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When Connor was invited to the New Jericho ice skating event, he didn’t know what to say. At first, he’d believed the invitation had been sent to the wrong person.
“Pretty sure it’s for you. Got your name on it and everything.” Hank disagreed.
“No, they wouldn’t invite me. This is for the ‘friends of New Jericho’. I… haven’t been much help to Jericho in the past.”
“Yeah, and then you fuckin’ deviated and freed hundreds of those androids at the Cyberlife tower.”
“But… I haven’t helped out much after the Revolution.”
“Aren’t they your friends?”
“Uh… yeah…”
“Then it’s for you.”
Connor turned the invitation card over. “It says I can bring someone with me.”
Hank stared at him, disgruntled expression betraying his thoughts.
“If you think you’re gonna see me skating on ice…”
“You could just come as company? Moral support? You don’t have to skate.”
“m’ sure they don’t want a grumpy old human coming.”
“No, I’ve told them about you. I’m sure it’s fine.”
Hank ended up coming along with him but brought Sumo, so he’d have the solid excuse of not joining in with the ice skating. Sumo proved to be a hit amongst the New Jericho androids.
Connor, meanwhile, pulled on his skates and stood at the entrance to the hired ice rink.
“Connor! Over here!” North waved to him from the middle of the ice.
He hesitated, putting one foot onto the ice. It slipped beneath him, and he held his arms out to both sides to steady himself. He brought his over foot onto the ice and skidded again, thirium pump beating hard in his chest.
A moment later he heard the scratch of skates on ice as someone came over to him. He looked up and saw Markus holding out his hand to him.
“Need a hand, Connor?”
“I believe I don’t know how to ice skate.” He replied, taking Markus’ hand but not moving. “I thought it would be simple.”
“It is.” Markus assured him. “You just have to get to grips with the basics. I’ll teach you.”
“Oh, no, no, I’ll hold you up. I can download some instructions on how to skate—”
“No, I’d rather you experienced it like we did. It’s fun, I promise.”
Connor looked into Markus’ warm eyes and smiled, eventually conceding.
“Okay. But if I fall on my ass…”
Markus gasped dramatically. “Connor, what has the Lieutenant been teaching you?”
“Expletives.” Connor chuckled, attempted to skate forwards to get closer to Markus, and like he warned, fell on his ass.
Immediately the other android knelt down to help him up as he nursed his injured backside.
“Be careful, Connor. Here, let me guide you around the rink…”
So, Connor let him, holding onto his hand and onto the edge of the barrier with the other, slowly being guided through the steps of skating. At first his feet skidded on the ice, legs bowing inwards and outwards as he became acquainted with the slippery surface. But soon he became surer of himself, staring down at Markus’ legs and watching the way they moved. Lean muscles pushing him forwards, back and forth, graceful and floating over the ice.
Staring too long, he fell forwards again, but was quickly caught by strong arms.
“Make sure you watch where you’re going, Connor.”
He flushed a bright blue and nodded, hoping Hank couldn’t see him right now. He’d never hear the end of it.
Because learning with Markus was useful, except for the distraction of his overwhelming crush on the man. Ever since that fateful night on the ship where he’d helped him deviate, and then in the church where Markus had placed his hand behind him and stepped in close, telling him to be safe…
He was gone. But, troubled with surfacing into the world of emotions and being alive, he’d not known how to act on these feelings. Maybe that was why he hadn’t visited too often, scared of what he felt. And besides, he reminded himself: the deviant leader, possibly liking back the ex-deviant hunter?
He scoffed.
“You were doing so well. Is something the matter?”
“No, I… was just distracted momentarily. Please, let’s continue.”
He put on an extra effort to focus on learning to skate, and it wasn’t long before he was moving much more confidently on the ice, no longer having to grip the barrier beside the rink to stop him from falling. Slowly they skated back towards the middle of the rink together to join their friends.
“Well done, Connor. I think you’re the fastest of us all to learn.”
“I’m sure you did better.”
“Not by far. You’re a natural.”
“No, you are.”
“No, you.”
“Just kiss already!” North interrupted, startling them both. “What?”
Connor laughed awkwardly and stepped away from Markus, twirling a short circle on the ice. “North, I’m—”
“Yes, North, we were just… skating. Why, why would we…”
“Right. Just skating. Well, Connor, could you come and skate with me for a moment?”
Connor nodded wordlessly and followed after her.
North brought him to a stop on the far side of the rink, folding her arms.
“So, I might have been too abrupt. But I mean what I said. We all know you’re pining for each other.”
Connor laughed.
She frowned. “Connor, if you’re going to treat it as a joke… Markus deserves to be treated right.”
“Oh, no, I’m not laughing at that… it’s the idea. North, why would we be pining for each other? Plural? Markus doesn’t like me like that.”
She stared at him. “Shit, you’re both as bad as each other. North, oh, Connor would never feel that way for me, now I need to go and do leader-y things—”
“Why are you doing that with your voice?”
“I’m being Markus.”
“If you want to imitate Markus, just say it like this.” He perfectly replicated Markus’ voice for the last few words.
“What the fuck, Connor.”
“…I’m starting to think that might just be a me feature.”
“You think? Don’t do that again. And certainly don’t do that with Markus.”
“Right. Sorry.”
“Just… be yourself. Go skate together again, start a conversation, break the ice.”
“Okay.”
He nodded awkwardly, skating back away to come back to the group.
“Connor.” Josh welcome him back. “Me and Simon were going to go and get snacks. I’m sure you and Markus will be okay alone, right?”
“R-right.”
“Of course, Josh. Why are you winking?” Markus laughed.
Josh choked, dragging Simon away from them and muttering under his breath.
“Everyone seems very strange today.” Connor commented, before holding out his hand. “Care to skate?”
“Of course.” Markus took his hand.
They took of across the ice, starting off slowly, unfamiliar with skating techniques but soon picking up the speed, twirling shapes around on the surface with graceful ease. People parted before them on the ice as they broke apart, moves synchronised. But soon the tempo changed: Markus moved on his own, staring at Connor as he leapt into the air, span around, and landed again.
He raised his brows, taking the challenge. Perhaps this might impress him, although he would have to try hard to beat the android leader in fluid movement. He tried nonetheless, briefly mapping out preconstructions of different moves, dismissing each as not quite good enough, until he finally found one. Something red flashed in his vision as he selected this move set, but he blinked it away.
Instead, he started with a flourish of his arms, then leapt high, high into the air, cartwheeling mid-jump, legs poised out, one foot sharply back down to land on the ground—
And cut through the ice in one motion. Blade of the skate stuck in, he kicked backwards and fell on his face.
“Connor!”
He groaned, bracing his hands against the ice and feeling the cold sting of thirium trickling down his face.
“I’m okay. I’m…”
“You’re bleeding.” Markus was kneeling beside him, turning him onto his side and cradling his face in his hands. “I think you landed on your nose…”
“Not the face… I believe I’ve been stupid, Markus.”
“No one would have known that the blades would be fast and sharp enough to cut the ice—”
“No, I knew that. I believe I ignored the warning from my preconstruction.”
“Connor, why would you do that? You could’ve—you are hurt!”
“I think I was trying to impress you.” A blush on his cheeks matched the trail of blue blood down his face. “But there was no use.”
“Well, before you fell… I thought it was very impressive.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Oh. Well—”
“Connor, Jesus fucking shitting Christ—the hell did you think you were doing?”
“Lieutenant Anderson.”
“Oh, hi, Markus. And please, call me Hank.”
“Hank, I can explain…”
“You’re bleeding. Take you out ice skating of all places, and you’re bleedin’. Do you need the android first aid kit?”
“You have that?”
“It’s in the trunk of my car.”
“Oh…”
“That would be great, thank you Lieu—Hank.” Markus answered for him.
Hank grunted, walking back off to the car, grumbling all the while.
“Sorry about him. He worries.”
“I understand his concern. Why did you think impressing me was worth putting your health at risk?”
“I…” he looked down, suddenly very interested on the crack in the ice. “I thought you might notice me, then.”
“Notice you? I can see you right now, Connor.”
“No. Not like that. Notice me… uh, romantically.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, and I know it’s stupid, because why would you—”
“I already do.”
“What?”
“Notice you romantically, Connor, as you put it. I… well, I find it better not to always express my feelings in words…”
Markus held out his hand in offering, skin peeling away, white chassis glinting.
Connor nodded, accepted his offer, brushing his hand against his. He immediately felt the warmth, an overwhelming affection, he flashed back to the night in the church but from another perspective, looking into his own eyes and feeling awe and determination—flashing forwards into the success of the Revolution, seeing himself leading the androids, hundreds of them freed, and the feelings getting stronger.
Immediately, he tried to reciprocate, send back his own memories and feelings, the complete and utter desire to be around Markus more, to have that sort of closeness he’d never experienced with the one he loved.
Their hands fell away, connection fading, instead culminating in their embrace as they pulled close together, lips meeting in the middle.
This kiss was short-lived when Markus spluttered thirium out of his mouth.
“I forgot that you were bleeding…”
Connor chuckled, resting his forehead against the other’s. “I’m sorry. I forgot too.”
Someone stepped up behind them and they jumped apart, seeing that it was North, bringing Hank’s first aid kit to them.
“Your friend said he couldn’t come on the ice without skates again. I think he really mean that you two should get a room.” She laughed, placing the kit beside them. “Anyway, good job on talking things through… although you did take my suggestion to ‘break the ice’ a little too literally, Connor.”
Connor rolled his eyes, reaching across for the first aid kit. “I’d be mad at her, but she pushed me to talk to you.”
“I guess we owe her one, then.” Markus replied, taking the kit off him, pulling out a wad of tissues and pressing them beneath his nose, dabbing the blood away. “So, along those lines… you could say today, that you fell for me?”
Connor groaned. “Please, I get enough dad jokes from Hank as it is.”
“Good, I’ll get along with my boyfriend’s father, then.” Markus then stopped, eyes widening as he realised what he’d said. “Uh, I mean, not to take things too quickly, I’m getting ahead of myself…”
“I’d like to be your boyfriend too.” He smiled.
“Good. Then I need to think of more dad jokes…”