He plays even when he is tired. He smiles even when he is sad. He is forever rubbing the spot behind my ear that I like. I like.
Papa whispers about his Miliy when we are alone (sometimes papa calls him Yuuri too). Miliy smells like the ocean and the kitchen and gives secret smiles when I follow him around.
They speak to each other in a language I can’t understand, but I watch and I guess. I’m very good at guessing. Papa’s ears twitch when he’s excited, and Milly scratches the back of his dark hair when flustered. They mumble words for hours just to be together.
When they part to go to sleep, he sometimes has a longing look as I follow papa to our room. So I turn back, and I guess. I whine to papa and paw at his leg.
Papa asks, “What is it, Makka?”
I let him know with looks back toward the ajar door at the end of the hall. “Ah, so he’s got you too,” he whispers fondly as his eyes follow mine. He kneels down in his doorway and ruffles the fur on my head before he says, “Go to him. It’s ok.”
My papa is always kind.
I go, and Miliy smiles until the morning dawn.
We go to the beach once they both wake. There are gulls shrieking, and I run in circles after gulls, gulls, gulls. Papa whistles for me to stay close. They walk side by side, stealing glances at each other.
And when Miliy turns to look at papa, they exchange a meaningful look as if they want something but are both too worried to ask. My papa stops and reaches down for a stick. He throws it into the air overhead. And there’s sun, and laughter, and a kiss. And I run for the stick, stick, stick.
“I’ll always remember and love the years I had with you.”
before anybody throws me to the kerb, I promise Maccachins not passed away – I just remember being told some older doggo’s really benefit from having a younger pup around (and it puts Maccachin at ease to know his humans are gonna be OK…when…yknow)
Viktor and small pupper Makkachin playing hide and seek all the time. Viktor closes his eyes and counts to ten while hearing Makkachin scamper off as she tries to find a place to hide. He also makes places easy for her to hide in like he opens the closet door so she can hop in or tilt the laundry basket over so she can burrow into the clothes. But it’s too easy to find her because all Viktor has to say is where has his baby girl gone and Makkachin comes running out in an instant with happy barks as her small legs make her way to Viktor as quickly as possible. And Viktor just falls onto his knees so he can hug and snuggle his small floof because he loves her so so much.
v-niliforov 
