The Perfect Remedy

This is really happening. We're going to be married.

I'm sitting in my bed, the bright moonlight shining through my half-closed blinds and casting shadows in my room. The anticipation of the events in the morning is preventing me from getting any sleep. I couldn't believe it. I was finally getting married to the love of my life. Tonight would be the last night that I have to spend alone, and in less than 24 hours, I would be able to call my beloved Yuuri my husband.

Husband…

My mind begins to wander as excitement morphs into anxiety. What if I'm a bad husband? What if I'm unable to take care of him? What if he decides to leave me because he thinks I'm not good enough for him? The thoughts plague my mind, and before I know it, I can feel the tears stinging my eyes and making their way down my cheeks, dropping down onto the bedsheets below.

I can't stop the negative thoughts as they ruthlessly invaded my mind. I wouldn't be able to bear it if Yuuri left me. I love him so much, and I know he loves me, but things can still change, even within the covenant of marriage.

The ugly sound of my sobbing fills the room before I am able to suppress it. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Makkachin's ears perk up as she hears my distress. She looks up at me, her tongue characteristically lolling out as she gets up and hops off my bed. I hear the sound of the door squeaking, signifying that the poodle has left the room.

Burying my head into my pillow, I continue to cry as the fear of rejection and the potential for a failed marriage overtake my thoughts, soaking the soft fabric with tears.

I didn't even notice Makkachin re-enter the room until I felt something tugging on my pillow, as if trying to steal it away from my clutches. When I look up, the poodle releases the pillow and bends down to pick up something else. She gives it to me, and it takes me a moment of focusing my eyes through my blurred vision to see what it is.

A small stuffed moose. I had bought it for Makkachin during my time competing in Canada. I remember thinking how cute it was, and I had thought how my dog would have it. I had been right. The little moose is still one of Makkachin's prized possessions.

I take the toy from the poodle. "Makka, is this for me?" My voice hitches. She looks at me, her tongue still sticking out as she pants for a moment before padding out of the room again. I look at the moose and give it a squeeze. It was nearly the same colour as Makkachin, and it had the same curly fur as well.

I was confused. Why had she brought this for me? Before I could finish my thought, I hear the dog return, and I look up to see her coming up to my bedside with something else in her mouth. Another one of her toys, this time a stuffed skate. She drops it and leaves again.

Makkachin makes a few more trips, leaving and re-entering the room as the pile of toys on the ground continues to grow. Eventually she stops, probably as a result of being unable to locate anymore of her belongings.

She returns and grabs a tiger off the top of the pile before bouncing onto my bed, finding a place on the comforter, and laying down next to me. I smile down at the poodle. She had brought me her toys because she knew that I was upset and anxious. They comfort her, and she wanted to comfort me.

I reach down to ruffle her fluffy belly as she gently gnaws on her tiger.

"Thanks, Makkachin. You really are the best dog in the world." I pause and pull myself closer to the dog. "Promise me you'll watch over Yuuri like you've been taking care of me all this time."

She nuzzles closer to me, and before long, the last of my fears and worries finally melt away. Sleep overtakes me as Makkachin's moose and tiger quickly get lost in the sheets.

"Yuuuuri! I'm home!" My keys jingle as I pull them out of the lock and drop them into a dish near the door. I shut the door behind me, closing it with my foot as I try to redistribute the weight of three grocery bags between two hands.

As I enter my home, I don't see Yuuri in his usual place on the couch watching TV or in the kitchen preparing a meal.

He would've answered me if he was using the bathroom. Maybe he's taking a nap.

I head towards the kitchen to drop off my bags. I had left in the morning and had been out for most of the afternoon running errands and getting groceries. Yuuri's anxiety had been acting up again as it does before any competition, and he hadn't been feeling well because of this. I had told him to stay home today to get some rest, which he complied rather quickly to.

We had just gotten married recently, and because of an upcoming competition for Yuuri, we had been unable to take some time off to go on our honeymoon yet. But we've made plans for a trip after the competition, and I'm so excited to spend some quality time with my new husband.

Removing my jacket and placing it over a chair, I check the living room again for any signs of my husband. Still nothing.

Makkachin isn't here either. Where are they, and what are they up to?

I head towards the master bedroom and see that the lights are turned off and the blinds are closed. I quietly make my way into the room, not wanting to wake Yuuri if he really was taking a nap.

"Yuuri?" I call out quietly. "Yuuri, love, I'm home. Are you asleep?" I continue towards his usual side of the bed, but before I can call out to him again, my foot lands on something and an obnoxious squeak fills the room.

I step back in surprise and look down. My eyes adjust to the darkness and the light seeping into the room from the hallway aid me in identifying the foreign object. It looks like a penguin, and after a moment of realisation I recognize it as one of Makkachin's penguin-shaped squeaky toys.

Makkachin normally leaves her stuff outside in the living room, only bringing her favourites with her to bed. This penguin wasn't usually included. What's this doing here?

My gaze shifts forward a foot or so and I notice small trail of objects leading up to a larger pile of objects. It takes me a moment to identify the mound of things next to the bed to be the entirety of my dog's toy collection.

Everything falls into place when I see the poodle lying next to a Yuuri-shaped lump under the covers. I approach the bed and set myself down on the edge of the duvet.

I can hear the suppressed sniffles over the sound of Makkachin's deep breathing, as well as the periodic shake of the sheets.

"Yuuri, honey, what's wrong?" I ask. He's not facing me. He's submerged more than half his face under the blanket, only a small portion of his black hair giving his position away.

He shifts slightly. "Nothing's wrong."

I smile at his pitiful attempt to hide his feelings. I sit down on the edge of the bed and inch closer to him, leaning down to where his ear should be under the covers and whispering, "Don't lie to me, Yuuri. I know something's wrong because there's a huge pile of Makka's toys next to the bed. She always does that for me when I'm upset." I pretend to sound hurt, hoping to draw him out of his cocoon. "Though, I am disappointed that she got to comfort you before I even realised you were sad."

It works. Yuuri resurfaces from under the sheets and my heart swells when I see my husband's tear-stained face. Makkachin lifts her head up, now disturbed from her slumber from Yuuri moving around in the sheets, and hops off the bed and out of the room.

"Viktor…" He sniffles. I lean down to embrace him, drawing him closer to me and never wanting to let go. He pulls his arms out from under the covers and hugs me back, burying his face into the crook of my neck.

"Yuuri, tell me what's wrong." I say softly. "Is it because of the competition? Are you nervous?"

After a few more pained sobs he separates himself away from my neck and looks up at me, making inadvertent eye-contact before quickly breaking it, looking off to the side. He pulls himself up so that he's sitting up in front of me, his eyes still shying away from mine.

"No…" he begins before trailing off. He takes a deep breath before attempting to continue. "It's not that…I mean I am…but…" Another deep breath. "…Viktor…I'm scared…"

Yuuri pauses as his lungs continue to spasm violently from his sobs, but something tells me to keep quiet and wait. Eventually, calms down.

"I'm scared that I won't be enough for you…" He stops and sniffles again. I can feel my heart clench at the sound of his fearful voice and the sight of his ashamed expression. I had known that he had been super anxious about getting married through talking to Phichit, and I knew his anxiety had ben amped due to our wedding and honeymoon planning, on top of having to train for his upcoming competition. But I never truly realised how his fear of being insufficient had affected him, or that his fears continued even after our exchange of vows at the alter.

"Oh Yuuri." I draw him back into my arms, and he doesn't hesitate in returning the hug. "You'll always be more than enough for me. You're everything to me, and I can't imagine committing my life to anyone else." I squeeze him tighter, and tears continue streaming down his face, soaking through my shirt. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you and only you by my side. Is that alright with you?"

My beautiful husband nods into my shoulder as he grips the back of my shirt harder. I hold on to him for another minute or so before gently pulling away just enough so that I can look at his face. I smile as his tearful gaze meets mine, and before I know it, our eyes are closed, and our lips are pressed against each other. Feelings of love and affection fill me as we kiss, and when we finally separate, all I want is more of him.

"I love you, Yuuri." I make myself more comfortable on the bed, and as I lie back on the mattress, Yuuri follows and instinctively curls himself into me. My arms are quick to find their usual place around his waist.

"I love you too, Viktor." He murmurs before drifting off to into a peaceful slumber.

Sleep is about to overtake me as well, but not before I hear Makkachin, her return signified by her light footsteps against the hard floor and the dip of the bed when she hops back up, finding her place pressed up against the other side of Yuuri.

Thanks, Makka. Thank you for watching over Yuuri like you promised you would.