It all started small, harmless. Skittles and M&M's mixed together in a bowl for unknowing skaters to wonder what was in the sweets bowl. Caramel onions passed as caramel apples for unsuspecting victims. Toothpaste oreos that everyone spit out and gagged over. Nothing ever serious, but enough to keep everyone in their toes at all times.

It was widely known, if you had a diet soda, it would blow up in mere seconds of opening it. Mentos were always tied into the cap and would fall in once opened. More than once, their locker room was covered in the sticky substance.

Of all the skaters, everyone knew Phichit and JJ were the pranksters. It had been this way for a year now, gradually getting worse. Nothing and no one was safe, even at the banquet.

"This time you went too far!" Phichit screamed.

"Oh, I went too far? What about you? You think what you did at Skate Canada wasn't going too far?" JJ yelled back.

Phichit had to rise to his toes to get close to JJ's height, even as JJ bent over a bit, their noses almost touching.

"Not as bad as what you did at Rostelecom!" Phichit screamed, his voice only getting louder.

"You slandered me on Twitter!" JJ's voice boomed out all around them.

"You deserved it!" Phichit squealed out.

"I was paying you back!"

"You started it!"

"No, you started it!"

All the skaters were standing around, watching as the two men continued their argument. Maybe someone should go in and stop them, but no one was stepping forward to volunteer. Quietly sipping their champagne, they all stood with wide eyes, watching the spectacle before them.

"Shouldn't someone go and break them up?" Otabek asked.

"No way! Let them fight it out!" Yuri said, more excited than he should be over this.

"We really should stop them before-"

!

It rang through the banquet hall. Everyone gasped as they looked over at the two. Phichit's chest was heaving as he glared at JJ. A red hand-print blooming on JJ's face as his head turned to the side.

"You slapped me!" JJ screamed.

"Damn right I did!" Phichit growled out.

"JJ, baby, you really shouldn't pick on the other guys so much," Isabella said, running a perfectly manicured nail down his jaw line.

"Oh, but baby, it is all fun and games!" JJ laughed.

"You mean having your face streaked with self tanner is fun?" Isabella asked. "How can we take a decent selfie like this?"

"I told you, I'll cover it up," JJ said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. Isabella always smelled so soft, even if her eyes were cutting right through him.

"I think you and that hamster boy have taken this far enough," Isabella said, stepping back and crossing her arms.

"It is all harmless fun," JJ said, laughing. He knew Phichit was going to enjoy his morning shower.

It had not been easy, but he had to grease a maid's hand at the hotel. She had allowed him three minutes in Phichit's room. JJ knew he had to be quick; any moment he could be back, and JJ would be busted and a maid out of her job. Squeezing the shampoo bottle, he let it all glop down the drain then slowly poured in the hair bleach.

"This will teach him to put self tanner in my lotion," JJ whispered to himself as he looked in the mirror, his face smeared in different hues of tan. Thank goodness Isabella was able to book him an emergency appointment with the spray tanner.

He had a photoshoot before the start of the Skate Canada, and he could not go with his skin all multitone colored.

Rostelecom was a completely different story. Phichit was able to fix his hair as was JJ's skin before it had gotten out to the press. Celestino had cornered JJ the minute he stepped out the airport.

"Jean Jacques," Celestino said, "I know this is all fun and games with you and Phichit, but it needs to stop."

"I don't know what you are talking about," JJ said, holding his hands up, putting his most innocent face on- if he could hang a halo from his head, he would.

"You know damn well what I am talking about," Celestino said. "I need Phichit's head in the competition and not on the lookout for your next prank!"

"Then maybe you need to keep an eye out on your own skater," JJ said, pushing past Celestino.

Just because Phichit looked like the type who was everyone's best friend, the blame always fell on him. It didn't matter that he showed pictures on his Instagram where Phichit had mailed him a box of hamsters' dirty cage droppings. Or when Phichit had announced on Twitter to Yuri's Angels that Yuri was at a coffee shop on a date with JJ- when it was really just JJ there. The swarm of young girls, thick around him, begging to see Yuri and demanding to know why he would cheat on Isabella.

Yeah, Phichit was messing with the wrong guy.

It was right before the short program and JJ had drawn to skate first in his group. Phichit was last and still in his warm up clothes, soon getting to read to change. He only had a moment to do this. Sneaking into the locker room, he had the perfect duplicate of Phichit's jacket- remade.

Snickering as he left out the locker room, he heard his name called and headed out to the ice.

He was on cloud nine. He was getting his pay back for all the crap Phichit had put him through lately. Landing all his quads, he stood in his final pose, the biggest grin he could muster on his face. It was perfect. Flashing his 'JJ' fingers, he gave his 'style' and skated off the ice.

At the kiss and cry, he was not paying attention to his score, more so Phichit coming out with his training jacket on over his costume. It was hard not to laugh as he sat there, getting a new personal best in his scores.

"Wow, son! Whatever you are doing, keep it up!" his father said, patting his shoulder.

"Oh, I plan too."

He was on pin and needles waiting for Phichit to skate. Even with Isabella next to him, her hand on his arm, he was focused on the sidelines- ignoring the other skaters.

It was finally Phichit's turn to skate. JJ was not worried over his score. He was already eighteen points from the second place person, no way anyone was going to catch him.

As Phichit stepped onto the ice, the entire arena went dead silent.

There stood Phichit in his short program costume. All glam and sparkles. He could not have looked more perfect if he had tried.

Though the back of his jacket had 'King JJ' with a crown on it.

Phichit had no idea what was going on, and as the music started, he set off into his routine. People were calling out to him, distracting him. He fumbled his first quad, but the rest of his program was pure brilliance.

Isabella turned to JJ, slapping his arm. "How dare you!"

"What?" JJ asked, acting as if he was clueless that Phichit's costume had been changed out.

"You know, it is one thing to prank each other, but this has gone on too long!" Crossing her arms, she sat there, glaring at him.

"Fine, fine… we will stop," JJ said, sulking in his seat, watching as Phichit finished up and headed to the kiss and cry. It was then that Celestino pulled his jacket off, looked over in JJ's direction and ripped the jacket down the seam.

He could even see the fury in Phichit's eyes as he sat there.

Ok, maybe they had gone too far.

Social media had been a buzz ever since that free skate. Even now as they were in the banquet. Phichit wearing JJ's crown on his costume had sent everyone in a mad dash. Memes and posts were all over.

Pictures of Isabella with her arms crossed scolding JJ, Celestino ripping the jacket and Phichit glaring.

It had become a full blown war.

Celestino had a stern talk with Mr. Leroy, and Mr. Leroy had chewed JJ out- thoroughly.

JJ was going to call it quits. He really was.

Till he got to the Grand Prix finals and saw a new picture floating around on social media.

Phichit had his arm around Isabella, kissing her cheek.

"How dare you slap me!" JJ said, reaching his hand back, ready to deck Phichit in his face. A hand over his and JJ turned to see Isabella standing there, looking very unhappy.

"You two boys!" she growled between her teeth, taking both of them by the ear and dragging them out of the banquet.

It hurt! Isabella knew exactly where to hold and how to use JJ's height to his disadvantage. He was not sure how she was able to keep a hold of Phichit, but they were out in the lobby when she let go.

They both stood there, rubbing their ears, stunned.

"I am sick of this!" she said. "Yes, I took a picture with Phichit, JJ. Why? To show we are all friends here!"

"But baby-"

"No! You will listen! Both of you!"

Phichit stood up taller as did JJ. He felt worse than when his mother yelled at him.

"This is ending tonight! At first it might have been fun, but it's getting out of hand! You two will turn to each other, apologize, hug and call it over!" she demanded.

"What?" they both asked.

Isabella crossed her arms and tapped her foot, waiting for them to do as she said.

JJ turned to Phichit but didn't look at him; he couldn't. "Sorry," he whispered.

"Me too," Phichit whispered back.

Isabella cleared her throat, waiting.

With a heavy sigh, JJ pulled Phichit to him and hugged him. A flash of cameras all around them went off. Here he was, hugging Phichit of all people as the paparazzi got them.

Jumping back, they stared at each other and Isabella. JJ saw the smile grace her face as she started laughing.

"Now, those are headlines I can deal with!" she said, wrapping an arm around each boy and ushering them back into the banquet hall.