If you came back to this story after a year of not knowing whether it would finish, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support! This is the final chapter and it's longer than the other chapters and you get a little flash forward epilogue at the end :)

By the time the store officially opened on Tuesday morning, Yuuri was already exhausted. Rolling his shoulders, he regretted not asking Yuri or Otabek to come in and help unload all of the delivered supplies. Had he remembered to ask, they would have gladly shown up for measly cost of fifty dollars each and two free bags of cat food, but Yuuri had been so caught up in spending time with Makkachin the night before that he had forgotten. Vowing to never make that mistake again, Yuuri cracked his neck one last time before unlocking the front doors for the day.

Moving behind the counter, his head shot up when the front door chime sang over the store. Normal Tuesdays usually didn't bring customers until mid-morning, those taking advantage of newly delivered supplies and promotional discount hours on the dog baths. It was rare that anyone was at his door so quickly and Yuuri studied the pretty woman as she approached his counter.

"Hi Yuuri!" she chirped, placing a coffee cup and a folded paper bag on his counter.

Her name popped into Yuuri's mind as he spotted the logo on the cup. "Good morning, Isabella. Is… is this for me?" He didn't want to get his hopes up, even as Isabella nudged the tempting smelling coffee closer to him.

"Yup! Your boyfriend called this morning and said that he was tied up on a big project and couldn't surprise you. He offered to pay me to deliver this to you. I didn't take his money to deliver, don't worry! I just thought it was so sweet, I couldn't resist!" Isabella grinned as she told her story, leaning on Yuuri's counter with her chin propped up on her hand. "He really is the sweetest man, Yuuri. I bet you are the cutest couple!"

Feeling his ears burn, Yuuri couldn't help his ridiculously big smile. Wrapping a hand around the paper coffee cup, he took a tentatively sip, relishing in the warmth trickling down his throat. "JJ makes great coffee, but this is amazing. It must be your doing." He felt his own blush fade as Isabella's darkened.

"Aw thanks! I love making coffee but JJ has his own style, you know? The foam art is my specialty." She continued to linger, playing with the display tags on the small hooks in front of the counter.

"Oh!" Yuuri ducked under his counter and grabbed a small bag. "My distributer brought me some of these to give out as samples. Any chance you want to let Rex try them and let me know if he likes them?" Sliding the treat bag across the counter, Yuuri couldn't help picturing JJ and Isabella's twenty-seven pound cat. For a butterball covered in fluff, Rex still acted like a kitten and spent most of his time wandering the coffee shop looking for food scraps to steal.

Plucking the bag from the counter, Isabella flipped it over to look at the ingredients. "These look fancy! I am sure he will love them. Thank you!" Leaning over the counter, Isabella caught Yuuri in an awkward one-armed hug. "Gotta run, make sure JJ doesn't get distracted and burn the place down. Enjoy your breakfast!" Pausing at the door, Isabella looked back. "And don't forget to invite us to the wedding!"

Choking on his coffee, Yuuri listened to Isabella's laughter carry down the street. He was on day three of knowing Victor and he definitely was not already thinking about marriage.

Okay, he wasn't really thinking about marriage. Googling doggy bridesmaids dresses and miniature suits was a totally normal thing to do at five a.m. when he couldn't sleep. He definitely hadn't stumbled upon a Pinterest account with dog themed wedding ideas, nor had he started an account of his own so he could save pictures of said ideas. Marriage was definitely not on his mind. For sure.

As if reading his ridiculous thoughts, Makkachin looked up at him with her eyebrows raised. "Oh hush," Yuuri joked, shaking his head and grabbing the bag from JJ's café. Unrolling the top, Yuuri discovered a giant chocolate muffin and a plastic wrapped dog cookie. "Your daddy is going to fatten us both up," Yuuri commented, carefully unrolling the treat intended for Makkachin. "Sit," Yuuri commanded, waiting until Makkachin obeyed and then handing her the treat. It warmed his heart seeing how gently she retrieved it from his fingers.

Pulling his own breakfast from the bag, Yuuri dragged his stool closer to the counter, plunking himself down and taking a large bite. The sweetness filled his mouth making him groan in happiness. Unlocking his phone, he sent Victor a one-handed text. "Thank you so much for breakfast! You're the best!" He followed the last word with a number of hearts and then snapped a quick picture of Makkachin who was happily gnawing her treat between her paws. "Makka says thank you too!" He watched the three dots appear next to Victor's name and took another bite of his muffin while he waited for the reply.

"Glad you like it! Makka too! Busy day today but I can't wait to see you tonight! Are you coming as soon as the store closes?"

Yuuri smiled at the emojis with heart eyes that appeared between all of Victor's sentences. "Yup, we'll be there. Close at six and then we'll drive over." He had contemplated walking, but with his overnight bag and the way his back was feeling from handling stock himself, Yuuri decided driving would be best.

"Great! I will see you then! Love you both!"

Yuuri blinked at his phone, the word love sticking out as if it was in bigger font than the rest of the sentence. Not knowing how to respond, Yuuri abandoned his food on the counter and squatted down next to Makka. "Come on, girl, let's take a selfie for your daddy." Encouraging her to ignore her treat for a moment, Yuuri put his arm around her and held up two fingers while winking. He quickly sent the picture with the caption "you too!" and then threw his phone on the counter, determined not to think about it for the rest of the day.

Besides, he had his own project to think about and that did require enlisting the help of his favorite grumpy adoption employee. Pulling up his email, Yuuri quickly drafted a paragraph to Yuri with Minami cc'ed to fulfill part of the request. Even thinking about something so small, Yuuri's heart was tripping all over itself and he knew he would be anxious until they responded.

Although it was a simple project, it would help Yuuri distract himself from the rest of the day and get him in the mood to celebrate with Victor and Makkachin that night. The nerves about spending the night were undeniable but looking down at Makkachin happily draped across his foot, Yuuri knew that he wouldn't miss the opportunity to spend another night with her. Smiling to himself about the literal dog pile they would hopefully all make in Victor's bed, Yuuri refreshed his email again and excitedly saw Yuri's snarky response popping up. Heart still doing somersaults in his chest, Yuuri was ready to put his plan in motion and survive the next few hours of his day.

Victor promptly saved Yuuri's picture and applied it as the background on his phone. He had been a little horrified at his overstep, distracted by the recipe he was staring at and attempting to respond to Yuuri as if he wasn't in the grocery store trying to find ingredients for Yuuri's favorite dinner.

When he had sent the email after their date, he had forwarded it to Chris, Phichit and Minami to ensure that one of them would respond. All three responses had come within minutes and had shared the same information.

Yuuri's favorite dish was called katsudon and he preferred his mother's recipe over anyone else's. Feeling far too shy to ask for the contact information for Yuuri's mother, Victor was relieved when Phichit's email contained a PDF of the exact recipe needed. Out of gratitude, Victor had sent a coffee and donut delivery to the rescue, hoping that he had estimated enough for anyone working that morning, and he had scheduled a pizza to be delivered to Minami around lunch time.

Proud that he only had to ask for the location of two ingredients, Victor guided his basket to the cashier while mentally reviewing what else he needed to do. There were bags of clothes to be donated and flowers to be purchased along with picking up the banner he had ordered for express printing. At the print shop he would also pick up the pictures Minami had emailed him and he had confirmed that they had frames for purchase. Then a just-in-case stop at the drugstore before racing home. After his errands, there would be organizing and decorating to make sure tonight went perfectly.

The only thing Victor was currently regretting was that he hadn't completed his application for Gold's adoption until almost one a.m. and he was positive he wouldn't hear back from Phichit or anyone else at the rescue before Yuuri and Makkachin arrived at his house for dinner. It made his surprise and his request feel like it was missing something, but Victor hoped that Yuuri wouldn't feel the same way. Even if he wasn't allowed to adopt Gold, Victor was happy with the little family he was creating with Makkachin and Yuuri. At least, he hoped Yuuri wanted to be a part of that family.

Using his nerves to fight his tiredness from barely sleeping the night before, Victor carried his shopping bags into his kitchen and carefully lined all of his ingredients on the counter. Nodding at his own organization, he retrieved his keys from where he had tossed them on the table and headed back out to complete the rest of his checklist.

"Katsudon!"

Poking his head from behind a rack, Yuuri spotted the source of his most absurd nickname at the front of the store. Dusting his hands off on his jeans, Yuuri grabbed a box of wet cat food from the nearest shelf and walked to the front to greet his friend.

"You're lucky I like you," Yuri said, hopping up on the stool behind the counter. "This is the cheesiest thing anyone has ever asked me to design. And I work for Phichit." Laying the laminated paper on the counter, Yuri crossed his arms over his chest.

Yuuri managed to not roll his eyes at Yuri's innate snark. As the graphic designer for Phichit's rescue, Yuri's talents couldn't be denied by anyone, but his attitude was a sharp contrast to the sunny and bright designs he created for his job. Yuuri had always found the duality of Yuri's personality fascinating, especially when it came to how he interacted with people versus how he interacted with animals.

Placing the box of cat food on the counter, Yuuri pushed it toward Yuri. "For you. I know it is a favorite in your house." Not pointing out the way Yuri softened immediately was a success that Yuuri felt internally proud of. Nodding in response to Yuri's soft "thanks," Yuuri gingerly reached for the smooth plastic in front of him. "You laminated it?"

"Look, don't get all mushy on me. I saw that guy and how you two were, and from what Chris said he is probably the type that is going to save everything you ever give him… so I figured… this way it would last." Yuri shrugged a shoulder, not making eye contact with Yuuri and instead bending down to stroke Makkachin's ears.

Lifting the sheet, Yuuri admired Yuri's skills with regard to layout and placement. He hated to ask Phichit to keep Gold's approved adoption a secret, but Yuuri really wanted to be the one to tell Victor. Handing him the laminated certificate surrounded by a border of the pictures Minami took seemed like a creative way to surprise Victor with the news.

"You know, it's your fault that Phichit now wants one of those certificates for every adopter." Yuri scowled. "But I will forgive you because your man sent enough coffee and donuts to the rescue this morning for an entire army. He does know there are… like… five of us that work there full-time, right?"

"Victor did what?" Yuuri felt his face flush thinking about how much teasing Phichit was going to do now.

"Sent Minami a pizza too," Yuri commented, pulling out his phone and unlocking to show Yuuri the pictures. "Phichit put the pictures up on Insta, declaring Victor the adopter of the month. If Phichit wasn't already taken, I'm sure you would have competition by now."

Yuuri laughed, picturing the squeals Minami (who often forgot to eat lunch) had probably let loose upon discovering a giant pizza being delivered to his door. He could imagine Phichit's surprise as well, and his love for his boyfriend grew more, even knowing that he probably would face some good-natured ribbing from his friends.

"Chris said he invited him to class on Friday night, are you prepared for that?" Slipping his phone back in his pocket, Yuri was unaware of the heart failure he had just caused Yuuri.

"Class? You mean… pole class?" He hadn't exactly told Victor about his favorite cardio activity or about the fact that the class he took mostly consisted of the guys from the rescue. Wincing, Yuuri stared at Yuri and waited for an answer.

"Oh please, don't act like that's some sort of burden. Your dumb ass is the best in the class and I'm sure Victor will have to be treated for various injuries when he falls off the pole or bangs his head because he can't stop watching you." Flushing red, Yuri jumped from his seat, grabbing the box of cat food. "You tell anyone I said that, and you're dead meat."

Chuckling, Yuuri crossed behind the counter, forcing Yuri into a hug which Yuri refused to reciprocate. Yuri was surly but Yuuri knew better than anyone but Otabek that there was a sweet side hiding underneath all the sass and leopard print. Letting Yuri go, Yuuri ducked under the counter and retrieved the rest of the free sample treats he had received that morning. "Take these too, the kittens should be able to eat them as well as the big cats. And thanks for helping me out. I appreciate it."

"Yeah whatever," Yuri balanced the box of treat bags on top of his cat food and headed for the door. Pausing with the door partially open, he looked at his feet as he talked. "Good luck with whatever you're doing. Your boyfriend seems… eccentric… but you look happy when you think about him, so good for you two or whatever." He fled from the store, the door banging shut before Yuuri could respond.

Picking up the certificate Yuri had made for him, Yuuri couldn't help the cheek-aching smile that broke over his face. The idea was definitely cheesy, but he knew Victor would love it and he couldn't wait to see his boyfriend's face when he read the good news.

Feeling more relieved that he had earlier that morning, Yuuri slid the certificate under his counter for safe keeping and went back to stocking his shelves with Makkachin following along with every step.

Victor stared at the phone number sitting on his phone, completely terrified to hit dial. Throughout his career he had talked to everyone from CEOs and CFOs of the country's largest companies to small business owners. Never had he been so intimidated by a possible phone conversation that he couldn't simply hit dial.

But this was Yuuri's mother. The human who had brought Yuuri into existence and one half of the parental units who had raised Yuuri into the adorably perfect man who Victor had fallen for. It didn't matter how many times Phichit had insisted that Hiroko Katsuki was the nicest woman alive nor did it matter that Phichit had called her and gotten permission to give Victor her number, Victor couldn't bring himself to make the call.

Around him the house was perfectly decorated, banner hanging proudly where it would be seen as soon as Yuuri walked into the dining room and brand new blue and gold plates were laid across the table. There was a platter of dog cookies that Victor had made from scratch and a cheesecake tucked into the middle shelf of Victor's fridge with fancy little serving bowls filled with chocolate sauce, strawberries and caramel. Dessert wine was chilling in the wine cooler and bottles of sake were arranged on the table. Victor had even found cloth poodle napkins for the occasion.

Half of his closet was now empty and there was a second dresser built and sitting next to his own. New pillows were stacked on the bed and a second duvet covered the bottom half designating a place for Makkachin. Although he might have been too presumptuous in his planning, Victor wanted Yuuri to know he was sincere and showing was better than telling.

Yet he had hit a snag in dinner preparations. Try as he might, the pork cutlets didn't look anything like the picture he had discovered on Yuuri's Instagram. He wasn't sure if they were undercooked or overcooked, but Victor had desperately called Phichit and begged for help. Fifteen minutes later, he had received a text with Yuuri's mom's phone number and thus began his current mental meltdown.

"You can do this, Nikiforov," he said out loud, bouncing from foot to foot as if he was going into a fight instead of calling his boyfriend's mother. "This is for Yuuri. Phichit said it was okay. You! Can! Do! This!" Slamming his thumb on the call button before he could hesitate any longer, Victor lifted the phone to his ear and waited.

"Victor!" Hiroko answered, sounding chipper and excited. "Phichit told me you would call! Yuuri has told me about you and I can't wait to meet you!"

All of the tension bled out of Victor's shoulders as he listened to Hiroko speak. He remembered the way his own mother had been openly welcoming to all of his friends, and immediately felt the sting of tears in his eyes. Wiping them away with his finger, Victor cleared his throat to fight back the lump growing there. "Hello, Mrs. Katsuki, it is a pleasure to speak with you. I'm sorry to call you for advice, but I want to make katsudon and I am screwing it up… royally." Victor blushed at the laugh filtering through his phone.

"Alright sweetheart, can you switch to camera mode? Yuuri taught me how to do this so let's do this right!" Her cheerful face appeared on Victor's screen as soon as he hit the video call button and he felt his heart melt. Hiroko had the same bright smile as her son and Victor found himself wishing he could hug her.

They stayed on the phone for an hour, Hiroko gently guiding Victor through all of the steps needed and praising his success. In between each step, she asked him questions and answered his questions in turn. Victor felt as if he had known her for years, instead of just sixty minutes and he found himself feeling sad when it was time to end the phone call.

"Good luck tonight," Hiroko winked, her smile as bright as it was when the call began. "I know he'll say yes, if the way he talks about you is any indication. And I expect to see you both on Saturday night for dinner."

"Yes, ma'am," Victor responded, grinning at Hiroko's giggle on the other end of the call. "Thank you for all of your help. I can't wait for Saturday."

"Me either!" Hiroko said cheerfully, a hand coming up to wave. "Goodbye, Vicchan!"

"Goodbye!" Victor waved back, his thoughts stopping for a moment when he heard the name she called him. It is an affectionate form of Victor in my native language, he remembered Yuuri saying and his smile brightened.

Dinner was perfect, the house was perfect and now all Victor had to do was shower so he could be perfect too. Determined to stay calm and think positive, Victor threw his apron into his laundry basket and headed to take a quick shower. He had less than thirty minutes until Yuuri arrived at his doorstep and he had to be ready. His future depended on it.

Attaching the leash to Makkachin's collar, Yuuri adjusted her big red bow which matched his own red sweater. He had taken multiple pictures of their coordinating looks, sending them to Phichit to ask for opinions. His friend had unfortunately collected opinions from everyone at the rescue causing Yuuri to become flushed and nervous, especially with some of the more lewd comments inquiring as to how easy his outfit would be to remove. Phichit had also called to make sure Yuuri wasn't packing "gross pajamas" and was pleasantly surprised to find out that Yuuri had closed the store for an hour to purchase new pajamas with a matching set for Victor. This information brought on another round of Phichit's teasing, but Yuuri found himself not minding it so much. If Phichit's teasing was the price he had to pay for having someone like Victor in his life, Yuuri was happy to pay in spades.

Tugging on Makkachin's leash, Yuuri smiled down at her. "Ready to go home?" he asked, his smiling turning bittersweet when she excitedly woofed. After tonight Yuuri's apartment was going to feel very quiet and he wasn't prepared to think about it anymore. Focusing on the night ahead instead, Yuuri led Makkachin out of the back of the store and toward his car, ready to spend their first night in Victor's home.

The front door to Victor's house opened and Yuuri was immediately hit with the smell of katsudon. Stopping in full shock, Yuuri dropped Makkachin's leash and barely managed to kiss Victor back when he leaned in. "Is that… do I smell…?" It smelled almost exactly like his mother's katsudon and Yuuri could feel the rumbles starting in his stomach.

"It's katsudon!" Victor declared, unclipping Makkachin's leash with one hand while taking Yuuri's bag from his shoulder with the other. Dropping the back in the foyer, Victor grabbed Yuuri's hand. "I was told by a little birdie that it is your favorite. Well, technically, three little birdies." Pulling Yuuri toward the dinner table, Victor paused to let him read the banner.

In blue and black the words "Welcome Home Makkachin!" hung above the table. Yuuri grinned at the professionally made banner, remembering Yuri's comment about Victor being eccentric. The covered dishes were also on the table and the smell of katsudon was undeniable from underneath their lids. "Victor, this is so sweet! But… you didn't make katsudon for Makkachin did you?"

Quickly deciding against teasing Yuuri, Victor shook his head. "Our girl gets grilled pork and rice. I didn't know if dogs can have eggs and I thought the sauce wasn't a good idea either." His rambling was interrupted when Yuuri kissed him.

"You are the sweetest person," Yuuri remarked, cupping Victor's cheek and watching the sparkles in Victor's eyes. "I'm excited to try your katsudon. I hope it's… eatable." Yuuri snickered when Victor looked at him with a look a betrayal.

"Maybe now you won't get any," Victor teased, moving to pull out Yuuri's chair for him. "And I worked so hard on this too!" Wrapping his fingers around the nubs on each silver cover, Victor lifted them to reveal the bowls of katsudon. His heartbeat raced as Yuuri's eyes went wide.

"Oh wow," Yuuri leaned over his bowl to inhale the delicious scent of his food. "Victor, this smells perfect! It smells just like my mom's." Not waiting for Victor to settle into his seat, Yuuri plucked the plastic chopsticks from inside the fold of his poodle napkin and dug into his bowl. "Ohmagawd," Yuuri moaned, closing his eyes in ecstasy. "How…" Digging in for another bite, Yuuri couldn't complete his thought due to being overwhelmed with deliciousness.

"I video chatted… with your mom," Victor took his own chopsticks in hand and immediately dropped then when Yuuri began to choke. Slamming his chair back, Victor jumped to his feet pounding on Yuuri's back. "Yuuri! Yuuri! Breathe!" he yelled while Makkachin threw herself onto Yuuri's lap.

Waving Victor away, Yuuri smacked his own chest, coughing through the rice he had attempted to inhale. Reaching for his wine glass, Yuuri took a sizable gulp and stared at his bowl. "My mother?" he croaked, raising an eyebrow as Victor returned to his seat.

"Um, yes?" Victor played with his chopsticks, not eating despite being insanely hungry and dying to try the food in front of him. "Phichit told me you liked her katsudon the best and sent me the recipe, but I couldn't get the pork right so Phichit sent me her number and then we video chatted while I cooked so that I wouldn't screw it up because I wanted everything to be perfect and…"

"Victor!" Yuuri grabbed Victor's fidgeting hands. "Breathe!" he laughed, lifting Victor's right hand and kissing his knuckles. "It's fine, my mother probably loved every second of it. I just… she didn't say anything embarrassing… did she?" When he had arrived at Victor's doorstep he anticipated the most awkward part of their evening would be discussing Yuuri's pole dancing, but now he had an entirely new potentially awkward conversation on his hands. He had talked more about Victor to Mari than anyone else in his family, but his mother knew enough details to make life embarrassing.

"No," Victor shook his head vigorously. "She said you had talked about me, which made me really happy and invited us for dinner on Saturday." Finally feeling calm enough to eat, Victor dug his chopsticks into his bowl and shoved a bite into his mouth. "Wow, this really is good. I can't wait to try your mom's!" Scooping up more food, Victor stuffed it in his mouth not caring about how fast he was eating.

"Saturday, huh?" Yuuri asked, settling into his own food and trying to wrap his head around Victor talking to his mom. He didn't mind the idea like he thought he should, instead he imagined how happy his mom must have been to get that phone call. She had asked him the day before when she would get to meet Victor and it seemed that Victor had already answered that question. Little wings of nervousness fluttered in Yuuri's stomach, but he realized they were fueled more by excitement than worry. He wanted Victor to meet his family, and Yuuri couldn't help the smile widening on his face as he continued to eat.

"Saturday, yes," Victor confirmed, sipping his wine. "Seeing as how we will be busy on Friday night." Luckily, he waited to make the comment while Yuuri was in between eating and reaching for his wine glass so another choking incident was avoided. Calmly, Victor set down his wine glass. "Chris invited me to… your class… I don't have to go if you don't want, but… I saw some pictures…"

"Oh no," Yuuri groaned dropping his head in his hands. It was one thing for Chris to have invited Victor to join them, Yuuri had almost gotten over this decision, but he had no idea exactly what kind of pictures Chris had in his possession. Yuuri pointedly never looked at Chris's phone so he could remain ignorant on this matter.

"You're stunning, Yuuri," Victor put his hand on Yuuri's knee under the table. "I don't mean to embarrass you, but after seeing the pictures, I jumped at the chance to say yes. I commend Chris for not making fun of me for drooling." Squeezing Yuuri's leg, Victor guided his mind away from the image of Yuuri dangling from the pole by only his powerful thighs. "I really want to see you in action."

Redness seeped over Yuuri's cheeks, covering his ears and burning down his neck. Yuri's reassurances about his skills filtered back into his mind and Yuuri clung to them as he nodded his head. "You can come. I… I think… from now on wherever I go… I would like you to come too." The words tripped from him before Yuuri could make them stop and he glanced up at Victor to make sure he hadn't made him uncomfortable. Catching the watering of Victor's eyes, Yuuri leaned over the table to kiss Victor's cheek. "I mean it, you know."

"I'm… really happy to hear you say that…" Reaching to the empty chair across from Yuuri, Victor picked up a box and placed it next to Yuuri's bowl. "I was going to wait until after dinner, but I have a present for you." Nervously, Victor fiddled with the ostentatious bow on the top of his gift.

"Wait," Yuuri pushed his chair back and stood. "I have a present for you too." Feeling his stomach bounce with nervousness, Yuuri went to find his bag in the foyer. Retrieving the thin box, Yuuri returned to the dining room and placed it in Victor's hands. "Open yours first," he requested, too nervous to be able to concentrate on anything beyond giving Victor the news about Gold.

"I…" Victor wanted to argue, but he decided not to, feeling his own excitement welling up inside of him. Tearing off the ribbon Yuuri had tied around the box, Victor carefully slipped his finger underneath the wrapping paper. Moving his empty bowl to the side, he shook the lid from the box and set it down before folding back the tissue paper.

A full ten seconds passed as Yuuri watched Victor read the paper laid inside of the box. The silence that hung in those ten seconds made Yuuri's mind scatter into an angry swarm of thought hornets, his fists clenching and unclenching over his thighs. Victor had filled out the adoption application for Gold so Yuuri assumed he was serious about wanting to adopt the tiny puppy, but as Victor stared into the box, Yuuri began to question himself.

"Yuuri…" Victor finally looked up, eyes wide and face beaming. "Really? He is going to be ours?" Unbelieving the beautiful certificate surrounded by pictures of himself with Yuuri and their two dogs, Victor couldn't get his voice louder than a whisper. Everything he wanted was represented in this box and now he was even more excited for Yuuri to open his own present. When Yuuri nodded, Victor got out of his chair and moved back in to Yuuri's space to hug him. "Thank you so much! I love this. I know where I want to hang it… but that has to do with your present…" Kneeling by Yuuri's chair, Victor pushed his wrapped box toward Yuuri. "Will you open it?"

Having Victor on his knees next to Yuuri's side was causing the blood to thunder in Yuuri's ears. He didn't know why Victor was kneeling, but there was a part of him that was terrified to find out. Without looking at Victor, Yuuri carefully untied the bow on his package, closing his eyes before opening the lid.

Inside were carefully arranged frames, each showing a different picture taken by Minami. Some of the pictures were featured in the certificate Yuuri had given to Victor while others Yuuri hadn't seen before. Trailing his fingers over the largest picture, a photo of himself and Victor laughing while Makkachin and Gold licked their faces, Yuuri could feel himself getting emotional.

"Yuuri," Victor began, hearing the shake in his own voice, "I know we haven't known each other very long, but I have never met anyone like you and I… well… I want to raise our little dog family with you… so…"

"I'm not ready to get married," Yuuri blurted, stunning himself and shocking Victor into silence. "I mean… wow… ok… like I really, really like you and like I really want to spend… pretty much every minute with you… but-"

Bursting out laughing, Victor drop his head onto Yuuri's thigh, feeling Makkachin slump onto his back. Yuuri's stuttering wasn't funny, but Victor's nerves were bubbling too high and Yuuri's terrified stammering had snapped some of the tension inside of him. "Oh Yuuri, I'm… I'm not asking you to marry me. Not yet, at least." Wiping a hand down his face, Victor took both of Yuuri's hands in his own. "I was… well I was going to ask you to move in with me." Afraid to see Yuuri's facial expression, Victor kept his eyes trained on their intertwined fingers, feeling relieved when Yuuri didn't pull away.

"Move… in…" Yuuri processed the thought, mind going a million miles a second while trying to decide how he felt about the suggestion. Rationally, he wanted to tell himself it was too soon to contemplate such a significant change, but his heart didn't really care about rational. The idea of waking up to Victor, Makkachin and Gold every morning and piling into bed with their little family every night made Yuuri's heart beat with pure joy. Screw rational, Yuuri thought, tugging Victor up with him when he stood to throw his arms around Victor's shoulders. "Yes!" he shouted, making both of them jump. "I mean, yes… I'll move in with you." The last word was muffled by Victor's lips pressing in for a kiss. Sighing, Yuuri happily kissed back, loving the way he could feel Victor's smile against his lips. "You know, you could turn the space above my store into an office. Then we could take the pups to work with us every day." Yuuri squealed when Victor picked him up and spun him in a circle.

"I love that idea! Oh! Let me show you the bedroom! I made room for you!" Putting Yuuri back on his feet, Victor dragged him toward the bedroom, stumbling when Yuuri tugged him back.

"You made room for me?" Yuuri teased, kissing Victor's cheeks when they turned red. "You were that sure I was going to say yes?" He loved the way Victor's smile turned sheepish.

"I was hopeful. Really hopeful. You'll see." Scooping Yuuri up in his arms, Victor carried him toward the bedroom, ready to show Yuuri how much Victor wanted him to stay.

Later, after the dishes were done and they were tangled beneath Victor's bed sheets in their matching poodle pajamas with Makkachin draped over their legs, Yuuri ran his fingers through Victor's hair, smiling about his own luck. "I'm so glad you came into the store," he said, kissing Victor's forehead and resting on the pillow Victor had bought just for him.

"It's weird," Victor said, sounding contemplative. "When I was walking to your store on Sunday, I had this feeling that my life was going to change. I thought it was because I was going to find a dog, but it turns out, I found a family." Tears caught in Victor's eyelashes and he didn't bother to wipe them away. "I'm really excited to see what happens next," he whispered, scooting closer to Yuuri.

"Me too," Yuuri agreed, wrapping his arms around Victor and pulling him to his chest. "Sundays were always my favorite days, you know?" He smiled as he snuggled closer to Victor, feeling Victor sigh. "But I think… with you… and Makka and Gold… I think that every day is going to be my favorite now."

With Victor's arms securely around him and the weight of Makkachin over his legs, Yuuri smiled knowing that this wasn't the last night that he was fearing, but instead it was his first night with his new family. And today was the first of all his favorite days to come.

Epilogue

Eight paws scurried over the kitchen floor where Yuuri was kneeling, trying to tie ribbons around two very wiggly necks. He laughed as his cheeks were licked, hands shaking with excitement as both dogs tried to climb into his lap instead of cooperate with his plans. "Alright, alright, Daddy's going to be home soon, we have to be ready with our surprise! Sit!" Carefully, Yuuri adjusted the sign around Makkachin's neck and the ribbon around Gold's tinier one. "Do you think Daddy will say yes?" Yuuri asked nervously, looking at the happy faces of their dogs for reassurance. Standing to straighten his own shirt, Yuuri held up a hand to keep the dogs sitting when the sound of keys in the door set their tails into hyper-wag mode.

Victor had been gone for nearly two weeks for his first work trip since Yuuri had moved in. Over the last year they had been spoiled with uninterrupted time together, enjoying every moment including the days of moving Yuuri's things into their home and Victor's work things into the office above Yuuri's store. Settling into life together had been a wonderful form of chaos, and Yuuri had loved every single minute it. Minus the last two weeks when he had to sleep without Victor in his arms.

It was perhaps that separation that had caused Yuuri to visit the town's jewelry store and had him returning to the same set of rings over and over. His sister and Phichit had each visited the store with him, agreeing with his choice and encouraging him to take the leap. In the end, it had been the visit Yuuri had taken with his mother that he put him over the edge, purchasing both rings while his mom stood teary-eyed next to him.

"Yuuri?" Victor called from the foyer, dropping his bag and coat, eager to tackle his entire family to the ground. Two weeks had been fourteen days too long to be separated from his boyfriend and their adorable dogs and Victor wanted nothing more than to somehow hug all three of them at once.

The sound of clambering feet made him smile and Victor dropped to his knees with his arms open, catching both dogs as they jumped at him. Being lavished by doggy kisses, Victor felt something poke his head and he curiously looked down at the sign hanging from Makkachin's neck. "Girl, what do you have…" He read the words to himself, rereading them repeatedly until he followed the arrow which he assumed was supposed to point to Gold. Catching his smallest furbaby by the waist, Victor lifted Gold up to examine the ribbon around his neck.

Quietly, Yuuri moved into the foyer, intently watching Victor's reactions. Getting down on one knee, Yuuri reached over to untie the ribbon around Gold's neck, catching the rings as they fell into his palm. Taking Victor's hand, Yuuri looked at him hopefully. "So… will you?" When Victor nodded enthusiastically, tears running down his face, Yuuri slipped the gold band onto his finger.

Trying not to openly sob, Victor took the other ring from Yuuri's hand and held it up. "And will you…" he asked, struggling to finish his question with his emotions spilling over. When Yuuri nodded, Victor slid the finger onto Yuuri's finger and then immediately tackled Yuuri to the ground. "I always thought I would be the one to ask," Victor babbled, kissing Yuuri over and over while their dogs joined in and climbed all over them.

"I wanted to surprise you." Holding Victor's cheeks, Yuuri smiled up at him. "Welcome home, Vicchan," Yuuri whispered, "sorry I didn't get a banner made." Together they started to laugh, arms holding each other close while they furbabies continued to nudge their way into the pile.

Yuuri finally got to his feet, kissing Victor again and heading into the kitchen to pull dinner from the oven. Victor watched Gold follow him, weaving between Yuuri's feet and making Yuuri laugh. Getting to his own feet, Victor picked his bag up from the floor and let Makkachin lead the way to their bedroom.

He passed the wall covered in pictures, starting in the center with the pictures from the day they first met Gold and spiraling out from there in a collection of all their memories from the past year. He tripped over Gold's favorite plushie in the hallway and scooted Makkachin's bone out of the way with his foot. Entering the bedroom, he saw Gold's blanket curled in its usual balled nest and Makkachin's stretched out over Victor's side of the bed. All of it little reminders of the home they had made together.

Sitting on the bed, Victor patted the space next to him, curling his arms around Makkachin's neck and burying his face into her hair. "I'm so glad you found your way to Yuuri," he said, lifting his hand to admire his new ring. "And thank you for helping me find my way to both of you."

Music floated in from the open bedroom door and Victor grinned immediately recognizing the song that he had associated with Yuuri since the very first day they met. If someone had told him a year ago that he would have two dogs, a fiancé, and be happier in life than he ever thought possible, Victor would have told them that they were nuts.

Now, his life was silliness, and a bit of chaos, and more love than Victor had ever known to hope for. Walking from the bedroom with Makkachin prancing behind him, he happily stepped into Yuuri's waiting arms and let himself be led around their living room as their dogs watched from their seats on the couch.

And in the little house with the perfect blue door, Yuuri and Victor found they had everything they needed to be happy for the rest of their lives.

Together can never be close enough for me
Feel like I am close enough to you
You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you
And you're beautiful
Now that the wait is over
And love and has finally shown him my way
Marry me
Today and every day

If you enjoyed this please consider checking out my other YOI fics! There are even more posted on Ao3 under the same user name :) Thank you for reading!