((Yes, this is an odd pairing, but when the idea came to me, I found it too adorable to ignore. I hope you like it, anyway ^^"))
The park? Did I just hear someone say the park? I want to go to the park, oh boy! I jumped up onto my owner's lap, my little tail wagging quickly as I rest my front paws on his tummy. He smiled, lifting a hand to pet me gently.
"The park! The park! I want to go to the park! Take me to the park!" I barked at him excitedly, squirming as he picked me up. A few moments later he stood up and set me on the floor.
"Alright Hana, I'll take you out. Stop your yapping." Tino giggled, heading out into the hallway. I followed him quickly, occasionally spinning in an excited circle as I looked up at him. He laughed at me as he pulled on his shoes and coat, opening the door.
"Snow! Snow! Oh boy, there's snow!" I yapped, running out into the front garden to jump in the drifts. The sound of the front door closing made me look up, watching Tino come towards me to open the gate.
"Don't go running off, Hana. I'm not losing you." He warned the same thing every time. As excited as I was to get to the park, I never left his side until we actually got there. That was why he didn't put one of those awful leashes on me.
With much impatience, I started next to him until we reached the park. Then I was off like a little white blur, lost against the snow as I blended in perfectly. It was so fun to run around and roll in the snow! That was when I smelled him. I jumped to my paws with an excited shout of his name, following my nose until I almost cannoned straight into him, yapping excitedly.
"Pochi! Hello Pochi! Do you want to play? Play with me!" Annoyingly, Pochi did the same as he always does and looked up at his owner for permission.
"Hai, Pochi. Go play." That was all he needed. Quickly, he bumped me with his nose and ran off, leaving me to chase him, barking and growling playfully.
"Those two always seem so happy to see each other, don't they?" Tino chuckled, watching the two small dogs play tag in the snow. "It's kinda funny, huh? How quickly two dogs can become friends?"
"Hai, I suppose it is." Kiku nodded, turning to look at the Finn. "But dogs do not have the same minds as humans. No conscience to tell them right from wrong, no worries about who is good and who is not."
"Um..." Tino looked at him, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess you're right. I never thought about it that way!"
"A dog will trust another until given a reason not to... as humans, I feel that it is us who are backwards. We do not trust until given a reason to." Kiku's deep way of thinking always managed to throw Tino for a loop, leaving him wondering what the hell had happened even after the conversation had ended. Which was why he didn't realise he couldn't see the dogs until at least a whole minute after they'd stopped talking.
"Oh! Where are they?" Tino sounded alarmed, looking around.
"Don't worry. Pochi is a sensible dog, they will come back soon. Where he goes, I imagine Hanatomago will follow." Kiku said calmly, looking around slowly.
He was right, a few moments later, we came back, running over to our owners. We'd found a cool little spot with a frozen stream and had some more fun there. Pochi was so fun, he was great! I loved playing with him, but as we got closer to our owners, we got sad. We could tell from the looks on their faces that it was time to go home.
"Cheer up." He told me, licking my ear. "We'll probably see each other tomorrow. We meet here every day, remember?"
"I know, but I still get sad..." I whined softly, bumping his muzzle with my nose. "I'll see you tomorrow, Pochi."
"Of course." He barked, obediently following Kiku as Tino picked me up.
"Did you have fun, Hana? You like him, don't you?" He chuckled, laughing as I licked his chin. "Don't worry, I'll bring you back tomorrow."
- No PoV -
It was around a month after that that Tino began noticing a change in Hana. She didn't want to talk to Pochi. That had never happened before. Not in the six months they'd known each other. Poor Pochi was literally all over her too. Not just him, either. Most of the dogs at the park showed an interest in her all of a sudden, but she just ran away back to Tino as if she was scared. For once, his little Hana didn't want to make friends. He was a little worried, but seeing as she seemed perfectly healthy, he couldn't warrant a visit to the vet. He decided to bide his time and wait to see if she returned to normal.
Maybe a week or so after he'd first noticed her not want to make friends, he recognised what was happening. It had only happened once before, but that stance was unmistakable. His little Hana was in heat. It saddened him to see her so, but he couldn't exactly go get her spayed in the middle of heat. So he did the only thing he could think of and picked up the phone.
"Hello Kiku... I don't suppose you'd consider lending us your dog for a few days...?"
No sooner than the front door had been opened, Pochi was past Tino's ankles and upstairs like a shot. It was the same every time he was allowed into the house for a week. After that week, he wasn't in such a hurry to get to her. She wasn't any more interested in him than she had been before, either. Rather upsettingly for Tino, she just wanted to be left alone. He was at a loss without her constant loving attention, and even more so now she wasn't under his feet all the time.
The Finn kept a close eye on his beloved dog every day, scouring the internet for what to do and when to do it. He gave her space when he wasn't checking on her, but he was glad that he almost constantly did check on her. He knew when she'd started eating and when she was gaining weight. It was quite adorable when her small body began to look like a fluffy white barrel.
He would hold her carefully every day, checking her stomach for any signs of movement. Of course, when he started to feel movement, he had a box lined with old towels and blankets at the ready.
When she was ready, the birth went off without a hitch. Admittedly at three in the morning, but still without a hitch. There were four pups, two boys and two girls. Though it was a stupid time, Tino couldn't help himself. He of course had to call Kiku and tell him. He wasn't greeted by the happiest of people though.
"Tino? Have you got any idea what time it is right now? You'll be lucky if I don't-" The Finn didn't want to hear what he'd be lucky to avoid.
"Kiku, she's done it." He said, a tired smile on his lips and in his voice. He was looking down into the box as he spoke, watching her lick the last puppy clean. "Hana... she's got four puppies..."
"Oh. Thank you for telling me... I'll bring Pochi over around lunchtime, if that's okay...?" The annoyance had gone from his voice now, and he just sounded tired.
"Of course! I just thought I should tell you! Sleep well, Kiku." Tino put the phone down and yawned, reaching his hand into the box and petting Hana's head. "I'm proud of you, girl..." She licked his hand, then lay her head down. Obviously, she'd be exhausted. "Get some sleep Hana, I'll bring you some food in the morning." He smiled, scratching her behind her ear before standing up to leave and go to bed. It was just as well Berwald was there, he was in the mood for some happy snuggles.
Before anything else that morning, Tino's priority had been to check on Hana and her puppies, bringing her some food and water. Actually, that was a priority over everything else for the foreseeable future, as he'd constantly check on them every moment he got. He was up there with them when Kiku arrived, so he had to be let in by Berwald.
An excited ball of cream fur made the Finn jump, until he recognised it as Pochi. He watched the Pomeranian lean his paws on the edge of the box, peering over the edge at what lay inside. The white Maltese and her four puppies. One white, one cream, and two that were white and cream. The white puppy was a boy, as was one of the two piebald pups. The other two were girls.
"Incredible..." A soft voice made Tino look up. It was Kiku, leaning to look into the box. "They're so cute..." Pochi's curved tail was wagging quickly, excited little yipping sounds coming from him. As if he knew that these puppies were a part of him.
"Well, they are the puppies of two adorable fluffballs!" Tino grinned. Though it didn't stay on his face for long. "I've been thinking... Should I sell them or keep them?" He asked, looking up at Kiku. Of course, the father was his dog, so he had some say in what happened to them.
"I think we should both keep one... And sell the other two. Perhaps to our friends." Kiku murmured. "Which pups are which gender?" He asked, crouching down beside the box to get a better look. Tino pointed out which ones were which. "Do you know which you'd like to keep yet?"
"I was going to keep him." Tino pointed to the male piebald. "I thought about calling him Hachi, but I think Pogo is a better boy name."
"Hai, I agree... Perhaps I will call this one Hachi." He pointed to the other white and cream puppy. Pogo was more white than cream, whereas Hachi was more cream than white. "And the other two...?"
"We'll let the new owners name those..." Tino mumbled, watching Pochi trying to lick Hanatomago. "He's trying to kiss her~" Tino cooed, giggling softly. Kiku chuckled, then gasped.
"I should go, I have a lot of planning to do!" He exclaimed suddenly.
"Planning? What for?" Tino asked, confused.
"The wedding of course!" Kiku looked rather excited, which was a fairly rare occurrence for the Asian.
"Wedding?" Tino was really confused now. "What wedding? Who's getting married?"
"Pochi and Hana, of course!"
"...Uhh..."