Hetalia is owned by Hidekaz Himaruya, this fanfiction is owned by me.

Almost done, Antonio thought, as he prepared to take off. He held his breath as he vaulted himself into the air, spinning gracefully before he landed back on the ice. He made his way to the centre of the rink and finished his routine with a flamboyant pose, arms in the air, as though he were expecting applause from the empty stands.

"Perfect!" he said aloud, after a few seconds of silence. He'd actually managed to perform his entire routine without any mistakes! Now maybe, just maybe, he'd stand a chance in the contest he was preparing for. Antonio was no novice when it came to figure skating, but it just so happened that Arthur, the best skater for miles around was entering the contest as well, and everyone knew how amazing he was. Well, except Antonio. He knew who Arthur was, but he'd never actually seen him perform...But still, if all the other skaters couldn't stop raving about him, then he must be something really special. So Antonio couldn't afford to slip up, not even once, or he could kiss winning the contest goodbye.

Satisfied that he'd done enough for today, the lean male wiped his damp brow—In spite of the ice on the ground, he always managed to work up a sweat—and headed for the locker room, skating off of the ice with ease.

Antonio changed in a hurry and went to walk out of the sports centre...but a lone figure on the ice caught his attention, and left him frozen on the spot, as he was unable to tear his eyes away from the glorious sight before him.

The lone figure in question was a short blonde man, gliding effortlessly around the rink. The routine he was performing was obviously rather complicated, with several jumps, rapid spins, and long spirals, but with his deft, skilful movements, the man made it look no more difficult than breathing. His every movement was so graceful and fluid, so impossibly perfect. It was as if he were the spirit of the ice.

"So that's how good Arthur is," Antonio mused, both enraptured and intimidated by what he was watching.

But the display of absolute perfection was ruined a split second later, when Arthur went in for another jump and fell flat on his face.

Antonio hurried to get his skates back on, and he flew from his spot out on to the ice, asking, "Are you ok?" as he reached Arthur.

Arthur quickly got up and brushed himself off. "I'm fine. That fall was nothing," he spat.

"Didn't look like nothing," Antonio responded, a touch of concern in his voice.

The blonde realised that this man must have been watching him the entire time he was skating. "Are you just here to gawp at me? Or are you here to practice for the figure skating contest?" he enquired suspiciously.

"I was just leaving," Antonio babbled nervously. "But then I saw you saw you skating, and you just looked so beautiful, that I couldn't help but watch. That is, until you had that nasty-looking fall, and I just wanted to check that you weren't hurt!"

Arthur gave him a wintry smile. "So you're not competing?"

"No, I am," Antonio parried, shifting about uncomfortably in his skates.

The other male simply snorted as he stared Antonio down, like a lion observing a baby gazelle. "Then why did you try to help me? Any skater with half a brain would've revelled in seeing I, the great Arthur Kirkland fall like that!" he remarked sarcastically.

"Well, pardon me for wanting to make sure that the great Arthur Kirkland wasn't seriously injured," Antonio responded. "Even if we are going up against each other, I see no reason why I should just have left you when I thought you needed help."

Arthur glided gracefully forward, and placed a cold hand on Antonio's forehead. "You're sweet. Perhaps a little too sweet," he said dryly. "I look forward to competing against you."

"Same to you," Antonio responded casually.

With that, Arthur pecked him quickly on the lips. "Good luck," he spat, turning away and getting off of the ice...

Well, this plotbunny came to me last night, and I really liked it, so I wrote it. I know some of you want more SpUK family fics, so I'll try and get those out soon, but for now, hope y'all enjoyed this! Bye!

Kitty x