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"Don't tell Yor," papa whispers as he tosses Bond a treat. "Understood?"
With a tippy-tap of his feet, Bond silently complies. His maw opens to accept the fake bacon; not the worst thing in the world as far as treats go. He'd rather have real bacon, but papa isn't that generous. At least not this morning, anyway. He's too busy making food for the rest of the family to spare him any, but Bond doesn't mind. He gobbles up the treat in one big munch and exhales. Papa smirks and goes right back to work cooking eggs and sausage. Bond plants his rear end on the floor and stares up at him earnestly. He waits for something to happen, and in a moment he gets his wish.
The familiar plop of accidentally dropped food echoes throughout the kitchen.
Papa pauses. He looks down at his feet, then over at Bond, then sighs.
"Go ahead," papa halfheartedly grumbles.
He goes back to work cooking, while Bond fulfills his duty as the Forger pup. Like a convenient vacuum, he inhales the food in one foul swoop and makes it appear like nothing ever happened in the first place. Once that's completed Bond promptly turns to walk away, as if knowing that would be the only time papa will drop any food for him.
Something else catches his attention. The sounds of cap guns and villainous banter fills his soft ears, and Anya's laughter follows soon after. His tail starts wagging and he knows where it's coming from; the usual spot where the two of them sat on the weekends, right in front of the TV. Bond scurries over to the living room, but not before he's stopped in the dining room by mama. She doesn't see him at first. A heavy laundry basket blocks her view of him, and it isn't until he gives a low boof that mama stops in her tracks. She sticks her head out over the basket and smiles.
"There you are!" Mama beams at him at first, but an inquisitive look soon paints across her face. "What were you doing in the kitchen?"
Bond can hear papa cringe. Mama doesn't have ears like him though, and she quickly relents. "Well, anyway, I've got your collar here. Nice and clean!"
Bond's tail wags faster. He waits impatiently for mama to set the basket down and shuffle through clothes in search of his collar. She fishes it out a moment later looking better than ever. Bond immediately plomps down on the floor obediently and waits for her to wrap it around his neck. Mama straightens the bow-tie until it's just right and gives him a big smile.
"Very handsome!" she compliments.
Bond sits up a little straighter.
Mama gathers the laundry and heads into the living room to go fold it all. Bond trots alongside her, though he has no intention of helping her (no thumbs). Instead, he waddles over beside his best friend in the whole world. Anya's face lights up as he collapses into a furry heap next to her, and for a moment she forgets all about bondman. Her little arms wrap around him and she smiles.
"Did you break papa down again?" she secretly sneers at him.
Bond gives another boof and a tail wag; that was doggie talk for mission accomplished.
Anya giggles and buries her face into his fur. If he could blush, Bond would be doing so at that very moment. Instead he just pants with an obvious smile on his face and stares up at the TV screen. Spy Wars plays on like always. The sound of sizzling breakfast emanates from the kitchen. The lavender smell of freshly laundered clothes wafts through out the living room.
Bond closes his eyes. Opens them, and suddenly there's static.
He blinks and looks around. Still there's static; a clear sign that he's stuck viewing the future.
Bond scans the room once more, and still his family's there. Things seem different, though. He looks to Anya and finds her much taller than before. Her hair's longer, too, and she looks a bit more like mama. Bond tilts his head. He looks over at where mama was sitting and finds her still there, only papa's there, too. They're sitting together. They look mostly the same, with the exception of a stray gray hair or two. Papa has his arm around mama. They're watching TV together, all four of them. Bond wags his tail. He blinks again, and suddenly he's looking at himself now.
The face he sees is familiar, but by far the most different. His cheeks are sunken. He's a lot thinner now. His tail isn't as poofy as it used to be. He seems tired.
Bond tilts his head. His future self sits beside the older Anya and rests his head on the floor. She says something to him and he wags his tail, but doesn't move much besides that. Despite his muted reaction, Anya smiles big and bright and scratches the back of future Bond's head. Bond sees this and his own tail starts wagging, too. There's a chuckle from papa and a giggle from mama, and the four of them go back to watching TV like before. Bond closes his eyes and opens them again once more.
He's back in the present once more. He finds Anya holding him again. He's still wagging his tail.
She breaks away from him and turns her attention back to Spy Wars. Bond does the same, and together they laugh at the antics on the TV as Yor watches while folding laundry. Papa announces that breakfast is ready, but nobody really makes an effort to get up. He walks into the dining room annoyed and goes to summon everyone again, but finds them all settled firmly in their spots. His eyes narrow. He considers for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he relents. A moment later and he returns with plates and silverware in tow. For once, they'd eat in the living room.
He sets up breakfast on the coffee table. Once everything's done, Anya rushes over for her plate. Papa chides her for being impatient, while mama warmly defends her. Bond continues to sit in the same spot and watch them. For once, he isn't hungry. He patiently waits for Anya to return and together they resume their morning routine. Sitting in front of the TV watching Spy Wars. Mama picks at breakfast as she chips away at the laundry. Papa eats his food and pretends not to be interested Anya's cartoon, despite watching intently, anyway.
Bond lays down slowly. He breathes and gives a big sigh in content.
Whatever the future has in store for him, he at least knows that he'll always be loved.