Makkachin was old now; at her 17 years old, her eyes turned so bad to the point where she sometimes overturned her bowl with food when passing by and took longer time to recognize her owners. Viktor retired at 31, gloriously holding his last gold medal in between his fingers and there has been a lot of crying going on, on everyone's side but his. He was not necessarily sad - of course, his life was going to change dramatically but he knew he lived his skating years at their fullest and he wouldn't change a second. On top of that, he now had a home to return to after any tiring day, he had a loving husband who was still his pupil and he was finally going to experience a normal and settled life, away from the public scene. He was also glad he now had more time to spend with his fluffy best friend too because he was feeling the time was running out, even if he denied so.
Whenever Yuuri tried to talk to Viktor about their dog he would change the subject as if he was trying to postpone the conversation as long as possible. He would hug Makka close and whisper tender words to her, assuring her that there was no way his best girl could be old. As he was only coaching now, Vitya was taking the pet to the rink everyday, much to the skaters's delight. They were all playing with her, distracted by her happy barks, very much to Yakov's annoyance who mumbled everyday about how he was at fault because he was the one who gave her to his skater.
He could remember even now how that day occurred. Yakov knew there were two important events in Viktor's life - the appearance of Makkachin and the appearance of Yuuri, for they pointed the steps between one era to another. He was fairly proud that he was responsible for the first one. When he took Viktor in, he was a terribly sad child and he knew the only responsible was his neglecting mother who pushed him beyond limits and never showed him a ounce of affection. When she disappeared, she took a part of his soul with her and he remained small and scared - living with his ever-cold coach and having no friends at all. Despite his usually cheerful behavior and his fake smiles, he was easily seen through, especially when he thought no one was looking and he lived his life for skating, for it was the only think he cared about. Yakov knew about his sexual orientation all along and he knew he had a hard time with mean children, though he never suspected it was as bad as he subsequently admitted it was once he got older, so he decided to do something about it. He knew he was a dog person because sometimes, when they were going home, he would stop so he could pet random dogs on the streets, never scared by them so after a day or two of thinking he decided he should offer one to him. It was late December so on Viktor's birthday he let the kid rest after wishing him a happy birthday in the morning and searched for the nearest shelter, advised that it was better to adopt than to buy. And by some wonder the place he decided to go to first just received a new puppy which happened to be a poodle. The owners had to leave it after they found out one of their children was allergic to the fur and the poor puppy seemed very scared between the other dogs held there. So he took pity on the poor thing and picked her right away, noting down everything he needed to get done for her. It was too much for one day so he decided to bring the dog home to her brand new owner and see how the kid would react.
The gleam in Viktor's eyes was priceless. As soon as he saw the ball of fur he approached the old man with steady steps and gasped.
"What is the puppy doing here?" Yakov liberated the small creature that hurried to the teen, welcomed in opened arms.
"Happy birthday, Vitya!" He repeated the words spoken this morning and Viktor's blues turned to him, his ears not believing.
"Is the puppy for me, Yakov? Can I keep it?" A small smile accompanied by a nod. "Really, Yakov? Really?" He couldn't remember to see him this enthusiastic ever before and the next days were spent entirely with the dog. Makkachin was a weird name but he didn't say a thing when she was presented this way, still amused by the kid's happiness. From that day, he was a different Viktor - a happier one.
Life was perfect for Viktor. Every morning he was waking up beside the love of his life, he was going for a run with his favorite dog in the world and then came back home for shower, breakfast and his sleepy husband. They then spent most day at the rink before finally returning home to more fluff and some love-making. The time went by smoothly - until one day, when everything changed. It was a free day; Yuuri was washing the dishes and Viktor was drying them when they heard a long whine that startled the both of them. It was Makkachin, who was beside them only a few moments ago, flat on the floor, her body convulsing wildly. As soon as he saw her Viktor's vision blurred and he hurried over, falling in front of her and hurting his knees as he grabbed her head between his palms.
"Makka!" He gasped, shocked but the dog kept riding shock after shock, until the ex-skater began to wail and called for his husband. "Yuuri! Call the doctor! Yuuri!" He felt hopeless and he despised the feeling, he wasn't prepared for something like this. When the Japanese saw him he panicked himself but knew he should keep his calm and told Viktor to grab the pet as he called the vet and made sure they had everything on them when they exited the room. He called for a cab, barely keeping it together.
It was a brain tumor. They could have put her on treatment and lengthen her lifespan by a few months but they decided not to and try to make the little time she had left the happiest. The vet gave them a few sedatives so they could soothe her pain and they went home. The ride was silent and Viktor felt drained, his beloved pet nestled in his lap, his arms never letting her go, not even as they got home. He couldn't speak - he couldn't think, all he wanted was to go to sleep so he tried to, Makka curled in front of him as he rested on a side, facing away from Yuuri. It was hurtful but he felt like no one could understand what he was going through, not even his husband who never hesitated to support him. It was not fair but he needed to learn to accept what was going on and he had no idea how to react. He looked over at the peaceful dog, lulled to sleep by the pills and he felt a sob crushing over him, his body shaking from head to toe, much to Yuuri's distress. The man understood that his husband needed some time to think because if he was hurting, Viktor was in pure agony but he couldn't just watch as he was in so much pain, he wanted to kiss all the bad thoughts away. Makkachin was a big part of their lives, she was their baby and he couldn't imagine a life without her around. He scooted closer to the crying man and wrapped his arms around his body, his cheek pressed in the space between his outstanding shoulder blades.
"Shh, baby, it's okay" But he shook his head, hopeless. It was not. Everything was anything but okay, his best friend was slowly dying right before his eyes. "Vitya, sweetheart" Yuuri tried but the only answer was another quiver that made his skin crawl. They stood like that until the silver-haired man finally fell asleep exhausted and in the morning, the Japanese called Yakov to let him know they won't come to the rink for a few days. He didn't want to force him into anything but surprisingly enough, Viktor refused the plan and the next day he put on a bright smile and carried on his routine.
"I want to give her only happy days" He said once, while they were drinking their coffee.
"Of course" Yuuri agreed, petting the furry dog who was resting her head on his lap. But it didn't last months, it barely lasted three weeks until the crises became frequent and during a horrible night they decided they couldn't take it anymore and they should end her pain. The vet promised she was not feeling everything but that didn't stop Viktor from murmuring to her calming words in Russian, his hand petting her head as he was smiling between tears. He promised her he would never stop to love her, that he will never forget her as long as he lived. When her heart finally stopped beating he burst into hysterical sobs but didn't let go of her, his lips still moving silently. He didn't want to let her go, he never wanted to leave her behind.
"Vitya" Yuuri tried, tears sliding down his own cheeks but he got no answer so his hand made it's way to one of the man's, reminding him that he was not alone. At soon as he felt the warmth, the Russian turned around and hurried to his husband, his face buried in his shoulder as the sobs consumed him. Everything was a blur from then on, he couldn't remember but feeling like his heart was bleeding inside his chest and he could hear encouraging words being whispered to him but he wanted none. He wanted to disappear, to remain in a forever clumsy embrace that held him so tightly that it was almost as if it was trying to put all his pieces back together.
The next few days were beyond harsh. Viktor was not himself and everyone came to see him and offer his condolences, even Christophe who flied all the way from Switzerland to make sure that his friend was okay. The truth was, he was not - he felt empty, like he had a missing limb. The house seemed hollow, he couldn't look at his phone or laptop, which had pictures of Yuuri with Makkachin on their screens, he couldn't look at the poodle plushies without feeling like he was on the verge of crying. Yuuri was nothing but perfect, he did everything he could so his mood would improve - from bringing him breakfast in bed each morning to renting his favorite movies and taking him on long walks around the city.
He knew Viktor could only be healed by time but he wanted to make sure he knew how much he loved him. Day by day, the ex-skater slowly learned to accept the facts and tried to go back to his usual self. They rarely talked about her but they made time every Sunday to visit the small grave where she rested. They usually brought white flowers, usually lilac because Makkachin always sniffled them and sneezed afterwards, which was a very cute habit of hers. The pet cemetery was pretty big and Makka's grave was on a small hill on which they usually laid a blanket and sat once in a while, remembering all sort of things about the poodle.
"Do you think we could have prolonged her life?" Viktor asked one day, looking as the sun set right before their eyes, the summer breeze tickling the exposed skin of his arms.
"It was not worth it, Viktor. She would have been stuck in hospitals" The pale-haired man nodded and gulped.
"I just - I just hope she was happy" His voice was small and only then did Yuuri see the tears crowding in blue eyes and wrapped his arm around his husband, forcing him to rest his head on his shoulder so he could kiss his forehead.
"I am sure Makka was the happiest dog that ever lived" He promised and Viktor nodded, sniffling. "I never saw her otherwise."
"She was the most loved one too" Viktor grinned, a tear sliding down his nose.
"She was our beloved baby. And I know she loved you too. So so much!" Yuuri said, earning a little smile. His lips found a wet cheek and then an opened mouth that he kissed quickly. "And she hated to see you sad"
"She always whined when I was" Victor emphasized the affirmation and cuddled closer to his lover. "I think I am ready to be happy again, Yuu~ri" He whispered and turned around to look at the well-maintained grave.
"Where are we going, Yuu~ri?" He whined, annoyed by the fact he had no idea what was going on. They were supposed to be working on the free program today but here they were, wandering in the middle of St. Petersburg, like the many people roaming around them.
"You'll see" The brunet promised and squeezed his hand once, affectionately. They turned towards some twin buildings and walked on the alley in between them, Yuuri's smile growing with each step. Truthfully, he was nervous, he had no idea how things were going to end but he hoped for the best. They entered a fairly suspicious-looking building and Viktor had to frown.
"Are you sure we're where we're supposed..." He shut his mouth when they entered the fairly small room. The noises found him before the smell and he knew they were inside an animal shelter but he couldn't process just yet what the purpose of the whole thing was. A tall, blonde woman approached them and talked to Yuuri about some phone call he had no idea about and she told them to follow her, which they did, stopping in front of the last cubicle space.
"Look at you" Yuuri cooed and offered a finger to the small creature that came to sniffle it. It was a brown poodle, a tiny one that looked at them with questioning black eyes, as if he was asking if they were gonna adopt him. Viktor watched him dumbfounded before the small dog came closer to him, making him snap out of it and caress the soft fur. "He was found in the streets"
"Hello there, little one" Viktor whispered, grabbing the small animal and cuddling it at his chest. He was enjoying the warmth so much that it didn't take long for him to relax and to begin to tug at the man's shirt with small fangs. "Aren't you a feisty little guy?" He kissed the top of it's head and turned to Yuuri with a bright smile.
"I thought that - uhm..." The Japanese was rubbing his head, feeling skittish. "The house is too quiet" Viktor chuckled when the "beast" tried to bite his finger and failed miserably and then went closer to kiss his husband's lips gently.
"I think this little thing might be the answer to all of our problems"
A/N: Thank you for reading! Feel free to tell me what you think! xx