00.06

Viktor was in better spirits the next morning. His determination was stronger than it had been last night; his desperation less potent but still very much there. That could have been because it was no longer nighttime, too, though. Of course, I hoped it was because my boy was feeling better but this was a common cycle he went through after that dark sadness had enveloped him: during the day he would feel a tiny bit better but at night, it got very bad. Those nights, I always stayed close to him, afraid something like what happened on the balcony would happen again.

The snow from yesterday had almost nearly disappeared completely but outside was still a bit chilly.

Not that I minded. I was used to the cold. And, really, all that I cared about was the fact that I got to go to a new place with Viktor! I wasn't sure where because he was still talking in that different way with Yuuri, who I thought might be joining us. But I didn't mind that much either because I was just glad to be able to see this new town, smell these new smells, and be with Viktor.

My boy rode a bicycle and Yuuri ran behind him. I ran beside Viktor, loving that I was able to stretch my legs after being in such a cramped space for so long the previous day. The building we stopped at was large and had a sign hanging at the top with those squiggly lines written really big. Viktor got off the bicycle and patted my head, smiling down at me.

"Stay, Makka, okay?" he said. I barked in answer and sat down. "Good girl." He ruffled my ears and kissed my forehead before going inside with Yuuri. I caught a whiff of the inside as the doors closed and realized it smelled like ice and cold (but a different kind of cold than the outside cold), like the rink where my boy and I lived before. I wondered if that meant this building was a rink, too. It made the most sense, since my boy often did skating at this time. And Yuuri did skating, too. Did that mean they were going to do skating together now?

I circled the spot next to the bicycle before laying down and closing my eyes for a nap. It was nice to be outside, near Viktor. I rarely got to go to the rink with my boy. So even though I couldn't go inside, it was nice to know my boy was close. I wondered if this would be our new routine, if I could go outside with Viktor and Yuuri more often now. If so, I looked forward to it because I wanted to explore this new place. And the more time Viktor spent with Yuuri, the better, especially if Yuuri could make Viktor happy again.

As the day wore on, I felt Viktor's determination slowly wear away, those darker emotions slowly taking its place. It was always hard for me because while I knew that this was normal for humans—I found they often got emotionally exhausted through the day—I didn't like it when my boy felt so down. A new kind of pain had joined the other ache in his chest. This pain was sharper, always had some sense of hope or eagerness, and often had to do with Yuuri.

It was a little confusing at first because I couldn't really understand how Viktor could feel both hurt and happy. I knew that something about Yuuri had made Viktor incredibly happy. Now that we were here, with Yuuri, that weird mix of pain and hope was more prominent in my boy. After watching some of their interactions, I finally realized that it was usually when Yuuri pulled away did Viktor's sharp pain grow inside his chest. It wasn't so much as a physical pull-away, and I still couldn't understand what they were saying, but I could feel Yuuri emotionally close up, which was usually followed by that pain in my boy suddenly hurting more.

I wondered why Yuuri was pulling away, though, and if it had anything to do with his constant nervousness. Underneath it all, I could feel awe and inspiration and disbelief in Yuuri whenever he looked at my boy. I just didn't know why Yuuri would pull away like he was when it was clear that he liked Viktor a lot.

It seemed, to me, that Viktor made Yuuri just as happy as Yuuri made Viktor. So why were they so distant with each other?

The weather grew warmer. The pretty flowers in the trees began to fall soon after we arrived in this new place—that I soon learned, with some effort, was called Hasetsu—and little green buds took their place. Their petals kind of reminded me of snow. Except they were larger and tickled my nose. But they blanketed the streets and pavement just like snow would.

For a little while after arriving in Hasetsu, we didn't go to the rink very often. Instead, we would go for jogs or runs around town, me, my boy, and Yuuri. I wasn't sure why they weren't doing skating as much, since I was so used to Viktor going to do skating almost every day, and for a long time, and only getting to run with him one or two days every five. But this was another thing I had no problem with, either. That meant I got more time with my boy while we explored this new place.

I loved it.

Sometimes we would stop on top of a big, flat hill. Behind it was the large building I'd seen when we first arrived. Buildings stacked on top of buildings like a cake, with the roofs kind of pointy at the corners.

There were some benches and as Viktor sat, Yuuri did that weird jump thing I'd seen my boy do countless times before on the bench at the dog park. I was laying down nearby, watching both of them. How could Yuuri do those jumps after all that running. I was ready for a nap.

My boy was looking out at the buildings below. I could feel him going back and forth on some decision he was trying to make—that silent talking he often did. His heart began pounding the more he thought about whatever it was he was thinking about. I looked around for any potential threat, just in case, but was starting to get a feeling that both Viktor's and Yuuri's hearts pounded a lot for no reason that I could see. This was especially so when they were around each other.

When my boy spoke, his voice didn't betray how fast his heart was beating.

"Yuuri, do you have feelings for Minako?" he asked.

Yuuri dropped from a jump onto the bench. For a scary moment I thought he might take a tumble but he caught himself and kneeled, both feet now on the bench. His heart jumped in his chest before it also started pounding. There they went again.

"What?!" Yuuri asked. "No way!"

Viktor leaned closer to Yuuri. "Do you have a lover?"

I felt Yuuri start to pull away again. His voice as small when he said, "No."

Viktor pushed on, that determination filling him up momentarily, "Any ex-lovers?"

"N-No comment." Yuuri continued to pull away.

Quickly bored of their conversation, I stood and stretched, sniffing the ground before turning back to that stacked building. I glanced back at Viktor and Yuuri, they weren't paying attention to me when they really should've been, so I barked to get their attention and turned to look back at the stacked building.

My boy asked a question and the response Yuuri gave seemed to excite him. We took a short walk, closer to the stacked building. Then Viktor handed Yuuri his phone. My boy patted my head and said something I understood, "Picture, Makka?" I barked and wagged in response, making my boy smile and pat my head again before he put his arm around me and lifted my forelegs up so I was balancing on my hindlegs, leaning up against him.

Yuuri had turned the phone longways and was crouched down slightly.

Picture was a newer command I'd learned: I would usually sit very still, or in this case stand, and look at a phone or, what I learned were called, cameras.

When Yuuri stood, Viktor set me back down.

Viktor liked that picture a lot. When he took his phone back, he and Yuuri stood there, while he pressed a bunch of buttons on the phone. My boy was so focused on what he was doing, he didn't seem to realize the look Yuuri was giving him. I felt Yuuri's emotions shift and his heart started to pound again. When Viktor looked up from his phone, Yuuri's heart jumped before his emotions shifted again and began to slowly pull away. Viktor seemed completely unaware of this.

We went for a jog after that.

Whatever was in the picture made people go crazy, and the routine changed again. There were suddenly giant groups of people with flashing cameras and more people were visiting the onsen (that word took me a little more effort to learn). Big groups of those camera people and what Viktor called "fans" were also at the rink now. When Viktor did go in to do skating, Yuuri didn't join him. Not wanting to be around so many screaming people, I usually stuck with Yuuri as he did a ton of exercises I'd seen Viktor do a lot when he was smaller and had long hair.

I liked Yuuri. After getting used to his nervous energy, he was nice to be around because he gave me lots of love, lots of pets, and lots of belly rubs. When we were at the onsen, I was able to get him to sneak me food when Viktor wasn't looking. There were times that I made him sad, though, and I could never understand what I'd done to do that. Most of the time, it was perfectly fine but sometimes he'd look at me and I could feel the same dark ache bloom in his chest that was present in Viktor's. I wonder what he had lost and if I somehow had something to do with it.

Mostly, though, while Yuuri and Viktor were out, I stayed at the onsen. The nice older woman and man gave me a lot of love. Though, sometimes when they looked at me, they got that same dark sadness I just couldn't understand. On the bright side, I also managed to convince them to give me bits of these delicious round things made of bread that were often filled with the same meat bacon came from. They said "nikuman" a lot, so I figured that's what they were called.

Yuuri called the nice older woman, Okaasan, and the nice older man, Otousan. He said it with the same affection Viktor called Mom and Dad.

This routine didn't last long at all, either. Just when I had gotten used to the groups of people and flashing cameras, someone from home came to visit.

When my boy and Yuuri returned from doing skating, Yuri was with them.

I remembered Yuri. He yelled a lot. It scared me when I first met him but I soon got used to it. Mostly because I wasn't always around when he was yelling and whenever he was around me, he was quieter. When I was alone with him, he'd look around and get the same feeling Viktor got when we snuck around the house at night when we were both smaller, then he'd give me pets and belly rubs. Whenever someone came back in, he pretended like I didn't exist. It was very strange. I was just glad to get more pets.

Yuri's emotions confused me the most, though. He was extremely ambitious, much like Viktor. Unlike Viktor, he was also very angry a lot. Most of his anger seemed to be directed at my boy. Underneath that anger, I could feel admiration and amazement. Also, weirdly, directed at my boy. And whenever Viktor interacted with Yuri, my boy seemed to find Yuri's yelling amusing for some reason.

Some human things I would just never understand.

Yuri was talking loudly at Viktor, in that different way that Viktor and Yuuri spoke. It struck me that I hadn't realized Yuri also knew this way of speaking.

I had been taking a nap on Viktor's new bed when they came inside. Over the week, Viktor had unpacked some of the boxes and moved the rest into a large closet off the side of the room.

He'd had moving people bring in the other furniture and it was like he had crammed stuff from both a bedroom and living room into this smaller room. There was his bed and lamps, a small table, and two small sofas that sat in either corner of the room. It took some getting used after so long in the other apartment. Besides, all I really cared about was that my toys had been unpacked, too.

I hopped off the bed to greet my boy as the three of them came into the room. Viktor smiled and patted my head before going to sit on one of the sofas. I followed him, jumping up onto the seat next to him, resting my head in his lap. He put his hand on my back, petting me.

All three of them smelled like the rink.

Yuri had gone silent; he was looking around the room. Yuuri was also standing, watching Yuri.

"Talk about a hovel," Yuri muttered. "Where's my room?"

Yuuri had a nerves stacked on nerves reaction to Yuri's questions for some reason, "You're staying here?!"

Yuri's annoyance increased, both toward Yuuri and my boy, and he turned to face them, his voice rising in volume. "If you get Viktor to yourself all the time, it won't be a fair match! I'm staying here, too! All right?"

To my surprise, Yuuri's extra nerves seemed to subside. Perhaps it had been initial shock from whatever Yuri had asked.

"It's not like you care what I think," Yuuri said, shrugging.

My boy chimed in, "The hot spring is great."

But, like with their usual interactions, Yuri was just annoyed with what Viktor said. It was clear in his tone as he shouted, "I can't take a bath with other people!" He stomped toward the closet and stepped inside, even though there were boxes. "I'm going to sleep!" He slammed the sliding door shut. Not a moment later did I hear his stomach growl. Yuri slid the door open again with a loud bang. "Give me food! And a bath!"

Just as soon as they had come, the three of them left. I was tired and it seemed that Yuri was irritated, so I didn't really want to be around him at the moment. I stayed in Viktor's room, hopping back on his bed and taking another nap.

Yuuri's anxiety woke me up as he passed Viktor's room. I shook off my drowsiness before hopping off the bed and going to the door, which was just slightly open. I shouldered it aside so I could step through, just as Yuuri was exiting his room. I wondered what was wrong. He seemed more anxious than his usual self—anxious and restless.

He paused when he saw me and gave a quick pat to my head before continuing down the hall. Wondering where he was going, and his restlessness making me restless, I followed him out of the onsen and through town, running behind him. It felt good to get fresh air, air that had that salty tang to it that reminded me of home, and stretch my legs. When we began to cross a familiar bridge, I realized we were going to the rink.

Usually, I stayed outside and took a nap. But it was getting dark and I had never seen the inside of this rink, so I slipped in behind Yuuri before the doors could close. Yuuri greeted a woman behind a counter that was a few meters from the entrance. I followed Yuuri as he went to a group of benches off the right of the counter. I sat and watched him take off his sneakers and put on his skates. Despite his anxiety, he seemed really focused. He didn't look up once at me or give me any more pets, to my dismay.

Thankfully, that nice woman at the counter came over to me as Yuuri went through another set of doors, and gave me some pets. She spoke softly to me in that different way of speaking (the first different way, not the second) as she scratched behind my ears. She seemed very fond of me but I could also feel some kind of awe inside her, too, and wondered where that was coming from. I mean, I was a very good dog, of course. But I didn't think that's why she was awed. No one had felt particularly awed when I did tricks, they just mostly thought I was cute and a good dog.

After a good pet, she left to go do something less interesting. I sat at the doors Yuuri had gone through, watching him move across that expanse of white that I'd finally learned they just called the Ice. He didn't seem to be doing anything particularly rigorous like I was used to seeing others do when they did skating. His eyes seemed kind of far away as he glided slowly around.

Then I heard my boy's name, "Oh, hi, Viktor! Did you need something?"

I quickly went back to the other doors to greet him. He smiled when he saw me and kneeled down to ruffle my ears as he said, "I was looking for Yuuri. Minako said he might be here."

"He's here," that nice woman replied. "He's on the ice, if you wanted to go talk to him."

My boy stood. "That's alright. This might sound a little strange, but do you have a place I could just watch him for a little bit. I don't want him to know I'm here. I'd like to know how he would normally act if I wasn't with him."

The nice woman seemed a little surprised but she nodded. "Oh, sure. There's a booth off the side of the rink. There are some windows that look out on the rink. I'll show you."

I followed my boy, her, and a tall, large man who joined them, into a small room. They all stood at a counter, looking out through some high windows. I pushed myself up, putting my forepaws on the counter to try and see what they were looking at, too. Through the windows, I saw Yuuri again, gliding along the Ice.

The large man spoke after a silent moment, "He's always come here to practice by himself."

I could feel the warm happiness fill the nice woman up as she said, "It made me think that he must really love to skate." Then some kind of sadness overshadowed her warm feelings as she continued, "He didn't even play with his friends."

"Well, he was never very good at making them," the large man said. "Skating aside, he's not good at putting himself out there. I don't want this to be the end for him."

"Me, neither," said the nice woman, the sad feeling disappearing. "And he actually really hates losing. I hope you'll bring out a side of Yuuri-kun that we've never seen before."

Whatever they had said to him got my boy thinking. I recognized those feelings swirling inside him. Except, now, they weren't serious or frustrated or desperate. They almost felt like those happy, excited feelings he'd had that night at the Grand Final, when he first told me about Yuuri, except on a less intense level. And they weren't directed inward, they were directed toward Yuuri.

"So, a magic spell to change a little piggy into a prince…" Viktor mumbled. I recognized that way of speaking. The other two people asked him something, confused. "Nothing," my boy responded, in the new way of speaking, turning toward the door. I dropped from the counter and happily followed him. "Thanks. I know a lot more about Yuuri now."

We headed back to the onsen at a leisurely pace. Viktor had that silent talking expression the whole way.

The next day, things were a flurry of movement and energy, both good and bad. There was a lot of excitement but a lot of nerves. Most of the nerves were from Yuuri, some of them were from Yuri, which were buried under his usual angry feelings.

I also came the discover that everyone had added an O sound to the end of Yuri's name. It was very odd but perhaps it was easier for them to distinguish the two apart? They didn't look anything alike to me but whatever helped the humans.

I still couldn't understand why Yuri-O was living in a closet. It had been cleaned out for him but it was even smaller than the room Viktor and I were in. When they left for breakfast, Yuri-O had left the door to his room open enough that I could push it aside with my head to get through to investigate.

Yuri-O had his stuff spread around. It smelled of his cat, Potya. I had met his cat once and couldn't see the point of Potya. Potya didn't like to play and hissed at me a lot. As far as I knew Potya didn't know how to Sit or Stay or Shake.

I was interrupted in my investigating when Yuri-O came back. I paused and lifted my head as he entered the small room. He froze momentarily before looking behind him and getting that "sneaking around the house" feeling. Then he entered his room and came up to me to ruffle my ears. I sat down and wagged. I had learned not to bark, though, or he'd cut the pets short. I liked this side of Yuri-O the most because his anger went away almost completely.

Oh, I guess Potya did have a purpose because Yuri-O got that same feeling whenever he petted his cat.

"You're not Potya," he muttered in the way of speaking I knew, as he sat down and scratched my sides, "but you're still cute."

This went on for a little while longer but when my boy called for Yuri-O, he stopped petting me immediately and jumped up, peeking out of his room before ushering me out. He quickly grabbed a bag he'd set out by the door, then slid the door closed completely. Brushing past me and exiting Viktor's room just as my boy appeared in the door way.

Viktor looked between me and Yuri-O, who had already disappeared. I felt amusement wash over my boy and realized that perhaps he was aware that Yuri-O liked to give me pets even though Yuri-O always did it in secret. I heard another door close and Yuuri passed Viktor in the hall. My boy watched him go, excitement and happiness bursting inside him. Then he looked back at me, patting his leg and smiling at me.

"Come on, Makka," he said. I boofed and ran over to him, wagging. He patted my head and we headed out. Viktor rode that bicycle again, with Yuuri and Yuri-O running after him. I ran with them and stayed outside the rink again but was woken up when I felt the energy inside the rink change. It was a short burst but strong enough that I could feel it: shock, followed by anger, and disbelief, then an overwhelming sense of panic. That last one I figured was Yuuri.

This soon turned into determination.

The days following were very hectic. Whatever had happened in the rink the day after Yuri-O arrived, it increased the determination inside both Yuuri and Yuri-O. Not only that but it seemed to have excited the people in the city, too. The energy changed, the city buzzed with anticipation and fervor. Yuuri and Yuri-O trained harder, and all three of them were out at the rink for longer periods of time, doing skating.

Sometimes I would go to the rink with them, sometimes I would stay at the onsen. It felt a lot more like what I was used to back home. At least I knew where Viktor was, and I got to go to the rink way more often than when we were home. I got a lot more walks and jogs with Viktor to make up for not being able to go into the rink all the time. If I wanted, I could go out with Yuuri if Viktor went to the rink. I would've gone with Yuri-O occasionally, too, but I knew he'd just ignore me if others were around. It was nice to have more freedom in this new place.

It was also really nice to see Viktor so happy again. Certainly not as happy as he had been when he was smaller, but happier than he had been in a while, after that dark sadness had settled in his chest. It seemed that Yuuri still made my boy very happy, even if, at the same time, Yuuri did things that hurt Viktor. My boy's determination continued to increase every day. That darkness swirling inside him felt less and less potent the more determined he became. Nights were still pretty bad but that was to be expected. Darkness just did that to humans.

At this point in time, with all the skating and other stuff they were doing, I think both my boy and Yuuri were too busy to be confused about each other.

One night, a few days into whatever they were determined about, everyone was sitting at one of the tables at the onsen, eating dinner. I was sitting next to my boy, hoping he'd take pity on me and give me more scraps. Yuuri and Yuri-O were exuding exhaustion. They both had their heads resting on the table, next to their bowls of food. Their eyes looked distant. Viktor ignored them and ate merrily.

I could tell Yuuri was silent talking very hard because of how he was feeling. Then I felt a burst of inspiration and he shot up, slamming one of his hands on the table.

"I get it now!" he exclaimed. "Katsudon! That's what eros is to me!"

Silence followed. As Yuuri's inspiration shrunk, replaced by an overwhelming wave of regret, I felt Viktor's own emotions shift oddly. First it was initial shock from whatever Yuuri had declared. Then it was a lot of confusion, with a tiny pinch of hurt. Though, I wasn't sure where the hurt was coming from.

Yuuri sat back, his heart starting to pound. His voice wavered as he said, "Oh, sorry. It's not…"

Viktor tramped down on what he was feeling. "Okay, let's go with that. It's nice and unique." Yuri-O muttered something, entertained with whatever Yuuri had said.

Forgetting his food, Yuuri stood, exclaiming, "I-I'm going to go practice a little more tonight." Without waiting for a response, he ran out of the room, his usual anxiety returning, alongside an extra dose of nerves and embarrassment.

It was making me restless so I got up and followed him out of the onsen when he came back through. I was also a little worried about him. His exhaustion was completely gone, replaced by a frantic energy. My boy used to get that when he was younger and I knew from experience that even though he had a sudden burst of energy, it was usually short-lasting, and then he would crash. I wanted to make sure Yuuri would be okay, wherever he was going, if he crashed. Especially because it was already getting dark outside.

It wasn't too much of a surprise when we went to the rink. I managed to slip in again, and laid down at the doors that led to the Ice. I watched Yuuri glide across the Ice like he'd done the night Yuri-O had shown up. Anxiety still buzzed inside him but he wasn't doing anything rigorous, just gliding around, his eyes far away.

As expected, this didn't last very long. Yuuri's movements became increasingly slow until he'd come to a stop. At first, I don't even think he realized it. When he did, he blinked and went to exit the Ice. Even though these doors were clear, I don't think he realized I was there until he almost crashed into me. He blinked like he was seeing me for the first time. He smiled and leaned down to pet me.

I boofed and wagged my tail, which got him to smile bigger. He ruffled my ears, cooing at me before going over to the bench where he'd left his stuff and put his sneakers back on. When he'd packed up his skates, we headed back to the onsen at a slower walking pace. I could tell Yuuri was ready to fall asleep on the spot so I kept near him, brushing up against him and barking when I thought he might actually go to sleep.

Their rigorous training continued for a little while after that night. And a little while after that, a bunch of Viktor's stuff arrived at the onsen. I recognized all the fabric inside all the cases as my boy's old costumes. They still even smelled faintly of my boy. I didn't know why they were doing it but my boy, Yuuri, and Yuri-O were going through all the cases in Viktor's room. I didn't think I'd ever seen Yuuri so elated before as he was going through all the costumes.

I sat with Viktor in the middle of the mess, resting my head in his lap. Yuuri hopped around, talking excitedly as he held up the costumes. Yuri-O was less enthusiastic and slower, only muttering things to himself. But I could also feel the same awe in him as Yuuri had, he was just better at hiding it, I guess.

My boy had his own mixed feelings, going through his old costumes. He looked through the cases even slower than Yuri-O. Picking a costume up and looking fondly at it. This fondness came with nostalgia and also, somehow, made that sad ache in his chest increase. But every time Yuuri picked up something new, my boy would look over at him and his fondness would increase, directed at Yuuri this time. That sad ache he felt lessened, too.

Eventually, Yuuri and Yuri-O had picked out one of my boy's old costumes, I assumed, to wear. For what, I was a little unsure. But since they were costumes my boy had worn to do skating competition, that probably meant Yuuri and Yuri-O were going to wear them to do skating competition, too. That made sense but I didn't know of any skating competitions during this time.

It wasn't until later did I find out they were doing a skating competition but that it was taking place at the rink in town. I had to stay at the onsen but there was a television in the open room with a lot of low tables that I was able to watch. It didn't look like my boy would be skating, just Yuuri and Yuri-O.

Yuri-O returned to the onsen sooner than Yuuri and Viktor. I was still watching the television. Someone was asking Yuuri questions as he stood on a platform next to Viktor on the Ice.

Yuri-O was, as usual, angry. But this anger seemed painful, somehow. It was directed inward more than it was directed at my boy. He was also disappointed in himself. I recognized these feelings as something Viktor often felt after coming home without a metal, or when he no longer liked winning those bronze or silver metals.

I kind of wanted to continue to watch Yuuri and Viktor but I also wanted to comfort Yuri-O. I shifted restlessly, whining, trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Eventually, I decided to go comfort Yuri-O. I knew Viktor and Yuuri would be returning soon, so I would get to see them more. Right now, Yuri-O seemed like he could use some comfort.

I followed him up the stairs and into his closet-room. He'd left a small crack in the sliding door. I went up to it slowly, just so I wouldn't startle Yuri-O. I didn't want to be yelled at either because when he was angry, that was when he often shouted. I pressed my nose to the crack and sniffed at it. I heard Yuri-O come over to the door and slide it open enough so he could stick his head out and look around at Viktor's room. When he determined whatever it was he needed to, he opened the door wider and invited me in. He went to sit down on the edge of his bed and continued to pack his case.

I wagged and sat down next to him, giving his cheek a tentative lick. Yuri-O dropped whatever he was holding into his case but didn't go to pick up anything else. Instead, he stared down at his case with that serious, silent talking look that my boy often got. One of his hands came up to rest on my side. Slowly, he began to pet me. I crept closer, giving his cheek another lick. With a sigh, he moved closer to me and put both arms around me, resting his head against my neck.

Despite how much he yelled, Yuri-O was a good boy.

I don't how long we sat like that but then I heard footsteps and talking in the hall, and so did Yuri-O. He immediately moved away from me and began putting the rest of his stuff in his case. Just in time, because Viktor appeared in the doorway, pushing it open wider. I wagged and went up to him, getting a smile and pets.

"We're going to the beach in a little bit," Viktor said, looking at Yuri-O, speaking in the way I recognized.

Yuri-O snorted, his anger and disappointment sharpening. "What? To celebrate the piggy's win?"

My boy leaned up against the doorframe. I didn't feel the usual amusement from him whenever he and Yuri-O interacted. "Just for fun. We're going to have a picnic. I think Yuuri mentioned sparklers."

"Who's 'we'?" Yuri-O asked. I could tell he wanted to do whatever Viktor had suggested but was pretending to be uninterested. I found he did this a lot. I wasn't sure why.

"Me and Yuuri, of course," my boy answered. "Minako and Yuuko, and Yuuko's family. Mari's also coming." Viktor paused. "Think about it. You should come, Yura."

Yuri-O's head snapped up to Viktor, shock shooting through him, but Viktor was already turning away. I automatically began to follow him out but paused and looked back at Yuri-O. He had that silent talking look again. I wanted to still comfort him but since Viktor was here now, I knew he would just ignore me anyway.

Later that evening, more excitement was in the air. It wasn't as high-energy as the skating competition had been but the humans were still eager about something. The sun was a little above the horizon as we arrived at the beach. As soon as I saw the beach, I could understand the humans' excitement. I loved the beach. There was so much space to run through and the water was always fun to play and splash in. Though, this didn't count as a bath, much to my disappointment. In fact, it often led to a bath. But it was worth it because I could splash as much as I wanted without getting into trouble.

Several people had joined my boy, Yuuri, and Yuri-O. I recognized Yuuri's sister, Mari, and the nice woman and man from the rink, as well as their three small children. I couldn't tell them apart, even with their different names. They set out a large blanket and music began to play from a small box that someone had brought. Then they began pulling food from a large basket. I wondered if I would be able to sneak food from the other humans when Viktor stopped giving me little bites.

The food smelled delicious but I was only able to get a few scraps from my boy. Whenever I tried to sneak some from others, he somehow knew and would scold me. It wasn't like when I was smaller, though. If I began to creep over to someone else, wanting food and they would give in because I was just that cute, Viktor would say my full name in a lower, slightly more serious tone that I associated with being in trouble.

I'd let out a sigh or a whine and the others would laugh, amused at my woes. At least I still got lots of pets…and maybe a few more bites of food from those three girls who all looked alike. They were sneaky. I liked them. At one point, it almost became a game for them. Until that nice woman, whose name I finally figured out was Yuuko, caught them and scolded them. Thankfully, I was not scolded any more by my boy. I could tell he was amused and exasperated by my antics, though.

After the sun set, the food was put away and the basket set aside. At some point, some of them had started a small fire a few meters away from where they ate. It provided a nice warmth as the evening grew darker and a little cold.

Yuuri brought out long, thin sticks that smelled like charcoal, sulfur, and chemicals. Viktor handed his phone to Mari and asked something that had to do with Pictures, I think. They were speaking in that second new way. Then he kneeled in front of me and patted my head.

"Stay, Makka, okay?" he asked. I boofed. He smiled. "Good girl." Then he straightened up and went to join Yuuri and Yuri-O, who were standing near the fire. They stuck those long, thin sticks into the fire and to my surprise, the sticks lit up with a hissing noise. They shot off sparks and, for some reason, the humans were very amused by this.

My boy, Yuuri, and Yuri-O began running around, waving them through the air, making squiggles and drawing things. Mari, along with the three girls were holding up phones and cameras, taking pictures of the three boys. The other humans were chatting with each other or watching the three boys run around. When the sparklers died out, they grabbed a few more, stuck them into the fire, and started the process all over again.

I wanted to run around with them but Viktor had told me to stay. I wondered if it had to do with the long sticks that shot sparks. I didn't really like the hissing noise they made but I did like their brightness.

At one point, after my boy's stick had died down, he paused and watched Yuuri, who was doing dancing, still holding his sticks. I felt my boy's emotions shift and his heart began to pound really fast. Faster than it already had been from his running around. A little concerned, I stood and trotted over to him, bumping my nose to the back of his leg before going to sit beside him.

Viktor glanced down at me briefly, patting my head, before his eyes went back to Yuuri.

"He's beautiful, Makka," my boy murmured, "isn't he?"

Those emotions he'd felt during the Grand Final, and watching Yuuri skate, and being here with Yuuri returned, more potent than I'd ever felt them. Then a new feeling emerged. One that I didn't think I'd ever felt my boy feel before. It was warm, and spread through Viktor's chest, chasing away some of that dark sadness. It kind of reminded me of when sunlight would shine through the windows in our apartment back home and hit the spot I was taking a nap, and how it would gradually warm me up. This new feeling was gradually warming my boy up from the inside.

I looked back at Yuuri. This was as carefree as I'd seen him since Viktor and I had gotten here.

I heard laughter behind me and automatically looked at the people still sitting on the blanket they'd laid out when we first arrived. It had been Yuuko. She and the large man, Takeshi, were sitting closer together, practically sitting on top of each other. Takeshi was leaning back with his hands holding him up, legs stretched out. Yuuko was leaning against his side, her legs thrown over his. I think Takeshi may have said something funny.

Then I realized something: The warm feelings that my boy was currently experiencing was the same warm feelings that Yuuko and Takeshi were experiencing, except the warm feelings they had were directed toward each other. I looked up at my boy and realized that his warm feelings were directed toward Yuuri. I looked at Yuuri, whose sticks were dying down now and wondered if he'd ever feel those warm feelings toward my boy. I knew Viktor made Yuuri happy, that Yuuri liked having him here.

Maybe there was only so much I could do as a dog to make my boy happier but if I could help Viktor and Yuuri grow closer together, maybe Yuuri could give my boy the happiness that he had lost so long ago, the happiness that he deserved.

as always, i hope you enjoyed! comments are much appreciated!

thank you for reading,
thebrightestnight