Written as a gift for the Yuri! On Ice Secret Valentines 2017! Details (and the giftee!) can be found on my AO3 (link in profile)

1

Makkachin had always known she'd be a fantastic matchmaker. Whenever her Victor put on romantic movies with dogs in she made mental notes on all the ways a dog could help their owner meet The One. Honestly, she'd been somewhat put out that Victor had found his Yuuri without even letting her trip them up by tangling her leash around their legs, or 'accidentally' pushing them into a duck pond.

Well. She'd pushed Yuuri over the first time they'd met anyway, after months of watching Victor dancing aimlessly around his room and tacking the few posters of Yuuri he could find up inside his wardrobe. So the timings had been a little out of order. She hadn't played a part in their meet-cute. Whatever. It still counted. She was a great matchmaker.

(The less said about those dangerously tantalising steamed buns the better.)

With the arrival of Victor and Yuuri's wedding, though, she saw new opportunities to test her love guru mettle. Though she'd been stuck at Yuuri's for most of that fateful Grand Prix – and since, because the Russian skaters were terrible at looking after her during skating season- , the emotions of ice skaters were always easy for her to read. None of them were as emotional as her Victor. She knew what to look for.

The wedding should have been small. When they'd started planning, all the guests could have stayed in Hasetsu comfortably, with room to spare. Neither Victor nor Yuuri had intended for Victor's many aunts to find out. Luckily, they'd mostly booked themselves in to the closest hotel, after hours and hours of Victor shouting himself hoarse over the phone.
Makkachin had only met one or two of Victor's aunts. They scared her. Their perfume made her sneeze. And they fussed her too much! No, Makkachin liked the other skaters far more than Victor's extended family.

The first guests arrived with a cheery pattern of knocks at the door.

'Phichit!' Yuuri burst into the hallway, skidding in his socks as he raced to the door. 'You're here!'

Phichit flung his arms around Yuuri, rocking forward on his toes as he greeted his friend.

'Couldn't let you panic about your impending nuptials on your own, could I?' He let Yuuri go and smiled at him. Makkachin took the opportunity to greet Phichit as well by sticking her face in his crotch. '-Hey!' Phichit pushed her away and gave her a scratch behind the ears. Mm. That was a good spot.

'I'm glad you're here, Phichit. It's been so hectic these past few weeks.' Yuuri pushed his glasses back up his nose.

'I'm ready to help!' Phichit stepped to one side and gestured with a flourish. 'And I brought backup!'

Flustered, Guang-Hong was inching through the doorway, desperately trying to wrestle his luggage back from an overeager Leo.

'Yuuri! It's good to – look, you really don't have to carry that – see you again!' Guang-Hong's attention was split between greeting his host and prising Leo's fingers off his bag one by one.

'Congratulations, Yuuri.' Leo smiled. '- you carried everything all the way here. Let me take this!'

Makkachin cocked her head. Interesting.

'Are those guests, Yuuri? Send them my way and I'll show them their rooms,' Mari called, poking her head out from down the hall, 'If you'll take over on dusting with Victor here.'

Phichit rearranged his bags and set off cheerily down the hall, Guang-Hong and Leo still fighting over luggage as they trailed behind him. Makkachin waited with Yuuri. She wanted to go and find out more about the other skaters – and dusting made her sneeze – but Yuuri was her new second master. And she loved him.

'Go on then, Makkachin.' Yuuri scratched her neck. 'I don't think you'll want to be underfoot while we're cleaning.'

The rest of the day was full of excitement. She spent a lovely fifteen minutes in Guang-Hong and Leo's rooms, trying to mix up clothes and the like to create the perfect excuse for them to talk to each other, but after Leo tripped over her and went crashing down (luckily onto his bed) she was ushered out and both doors slammed. She made sure to nose the key to the door that went between their adjoining rooms through the gap beneath Guang-Hong's door before she left, though.

Yurio was next to arrive, still drowsy from his flight. He shoved her away as soon as he walked through the door, and immediately retired to his room. Hiroko had kept it set up for him since his last visit, and sometimes Makkachin liked to sneak in and sleep there, too. It smelt like him. Though she knew Yurio needed no protection, he still smelt like something that needed protecting. Like a kitten. He usually put up with her snuggles.

He seemed more sad than usual. Makkachin resolved to take a break from her superb matchmaking mission to get to the bottom of that mystery.

JJ, too, seemed sober in comparison to the past times Makkachin had met him. He always annoyed her greatly, with his arrogance and overly-familiar manner. But… somehow, it seemed wrong that he wasn't energetic. He greeted Victor with a tight smile, his back rigid. His fiancée looked equally unhappy. The conversations between them – that Makkachin had heard before Isabella gently pushed her out of their room and shut the door – were stilted. Not aggressive, but somehow wrong. She'd actually whined and scratched at their door to let her back in, determined to at least offer a fluffy and warm pillow to those in need, but her cries went ignored and she had to stop before she gouged the wooden door.

Michele and Sara had somehow met Emil at the airport, much to the ire of the former. By the time they'd arrived at Hasetsu, Michele had convinced himself that Emil was trying to make a move on Sara again, and it was his job to stop it from happening. The chaos kept everyone busy all evening.

Everyone but Phichit had gone to bed. He was sitting in one of the downstairs rooms, wrapped in a blanket, going through his emails. Makkachin was curled drowsily around him, growling softly whenever he shifted. She liked Phichit. He was warm, and kind, and matched her in energy whenever she had a mad moment. Watching Phichit smile at his phone, Makkachin felt thankful that her Victor had gone on this amazing adventure. He – and therefore she, too– had gained so many new friends. That gave her treats. And pats. And snuggles. They knew how to treat a fine lady like Makkachin far better than Georgi ever had. (She had learnt that lesson the hard way after investigating a box of chocolates Georgi had flung to the ground in despair after finally breaking up with one of his terrible girlfriends.)

She was broken from her thoughts by a firm knock at the door. Phichit – who had been slowly drifting off to sleep – lurched up, dropping his phone in surprise.

'I suppose I should answer that, then.' Phichit whispered to Makkachin. 'Will you guard me, girl?'

Makkachin huffed a yes, licking Phichit's hand. She padded beside Phichit to the front door.

She barely recognised the haggard figure on the other side, clothes rumpled and hair at all angles.

'Seung-Gil?' Phichit beamed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. 'I didn't know you were arriving today!' Seung-Gil shrugged, his bags sliding down his arms.

'My flight was delayed. I should have been here hours ago.' He pushed past Phichit into the hallway. Makkachin watched him appraisingly. He smelt like a friend, but he treated people so coldly.

'You…you must be tired! I don't know Hasetsu well, but I can show you to your room! I was helping Yuuri arrange everything this morning~'

'That would be helpful.' One of Seung-Gil's bags slid further down his arm. Phichit leapt to help.

'I'll get that!'

He carried on chattering to little response as they made their way to the guest rooms. Makkachin followed behind, keeping an eye on the curious newcomer. She wasn't sure if he'd actually noticed her at all.

'-and that quad loop! I know it's your signature move, but damn! You're so slick on the ice…' Seung-Gil listened to Phichit quietly, dark eyes heavy with fatigue.

'Hey, you should really get some sleep.' Phichit carefully put the bag he was carrying on the floor, and took Seung-Gil's other bags to do the same. 'If you want, I can show you around tomorrow?'

Makkachin wouldn't have been able to say no to Phichit's pleading eyes.

'…Mhm.' Seung-Gil nodded once, then turned away from Phichit in an obvious dismissal.

'I'll see you tomorrow, then! For breakfast!' Phichit patted Makkachin on her head, then left the room, leaving the door open a crack so Makkachin could nose her way out.

She hopped up onto Seung-Gil's bed, watching his muted double-take amusedly as he finally realised she was in the room. He immediately reached out to scratch behind her ears.

'You're beautiful, aren't you?' Seung-Gil sighed, letting his fingers drag through her fur.

He carried on unpacking in silence. Makkachin had almost dozed off by the time he finally crawled under the covers.

'…' There was a pregnant pause. Seung-Gil took breath to say something, then thought better of it.

'He's so… friendly.' He curled into a ball beneath the covers. 'His on-ice persona seems so much like his real one.' He reached out again to pet Makkachin. 'What do you think of him? Is he as nice as he looks from his skating?'

As this work was a gift, it's fully up on my AO3 already. I've just never had the experience of spacing out chapter postings before and I'm excited to finally have a go at it! There are only five chapters and this will most likely update daily :)