabs the ice again with the toe pick just to basically tease the audience and run a hand up his own thigh in a purposefully comically overplayed sensual fashion.

But then the whole 'Girl, look at that body' sequence starts and Markus launches in a quick-fire series of kicks and figures to match with every verse and every breathy exhale; and that's when the man's absolute, unrelenting skill becomes obvious— first a kick to the front, then roundhouse and turn into it, freeze on both toes for a second, arms in the air, more kicks and turns that turn into rapidly sequenced pirouettes until at one point he finishes a revolution with one hand covering his crotch and one covering his behind, curling into a blatantly fake 'shy' crouch, again overplaying and making fun of both the unashamedly sexual song and himself as the crescendo starts building up.

Connor can appreciate a man who does not take himself too seriously, and smiles as he watches Markus work in little waves to the audience and shoulder rolls in his movements as he gathers the speed he needs for what's definitely going to be a jump —there it is.

One, two, three revolutions on the loop and then down, landing exactly on the split second of silence before the beat kicks up again for a full stun effect, before he starts to move along again to the "I'm sexy and I know it" verse, quite literally incorporating actual dance moves into his skating, popping, flowing and making his audience go crazy.

He goes for a small hop first, which would look deceptively easy if Connor did not know how freaking hard it is to control on the landing let alone following it up with a smooth transition into what initially looks to be a camel spin but is effortlessly turned into a bold jump transitioned into a backsit spin –Connor actually struggles to follow the leg switches for a second, and his mouth is hanging open again as he watches Markus unfurl from the crouch and grab the foot at his back in a beautiful arch.

Absently, Connor notes that the man's skates are black on the outside but a vibrant red throughout the sole, in a sort of ice-skating equivalent of Louboutin shoes.

A non-better-identifiable silver necklace with some kind of charms hanging off it also escaped the confines of Markus' shirt and is now further accentuating his neck and chest as he once again dances his way around and shamelessly stabs the toe pick into the ice a few times to make his moves really pop— an act that would probably lose him some points in an Olympic competition, but makes the crowds go crazy because damn, he's built like a brick house and has an ass that just won't quit... and much like the song's chorus recites, he seems to know that fact well.

He can feel Niles disapproving everything about the man and clutching his water bottle to an almost crushing point when the performer's next move is daring at best and downright filthy if he was to be honest –he never before saw an ice skater who could make his booty cheeks clap– but that's not the part that leaves Connor speechless, no.

That honor goes to after Markus has worked up speed again and when the next 'Girl look at that body' hits: he straight up drops to a kneel, left foot still forward facing and going strong, right knee on the ice and skate blade trailing behind and shaving the surface, while Markus throws his entire upper body backwards to arch over the ice. His left hand is trailing the surface, fingertip-light, while his right one traces a suggestive caress over his torso first and then under his neck and nape— it definitely succeeds in making Connor think about how would it feel like to run his hands over the closely trimmed buzz-cut, and he belatedly realizes the audience has once again gone crazy, transfixed as he was with that stunt.

"This bullshit used to be is 'signature move'." Niles disdainfully points out, and Connor can see why.

He's never seen any other ice dancer able to replicate it, male or female –he must have said it out loud, because his brother huffs at him:

"That's because no one with enough skill and sense combined would bother to try such a frivolous display."

In the rink, Markus is still going strong, speeding along the ice with a grace someone so stacked has no business possessing, admittedly... then the man gets up on abdominal power alone and Connor's unasked question is answered.

Yeah, that and other things explain why someone would need muscles like that while ice skating, even though most dancers purposefully build a leaner and lighter weight musculature.

Markus briefly strikes a pose, then he starts a wide, straight-legged spin, which kicks up in speed the moment he curls said leg back inwards, accelerating more and more with every rotation until he lets his arms fly high over his head.

He comes to a halt by opening his arms wide and, despite the distance not making it easy, Connor can swear he sees Markus smirking at the audience. The end of the mix draws near, and it's with a running start that the skater delivers the finishing blow: he drops on one knee, then the other, and starts unashamedly rocking up and down, almost humping the ice as he slides along, until his momentum comes to a stop at the song’s final 'I'm sexy and I know it' –Markus strikes the ghost of a pose by simply placing two fingers against his mouth in a shushing motion, not even bothering to get up.

Coupled with the way his necklace has been knocked backwards, his labored breathing from the exertion and his captivating mismatched eyes... the whole ‘disheveled’ vibe is hot enough that Connor forgets to function for a moment.

Niles pointedly rolls his eyes at Connor's face, while North is snickering behind her hand.

"Yeah, yeah... be like all the others..." Niles is downright sulking at them both, "And you laugh it off."

North only laughs more before making a valiant effort in sobering up and clearing her voice.

"Ok let me get this... straight..." she elbows Connor slightly and he has to fight not to laugh as well, he manages not to by watching Markus take his bow in an Iron Man-esque opening of his arms –this man clearly knows a stage and how to work it; and Connor feels lightly vindicated by the fact that the commentator basically forgot to commentate and clears her voice in a way that could not be more obvious, but he manages to tune her out and listen to his sister instead: "...we're supposed to hate this guy... why exactly? Because he's stupid amounts of talented and hot combined?"

"North!"

"What? I'm asexual, not blind."

Connor puts a hand on his brother's shoulder to try and calm him down:

"Seriously, Niles... do you know something that we don't? Was this guy a dick to you?"

After all, North and Connor only compete in the duets category and as such rarely interact with solo skaters –but it seems unlikely that such a beloved personality would be unpleasant: not only all of Jericho's dancers have always been lovely, including the couple that now and again competes against them, but it would have come out by now... there was a bit of a 'scandal' over Markus' sexuality a while back, especially because while he didn't flaunt it, he made no effort to hide it either; and when directly asked back in his heyday he gave the best answer Connor ever heard anyone give on public TV.

«I can tell you, but it doesn't impact my skating ability or my worth as a medalist, I sleep with who I want, and provided all parties involved are consenting and safe, I don't see how that's anyone's business but mine and of whoever will accompany me into bed.»

Even Niles expressed begrudging respect for that, so... what gives?

"This guy is a mockery of everything I strive for!" Niles snaps, "He gets away with his... his jokes on account of playing a crowd, he disrespects the discipline by making a provocation out of everything, he is way too old to be competing still—" neither Connor nor North point out that Markus is only 6 years older than the twins and 4 and a half years older than North, "—and he should not be as good as he is!!!"

North sighs, putting both hands on her hips and shaking her head.

"Really, Niles? Jealousy doesn't become you."

It also seems like there's a disproportionate amount of hostility there, but Connor keeps silent about it, for now.

The Improv-Ice event ends as just about everyone could expect: Markus outright dominated the showmanship and audience-based categories, with Niles taking a very dignified second place –his score in technique actually surpassed Markus', understandably so considering the other skater's older age and just recently healed body, but in the end that alone couldn't quite make up for two entire aspects of the discipline that Markus clearly has more experience in.

Niles is still fuming about it as the three podium placers take a bow and get a few seconds to congratulate each other.

In a startling display of sportsmanship bordering on weird, the skater who placed in third almost tackle-hugs Markus, shouting "Welcome back!" at him even though they seem to have never met personally before.

It might have something to do with the blonde's heavily scarred cheek and a shared understanding of pain, Niles silently muses.

He watches as Markus thanks the other –Niles catches the name he didn't care to learn, Ralph– and returns the hug warmly as they make brief conversation.

Then his self-appointed nemesis turns to him, beaming like only someone who won could be, and extends a much more polite hand.

"Anderson, right?"

Mindful of the crowd and the lights and possibly cameras, Niles accepts the hand with a stiff nod.

"One of three, yes."

"Right. I want to say... Niles? Niles." Markus is the first one to guess correctly which twin he is, and Niles would almost be impressed if the man didn't give himself away in the next breath: "Chloe told me Connor only competes in duets."

"Ah."

"Great skating out there!" Markus continues, unperturbed or unaware of Niles' discomfort, "You were a marvel to watch. Are you really that good on improv alone? I'd  love to see you in a proper competition! I've been out of the loop for a while, but I remember the last US Championship's Golden Boy!"

Finally, the man's smile falters slightly at Niles' flat look.

"Am I talking too much? Sorry, I tend to ramble, it's just so good to be back—"

Markus gets mercifully removed from his presence by yet another blonde literally jumping into his arms -Niles recognizes her, she's Chloe Kamski, Jericho's supposed queen bee and coach to most of the skaters there, along her husband, who doesn't interact with the public much on account of coming off as an eccentric.

Many have instead defined Elijah Kamski a complete creep, but that's neither relevant nor of any interest to Niles.

What is strange is the sheer degree of affection the lady is displaying for Markus, entirely inappropriate for a coach-athlete relationship, at least in Niles' experience.

He has to avert his eyes when Markus lifts up Chloe off the floor with a laugh— he cannot, for the life of him, imagine himself doing the same to Amanda.

Then again, Amanda has a much more solemn countenance, worthy of her last name, so she probably wouldn't let him regardless of any amount of happiness over a win.

Niles tries and fails not to be bitter about that, too; and he's not above excusing himself immediately after the pleasantries are over and done with.

Connor and North are the only people able to make him feel better about his defeat, congratulating him on getting second place in a type of competition definitely out of his depth— he likes clean cut things and precise standards, and improvisation is neither.

He concedes that point, and has a much more level head when they come across Markus and his friends just outside the stadium –even with a much less attention-catching pair of jeans and a simple long-sleeved cotton t-shirt, the man's striking features would be unmistakable even if he didn't have his ridiculous red-soled skates still slung around his neck.

Even the blade guards are lipstick-red.

"Oh, hello again!"

Not even Niles is enough of a dick to shut down a heartfelt greeting, so he stops, keeps the grinding of his teeth at a minimum, and returns said greeting.

"Hello, Markus."

He gets none-too-gently elbowed by Connor in the universal 'introduce me, you jerkface' motion and rolls his eyes.

"Might I introduce my siblings? This is my twin, Connor, and our older sister, North."

"The whole trifecta." Markus jokes, mismatched eyes glinting in amusement, "I'm honored. Have you guys met Chloe or the others?"

"We met briefly." North supplies, returning the energetic handshake first and nodding to the woman herself, "She was there cheering on Kara and Luther last month."

Ah yes. Yet another man with a body decidedly not fit for the ice. Niles mercifully keeps his mouth shut and does not embarrass them, which Connor is thankful for as he is already struggling to form words when his turn to shake Markus' hand comes.

"We never really met, but uh... I saw you briefly at the Junior event. That was cute."

"Thank you. Alice is, quite literally, the light of my life."

This close, Connor detects a slight accent in the way Markus pronounces certain letters.

"Oh? Is she your daughter?"

"Not really, no, but all of us have sort of adopted her as a team. Her family was not the most supportive about her dream at first, so supporting Alice through her challenges and accomplishments became a priority for all of us very fast."

Eastern European origins? Russian, perhaps? It would explain both the talent and the being apparently batshit crazy.

Come to think of it, wasn't there an 'in Mother Russia' meme about the way Markus could slide across the ice while lying down?

"I see..."

There is a small bout of awkward silence, and Markus clears his throat.

"Um, Connor?"

God, those eyes are so beautiful up close. It's sad to notice that the blue one has a slightly lazier reaction time now, but it doesn't diminish Markus' attractiveness in the least.

"Yes?"

"I'd, uh... I'd love to get out of your hair, but I'll need my hand back for that."

Well. Shit. Chloe has been making pleasant conversation with North for the past few moments but now both ladies are looking at them and even Niles has to cough to conceal a hint of amusement.

It's a dark day in Hell when the Ice Prince himself is amused at Connor being the socially inept one, for once.

"Right, of course." Connor clears his voice and releases the hold on Markus' hand -that warm, slightly calloused, big hand- "Sorry, I—"

Markus spares him the embarrassment by chuckling lightly.

"It's okay." He assures, "No offense taken. I'm used to less pleasant stares."

The way the man taps the scarred side of his face makes Connor realize with cold dread that Markus has misinterpreted his blatant ogling for shock or, god forbid, disgust at the scars marring his still too-handsome-to-be-true face.

"Oh no, that's not—"

"Hey. It’s fine." Markus interrupts him, and once again Connor feels the other's warm, firm hand, this time settling on his shoulder, "You have eyes and I look the way I look. A stare or fifteen won't hurt my delicate sensibilities."

It's impossible not to be charmed by the sheer sarcasm dripping for the last two words; and Connor smiles, forgetting how he wanted to correct that notion.

Niles clears his voice louder.

"Connor, we have to go." He pointedly remarks, and to his credit he's perfectly polite as he hastens the goodbyes. "It's been a pleasure, Mrs. Kamski. Markus."

Niles all but grabs Connor while North exchanges laughing goodbyes with Jericho's  coach and the few people there.

In the midst of being physically dragged away, Connor manages to turn one last time towards the crew:

"Oh, and Markus?"

Mismatched eyes focus on him, the question clear in them even without having to ask.

"...I'm glad you're back. You are... an inspiration."

The few giggles behind Markus might be a hint about Connor having just made an idiot out of himself, but it's worth the beaming smile from this man he just barely met.

"Thank you, Connor.'"

They part ways, and that's the end of it.

For now.

Connor is sure he'll see and hear more about Markus a whole lot, thanks to his brother and their so called 'rivalry'.

He's never been more glad that Niles can be kind of an ass sometimes. And, of course, North notices.

"Damn, Connor, I think you left your eyes on hot ice-skating daddy, over there."

There is no point in denial.

"I dare you to blame me." He says instead, well-aware of how red his face is getting while they walk out.

She laughs heartily and slaps him on the back.

"Don't worry, there will be no slut shaming in this family."

They laugh at each other's antics and bicker the whole way to their respective homes, eager to call their parents and share the night's events.

As he and North part ways with Niles Connor realizes, privately, that he really is glad Markus is back to competing despite his injury and his age: he was already once a World Champion and shooting for the Olympics when Connor and North were barely out of the Junior category, so they never had a reason to cross paths.

It might be the lust at first sight speaking, but meeting such an extraordinary individual after risking not meeting him at all feels like a karmic second chance.

He's not entirely sure whose chance is it, but he intends not to waste his own.

He'll definitely follow the return of this shining, controversial star.

And the fact that Markus Manfred is living, walking eye-candy definitely doesn't hurt.

God, he looks forward to the next multiple-category tournament.

Chapter Text

Markus walks through the doors of his family home with a big, stupid smile on his face.

He wasn't sure he'd be able to place, let alone win on his first time back on the ice.

The warm welcome back from everyone also exceeded his expectations...

Well, almost everyone.

Niles Anderson clearly hates his guts and Markus cannot, for the life of him, understand what he ever did to the guy. It's incredible how much concentrated distaste there can be in one person. Then again, it's not a surprise, considering who trains him.

Markus has to suppress a sigh at the mere thought of Amanda Stern being the driving force behind the stick firmly lodged up Niles' ass.

It's also a shame, Niles has everything he could ever ask for –a great family, loving siblings, talent, looks... for a moment there he thought his brain was going to stop working, short-circuited by the onslaught of beauty that is all three Anderson siblings, and he—

"Поздравляю, сука!!!"

—and he’s suddenly scooped up in a brotherly embrace as Leo grunts with the effort of lifting him and spinning him around.

"You know you don't have to put 'bitch' at the end of every sentence, do you?"

His brother just laughs in his chest and lets him down, grunting again as he does.

"You should have thought about that before teaching me swearwords." He says, pinching Markus in the side, "Also, you've put on weight. I swear to god just the shadow of your ass is 10lbs."

"Oh, ha ha, you dick."

Markus falls into stride with the easy banter and pretend-slaps Leo, just to have an excuse to brush a hand in his brother's hair and ruffle the fuck out of it.

If it wasn't for Leo's support, with his injury and with dad, Markus does not know where he'd be.

Leo was the one to suggest the three of them all move back together, the mansion is plenty big to leave them their space and it made for an easier recovery for both him and Carl, not to mention Leo didn't have to drive half an hour every day just to see them.

Markus couldn't be more grateful for his family if he tried.

He and Leo are still roughhousing their way to the living room when they hear their father's voice.

"Congratulations, son." His baritone voice is broken by a chuckle upon seeing them, "So, how's it feel to be back?"

Markus eventually settles on hugging Leo from behind and dropping his entire bodyweight on his brother, chin resting on Leo's shoulder and ignoring the protests about being 'fucking heavy, Mark, come on!'

"Well. The oldest contestant after me was probably younger than I was when I got the second medal, but all things considered, I'm pretty damn proud of myself."

"Bah, save the griping about being old for when you look like a potted succulent with saggy tits."

Both brothers break out in laughter, even under Carl's impassive look.

Leo is the first to regain his breath:

"Aw, come on, dad... you're a potted succulent with perfectly fine tits!"

"You worry about your own, young man!"

The potted plant joke came up about 6 months after the accident. Coming to terms with being paralyzed for the waist down was much easier accompanied by the thought that his son could have died but didn't, and once the doctor told Markus that, eventually, he'd make a practically full recovery, Carl Manfred found happiness and even humor in life and himself once more –Leo played a huge part in that, never once allowing him to feel lesser just because of his new condition and at the same time reassuring him that he had Markus' back, hell or high water, which he did and still does.

Proof that two brothers don't need to be blood, to be family.

"Alright, alright enough with comparing man-boobs!" Markus says eventually, "I need at least four hours of sleep, so I can take you two out for lunch tomorrow!"

"I'll hold you to that! And I want sushi!!!"

Markus flips Leo off without turning and laughs under his breath when he hears his brother dissolve in guffaws.

He is still thinking about the competition as he gets ready for bed— he doesn't want to sleep, he could jump and dance and scream, he's so beside himself with excitement; but he knows his new limits, so he undresses down to his boxers, wears the sling since he exerted himself a lot today, and gets under the sheets.

The only regret from tonight really is Niles Anderson obviously hating him –still, Markus tells himself as he smiles slightly into his pillow, two out of three siblings is not a bad score.

North was extroverted and funny, while Connor... Markus never had the pleasure personally –hell, he even only ever saw Niles in passing a few times before now– but Connor has a warmth in his eyes that his twin seems to lack.

He felt it when they shook hands and Connor didn't immediately let go, and in the other's voice when he called Markus an inspiration.

Among all the people who told him the same and more, Markus can't explain why it made him so giddy to hear it from someone he only just met.

He hopes he'll get to see Connor again soon.

'Soon' turns out to be little over a week, at the ice rink. Chloe has a slot booked for training for the juniors and he's out to help her -and maybe get in some training of his own, since the first field test was a rousing success. He's considering the state games, and the whole team is spurring him on.

Though that's the furthest thing from his mind when he comes out of his bathroom break to find North and Connor Anderson on the benches and putting on their skates, the shock of North's ginger pony tail being the first thing he notices and Connor's perfectly pressed clothes a close second -seems like looking perfect is a family habit, the man looks fresh out of GQ.

He only really debates for a second before blurting out the greeting.

"Oh! Hello!"

Both turn to him and North smiles wide, elbowing her brother and whispering something he doesn't quite catch, but has Connor slapping her forearm in an embarrassed reprimand.

He takes his chances with a joke:

"If you guys were talking shit I can go back and we do this over...?"

North's hysterical bout of laughter confirms that it was the right thing to say, and Connor gets up to come greet him properly with a smile.

"Hello, Markus."

God, he looks so soft and squishable. Markus has to fight the urge to ask to twirl a finger in the other's brown curls, and curses his poor self-control –he vows he will listen to Leo more when his brother tells him to ‘knock that shit off’.

"It's good to see you again." He manages instead; busying himself with sitting at the nearby bench he left his own skates under and putting them on.

"Likewise—" Connor starts, but is interrupted by his sister:

"Oh by the way, didn't get the chance to tell you last time, but those are some fantastic skates! Prime 'classy bitch' material!"

"Thank you." Markus nods his head in thanks as well, "It means a lot, coming from a bona fide rink goddess."

"Now you're just buttering my ass up, and I know for a fact it's not the kind of ass you'd go for!"

Her words are so refreshingly blunt that it startles a laugh out of Markus.

"You don't pull any punches, do you?"

"Try living with her." Connor jokingly intercepts.

"Hey, I'm a fucking delight!"

The fact that North is currently pointing her blade guard threateningly at her brother slightly contradicts that, but neither man calls her out on it.

"For what it's worth..." Markus mentions as he gets up, "I appreciate both your ass and the rest of you from an aesthetic point of view."

"You know all the things to say to a lady, can't fathom why anyone would say you're into dudes."

It's Markus' turn to be irreverently blunt, and he chances a sideways smirk at Connor:

"I guess it comes from the whole liking dick thing."

North folds in two from laughter, while Connor flushes scarlet before offering a polite laugh himself.

"Well, I have to go back to being PG13, now. You guys enjoy your family time."

They watch Markus glide back into an adoring swarm of teens and pre-teens —Connor does not blame any of the kids; and he has to let out a breath once he's out of hearing range:

"Jesus fuck, nothing about that guy is PG13."

North is still laughing at him.

"I hear you." She says, "But seriously, what's Niles' problem with him? He seems like a regular, even funny dude!"

Connor scoffs at his sister's use of the word 'regular' to define anything about Markus.

Especially looking at him now— he is already a force to be reckoned with while performing, but here, in this slightly more private setting and surrounded by people who really seem to love him, Markus actually glows.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Connor watches him give pointers and instructions, it's absurdly heart-warming, especially when a few of the girls start fooling around on the ice and taking a few liberties with their toe picks, prompting Markus to call out, in an almost teacher-like voice:

"Hey! Hey— Ladies!!" all girls immediately sober up and turn to him, "Stick to perfecting the pirouette first. Then we'll think about flair."

"But you do this all the time—"

"Yes, but I know how to do the classic one with my eyes closed and both arms tied behind my back."

His reprimanding demeanor lasts all of two seconds, before he ruffles the little one's hair and even gives her a kiss on the forehead.

"C'mon, Dana. I don't wanna see you guys slip and fall. Let's get this move down, and then maybe we can convince Chloe to let us play a game."

"Connor?!" North's voice startles him out of his ogling, again. Damn, he's got it bad. "I get it, the view is great, but we came in to train."

She's right. She's looking at him with both hands on her hips and a knowing smile— the nationals are soon, Lucy is on her way and even Niles is going to join them at some point.

Despite how unprofessional it would be, Connor hopes against hope that his brother's coach won't show up. Amanda did nothing to hide her distaste for a 'casual' event like Improv-Ice, calling it a waste of time despite it being a great way to break the routine of preparing for the nationals without getting rusty; and she didn't even show up to see Niles place second almost effortlessly and outright smoking everyone else from a technical standpoint.

Yes, Connor hates Amanda with a passion and hopes to never have to see her for too long.

"Sooo... am I going to see you guys train or do I have to go collect eyeballs off of Markus?"

Both siblings almost physically jump. Their coach has successfully snuck up on them again –one would think the huge head of dreadlocks would make her conspicuous, but no.

"Hey!" North is the first one to greet Lucy with a hug. "You don't seem surprised. Did you know him from before?"

Lucy nods.

"Markus and I go a bit back. I met him just before he started trying for the Olympics and almost made a very wrong suggestion to him." She explains with a hint of wistfulness in her voice, before shaking her head and calling out with a hand raised to wave: "Hey Mark!!! Back to shaking your ass, are you?"

Connor promptly covers his face with both hands, mortified, especially because Lucy's call was startling enough to make the skater in question nearly wipe out on the ice; while North doesn't bother and just extends a wave as well.

Markus recovers admirably from his stumble and returns the ladies' waving, skating just a bit closer to properly greet Lucy.

"You know me, Luz; I just can't stay away from being an outrage to common decency."

"That's my boy."

The conversation ends there, Markus goes back to assisting Chloe in training their Junior recruits, and they finally start their training.

"So... any reason in particular why you knew an insanely hot, talented and decent man who is also openly gay and did not introduce him to me??"

Sure, Connor waited until he was sure they were out of earshot to ask, but he does ask.

Lucy raises an eyebrow at him.

"What am I? Your wing woman?" She teases at first, "Also he's pushing 30, you're a bit on the younger side... it didn't cross my mind that you’d be interested."

"I'm pretty sure anyone with a pulse would be interested."

Just before North could tease her brother some more, they get interrupted:

"Objection, your honor."

Connor lightly slaps his twin's cheek before pulling him in for a hug.

"Denied. You have a bias."

Niles just lets it go with a chuckle, shaking his head at his brother’s silent surprise.

He didn't expect to find Markus at the rink so soon and he hoped not to have to deal with him so soon after last week's bitter defeat, but the guy is busy with his students, not bothering him or anybody else, and his siblings are here. Contrary to popular belief, Niles can and will try to enjoy himself while training.

He greets Lucy with a smile and she expresses both her congratulations for his result on Improv-Ice and happiness in seeing him well.

Amanda is at the rink's edge, observing, and greets them with polite coldness –to be fair, Lucy greets the older coach just as icily, no pun intended.

One day, Connor muses, they'll get the full story behind the seemingly endless bad blood between Mrs. Stern and Lucy –it's especially curious, considering Lucy does not have one mean bone in her body... but Lucy never mentioned it, and they never asked.

One thing that does make all three of them stop and stare is when Amanda reprimands Niles on his form, calls out corrections and then goes to blame his lack of concentration:

"I am scarcely surprised you can't work properly... I'd be distracted too, having to train with such an eyesore running amok on the ice."

The only thought in Connor's head becomes 'Bitch just said what?!'

Even Niles, who made his own distaste for Markus very clear, turns in shock at the unmotivated attack— especially because Amanda doesn't shout, but she speaks loud enough that not only Markus, but his coach and their students heard them, too.

"I don't see what you mean, Amanda. I see nothing here warranting such a definition, and I certainly don't distract easily."

Niles is very diplomatic and always tries to make Amanda's opinions his own, but this time Connor is inordinately proud of his brother for standing up to her, however mildly.

Across the ice, he catches Markus' expression –it was visibly hurt by the gratuitous cruelty but is now shock at Niles' defence, meek as it may be.

"Maybe she got us mixed up!" He comments to his twin, "I for one would definitely get distracted by that much beauty."

There. Markus finally breaks into a smile.

Amanda tuts, unimpressed, and calls out to Niles.

"If you're so well-focused, practice your jumps then. Double time."

And just as it appeared, Niles' opinion dissipates.

"Yes, Amanda."

Jericho's Junior students are still standing around sort of awkwardly, but then two little girls start skating around Markus:

"Markus! Markus, do the thing!!!"

Oh. They're trying to get him to show off somehow, possibly both to diffuse the tension and to get back at what must be a terrible person in their eyes.

What a simultaneously adorable and bitchy move.

Looking at them, it's Alice, the girl who made the Junior championship, and Dana, the curly haired cutie from before.

Clearly, Jericho is raising these girls well.

Markus seems insecure, muttering something about them having to finish the exercise, but Chloe skates to his side and puts a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay; we can top it off next week. It's almost time for the cooldown anyway."

Mischief then lights up the skater's face.

"Well then, ladies... keep up!"

Markus launches into a round of the rink, followed closely by the girls who are now giggling in anticipation, and in the backwards running start he just so 'happens' to zoom right past him, North and Niles.

It's fast, so Connor isn't sure, but he could have sworn he just saw Markus wink at him. The smile on Connor's face freezes in awe regardless, because the 'thing' Markus does is his signature move, but then he reaches out his hands one at a time.

Alice takes his left hand in both of hers, while Dana does the same with his right; so he's dragging them both with him while their hold on his hands keeps his torso suspended.

If the sight of Markus pulling that insane stunt didn't already clear space for them, the girls' elated laughter echoing all over would.

Even North meets Connor's eyes with a smile of her own:

'How's that for a distraction, bitch?'

Connor sees his twin brother look at the speeding trio with a befuddled expression, before shaking his head minutely and resuming his own exercises.

Well. He already expressed dissent in Amanda’s treatment of Markus like his mere presence is an offence, to openly display amusement at his antics might be too much too soon to ask.

Amanda physically turns her head away and Lucy cannot help but laugh— seriously, how much of a bullshit gatekeeping elitist can someone be all at once?

The moment Markus lets the girls go is also the moment he loses control and goes sprawling on the ice— unsurprising, considering how long he kept that up.

Chloe and all the kids are laughing good-naturedly, as are North and Lucy... Connor less so, because Markus tumbled less than three feet away from his legs and now he's within touching range again.

"Are you okay?" He asks, extending a hand instinctively.

Markus looks up with a smile, goes to lift his right hand... then thinks better of it and grabs on with his left instead, letting Connor help him pull up a generous portion of his weight.

Right. Connor remembers the sling –evidently, the injuries Markus sustained are more extensive than the media made them out to be, possibly a move from Markus himself to preserve his privacy.

"Thanks for that." Markus tells him, and the breathless quality to his voice makes it all the more apparent how tough it must be to pull off that wild move.

Connor is a little starry eyed despite himself.

"No problem." He utters, trying to ignore how Markus is still holding onto his forearm and how close they're standing. "I thought you might appreciate a hand."

Still breathing a bit hard, Markus’ smile for him widens, the scar tissue above and under his blue eye wrinkling slightly with the motion.

"Did it at least look good on the way down?"

Connor can't do anything but be swept away in it, especially with Amanda watching:

"I wish I'd filmed it."

"I would have asked for royalties."

Crap, they're standing a foot away from each other and Connor is basically making eyes at him as he chuckles... he needs a change of topic, fast.

"Alright, now that I laughed at you I can ask: you didn't hurt yourself, right?"

Thank you, North.

Markus pulls finally away from him and Connor can breathe on his own while the other skater shrugs a little and rolls his right shoulder experimentally.

"I'll wear my sling on the way home, just in case, but..." the two girls zip past them, laughing and very clearly over the moon as they run to Chloe and the others –already plans for who 'gets to have a turn next week' are forming. "...worth it."

Connor is starting to think Niles' hate is not entirely misguided: this guy reeks of too good to be true— well, he does have a very obvious problem with authority and seems to never take anything seriously excepts his kids but... small flaws, in the grand scheme of things. Connor doesn't hate Markus, but it does frustrate him that the man seems to be irresistible without trying.

Eventually, Markus breaks the gaze with an almost sheepish look.

"Am I disrupting your training?"

Connor shakes his head.

"Consider me pleasantly disrupted."

Markus was about to say more, but Chloe calls out to him for the cooldown.

"Gotta go. Queen Bee is calling."

He whispers a hushed goodbye and is gone in a flash, just before Niles can turn to mildly scowl at his brother.

North slides up next to him with a complicit smirk.

"Is it just me, or did this have Romeo and Juliet vibes?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

She doesn't falter and doesn't buy his 'unimpressed' deadpan.

"You know... him, trying to be all smooth and disappearing just before Niles could glare at him; you, making goo-goo eyes at him even though your twin disapproves... it's cute."

"It's not cute." Niles remarks in passing them, "And for the record, I do not care whether you sleep with him or not, just... don't expect me to like him."

The conversation ends there, with minimal teasing at both twins from North, but it leaves Niles thinking.

In truth, he kind of does care if Connor likes Markus so much: the older skater already stole his thunder and his victory... Niles isn't thrilled at the idea of him stealing Connor, too.

North and Connor have both always been close to him, supporting him and being a positive force in his life even though they disapprove of Amanda's methods, Niles dreads the possibility of Connor having to choose between his twin and the guy he seems to be falling hard and fast for.

Still, Markus is not bothering them anymore and Connor and North are back to practicing and talking to him, so it's safe to say it won't come to that anytime soon.

They don't cross paths again until Amanda is long gone, uttering a terse goodbye to Lucy who takes her leave as well— not before hugging Niles as well as her own pupils, and making eye-contact with Amanda during the whole thing.

Niles feels a bit awkward about whatever the exchange has been, but he can silently appreciate the fact that Lucy gives great hugs.

Markus is yet again not alone. Still on the ice but by the rink's edge, he seems to have paused whatever he was listening to in order to make conversation with the two gentlemen on the outer side of the rink.

As they skate closer, Connor recognizes their voices: it's the two commentators that worked the Junior championship that Alice placed for.

Huh. Based on their character, Connor would think Josh was the blonde.

"Catering to your admirers already, Mr. 'Two-time Olympian'?"

He can't help but tease; and he enjoys the way all three men startle slightly.

"Hey, I'd be showing off too, after a comeback like his." North concedes, taking the chance to skate over to the very edge and lean both elbows onto it.

"Miss Anderson!" Josh exclaims, straightening his back and smiling a megawatt smile, "It's so lovely to meet you in person—"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, you might have the wrong gal." North fights back a chuckle, but there's no real bite to her words, "Miss Anderson is some kind of prissy little prom queen in a tutu. It's just North."

Ah, yes, the whole tough girl thing— which is not as much a thing as just the way North is, but she does play into the persona a little bit.

To his credit, the speaker doesn't falter.

"I'd be just as honored to meet that version of you, in whatever alternate, dystopian universe that would exist."

Connor sees Markus raise an eyebrow silently –he's kind of impressed too, that was a great recovery, but it would seem that Josh just lost his privileges to call Simon a fanboy.

It would almost be cute if only for the fact that anyone wanting to get into North's miniskirt would be very much barking up the wrong tree.

His sister nods her thanks and then gestures at Markus:

"This guy your friend? Cause you have the same lines."

"I'd argue his are a notch better than mine, but he speaks for a living, so..."

Markus' words are a perfect opening and North takes it, to further tease Josh.

"Right. You get points docked because you supposedly had an advantage. Step up your game, man."

Simon chuckles at his colleague's side.

He knows that the only reason Josh doesn't blush visibly under the attention is probably because it wouldn't be apparent regardless.

"You're every bit as blunt as they say."

"Oh you have no idea, blondie, I'm actually being nice right now because I've heard the two of you here and there and you guys are cool."

It prompts a bout of laughter from all of them, Niles included –though it's more like half a chuckle from him, ever so uptight and composed– but it's true.

All three of them enjoy the banter these two engage in while still giving a commentary of excellent quality. It's a hard balance to find in a partnership, and clearly these two have it.

"So..." Connor calls to Markus, "What conversation was so riveting that you paused your music to eavesdrop onto?"

"Hey, I'll have you know that they actually waved at me to come over and chat."

It's incredible how easily and fast they have settled into this back and forth, and Connor bites back a smirk while Markus turns to the two spokesmen and gestures in his direction:

"Can you believe this guy?"

Simon stifles a chuckle of his own.

"Well, you did act a bit shifty and refused to share what you were listening to..."

"It could be the song for his next choreography." All eyes turn to Niles when he just blurts that out after being silent for so long, and he balks slightly under the spotlight. "I mean... I do it sometimes... whenever I have to compete I leave my song of choice in my playlist and listen to it on repeat to repeat the routine in my head..."

If asked, Niles will forever count the impressed look on Markus' face as a victory.

"That's some impressive dedication..." the older skater says, "Now I feel inadequate."

"You could always turn whatever you were listening to into a choreography." Josh offers, probably as payback for letting North tease him. "You know... since you're the Improv King and all..."

Markus is taken aback, considers, then nods to himself with an air of finality, as he unplugs his earphones and offers the device to Simon. He then extends a hand towards North.

"What? Why me?"

She's not opposed to the idea, but she is a big sister looking out for her baby bro and will jump at a chance to do a bit of matchmaking, but Markus beats her to the punch:

"Because I'm openly gay and you're very clearly not interested. No stakes, no gossip." He explains with a wink. Then, as she takes his hand and he drags her closer, he also whispers: "Plus, my shoulder is killing me and I'd bet good money you're lighter to lift than either of your brothers."

And that's how she finds herself in Markus' arms, cheek to cheek, preparing to skate to what sounds like... Despacito??

"Oh, you unrepentant memelord!!!"

Questionable as it might have been as a choice of song, it breaks any reservations North could have had left, and she lets herself be lead around the ice immediately around them with a laugh shifting her hold on Markus' biceps to detect movement and cues for holds.

He only really takes her through a couple figures and up until the very first chorus, nothing too complex, but considering it's an improvised dance by two people who never skated together before... it still gets an enthusiastic round of applause –even Niles claps, if only for his sister.

"Nicely done."

"Could this finally bury the hatchet in the Jericho/Anderson war?"

"Wait, there's a war?"

Markus' confusion at Josh and Simon’s comments is understandable, but not any less entertaining than Niles' palpable embarrassment.

Connor pounces on it.

"Oh yeah, the press always makes a big deal about it and everything." He says without missing a beat, "It's basically three generations of professional skaters versus… whatever it is that gave you guys your infamous reputation."

Niles stays studiously silent when Markus draws a slow, sweeping look along all three of them.

"Well." He eventually speaks, but what comes out of his mouth is not any less mortifying: "Peace treaties were usually negotiated through marriage. I'd honestly be more than fine with marrying either one of you, but feel free to try and impress me."

The wink he sends to the twins makes Connor blush and Niles bristle.

"I don't take kindly to being made fun of." He hisses with a glare that only makes Markus grin more.

"I was not, but you’re welcome to come shut me up in the rink, since it's apparently a thing."

Oh lord, Markus is playing right into Niles' perceived rivalry. On the one hand, watching him banter and grandstand to the Ice Prince is both amusing and hot; on the other one... it will make it harder to convince Niles that Markus is actually a nice, decent person.

His twin already has the competitive glint in his eyes.

"Oh, I will." Is all he says, prompting a half-curtsy from Markus:

"I expect my socks to be thoroughly rocked off."

Niles skates off without another word, while North just mutters a 'god damn it, Niles' and zooms after him while throwing the others a sorry and a quick goodbye.

"Why did you do that?!" Connor can't help but ask.

For his part, Markus just shrugs, having meant the entire exchange in good humor.

"Why not?” he counters, “Is he for real?"

"My brother can be a bit... intense."

Mindful of the two gentlemen still watching him, Connor tries to be as diplomatic and discreet as possible.

"He can? Good. My first impression of him was one of a puppet on strings, existing only to skate and then be put back in the box he came out of, until it's time to show him off again."

Clearly, Markus doesn't share his penchant for diplomacy.

"I wouldn't want to poke that particular hornet's nest, if I were you."

"Why?" Markus asks, elated at the idea of ruffling the impassive skater’s feathers, "What's the worst he can do? Take a swing at me? Eh, I'll probably deserve it at some point. If this whole rivalry bullshit gets life to light up behind his eyes, I'm fine with taking the brunt of it."

That actually makes Connor look up and stare. This guy is more observant that he takes credit for, and in his own way he’s actually looking out for Niles, or at the very least he prefers his not-quite-enemy with a fire behind his eyes rather than dull disinterest –still... there's more to Niles than his passion for the ice, and after today Connor is sure Amanda is fueling his hate for Markus, for some reason.

The whole thing actually might go deeper down than Amanda just disliking Markus on principle and making Niles hate him too because the apple sometimes is forced to stick close to the tree.

"You think you have us all figured out, huh?"

Markus hesitates slightly at that. Connor is, for lack of any better definition, very attractive, and the way he just tilted his head at him, like he's the very picture of innocence, should actually be illegal.

"Well... I have competed with your bother; and I have danced with your sister... you're the only one left for me to get a feel for."

It's nearly enough to make Connor give in and openly flirt. Instead, he lets his eyes rake slowly over Markus' body, lingering on the half-zipped hoodie not quite covering his chest and the t-shirt underneath also exposing a generous amount of clavicles, before meeting the other's mismatched eyes with a smirk.

"Well. You're gonna have to try harder than that, with me."

Josh and Simon resist all of three seconds before laughing at the gob-smacked expression Markus watches Connor's retreating back with.

He gets teased a bit about it; just about until he reminds Josh of the stammering mess he was before Miss Anderson, and arguing that anyone in the presence of all three Anderson siblings would make a fool of themselves one way or the other.

Still. He's beyond intrigued at this point.

He hadn't confirmed his choice on the nationals, but it might be time to take the plunge— pissing off Niles and embarking into whatever rivalry gossip is going around might be worth it, if only to see Connor again and verbally spar until one of them decides to step it up.

One thing is for sure: the future is going to be more exciting than he thought it would be, after his injury.

Chapter Text

• Despite his way to approach competitions being not the best, Niles is good as heart, which is super obvious, but for example there can be a scene at some point with little Alice
• like, he goes to visit Markus for something
• and the girl is trying to do an exercise, and Niles actually gives a good advice
• which makes Markus stop to think: okay, that guy may not be a total jerk
• Then Niles happening in the same place as Markus as Markus trains
• and witnesses Markus stumbling and sitting down because chronic pain

·        

• Lisa_Lisa04/08/2019
• yes yes yes

·        

• headraline04/08/2019
• and approaches him
• "You're a hypocrite."
• Markus, tiredly: "beg pardon?"
• "You say I'm miserable, and yet I see you sitting down here, in pain. You don't look happier than I am"

·

• headraline04/08/2019
• Markus half heartedly shrugs
• and says "Maybe. But you've been doing this a long time. Surely you got hurt sometimes. The physical pain? That's worth it. It will always be worth it, for those five more minutes in the rink."
• omg what if
• the whole Anderson brothers thing
• they're like
• not quite a team
• but people always associate them together for obvious reasons
• and Chloe's team with Markus and the other wayward misfits is the exact opposite
• like people always cite the Anderson siblings as a pinnacle of elite elegance and technique

·        

• Lisa_Lisa04/08/2019
• hahahahahahahaha

·        

• headraline04/08/2019
• but Chloe's team is always the talk of every show with their boundless creativity and spirit

·        

• Lisa_Lisa04/08/2019
• Niles not amused by that but yes, the contrast is nice

·        

• headraline04/08/2019
• Niles hates it
• hates being compared to a man almost six years older than him that should be no match for his skill
• while Connor and North love it and try to take inspiration

·        

• because "if he competes again in the World championship he could be the one obstacle between me and the Olympics, at least that's what commenters say.... and yet he dances like that?! TSK!"
• Connor, trying to keep his inner thot at bay: "Oh yeah, he definitely dances like that.... ..."

·        

• headraline04/08/2019
• North to the side fanning Connor with her hands "alright, alright, calm down and pick your jaw off the floor, brother"
• Niles, still fuming: "I hate him so much"
• North, off-handedly: "Man, he's got an ass that won't quit!"
• Connor: "RIGHT???"
• Niles: "focus guys, we hate this dude!"
• North: "Why would we hate him? he looks like a barrel of fun!"

·        

• Lisa_Lisa04/08/2019
• Poor misunderstood Niles

• Eventually there’s a big honking multi-category competition or whatever, and North and Connor are competing, as well as Jericho performers and a bunch of others, but North and Connor win with this performance , which was clearly inspired a lot by Jericho and Markus’ style, and Markus is very proud of them and he’s the one who starts it when people start clapping along— it’s complete domination and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
• Niles is very proud of his siblings and thought the Jericho performers would be salty, which would have vindicated his whole ‘nemesis thing’, but nope, they’re all happy for them and Markus runs up to Connor like “you’re the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever seen on ice, I could kiss you.”
• And in a spur of adrenaline Connor goes, “Well, then do it.”
• That’s it, that’s basically how they confess, mid-fucking-competition and very publicly.
• Amanda disapproves a lot, because she’s a stuck up, homophobic bitch. Which Niles finds out.
• She originally wanted Markus for her team, she wanted to be the one to take Markus to the Olympics and because at the time she was the best of the best Lucy suggested to Markus that he could try and train under her, but Amanda was against anything and everything that made Markus happy and passionate about ice, she wanted him as a little perfect technique drone to score perfect technical 10s and nothing else, so he noped the fuck out and went to the Olympics with Lucy as his trainer.
• After bowing out of the Olympics, he switched to Chloe and Jericho basically came to life.
• And all of that is the reason for the bad blood between Amanda and Lucy.
• Finding out all of that, Niles is horrified and feels a burning need to separate himself from Amanda –but he can’t until this competition is over, not without forfeiting it, and even after it there will be a huge controversy about switching trainers so close to the World Championship.
• Still, Niles now understand where Markus is coming from.
• Then the moment comes for Niles and Markus to compete against each other, and Niles does practically a perfect choreography, with just that little bit of flair that he was missing, to something like “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica. It’s a perfect, nearly unbeatable score, but Niles still holds his breath.
• In the past few weeks, Markus and Connor had been getting closer already, and Connor had eventually seen Markus without a shirt, in changing rooms or some shit like that.
• Markus has a visible scar from the accident that he always tries to cover up
• and at some point he and Connor were making conversation

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• headraline04/08/2019
• and Connor went: "can I give you some advice?"
• "Don't try to hide your scars. They're not something you should be ashamed of. Ice skating is incredibly difficult and taxing, and it takes an incommensurable amount of strength and talent to do that when one has withstood all that you have. You should show that off."

• Which is why Markus’ performance for this particular competition is with a see-through outfit.

• His performance is not 100% perfect because past injuries, chronic pain etc, but he is still a fucking monster, doing something like this and scandalizing the ring, but this time even Niles claps for him

• In the end, Markus performance is the talk of the competition, but it doesn’t win –Niles has him beat by a very small margin.

• Even though he finally got his victory over Markus, which incidentally qualifies him for the World Championship, Niles finds himself not being that happy about it, not as happy as he is to have finally found some actual friends and gotten closer to his sibling, which he was getting estranged from because of Amanda’s teaching.

• After the competition, he quits her team in a rather spectacular fashion, and when she asks him something like “what have you got to say for yourself” Niles says something along the lines of “well, I had always wanted to try this” and he skates across the rink to the other side doing Markus’ fucking signature move that nobody else had ever been able to replicate

• When they hear it, North and Connor are super proud of Niles and when Markus comes over to pick Connor up for their first ‘proper’ date he is also rather proud, and reveals that he had been teaching the move to Niles in secret just so he could be That Bitch and quit in the most spectacular, dramatic way possible.

• Niles will now qualify for the Olympics with Lucy as his trainer, just like Connor and North.

• The story ends with all of them a few weeks later, taking a day out to a public ice rink and wowing people with their skills –along Leo who brought snacks for his brother who would forget to eat while on ice unless reminded, and the Anderson Parents. Hank’s wife is lovely and a bit of a legend, Markus is absolutely star struck and fanboys all over the place, so much so that Hank’s threats of “treat my son right or else” do not fully register until Niles points out “seriously though, be good to Connor or there’ll be a conga line of people ready to feed you your own stupid skates”

• At which point Leo adorably supplies “well, if we’re doing shovel talks then Connor better be good to Markus too. I’m 5’10’’ and I’m not fit like you guys, but I’ll still fight you if you hurt my bro

• It’s not believable at all, but the sentiment is appreciated.

• Niles watches Markus skate hand in hand, and for a moment he looks over his shoulder, wondering when had ice skating become such a huge pressure on him that he now visibly feels the absence of it –he actually gets paranoid for a second, as if Amanda could come out of nowhere and reprimand him for not taking things seriously enough, but Connor &Markus come back up to him and, having been in Niles’ shoes before, Markus smiles at him.

• “Hey. It’s over now. You’re okay. Let go.”

• “It can’t possibly be that easy…”

• Markus nods slightly. “Most of the times it’s not simple, not at all… but when it’s about things you’re really passionate about… it actually is that easy. Your heart knows what you want. And if you really reach for it, if you have the drive, and the right people around you to support you… it’s as easy as you make it for yourself.”

• He holds out a hand to Niles, and Niles takes it so they can all go skating together.

• Closing scene is Niles being surrounded by little kids impressed with how good he is and teaching them moves that would get the kicked out of the Olympics, but he doesn’t give a shit because this is fun and for the first time in a long while, he’s well and truly loving what he does.

• He had been pissed at first, when some dude coming back from an injury and way too old to be competing was plopped into his and his siblings’ lives, but now, he could not possibly be more grateful for it.

• Rather than a happy ending, it feels like a happy new beginning, for all of them.