Ora Pattiniamo [C]

Fleck grinned. "You go freshen up. I'm gonna go back and deal with Leo's... Leo-ness."

He stole a last quick kiss. "A whiskey wouldn't go amiss. See you soon."

Fleck pulled back and, before they could get distracted again, he turned tail and made his way back to the rink.

Dick returned down to the rink by the time the third act started. A glass of wine in one hand, and a whiskey in another.

Purposefully, he ignored Giacinto. Fleck had mentioned she gave him a suggestive look on the way up, and he wasn't entirely sure if he could put up with her teasing if she was still in the mood.

Especially because, whatever she was thinking, she was half right.

"Miss much?"

He asked as he settled in his chair and passed Fleck his whiskey.

"Girl fucked up a jump in her act and went down hard," he replied taking the whiskey gratefully.

"Giacinto says she broke her ankle. Poor girl."

He took a sip of whiskey and licked his lips after. "You know you didn't have to buy me the expensive stuff." He cut a look to his boyfriend. Two years in and he was still uncomfortable when Dick bought him expensive stuff. Even expensive alcohol.

He made a waving gesture with his hand.

"I brought you it because we both know that you prefer the taste of that one."

He had the money. As he kept insisting on Fleck, what was the point of having it if he couldn't enjoy it? Part of that enjoyment was buying his boyfriend things nice things - like good alcohol. It wasn't like he showered him with gifts all the time.

Fleck sucked his teeth, and his piercing clattered against the backs of his teeth as he did so.

"But it's twice as expensive as the generic stuff."

He certainly wasn't complaining, though, as the second swig burned down his throat.

Dick hummed. It was twice as expensive.

A young group of skaters came on to the rink. Presumably students here.

"You can buy me a drink later," he said, turning his eyes up to Fleck.

But he certainly wasn't going to say which glass of wine he chose.

Fleck gave a light tut.

Dick always did this. Bought him something, then told him he could get the next one, then brushed him off and ended up getting the next drinks anyway. Every round.


He leaned forward to press a kiss against Dick's temple.

Dick leaned into the little kiss on the forehead and linked arms with his boyfriend, grinning.

The music was considerably more upbeat than the first, a mash-up of popular Italian and English songs and... Korean? It was a strange mix. But it held the audiences attention and the skate group occasionally got the audience clap along - Dick included.

"Maybe we should try skating at some point?" He suggested to Fleck, clapping as the group took a bow.

"It's been years since last time I tried."

"I'll laugh at you if you fall," Fleck informed his boyfriend bluntly.

Fleck himself was pretty good on ice. With his brother teaching him, he had gotten pretty good. Certainly nothing like those down on the ice at the moment, but good enough that non-skater were impressed.

"And never talk to you again if you touch me with your ice hands while we're on the ice." It was freezing in the rinks as it was. He didn't need Dick's icy skin touching his own then.

"And I'll laugh as I drag you down with me."

Last time he checks, he was okay. He certainly couldn't bend his body like that that made him wince.

But last time he tried was when the Thames froze over. It has been some time.

He gave Fleck's bicep a squeeze.

"You didn't mind them the other day," slipped out his mouth before he could stop himself. His cheeks turned hot and he hoped to dear god no one heard.

The comment drew a laugh, but not from Fleck. Giacinto sat next to Trisola - numerous spaces away - laughing lightly.

Fleck himself just raised a brow. 

"The other day I wasn't on ice," he dismissed.

Dick sunk into his seat and took a sip of his wine.

"True."

Dick watched a Chrys came back on the ice, this time by himself for his solo, and stayed wisely quiet. Partly because Leo would get pissy with them. Mostly because he didn't trust his mouth at the moment.

Fleck leaned back comfortably when Chrys reappeared, wearing another tight and glitsy outfit.

This solo act was long and the entire crowd was silent, watching the beautify of it. That was, until-

"Holy shit!" Fleck and Leo exclaimed at the same time. Awe and whispers and cheers bubbled up in the rest of the crowd.

Chrys performed a backflip.

Dick almost spilt his wine as Fleck jerked and the brothers yelled simultaneously. He couldn't even bring himself to care over the close call as he watched, stunned.

"Did he just...?"

It was impressive. Very fucking impressive. Dick formed a whole new respect for Chrys - not that he never had respect for him before.

"He did!" Leo crowed.

"That's our brother!" Fleck beamed with pride.

The rest of the family looked just as prideful as Chrys lapped the rink, basking in the cheers from the audience.

Dick stood with the rest of the crowd as Chrys lapped around the ice, cheering. Nowhere near as loud as Leo and Fleck - but he didn't think that was possible anyway.

The other skaters came back on to the ice to bow. The dark haired one he danced with earlier, Ciro, shot across the ice to hug him and they skittered and spun on the ice. How they both managed not to fall he didn't know.

He nudged Fleck with his elbow.

"So, when you said you were good at skating...?"

On the ice, Chrys and Ciro lapped together, occasionally lifting and spinning each other in an expressive show of their pride for each other's performances.

To anyone not in the know, the show would look like intimate celebration - two lovers celebrating their success together.

Fleck snorted. "Babe, I can't backflip on solid ground. You're not getting me backflipping on ice." That wasn't exactly true. If he set his mind to it, he could backflip on solid ground. But he didn't want to give Dick any hope of seeing it. It wasn't something he did very often. Just a parlour trick he did occasionally to amuse the kids.

"You have me disappointed now," he said, giving one last clap as the skaters filed off the ice.

"Here I was hoping for a nice, strong man that could do a backflip."

He grinned up at him, standing and lacing his fingers with Fleck's.

"You'll just have to settle for me," came the simple answer as he, too, stood, clasping Dick's hand.

One entrance to the rink was located between Trisola and the trio of people that Giacinto had eyed up as they entered, and from that entrance burst a flurry or arms and legs and glittery clothes. Ciro. He'd tripped over the lip between the ice and the floor.

Thankfully, straight into the ginger woman Giacinto had first eyed up. She laughed, muttered something, and leaned down to give the man in her arms a kiss. Then she dropped him on his ass.

Chrys was next off the ice, straight into his wife's arms, far more gracefully than his student. The two shared a long kiss, Then Chrys was pushed towards the family, so they could all congratulate him.

Dick congratulated Fleck with the similar excitement and pride as the rest of the family. Just without the noise level and sibling banter.

"Fleck, long time no see!"

There was a yell of "Okay, bye then," from the curvy member of the group that met Ciro, throwing her hands up in the air. The front of her dress was just as low.

Dick tightened his grip on Fleck's hand as the tall man bent and gave Fleck a hug and a kiss on his cheek in greeting. It seemed friendly enough, but he couldn't help but get a little bit defensive.

He had hit on Fleck. Granted supposedly drunk, but still.

"I like the stubble," he complimented, before turning to Leo and Chai and the rest of Fleck's family, greeting them all warmly and familiarly.

He couldn't help but feel a bit miffed when he was flat out ignored.

"Is he always like that?"

Fleck greeted Ciro just as warmly, kissing Ciro's cheek in return and congratulating him on an incredible performance.

"Only 'cause you can't grow your own," Fleck teased as Ciro bounced off to greet the rest of the family.

Leo greeted Ciro with the same friendly teasing Fleck had. When Chai stepped forwards, she hugged him, the same as her family but the kiss she planted on him was right on his lips. "That was incredible!"

"No," came Fleck's quiet reply as he watched Chai congratulate the skater enthusiastically. "This is a good day. Usually, it's much worse."

Ciro laughed and scratched the back of his head. The warmth was noticeable in his tanned skin.

"Thanks! It isn't too bad considering we had to work it around my routines and Chrys' busy schedule."

He tugged at Chai's hand.

"Come meet my friends! I think you'll like them!"

Dick frowned as Ciro bounced back towards his group of friends. Then his gaze turned towards the man. Something was irritatingly familiar about him at a certain angle.

"I don't think I want to see him on a worse day," he said, airily, looking up at his boyfriend.

Dick thought he himself was someone that couldn't keep still. That man caused the air around him to vibrate.

"Isn't too bad, my ass! You two were fucking amazing."

Chai laced their fingers together when Ciro pulled her towards his friends, muttering about her brother being 'busy.' Chrys worked on shows and trained. He was never truly busy.

"You really don't want to see him on a worse day," Fleck laughed. "It's crazy when he's being particularly airheaded."

"I had to make my way downstairs in three-inch heels so I don't look like an oompa loompa next you all, then you go off before we can even congratulate you?"

She still had to crane her neck still to look at Ciro, and he laughed bashfully, hand in hand still with Chai.

"At least you brought back someone interesting."

Ciro let out another bashful laugh as Nicola gave him a look, waiting to be introduced.

"Guys, this is Chai. Chai this is Nicola, Willow, Mads."

Willow, who'd taken perch using the short woman as a leaning post, leaned down to press her lips to the woman's ear. It was quite a lean. In her own heels, Willow was almost a foot taller than Nicola. "Oompa loompa doompety doo," she sang teasingly.

Two sets of blue eyes ran over the woman before them slowly, appreciatively.

"More interesting than him," Chai said, gesturing to Ciro as she stepped forwards. Not wearing heels herself, Chai stood just a little shorter than Nicola. She leaned forward to press friendly kisses to the woman's cheeks.

Willow swooped in then, pressing her lips to Chai's cheeks in the same friendly greeting. "Most definitely more interesting than our resident idiot." The insult was spoken affectionately, with a teasing smile shot in the skater's direction.