Hello again readers! Here comes my biggest chapter upload yet, 3,200 words! I'm happy to have you all read my delightful little project that's surprisingly survived this long. I had to post this chapter a little earlier because I lost the motivation to work on any new chapters when I had this one in reserve. My procrastination is a powerful beast.

T rated chapter ahead.

Warnings: language, VicchanxYuuri action, bonding.


I made it a point to show up at the park punctually again. I wouldn't be late, out of respect, or early, out of self-defense for Victor's possible teasing. I would still show up though. Every time I wondered if he wanted to see me, if I should go, I snuffed out the thought process quickly.

'I like you.'

He was transparent when he told me that, and that was all the proof I needed that he indeed wanted to keep meeting me. I refused to disappoint him again, at least by not showing up.

Now, why he likes me… He didn't give me any explanation or expository information as to why yesterday. I was left to my own head and I rolled answers around in my mind all through the night. I finally came to my own conclusions at dawn.

#1: Victor is a foreigner, and he doesn't speak Japanese very well, if at all. Having someone to finally talk to, in a strange, new country, was a relief for the blue-eyed man.

#2: I amuse him, rather, my reactions to his proximity made him laugh. I don't know if I was just a joke in general to him, or maybe I reminded him of someone or something else. This idea still needs more information before it can be confirmed.

#3: He draws similarities between us. The dogs, the languages we know, and apparently how neither of us let people too close. The idea that Victor, just from the hours that I've spent with him thus far, doesn't let people into his life feels like a lie. He let me close from the moment we met, and there's nothing spectacular about me. He was a bright person, shining out like a beacon because of his mannerisms and attitude. People are drawn to that kind of light like moths.

I had let Vicchan loose in the play space while I waited for my new friend. I stood in the middle of the fenced area while I reviewed my thoughts on Victor. Old thoughts mingled with new ones. What would he bring for Vicchan's treat? Had he met anyone else since he's come here? How many friends did he have? How long had he been in Japan? Would he still like me if he knew I was depressed? Is he like this with everyone, or am I different?

I get pulled from my reverie when Vicchan jumps into me. He sometimes does this thing when he's excited where he leaps into the air like he's flying and expects you to catch him. It's a surprise, face first, trust fall sort of thing. He hasn't done it in so long I wasn't expecting it, and I wasn't paying attention at all.

I wrap my arms around him protectively because I can feel my lack of balance from his attack. We were going down. The firm ground dug into my hip and shoulder making me grunt in pain. Luckily Vicchan was protected, if his tongue in my ear was anything to go by. I smiled and flopped onto my back, releasing my hold on the young dog. Vicchan crawled up my torso, his tail smacking against my still raised arm. He laid across me like a fuzzy seatbelt, strapping me down to the ground from my hip to my shoulder.

He kept licking my face, dirtying my glasses and mussing my hair. I started laughing as his legs pressed into my sides and he nipped at my skin. I began rubbing his sides and scratching behind his ears. Vicchan prefers a fight so I have to reverse psychology him to get him to stop this kind of behavior. If you don't want him to lick you and you push him away, he will give everything he has to be all over you. He dismounted me and ran off, leaving my prone form panting in the stiff grass. I chuckled and leaned up to clean my glasses. Vicchan was always so lovable, especially when it was inconvenient or embarrassing.

When my glasses were cleaned I saw that Victor was standing a few yards away from me, his index finger curled over his smile. Makkachin would prance in place while looking at me, she stood beside a large bag at Victor's left. When I looked back up to Victor he tilted his head and smiled so widely his eyes crinkled at the edges. I felt myself blush at his stare. How long had he been watching me get assaulted by my dog? Did he see me lost in thought too?

Before I could call out to him, his dog charged me, knocking me flat on my back again. At least this time I was sitting on the ground and it wasn't too far of a distance. She didn't scratch like Vicchan does, but she kept her paws flat on my chest. I couldn't move with her leaning on me like that. She was so much heavier that Vicchan! It was like she was politely holding me down while she had her way with me.

She had managed to find the spot below my ear that Vicchan knows better than to prod. I began giggling loudly once she aggressively nudged that small, sensitive area. I was laughing so much my sides hurt and my eyes began to feel wet. I probably looked ridiculous, convulsing on the ground like a maniac. I started gasping and stretched my hand out to Victor for assistance. My hand grasped at his surprisingly close pant leg.

"V-Victor, help." I finally looked up at him through watery eyes and a strained smile. My glasses had been knocked off so everything in the distance was fuzzy. Victor wasn't in the distance now though. The tall man had knelt down in the midst of me being attacked by his poodle. The knee I was holding on to was touching the ground beside me.

"Vniz, Makka." After the soft spoken command I was instantly free of the energetic dog. I just panted on the ground and enjoyed the peace for a moment. My eyes had drifted closed. God his dog looks and acts just like mine, adorable assholes the lot of them. I started snickering, not quite done laughing at the whole situation.

When I finally looked back up at Victor he was still smiling down at me, laughing along with me. His face was pink; somewhere in the midst of my tryst he must have started laughing too. He handed me my glasses, folded and cleaned, after I jerked myself upright.

"I haven't seen her take to anyone like that before. I almost feel jealous, Yuri." He drew out the vowels in my name lazily, his accent giving it a unique lilt. I put my glasses on just in time to see Vicchan tackle Victor with a swan dive. I just began laughing harder and sank back to the ground beside the both of them.

"Vicchan was jealous too it seems." I barely could stutter out a sentence in between the spiels of our laughter.

"I brought presents and treats for you, don't eat me! I have too much to offer you!" Vicchan had resorted to licking up the side of the well-dressed man's head but abruptly stopped. Treats were like treaties of peace when it comes to the effect they can bring on Vicchan. My dog, loyal only to their power, sat patiently by Victor's side, acting like a perfect angel.

Makkachin must have heard her master say 'treats' from across the park and came back to his side immediately. Leaning up, Victor eyed both dogs warily. His hair had been cow-licked up into the air and began to slowly fall back into place, still uneven but less ridiculously than before.

"Yuri, all of their treats are in that bag. Could you go through them? I don't want to give your pup something that he's allergic to or feed him something you didn't want me to. I'll distract the two of them so they won't hassle you." He stood up and dusted himself off before running to the right, both dogs chased after him. They were off to the races and Victor was in the lead.

I walked over to the large insulated bag and opened the Velcro seal at the top.

Good lord, I'm glad that I didn't try to lift it because I would have thrown my back out. The bag looked like a pet store stock room. There was every kind of treat: chicken, pork, beef, salmon, sweet potato, gravy flavored, it was all there. He had hard treats, chewables, actual bones, and small pieces of actual meat in sealed containers that looked like bentos for dogs.

This must have cost a fortune. These treats were high quality, and there were a lot of them here. Why would he go to all of this trouble? I know he isn't giving me all of this, but the variety was done for me and Vicchan.

Underneath the treats were a plethora of toys, balls, stuffed animals, and imitation rawhide. There was also a small wrapped container in the center of the bag, hidden by the toys but not quite at the bottom of the bag. It was wrapped in cloth but I could feel hard edges through the fabric. It was the only item without a label.

I dug it out gently. There were separate parts that disconnected due to the cloth not being tied tightly, but nothing fell out or away. Once I righted it, I sat on my heels to peel back the cloth covering.

It was the bento I had brought the red bean mochi in last time.

"Open it up." I almost dropped the box from how hard I jerked in surprise. Victor had returned to this side of park. The dogs were off playing with each other and a new, smaller companion. He was breathing heavily through his nose. The foreign man must have gotten hot because his thick cream colored jacket he always wore was folded under his arm to reveal a long-sleeved, black sweater.

I opened the small container to see 10 different colored mochi. Each was cut and faced towards its matching half like they were facing mirrors. I could recognize some of the flavors by their color and filling texture, but some were a mystery.

He brought me a treat too?

"I found these at a shop near my hotel. They're not homemade like yours were, and I'm not sure if they're any good, but I wanted to bring you something as thanks." Thank me? What did he want to thank me for? I made him wait out in the cold, knocked him to the ground, I even had him buy me and my dog an apology gift. I glanced up at him, he had knelt down to get closer to me. His eyes bore into me.

"I thought you had given them to me to break the tension that day, which maybe you did that too, but it took me a while to realize that you made them specifically for me. When I saw how guilty you were yesterday, after I brought it up jokingly, I figured it out. You made those red bean mochi for me, knowing they were something I'd never had as a foreigner to Japan. It was a hard treat to make, one that took time. Even the flavor was for me." Victor was looking down at the mochi near the end of his statement. The bento was moving from how hard my hands were shaking.

He figured me out.

"After skipping our meeting you made these to say sorry. I'm thankful for your thoughtfulness, and I bought these to say thank you." His hands cupped my own that were clinging to the sides of the small bento. For once his hands felt colder than my own. Was I blushing that fiercely? My face felt hot from how he stated my intentions so calmly, so carefully, to my face. He wasn't weirded out, my motive wasn't one that bothered him, and he actually appreciated it.

That… That was so nice.

I tilt my head up to him confidently and smiled with all of the happiness that I felt. I want to share more of these gestures. I want to give him more gifts, and to get gifts in return.

I hoped that my intentions could be read in my motions and my actions, just like with the gift of mochi, even if my words didn't explicitly say them. I know that I'm too nervous or shy to say some things right now. I need more time with him before I can be comfortable enough to express myself more honestly. Just because I hadn't scared him off yet doesn't mean I'm free to be wholeheartedly honest.

"Share them with me." I found myself speaking the same words that he had said to me before. "You went through the trouble of cutting them in half so it's just right for two." As I spoke I nodded slightly.

"Oh, I cut them so you could see the flavors in the filling, in case you didn't like some. Don't feel pressured to share them; they're yours." He released his hold on my hands and closed his eyes complacently. He wasn't getting closer to me or teasing me like he normally would.

I would actually prefer if he ate these with me.

"Do you not want to share with me?" This is weird, I thought he liked mochi. We'd shared the same food once before so I figured there wouldn't be a problem. Stop changing it up on me Victor, I'm trying to get used to you.

"N-no, I just want you to enjoy your present." He seemed shocked by my forwardness, I don't blame him. I was happy and he hadn't seen me like this yet.

"Did sharing your mochi with me the other day make you like the gift less?" The other day was no different than today, besides the switch in our roles of giving and receiving gifts. Was he bothered that day, and did he offer to share out of formality, not expecting me to take him up on it? My eyes drifted downward as I thought. I looked back up when he responded loudly.

"No! It made me enjoy the afternoon and the mochi more when I shared them with you." His blue eyes widened more while he shook his head to deny my soft spoken question. I pushed down the urge to smile after his admission.

I wonder how suave Victor is to people he really wanted to impress, because he's really good at saying the right thing to me.

"You said yourself that we're similar. Maybe I'll be even happier about your gift if you stopped trying to be polite and ate with me." I watched his face while I verbally goaded him. It was fun turning the tables on him for a little bit. I doubt I could keep up for very long so I'll enjoy the upper hand while I have it.

Victor smiled softly, it was almost shy. He nodded, finally agreeing to my request. We walked over to the bench we'd practically adopted after he lifted the heavy bag of toys with ease. My steady hands opened the small bento after I set it on my lap. I angled my legs towards him while balancing the mocha. Fortunately they were tightly packed and didn't mix their flavors.

"Now, I can't tell what all of them are so we're just going to find out as we go. I'll choose first." I immediately grabbed the black and white speckled mochi from the center of the selection. They were a little below room temperature due to the cold weather so the outermost layer of the mochi was a bit more stiff than usual. I quickly explained to the taller man how to hold the mochi to get it warmer in his hand for a better texture.

He ripped off the leather glove from his left hand and held the bite-sized treat in his hand as soon as I spoke. I never really noticed how pale he was until I saw the contrast of the light colored snack to his palm, or the lack thereof. He looked like he was made for winter, ashy blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and porcelain skin. The only source of color on him was the pale pinkness of his fingertips, pink lips, and the flush along his cheeks and nose.

"Do you know which one this is?" Victor asked me while never taking his eyes off of the mochi. He was staring so hard, I could practically hear the cogs of his mind working to tease out the flavor.

"Yeah, you've probably had this flavor but you'll never guess it just by looking at it." It was a sesame mochi, they tend to be nutty with a subtle sweet aftertaste, he may hate it but it was one of those you like it or you don't type of flavors. It was also the most foreign in appearance of all the mochi and he looked at it as such.

I plopped it into my mouth before he could ask more questions or delay. He followed suit immediately after me. He chewed inquisitively with a strange expression. I couldn't tell if he liked or hated it. Before I could finish chewing he spoke.

"What is this? I thought it would taste like a fruit, but this is not fruity at all. It's good, but I just was not expecting the flavor." He asked while the mochi was still in his mouth, unable to part with it until he heard the flavor's identity.

"It's sesame flavored." I swallowed the rest of it before I replied to him.

"Whaaa~t?"


I hope everyone has a great new year. Please drop a comment if there is any error with my grammar or if you see something you like/dislike about the chapter. I think the only, barely there, regret that I have with this story is that I can't make it spicy, because they have to love each other first. *sigh*