"Best Friends"

Journey

"Are you sure you had enough for breakfast? Do you have your lunch? Do you have your backpack? Is-"

"I'm okay daddy." Sam giggled, interrupting Anti's unnecessary panicking.

"It's her first day of elementary school, not her first day in a different continent." Dark reminded Anti teasingly, kissing his husband on the cheek.

"I know I know, it's just..." Anti trailed off with a sigh.

"Hey, I met you in elementary school, and look where we are now." Dark reminded Anti as he gestured around them, earning a small smile from his lover.

"You think she'll make friends?" Anti asked Dark as he watched Sam go to the kitchen to play with Bud, the puppy happily licking her face.

"I don't think so." Dark admitted, Anti shooting him a surprised look.

"I know so." Dark added confidently.

"C'mon Sam, I don't want ya to be late on your first day of school!" Anti called out to Sam.

Sam ran back into the living room with her small black backpack bouncing against her back, a large smile lighting up her face as her eyes shone with excitement.

"Whee!" Sam cried happily as Dark scooped her up into his arms, her face buried into his chest as he carried her to their car.

"You wanna walk with me and Bud when we get back home?" Dark asked Anti as he sat Sam down in her seat.

"Definitely." Anti nodded as he hopped into the passenger seat, Dark sliding into the driver's seat.

"Daddy?" Sam spoke up quietly.

"Yes?"

Both Anti and Dark answered in unison, Sam giggling in response.

"Will people make fun of me for having two dads?" Sam asked the couple, Dark and Anti exchanging looks.

"I don't know sweetie." Anti admitted as he reached back and grabbed Sam's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"If anyone says or does anything mean to you, I give you full permission to punch them in the face." Dark replied, wincing slightly as Anti slapped him on the arm.

"Ignore him. If you have any trouble, tell us, then we can both punch the person in the face for ya." Anti corrected Dark.

"Okay!" Sam exclaimed, seeming excited about the prospect of both of her parents beating someone up.

"We're here!" Dark announced as they pulled up to the school parking lot, students already filing in through the entrance.

"Have a great day at school Sam!" Dark called out to Sam as she got out of the car.

Dark and Anti watched Sam jog towards the school until she disappeared into the crowd.

When Dark glanced over at Anti, he could see his husband struggling to keep his composure, his eyes shining with unshod tears.

"It'll be okay love." Dark assured Anti as he pulled the crying male into his arms, pressing a kiss to his forehead to soothe him.

"I-I know." Anti hiccuped, swallowing hard as he wiped his tears away with the back of his hand.

"C'mon, let's go home and relax." Dark whispered to Anti, ruffling the male's hair before pulling out of the school.

When the couple returned home, Bud greeted them with endless kisses and ran around in excitement, causing the pair to laugh.

"Do you know where Bud's leash is?" Anti asked Dark as he searched the living room.

"No idea." Dark shrugged as he looked through their bedroom, pausing when he found a disc under the bed.

"Hey Anti, look what I found!" Dark shouted as he walked back into the living room, the DVD in hand.

"Aw, it's the video compilation Mark made for us." Anti gushed, taking the disc from Dark's hands.

"How about we watch it? I'll make popcorn." Dark offered.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Anti nodded as he stuck the DVD in the player, Dark going into the kitchen to prepare snacks.

Dark handed Anri the popcorn when he returned, the other make starting the DVD.

The first video was of Dark's performance at their wedding, the couple snuggling close together as they watched their past selves dance the night away.

Next was when Sang and Sam first played together, the two girls crawling around while babbling to each other in some kind of baby talk.

"God, she used to be so little." Anti murmured as he watched baby Sam drool on the floor.

Dark was silent as he rested his head on Anti's shoulder, the corners of his lips upturned in a smile.

After that, the screen showed Sam meeting Bud for the first time, her multicolored eyes lit up with excitement as she booped Bud's nose.

"I still find it amazing that she shares your eyes." Dark mused as he looked at Sam's blue and green eyes before looking at Anti's, unable to find a difference.

"She's so precious." Anti sighed in content as the the video of Sam saying her first word showed up.

"A-Ani. Ani!" Sam exclaimed, Anti tearing up in the video as he picked up Sam and spun her around the room.

"Look at her go." Dark chuckled as the video cut to Sam taking her first steps, her little legs wobbling as she tottered over to Dark's open arms.

Dark and Anti watched the whole DVD before taking Bud on a walk, the couple glad to have a day off of work as they waited for school to end.

Dark and Anti arrived at the school early to make sure that they weren't late, the two arriving in time to hear the bell ring and watch students pour out.

"Hey Sammy, how was school?" Anti asked Sam as she hopped into the car.

"It was great! I made a new friend too!" Sam announced happily.

"Really, who?" Dark asked curiously.

"These kids were picking on me at recess until Tim made them stop. We're gonna be best friends." Sam stated firmly.

"That's amazing sweetheart." Dark told her as he glanced over at Anti, both of them thinking the same thing.

Today was the start of a new journey, one that they were eager to see play out.