Sean stroked Mark's arm as the sun brightened up their room. He had slept for some of the night, but he had too much going on in his head. He didn't know what to expect and that made his night restless. Mark's hand suddenly began stroking his bare stomach, asking him in a deep sleepy voice. "Did you sleep at all?" Sean smirked, not entirely lying when he answered over his shoulder. "Yes. How did you sleep?" Mark snuggled his body closer, his toes tracing Sean's foot lovingly. Sean giggled, jerking in his arms at how it tickled. Mark tightened his arms around him, purring against his neck playfully. "I always sleep better with you in my arms." Sean rolled his eyes with blushing cheeks. Mark added to his embarrassment by chuckling against his shoulder between kisses. "You wore me out... and I'm sure... that everyone on this floor heard you last night." Sean buried his face in his pillow, muffling out. "Don't remind me..." Mark kissed a trail along his spine, whispering to him sweetly. "I hope you have the energy to do your routines after all that."

Sean lifted his head from his pillow, giving Mark a long passionate kiss. That's when a knock came at the door. Mark stiffened, glancing at the door before sliding from the bed. Grabbing his robe, he slipped it on, announcing loudly. "Just a minute." Sean covered himself with the comforter, watching anxiously as Mark opened the door. In the doorway, two uniformed security officers lifted their badges. Sean's heart sank to the floor. One of the uniformed guards, started in by telling Mark seriously. "Good morning, Sir. Sorry to disturb you, but we're looking for Mark Fischbach?" Mark leaned on the door, asking coolly. "What's this about?" The second security man put away his badge, calmly replying. "We're here in regard of the ISU to get a full statement on an incident that occurred with another skater. Charges were pressed against Mr. Fischbach and the ISU wants him brought in to settle this matter." Sean wrapped himself in the blanket, moving closer to ask them hopefully. "Can't this matter wait until after the finals?"

The first security guard shook his head, nicely informing him. "I'm afraid it cannot. Matters of safety are taken very seriously by the ISU, the sooner this happens the better. This is all to prevent anyone else from getting hurt. I hope you understand." Mark nodded, glancing down at his robe as he said nervously. "I understand... Can I dress first?" The men nodded, glancing around at the people peeking out of their rooms to see what was going on. Mark closed the door and Sean mumbled out grimly. "Mark... I can't skate without you there..." Cupping his cheek, Mark kissed his forehead, telling him confidently. "Yes, you can. You're gonna be fine." Sean touched his hand, reluctantly letting him go to dress. Once he was finished, Sean moved in to hug him. Mark wrapped his arms around him, telling him confidently. "Don't worry about me. I'll be good. I'll see you when this is over and we'll celebrate." Sean let him go, walking him to the door. The security guards rose off the walls by the door, gesturing him out.

Mark stepped out and one of the guards moved in to cuff Mark's hands behind his back. Sean grabbed the doorframe tightly, stating out to Mark. "I love you." Mark smiled at him, replying lovingly. "Love you too. Stay safe." Sean nodded, while Nate moved closer to tell Mark seriously. "I'll keep an eye on him. I promise." Mark nodded, then was escorted down the hallway to the elevator. Sean hated that they were going to parade him out like a criminal for the reporters to see. The second Mark was out of sight, Nate crossed his arms, discreetly telling Sean. "They already took Rasputin away at breakfast to get him checked out. On the plus side... Quintin hasn't shown his face yet." Sean lifted his chin, growling back. "Good. I hope it stays that way. Stacy?" Nate followed Sean inside the room, answering softly. "She went with Rasputin to the hospital. Think of her like... An informant. She's keeping Roslyn updated on where Rasputin is. That way people don't question why he's in two places at once."

Sean slipped into the bathroom to get dressed into his frozen riverdance costume, asking Nate curiously. "And Quintin?" Nate chuckled to himself, answering innocently. "Sleeping like a baby. Roslyn is watching him in their room. When Rasputin comes back, she'll switch with him after the first routine." Sean stepped out of the bathroom, grumbling out. "Fuck... With Stacy gone, I can't apply this shite..." Nate moved closer to take the make-up kit, waving for him to take a seat on the bed. Sean took a seat, his hands shaking. Nate touched his cheek, sweetly informing him. "Don't worry. You got this." Sean turned his eyes to Nate, seriously muttering out. "Doesn't feel like it..." Nate held Sean's face, starting to darken his eyelids as he told him lightly. "You're only saying that because he won't be there to cheer you on... but you're wrong. That boy will cheer for you from space. So, give him a show." Sean huffed, shakily admitting. "Nate, you don't understand... Last time I was at this rink... I fell. What if-?"

Nate cut him off to blurt out with a smirk. "You fall again? Well... If you're afraid of that... maybe you shouldn't go out there." Sean jerked his head back to glare at Nate. Nate gave him a shrug, seriously adding. "I'm serious. If you're too scared. Don't go out there. I mean... you only wasted your time to get here... and to be fair, the rink did jump up to whack you from the air." Sean blinked, trying to suppress a chuckle at the image that gave him. Straightening up though, he firmly told Nate. "I'm not going home! And I'm not scared of the rink. I'm scared of a fall that leads to the hospital." Nate flashed him a bigger smile, teasing him playfully. "Sean, I've watched you a dozen times over the years. In all those years... I've only ever seen you fall once. You know how to skate. You're good at skating. Don't let this stop you." Sean turned his head to let Nate finish his make-up, softly saying. "I'm also worried what Quintin had planned for today. We never did find out if he had set up a sabotage."

Nate finished putting on the gold glitter along his darkened eyeshadow, calmly saying. "True. But as long as we watch out for each other, we should be fine." Finishing up, they headed out to the rink to warm-up. Nate immediately slid onto the ice, adjusting his black bandana over his forehead. Sean hesitated, unable to step on the ice. He was light-headed from reliving the fall over and over. Gripping the wall in a death grip, he tried to take deep breaths. Nate crossed the ice to slide back up to him. Sean shook his head, mumbling out in a low trembling voice. "Nate... I can't..." Sean started to back up, but Nate grabbed his wrist. Sean let Nate slowly pull him through the gate. Wrapping his arms around his shoulders, Nate whispered to him. "Just follow me across the ice. If you think you can. No jumps. This is just warm-up." Nate spun out away from him, taking off around the border of the rink. Sean shook his fear off to follow Nate at a much slower pace.

Sean saw girls cheer for Nate as he passed. Nate waved to them, twirling gracefully on his blades to show off. Sean kept his eyes on Nate. It was calming to see how his open plaid button-up shirt billowed from the wind he was making for himself. Showing off his tight-fitting black tank top and torn up black legging pants. Nate reminded him of a teenage rock star. Sean envied the speed Nate was drifting at and before too long, he picked up his own pace. Nate playfully danced over the ice with such confidence. He made it look so easy. Sean sharply skidded to a halt as he approached the spot where he had fallen. Swallowing, he found himself only able to stare at the ice. He was frozen solid. At least, until the stadium burst into cheers. Sean started to turn to see what the commotion was, when Rasputin smacked his back in passing, shouting back to him. "Not shaking in your boots are you, Lucky Charms?!" Sean narrowed his eyes on Rasputin, taking off after him as he shouted back. "Oh, shut up! Where's your costume?"

Rasputin spun around to skate backwards, answering bluntly. "Very funny. I could ask you the same thing." Sean rolled his eyes, snapping out. "I'm serious. That costume isn't the half-naked one you had before." Rasputin glanced down at the fancy red and gold Russian uniform that was a mix between something the Czar of Russia might wear and a holy man that was invited to a court festival. Rasputin gestured to the outfit, answering with a smirk. "With Quintin missing... I can wear what I want." Sean smirked, watching him suddenly slow down to skate beside him, where he discreetly told him with a stony faced. "If you get offered any food or drinks... Turn them down." Sean cut Rasputin off, grabbing the wall to just a discreetly ask him with surprise. "What?" Rasputin stepped up closer to him, telling him with an emotionless expression. "Just trust me. They are laced in Ipecac and Ex-Lax." Sean cleared his throat, while Rasputin moved around him, slipping out coolly. "Might want to inform your friend too."

Sean shook his head, muttering under his breath. "That dirty cheating son of a bitch." Nate drifted up to him, asking seriously. "Everything alright?" Sean glanced around to make sure no one was watching or too close to overhear, before informing Nate sourly. "Don't eat or drink anything that someone might offer you. Quintin's fowl play is to get us sick with Ipecac and Ex-Lax." Nate's eyes widened a little as he mumbled out himself. "Well... That is one way to do it. Fuck. I can see the headlines now... Shits themselves on ice." Sean burst out laughing, until he had to lean over the wall to keep himself from falling over. It shouldn't have been as funny as it was, but he was so tense that even a little laugh went a long way. Nate rubbed his back, playfully chuckling out. "You laugh now, but that would have been us trying to scoot across the ice. Still might be... I didn't get coffee this morning. Damn it!" Sean's laughter echoed throughout the rink, until staff came over to ask if he was ok.

Nate nodded to them, uttering out with a straight face. "Of course. Unless he laughs so hard that he pisses himself... but what are the chances of that?" The staff looked to Sean with horrified glances, until Nate waved them away chuckling out. "I'm kidding. Go. He's fine. Jeez, so serious." Sean sat up patting Nate's shoulder. Nate wrapped an arm around his shoulder, taking him back around the rink. Even though Mark wasn't here, he was happy to have Nate here. The warm-up didn't last too much longer, when the announcer asked for everyone except Nate to leave the ice. Since Nate had placed first, he'd be going first in the finals. Then Rasputin would be called out to go second. Leaving Sean in third, which for him was complete torture. He hated going last. It gave him too much time to get into his own head and he hated that. Leaning forward on the bench in the locker room, Sean forced himself to take deep breaths. He could get through this. He had worked hard to get back to this point and Nate was right... he couldn't waste this chance. Twisting his wedding ring around his finger, he closed his eyes and started stretching.

In the holding cell, Mark sat on the metal bench watching the mounted TV over an officer's desk. He didn't understand a word of it, because it was all in Russian, but he wasn't watching it for the commentary. He was watching Sean and Nate laugh on the ice. It made him smile to see Sean starting to relax. He had been worried with how stiff Sean was in the first half of the warm-up. Whatever Nate was doing though, he hoped he'd keep it up. Sean was never good on his own. Leaning against the cold wall, Mark anxiously spun his ring around his finger. He hoped that through their rings, he could send Sean everything he needed to keep himself together. He wanted to be there, but his interrogation wouldn't be able to start until his lawyer from the embassy arrived. For now, all he could do was sit in an empty cell and wait. He could only pray that Sean was ready for today... because Nate's routine was on fire. To Be Continued...