For the next several weeks Dark and Anti repeated the same routine of waking up at four thirty in the morning, grabbing their gear, then heading to Starbucks before going to practice.

Schenk taught them a new duet routine that always drained them by the end of the day, making them dread the next day they had to come back.

Until the day for them to fly to Finland for the competition came.

"You sure you packed everything? We're gonna be gone for awhile." Dark reminded Anti as he double checked what he had in his black suitcase.

"Yes mom." Anti teased with an exaggerated eye roll.

"I think you mean yes daddy." Dark countered slyly with a seductive wink and cheesy smirk.

Dark laughed as Anti's face flushed a deep shade of red in embarrassment while he quietly grabbed his suitcase and put it in the trunk of the cab they had hailed to take them to the airport.

It was four in the afternoon since both of hem refused to have to wake up early again, giving them about an hour to reach the airport and meet their coach their before boarding the plane.

Dark was dressed in his usual black suit with his black business shoes and vibrant red tie, his black hair slightly mussed up with bags under his dark chocolate brown eyes from lack of sleep.

Anti chose comfort over looking professional by wearing a black t-shirt, black tennis shoes, and black skinny jeans, his dark green hair sticking up wildly in various places despite Dark's best efforts to tame it.

"Ready?" Dark grunted as he lifted his suitcase into the back of the taxi, glancing back at their hotel one last time.

Anti nodded, allowing Dark to open the back door for him and let him I before climbing in next to him, holding Anti's hand in his as they watched the hotel become a small black dot in the distance.

"Hurry up Dark!" Anti hissed as they arrived at the airport with only ten minutes to spare, scanning the crowd gathered outside for Schenk.

Dark made a low growl of annoyance under his breath as he grabbed both of their suitcases and duffels full of their skating equipment before darting off towards the entrance.

Schenk was already there waiting for them with his arms folded across his chest and a glare of disapproval on his face.

"Don't." Dark warned as Schenk opened his mouth to lecture them.

Schenk promptly closed his mouth, still glaring at Dark as the trio jogged to their flight, barely reaching it on time.

Anti happily took a window seat towards the middle of the plane, Dark sitting next to him while Schenk sat behind them.

The flight took a little less than two hours, giving Dark and Anti a little time to take a nap before they had to get off at Helenski, the capital of Finland.

"Welcome back." Dark muttered under his breath as him and Anti walked off of the plane to grab their luggage with Schenk trailing behind them.

"It'll be okay, especially since I have you to keep me sane." Anti squeezed Dark's hand reassuringly.

"What sounds good for dinner?" Dark asked to change the subject.

"We have to go to our hotel first." Anti reminded him with a snicker

"Sleep is for the weak, we don't need it." Dark chuckled in reply before hailing a cab to take them to a car rental place since Anti's black bug was back in Germany.

Dark picked out a large black van that looked like a creepy child-stealing car.

"It's so that no one steals our car." Dark explained defensively as Anti eyed the car warily before reluctantly climbing into the passenger seat and dumping his stuff in the back with Dark's.

The hotel that all competitors were required to stay at was called Hotel Kamp, the building one of the largest hotels Dark and Anti have ever been to.

Their room, room one hundred and seven, was spacious with a black carpeted floor, flat screen tv on the mahogany wall in front of the queen sized bed, bathroom that included a hot tub bath with a tv over it, walk in closet, kitchenette, coffee machine, and a few pieces of chocolate on their pillow.

Dark snatched them from Anti before he could eat them as he stored his luggage on his side of the bed.

"Dark-"

"You need to eat dinner first." Dark cut in before Anti could whine in protest.

Once they were settled in, Anti chose a bar style restaurant to go to since he wanted something simple.

"This should be fun." Dark mused as they stopped short of the door, peering through the window.

They could spy Mark, Jack, and the rest of their friends inside.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" Dark asked Anti.

Anti stubbornly shook his head no before bravely storming forward, creating an angry facade so he could try and not get too attached to them.

That was when he ran into Jack's back.

"Watch it!" Anti snapped angrily, glaring at Jack as Signe helped him stand back up.

"You ran into him first!" Signe argued, glaring back at him with barely concealed fury blazing in her eyes.

"Is there a problem?" Dark asked calmly as he stepped in between Anti and Signe.

"This son of a bitch shoved me!" Anti pointed at Jack accusingly.

"I-I didn't!" Jack stuttered, unsure of what to do.

"Don't lie!" Dark snapped.

Anti could see the hurt in his eyes for shouting at his hero before quickly masking his true emotions with anger.

"Back off!" Mark warned Dark as he strode up to them, Felix, Amy, Marzia, and the three coaches standing defensively behind him.

Without warning, Dark swung a fist towards Mark, hitting him square in the cheek. Mark stumbled back in surprise, but didn't fall as he spat out a thin line of blood.

Amy launched herself at Dark before Smith intervened by holding her back as they walked back to their seat.

Only no one noticed Jack run back and punch Anti in the stomach.

That made Dark and Anti get genuinely furious.

Anti wheezed in pain as Dark retaliated, delivering an upper cut to Jack's jaw that made stars appear in his vision as an all out brawl erupted around him.

It didn't last long since the group was kicked out of the building, Dark and Anti remaining since they secretly paid the manager off. Anti and Dark smirked smugly and waved as the door closed in the group's faces before turning away, their angry facades instantly crumbling.

"Not out best first impressions towards new people." Dark joked to lighten the mood.

"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought." Anti sighed in exasperation, ignoring Dark's comment as he rubbed his face with his hands.

"C'mon, lets just eat and worry about them later." Dark soothed Anti as he guided him to a secluded booth in the back of the restaurant.

"Can I kill myself instead?" Anti whispered to himself as they sat down.

"Anti?" Dark's eyes grew wide in surprise, as sadness, concern, and fear lit up in his dark eyes.

"I wanted to move past killing people. I don't want more reminders of how terrible of a person I am." Anti admitted as he instinctively covered his arms that were covered in hundreds of faint red scars.

Before Dark could reply, a waiter came up to ten for their orders, quickly jotting them down without a word before disappearing.

Dark and Anti sat in tense silence as they waited for their food, neither of them sure what to say to the other until their food arrived.

"Can we go back to the hotel?" Anti asked.

"Sure." Dark nodded, leaving a handful of cash to pay for their food before scooping up their orders and walking out to the car.

"Hey Dark?" Anti spoke softly once they got inside the car.

"Yeah?" Dark prompted, turning to look at Dark.

Anti pulled Dark closer to him and pressed his lips against Dark's, running one hand through Dark's hair while the other roamed around Dark's toned body.

Dark moaned softly in delight, closing his eyes in content.

"Thanks for always being with me." Anti whispered once he broke off the kiss.

"If it means more moments like this, then it will be worth it." Dark joked, lingering in Anti's arms before reluctantly pulling back so he could drive back to the hotel.

They ate in the car so that once they arrived at their room, they kicked their shoes off and collapsed into bed before pulling the covers over them.

You can imagine what that means 😉