Wild Dog 1

(My friend’s cat, Snickers, shall start off this story. She is very excited. Full of enthusiasm. She’s asleep.) 

The connecting flight had gotten delayed due to an incoming snowstorm. Pursing his lips, Blake looked up at the growing board of cancelations he’d been standing in front of for the past thirty minutes. His flight had long-since been added to it, but he’d hoped that the few other ones that would land him somewhere close to his intended destination, would still be available. 

Unfortunately, as the board flickered again with an updated list with three more flights added, he knew that his luck had run out. Turning away from the baggage claim, he began wheeling his single suitcase toward one of the large exit doors. His body ached as it began to snow outside, making him hesitate leaving. 

If it really is going to storm, the airport might not be accessible even when the planes do resume flying. It might be smarter to wait here…

But at the same time, he honestly couldn’t find the willpower in himself to turn around. 

The weather looks like it’s going to be bad for at least two days. Might as well go find a hotel and get some real rest. 

With his mind set, he waved down a taxi and hopped in. Since he wasn’t exactly set on a specific place, he just requested to be dropped off in the middle of the nearest town. To his surprise, the nearest town wasn’t exactly as big as he was used to. Sure, there were some big buildings and quite a lot of shops around, but when the car finally stopped and let him off on a street that had quite a bit of hotels on it, he was beginning to have second thoughts. 

He considered calling another cab, since his wasted no time speeding out of the area once he’d grabbed his suitcase from the trunk, but as the snow began to fall faster, Blake decided to just try his luck with a hotel. That was  why he’d come into town, anyways. 

The first two he tried were right in front of him. One was nearly three-hundred a night, which was ludicrous, while the other only had a smoking room available. It had been hard enough to kick the habit. He didn’t want to put himself in a position where he smelled the temptation constantly. 

Next and next. 

He tried three more along the long, deserted street, but again, no luck. By the time he got to the corner, where one final, little hotel sat, he was completely absolutely freezing and shivering like crazy. 

Just go inside and sit down if they don’t have a room. 

If he stayed outside any longer he was definitely going to become hypothermic. So, he stepped inside, pulling the door open with a shaky hand. The inside was surprisingly-well taken care of and the scent of cleaning products was just present enough to tell him that the entrance was cleaned recently. 

I’m honestly impressed. Wasn’t expecting much from this place considering some of the others’ I’ve seen. 

Hesitantly hopeful, he tugged his snow-dusted suitcase up to the desk and tried to smile around his chattering teeth. 

“Hello, do you guys happen to have a room available by chance?” 

The guy sitting behind the desk didn’t need long to look through his computer before slowly shaking his head. 

“I’m sorry, we’re all booked up.” 

Of course you are. 

Sighing, Blake turned to look outside. The snowstorm was really raging now, leaving him stranded. 

“Um… would it be okay if I just took a seat for a bit?” he asked, hoping that he could warm up and at least rest for a while. He doubted that the storm would calm down anytime soon, but at least he’d be warm and inside. 

“I’m terribly sorry sir, but we don’t permit non-hotel guests to use our accommodations.” 

  A chair… is an accommodation? 

He could tell that the guy was actually embarrassed by what he’d said, because his face was turning red as he rubbed at the back of his neck. 

“I’m sorry, but it’s policy. I can’t afford to get fired for not following it. They check the cameras…” 

Should have stayed at the darn airport. 

Grudgingly, Blake turned back toward the front doors, but then paused and tilted his head, confused. 

That’s… a really strange looking dog. 

When the oddly-colored mutt didn’t move away, and instead sat down, Blake glanced over his shoulder at the desk worker. 

Not even paying attention anymore. 

He didn’t understand the allure of messing around on a cell phone. Perhaps he was just an old soul, even though he was only in his early twenties. Returning his attention to the dog, he noticed that it was lifting its chin slightly while letting its giant ears droop to the side slightly. 

Such an odd looking thing you are. 

He took a step forward, intent on just going around it… but then he noticed what was in its mouth. 

A keycard? To a room here? 

His heart immediately began to hammer against his frozen chest as he hesitated to move forward again. 

Feeling stranger danger from a weird looking dog. That’s a new one. 

“Wait a second…” 

Stepping forward a few times, he stopped about a foot away, then knelt down. 

“You’re a shifter, aren’t you?” 

The pup seemed a bit startled by the amount of space he’d closed between them, its body language making it crystal clear that he’d come a bit too close. Blake quickly scooted back another foot, then smiled when he saw the dog untuck its tail and lift its huge ears. 

“That’s better, hmm?” 

The pup nodded immediately, making its big ears flop forward, then tilt backwards to standing tall before it cautiously leaned down to set the keycard on the floor. Blake watched as its bright amber eyes refused to leave his for even a second, making the wheels in his brain begin to turn in another direction. 

I wonder what happened to you.

The odd looking dog straightened back up and trotted a short distance away as soon as it was able, then looked back at him and flicked its black and white tail. 

I guess my luck is looking up… or I’m about to be kidnapped by a tan-themed tie-dye dog. 

Shrugging with a tired smile on his face, Blake reached down and picked up the keycard, flipping it over to look at the room number as he slowly got to his aching feet. 

Cold weather is not my friend. 

He noticed the dog hurry toward a door at the far side of the office before it turned back toward him and sat down. 

I’m coming, I’m coming. 

Blake hurried over, but made sure to slow down as he got close so that the strange dog could adjust where it wanted to be. Unsurprisingly, it took a few steps back so that he could open the door and wheel his suitcase through, then darted past him once he stepped behind the tall pane of glass to hold it open for him. 

Thankfully, the hallway was inside, but the walls were quite thin because even though he could tell that a heater was on, it wasn’t handling the blizzard outside very well. They walked all the way to the end, then turned the corner and walked for another few seconds before stopping in front of a door. 

“Three-hundred. This is our stop…” Blake said, his voice growing quiet as he finished speaking. 

He hadn’t thought too much about his situation up until that point. Now that he was standing in front of the door with the keycard in his hand, he was beginning to have cold feet. Quite literally, but also figuratively. 

Glancing sideways, he licked his lips and swallowed down his nerves as best he could. 

“Hey bud… umm, there isn’t a group of steroidal-muscle men behind this door ready to kidnap me or do other untoward things, right?” 

He expected the pup to give him an are you serious?  look, but when it simply backed up quickly, then leaned up onto its haunches in a silent beg  position, Blake frowned. 

“I’m not sure I like that you’re begging me to open the door, but I guess I’m at a loss right now. If I don’t stay I’m going to be thrown outside into that blizzard, and it didn’t look like any of the other places in this area were open besides the hotels I’ve already been to,” he said on a sigh as he stared down at the keycard. 

One other thing that’s bugging me is that he’s definitely a shifter, but I can’t hear him. There isn’t even a tiny bit of static… 

Shaking the remaining doubt from his head, Blake brushed his sandy blond bangs from his eyes and slid the keycard into its slot. The lock chimed immediately, then flashed green, signaling that it was unlocked and that he was free to walk into his doom whenever he felt ready. 

Well, here goes nothing. 

Blake turned the handle, then pushed the heavy door inward. The second he stepped inside he was enveloped in an incredible cloud of warmth. He forced his frigid body to walk three more steps into the room, then let it sink down to the floor. The sound of the door clicking shut mixed with his sigh of relief and the dog’s paws as it bolted past him and farther into the room made it all seem final. 

My eyes just grew five times heavier than they had been ten seconds ago. 

He hadn’t even realized that he’d leaned over against the single bed in the room until he heard a quiet yip from across it. Forcing himself to look up and not let his eyes slide closed, Blake noticed the little goth-rainbow dog look into what had to be the bathroom, then back at him a few times as it danced on its little paws. 

Oh, right. I’m still pretty darn cold.

He really didn’t want to get up, but the dog had a point. If he fell asleep right then, he could definitely get sick.

“You’re right,” he said as he forced his exhausted body back to its feet with the help of the bed. 

He nudged his shoes off as he walked, nearly tripping himself as he did so. Somehow, though, he made it to the bathroom after grabbing a pair of pajama pants, then turned on the bathtub after pressing the drain-stopper into place. While the tub filled up, he quickly removed his shirt and sweater, then reached down for the waistband of his pants, but paused when he still felt eyes on him. 

Before he could look up, though, the pup was out of the doorway. 

Okay, locking the door. 

He walked forward to do just that, but when the old, little handle lock didn’t move at all, he frowned. 

Okay, shutting the door. 

He pushed it closed, then removed his pants and underwear. After relieving himself quickly, he washed his hands and hopped into the tub. 

I found heaven on Earth…

His aching muscles soon began to relax after having been tense for so long because of the cold. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to stay awake for much longer, though, so he forced himself to scrub his body with one of the tiny, unopened complimentary soap bars. Once he was done, he leaned back and decided to relax for just a few moments. 

What is licking me…? 

It took a lot of effort to peel his eyelids open, and it took a lot more time for him to realize what was happening. 

“Excuse me, sir,” he mumbled as the strange dog licked his nose one final time, then sat back, panting quietly with its long pink tongue hanging out. 

He was just about to reprimand it for opening the door and letting itself in, as well as for licking his entire face repeatedly, from what he could feel of the drying saliva on his skin, but when he tried to sit up to do just that, he felt terribly dizzy. 

Oh damn, how long had I been asleep in the bathtub? 

Long enough, evidently. 

“I take back my upset. Thanks for waking me up,” he said as the little dog gave a tiny excited hop with its front feet, then backed up to the door’s entrance before sitting down again. 

Blake chuckled and shook his head slowly before turning to face it. 

“Thanks for waking me up, but I’m still not offering a free show,” he said as he pointed to the side, making it clear that he wanted the dog out of sight while he got out. 

It hesitated for only a moment before turning and walking away. 

Shaking his head one more time, Blake rinsed off his face, then pushed himself up on weak, but warm arms. He knew that he was going to fall asleep again soon, so he hurried to towel off, then tug on the pair of pajama pants he’d brought. He returned to his suitcase to grab his toothbrush and toothpaste real quick, then got that chore out of the way in less than a minute.  

Once done, he flicked off the bathroom light and hobbled toward the bed. The little dog was curled up at the bottom of it and its tail began thumping hesitantly as he approached. 

“I promise I won’t bother you. Where would you like to me sleep?” he asked, knowing that he didn’t automatically have rights to the bed just because the pup blessed him with a warm room for the night. He would be perfectly fine sleeping on the floor, if told. 

The pup tilted its head from side to side for a few moments, clearly contemplating the question, then stood up and pawed at the blankets covering the bed. 

“It’s okay?” he asked, wanting a nod just for extra confirmation. 

The pup gave out a quiet little noise as it bobbed its head. 

Thank god. 

Blake quickly got into the farthest side of the bed so that he wouldn’t bother the dog, then closed his eyes as his body began to relax immediately. 

“Hey, by the way… you aren’t going to try and kill me in my sleep, right?” he asked, not really expecting an answer. 

When he heard another chirping grumble sort of sound, he raised an eyebrow, but didn’t open his eyes back up. 

“I hope that was an agreement sound,” he mumbled as he began to drift off, his body and mind too tired to stress any further about the strange dog’s motives. He fell asleep with the feeling of eyes on him, and while it was a little unnerving, he appreciated the dog’s hospitality and hoped that he hadn’t made a mistake by accepting it.

Wild Dog 2

(Pepperjack has her ducky and is now ready!) 

“Ravi, why is there a person in here?” 

Huh? 

Blake wanted to jump out of bed immediately and get ready to defend himself against whoever had woken him up, especially since his abilities weren’t working again, leaving him unable to read the new man’s mind, but he quickly tamped down his nerves and forced his body to remain relaxed as he heard him walk closer. 

Everything in him wanted to go on the offensive, but he knew that the man walking up to him would be waiting for him to try something, too. So, he forced himself to stay calm as the footsteps finally stopped at his back. 

He could hear the little goth dog whining somewhere a short distance away, but it was clearly not interested in intervening in whatever the man planned to do. Which, Blake found out a moment later, was reach over and press his cold hand against his forehead. 

“Fever…” 

The man sighed as he moved his hand to Blake’s cheek, then neck. 

It really was uncomfortably cold, but at the same time, it felt so good. 

“I suppose taking care of one more couldn’t hurt,” the man eventually said as he removed his hand and began walking toward the bathroom. 

He could easily make a run for it if he got up right then, but honestly, once the guy had mentioned him having a fever, he realized just how exhausted he felt. 

I don’t think I can even make it to the door, let alone open it and get down the long hallway to the exit…

He was considering whether he should keep pretending to be asleep or just force his eyes open when he began coughing uncontrollably. 

Shit. 

So much for pretending. His throat was even getting uncomfortably rough as he fought with himself to quell the terrible coughing fit. 

“Here, lean back,” came the same voice from a few moments ago as the man’s too-cold hands gently guided him to lean back against more pillows than he’d initially thought were there. 

Before he could rasp out his thanks there was a paper cup being pressed against his lip. He didn’t think that he was honestly that thirsty, just super tired, but when he felt the cool liquid flow between his lips he couldn’t stop himself from downing the entire thing greedily. 

He would have probably choked on the water with how fast he was trying to gulp it down, but the man refused to pour it fast enough for him to make that mistake… thankfully. 

“Hang on a second. I’ll refill the cup,” he said before the weight Blake hadn’t realized was depressing the bed beside him disappeared. 

He waited quietly as he heard the water turn on in the bathroom, but was distracted when he felt a warm tongue gently lick at the tips of his fingers where they rested near the edge of the bed. 

Ah, the little dog. 

He slowly lifted his fingers in response, allowing the dog to nudge its wet nose into his hand. 

“What a good, strange dog,” he said, coughing slightly as he finished speaking. 

“His name is Ravi,” the man said as he returned to sit on the edge of the bed. “He’s an African wild dog shifter. They aren’t too common, but he’s a sweetheart.” 

He seems like it. Has a cute name, too. 

Blake slowly forced his eyes to open the slightest bit so that he could try and see what the man next to him looked like, but they didn’t seem to want to focus so he let them slip closed again after a few moments. The cup was then returned to his lips and he began to drink again, but this time much slower. 

“There you go,” the man said in a voice that sounded like he was trying to help a scared animal instead of a sick man. 

Wait a second…

Blake immediately pushed himself up and yanked the covers over his exposed, scarred chest, his abrupt action splashing the little bit of remaining water onto the bed beside him as the cup slipped from the man’s hand. His eyes narrowed on the blurry person in front of him as he began to tense up. 

To his surprise, the guy’s form immediately retreated all the way back to the bathroom door before he slowly lowered himself to sit on the floor. 

What?

Blake managed to blink away most of the blurriness after a few more moments, but the exhaustion was harder to combat, making him have to hold his weight up on a shaking arm so that he didn’t collapse back into the pillows. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” the man said as he leaned back against the doorjamb and settled one hand on the floor, then draped the other calmly over his leg. 

Blake pursed his lips as he fought with himself to calm down. The guy hadn’t been trying to hurt him, but he’d reacted to his scars, and that had made him feel uncomfortable enough to want him to move away. 

He did move, though. It’s okay to calm down now. 

His previous lover had been extremely rough with him, and while he’d enjoyed the attention and authority he’d provided, the damage to his body had gotten to be too much. Of course, there was also quite a bit of damage to his psyche, too, but he wasn’t going to delve into that. He was a man and could push through the mental stuff on his own… eventually. 

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just noticed your scars and it startled me a bit,” the man said with a cautious, but warm, smile. 

When Blake didn’t respond right away, because honestly, he was still panting quietly and trying to think through the growing fog in his mind, the guy tilted his head slightly and patted his knee. 

The gesture was a little strange, but when he saw the little dog run over and wiggle its way into his lap, he realized that it had been a signal to it, and not him. 

I could definitely use that kind of attention right now, but I don’t think I could handle it. 

He’d literally just run away from the only person he’d ever seriously dated. The man that he’d been with for nearly three years. The man he— shouldn’t be thinking about, ever again. 

“Would it be alright if I asked for your name? Mine is Wyatt, and I’m a pretty well-known BDSM dom here in town,” he said, making Blake’s eyes widen in surprise. 

He’d just left that lifestyle. Packed up his stuff and gotten the hell out of town.

And now…

“I’m sorry if me saying that was the wrong information to convey, but your injuries look like they’re from severe bondage play…?” the man said, his words turning into a question toward the end as he hugged the strange little dog against his chest gently. 

Blake wanted to tell him that he shouldn’t have said anything, but honestly, he was beginning to relax a little, and it was probably partly because the man before him actually knew what his injuries were caused by. Most people would have probably gone straight to the police if they’d found a sick guy with so many fresh scars, but the man now looking down at the little dog in his lap, who was swishing its tail in a wild circle, made it clear right away that he wasn’t going to judge his situation right away. 

He also had a bit of a country accent, which was honestly a little disarming, too, considering what he’d previously said. He’d never met a dom from the countryside, but it made sense that they were everywhere.  

I guess just exchanging names can’t hurt. It’s not like I’m going to stay here much longer. 

He was just going to state his name and be done with it, but when the man’s calm, light brown eyes landed back on him, he couldn’t help but be courteous. 

“My name is Blake… I-I’m just passing through the area and since my flight got canceled, I decided to come into town until the storm blew over.” 

That… was a lot of unnecessary information for someone you’re never going to see again. 

But he hadn’t been able to help himself, and the appreciative look the man gave him right after he’d finished speaking made him feel the slightest bit better. 

“Thank you for that information. I hope that my friend hasn’t been a bother to you?” he said as he gave the dog a gentle pat to its head, making it whine in withheld excitement. 

It was obvious that the little dog wanted to smother the man in affection, but it also clearly knew what was allowed and what wouldn’t be appreciated at the moment. 

Blake coughed into his bent elbow a few times before catching his breath and replying. 

“He’s been a sweetheart. I would have probably frozen to death if he hadn’t let me stay here. I hope I’m not intruding…” 

The man looked down at the pup and smiled proudly as he gave it another good head pat. 

“You are a very good boy, Ravi. Thank you for taking him in.” 

If the man’s attention had made the pup excited before, it was practically vibrating with energy now. And yet, it still remained in the man’s lap and didn’t try to lick him or jump on him at all. It simply gave a few more happy whines and thumped its white, black, and brown tail against the floor. 

Blake decided to get comfortable again as the man took his time praising his pup. The stress from him discovering his scars had passed, and since Wyatt didn’t seem interested in questioning him about them further, he felt like he could relax a bit more. 

When the man finally looked back up at him, he somehow felt even more at peace and nuzzled into the pillows a bit more. 

“I’m glad. Would you care for some food, or would you just like to rest some more?” 

He was hungry, but he wasn’t too sure how well his stomach would handle something to eat. 

“Perhaps some soup? I bought quite a few things to keep here for Ravi, and since the blizzard was forecast, I brought over some extra things when I visited this time, too,” Wyatt said, making Blake hesitantly nod. 

He got another warm smile in return as the man gestured for Ravi to move off his lap. The dog did as told immediately, but instead of staying still and watching as Wyatt got busy preparing some form of instant soup for the microwave, he hurried over to the bed and nudged at Blake’s fingers again. 

“Hey there, sweetie,” he rasped, then coughed again, trying to tuck his face against his arm so that he didn’t get it everywhere. 

“Ravi, come here please,” Wyatt said, making the dog immediately return to his side in a perfect heeling position. 

Once the man had the microwave going, he reached down and rewarded the pup with another pat. 

“Is he yours?” Blake asked abruptly, feeling a little awkward at the insinuation, but… 

“He’s not. It’s a long story, and not one that can be told right now,” Wyatt replied. 

He understood that well enough. His own story wasn’t something he wanted to wave around, either. 

Blake nodded and slowly pushed himself up a bit higher on the pillows as Wyatt removed the soup from the microwave and brought it over to him. 

“Sorry it’s not much, but nowhere is going to be accessible during this storm,” he said, making Blake chuckle a little as he took the little cup of soup. 

“It’s more than enough, thank you for your kindness,” he said quietly as he began blowing lightly on the steaming liquid. 

He took a few sips, but as he’d suspected, his stomach wasn’t too happy with the little bits of noodles and carrots in the broth. It seemed like Wyatt could tell that he wasn’t able to stomach it, because he knelt down next to the bed and held up a new cup of water. 

“Would you care to trade?” he asked with a hint of understanding in his eyes and a tiny bit of humor to his words. 

Blake felt a little embarrassed that he couldn’t finish the simple meal, but he only hesitated for a moment before swapping out his soup for the plain cup of water. 

Throwing up would be much worse than not finishing the food. 

If he could keep down the few sips he’d had, as well as the water, then he’d try to eat more later. With that decision made, he drank another half cup of water, then, with Wyatt’s help, set it down on the nightstand to his left before getting comfortable again. 

“I’m going to relax in the chair by the window and read a bit since I’m kind of stuck here until the weather lets up, too. Let me know if you need anything?” Wyatt said as he headed in that direction. 

Blake watched him until Ravi suddenly hopped up onto the bed and after hunching nervously close to the covers, wiggled his way over. 

“He’s not the best with people, but he seems to have taken a liking to you. I can tell him to get down if it bothers you?” 

Blake gave the pup a light scratch behind one ear, but then retracted his hand with a regretful frown. 

“I’m sorry, Ravi. I’d love to pet you more, but I don’t want you to get sick. I promise I’ll give you the best attention when I’m feeling better?” 

Those words seemed to placate the pup, because it quickly nodded, then turned and moved to the very edge of the bed, closest to Wyatt, before snuggling itself up into a little fuzzy ball. 

He really is adorable. 

His thoughts wandered for a short time as they went over what all had just happened, but soon enough, he was drifting off to sleep, surprisingly more relaxed than he had been in a long while.

Wild Dog 3

The next time Blake awoke there was a significant amount of extra weight overtop him, making him jerk his eyes open and quickly sit up. He realized after a few moments of confusion that there had just been a few extra blankets piled on top of the ones he’d already been under, allowing his body to relax as he calmed his panting and looked around. 

Huh, nobodies here?

After hesitating for a few minutes as he listened for any sounds that might give away that someone was actually in the bathroom or possibly outside the door, he carefully slid out from beneath the blankets and looked down at himself. He was still wearing his pajama pants, but he definitely needed a shower… immediately. His fever must have broken while he’d been asleep and he was just covered in sweat. 

Gross. 

Making a face at his own discomfort, Blake headed for the bathroom. He slowed down as he approached, but made himself keep walking because, honestly, it was just a bathroom. It wasn’t like someone was going to jump out just to try and mess with or hurt him. 

Shaking his head, he stepped inside, honestly relieved that no one was there. He quickly shut the door, but then looked at the broken lo— eh?

Reaching up, he settled his thumb over the little lock button, then pushed it in until he heard a quiet click  sound. 

It… works now? 

Leaning over a little, he looked closer and was surprised to see that the lock had actually been fixed. 

While I was asleep? 

The guy must have used regular tools, too, because he would have definitely woken up if he’d tried to use anything electronic. Straightening back up, Blake struggled to look away from the simple lock but eventually forced himself to turn and tug off his pajama pants, then quickly relieve himself before washing his hands and hoping in the shower. 

He scrubbed himself from head to toe, then turned and stood beneath the water until it began to run cold. When he finally shut it off and began drying himself off with one of the clean hotel towels, he realized something that made him pause abruptly as his heart begin to race. 

I forgot to bring a change of clothes in here. 

He knew that standing in there all day wouldn’t help him at all, though, so he quickly wrapped the towel around his waist and ran for the door, but the moment his fingers wrapped around the handle he heard the main door to the hotel room open and familiar footsteps walk inside. 

Shit. 

He heard them walk around the room for a moment before they stopped and Wyatt’s voice rang out. 

“Is everything okay? We thought thought that you might want to go get something to eat since the weather has finally cleared.”

He was definitely starving, but he was also definitely naked, too. When he didn’t respond right away, he heard Wyatt take a few steps closer, but he stopped a few feet away from the door. Instead, another set of familiar, quieter steps made their way all the way over before he heard curious sniffing at the bottom of the door, then a playful sneeze. 

Ah, Ravi is here, too. 

“Do you need me to grab you anything? Or we can leave for a few minutes if you need to get changed?” Wyatt said, beginning to pick up on what was happening. 

He felt bad for even considering his words, but he knew that he wouldn’t have been able to walk out with both of them there. 

“Um, yeah… if it wouldn’t be too rude of me to ask that of you guys,” he said, trying to make his nervous voice loud enough to be heard beyond the door. 

“Of course not. Ravi, let’s take a quick walk,” Wyatt said as his footsteps headed for the front door. 

The pup gave a quiet whine, but followed anyways, clearly not willing to disobey. Blake waited a full minute after the door had shut to chance opening his own and peeking out. 

They really did leave. 

Right before he’d actually packed up his stuff and left, he’d continuously requested to be allowed to change alone or just have some time where he didn’t have eyes on him constantly, but his ex had thought that him wanting a tiny bit of privacy had meant that he had been sneaking around with someone else behind his back… especially after he’d been forcefully kissed by a nineteen year old abuse patient who’d intentionally bitten him on his lip.  

The second it had happened he’d dreaded going back to the place he’d shared with his ex, but it wasn’t like he could have hidden away until the mark had disappeared. That night had been rough…

Shaking the memories from his mind, Blake hurried to his suitcase, but immediately realized that it wasn’t over by the front door where he’d left it, but had actually been moved to a spot right across from the bathroom door. 

He’d moved it closer? 

Glancing one more time back towards the door, he tipped his suitcase over and unzipped the main compartment. He definitely hadn’t packed for blizzard-like weather, but there was at least a light sweatshirt he could put on. 

After tugging on some boxer briefs and a pair of comfortable, worn black jeans, he pulled on a plain tan longer-sleeved shirt, then added the black sweatshirt overtop it. 

He finished off the outfit with mismatched socks, just to spite his ex, who was obsessed with making sure that every single sock, even if it was the exact same color , went to the one it had originally been paired with when bought. 

Well, not anymore. Today is pink and blue sock day. 

When he realized how childish he was being, he considered quickly changing one of them so that they at least matched, but then quickly shook his head and pulled on his black and white tennis shoes before standing up. He then turned and quickly brushed his teeth after retrieving his toiletries, then walked back out into the room right as he heard a gentle knock on the door. He considered walking over and opening it, which would have been the only thing his ex would have accepted in such a situation, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure he was ready to be that close to the man on the other side just yet. He wanted a few more minutes at a distance. 

“You can come in,” he called instead, feeling a little empowered when no one yelled at him for being rude as the door lock chimed, then the door was slowly pushed open. 

Ravi was the first to squeeze his little self inside. He began running right for him, but slid to a stop on the carpet when Wyatt told him to stop abruptly. He gave a little whine in response, but did as told, then went a step further and lied down as his little nose flared, sniffing eagerly. 

  I know that he’s a shifter, but I just can’t see anything but a sweet, cute dog. 

Kneeling down, Blake reached out toward the little dog, then looked up at Wyatt. He had intended to ask Ravi if he wanted to come closer, but since the dog clearly followed the other man’s orders, he didn’t want to accidentally step out of bounds by addressing the wrong person. 

“He can come closer, if that’s okay?” he asked. 

He was still a little nervous about being close to other people, and especially a dominant, but as long as Ravi didn’t shift abruptly, he felt like he would be okay. 

Wyatt considered his words for a moment before offering a warm smile and nodding. 

“Go ahead and say hi, Ravi… but be calm.” 

Does the dog have a calm function? 

Before he could consider his own thought the dog had crawled its way toward him, wiggling the entire way. It stopped a few inches beyond his fingers and hunched closer to the ground, tucking its ears to either side as its tail slowed its thumping to a nervous swish here and there. 

I forgot that you’re still healing from your own trauma. 

Instead of trying to move closer, Blake sat down cross-legged, then looked up at Wyatt as he set one hand down, palm up, in front of him. 

“How old is he?” he asked, wanting to start up a calming conversation. 

Wyatt tilted his head, clearly analyzing his words and, evidently, coming to a positive conclusion within moments when he offered him a shockingly-beautiful grin. 

“He’s twenty.” 

Blake blushed slightly and nodded, then considered asking about Wyatt, but the man seemed to read his mind as he gave a quiet, deep-sounding chuckle and spoke again. 

“I’m twenty-nine.” 

Ah…

He’d intended to keep speaking, but when he felt a cold, wet nose nudge at the tips of his fingers, whatever he’d intended to say got stuck on his tongue. When he couldn’t find any words to take away the awkwardness in the quiet room, he decided to just sit and let Ravi explore his palm and sniff at his clothed knee as he, himself, allowed his eyes to nervously glance over Wyatt’s form. 

Of course, he’d seen him the other day, but his vision had been blurry and he’d felt absolutely terrible. Seeing him clearly now, though, standing against the closed door in a pair of tight black jeans that would have matched his own if they’d had a few more years on them, and a white T-shirt that showed just enough muscle beneath to hold your attention, should you be so inclined to stare, he couldn’t help but think that he was absolutely gorgeous. 

His gently-styled dark brown hair and light brown eyes fit perfectly with his style. He was just noticing some sort of silver earring in the man’s left ear when he felt Ravi suddenly press down against his palm, finally drawing his attention away from Wyatt to look down at him.

Oh.

He’d set his little chin in the palm of his hand. Blake considered flexing his fingers slightly to try and scratch beneath Ravi’s chin, but before he could move them more than an inch, the pup whimpered and darted back to hide behind Wyatt’s legs, its tail tucked for just a moment before it peeked out from behind the man, looking a little apologetic. 

“It’s alright, Ravi, I understand. It’s not easy to trust,” Blake said as he finally pushed himself back to his feet, then reached up and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. It was a lost cause, though. He needed a haircut. 

“Would you like to go find somewhere to eat now? Or I could bring you back something?” Wyatt said, making Blake hold back a surprised look. 

He could understand going to eat, but he’d never expect someone to bring him something…at least, if he wasn’t sick. 

“I’ll come with you guys,” he said as he zipped his suitcase back up, then hesitated. 

He glanced back at Wyatt and Ravi, then held up his finger, silently asking for a moment as he looked around the room for his phone. 

Wyatt walked forward, immediately drawing his attention to him as he tensed slightly… but then relaxed when the man stopped at the dresser near the door and picked up a familiar phone. 

“I didn’t want it to go dead in case you needed it for your flight information, but I also didn’t want to dig through your stuff for a charger, so I bought a cheap one at the gas station when the storm lightened a bit since we don’t share the same type of phone,” he said as he disconnected it, then hesitated, clearly considering where to set it down so that he could get it without needing to get too close yet. 

Okay, you can do this. He’s not a bad guy. 

Even though he told that himself, Blake still felt himself hesitate, but he pushed through the nerves and walked forward. He stopped a little farther than normal from the man, but then awkwardly reached out for his phone. 

“Thank you for doing that. I definitely needed it working,” he said as he turned his hand palm-up, preferring that Wyatt hand it to him instead of him trying to take it from his hold. 

The moment it was set in his hand, Blake turned the screen on and read over the notification for his rescheduled flight. 

“Tomorrow…” he mumbled out loud, a bit surprised. 

“That’s pretty good considering how bad the storm was. They’re going to have to work a bit to clear the runways,” Wyatt said as he turned and walked to the door, then held it open and glanced back to him. 

Blake hurried forward as he brushed his hair out of his eyes again. When he stepped out into the hall, he gave himself an extra foot of space between them, then tucked his phone into his back pocket, opposite the one with his wallet in it. 

“I’ll pay for breakfast since you guys helped me so much,” Blake said as they began walking. 

He maintained his foot or so distance from Wyatt, but he didn’t mind as Ravi did little circles around them both once in a while. 

“We will gratefully accept your offer,” Wyatt said, surprising him a bit, again. 

His ex had always demanded to pay for everything, and if he didn’t want to, then they didn’t get it. 

Things are different now. 

They walked in silence until they got to the front doors of the hotel, then he hurried forward to hold it open for them. Wyatt nodded his head in thanks as Ravi darted outside and promptly lifted his leg on a fire hydrant. 

Funny dog. 

He shivered a bit as he watched the dog finish its business, then run back to him and start circling. 

“Good job, you did it,” he said with a quiet chuckle before looking back toward Wyatt… only to see that the man had vanished. 

Huh? 

Looking back down at Ravi, he realized that the dog was looking in the same direction he had been, too. 

“Wondering where your person went?” he asked as he began walking in the direction Wyatt had been going. 

He glanced around as he walked slowly forward, noting the insane amount of snow piled up on either side of the sidewalk. Someone must have worked hard to shovel it all earlier that morning. 

Dang it’s cold out here. I’m going to have to get new clothes when I finally get to Ohio. 

He was just about to turn back around, thinking that the guy might have run back to their room to grab something he’d forgotten, when he heard familiar footsteps approaching. Turning back around, Blake was surprised to see Wyatt panting quiet as he came to a stop in front of him. When he held out a white plastic bag, he hesitantly took it, then peered inside. 

Oh. 

It felt awkward accepting the gift, but at the same time, he was honestly getting very  cold, so it would have been stupid, and slightly rude, to decline it. So, he quickly tugged out the heavy, dark red coat from the bag and pulled it on. It was a tiny bit big, but as soon as he zipped it up he felt his entire body sigh with relief from the cold. 

“Thank you so much. I’ll repay you,” he said, unable to hide his smile now that his teeth weren’t about to start chattering. 

Wyatt returned his smile, then nodded for them to continue following him. 

Blake hurried forward with Ravi close on his heels as a soft, frigid breath of wind rustled his hair and nipped at his cheeks. 

“There’s something else in the bag, if you’d like to use it,” Wyatt said after a few minutes of walking, making Blake slow down a little to glance back into the bag. 

He was a bit surprised when he pulled out a little two-pack of hair barrettes. 

“They didn’t have a whole lot in that store, and most of the others in the area are still closed…” Wyatt said, his voice actually holding a hint of nervousness in it. He also wasn’t looking back at him as he spoke, instead choosing to continue focusing on where they were going. 

While he normally wouldn’t be caught dead with such a thing in his hair, he couldn’t argue that it was getting annoying having to constantly push his bangs aside, only for them to immediately move back to their previous positions in front of his eyes. 

It’s fine, just wear them. No one here knows you anyways, and it’s not like you’re staying. 

With that thought in mind, he took the two barrettes from their little paper packet, then looked between them. One was dark red with a few random black lines squiggled here and there on it while the other was a forest green with some sort of plant’s leaves printed on the front. 

Normally, he’d take the basic design when it came to anything he wore, but considering that no one had a say in it now besides himself, his attention focused a little longer on the plant one. 

He was so distracted with his internal debate over which he should wear that he didn’t realize that he was about to bump into Wyatt until he felt the man’s firm hand gently grasp his shoulder, stopping him just in time. 

“We’re here,” the man said as he quickly dropped his hand, preventing Blake from beginning to stress over the unwanted touch. 

He quickly managed to return to his smiling self as he quickly apologized for getting lost in thought, then stepped inside the warm restaurant. They were quickly guided back to a booth, and thankfully, Wyatt took the spot opposite him while Ravi hopped up onto the seat beside Blake. 

“Considering what color to use?” Wyatt asked after they were given their menus and gave their drink orders to their waitress. 

Slightly embarrassed that he had been putting so much thought into it, Blake hesitantly nodded, feeling his cheeks warm even as he shrugged off his jacket since it was warm enough inside. 

“I normally only use bland colors and designs,” he said after a few moments as he glanced back at the red and black item, before quickly returning his attention to the green one. 

“It seems like you prefer the green one, though?” Wyatt said, easily picking up on his real preference.  

Blake nodded slowly. 

“Then you should wear the green one,” Wyatt said simply, drawing Blake’s eyes up to him. 

Then I should just wear it…

He wasn’t wrong. There was no one else picking his things out for him anymore. No one would get annoyed that he had something a little more interesting on his body. Just the thought of his ex seeing such a thing in his hair was enough to make him grin, too. He would have never allowed the plant one, but he’d also have hated that he was even considering using barrettes in the first place, too.

“Green it is,” he finally said as he tucked the other one into his pocket and reached up to slide the pretty green barrette into his hair. 

Once it was settled, he turned toward Ravi and gave a nervous smile. 

“Do I look adorable now?” he asked, a little humor to his quiet words. 

When the strange little dog nodded its head surprisingly fast, repeatedly, Blake couldn’t help but laugh out loud for a moment. 

He noticed Wyatt about to say something, too, but the man seemed to think better of it and simple offered him another beautiful smile before their waitress returned for their orders. He thought that there would be some awkward, forced conversations after they ordered, but they simply took turns asking mundane, boring questions or glancing at their phones, which was, evidently, perfectly fine. In fact, he even took the quiet time they had as they waited for their food to look up African wild dogs, and after reading a bit about them, showed Ravi videos just to watch the pup’s adorable reactions to them. 

It was actually really nice to just be able to goof off with no judgement or stress. He hadn’t realized how much he’d desperately needed something so simple until he was given the opportunity to have it.

Wild Dog 4

His other half desperately wanted to pin the adorable man sitting across from him on his back, on the table between them… but he knew that he couldn’t do such a thing without permission. He also never started a relationship in front of others. A lot of people in the BDSM community loved to put their submissives on display, but he wasn’t one of them. At least, not when first getting to know someone. 

Getting to know someone? He’s got a plane ticket out of here for tomorrow. 

His other half ran around in his mind as if it were running a race against itself, and losing. It was surprisingly, somehow, more dominant than even himself. Which was why it stayed inside, always. 

“Wyatt?” 

Blinking out of his thoughts, he looked across the table at Blake. The man had a curious expression on his face, and that slightly nervous smile? He couldn’t fathom how someone could look into those beautiful, gentle eyes and not realize that they had hurt him. Over and over again. 

Or they just didn’t care to see it. 

“Wyatt, your food is going to get cold,” Blake said, snapping him out of another round of thoughts he was about to lose himself in. 

I’m being so rude right now. 

“I apologize, I don’t normally lose myself in thought,” he said, completely embarrassed as he began working on his large breakfast of egg whites, potatoes, and bacon. 

He heard Blake give a little chuckle before replying and drawing his eyes back up to him. 

“It’s totally fine.” 

It really wasn’t.  At least, he thought so, but he wasn’t going to argue. If Blake wasn’t upset with him for accidentally ignoring him, then he wouldn’t bring it up again. He decided to just make sure that he focused for the remainder of their meal, which was actually pretty easy, especially when Blake finished his food in a flash, then began cutting up the huge stack of blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes Ravi always insisted on having when they went to their favorite breakfast place. 

“Ah?” Blake said as he lifted a big forkful of food toward Ravi’s wiggling dog. Thankfully, while Ravi  loved to be fed, he wasn’t a fan of syrup on his pancakes and preferred them with only a little bit of butter melted into the top of the warm dough, so there wouldn’t be a sticky mess to clean up. 

 It didn’t take but a second for Ravi to lunge at the fork with a playful growl, then down the pieces of pancake that had been offered. 

“ Ravi , behave,“ Wyatt said as he pointed his fork at the overly-excited pup. 

That was his one and only downside. He struggled to control his energy and often overreacted to simple situations, startling, and sometimes even accidentally, hurting others. 

That was the main reason why Ravi had allowed himself to be claimed by one of the strictest doms in town. He hadn’t liked the idea, but the pup hadn’t been under his care at the time, so he’d had no say in his decision. The only thing he did tell him when he saw him beginning to show worrisome changes in his personality was that if he ever needed help, he could come to him. 

And he had. Two days ago. 

He would never forget the way he’d had to cut off the constricting prong collar from his neck or the injuries he’d seen when Ravi was finally able to shift again for the first time in months. He’d been abused and treated like a dog that was worth less than nothing. 

I never thought I’d see him so happy again. 

He really hadn’t wanted to even reprimand him for his current over-excitement, but while his canine form was adorable and sweet, it also had very sharp teeth that were meant for causing damage. Hyper was fine, but it did have to be kept within reason, for others’ safety. 

Blake actually reached up and gave Ravi a gentle pat on his fuzzy, left shoulder as he got himself calmed down a bit. 

“What a good boy.” 

It was relief to know that the guy knew not to pat his head. Especially when he was overstimulated and had previously been abused. Protecting ones’ head was usually the first automatic response for any animal in a stressful situation. Trying to pet a nervous animal on its head was just asking for something bad to occur. 

When Blake turned back to facing forward for a moment to sip at his iced tea, Ravi leaned closer to his own remaining portion of pancakes and sniffed them hungrily, then looked across the table at him before giving a tiny, pathetic, barking whine. 

“You know, you are capable of picking them up yourself,” Wyatt said in a knowing, chastising tone… even as he reached across the table with his fork and cut a big chunk out of the stack of pancakes, then gathered them onto his fork and offered them to Ravi without an ounce of hesitation. 

The pup happily accepted the offering and gobbled the food down quickly before suddenly darting beneath the table, only for his head to pop up right next to Wyatt as he glanced across the table at his remaining pancakes, then up at Wyatt before licking his lips a few times. 

“You’re impossible. You know that, right?” Wyatt said as he reached over again and cut the remaining pancakes into two portions, then stabbed one stack with his fork and brought it over to a wiggling Ravi. 

The second his fork was close enough Ravi chomped down on it, then pinned his ears and looked up at Wyatt apologetically. He’d gotten too excited again. Since he already realized that he shouldn’t have lunged for the fork, Wyatt let it go without a reprimand and Ravi quickly ducked back under the table to eat his new mouthful of food. 

When he showed up again, it was to take his place back beside Blake. Of course, that took the guy’s attention immediately and brought a smile back to his face as he turned to face him. 

Ravi immediately made a little grumbly sound as he looked down at his last little bit of pancake. 

“Someone really likes to be fed, huh?” Blake said as he reached over and got the remaining pancakes onto his fork, then actually lifted it toward his own mouth. 

Confused and suddenly extremely worried that he might not actually get to eat that last super delicious bite of his pancakes, Ravi looked over toward him, but Wyatt simply leaned on his left arm and stuck his tongue out in response. 

The look on Ravi’s face immediately morphed from confused worry to sheer terror as he noticed Blake take a nibble of the edge of one of the pancake pieces. He quickly reached up with one paw and tapped the man’s arm as gently but quickly as he could while whining and opening and closing his own mouth, simulating that it was supposed to be himself that was eating that last forkful of goodness!

Wyatt watched silently, unable to hide his grin as Blake made a face, then reached over and held the fork out to Ravi. 

“Never been a fan of blueberries,” he said with a half-shrug as he offered him a wide smile before turning to watch Ravi finish off his last bit of food. 

Wyatt straightened back up and gestured for their waitress to bring their check when she had a moment. She brought it over a minute later, but before he could take it, Blake reached over and picked up the little slip of paper. He quickly went over the items and numbers, then took out his wallet and pulled out several bills, then handed them, and the ticket, back to the woman. 

“Keep the change, and thank you,” he said, making Wyatt’s heart thump a little harder in his chest. 

He absolutely loved it when people showed their appreciation to wait staff. Their job wasn’t easy, as he knew from experience. He’d absolutely hated it, but the job had been a necessity at the time. It had put food on his table. 

“Ready to head back?” Wyatt asked as he got up and pulled out his own wallet. 

Blake watched him toss another ten dollar bill on the table as he scooted from the booth after Ravi hopped down. He didn’t bother commenting on it, but Instead, he gave him a knowing smile and nodded before grabbing his new coat and heading for the door. 

The moment they stepped outside Blake stretched his arms over his head and gave a content groan that did things to Wyatt’s insides that it shouldn’t have. He wanted to grab him from behind and hug him so tightly that he looked up at him with a nervous, yet-curious, expression… but he knew better than to entertain the thought. 

Now you need to behave. 

They began walking back toward the hotel when Ravi suddenly darted across the empty street, startling both of them and making Blake hurry after him after checking to be sure that no cars were coming. 

Should have known that he’d get drawn over there after breakfast. 

The only thing that could distract Ravi from having fun was food. Now that the food barrier had been removed, he hadn’t hesitated to run across the street and straight onto the playground equipment he’d been barred from while in his previous relationship. 

Shaking his head, Wyatt couldn’t hide a smile as he jogged across the street, too. He came to a stop beside Blake as the guy was about to drape his coat on the back of one of the cold park benches. 

“On… please?” he requested, wanting to make it an order, but knowing that he didn’t have the authority to do so. 

He saw the man about to reply but quickly added, “you just recovered from a cold and it’s still really chilly out here.” 

Blake still didn’t seem like he wanted to put it on, but he relented after a few moments with a sarcastic sigh that somehow irked his overly-dominant self. 

He’s not yours, so get over it. 

And he did, immediately. Especially when Blake not-only tugged the coat back on, but zipped it up. 

“Thank you,” Wyatt said, showing his appreciation right away since he knew that he hadn’t wanted to do it. 

Blake suddenly stuck his tongue at him, quite immaturely, then turned and ran after Ravi who was happily bouncing around on the raised platforms, clearly heading for the twisting slide at the top.

He… really just stuck his tongue out at me. 

Just the thought of someone doing that to him normally would have garnered a reprimand, but damn it if he wasn’t enjoying not having that power over someone, for once. 

Even as a kid, he hadn’t been one to mess around on the playgrounds or parks. He’d worked ever since he was fifteen, and had never had time, or friends, to play with. Then, when he was older, he got into the BDSM scene and any remaining childish features he still held onto had disappeared. 

Hearing a cackling bark directed at him, Wyatt looked up to see Ravi hopping up and down on his front paws and swinging his tail wildly as he looked over at him. 

“I’m good, brat. Go ahead and get some of that energy out,” Wyatt told him as he slid his cold hands into his pockets. 

Blake appeared next to Ravi a few moments later, his hair messily blowing in the cold wind as he reached up and grabbed a metal bar to help him balance as he climbed onto the same little platform and knelt down next to Ravi. 

Definitely glad he put the coat back on. 

“He’s just gonna stand there and watch, huh?” Blake said, clearly making sure that his voice was loud enough to carry over to him. 

When Ravi tilted his head and turned toward Blake, who was just getting comfortable on his belly, he seemed to realize what the man was getting at. Because, not a second later he was looking between them, then hopping up and down like crazy and barking his way for a second time. 

“I’m too old for that stuff, you stubborn pup,” he yelled back, even as he took a single step closer… just to make sure that his voice carried to them through the strong wind kicking up around them. 

He wouldn’t be surprised at all if it snowed again soon. 

“Hey Ravi, I think he doesn’t want to play with us. He probably wouldn’t be able to keep up, though…” Blake said after tugging his hood up over his messy blond hair and grinning sideways up at the pup as he leaned up on his arms. 

Wyatt saw what was about to happen, but even as he started running forward, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop it from starting. “Ravi, wai—!” the pup had tilted its ears up and head downward as its tail stopped wagging for a whole three seconds. Then it happened. 

Blake let out a startled yelp when Ravi’s dog suddnely dove beneath the guy’s hood and promptly began licking his face with an eagerness that shook his little fuzzy body like one of those overly-dramatic cartoon alarm clocks that would vibrate themselves right off the nightstand. That was Ravi when he got into a licking frenzy. 

“Ravi, stop!” Wyatt shouted as he finally got close enough to make the pup hesitate in his attack. 

The dog was panting heavily as its tongue lolled out the side of its mouth. It quickly licked its lips several times before glancing between himself and Blake with wide, chaotic eyes. When it dove back in to try and steal a few more frantic kisses from Blake, who was now holding his hood over his face as tightly as he could with both arms, Wyatt hurried the rest of the way over and promptly picked Ravi right up off of the playground equipment and held his grumbling pup over his left shoulder as he reached up with his right hand to check on Blake, but hesitated to touch him. 

When the guy finally seemed to realize that Ravi had been removed from the situation and couldn’t lick him anymore, he hesitantly rolled onto his back and let his arms fall to his sides, allowing his hood and hair to partially fall over the edge of the metal equipment since he’d rolled closer to the edge during Ravi’s onslaught. The little puffs of warm air that rose like steam from his panting, parted lips made Wyatt’s heart try to suddenly jump into his throat. 

He was trying to figure out something to say when Ravi wiggled on his shoulder and grunted behind him where his front half hung, the sound drawing Blake’s attention and making him tilt his head back far enough to lock eyes with him. Even though he was standing and Blake was lying down, the equipment was at just the perfect height to put them both at an even eye level. 

Those eyes are so entrancing…

Even with the slightly-squirming pup still being held over his shoulder, Wyatt couldn’t find the strength to look away. 

Even as snow began to softly drift down from the graying skies and settle upon their still forms, he still couldn’t look away. 

What did finally break their focus on each other was the sound of a squealing child as they ran over and began climbing on the other side of the equipment. 

With their moment broken, Blake rolled over and pushed himself up, then slid from the equipment and landed in the thin layer of snow right in front of Wyatt’s shoes. 

“We should head back,” he said after a moment of awkward silence. 

Realizing that he  still hadn’t stopped staring, Wyatt quickly cleared his throat and nodded, then set Ravi down and turned to start heading back toward their hotel, tugging the hood from his own jacket up over his head… if only to keep his reddening ears from being seen.

Wild Dog 5

He’s kind of cute… especially for a dom. 

Blake watched quietly as Wyatt made his way back across the street. He was walking slowly enough so that they would easily be able to catch up, so he didn’t bother hurrying after him just yet. Instead, he turned his attention to a large pile of snow off to his right, and at that exact moment, a Ravi head popped up out of it, then sneezed. 

“Come on, Ravi. You know Wyatt won’t be happy if you get sick playing in there,” he said as he began walking but continued to watch the pup. He was struggling to free himself from the frigid stuff, but after a few seconds of flailing he managed to fumble out of the snow pile.

Oh… you look much dirtier than you should be after playing in snow. 

He glanced back toward the pile as Ravi bolted toward him, noting that the inside was actually quite dirty looking. 

A snow and mud pile, then. 

The neighborhood kids must have gotten creative before the storm and the snow had just covered up their handiwork. 

I hope he doesn’t mind baths…

He was just grinning at the idea of trying to bathe the hyper dog when Ravi suddenly ran right in front of him, making him stumble backwards and fall to the sidewalk with a surprised gasp.

“Geez, bud. You almost tripped me right into the… street.”

He’d almost walked right out into the street, and since the sidewalks were extremely low near the park, he probably wouldn’t have even realized it until it was too late. 

“You are a blessing,” he whispered as he shakily got back to his feet, then brushed off his pants.   

Right as he finished with his task, a quiet grunt from Ravi brought his attention over to him, which, in turn, had him noticing Wyatt running back across the street toward him. He saw the guy slip on a small patch of ice in the road, sending him skidding forward, but thankfully he recovered quickly without falling and finished closing the distance between them. 

“Are you okay? I’m sorry I walked away,” he said as he gently grabbed Blake’s shoulder, his eyes wide with worry. 

He seems a little overly-worried…

Blake glanced down as he felt Ravi tug at his pant leg slightly. When the pup knew he had his attention, he looked back up at Wyatt and sat against the man’s leg, then whimpered. 

…could have gotten… a car. 

He could actually hear the man’s thoughts a tiny bit. It honestly felt odd after having a comfortable silence for so long, but at least that let him know why the guy had run back to them so quickly. It was also probably because they were touching, so his telepathic abilities were more focused from the physical contact. 

Making himself relax, Blake looked back up to meet the man’s eyes with a warm smile. 

“I’m sorry, I got distracted but Ravi stopped me from walking out into the street, so I’m fine,” he said, trying to reassure the still nervous-looking guy holding him. 

It was kind of odd that he didn’t mind his hand on his shoulder, either, considering how fidgety he’d been since leaving his ex a few days ago. 

I’d also been sleep deprived and then got sick. 

After another quiet minute with the cold wind chilling his ears and rustling his hair, Wyatt gave a quiet sigh and released his shoulder. That suddenly made him realize that he’d actually been holding onto him without permission and he quickly jammed his hands into his coat pockets.  

 “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to grab you so suddenly. I got startled when I noticed what almost happened,” Wyatt said, looking more than a little bit embarrassed at his slip up. 

He really is cute. 

“It’s alright, I would have done the same thing,” Blake said as he knelt down and reached over to pat Ravi’s shoulder gently. “Especially for this good boy.” 

Ravi tilted his head, wagged his tail, and glanced up at Wyatt, then back down to Blake before repeating that string of actions several times. When he finally stopped with his attention on Blake and his tail slowed to a stop, he realized what he’d just done. 

Uh oh. 

Reading the signals he’d noticed from earlier, Blake quickly dropped to his backside… just in time to catch Ravi as he went into one of his excited licking attacks again! Since he’d recognized the warning signs this time, he only let Ravi tackle him backwards and have a few good licks before flipping him abruptly, then lying down right away on top of him. Of course, he was extra careful not to put too much weight on the pup beneath him on its back, but Ravi didn’t even seen to care as he froze, one ear up and the other down, his mind clearly trying to process what had just happened. 

“I’ve never seen someone able to stop him so quickly… and without making him panic and try to bite,” Wyatt said as he knelt next to them. 

Since Ravi had already calmed down, Blake pushed himself up, then to his feet as he watched the pup roll over, then get to his own feet. It looked so stumped at what had just happened.  

“Good boy,” Wyatt said as he reached forward and gave Ravi’s shoulder a gentle pat, immediately snapping the dog back to its senses and making it turn to face him with a wiggling body full of new excitement. 

“Someone looks like they had a bit of extra fun before saving our friend from crossing the street without looking both ways. I think a bath is in order?” Wyatt said with a grin. 

For some reason, Blake thought that saying the word bath in front of a dog always got the same negative reaction, but of course, Ravi’s energy knew no bounds, and the dog surely didn’t seem the least bit worried about the upcoming grooming as he began running around them in excited circles. 

“Would you like me to renew the hotel reservation for another evening or are you okay with staying at my place until your flight tomorrow?” Wyatt asked as he began heading back down the street, but made sure that they were with him before getting too far. 

The guy was actually slowing down and speeding up so much to try and stay paced evengly between Blake’s calm walk and Ravi’s crazy zoomies that Blake just decided to reach out and grab the very edge of his coat-sleeve. 

He noticed the guy’s eyes widen the slightest amount from the touch and considered releasing him, but before he did so he decided to explain himself first. 

“You’re walking a bit weird. We promise we’ll stay with you,” he said, feeling his cheeks warm the slightest bit at the insinuation of his words if the man thought about it more in depth.

Thankfully, he just seemed to smile sheepishly and nod as he steadied his pace and lead them back to the hotel. Blake was a bit surprised by how quickly they got there… and then he remembered what Wyatt had asked him previously. 

I totally forgot to answer him. 

He felt terrible for it, too. Not just because it was rude to have ignored the question, but also because he respected the man as a dominant and wanted to please him, even if he would never be his. Since they were already there and walking up to the front desk, Blake just decided to make things as easy as possible for Wyatt. 

“If you wouldn’t mind having me for the evening,” he said, then stopped abruptly as he felt his face warm again. 

That perverted patient I had has rubbed off on me too much. 

It was obvious that Wyatt’s mind had gone down the same route, too, because Blake noticed the humor in his expression right before he managed to hide it and turn toward the new person running the desk. 

“I’d like to keep my scheduled checkout time for today,” he said as the guy leaned forward and began typing at the computer. 

“Alright,  you’re all set. Just drop off your keycard before noon,” the young man said, earning a nod from Wyatt as he turned to head to the side door. 

Blake hurried after him with Ravi orbiting around his feet. Thankfully, the pup didn’t get underfoot and they managed to make it to their room without any tripping. Wyatt was just getting it unlocked as they walked up, and gladly held the door open for them to step inside. 

“I don’t live too far away, so if you don’t mind, we’ll just walk over?” he said, making Blake turn around as he picked up his toiletries. 

“Of course, that’s totally fine,” he said, feeling a little ball of nerves begin to roll around inside his stomach. 

He did feel pretty safe around the man, but as a pediatrician that focused on abuse cases, he knew that trauma didn’t just go away because you felt better one day. 

I can push through it, though. It’s only one night, and Ravi will be there, too. 

“Ravi is coming too, right?” he asked, needing to double check his thought. 

Wyatt smiled and nodded as he grabbed his charger from the wall and tucked it into his coat pocket, then packed up a small suitcase that had been situated in the corner. Blake hadn’t seen them go near it since he’d met Ravi, but he figured that, perhaps, it was the pup’s belongings. 

“He’ll come. He’s been there a few times but I wanted to give him some time to decompress on his own for a bit, per his request,” Wyatt said, making Blake return his smile as he finished putting away his things, then zipped up his suitcase and stood. 

“All set?” Wyatt said as he headed over to the door and held it open. 

The light coming into the dim hallway from the windows behind him somehow made the guy look even more handsome… and Blake quickly shook off the flicker of feelings that came with the image. 

“Yeah,” he said as he hurried forward and out the door, tugging his suitcase behind himself. 

He silently followed Wyatt and Ravi back to the desk to drop off their keycard, then out onto the street before they turned left and began walking. It got chilly pretty quickly since the it was snowing steadily with the cold wind blowing right in their faces, but he gratefully tugged his hood up at the same time Wyatt pulled his own up and over his head. He watched as the man tightened and tied the little strings near his neck, but before Blake could even reach up to consider it, he felt his stomach drop and his palms begin to sweat… even though they were freezing. 

It’s fine just being up. You don’t need to tie it. 

Well, that’s what he’d thought until he began to have to hunch just to avoid the harsh wind trying to freeze his neck. His teeth started chattering so hard that he actually stopped walking and turned to the side to wait on the wind for a few moments. It honestly felt like it was only getting stronger when, suddenly, the majority of the gale vanished. 

Huh? 

“It’s not too much farther,” Wyatt said as he took one of Blake’s cold hands in his own, then tugged the coat down just enough to cover most of it. He did the same thing for the other side, then gently took that covered hand and turned. 

Blake expected him to tug him forward so that they were walking side by side, but when Wyatt let his arm move behind himself, he realized what he was doing.

He’s going to block the wind…

He felt a little selfish having the man walk in front of him for such a reason, but he also didn’t want to turn his nose up at the kind gesture… His thoughts fumbled around in his mind until they were broken up by an increasingly-familiar voice in his head. 

I wish I… marks on his neck. 

Blake winced at the sudden thought, but managed to keep walking at a normal pace. It was no surprise that the man had noticed the marks on his throat, even though most of them were beneath the hem of his sweater. 

His collar had been the last thing from his previous relationship to go. He’d cut it off the same day he’d bought his plane ticket to Ohio. 

He allowed his mind to wander again as they walked, but it didn’t take long before they slowed to a stop again, drawing his attention up to a little apartment building that couldn’t have more than ten units or so. 

“It’s not the most glamorous, but I love the location and I’m kind of a minimalist, so I don’t really care for large spaces,” Wyatt said as he released Blake’s hand so that he could grip the cold railing as they ascended up to the second floor. 

The wind and snow had picked up quite a bit more by the time they got to his door, but thankfully Wyatt was quick to unlock and open it. They both let Ravi dart inside first, then he followed Wyatt in. Instead of looking around, however, Blake stayed right next to the door as it clicked closed. 

You don’t belong to anyone now. You can visit whoever you want… and those people aren’t going to hurt you. Most likely. 

“Go grab your bath stuff, pup,” Wyatt called to Ravi as the dog ran off into a hallway to the left. 

He could tell that Wyatt had already caught onto his hesitance because the guy was walking around turning on every single light in the place, even though they weren’t really necessary. He even turned on the television and put on a quiet nature documentary before heading for the open kitchen directly across from the door at the far end of the room. 

This place really is small, but it looks well kept and there’s a nice smell in the air. 

“I know we just ate recently, but I have a bad habit of snacking,” Wyatt said as he turned his back and leaned over to look in the fridge. 

Blake swallowed down his nerves and took a few steps closer, but stopped near the love seat that was facing the television to his left. When the man straightened back up and turned with two chocolate pudding cups in his hand, Blake couldn’t help but grin. 

Of all the things the guy could pull out of his refrigerator, pudding was definitely not what he’d expected. Perhaps some protein drinks or fruit, but definitely not pudding. 

“Want one?” he asked with a knowing look in his eyes. 

He’s way too observant… and yes, yes I do. 

Feeling the remainder of his worry slip away, Blake walked across the room after slipping off his shoes. By the time he got there Wyatt had retrieved a spoon for him and was holding both items out for him to take. 

It had been quite a while since he’d had such an unhealthy treat, and honestly, he found himself enjoying it a bit too much as he licked the inside of the package for a moment before catching himself and quickly throwing the empty item away. 

“You can take off your coat if you’d like,” Wyatt said right as Ravi poked his head into the room and gave them an inpatient bark. 

“I’m coming, bud,” Wyatt said as he pushed himself off the counter that he’d leaned against to eat. After tossing his empty cup, he put his spoon in the sink and walked over to the hallway. 

Right before disappearing into it, however, he looked back at Blake with a curious smile. 

“You’re welcome to change the television channel but I don’t have a whole lot. I tend to just read during my free time,” he said as Blake glanced toward the TV, then back to him. 

“Would you mind if I helped you out? Unless Ravi isn’t comfortable with it?” he said, not really wanting to be left alone at that moment. 

Wyatt’s smile widened as he made a hold on gesture, then ducked away for a few seconds, only to return with a towel over his shoulder. 

“He is totally okay with you helping me.” 

Relieved, Blake shrugged off his coat and hung it up on a hook, then hurried to follow Wyatt into the… very little bathroom. 

“If you ever feel uncomfortable, feel free to step out. It can get a bit cramped in here,” he said as he set his towel down on the back of the toilet, then promptly tugged his sweater up and over his head. 

He… hadn’t been wearing an undershirt. 

After managing to just-barely refrain from drooling, Blake let his eyes wander down to a small black tattoo just above the waistband of Wyatt’s jeans. 

A rabbit? 

It wasn’t very detailed, but it was somehow still quite well done. 

“You might want to take off your sweater, at least. Ravi tends to get pretty hyper… even during bath time,” Wyatt said as he looked over his shoulder for a moment, then returned his attention to the tub where Ravi was already waiting. 

“Let’s get the show on the road,” he said as he reached over and grabbed the hanging sprayer, then turned on the showerhead portion for it. 

Blake watched in silence as Ravi began to dance on his paws, clearly eager for his bath to begin. And, truth be told, he was trying to distract himself from having to remove his sweater. Sure, he had a long-sleeved shirt underneath it, but still. He didn’t want to take it off right now. 

Instead of stressing about it, he carefully moved around the toilet until he was close to the tub, then sat down on the closed lid and reached forward to help hold the squirming pup in the tub. 

“Thanks,” Wyatt said absentmindedly as he hurried to rinse out Ravi’s soft coat. The water that came off was already brown as it ran down the drain. 

“I think we need to do baths a bit more often. You’re a very dirty dog, Ravi,” Blake said, then quickly looked away when Ravi looked up at him and tilted his head. 

We was the wrong word. I meant it in general, but it sounded like I had suddenly decided to stay with them. 

Which he definitely hadn’t. He had a plane to catch the next morning. There would be no staying. He was just about to excuse himself as his nervousness began to make his hands shake, but that’s when he smelled something that calmed him almost immediately. 

It definitely wasn’t a manly scent, but the peony and rose soap that Wyatt was now beginning to scrub into Ravi’s coat smelled absolutely amazing. 

Sneaking a peak at the bottle, he made a mental note to get himself some once he got situated up north. He’d been restricted as far as the things he was allowed to buy before, but those rules were gone now. 

I’m definitely going to get that soap. 

“Blake…” 

Huh?

Hearing an unfamiliar voice, Blake glanced over his shoulder at the empty doorway, then turned his attention back to Ravi, except… the wild dog he’d become familiar with recently was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a thin, nervous-looking boy that struggled to meet his gaze with his soft caramel eyes. 

He was slightly hunched with his hands clasped tightly together in front of him as he kept trying to look up, but didn’t have the courage to do so yet. 

Blake took just a few quick moments to look over the young man, honestly surprised that someone so beautiful could actually be real. Ravi had a warm chocolate skin tone that nearly matched his extremely curly hair to a T. 

Those curls are amazing. He could be a hair model in a second. 

The curls were quite long and honestly gave him the appearance of a partial lion’s mane as they stood up in some places and settled in others. Either way, it was all surprisingly cohesive and looked absolutely adorable on him. 

“Hello there, Ravi.” 

Hearing his name seemed to help give him that last little boost of confidence to finally look up and meet his eyes. 

“U-um…” he mumbled quietly before looking over at Wyatt, then back to him. 

Blake waited patiently for him to speak again, but when he just lifted his hand a few times, but just ended up returning it to his lap after each try, he glanced to his right and raised a brow at Wyatt. 

“He’s not really used to talking. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of them, but he’s a rever type of shifter, and prefers to stay in his animal form most of the time,” he said, making Blake’s eyes widen slightly before turning back to look at the nervous young man before him. 

“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk, but it seems like you want something?” he said, making Ravi straighten up a little bit and give a hesitant nod. The gesture made his head of curls bounce softly, even though they were already quite damp. 

“You can go ahead and do whatever you’d like, if it’s okay with Wyatt?” Blake said as he glanced at the man beside him again for verification. 

The guy seemed pretty relaxed as he reached over and gently patted Ravi’s soft hair. 

“He usually only asks for one thing.” 

Only one? 

“What’s that?” Blake asked, curious, and honestly a bit nervous. 

Wyatt gave a little chuckle as he retracted his hand and pointed over at him. 

“He wants a hug from his new friend.” 

Oh. 

At first, he felt a shiver run down his spine at the sudden request for contact, but it took no time at all to be able to recover from the nerves and offer Ravi a warm smile. 

“Of course you can hug me, sweetheart.”

As soon as the words left his mouth Ravi was leaning up toward him, using one hand to help hold his weight on the edge of the top as he wrapped one arm around Blake’s neck, then lifted his other one once he had a decent hold. 

He waited a full minute before lifting his own arms and gently wrapping them around the young man’s back. 

I feel like I needed this hug just as much as you did, but I’m just not brave enough to ask for one yet. 

They broke apart after a few more moments, but it was obvious that neither of them really wanted to. 

“You ready for your final rinse, Ravi?” Wyatt asked once the young man had gotten situated again. 

He quickly nodded and closed his eyes, allowing Wyatt to rinse off the remainder of the soap from his hair and skin. Blake hurried to pat his eyes dry with a towel once Wyatt had finished and turned off the water. 

“All set, pup,” he said before taking the towel from Blake and quickly running it over most of Ravi’s body, then standing up and moving away. 

Blake hopped up and did the same, and was surprised to see Ravi’s form immediately revert back to his canine self. 

“Hang on,” Wyatt said as he leaned forward and tugged the shower curtain closed. 

“Alright, have at it.” 

They heard the dog shake out its damp coat a few times before Wyatt stepped forward again and pulled the curtain back, letting Ravi finally hop out of the tub. 

I kind of want him to give me a bath now. 

Quickly shaking off the thought, he turned, but was surprised to see Wyatt standing in the doorway, leaning gently against the jamb with his hands in his pockets.

“I wanted to ask you if I could do something, too,” he said, making Blake immediately tense. 

He didn’t want to think about the fact that he was cornered in a small room, but there was nothing he could do as he felt cold sweat begin to return to his palms. 

Seemingly realizing his mistake, Wyatt quickly took a small step inside, then turned and hopped up to sit on the small counter. 

Huh?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to block the exit. That wasn’t very smart of me,” he said, making Blake force a small smile. 

He wanted to say that it was fine, but he wasn’t a liar. 

“Um, well, I might have already messed this up, but I wanted to ask you if I could take a look at that injury around your neck? It looks like it might be infected a bit.” 

It does? 

To be honest, he hadn’t been paying much attention to himself the past few days, so when he hesitantly stepped close enough to the mirror to look, he wasn’t surprised to see that Wyatt might be right.  

He knew that the guy had noticed it earlier, too, and had probably just wanted to wait for a chance to ask if he could tend to it. 

I don’t know how well I’ll be able to handle being so close to him. 

But at the same time, he kind of wanted to be closer to someone. Of course, Ravi made him the least stressed, but Wyatt hadn’t been anything but kind, too. 

It can’t hurt to try?

It was a question in his mind, but he knew that he did need to get his injury taken care of. At least, the one on his neck. So, steeling his nerves, he walked past Wyatt and stepped out into the hall, then turned around. 

The guy looked a little upset, but when Blake nodded toward the living room, Wyatt tilted his head. 

“You can take care of it in the living room… if that’s okay.” 

The sheer relief he saw on the man’s now-smiling face made Blake unable to hide his own small, but-nervous one. It wasn’t a huge step for most people to let someone else take care of a small injury, but it was huge for him right then. 

Baby steps. 

It felt like he was being pulled back and forth. Wanting attention but too afraid that it would turn negative to want to risk trying to ask for any. He couldn’t afford to let himself get addicted to attention again.

Just a little first-aid. Then it will be over. Then we’ll just hang out tonight and I’ll fly out tomorrow. 

That’s how it would be. That’s what was going to happen. He would make sure of it.

Wild Dog 6

Blake watched as Wyatt stepped into the room a minute later, having retrieved some items from the medicine cabinet in case they were needed to treat his injury. To his surprise, Wyatt walked over to the kitchen counter and set everything down, then walked over to him. Instead of stopping where he was sitting in the recliner, however, he moved to the other side of the couch and picked up a small tray stand. 

Oh, that’s a good idea. 

Once the item was situated next to him, the guy went went back to retrieve his things, then brought them over. Blake quickly looked over each item, knowing that Wyatt had no interest in hurting him, but needing to make sure. Thankfully, the guy gave him plenty of time to look, and didn’t even try to reach for him until Blake was content with the items and leaning himself back in the chair to give Wyatt access to his throat. 

“That’s perfect. Let me know if you need me to stop at any time, please,” the man said before leaning over and beginning to inspect the damaged area. He tugged at his shirt several times as he looked beneath the top portion, no doubt needing to see the entire picture of the injury. 

After a few minutes of Wyatt trying to keep his sweater tucked away from the marks so that they could be treated, Blake gestured for him to step back for a moment. Wyatt did so immediately, then watched as he sat up and, after a very quick, silent pep-talk, tugged his sweater up and over his head. The long-sleeved shirt he had underneath it would stay on, but at least the neckline on it was lower, allowing Wyatt full access to the marks there. 

“Thank you,” the man said as he waited patiently for Blake to lean the chair back again. 

Once he was comfortable, Blake told him to continue, and Wyatt did so immediately. Now that he could easily reach what he needed, he was quick to assess the situation and begin cleaning the few areas that required first aid. 

About halfway through working Wyatt leaned away, a smile on his face as Blake sat up, curious as to what he was doing. 

“Could I ask you to lie on the couch for just a few moments? You have one more spot I’d like to clean, but it’s on the back of your neck,” he said, making Blake hesitate for only a moment before scooting out of the reclining chair and moving over to the couch. 

To his surprise, Ravi was curled up near the end of it, his multicolored tail thumping curiously on the padded seat. 

Okay, I can do this easily if Ravi is here, too. 

Unable to hide his grin, Blake got himself situated on the love seat, though Ravi had to move a bit to adjust for his size, since he needed to be lying down. The pup made it work seamlessly, though, because it was plenty small enough to curl right up against his side. 

He also was pretty good at distracting him while Wyatt was working, too. Blake knew that he had to keep still, so each time Ravi snuck him a tiny, hesitant, doggy kiss, he had to just take it or risk messing up Wyatt’s work. 

“I feel like you guys are working together on this,” he eventually said after the fourth little lick to his nose from the wiggling goth dog. 

The deep bit of laughter he heard in response from Wyatt really made him want to scowl over his shoulder, but the guy made sure to press something against the injury on the back of his neck right at that moment, no doubt to make sure that he remained immobile. 

“Behave. I just have a tiny bit more to do,” he said, making Blake glance sideways at the pup that had nudged its head beneath his slightly raised arm so that it could be within perfect licking range. 

“You heard him Ravi, behave,” Blake said, to which he heard another quieter chuckle from Wyatt. 

“You, too. You’re squirming a lot,” he said, making Blake purse his lips and blush. 

“He’s licking me.” 

Not that he minded, at all, but he supposed that he had been reacting to it a bit without even realizing it. 

You’d squirm a lot more if it were me…

Woah boy. That definitely hadn’t been a thought he should have picked up by accident.

“I can tell him to get down?” Wyatt said instead, making Ravi give out a little cry of sadness in response as Blake did his best to keep his blush from turning the back of his neck red. 

“No no, it’s okay. It’s a good distraction,” he said, right before Ravi nearly stuck his tongue up his nose with a misguided fifth lick of appreciation. 

Holding back a sneeze, Blake scowled at the pup, but was still honestly grateful.  

“Ravi, we need to talk,” he grumbled, making the dog repeatedly open and close its mouth a tiny bit, then snort and plop its chin down on the cushion. 

Another chuckle from above had him realizing that Wyatt was no longer touching him and had placed one final bandage on the back of his neck. 

“You two are quite good at distracting each other. You’re all set,” Wyatt said from over by the kitchen, making Blake immediately sit up and reach for his new bandages. 

“Don’t touch them. They need to stay on for a while and picking at them will just get them get dirty and make them peel,” the man said, making Blake quickly drop his hand back to his lap and mumble a nervous “yes sir.” 

He realized what he’d done almost immediately, but thankfully Wyatt didn’t seem to mind. Instead of making it a big deal, the guy simply shrugged off his words with a smile and went to get a big bag of chips from the cupboard near the fridge. 

“Do you by chance want to—” the chiming of a familiar ring tone cut off Wyatt’s words and made Blake’s entire body immediately freeze as his face paled to a pasty white. 

His ex wasn’t a fan of phone calls, and rarely called him unless he had already worked himself up into a fit of anger. Considering he hadn’t been around for several days and a decent bit of his stuff was now missing from the man’s apartment, it was no surprise that the call was finally happening. 

I can’t answer it. 

The anger in his voice would make him feel terrible. Then the disapproval that always came after he’d calmed down just made it worse. That disappointed tone always made him want to make things right. Always made him come back… even though he  knew that it would lead to more mental trauma and physical injuries. The man was a drug, and he’d been excruciatingly hard to quit.

If he picked up that phone now, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hold himself back from returning.

When the sound finally quieted and a minute later, a voicemail notification chimed, he felt a shiver run down his spine. 

That’s not going to be the end of it. 

Wyatt sat down on the couch beside him, but made sure that Ravi was their partition. His eyes remained on the phone for a moment before he turned to look at Blake. 

“He’s going to call back,” the man said, making Blake try, and fail, to swallow around the lump in his throat as he gave a stiff nod. 

“I-if you don’t respond to the voicemail within thirty minutes, there will be another c-call,” Blake rasped out as his fingers began to pick at the hem of his shirt. 

He felt Ravi nudge his fuzzy head beneath his hands after a moment, redirecting his habit into little ear scratches instead. 

Thanks, buddy. 

“I know this might be reaching a bit, and don’t hesitate to tell me no,” Wyatt said as he paused for a moment, clearly nervous about what he was about to ask. 

Blake waited quietly as his nerves twisted further into knots. 

“I’m guessing that he doesn’t realize that you’re gone for good?” he asked, making Blake look down at Ravi as he slowly nodded. He had said nothing. Just packed up what he could and left. He hadn’t even brought his car, because his ex’s name was also on the title, even though he’d had his own. 

When Wyatt nodded in response, then glanced at the phone for a brief moment before returning his attention to him, Blake held his breath. He expected the guy to ask if he could answer the next phone call, but to his surprise, that wasn’t what he said. 

“May I call him? Right now.” 

Now? 

Blake unintentionally gripped one of Ravi’s ears a little too tightly, making it wiggle in his hand for a moment before he hurried to release it. 

“I-I’m sorry, Ravi,” he murmured as the pup looked up at him with calm, caramel eyes. 

  It’s okay, sir. 

Raising a brow at the title, and sudden mental connection, Blake considered correcting him, but quickly found that he didn’t mind. He’d accidentally used it with Wyatt just a bit ago, anyways.

“It’s okay if you aren’t comfortable with me calling,” Wyatt said with a forced, warm smile. 

He’s not happy, but he won’t push me on it if I don’t want him to do it. 

He honestly wasn’t sure how he wanted to handle the situation, to be honest. As the seconds ticked by, turning into minutes, he knew that he was running out of time before the second phone call came. His mind went around in circles trying to figure out the best way to handle things. The calls wouldn’t stop coming, he knew that. And even though he knew he knew that, he was being stupid for not blocking the phone number. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

“How about we turn it off for now and watch a movie?” Wyatt suggested, his calm words managing to slowly pull Blake from his fretting thoughts. 

A movie? 

He wasn’t sure how helpful a movie would be at distracting him, but even though he didn’t think much of the gesture, he did reach across the table and, with shaky fingers, turn off his cell phone. When he set it back down on the table, he couldn’t make himself look away. 

I’m going to miss the second call. I might even miss the third, if I don’t turn it back on soon enough…

“I’ve got a few DVD’s that Ravi likes to watch when he comes by. Want to see if you like any?” Wyatt said as he reached forward beneath the coffee table and pulled out a small stack of movies. 

Blake took them without really thinking, then began flipping through the titles. He was never much of a movie fan, but when he got to the last DVD case, he couldn’t help but hold it up with a raised eyebrow. 

“The Lion King?” 

Before Wyatt could even open his mouth, Ravi was sitting up on the couch, his front paws dancing with excitement as he whimpered. 

“I feel like we found our movie,” he said with a chuckle, earning a howl from Ravi as he handed it over to Wyatt so that he could get everything set up. 

It only took the guy a minute to get the movie going before he returned back to his seat and opened his big bag of chips. Ravi claimed the very first one after pawing at Wyatt’s arm persistently. Watching the pup tilt its head back and crunch on the snack was honestly one of the funniest things he’d seen in a long time. And the second the chip was gone, the pup was back to staring determinately at the bag for its next bite.  

As the opening music partially tugged Ravi’s attention away, Blake reached over and snuck his hand into the bag and retrieved his own chip. He thought that he might have gotten away with it, too, but when he settled back down to lift it to his mouth, his hand was stopped midway by a paw. 

“I guess I’m not as sneaky as I thought,” he said in mock sorrow as he relinquished his chip to the pup.

It gobbled it down quickly, but before Blake could even turn his attention away he felt a different chip being pressed against his lower lip. His heart sped up the slightest fraction as he turned his head a little to face Wyatt, opening his mouth a bit more as he did so. 

When he felt the chip being pressed a little farther into his mouth, he obediently grabbed it with his teeth, then quickly tucked it into his mouth with his tongue and began chewing slowly. Wyatt was grinning at him from where he’d rested his head against the back of the couch, his face turned toward him. 

I want to know what he’s thinking…

For the first time since he’d left home, Blake took a calming breath and focused on the man staring back at him. He had slowly begun to ween himself off of his ability ever since making the decision to leave, but curiosity really was a bothersome thing sometimes. It didn’t help that his ability triggered sometimes just because it felt like it.

At first, he didn’t pick up a whole lot as the man turned his attention to the movie for a few minutes, but then a quiet thought drifted into his mind. 

I need to stop staring. I’m not ready for a new sub yet.

Blake found himself biting back a grin as he turned his attention to the movie. 

Same here, sir. 

He tried his best to focus on the TV as time went on, but he just couldn’t find a comfortable position. First he had Ravi resting his head in his lap, but then his leg fell asleep… though it was more likely from him fidgeting than from the added weight of the pup’s head. 

His next position, with his legs tucked up on the sofa, wasn’t much better. By the time the movie was half over he was ready to just flop over on the floor and take a nap. In fact, he was just nudging Ravi over a tiny bit so that he could let his feet down and slide off the couch when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. 

Turning his attention toward Wyatt, Blake had to lean closer to hear the man’s whispered words to him. 

“Would you prefer to lie down? I can sit in the recliner, or you can take it, if you’d like?” 

Oh, right. There is a recliner. 

He wasn’t sure how he’d even forgotten about it, but at the same time, just the thought of moving away from his phone by even a foot… His eyes unintentionally turned toward the device at that moment, but another gentle tap immediately tugged them away again. 

“Would you like to swap seats?” Wyatt offered, still trying to find a way to make him more comfortable. 

Can I just sit in your lap and you cover my eyes for the rest of the night so that I can just pretend that I don’t exist? 

Blake internally scowled at his own selfish thoughts as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to just push the reset button in his mind. 

“You’re welcome to do that if you’d like. I definitely wouldn’t mind.” 

What? 

There was no way he’d said his thoughts out loud. He was extremely careful with them. He immediately considered grabbing his phone and running right out the door that second, but the sheepish look on Wyatt’s face had him hesitating. 

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner, but I’ve been catching bits and pieces of your thoughts every once in a while. I haven’t gotten any full sentences, though, so it was kind of surprising that I heard all of what you’d just thought.” 

  I think I’m stressing out too much. That might be why he’s able to hear me. It was probably the few times I’d unintentionally heard him. 

He could tell that Wyatt had likely heard him again, but thankfully the guy kept that information to himself this time. 

“Let me ask you a question, if you don’t mind?” Wyatt said, making Blake fidget a bit as he nodded. 

Making a simple gesture to Ravi, the pup flicked an ear, then hopped off the loveseat to settle on the floor, his attention barely leaving the movie that was still playing on the television. Wyatt carefully adjusted himself on the couch then, lifting his legs up onto it and leaning back against the soft armrest. 

“What would you do if I told you that for the rest of today, you can do whatever you want, within reason, without any kind of repercussions?”

Without… huh?

Blake wasn’t really sure what the guy meant, and Wyatt seemed to realize that, because he looked a little embarrassed, but then cleared his throat and held one hand out to him. 

I really… needs a hug.

Realization dawned on him immediately after catching those bits of thought, drawing a smile upon his lips. 

“I suppose I should take you up on that offer, if there are no strings attached,” he said as he hesitantly lifted his own hand up to cautiously wrap his fingers around a few of Wyatt’s. 

The relief he saw in the man’s expression made his own worry settle a bit. So, when he was gently tugged forward as Wyatt adjusted his body a bit more to get comfortable, then settled himself against his chest, in his arms, Blake couldn’t help but let a long sigh of relief slip from between his lips. 

He wasn’t even facing toward the movie as some action scene started up, but that was perfectly fine with him. His heart was beating hard enough in his chest as it were. It didn’t need anything else to nudge it to go faster. 

“Let me know if there’s anything you would like me to do,” Wyatt whispered against his hair before he turned his attention back to the movie. 

It only took Blake about two minutes before he nuzzled his face against Wyatt’s warm shirt and replied, “hug please, sir.” 

The man’s arms were around him in seconds, holding him so gently that he could barely even feel him. 

“Hurt me, please” he mumbled after a few moments of frustration, not happy with being handled so delicately. He knew that he shouldn’t have even requested him to do it, since he was trying to get away from what his ex had done to him, but addiction was extremely hard to break when he was in a situation where he could have his drug of choice for free.

He expected to hear Wyatt chuckle at his request, but then he remembered that he was actually a well-known dominant and would understand the situation. 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I can do this, if that would work,” he said as he tightened his hold a pretty decent amount. 

So good…

Blake gave another content sigh as he snuggled in a little more, then whispered “good, thank you, sir,” against Wyatt’s shirt. 

“I’m glad,” the man said as he kept his arms and hands right where they were, then returned his attention to the movie. 

He was very happy that the guy didn’t try to rub his back or allow his hands to wander. He’d offered a hug, an appropriate one, and he’d delivered. It honestly felt so good to just be held firmly against someone. At some point he heard Wyatt check on him, then again a little while later, but he hadn’t been quite awake enough to respond either time. He was dozing comfortably, and when no one tried to really wake him up, he let himself drift off to sleep. It would just be a short nap, then he’d wake up and treat his friends to another meal before bed time. Then, after a full night’s rest, he’d fly out the next day and begin his life anew.

Wild Dog 7

Shaking out his coat after a good stretch, Ravi looked up up at the two people on the couch. He could tell that they were both out cold, wrapped in each others arms as they slept peacefully. He honestly wanted to hop up and join them, but there really wasn’t any room. 

After glancing around the dimly lit room for a few moments, he twitched an ear, then headed for the door. A little walk would do him some good. He easily hopped up and turned the lock with a paw, then pulled the little hanging rope that Wyatt had set up for him. Once outside, he turned and watched the door slowly swing shut, then turned and nudged his head through the cold metal bars of the railing to look down at the surrounding area. 

The frigid wind nipped at his ears and rustled his fur, but he didn’t mind it much. He was, after all, more wild dog than human. He truly hadn’t minded being treated like an animal, but he had pushed it to the point of abuse. Just the thought of his ex dominant made his stomach squeeze uncomfortably in his chest, making him consider going back inside. Except, he didn’t want to disturb Blake or master Wyatt, and he knew that he definitely would if he didn’t walk off some energy. 

He was that kind of sub. Overly-excitable, overly-energetic, and overly needy. It was a wonder that master Wyatt had even offered to look after him. It took all of his effort not to squirm into the man’s arms every second of every minute of every hour of every day. Just thinking about cuddling up with the sweet man in his bed made Ravi wiggle with excitement. Of course, he’d never been allowed in such a place, but that was understandable. Most dominants he knew rarely shared their bed with anyone who wasn’t their own submissive.  

I miss master. 

Chewing on an imaginary dog treat to try and calm his nerves, Ravi slowly began his way toward the steps. He allowed his mind to wander as he descended into a decent layer of snow. It chilled his paws, but again, he was used to it. He’d spent quite a few days outside in his dog house while his former master had been away for work. 

Tilting his nose toward the sky, he gave a few quick sniffs, then turned north. The snow had slowed to a gentle dust on the wind as he meandered his way along the sidewalk. More people were out and about now, visiting local restaurants and catching up with neighbors. He didn’t really understand why people tried to be so social with complete strangers. He just wanted his one and only… and wanted them to only ever care about him. 

There were actually dominants that were like that, but they weren’t easy to find, and by the time they were found, they were already taken. 

Your dominant only ever looked at you. 

He sneezed in frustration at the thought that had snuck into his mind. 

Only ever looked at you, hurt you, and starved you. 

Slowing to a stop, Ravi looked up again, but this time he was in front of a familiar medium-sized home at the beginning of a residential area. 

His house…

It was a very well-kept plot of land with everything in order right down the smallest blade of grass.  Curiosity… and need, had him wondering if his former master was home at that moment. He often parked in the garage, so there was no way of knowing unless he either looked through the window there, or walked up to the door.

He was just lifting a paw to step onto the driveway when his ears perked up at the sound of the front door being opened. Without thinking, he bolted for the bushes a few feet ahead of him on the sidewalk. As soon as he was settled and hidden, he noticed footsteps heading his way. His animal instincts told him to give out a warning growl, but his more-suppressed human ones told him that he hadn’t been spotted yet and that he should remain quiet. Thankfully, he decided to listen to his human side for once and hunkered down as the man came closer, his proximity making Ravi’s entire body begin to shiver as he chanced looking up through the foliage. 

That’s… not my master.

As the man calmly walked past him and turned to head north on the sidewalk, Ravi hesitantly crawled out from beneath the bushes and peeked around the corner. 

He kind of looks like him, but that’s definitely not him. 

Curious but cautious, Ravi padded after the man. He was wearing long light brown pants and a black coat that extended all the way down to the backs of his knees. Each time it rustled in the breeze Ravi considered running forward and snapping at it, but that would obviously give him away. 

“Trying to sneak up on another predator in broad daylight doesn’t usually work all that well, little guy.” 

Ravi hit his brakes immediately… at the same time a particularly harsh gust of wind whipped the man’s coat toward him as he turned around to face him. Becoming defensive in an instant, Ravi snapped at the approaching cloth with a ferocious snarl. To his surprise, he caught it between his teeth, but then just kind-of stood there staring up at the tall man looking down at him with an inquisitive, yet-entertained, expression on his face.

They looked at each other for several seconds before realization dawned on the man’s face. 

“You’re my little brother’s shifter pup,” he said quietly. 

He’d spoken the words so softly, in fact, that Ravi just barely-heard them before they were carried away by the crisp winter wind blowing past them. He quickly tucked his tail and hunched a little closer to the ground in response, though, chewing on the edge of the coat as if it were another doggy cookie. 

“He’s been looking for you, but it doesn’t seem like you want to go back to him, huh?” he said as he squatted down a bit too quickly for Ravi’s liking, making him quickly backed up a few steps, tugging the coat with him since he refused to release it. 

Unfortunately for the man in front of him, it forced him forward a bit too abruptly and made him fall onto his hands and knees with a surprised, quiet gasp. 

“That wasn’t very nice,” the man chastised as he slowly pushed himself back up into his squatting position, then dusted off the snow from his knees.

When his eyes finally returned to Ravi, he didn’t look too pleased… but he also didn’t look too mad, either. 

“Would you mind releasing my coat, bud?” 

Oh, right. 

Even though he knew that it wasn’t his, he slowly gave a tiny nod. He would mind releasing it. He liked having something to hold in his mouth when he was extremely nervous. And considering that he was right out in front of his ex dominant’s house, face to face with his brother? He was shocked that he hadn’t simply frozen into a Ravi icicle of terror yet. 

“Hmm… will you shift and at least put it on if I let you have it?” the man asked, quickly earning a shake of Ravi’s head in response. He would absolutely not shift. 

The guy seemed to think for a few more moments before reaching up and undoing a super soft-looking scarf from around his neck. 

“What about this? It’s extremely warm, super soft, and would fit your pup much better than that big coat.” 

It did look like it would work with his canine form much better than the coat he was still nibbling a hole in… He could also chew at the edges while still having plenty of fabric to wrap around himself without having to drag anything. 

Suddenly overwhelmingly-excited, Ravi straightened up and nodded several times. 

“There we go. I knew we could figure out a reasonable trade,” the man said as he gently set the long scarf in the thin layer of snow on the sidewalk, then looked back up to Ravi with a small, warm smile. 

Ravi dropped the coat at that moment and inched closer to the scarf. He kept his eyes mostly on the man as he scooted back a bit, then straightened back to his full height. 

Seeing his chance, Ravi grabbed one end of the scarf and abruptly began to roll in the snow over and over again. By the time he stopped and straightened back up, the scarf was awkwardly wrapped around a good portion of his upper body and neck. He kept hold of the little end piece he’d originally grabbed onto, though, then looked up at the man staring down at him. 

“Well, I can’t argue. It definitely looks better on you than it did on me,” he said with a quiet chuckle. 

Ravi gave a little wiggle at the compliment, but the man was no longer looking at him. Suddenly nervous, Ravi immediately looked over his shoulder… then peed a little as he scrambled behind the man’s legs and began to unknowingly nibble at one of his pantlegs. 

“You found him, Trever!” 

That voice. 

Ravi grabbed more of the pantleg and gave a quiet whine as his former dominant headed his way. He forced himself to keep his eyes on the ground as the man approached, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from running into his arms and begging for forgiveness if he got even the slightest glance of him. 

He listened as his footsteps got closer, but then, abruptly stopped. 

“Travis, I don’t know a lot about your lifestyle, but it doesn’t seem like you’ve treated this pup very well.” 

“He could have left whenever he wanted to, and the lifestyle is what he wanted. That dog is obsessive. Its always insanely hyper and wanting attention, but refuses to shift for more than a few minutes at a time. I got tired of trying to have a relationship and just ended up treating him how he wanted to be treated. As a dog.” 

He wasn’t wrong. His dominant had wanted a physical relationship, but he had definitely not. All he’d wanted was attention and someone who was willing to put up with his excessive energy. 

When the man he was hiding behind sighed and turned, then knelt down in front of him, Ravi was forced to release his pantleg and hunch to the ground. The cold snow chilled his belly, but he paid it no mind as the man, Trever, stared down at him. 

“Little one, did you come over here with the intention of returning to my little brother’s care?” 

Ravi flicked an ear as he quickly shook his head, his chin brushing against the snow at the same time. 

The man’s brown eyes softened a little. 

“Do you have somewhere else to go right now?” he asked, making Ravi grab hold of the end of his scarf and tilt his head for a moment, then quickly nod several times.  

Trever nodded in return at that point, then stood back up. 

“Best to head back home, then,” he said as he stepped aside to clear the way. 

Ravi quickly lowered his gaze again as he began moving, but each step he took made his paws feel heavier and heavier. By the time he got to the other end of the property, he had to fight just to lift up one single foot. His heart was also racing and his head was beginning to ache from stress. 

“You know that you came back here for me, Ravi. If you leave again, I might not be so welcoming when you wander back here next time… because I know that you will,” his former dominant called out to him. His voice sounded so smug, as if he knew how hard it already was to try and walk away a second time. 

He hadn’t been the best person, but he’d been his first master. He’d paid attention to him and called him his. 

 “Ravi.” 

Hearing another voice speak his name right behind him had Ravi whirling around and raising his hackles, but his growl was swallowed by surprise as Trever squatted in front of him again and held out a small stick of something. 

He wasn’t too interested in it right away, but as its scent caught his cold nose after a few moments, he inched a little closer. 

“It’s kind of like those Slim Jim things you can find at gas stations, but I prefer the higher quality kinds. This one is a mixture of beef and pork,” he said, making Ravi chew on the edge of the scarf a bit more until it slipped from his mouth. 

“I’m not going to get between you and my brother at any other time, but just this once, can I trade you this treat in return for you walking away today? I love my baby brother to the moon and back, but he’s not perfect. It seems like he’s made some mistakes, and I’d like to talk with him about this situation.” 

Ravi wasn’t the best at listening, and while most of the man’s words went in one large ear and immediately out the other, he didn’t miss the point. 

“You mentioned that you have somewhere you can go before? Is someone waiting for you at home?” the man asked, making Ravi immediately look up at the graying sky. 

Master Wyatt would definitely worry if I didn’t return before it gets dark. 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Trever said with a small smile as a chilly gust of wind rustled his honey-blond hair. 

It was a yes. 

This time when Ravi attempted to walk away, his paws moved… forward first, so that he could snatch up that delicious-looking jerky stick, then they abruptly turned and carried him down the sidewalk at a comfortable lope, away from his former stressful life, for the second time. He hadn’t been sure that he could ever walk away from his ex dominant if he saw him again, but with his brother’s help, it had felt almost… easy. 

It helped that the jerky stick was absolutely delicious and super chewy, giving him something to focus on as he wiggled his way home, eager to show master Wyatt and Blake his newly acquired scarf.

Wild Dog 8

Waking up against a warm body with firm arms wrapped around him immediately had Blake on high alert, but before he could even begin to panic he realized something that quickly put his mind at ease. 

I can smell Wyatt’s scent. 

Coming back down from his near-panic attack, he focused on what he could hear and feel. He was definitely in Wyatt’s arms, and the man was clearly still asleep judging by how calm his breathing was. It also helped that he was pressed firmly but comfortably against his chest, though their positions had shifted a bit since he’d fallen asleep. He was now very snugly tucked between the man’s body and the back of the couch, but was still partially on top of his chest, too. 

He considered trying to get up, but quickly decided against it. Their legs were entwined a bit and he’d definitely wake the guy up if he tried to unwrap himself from him. The faint sound of something walking around drew his attention away from his current predicament. He was nervous for a whole four seconds before he realized that it was Ravi who was pacing about. He could hear the pup’s quiet panting, and when he came closer and began sniffing at Wyatt’s arm, Blake couldn’t help but grin. 

He’s still asleep, little one. 

He couldn’t really see the pup well from where he was, but the moment he sent that thought to him he saw two huge pointed ears perk up beyond Wyatt’s body. 

Sorry to startle you. 

He waited for a few moments, curious about whether Ravi would reply to him telepathically or not. 

Master Blake…

Blake raised an eyebrow at the master title, but didn’t really mind it. He did tend to be a bit more dominant than most subs, and he had considered trying to be a master, himself, a few times. 

That had actually been the plan once I finally left, and yet here I am, snuggled up nice and comfortably with the first dom I happened to meet. 

He was beginning to rant to himself in his mind when he felt Ravi nudge at his thoughts. 

Master Blake, I met a new person and took his scarf. 

Blake’s internal musings halted immediately as his attention returned to Ravi. 

A scarf? A new person?

Suddenly, most of Ravi’s upper body became visible as he found himself a tiny foothold on the edge of the couch. His little pink tongue tucked in and out of his slightly-open mouth as he stared over Wyatt’s resting form at him. 

Ah, he really does have a scarf on now. 

It looked like a pretty nice one, too. 

I like it. You must have gone out while we’d slept. Do you know the name of the person who gave that scarf to you? he asked curiously as Ravi removed his paws from the edge of the couch, dropping out of view again. 

His name was Trever.    

Blake smiled, then hesitated right before he was going to send another thought. A certain someone was beginning to wake up. He was a tiny bit uncomfortable with the man’s slowly wandering hands, but it was clear that he wasn’t coherent yet. That didn’t mean that he was just going to let him continue doing what he was, though. 

“Wyatt,” he said quietly, trying to wake him up more. 

 When he didn’t respond, Blake lifted his right hand and tapped him a few times against his chest. That began to get his attention, but what really woke him up was the insanely-loud sneeze Ravi gave off a moment later. Heck, it even startled him, so it was no surprise at all when Wyatt abruptly sat up in response. What did surprise him though, and make his back go ramrod straight, was when the guy suddenly pulled him super tightly against his chest with one arm while his free hand lifted to the back of his head, tucking it quickly but carefully against his chest for protection. It was honestly kind of cute, but he hoped that it wasn’t an automatic response from a previous negative situation. 

He was holding back on me earlier. 

The guy had some serious strength in him, even though he wasn’t really all that buff. Unfortunately, he relaxed his hold as soon as he realized that the culprit of his abrupt awakening was an overly-excited Ravi. The pup was dancing on its paws next to the sofa, wiggling its back end as it sniffled here and there. 

“Did you go outside, Ravi?” he asked as he carefully lowered his hands away from Blake’s body. 

He knew that he should have let him go, too, since he’d reached up while the guy had panicked and wrapped his own arms around his neck, but…   

Don’t want to. 

In fact, he wanted to do the exact opposite. 

I don’t mind, but your flight is scheduled to leave in two hours… unless you’re planning on missing it?  

Disregarding the fact that the man had heard his thoughts, again, Blake quickly unwrapped his arms from around his neck and glanced over toward the clock. 

“You’re right. It’s almost five A.M..” he mumbled quietly, earning a chuckle from Wyatt and a needy whine from Ravi. They had slept a lot longer than they’d meant to. 

He allowed the cute dog to take his attention after he carefully moved out of Wyatt’s lap with the man’s helping hands on his hips. As soon as he’d scooted off the couch and onto the floor, Ravi was in his lap. The pup couldn’t stop wiggling as he sat down, but he honestly didn’t mind. 

“I could use some of that energy, bud,” he said as he tugged Ravi into a gentle but firm hug. 

He got a few excited licks for his effort before he felt the pup suddenly being lifted from his lap. He watched as Wyatt actually began to wrestle with Ravi on the couch, enticing him into hopping back up onto the sofa, too. 

They basically played tug-o-Ravi for a few minutes as the pup happily bounced back and forth between them. What actually stopped their fun was when Ravi got so wrapped up in his new scarf that he needed assistance freeing himself. 

It took both of them a few moments to get him free, but it took the pup less than two seconds afterward to start trying to bounce between them again. 

“As much as I’d like to play with you all day, and I really would, I have to get ready to catch my flight,” Blake said with a relaxed smile. 

He’d thought he’d be tired, especially after sleeping with some—

I… slept with him. Well, against him, but that still counts as with, to me. 

Feeling his face burn in the dark room, Blake struggled to find words. He’d never slept with another guy besides his previous master. He’d only ever had one serious crush in his entire life, too, and when he’d majorly messed that up as a kid, he’d decided to just go at it solo for a long while.

It’s okay to accept help sometimes. 

Blinking a few times, Blake looked up from Ravi, who had situated himself back into his lap without him even realizing it, and met Wyatt’s calm eyes. He wanted to argue that sleeping against someone you didn’t even know wasn’t exactly considered help , but he disliked arguing, especially with a dominant he was growing to respect a lot. 

So, he simply decided to accept the man’s words for what they were and nodded his agreement. It was okay to accept help sometimes, he was just upset with himself because of the kind of help he’d decided to seek out. 

You’re a good man, Blake. 

He was about to respond when Wyatt suddenly got up from the couch and, after a quick stretch with his arms over his head… and some belly skin flashing, he headed for the hallway. Blake gave Ravi one final head pat before standing and walking to the bathroom. He nudged the door shut before washing his face, then relieved himself and washed his hands. 

Forgot to grab my toothbrush. 

He was just opening the door to go get it when he nearly bumped right into Wyatt. The guy pressed a hand to his shoulder before he could, though, stopping him with a calm smile. 

“Sorry, I’m kind of out of it right now,” Blake mumbled, embarrassed that he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. 

Instead of seeming annoyed that he’d almost been run into, Wyatt just gave a quiet chuckle and stepped aside. 

“It just means that you’re getting a bit more comfortable around us, and I’m glad.”

Blake’s eyes widened for a moment before he relaxed again and returned his smile with one of his own. 

“You’re right, and thank you for taking care of me during my stay in your town,” he said as he went to retrieve his toothbrush and paste from his bag. 

Ravi met him there and was rewarded with one more head pat before Blake got his things and returned to the bathroom. Without thinking, he opened the door… at the same time Wyatt was about to walk out. They did bump into each other that time, but Wyatt was quick to wrap an arm around his middle, easily keeping him from fumbling or falling. 

He’s so cute. 

Before Blake could comment on the man’s thought, Wyatt had released him and was walking around him out of the room. 

Ah, right. He can’t always hear me.    

Shaking his head, Blake hurried to brush his teeth, then return his things to his bag and grab his phone. He considered changing, but there was no reason to. He wasn’t planning on trying to impress anyone, and after putting on some deodorant and a bit of Ravi’s fur from his clothing, he was comfortable with his appearance . 

“Ready to head out?” Wyatt asked as he walked back into the room wearing a pair of black cargo pants and a dark blue sweatshirt. A set of keys were swinging from the fingers of his left hand. 

He’s giving me a ride? 

He hadn’t expected it, but he wouldn’t complain! If, by chance, he was unable to find a ride-share or taxi quickly, he might have missed his flight. 

“Yes, thank you, sir. I appreciate it,” he said with a nod as he tugged his suitcase over to the door. He opened it a moment later, then held it for Wyatt and Ravi. 

The pup sneezed loudly as soon as it stepped back outside, making them both glance down at him as he pawed at his runny nose. Blake was about to comment that it might be better if he stayed home to try and sleep off his possible incoming cold, but before he could say anything a heavy coat was settled over his shoulders. 

He recognized it immediately, then blushed when he realized that he’d actually forgotten it. 

“It’s alright,” Wyatt said as he got the door locked. 

Blake quickly zipped the coat up, then lifted a hand to adjust the little barrette that was, thankfully, still situated in his hair. He slipped his hand into the pocket of his coat afterward and was immediately relieved when he felt the other little hairpiece within it. 

Once Wyatt finished with the door and turned, Blake pursed his lips and lifted the little clip from his pocket. 

“Your hair is pretty messy,” he said quietly as the cold early-morning air began to chill their skin. 

Wyatt tilted his head as he processed what he was saying, then grinned and bowed his head a little bit instead of taking the barrette.

Blake fidgeted for a moment, but knew that if he took too long to decide what he wanted to do, that Wyatt would retract his gesture and take the clip to put into his hair, himself. Tamping down his nerves, he carefully reached up with both hands and after gently brushing aside most of the unruly bangs on the right side of Wyatt’s face, slid the black and red patterned barrette into place. 

Before Wyatt could even straighten back up Blake had turned and begun walking toward the stairs. He knew that his ears were likely already turning red from the cold, so he at least had a way to shrug off his terrible blush if someone asked about it. 

“No one should ask, because it’s not their business,” Wyatt said as he gently caught Blake’s left hand with his own surprisingly-warm one. “And it’s a beautiful way of expressing yourself. Blushing is nothing to be ashamed of.” 

Blake gave a silent nod, agreeing to his words even though he had none of his own to respond with. His mind was too focused on Wyatt’s hand. The guy didn’t move to actually hold his right away, and instead kept just enough pressure from a few fingers to prevent his from slipping out of his grasp as they walked. If he wanted to, he could remove his hand with little effort. He wouldn’t, though… because he didn’t want to. 

So, when he didn’t pull away by the time they got to the stairs, Wyatt carefully wrapped his hand around his, then gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. It honestly felt like he was squeezing his heart, and not his hand, but he kept his mouth closed and his thoughts to himself. Even if he was developing a small crush on the man, it wasn’t the right time. He was still way too skittish around other people and quite honestly, just uncomfortable in his own skin. He knew that Wyatt wasn’t ready for a new sub, either, so it would be selfish to try and push his way into the man’s heart. 

When they finally got to where he’d parked his car, they released each others’ hands and got in after letting Ravi into the back. He could already tell that the ride was going to be a quiet one, and that was perfectly fine with him. He had a lot of thoughts running around in his mind that needed sorted out, and it seemed like Wyatt wasn’t interested in chatting much, either. 

Leaning his head against the cool window, he allowed his eyes to close as the car was turned on and they started on their way to the airport. He would admit that he was  leaving something behind, but he just couldn’t stop himself from moving forward. Staying wouldn’t be beneficial to either of them right then. They both had things to deal with in their lives before they could consider each other. 

It’s just not the right time… but maybe that time isn’t too far in the future. 

He let a tiny, hopeful smile slip onto his face at his thoughts as he settled in for the short, peaceful drive.

Wild Dog 9

He wasn’t sure when Blake had fallen asleep, but he truly, honestly, didn’t want to lean over and wake him up. 

I want him to miss his plane. Even if he gets mad at me for it and makes me buy him another ticket.

Wyatt knew that asking for one more day was inappropriate, though. Because that one day would lead to him wanting another. Then there would be another, and another. Leaning forward with a silent sigh, he rested the side of his head against the steering wheel. He’d had quite a few subs over the years, and while he’d greatly enjoyed their company and even really liked quite a few of them, he’d never really hesitated so much when one decided to move on. 

And he was never even yours to begin with. 

It irked him. Yet he knew that he had no right to be upset. His inner beast also wasn’t very happy. As far as it was concerned, Blake already belonged to them. 

We can’t just own him without his permission. 

His other half didn’t want to hear logic. It just wanted to see Blake kneeling before them, looking up at him with needy eyes. The images that flashed behind his own eyes made Wyatt purse his lips and bite back a groan.  This is not the time to think such things, he chastised, knowing that he was partially to blame. He really was becoming obsessed with something he couldn’t have.  

Leaning back against his seat, he took a deep, calming breath, then reached over and gently shook Blake’s shoulder. 

“Time to get up. Don’t want to miss your flight,” he said as the man began to come around. 

He made the most adorable little grumbling sound as he reached up to rub at his eyes for a moment… and when he lowered his hands so that he could turn his head and smile up at him with a sleepy grin? Wyatt felt his heart just about melt into his stomach. 

“We’re here, you ready?” he asked, knowing that the guy was likely going to trudge through the security checkpoints, then fall right back asleep on the plane. 

I want to be sitting next to him. He could rest his head on my shoulder and I could rest my head against his soft hair. 

He needed to stop day dreaming. At least until he got back home… without the adorable submissive sitting next to him in his car. 

“Um… did you want to come?” Blake asked, snapping him out of his thoughts and drawing his eyes up to the man who had already gotten out and fetched his luggage from the back. He was now leaning down so that he could be seen in the passenger’s side. 

“O-oh, yeah. We’re definitely coming,” Wyatt quickly stuttered out as he got the car turned off and climbed out of his seat. 

Ravi followed him, though it was obvious that the pup was pretty tired since it hadn’t slept yet. It didn’t take long before he had Ravi in his arms, since he kept falling behind and swaying in front of people. Not a few minutes after he’d been picked up, the pup was out cold, snoring quietly with either paw settled over his shoulders and its muzzle resting atop his right one. 

“I’m going to miss him,” Blake said as they walked through the quiet airport. 

It wasn’t busy at all, but then again, it rarely ever was unless you were flying at peek times, which Blake definitely wasn’t. Wyatt offered to buy him something to snack on for breakfast, but Blake politely declined since his stomach didn’t always do well on planes. 

And now I want to be there in case he has a stomach ache or feels unwell from the flight. 

He was really beginning to become a nervous wreck for a guy he’d probably never see again. All of his instincts were telling him to make sure that Blake had anti-nausea medicine, some warm tea or water, and someone waiting to take care of him the moment he stepped off the plane in Ohio. 

Such a strange place to want to live. Kansas is much better.

Of course, he was just being biased, but still. 

“I think this is it,” Blake said, snapping him out of his thoughts as he looked around. 

They were there. It was Blake’s gate. It looked like the airport staff were already beginning to accept passengers, too, by the looks of the line that was slowly passing through the check-in desk.

Walking over to one of the long lines of chairs set up nearby, Wyatt gently settled Ravi across a few, then turned to see that Blake had followed him. He waited for the guy to set his suitcase upright, then held his arms open as he adorably fell right into them. 

He didn’t hold back on his strength this time, and there was a quiet voice in the back of his mind telling him that if he hugged him tightly enough, he might reconsider leaving. Of course, he knew that he wouldn’t… and honestly, he would have had to decline his request if he wished to stay with him, for both of their sakes. 

“Thank you so much for being my knight in shining armor these past two days. I don’t think I would have been able to keep my sanity if it weren’t for you and Ravi,” Blake said against his coat, his voice adorably muffled. 

He had to focus to understand what he’d said, which would normally make him frustrated since one of his pet peeves was people not speaking clearly, but it seemed like Blake was the one sub that could just skip over his most important rules… while somehow seeming cute in the process. 

“Would it be alright if I asked you for your number?” Wyatt said, feeling a little intimated for the first time in his life. He would honestly feel terrible if his request was declined, but he’d accept it. 

Then I would go home and sulk about how a beautiful sub found their way into the hotel room I purchased, took my heart for a ride without meaning to, then left me standing at the airport as I watch his plane take him off to another state. 

Okay, he was being a tad dramatic, but—“Sure, I’ll give it to you.” 

Huh? 

Looking slightly down at the guy he still had snuggly wrapped in his arms, Wyatt realized that Blake was now staring up at him with his soft, beautiful eyes… and a knowing grin on his face. 

“That little mind reading ability of yours caught all that, huh?” he asked as a rare blush inched its way to his cheeks for the briefest of appearances. 

 Even when Blake nodded, admitting that he’d heard his entire internal monologue, Wyatt couldn’t find any kind of upset about it within himself. 

“Good, that means I don’t have to say any of that out loud,” he added, to which Blake immediately replied with a quiet chuckle. 

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind hearing it out loud, though.” 

Wyatt pursed his lips and looked away out one of the massive windows, earning another chuckle from Blake before he suddenly returned his attention to the man in his arms. The guy immediately quieted and pressed a little closer to his chest, which was exactly the reaction he’d wanted out of him. 

Don’t test him. He’s not going to be your sub. 

He quickly pushed aside his own chastising comment and reached up with one hand to settle a finger beneath Blake’s chin, then tilted it upward just enough so that their eyes could meet. The guy managed to hold his gaze for a few moments, but then slowly lowered his, feeding Wyatt’s hungry dominant side.

Softening his expression, Wyatt leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the top of Blake’s hair, then slowly, reluctantly, released him. It took Blake an extra minute before he unwound his own arms from around him and took a necessary step back. When he looked back up at him, it was clear that his smile was forced and he was trying hard not to cry. 

“I should get going,” he eventually mumbled before walking over to a sleeping Ravi and giving him one final gentle pat on his head. The pup didn’t stir, but that was probably for the best. 

“You be good for master Wyatt, sweetheart,” he whispered before straightening back up. 

He gave Wyatt one more sad smile over his shoulder, then a respectful nod before turning and beginning to walk toward his gate with his suitcase tugged behind himself. He got a whole three steps before Wyatt ran forward and grabbed his free hand, making him turn around with a confused look on his face. 

“Y-your number?” Wyatt said nervously, wondering if perhaps the guy might not actually want to give it to him. 

Blake’s tired eyes widened as he quickly leaned over and dug out a pen from his bag. Wyatt watched him curiously as the guy, having finally found one, stood back up and reached forward to take his hand. 

Within five seconds he had a neatly written phone number on the palm of his hand… and wasn’t really sure how to react. He hated when people wrote on him when he was younger, especially where other people were more than likely to see it, and they both had phones in their pockets. He could have just texted him a simple hello , and he would have had his number. And yet, as he watched Blake give him one final little smile and nod of his head, then turn and walk away, he couldn’t help but lift his hand, palm up, and stare at the numbers written there. 

He did that for nearly a full three minutes before his eyes rose again to see Blake giving him one final wave from the entrance to the outstretched hallway leading to the plane. Before he could figure out some sort of logical response, he lifted his hand up to press a kiss against the phone number written across his palm, all while keeping his eyes locked onto Blake’s. 

He could see the guy’s blush start to color his cheeks as he slowly lowered his previously-waving hand. 

I’m not sure if you can hear me from there, but please have a safe trip, and if you fall asleep, I give you full permission to dream of me. 

Blake gave him a quick, nervous nod before turning and bolting into the hallway and out of sight. There hadn’t been enough time for him to be able to hide his red ears and embarrassed expression, though. 

Shaking his head with a quiet sigh, Wyatt quickly took out his phone and typed in Blake’s number, then took a picture of it on his hand… because he wanted to. He then tucked his phone away again before picking up Ravi’s snoring self. Instead of heading back to his car right away, he stood facing the window until the plane began to move, taxiing toward its take-off lane in the growing light of dawn. 

“He’s leaving us, bud,” he said to a still-sleeping Ravi. 

The pup nuzzled a tiny bit closer, then gave a content sigh in his sleep as his tail wagged twice against Wyatt’s arm. 

“Yeah, I think we’ll see him again, too. We both have things to deal with in our lives right now, but I don’t think I’ll be able to just let him disappear from mine entirely,” he said as he finally turned once the airplane had officially taken off. He then began walking back toward the parking lot, feeling a little lost, but also, somehow, a little found, too. 

“He’s the one that got away… for now.”

Wild Dog 10

I don’t feel good. 

He knew that Wyatt thought he was asleep, so he decided to take advantage of the situation as he was carried through the airport. It was a bit rude of him to play coy, but he really, honestly, didn’t feel well. 

“I know that you’re still awake, and I’m more than happy to carry you,” Wyatt said as they made their way to his car. 

They had thankfully gotten a pretty close parking spot, and after being settled in the front seat and snapped into a little car harness, he heard Wyatt move around to the other side and slid into his spot. The heater was turned on a moment later, and pretty soon Ravi was  having trouble staying awake. He wasn’t sure when he’d drifted off, but it felt like it had only been a few minutes when he groggily opened his eyes. 

Wyatt was carrying him up the stairs to his apartment as gently as possible, but it was hard not to wake him. He’d slept on pins and needles for years. He definitely appreciated the man’s attempts to be careful, though. 

I love this man. 

“Feeling a little better?” Wyatt asked as he carefully balanced Ravi’s body against his chest with one arm as he unlocked his door. 

Oh, I had been moving my tail. He really was bad at pretending to be asleep. 

Whenever he was excited, which was the majority of the time he spent awake and not stressed, his tail had a mind of its own. He didn’t really wag it like a dog might, but it was sort of close. Any sort of positive or excitement got it moving this way or that. 

“Always distracted,” Wyatt said with a chuckle as he got the door closed, then settled Ravi on the couch with a soft pillow beneath his head. 

Ravi gave a tired, quiet whine, drawing Wyatt right back to the couch. He felt the man’s hand rub at the fur between his ears for a moment before disappearing. 

I miss master Blake. 

Of course, he knew that the man had left, but since he was more wild dog than person most of the time, his mind didn’t want to accept the information it had. He was nudged out of his thoughts as he felt a gentle tug on his right ear.

“Ravi, would it be okay if I took you to a doctor?” he asked, making Ravi immediately sit up, intent on shaking his head… but it didn’t quite work that way. Instead of completing, or even starting the gesture, he simply just flopped right back over onto the couch with a little grunting whine. 

“Alright, we’re going to a clinic,” Wyatt said as he got his shoes back on and grabbed his keys from where he’d set them on the counter. 

Ravi tried to wiggle his way out of the room, but he barely managed to get off the couch and take three steps toward the bathroom before he flopped over again. 

I don’t feel good, master Wyatt. 

Pursing his lips, Wyatt calmly lifted Ravi back up onto the couch, then settled next to it on the floor and pulled his phone out from his back pocket. He quickly scrolled through his contacts until he found the man he needed to call. He picked up after the first ring, as per usual, but when the man spoke, his voice didn’t sound familiar. 

“This is Dr. Green’s office, how may I help you?” 

Wyatt heard the actual doctor grumble in the background, making the man who answered the phone stutter for a moment before correcting himself. 

“I mean, he can’t come to the phone right this second. Can I help you instead?” 

Wyatt raised an eyebrow but replied calmly. 

“I was wondering if Dr. Green was available to do a house call sometime today?” 

The man told him to hang on a moment, then covered the receiver so that when he yelled to the doctor, it just sounded like muffled nonsense. It took him a few moments before he returned to the call. 

“May I ask who is speaking?” 

Wyatt lifted one hand to gently pet Ravi’s head as he replied. 

“Wyatt Pearson.” 

His named was relayed back to the doctor with another shout. This time, the receiver wasn’t muffled, but the guy at least held the phone away from his mouth when he yelled. There were a few random jostling sounds, then a familiar voice finally came on the line. 

“Sorry master Wyatt. My daughter had my hands covered in glue and when I tried to wash it off she grabbed my arm and, well, you can imagine that I’m now terribly traumatized,” Dr. Green said, drawing a smile onto Wyatt’s lips. 

“I’m sure you’re loving every second of it,” he replied, earning a chortle from the man without hesitation. 

“More than anyone could ever know. I’m going to be busy watching her for the next hour, but I can come by once my wife gets home, if that will work?”

That was definitely better than what he’d expected. While Dr. Green didn’t have an actual office, he was always in high demand because he made house calls and his prices were incredibly reasonable. 

“That would be perfect. I’m still at the same address,” he said, knowing that the guy always double checked that ever since he was accidentally sent to a housewarming orgy party by mistake by a now former client. That story never ceased to be funny. 

“Perfect! Ah, would it be alright if I brought my cousin along?” the man asked, then continued in a whisper, “I know he loves my daughter, but I can tell that he could use a bit of a break.” 

He wasn’t a huge fan of random people coming to his home, but if Dr. Green trusted his cousin to behave appropriately, then that was fine. 

“Sure, he can come,” he said, earning a grateful “thank you” from the doctor before they said their goodbyes. 

As soon as he’d hung up Wyatt stood and headed over to the kitchen. He quickly made some mint and honey tea, then took a little container of plain, cooked ground turkey out of the fridge. He added just the tiniest amount of it to Ravi’s little dog bowl, then poured the tea over it. 

It definitely wasn’t appetizing to him, but he’d observed Ravi for many years, and it was completely true that he was more pup than person. He treasured food, now even more so than he had before after being starved by his former master, so if he ever wanted to get him to eat something, it was as easy as adding any kind of meat to the concoction. 

“Ravi,” he said as he quietly approached and knelt beside the couch. 

The pup gave a quiet grumble of acknowledgement, but didn’t even open its eyes. 

“Little Ravioli, I got you some turkey,” he said as he gently slid his hand beneath Ravi’s warm chest and helped lift him until he could scoot himself onto the edge of the sofa and gently tug Ravi closer so that he could slump over one of his knees. 

That gave him enough room to hold the bowl just beneath his nose. 

Three, two, one…

Ravi’s tongue slowly slid from his mouth and licked the air blindly. 

“You’re such a sweet goofball,” Wyatt said lovingly as he lifted the bowl to the perfect height. 

As soon as Ravi’s tongue touched the strange tea-soup he began drinking steadily. Wyatt picked the little bits of turkey out of the liquid and offered them to him every so often since he didn’t seem able to really do more than lap up the tea. 

Once the pup had finished everything Wyatt settled him fully back on the couch, then got up and ran a quick load of dishes so that his bowl would be nice and clean for later, since he had a feeling that he was going to probably need it. 

It wasn’t long after he’d finished, as he was drying his hands on a printed dish towel with little black rabbits running about it, that he hear someone gently knock on his door. 

He calmly walked over and, after checking the peephole, opened the door. The doctor greeted him with a tired-yet exuberant smile as he carried his large bag inside. Wyatt watched him for a moment before realizing that someone else was still standing outside his door. 

What…? 

It took every ounce of control he had not to slam the door shut in the man’s face… and he was glad for it. It wasn’t him . 

There was no way that he wasn’t the man’s twin, though he hadn’t been aware that he’d had one, but the person standing before him definitely wasn’t Ravi’s ex. He still didn’t want to be nice, but this man didn’t deserve his ire. At least, not yet. If he ended up being anything  like his twin brother, he wouldn’t hesitate to put him in his place, though. Which would be out in the cold until the doctor was finished. 

“Is something the matter?” Dr. Green called from inside, no doubt curious as to why he’d stalled in letting his cousin inside. 

Wyatt pursed his lips and fought not to narrow his eyes on the man in front of him. 

“I’m not sure how to say this any other way, but the patient I called the doctor to see today was abused by your brother. I don’t think that seeing such a similar face would help him recover,” he said as nicely as possible. 

The man’s eyes widened as he spoke, honest surprise on his face. 

“Ravi isn’t feeling well?” he asked, making Wyatt hesitate on deciding his next set of actions. 

If the man already knew about Ravi, then had he been an accomplice in his brother’s torture of the poor pup? 

Seemingly sensing that he was digging himself a grave already, the man lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck as he frowned. 

“I’m sorry about what happened. I didn’t know that my brother was being abusive and I sat down and talked with him about it yesterday. I still don’t understand why he did what he did, but I told him that I could help him get some counseling help and he’s agreed to look into it.” 

That… wasn’t the response he had expected. 

Wyatt took a few moments to reconsider the situation, not minding that there was now silence between the two of them. He rarely ever considered such a thing awkward. It was far more uncomfortable to say something incorrectly just to fill a space of time with sound, then to simply allow it to exist. The world was made of silence, as well as a sound. It was not a bad thing that needed to be covered up. 

Thankfully, the man before him slid his hands into his coat pockets and seemed more than content to stand and wait for his response… even though it was getting quite cold out again. 

I don’t want to startle Ravi by bringing him inside, since he looks so much like his ex, but at the same time, I did say that he could come over. 

Of course, that was before he knew who he was, but the invitation had still been given, and accepted. 

Wait a minute…

“When did you last meet Ravi?” 

His brother had clearly not treated him well for a while, so he wanted to know if he had simply ignored the abuse, or had honestly not been around to see it. 

“I last saw him yesterday evening. That was my first time actually seeing him in person, too. He had wandered back to my brothers’ home, but when I tried to walk away after visiting with my brother, Ravi ran up and grabbed my coat, startling me since I hadn’t seen him coming.” 

That definitely sounded like hyper Ravi. 

“I really like my coat, though, so I ended up trading him my scarf for it.”

Wyatt nodded, glad that he was finally figuring out who the scarf had come from. 

“Unfortunately, or honestly, I’d like to say fortunately, that was when my brother walked out of the house. I knew that Ravi was his significant other because I’d seen several pictures of him before, but when Ravi began to cower away from him, I realized that something was really wrong. When it seemed like he was almost considering going back to my brother, who was calling to him to come closer, I stepped in.” 

The guy hesitated for a few moments as he ran shaky fingers through his wind-rustling hair, then gave a stressed sigh. 

“It might not have been my right to come between them, but there was clearly something wrong going on. Thankfully, Ravi didn’t hesitate much before turning around after I talked to him, and, I guess, heading back here.”

Well, now he at least had the full picture of what had happened the previous night. It also now made sense why Ravi wasn’t feeling well. Stress did terrible things to the body, and add in walking around outside in the cold for who knew how long? 

Alright, you got the information you needed. Just one more question. 

“How did Ravi react when he saw you? You look almost identical to your brother,” Wyatt asked, his tone more relaxed than it had been previously. 

The other man offered a small smile and shrugged. 

“He was a bit startled, at first, but that didn’t stop him from trying to take my coat.” 

That’s definitely Ravi. 

Since he hadn’t reacted badly to the man, Wyatt decided to finally end his interrogation. Extending an arm, he offered his hand as the other man hurried to return the gesture, clasping his own in Wyatt’s strong grip.

“My name is Trever, by the way,” he added, earning a stern nod from Wyatt as he turned and moved to hold the door open for the man. 

“Wyatt,” he said as the man walked in. 

Of course, he knew that Terver already had his name from the phone call, but formal introductions were important. He didn’t feel like phone calls were really a good place to give and receive important personal information. A name was meant to be spoken face to face. 

“Oh?” 

Hearing Trever’s quiet exclamation, Wyatt turned from locking the door, only to watch in honest surprise as Ravi wiggled his way down from the sofa. His legs gave out before they could even pretend to hold his weight, but that didn’t deter him. He crawled toward Trever as the guy hurried to sit down. 

He made it to the floor and crossed his legs just in time for Ravi to worm his way into his lap and curl up into a tight ball. The guy looked a bit stunned, and also quite unsure of what to do with his hands, since he already knew that Ravi was skittish. 

“If he came to you, you can probably pet him. Just watch for any signs of discomfort,” Wyatt said as he calmly walked over and sat right next to the other man. 

He might have been a bit too close for some, but he was currently Ravi’s protector. If him being close bothered Trever in the least, he was more than welcome to pass Ravi over to him. 

Dr. Green had been examining Ravi gently while he’d been talking to Trever outside, so it hadn’t been too surprising seeing the pup awake. 

“I think he fell asleep again,” Trever whispered as he gently settled one hand against Ravi’s back. 

“Is it normal for him to be so hot that I can feel it through his fur?” he asked, looking up at Wyatt with a worried expression that didn’t sit quite well with him. 

His instincts were normally pretty darn good, and while they weren’t sounding any alarms… that face. It was going to take a good bit of time to get used to someone that looks so similar to a man he despised. 

The doctor thankfully stepped in as he settled down in front of Trever to further examine Ravi. 

“He’ll be okay, but no, it’s not normal for him to be so hot. He’s got a pretty bad cold, but it should clear up as long as he gets the medicine I’m going to prescribe and can keep fluids down.” 

Wyatt felt his body relax in relief. 

“I already gave him some tea and ground turkey. He’s keeping it down well so far.” 

Dr. Green nodded as he finished checking Ravi, then stood up with a tired smile. 

“He looks much better than last time, too. Wyatt, thank you for everything you have done for this sweet boy. He has healed up very well and gained quite a bit of weight.”

Wyatt noticed Trever lower his head and blink a few extra times as his cousin spoke, but didn’t comment on his suddenly-solemn appearance. Instead, he stood and settled his bill with the doctor, then shook his hand as they both looked back down at Trever. 

He was about to tell the guy that he could take Ravi now so that he could leave, but the words were caught on his tongue as he watched Trever just-barely brush his fingertips against the slightly dirty scarf that Ravi still had wrapped around himself. 

“He doesn’t live far from here… if it would be alright with you, perhaps let him stay for a little bit?” Dr. Green asked. 

Wyatt stared at Ravi for a short while before shrugging one shoulder. 

“I’d be fine with that. After all, I don’t think he realizes that Ravi’s got a hold of his jacket again,” he said, his words making the doctor chuckle at the same time they fell upon Trever’s seemingly-deaf ears. 

“Don’t worry about him. I hadn’t told him what his brother had done yet since he travels so much for work and is rarely home, so having learned about it so abruptly the other night was a bit of a shock,” the doctor said, then added as he walked toward the door with Wyatt. “He’s a sweet guy, I promise. His life is just extremely stressful with all the traveling so I didn’t want to make it worse by telling him about his brother. I honestly had planned to keep it secret and just get his brother help when you had stepped in, too.”

Wyatt unlocked and opened the door for the man, but couldn’t find a smile for him. They had both known what had been going on, to a point, but neither had known how bad it had actually gotten until Ravi had run away to him. 

“I understand, sir. I’ll look after him until Ravi decides to let him go home,” he said, half joking. Trever was an adult, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t need looking after, as well. He was clearly extremely stressed right now. 

The man before him gave one final quiet chuckle before nodding his head in acknowledgement and taking his leave. Wyatt was going to turn right back around and see to the other chores he still had to deal with around the house, then maybe, maybe , he would let himself give Blake a call. He didn’t want to be a bother to the guy, and heck, his plane had probably only just landed recently anyway, but still… 

Chores first. All of the chores. 

Not that there was really all that much to do, but it would keep him distracted long enough… hopefully. 

Sighing as a particularly cold gust of wind rustled his hair, he gave a small yawn, then shook his head. Figuring that he had a new houseguest for at least a few hours, he decided to get started on an early dinner. It would give him something extra to do and add more chores, since he could probably unload and load the dishwasher again. 

Sounds like a plan. 

A plan that would keep him from staring at the number in his phone… for at least a few more hours.

Wild Dog 11

He couldn’t do it. Or, well, he couldn’t decide on what to do. Rolling back over in bed, Wyatt nudged at his pillows with his bare feet as he settled his chin against his mussed up blankets so that he could stare at the phone he had held out in front of him. 

I need to call him. 

There was definitely no arguing that point. 

But I don’t just want to call him. I want to Facetime with him. 

His heart began to thrum in his chest as he considered the time, too. It was nearly eleven at night. 

I have officially spent four hours rolling around in bed trying to figure out how to contact him without seeming too needy. 

Now that he had finally worked up enough courage, of all things, it was pretty late at night. 

Maybe I should just call him tomorrow. 

He was just about to send a simple text message asking if everything went well and how he was doing, when the sound of his phone suddenly going off had him quickly jamming his thumb against the green accept button. When he brought it up to his ear, his heart now hammering in his chest, he realized that the caller hadn’t been who he’d wanted to talk to. 

Of course, there had been caller ID so Dr. Green’s name had been quite obvious on the screen, but Wyatt’s muddled mind hadn’t paid it any attention. 

“Hello Wyatt, I hope I’m not calling too late but I remembered that you tend to be a night owl most days. I wanted to check in on Ravi. How is he doing?” 

Wyatt quickly sat up and tried to look somewhat presentable in his wrinkled dark red T-shirt and black sweatpants. He was just fixing his hair as he was about to begin to respond when he realized that he wasn’t even on Facetime, so the doctor couldn’t see him at all. 

What am I doing with my life? 

Calming down, he took a deep breath and gave his head a good shake. 

“He went back to sleep soon after you left, and your cousin is actually staying the night… since he kind of fell asleep against the couch and I just couldn’t bring myself to wake him up,” he said, holding back a quiet chuckle. 

He definitely hadn’t intended to allow Trever to stay, but Ravi had crawled right into the guys lap and passed out, and the only time they’d been able to wake him up was for a whole three minutes, which had been just enough time to trick him into taking his meds and having another drink of warm tea. 

That guy’s back is going to be screaming by tomorrow morning. 

“I’m surprised, but also grateful. If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to give me a call,” the doctor said, making Wyatt quickly agree before they both hung up. 

Flopping forward again, he held his phone out in front of him, resting the bottom of it against the blanket as he tapped a few things on the screen. Before he realized what he was doing, Blake’s name showed up on his calling screen. It was just his luck, too, that his mind didn’t process this little fact fast enough to hit the end call button before it was picked up. 

His mouth went dry as Blake appeared on his screen a moment later… with just a damp towel around his bare shoulders. He was obviously in the bathroom, likely in front of the sink. 

Oh god. After all this time trying not to make this call awkward, not only did I unintentionally just Facetime him, but I did it right after he’d gotten out of the shower!

He’d never been so embarrassed. Blake, however, didn’t seem to have a single problem with his late night, oddly-timed video call. 

“Hey Wyatt, how are things going?” he said calmly as he toweled at his hair with his free hand. 

Is he a two towel kind of guy, or is that the only towel he’s using at the moment? 

He needed to drag his mind right out of the gutter. 

Fantasizing about something that’s not yours, while literally on a phone call with him. 

Wyatt honestly felt as if he were sinking lower and lower with each passing second. 

“Pretty good. Ravi has a bad cold, though, but it turns out that the doctor I called over was actually cousins with the guy who gave him that scarf he brought home the other night. It was kind of a weird situation at first, but Ravi kind of forced him to stay over, so they’re sleeping in the living room right now,” he said, then took an awkward breath, not having realized that he’d totally just said all of that in a single go. 

Blake took a few moments to process his words as the towel he was holding against his wet hair slowed to a stop. When he finally seemed to put together what he’d said, he gave a quiet chuckle and set the towel down in front of him, likely on the bathroom counter. 

“Sounds like things have at least been interesting since I’ve left.” 

Not as interesting as they could have been if you hadn’t. 

Wyatt gave him a nervous smile and then realized something that turned his cheeks a faint pink color. 

I’m literally lying on my bed in messy clothes, with messy hair, while on a video call with someone I’d kind of like to impress. 

Not just kind of, either. 

“You look really cute, sir.” 

Blinking out of his panicking mind, Wyatt frowned slightly at Blake’s words as he tilted his head, going back over what the man had said a moment ago. He really had  just called him cute. He was one of the strictest, most sought-after dominants in town. People just didn’t call him cute . 

Rolling over onto his back, he lifted his phone above his head as a smile snuck onto his face. 

“Says the adorable man staring at me without a shirt on.” 

Those words seemed to make Blake realize that he was, indeed, standing in front of his phone’s camera without a shirt on. He had no doubt that there was likely nothing lower, either, but he wasn’t going to say anything along those lines. 

When he noticed Blake blush and walk out of the little room he was in, he felt his heart twist a little in his chest. 

I didn’t mean it in a negative way. 

Of course he hadn’t, but it was no surprise that his words made Blake nervous enough to seek out something to wear. He wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to put a single thing on, and his other half would have been more than happy if the camera went a bit lower, even, but he definitely wasn’t going to say that ! So, he kept all of his words to himself and waited as Blake set his phone down on the bed, then went about getting dressed. Considering how long it took him, he definitely figured that his previous hunch had been correct. 

He hadn’t been wearing any clothing. 

When Blake finally walked back over to the bed and picked his phone up, Wyatt propped himself up slightly on one arm so that he could stare down at his phone. Just from the few glimpses he’d gotten of the room, it was obvious that he was in a hotel. 

You could be in my room right now instead, though…

When Blake fell backwards onto the bed, Wyatt couldn’t help but laugh a little as he got a good view of the ceiling again. As the phone was turned back around, he couldn’t help but noticw what Blake had decided to put on. 

He’s got bunny rabbit pajama pants…

Little brown rabbits hopped about every which way on the guy’s soft pink pants. He only got the briefest glimpse of them, but they would forever be burned into his memory now. 

He needs a matching shirt. 

The one he had on was just a simple tan T-shirt. It was worn with age, but as far as sleep shirts went, it looked super comfy. 

“How have you been doing up there?” Wyatt finally asked once Blake had settled in against his pillows and tugged his covers up partway. 

Following his lead as he waited for an answer, Wyatt got himself tucked in, too. 

“It’s not bad. Had to wait at the airport for a bit because they lost my luggage, but thankfully it was just because they misread my ticket. They got it off the other plane in time so that it wasn’t sent off to Paris,” Blake said as Wyatt’s face turned a little pale. 

His stuff almost got sent to Paris? 

He would have freaked out and called his mom as soon as he found out. Sure, he was an adult and could take care of himself perfectly fine, but family was family, and if something stressful happened, his mom was always just a phone call away. 

I need to make sure I send her something amazing for Hanukah this year. 

He didn’t really celebrate holidays anymore, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t bring some joy to others who did. Especially the most important pillar in his life. 

“I’m glad it was worked out before things could become worse. What are your plans for the next few days?” 

Wyatt listened quietly as Blake went over his plans. To his surprise, he really didn’t have anything set up beforehand. He intended to apply to as many jobs as he could find in the nearby area, and also planned to go look at cars in the next few days, since he’d intentionally left his at his ex’s. It had the guy’s name on its title, so it was probably the better move. 

 He noticed that Blake was shivering a little and inwardly frowned as he calmly spoke. 

“Pull your blankets up.” 

It wasn’t technically an order, but Blake seemed to take it as one since he quickly did as told, tugging the blankets up to his chin without an ounce of hesitation. His shivering settled after another few moments, making Wyatt smile in relief. 

“Master Wyatt?” 

Hiding a yawn behind his hand, Wyatt nuzzled against his pillow a little before replying with a quiet “yes?” 

“Thanks for calling and checking in on me. It means a lot,” Blake mumbled back, his eyes clearly beginning to grow heavy. 

Wyatt tugged his own blankets up a bit higher than he was normally comfortable with, but that was mainly because he was trying to hide the big smile on his face. It was a strange way to respond to such words, and he knew that, but he just couldn’t help being extremely proud of Blake for telling him that he was glad that he’d contacted him. 

Even though most subs he knew loved attention and some would even beg for it, while others might pretend to not want it just so that they could get closer to doms who didn’t like being bothered so often, he just couldn’t put Blake into either of those categories. Yes, he seemed to really enjoy attention, and yes, he also tended to pretend that he didn’t really want it, even though his need to be touched shone clear as day in his gentle eyes, but still…

It hadn’t bothered him in the least when he’d had to orbit around the guy while he’d been in town. He’d had to be very careful and read every situation, but each time the guy had let him have a simple touch? 

“What are you thinking about with such a cute look on your face, master Wyatt?” Blake asked as his own grin widened and he leaned closer, clearly trying to see the grin he was trying to hide. 

Wyatt quickly yanked his blankets up and over his head, earning a super adorable bit of laughter from Blake. 

I’m being so childish. I just hid from someone because I was smiling!

Yanking the blanket back down abruptly, Wyatt lifted a finger to press against his lips, immediately silencing Blake’s previous bout of giggles. The guy snuggled a bit more into his blankets before speaking. 

“I’m sorry master Wyatt, I didn’t mean to laugh at you.” 

Wyatt sighed and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again. 

“It’s okay, I’m sorry I shushed you. I’m just… not used to this ,” he said, not even really understanding what he was trying to say. 

Blake seemed to understand though, somehow, because he gave him one more adorable smile before speaking. 

“I think it’s bed time for me. Going to be very busy tomorrow.” 

Probably a good idea to end this conversation before I make an even bigger fool of myself. 

“Alright, let me know how things go?” he asked right away, wanting to smack his head against the wall as soon as he’d finished speaking. 

He really needed to learn how to reign himself in. Well, he normally  had great control over his reactions and responses to situations, but it seemed like that all went right out the window when it came to Blake. 

Once they said their goodnights, he clicked end call , then just stared at his phone until the screen went black. He then gave out another, larger sigh, tossed his phone somewhere else, and grabbed one of his pillows to hug against his chest for the evening… since he didn’t have an adorable, blond, beautiful sub to wrap in his arms. 

The pillow will just have to do. 

His other half flicked its ear and stomped its little feet in his mind, as if wanting to add, for now , to his thought as he drifted off to sleep.

Wild Dog 12

Trever slowly blinked open his tired eyes as his cell phone chimed from within his coat pocket. He managed to retrieve it fast enough to keep it from going to voicemail, but immediately regretted it as he heard one of his previous client’s voices begin to speak on the other end. 

“Trever! I’m so glad that you picked up. I have a huge project that I need to get through and our previous two new hires just up and left! Could you come out and give us a hand again?” 

Give you a hand, huh? 

He really hadn’t intended to work for Mark again. Especially since he’d tried to pay him lower than their agreed-upon price the last time he’d flown out there for a job, but… 

I could use a short trip right now. 

Walking into that mess that his brother had created had definitely not been expected, and after actually meeting with Ravi, he just couldn’t stop stressing about how much of an asshole his brother must have been for all those years. It honestly made him angry. Which was definitely not an emotion he felt very often. He was a guy that made sure that he, himself, and no one else, was in charge of his life. Every single thing he did, every job he accepted and contract he signed, were all on his terms.  

He was generally hired when there were issues with employees and a company couldn’t get to the bottom of the problem without causing irreparable damage to their projects or foundation. With Mark’s company, keeping his employees was the biggest issue he has. He knew what the real problem was, but what boss wanted to be told that they absolutely sucked at running their company? Exactly, so while he definitely wouldn’t be able to fix it in the long run, again , it would be a nice paycheck to at least get things back on track so that things could be toppled again by the tyrant boss a few months later. 

You know what? Why the hell not. 

“Same price as last time. I’ll stay out there for a month for twenty-thousand,” he said, not bothering to play nice. He knew what he was worth. 

He was honestly surprised when Mark quickly agreed to the price, then said that he’d send him over the details for the job they were currently working on, as well as a plane ticket for later that evening. 

A little faster than I’d planned, but I can do it. 

Looking down as he felt a faint tug on his coat lapel, Trever raised an eyebrow at the same time Ravi glanced up at him… but refused to release the fabric from between his grinning teeth. 

“Excuse me, good sir, but I have a plane to catch,” he said as he reached up with his free hand and poked the little pup’s cheek. 

It gave out a stubborn grunt, but still refused to let go. He was just about to try and pry his jaws open, because he really did need to get home and pack, as well as drop off what little food he’d bought since the time he’d come back from his previous job, at his cousin’s home so that it didn’t go to waste. He then had to get his suitcase packed again and get to the airport. 

“I really do need to go, bud. How about this? I promise that I’ll bring you something cool back from my trip?” he said, hoping that the bribe might work. 

Of course, he had no idea what the little wild dog even liked, but he figured that some sort of meat would definitely not go to waste. More of those jerky sticks, perhaps? Just the thought of giving the pup a full box of them made his lips tilt up slightly as he moved his hand to pat Ravi’s head gently. 

“How about a big box of those jerky sticks like the one I gave you last time?” he said, curious as to what reaction he would get in response. 

Well, the pup definitely didn’t disappoint. He quickly stood up with his paws on Trever’s right leg, wiggling so much that he thought he might just fall over. Not wanting that to happen, Trever reached out and carefully made sure that Ravi remained upright. 

“I’ll take that as a winner,” he said as he carefully helped the pup from his lap, then stood up and stretched his arms over his head. 

My back is killing me. 

Of course, he hadn’t intended to sleep hunched against the sofa, but for the whole minute that Ravi had woken up earlier, he’d been persistent about staying in his lap, so he’d only really been allowed to scoot over toward the couch for some back support before the pup had jumped right back onto him. 

Rolling his shoulders and tilting his head here and there managed to get out at least a few of the kinks that had settled there overnight, making moving manageable again. 

“Alright, I’m gonna head out. You behave for your new master, alright?” he said. 

He knew that Wyatt wasn’t really Ravi’s master, but since the guy was looking after him, it was the same thing, right? 

I have no idea how that kind of stuff even works. 

“Just uh, be a good boy,” he said awkwardly before walking over to the door and tugging his shoes back on. 

When he straightened back up, he was surprised to see Ravi sitting right next to the door, his little pink tongue settled between his lips so that only a tiny bit was showing. His breathing seemed a bit labored, though. 

“If you need to pant, you might want to open your mouth,” Trever said, unsure if his words might seem rude or not. 

He just… it seemed like Ravi just wasn’t all there  right then. 

He watched as the pup slowly withdrew its tongue back into its mouth, tilted its head, then gave another, more-whiny grunt… before promptly sneezing so hard that Trever had to jump back to avoid the spray-zone. 

“I think you need a few more days taking it easy,” he said as he reached for the door and carefully opened it, making sure to not accidentally bump Ravi as he did so. 

To his surprise, the little dog hurried outside and into the chilly, overcast day. He seemed to wake up a bit more as the cold weather hit him, because soon he was bouncing on his front paws over by the stairs, clearly waiting for him to catch up. 

Trever glanced back inside, but he knew better than to wake up Wyatt. Ravi was an adult, even though he didn’t always act like one.  

To each their own. 

Mentally shrugging, he headed towards the stairs, then down them to begin his short walk back home. He could hear Ravi running about behind him, sniffing at snow and, likely, just making a fool of himself, but he let the guy be. He wasn’t a babysitter, and he was too old to be babysit, anyways. 

They were just passing his brother’s house when he heard the pup’s footsteps suddenly pause. He paid them no mind, at first, because honestly, he didn’t want the guy following him all the way back home to begin with, but after he was all the way to the next home, he slowly turned partially around to look. 

Oh… he really did stop back there. 

When Ravi noticed him looking, he gave a nervous whine and pawed at the ground. 

“Go back to Wyatt. You don’t want to follow this grouch anymore,” he said, his patience running thin. 

He really wasn’t a people person. Yes, he was fantastic at fixing employee-employer problems, and he could work pretty damn well with others when needed, but that didn’t mean that he liked it. 

Ravi spun in a quick circle, then sneezed again before taking a few steps backward. 

Good, go back

 now.

The pup’s ears perked up and he tilted his head, almost as if he’d heard him. Except, he couldn’t have, because instead of doing what he was freaking told, he gave a slightly louder grunting whine, then bolted forward, running as fast as he possibly could until he got to the other side of his ex’s yard. There, he tried to stop abruptly, but just ended up skidding right into a certain someone’s legs!

Trever hissed as he took the hit. It nearly dropped him then and there, but he managed to fight through the pain as he leaned against his brother’s neighbor’s privacy fence so that he could steady his breathing. 

In all honesty, he wanted to yell at the darn dog for doing such a foolish thing to begin with, but he knew that he couldn’t. He could yell at anyone else, and especially while doing a particularly hard job, but when he looked down at the disoriented idiot-of-a-pup at his feet, he couldn’t find the willpower to grumble at him. 

Instead, he pinched the bridge of his nose for a solid minute, then sighed out a stressed breath before squatting down in front of a recovering Ravi. 

He wanted to just sit the guy down and have a real conversation with him so that he could finally figure out that he was the absolutely wrong person to try and get attention from, but as he stared at the dizzy pup, he knew that he wasn’t going to get anywhere right then. 

He’s also clearly going to keep following me. 

Of course, he could just run off, since it was highly unlikely that the pup would be able to keep up, but he would feel like crap if he got hurt or stuck outside while still sick. 

Resigned to his travel partner, for the moment, Trever began walking again. He listened for Ravi’s footsteps, and when he heard them hurry to catch up, he knew that the guy would be fine from their collision. 

They walked in silence for the remainder of the mile to his little mobile home, but when he finally got the door open and held it for the pup, Ravi hesitated coming in. 

“You can come inside,” he said, biting back the remaining you know,  bit of sarcasm he wanted to add. 

Ravi licked his lips a few times before hobbling up the steps. He expected the guy to go right to sleep, since he was still nursing a bad cold and had also smacked his head pretty good against his legs earlier, but when he simply stepped to the side once past the door, then sat down and looked up at him, Trever felt his left eye twitch. 

Trying not to go crazy, he quietly shut and locked the door, then turned to immediately get to work. He had his suitcase packed in less than an hour, then got busy cleaning up his small home. 

It was just a simple two bedroom one bath mobile home, but he kept it up well and since he owned the land it was on, and a decent amount of the forest surrounding it, too, it was pretty much just a quiet place to come back to while also being an investment. 

He kept an eye on Ravi as he moved from room to room, but the guy never budged from his spot by the door. After nearly three hours of cleaning, Trever finally took a small container out of the fridge and walked over to Ravi with it. 

“Are you hungry?” he asked as he knelt down next to a suddenly-revitalized pup. 

Ravi sniffed at the container for only a moment before his tail thumped against the floor a few times and he whined. 

“I’ll take that as a yes. I’m no chef, but this didn’t taste too bad to me. I just don’t have anymore time to eat everything I bought, so if you’d like it…” he said as he took the lid off of the beef pot pie he’d put together a few nights ago. 

Ravi had no trouble at all diving into the tasty bowl of food. Trever even had to set it down or risk it being shoved right out of his hands and onto the carpet. 

Thankfully, while Ravi ate like a freight train, he wasn’t sloppy and didn’t spill much of anything. The glass bowl was cleaned out in less than a minute, making Trever chuckle as he took it to the sink to hand wash. Sure, he had a dishwasher, but he was leaving pretty soon and running it seemed like a waste since he didn’t have a full load to bother with. 

“If you come over here, I’ll give you more stuff I need to get rid of,” he said over his shoulder. 

He saw Ravi immediately perk up more, and even begin to dance on his paws, but for some reason, the guy didn’t move any closer to him. 

“Do you not want anymore?” he asked, confused. 

The dog immediately let out a stressed whine as it spun in a circle, then dropped to the floor with another longer whine. 

I don’t get it. He clearly wants more food, but he won’t come over here. 

He stood there thinking for a moment, trying to figure out exactly how to communicate better with the odd dog. 

Well, he was in a BDSM relationship with my brother. That means, maybe he’s into rules? Or, at least, he’s used to following very strict ones? 

Of course, he also knew that there were other things in such relationships, too, but he didn’t want to think about a single one. 

We’re going to go with rules. 

“Ravi?” he said, needing the pup’s complete attention. 

He was given it immediately.

“Ravi, do you respond well to rules and orders?”  

Just asking these things makes my skin itch. 

When the pup gave a stern nod, its huge ears flopping forward slightly with the abrupt action, Trever couldn’t help but fidget a little. 

“Okay, that’s good. So let’s try something out, shall we?” he asked, saying each word a little slower than necessary. 

When Ravi gave two more nods and leaned forward slightly, he knew that he’d guessed correctly. The guy hadn’t been sitting by the door because he was afraid, or worried, or even nervous. He’d just been waiting for his orders. 

Travis, I love you to death, but the more I learn about your relationship with Ravi, the more disappointed I’m becoming. 

“Ravi, come here.” 

He honestly expected the pup to do exactly as he said, and it seemed like it really wanted to this time, but instead of moving forward, it just rolled over with another whine. 

Okay, he still seems to want to come to me, but I’m missing something. 

Going through his thoughts, he rewound their small trip to his home, then considered what he had done after entering. 

Oh… maybe? 

Licking his lips a little nervously, Trever slowly sat down against the freezer door, then patted the ground next to him. 

“Ravi, you are allowed to go wherever you’d like within my home, and if you are alright with it, would you come here, please?” 

To his surprise, Ravi immediately bolted forward the second he’d finished speaking. Trever had to reach forward and to the side in order to catch the pup as it tried to skid to a stop near where he’d patted the tile in his tiny kitchen that was built similarly like Wyatt’s. He would have crashed again, too, if he hadn’t managed to snag him in time. Since he still had a bit of momentum left, Trever quickly but carefully used it to roll him into his lap. 

Dear god, this guy is vibrating with energy now. 

He really was. Ravi flipped himself back over in a blur, then sat up right between Trever’s legs as his paws lifted up and down on the tile and his jaw hurriedly chewed something that didn’t exist. 

I can’t handle this kind of crazy. 

“Lie down,” Trever said without really thinking. 

He just needed Ravi to turn down his energy level a bit or he was going to start stressing him out by just being nuts. 

Thankfully, the pup did as told immediately. Its tail began to thump since it couldn’t shift its weight on its paws anymore, but that was definitely better than its former version of fidgeting. 

“Okay, that works. I still have a few more hours before I have to get on my plane, so if you’d like, want to help me clean out most of my fridge?” he asked as he carefully scooted to the side, then turned around on his knees to open the refrigerator door back up. 

He expected Ravi to immediately shove his head inside, but when he realized that he wasn’t, he glanced over his shoulder at him. 

Oh right, I told him to lie down. 

Orders really did work well on the guy. He would have honestly left him right where he was, but at the same time, he seemed to be feeling a bit better because his energy level had definitely recovered some. 

“Come over here and help me out,” he eventually said, making Ravi immediately scurry forward. 

Trever returned his attention to the inside of his fridge, but when something caught his attention to his left again, he glanced sideways… then nearly choked on his own spit. 

That’s not a dog!

Not only was there no longer a dog beside him, but that not-dog was very  naked. Being someone who really disliked physical contact from other people most of the time, as well as any kind of relationships in general, Trever immediately jumped to his feet, drawing Ravi’s soft caramel eyes upward. 

He’s a human. Of course he is. But he’s naked. Well, he still has the scarf but that’s not going to help now. Wait, he’s going to be cold near my fridge. Especially because he’s naked.   The naked needs to go away. 

Turning toward his room, he ran to the hallway, then pivoted as he pointed at Ravi. 

“Stay,” he ordered, then felt like smacking himself for giving a command to another literal human being. 

This is going to mess me up so badly. 

He returned a few moments later with an oversized sweatshirt. Well, it would be oversized for Ravi. It fit its owner just fine, though. 

He quickly tugged it over the guy’s insanely curly afro-like hair after awkwardly pulling the scarf free from around him, then awkwardly settled it over his body, without, touching, anywhere. 

Okay, crisis averted. 

He gave a huge sigh of relief before finally looking back down at Ravi. The guy was still staring up at him with those soft, beautiful eyes. The sweatshirt had tilted a tiny bit to reveal a little bit of his left shoulder, but there was really no helping that. It was going to be too big either way.  

Swallowing down the rest of his remaining nerves, Trever slowly knelt back down in front of his fridge and began to take out some containers. He opened the lid to one that he thought Ravi might like, then turned and offered it to him. It was still a bit odd seeing him in his human form, but as his little hands nervously reached out to take the container, Trever found that he didn’t really mind. 

If he hadn’t already been told his age, he would have thought that he was a bit younger, but even at twenty, Ravi was definitely a very submissive person.  

He watched for a moment as the guy got the lid open, then smiled a little before reaching in and taking out a small chicken drumstick. He wasted no time at all devouring the bit of meat, then gladly handed the container back to Trever when he held his hand out for it. 

He hadn’t really intended to have a buddy help him with cleaning out his fridge, and especially not one in human form, but since Ravi wasn’t trying to touch him at all, and didn’t dare scoot closer or do anything without being told, he was actually, kind of, slightly, entertained. 

Either way, they would just finish dealing with the remaining stuff in his fridge, then he’d give Ravi a quick ride home before dropping his frozen stuff off at Dr. Greens, then heading to the airport. 

It was a simple, foolproof plan. He’d done it plenty of times and never had a single issue. Sure, there might have been a slightly fuzzy wrench thrown into his normal preparations this time, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. He was, after all, the master of his own life… and no one else’s!

Wild Dog 13

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d ridden in a car as a human, or been fully clothed. Trever had lent him a pair of black drawstring shorts to go beneath the sweatshirt he’d been given, as that was pretty much all that could possibly fit him. The ride wasn’t nearly as interesting as when he was in his other form, but for some reason, his dog had suddenly pushed him into control back at master Trever’s house. No matter how much he tried to pull it back out, it didn’t seem interested in taking over again. 

Keeping his eyes on his lap and his nose buried in the scarf around his neck, Ravi twisted his fingers together for the hundredth time. Normally, he’d request that the window be rolled down, then stick his head out and watch as the other cars zoomed by, sniffing the wind and loving the feeling of it sifting through his fur and whistling within his ears. 

I don’t want to even look up. 

The world just felt… different, as a human. Like it was all too busy for him to process quickly enough to be worth it. His dog could react to situations immediately, repeatedly, but as he sat there buckled into the passenger’s seat of Trever’s car, all he could think of was how, even though he was doing absolutely nothing at that moment, there was just too much going on in general.   

He was so stressed within his own mind that he didn’t even notice when Trever pulled the car over. What he did notice, however, was that the music had been abruptly cut off. Silence took over, calming some the scurrying of sound within his mind that had been created by it. One song, being played repeatedly was usually fine, but when they constantly changed every few minutes, like on the radio, it was hard to keep up and eventually just ended up making him uncomfortable. 

“Ravi?” 

Hearing his name in the new silence of the car, Ravi blinked a few times, then straightened up so that his back was fully against the seat before turning his head, and part of his upper body, to look at Trever. 

“Yes, sir?” he whispered quietly, hoping that he hadn’t been unintentionally ignoring the man. 

He couldn’t read his expression, but that was nothing new. Humans just weren’t his thing, and the only way he could usually figure out what they were thinking was if they were feeling an emotion very strongly. Anger was the expression he was best at reading now. 

“Do you not like music?” Trever asked, making Ravi quickly look down. 

His old master had gotten so annoyed with his odd behavior when he tried to listen to music that he’d just bought himself headphones so that he could have one earpiece in without the sound bothering him. Except, whenever he accidentally did something wrong, he’d also use some sort of fast, loud music as punishment. Just the thought of it mad Ravi purse his lips tightly and hunch his shoulders. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t that he didn’t like any of it, but he was terrible at explaining things so he just decided to go for the most basic answer. A simple nod of agreement. 

“Oh, I can just leave it off then. It was just background noise to me anyways,” Trever said with a nervous smile that Ravi saw from the corner of his eye. 

He was making him that way. People always got nervous around his human side, which was another reason why he tended to prefer his canine. When he didn’t respond to the man’s words again, Trever didn’t seem to mind, and instead, he simply got the car back onto the road and headed toward Wyatt’s. 

Ravi kept his eyes on his hands in his lap, lifting his arm to cover his mouth every once in a while for a sneeze or a cough. His mind, at least, had quieted a lot since the music had stopped, and now that he wasn’t so stressed out, his eyelids began to droop. 

He was honestly nearly asleep when he heard the faint chime of Trever’s cell phone ringing. The guy quickly fished it out of his back pocket, drawing Ravi’s opening eyes to that spot where his phone had been. His dog half perked up a bit in the back of his mind, as if awakening from its own nap. It still refused to come out, but it did nudge his hesitant thought forward. 

I want to tug on that pocket. 

It was a strange idea. Especially for him. He wasn’t a person who wanted to just grab hold of things. Of course, his dog was a tugger, since most wild carnivores came with that instinct, but that thought hadn’t been from fuzzy Ravi. It had been from human Ravi. 

I’m weird. Why do I want to slip my fingers into his back pocket? 

How would he even ask for such a thing? The man didn’t even like physical contact, and the look he’d given him when he’d suddenly shifted in front of him? 

Never. I could never ask to touch him like that. 

Ravi quickly shoved away his previous thought as the car slowed to a stop again. When Trever suddenly got out, Ravi looked up. 

Oh, we’re at master Wyatt’s home… and he’s done with his call. 

He tugged on the door handle and moved to get up, but realized that he was stuck. 

Oh, right. 

He was just about to reach to his side and push the button for his seatbelt when Trever leaned down, but didn’t crowd him. 

“I got it,” he said quietly as he pressed the little button, then quickly leaned away again with a small smile. 

Ravi remained staring at the now-empty buckle. Unable to help himself, he pressed the little red release button a few times, then, satisfied, slowly turned toward the outside, lifting his legs up over the little ledge before leaning forward and sliding from the car seat. He lost his balance a little while trying to stand, but managed to grab hold of the door and steady himself before Trever needed to assist him. 

“You good?” the man ended up asking instead as he waited patiently just far enough away to not bother him. 

Ravi gave a jerky nod, but didn’t lift his eyes to meet the other man’s until he was comfortably steady on his bare human feet. When their gazes did finally meet, Trever actually glanced down, then furrowed his brow as a frown tilted his lips slightly. 

“I forgot to give you some socks,” he said as he lifted a hand to run fingers through his own hair. 

Looking down at his own bare feet, Ravi tilted his head this way, then that way, but didn’t say anything as he walked forward, but then took a right until he was at the spot where there was no ridge, then moved up onto the sidewalk. Sure, his feet were cold, but he didn’t expect Trever to simply give him things because of that. He’d been left outside in the cold before, many times. He honestly already felt like he was being spoiled with the comfy sweatshirt and shorts. 

Figuring that there wasn’t much he could do, short of picking him up, which neither of them were quite comfortable with, Trever sighed out his bit of frustration, then turned and began guiding him toward the stairs. Ravi followed, but his human legs slowed to a stop at the bottom of the steps. 

He could easily zoom up them in his dog form, but his human form? 

I don’t want to. 

Without warning, Ravi turned around and sat down cross-legged on the cold, dirty concrete. He grabbed his bare feet with his hands and narrowed his eyes as a particularly-cold gust of wind nipped at them and rustled his curly hair. 

He could hear Trever coming back down the few steps he’d already taken, then settling right behind him and to the side, on the first step. The sound of text messages being sent, then received, met his ears a few moments later, but they were of no concern to him. His previous master had hated his curiosity, so that was nipped in the bud quickly. 

After a few minutes of texting, Trever scooted off of the first step and settled beside him, finally drawing Ravi’s attention as he looked up and to the side. 

“Wyatt ended up having to go into work early. He said that he’d left his place unlocked for you…” 

Ravi returned his attention back down to his cold feet and gave a silent nod. He might go back, when his dog decided to come out again. 

They both remained silent for a long while, besides a few sniffles from Ravi, before he heard Trever give a stressed sigh. 

“Can I… uh, pick you up?” he asked after a few more awkward moments of silence. 

Ravi was about to shake his head without an ounce of hesitation, but then his dog nudged at his mind again. It wanted to nibble Trever’s jacket. Relieved that the pup was showing a sign of wanting to come out, Ravi gladly tried to withdraw back into himself, but when nothing happened, he blinked a few times in confusion, then looked up at Trever. 

“I want my dog,” he eventually said with watery eyes before coughing quietly into his sleeve. 

Realization dawned on the guy’s face.

“You can’t change whenever you want?” he asked curiously. 

Ravi quickly shook his head a bit harder than intended, but he was frustrated. He wanted his dog out. It was much better at handling situations than he was. 

“Ah.” 

Trever leaned back as he settled his arms on his bent legs, clearly thinking things through. Ravi wasn’t sure if the guy was even going to respond as the time stretched on and on, but then, finally, he heard Trever move a bit beside him. 

“Well, I’m not sure how to bring your dog back out,” he said, then continued, “but how about my dog ?” 

Master Trever has a dog, too? 

Just the thought of someone else having a shift similar to his own made Ravi quickly turn and move onto his knees, then sit back on his heels. His hands were eager to grab hold of Trever’s arm, but he didn’t dare let them so they simply grasped the hem of his borrowed sweatshirt as he stared eagerly at the man. 

“I want to see master Trever’s dog,” he eventually said, his words so quiet that the wind nearly blew them away before the man in front of him could even hear them. 

However, he had  heard him, and as the man began to tug his coat off with a grin, Ravi, for the first time in years while in his human form, felt an inkling of joyous excitement. Someone else had a dog like him! He hadn’t met many shifters in his life, though that was likely because he’d been confined for a portion of it, but even his old master, Trever’s brother, hadn’t ever shifted. Normally, at this point, one might wonder if the man had also been a dog shifter of some sort, but the thought barely even brushed the back of Ravi’s mind before his entire focus returned to Trever and latched onto him like a vise. 

“Just take care of my clothing first, please… and put my socks on so your feet don’t get too cold,” Trever said, making Ravi quickly bob his head twice. 

The guy smiled as he set his jacket aside, then, after offering one more nervous smile, turned and fiddled with his pants, likely just undoing the button and zipper, then tugged his shirt up and over his head. Ravi saw the shiver from the cold weather go down his spine immediately, but stayed right where he was as fur began to sprout along the man’s back. 

It took a lot  of effort not to reach forward, but he managed to hold himself back as silver and light brown fur began taking over Trever’s entire body. The transformation itself took only a few seconds, but Ravi had watched it raptly. 

When the man’s dog finally turned, then opened its eyes and looked at him, Ravi was biting the insides of his pursed lips to keep himself from tackling it!

The dog looked surprisingly similar to his own, but while Ravi’s was scrawny, with a gold, black, and white coat, Trever’s was mainly silver and light brown, with black stripes along its decently-muscular sides. He’d never seen an animal like it, but that didn’t matter at all. To him, it was another dog!

He was just about to reach out and try to run his fingers down the mane running down the length of its spine, but he caught himself at the last second and quickly leaned forward and grabbed Trever’s discarded coat. He folded it as best he could, then set it aside before grabbing the pants and boxers the dog had just stepped out of, and folding them, too, before adding them to where the coat sat. He then tugged on his too-big socks, picked up his shoes, and finally, settled his phone atop the pile of clothing. 

That should be everything. I think I got it all. 

As if telling him that he had, indeed, finished his assigned task, the silver dog leaned forward and gave his ear the tiniest lick. Ravi quickly turned on his hands and knees to face it, then settled himself down a bit more comfortably on his backside. He couldn’t hide his smile as the dog leaned closer to sniff at his nervously-rising hand. 

It didn’t seem all that excited about the attention Ravi so desperately wanted to give it, but that was okay. Just seeing the animal had brightened his mood considerably and when it began to nudge at his hand, allowing him to pet it, he couldn’t have been happier. 

“Master Trever has a beautiful dog,” he said quietly as he reached forward and grabbed a handful of the animal’s thick mane. 

It grumbled a bit and shook out its coat, making Ravi immediately let go. He wasn’t deterred, however, and tried again a few moments later, even though he got the same reaction. It would have been clear to most people that it wasn’t a fan of its longer fur being grabbed, but the warning signs went over Ravi’s head as his excitement over petting the pup took over any other kind of logical thoughts. 

He was just about to try and grab for it again when he heard Trever’s phone begin to ring behind him. When the dog immediately walked over to it and tapped it with his paw as he looked back at him, Ravi realized that he wanted him to answer it. 

No. 

Or well, that’s what he would have said without hesitation until he noticed who was calling. 

Master Wyatt.

Hesitantly, Ravi grabbed the device and clicked the green accept button before holding it up to his ear. 

“Ravi, sweetheart, you don’t have to hold it up to talk. We’re on a video call. Look at the screen for me, please?” came Wyatt’s warm, gentle voice. 

Doing as told, Ravi lowered the phone and immediately grinned when he saw master Wyatt on the screen. He could also see a tiny little square in the upper right hand corner that was reflecting an image of himself, and after a few seconds, the silver dog joined him in the picture, making him glance sideways and nearly bump noses with Trever’s pup. 

“Oh, well that’s a very interesting surprise,” Wyatt said with a knowing smile. 

He’d probably sensed the man’s shift a while ago. That was one of Wyatt’s specialties. Hiding things from him was nearly impossible, especially if you were a shapeshifter, and even more-so if you were a carnivorous one. 

“It seems like things are going pretty well with you two,” he said as Trever moved himself out of view of the screen and wiggled his way beneath his oddly folded coat. 

Ravi knew that he shouldn’t have watched, but his mind didn’t always listen… if ever. So, he saw the man slowly shift back to his human form, though most of his naked body was covered by the long coat. Wyatt waited quietly, since he knew he’d lost Ravi’s attention at that moment. 

After about three minutes, Trever turned back around. He had managed to quickly tug on his pair of pants and button up enough of his jacket to be presentable… though the little bit of skin still visible near his midsection was a bit distracting. 

“Here,” he said as he gestured for his phone, which Ravi immediately relinquished. 

The guy then calmly scooted over to sit back beside Ravi before their focus returned to the call. 

“Everything is going well, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to get him upstairs,” he said calmly. 

Ravi didn’t mind that he was talking about him. He’d just answered master Wyatt’s question honestly. He truly wouldn’t climb the stairs, but since Trever had shown him his dog, he was a bit more keen on physical contact. Perhaps he would let him carry him after all.

“I know this might be overstepping my bounds, but what about bringing him along on your trip you texted me about a little bit ago? If that’s alright with you, and him, of course” Wyatt said, making Ravi and Trever both glance at each other in surprise. 

He had never been on a trip before… 

“He’s pretty good at taking care of himself at home and his dog is pretty low key if you don’t let it get too hyper,” Wyatt added with a quiet chuckle. 

Ravi continued to watch Trever’s face as the man turned back toward the phone to speak. He didn’t seem too happy with the idea, but at the same time, he wasn’t outright declining it. After a few moments of thought, Trever licked his lips once and glanced back at Ravi. 

“I definitely can’t fly with you, but perhaps a car ride? Would you like to go on a long drive and stay with me for about a month?” he asked with a small smile. 

A month with a new person. 

Normally, he’d decline right away. New people stressed him out terribly, except for master Blake… but this new person had a dog. This new person was  a dog. 

“Can I pet master Trever’s dog again?” he asked instead of answering the man’s question. 

The guy looked a little stumped at the sudden change in conversation, but he nodded none-the-less. 

“Of course. He can come out again sometime,” he said, making Ravi immediately give a little excited wiggle as his smile widened. 

Turning back toward the phone screen, Ravi gave a stern nod to Wyatt. 

“Master Wyatt, I will go with master Trever for his trip.”

Wyatt’s smile widened a bit as he turned his attention to Trever. 

“All of his things are already packed in his suitcase upstairs near the fridge. I also put a debit card in the top part of it with some money on it, just in case he ended up needing it. Just please lock the door when you leave,” he said, earning a nod from Trever. 

It was clear that the guy was a bit nervous about his abruptly changed plans, but he didn’t really seem all that stressed. 

“Alright, I’ll go up and grab it, then lock up,” he said, earning an appreciative nod in response. 

“Thank you, and Ravi?” Wyatt said, making Ravi quickly nod, even though he hadn’t been asked anything yet. 

“You take care of yourself, okay? If there are any problems, you can call me, day or night. That goes for you, too, Trever.”

The guy beside him nodded. 

“I’ll give him my password so that he can use my phone whenever he wants,” he said. 

“Perfect, thank you. I need to get back to work now, but please don’t hesitate to contact me for anything.” 

“We won’t,” Trever said right before Ravi gave one final nod and opened his mouth to say his own farewells, except, before words could come out, his animal side finally shoved itself back into control, leaving an overly-excited, scarf-wrapped, sweater-wearing, bouncing Ravi-dog in his place.

Wild Dog 14

He was going crazy!

Running his hand through his hair for the hundredth time that day, Blake finally remembered that he’d tucked the hairpin Wyatt had bought him into his coat pocket. Fishing it out, he tried to pin his bangs back, but it was hard to do with only one free hand. He eventually gave up, not wanting to set down his heavy shoulder bag or briefcase just to complete the task. 

Slipping the item back into his pocket, he hastened his pace, using the chilly wind to his advantage as it blew most of his bangs away from his eyes, but froze his poor reddening nose.

I’m going to have another cold soon with how much I’ve been running around out here. 

Thankfully, he’d remembered the coat Wyatt had gotten him, so it really wasn’t that bad. The exhaustion, though, was palpable. He’d just finished with the last of his three interviews for the day, and he’d already gotten two callbacks from the ones he’d had yesterday. They both wanted him, and were willing to pay, big.  

Pediatricians were, evidently, in very  short supply in the area. He could easily have his pick of places to work, as well as save up enough money to buy himself a house in no time at all. Squinting as a particularly strong gust of wind sent a shiver down his spine, Blake tugged his scarf a little higher, trying to cover his nose, though he knew that it was fruitless with the constant barrage of wind. 

Hurrying forward, he turned the corner, excited to be so close to his hotel, when he bumped right into someone else. Strong arms easily caught, then steadied him before releasing his shoulders and allowing Blake to glance up at the man before him clad in a thick black wool coat and matching slacks.

“U-um, I’m sorry,” he stuttered out, surprised by the sudden impact. 

The guy tilted his head and gave out a quiet, barely-audible hum  as Blake realized something odd. 

He’s wearing sunglasses… but it’s already getting dark out. 

Blake noticed something else important when the man offered him a warm smile. 

He’s holding a red and white cane. He can’t see…

“It’s alright, I wasn’t watching where I was going,” the man eventually replied, making Blake blink down at his guide cane, then back up at him in confusion. 

Watching? 

He was just opening his mouth to dismiss himself, since he was really getting pretty cold and he didn’t want to be rude by just running off when the guy probably  couldn’t see him, but before he could say anything, the man lifted one gloved hand and settled it atop his unruly, windswept hair. 

“Best go inside soon. You’re shivering pretty badly,” the man said, making Blake’s eyes widen slightly at the realization that he was, indeed, shaking from the cold… and probably stress, too. But again, how could the man in front of him know that? His teeth weren’t chattering, yet, and he wasn’t shaking enough to make any kind of sound. 

Is he blind or not?   

Either way, Blake nodded immediately, feeling the man’s hand brush against his hair with the action before he withdrew it and hummed again. 

“Take care,” he said before easily walking around Blake to continue on his way.

He was using his guide stick, but at the same time, it didn’t seem like he really needed it.  

I am confused… and cold. I am confused and cold. 

He watched the man go for a few moments before another harsh gust of wind made him hurry forward to his own destination. After a quick flight of stairs, Blake shakily got his room unlocked, then stepped inside. 

Giving out a huge sigh of relief as the heater, which was going full-tilt in the corner of the room, warmed his skin, Blake was just about to let his bags drop to the floor and possibly just walk over to his bed and pass the heck out, when he heard his phone begin to ring in his pocket. 

Well, it wasn’t just ringing. He’d set a ringtone for the man, and hearing it now felt like the balm he needed for his extremely stressful two days of job hunting. Without hesitating for a second, Blake fished the phone out and accepted the facetime request. 

The second Wyatt’s face popped up on his screen was the second he didn’t know he’d been waiting for. The man was dressed in a suit and tie and had clearly just finished up some sort of official business. 

“Hey there, sweetheart,” he said with a warm smile, making Blake immediately freeze in place and return it with a goofy grin of his own. 

He was just about to say his own greeting when Wyatt’s brow furrowed slightly and he got up from his seat, walked over to somewhere across the room, and… did he just shut a door? Is he at work? 

When he turned to walk back to his chair, Blake noticed a plaque on the door behind him.  

Oh… he’s at the BDSM club. 

He even had his own nameplate, and evidently, his own office. 

Blake waited until Wyatt was sitting back down in his rather-nice looking black leather chair before greeting him. 

“Hello master Wyatt. How have you been? How is Ravi?” he asked, curious about their lives, that he’d been a part of for a very short, but very happy, time. 

Wyatt gave him a very brief explanation of what was going on. That he was at the club, which he’d already figured out, but that he’d just finished teaching a class for new submissives interested in the lifestyle. Blake had no doubt that the man was a fantastic teacher, but a tiny inkling in the back of his mind was jealous that he was giving attention to other people. 

He quickly pushed that uncomfortable part of himself to the back of his thoughts and focused on the next bit of information he was given. 

“Ravi is… going on a road trip with Trever?” 

That was definitely a surprise, but in all honesty, maybe it was a good thing. That pup had definitely been extremely stressed, and considering he’d almost walked right back to his ex the other day? 

“That actually sounds like a great idea. They get along well?” 

Wyatt nodded, but when Blake opened his mouth to continue speaking, the man lifted a hand to signal that he wanted him to be quiet for a moment. So, he immediately shut his mouth and focused. 

“Did you just get home, love?” Wyatt asked, surprising Blake with the pet name. 

He was going to question it, but he held himself back from doing so. He honestly really liked it. Especially because Wyatt was the one using it for him. 

“Yes sir, I just walked in when you called,” he said with a nod. 

Wyatt returned the gesture. 

“Please set your things down and get comfortable. We can continue speaking once you’ve warmed up,” he said, making Blake blink a few times as he registered what he’d said within his tired mind. 

He eventually replied with an “oh,” then quickly stuttered out a “y-yes sir.” 

Setting his phone down on the bed, Blake quickly tugged off his heavy bag, then set his briefcase with it against the wall. He then slipped off his shoes, hung up his coat, and checked himself in the mirror. 

You look… exhausted. And very cold. 

He hadn’t even noticed that his lips were now shaking from the remnants of cold from outside. 

No wonder he told you to get more comfortable. 

He tried to fix his hair, but it was still a lost cause since he didn’t want to bother with gel so late in the evening. Wyatt had seen him like that several times, anyways. He doubted that the man minded.

Oh right, I have the hair barrette.

Except, when he went to pull it out of his coat pocket, it wasn’t there.

I… dropped it? 

He couldn’t have dropped it. He’d put it back into his pocket! 

Blake quickly checked the other side of the coat, even though he knew that it wouldn’t have been there, and it wasn’t. 

“Blake?” 

Blinking out of his daze, Blake stiffly walked over to where he’d set his phone on the bed and picked it up. His expression seemed to be pretty terrible, because Wyatt immediately leaned forward with a worried frown. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately, his voice stern and wanting answers about his sudden change in emotion. 

Blake quickly wiped at a tear he hadn’t realized had escaped his tired eye, then shook his head to try and snap himself out of his upset. He didn’t want to say that he’d lost the hairclip only days after having been given it, but he definitely couldn’t lie either. 

“I… think I lost something important,” he mumbled, then glanced toward the door. 

I can still go find it. 

“I’m going to go try and find it,” he said as he hurried over to tug his shoes on. 

He was just heading for the door with his phone and keys when he heard Wyatt speak. 

“Stop.” 

He did so immediately. 

“Go and put your coat on, and your scarf.” 

Someone might be stepping on the clip right now though…

But he didn’t dare argue. Hurrying to the miniscule closet next to the sink, he tugged on his coat, then wrapped his scarf tightly around his neck before heading back to the door. 

“Do you remember where you might have left it?” Wyatt asked as Blake quickly locked up and headed down the old cement stairs. 

Thankfully, the place he had to have dropped it was only a block or so away, so he only ran a short way before he came upon the area. He was just slowing down from a run when someone suddenly walked out in front of him!

The guy seemed clueless, at first, but after a second, and right before they were about to collide, he turned and caught Blake. The force of the sudden stop made the guy drop the bag he’d been carrying, as well as his white and red guide pole, but thankfully there was no damage to either of them. 

Err, well, maybe not entirely. 

Glancing down, Blake noticed the man’s dinner had come out of the its container somewhat. As soon as he released him he quickly leaned over and scooped up the bag of food, as well as his guide pole. 

“Most of it’s okay…” he mumbled to himself, already planning to buy the guy a new meal. 

He was just about to offer when the man gave a quiet hum  sound and took the bag and pole. He opened the bag for a moment, but didn’t appear to actually look inside before closing it and lowering his hand. 

“It’s fine. Only a little bit fell out,” he said, making Blake fidget. 

“I-I can buy you another. It’s my fault for running into you… again,” he said as a shiver shook his spine from a strong gust of wind at his back. 

The guy didn’t seem worried. 

“Is everything alright, Blake?” came Wyatt’s worried voice from the call he still had going. 

Having completely forgotten about it, Blake hurried to lift the phone up. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I accidentally ran into someone again,” he said, then felt his face heat as Wyatt raised his eyebrows. 

“Again? Is that the person talking to you? Their voice sounds familiar…” 

Does it? 

Blake glanced up at the man before him, who was still wearing sunglasses, even though it was now dark outside, and turned the phone toward him. He could hear the immediate gasp of surprise from Wyatt, making him realize that he did, in fact, know who he had run into. 

“I forgot you went to visit your family early this year,” he said after a moment. 

The other guy gave a quiet chuckle as he gently took the phone from Blake, but then moved so that they were standing next to each other. 

“Is this the guy you’ve been pining after the past couple of days? Did I actually find master Wyatt’s weakness all the way up here?” the guy teased, making Blake glance between the two men in confusion. 

Pining after? Weakness? I’m definitely none of those things to someone like him. 

Wyatt leaned back in his chair, that evidently reclined a decent way, and ran a hand over his face before responding. 

“You did,” was all he said as he allowed one eye to nervously peak out from in between two fingers. 

I’m… really his weakness? I’m what he wants? 

The man next to him gave another quiet chuckle before handing Blake’s phone back. 

“Oh, right. What are you doing out here again?” the man asked as he moved away slightly, giving him some room to breathe. 

Blake looked up from his phone as he remembered what he’d been doing before he’d run into the man. 

“I was looking for something I dropped, but it’s already pretty dark. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find it now,” he said, his heart sinking a little at the thought. 

The man tilted his head and turned around, appearing to look about the area as he gave another quiet humming sound. When he began walking with a curious grin on his face, Blake hesitantly followed. 

It didn’t take long before the guy stopped, then bent over to pick something up before turning and holding his hand out, palm up and open. 

“Would this be it?” 

He… how? 

Blake quickly grabbed the tiny hair clip, relieved that it only seemed to have a slight scratch from likely being kicked to the side of the sidewalk by someone heading home for the evening. 

“You… really found it that easily,” he mumbled, still in shock. 

The man gave a quiet chuckle and reached forward, likely intent on rustling his hair again, but Blake flinched out of habit… even though he’d managed to hold the response back the last time they’d met. 

To his surprise, the guy still pressed the tips of fingers against the top of his head, but then seemed to realize that the attention wasn’t appreciated and quickly withdrew his hand. 

“I’m sorry, it takes me a moment to read situations sometimes,” he said as he bowed his head slightly. 

“Master Wyatt, it was nice speaking with you. I’ll see you again when I return to the club next week,” he said, making Blake hurry to lift his phone so that the two could say their goodbyes. 

“Have a great rest of your vacation, and thank you for helping find what my friend dropped,” he said. 

“Of course. Feel free to give him my number if he’d like. I’d be glad to meet for lunch sometime to get away from my crazy relatives for a bit,” he said, earning a laugh from Wyatt and a curious, appreciative smile from Blake. A new friend would definitely be appreciated.

“Have a good night, mister…?”

The man smiled one more time and replied, “Sage.” 

Before they could say anything else, Sage had turned and walked away, his long coat billowing quietly in the chilly wind. He had folded up his white and red cane, making Blake’s brow furrow in further confusion. Perhaps he didn’t need it… but at the same time, he hadn’t noticed him flinch earlier. 

Not interested in worrying about the man’s blindness, or lack-there-of, since he seemed perfectly able to get around on his own, Blake turned on his heels and hurried back to the hotel, intent on talking to master Wyatt until he fell asleep… which, unfortunately, probably wouldn’t take long.

Wild Dog 15

They had talked a lot longer than he’d thought they would. He’d been tired, of course, but each time he considered saying goodnight, they’d go off on another topic and it was impossible to stop listening to Wyatt’s deep, warm voice. He was surprised when his eyes suddenly cracked open the next morning, aching slightly from having stayed up for so long, but when they saw that the Facetime video hadn’t ended yet and he was actually staring at a sleeping, curled-up Wyatt? 

I want to be that pillow he’s hugging. 

Sitting up as quietly as he could, Blake stifled a yawn as he continued to stare at the man. He was honestly shocked that he’d left the call on, and he also must have propped it up so that it could point at him while he slept. 

He wanted to just sit there all day and watch the man sleep, and he might have done just that, but then his alarm began to chime, making him fumble to shut it off. It was silenced in a record three seconds, but when the display disappeared, returning the screen to the Facetime call, he felt bad. 

It woke him up. 

Well, partially. 

Wyatt had his head resting on the body pillow he was currently hugging. His right eye was open halfway while his left one was hidden against the pillow. 

His hair is so messy and there doesn’t appear to be anyone home, even though he’s kind of awake. 

Part of him wanted to let the guy drift back to sleep since it really was pretty early, but the other half wanted to see how much cuter the man could be while half asleep. Deciding to try his luck, he leaned closer to his phone with an eager smile. 

“Good morning, master Wyatt,” he said quietly. 

The guy gave a deep, content sigh and snuggled into his pillow more as he replied with a quiet “mmn.” 

He seemed to be trying to stay awake, or as awake as he was at that moment, but his eye kept slipping closed. Blake watched him intently, unable to hold back his growing grin each time Wyatt opened his eye again to stare at him. 

Hmm?

Tilting his head, he leaned a little closer, then moved the phone away before getting close again.

Am I seeing things, or does he have…?

Wyatt seemed to realize that he was being stared at oddly because he began to wake up a bit more. With his growing coherance, the odd thing Blake noticed began to disappear back into the guy’s messy hair. 

“Enjoying the view?” Wyatt mumbled as he hugged the pillow tighter, opening his right eye completely to stare back at him.

Blake felt his mouth go dry as he opened it to reply, unsure whether he should ask the question he’d intended to. Wyatt had never mentioned it, so perhaps he shouldn’t be rude and assume? Or perhaps he just wasn’t interested in sharing that bit of information about himself? 

He was about to laugh off the awkward staring and tell him that he had to go get ready for his sixth interview… which was why he’d set the alarm in the first place, but his words got caught in his throat. When Wyatt slowly lifted his right arm from around the pillow and hesitantly ran a hand over his hair, Blake knew that he hadn’t been mistaken. 

The guy seemed to realize that he’d seen something, too, because he slowly pushed himself up and grabbed hold of his phone. 

Oh my god his hair is so messy. I want to run my fingers through it!

As he was thinking that, he noticed something else that immediately caught his attention. It wasn’t that it was odd, in general, but it wasn’t usually something a person would do. 

He’s flaring his nose a lot, and I don’t even think he realizes it. 

“Blake, what’s wrong?” Wyatt asked seriously, now completely awake. 

His nose quickly stopped what it had been doing, but Blake couldn’t keep his mind off of what he’d seen. 

“Master Wyatt… may I ask you something personal?” he asked honestly, his curiousity forcing the words from his mouth. 

The man on the other end of the call raised an eyebrow but shrugged one shoulder as he offered a reassuring smile. 

“Of course. Ask me whatever you’d like.” 

I really hope he doesn’t get mad at me for this. 

Nodding, Blake swallowed down his nerves and licked his lips. 

“Master Wyatt, are you a shifter?” 

Silence took over their conversation for nearly a full minute before Wyatt gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed at the back of his neck. Blake immediately felt bad for making the man feel awkward, but then he noticed something move beneath his hair again. 

Wyatt clearly noticed his reaction, but to his surprise, he didn’t seem worried. In fact, he offered Blake a cheeky grin and fell back onto his normal pillows before lifting the phone above his head. 

“I am,” was his simple reply. 

Blake grinned, excited that he was right. He was about to say something else when he noticed the clock on his phone and paled. 

“I have to get ready,” he said as he hurried off the bed and headed for the little bathroom. 

Not really thinking, he leaned the phone against the mirror and abruptly tugged off the shirt he’d fallen asleep in. His pants were about to be dropped, too, but his fingers paused when he heard Wyatt clear his throat, drawing his attention up to the man. 

“Master Wyatt?” 

The man was staring at him like he wanted to eat him…

And that’s when Blake realized that he was literally stripping right in front of the guy!

“O-oh, I’m sorry!” he stuttered out as he reached forward to grab his phone. 

He was just about to say his goodbyes when he immediately froze at the sound of Wyatt’s voice. 

“Stop.” 

He did so without hesitation, leaving him staring down at the phone screen with his chest completely bare. If he hadn’t been so distracted with the man’s abrupt order, he would have probably begun breaking down because of the amount of scars now visible on his upper half. 

Wyatt offered him a reassuring smile. 

“I just want to be clear with you first. I will never  be upset to see any part of you that you wish to show me. Seeing as this situation was likely a mistake because you are rushing, though, I am the one that should be apologizeing for intentionally staring when I should have averted my eyes,” he said, making Blake’s face warm. 

“I-I don’t mind you looking…” Blake mumbled, making Wyatt smile but shake his head. 

“I want you to want to show me next time, when you’re absolutely comfortable with it. I’d also like for that situation to happen in person,” Wyatt said, making Blake bite the inside of his lower lip to try and hide his growing grin. 

He quickly nodded, over-exaggerating the gesture enough to make the other man give a deep chuckle. When he looked back up, he was smiling and blushing outright.   

Master Wyatt wants to see me again!

Of course, the man had  just admitted that he was clearly interested when Sage had been messing with him the day before, but hearing that confirmation from the man’s mouth right then? He felt like he was in heaven. 

“You mentioned that you have to get ready, so I’ll let you go now, but before that…” he said as he tilted his head slightly on his soft pillow, making his hair even more messy. 

Except, that wasn’t what Blake was focusing on. His mouth slowly opened as his eyes widened. 

Master Wyatt…

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. 

The guy had not been lying. He was definitely a shifter. 

I can’t believe it, though…

But there was no denying what he saw. 

Beautiful animal ears slowly lowered from within his dark air to settle on either side of his head on the pillow. They were gorgeous, and not just any  animal’s ears…

Long, fuzzy, adorable, black bunny ears!

Wild Dog 16

He wasn’t sure how someone could go from zero to one hundred, then back again, so quickly. Trever glanced sideways for the fifth time while driving, noting that Ravi had passed out again. Ten minutes earlier he had been the literal definition of a pinball, bouncing from the front to the back so often that Trever’d finally had to put his foot down. 

The pup settled immediately at that moment, taking the order very seriously. It took him a few minutes to catch his breath, then he had lied down, curling up in the front seat. 

And now, somehow, he’s out cold. 

Shaking his head at the absurdity of it all, he returned his complete attention to the road and drove in silence for just under six hours before feeling the need to stretch his legs. 

He ended up pulling into a rest stop near the state line. After parking, Trever gave out a tired sigh, then yawned before looking over at… a wiggling Ravi. He was still, thankfully seated, but he’d pushed himself up and was lifting his front paws in his usual little dance of excitement. 

“Want to get out and go bathroom?” he asked as he stood from his seat, then stretched before shutting his door and walking around to the other side. 

Ravi had long-since freed himself of the clothing he’d had on previously, so when his pup hopped out, it was unhindered and didn’t hesitate to bolt as fast as it could out into a large stretch of lightly-forested picnic areas. 

Trever quickly shut the door and jogged a few feet forward before realizing that there was no  way he was going to be able to ever catch the dog. 

Note to self. Invest in a leash. 

He immediately winced at that thought, then quickly brushed it aside and turned to begin walking over toward the large building nearby. Of course, he kept his eyes on Ravi’s zooming form as he moved and, thankfully, was relieved when the dog met him right before he large building. 

“Do you want to come in and use the bathrooms or wait here?” he asked, hoping that the guy would want to go in. He definitely didn’t want any accidents in his car. 

When Ravi tilted his head this way, then that before turning in a circle and promptly squatting, Trever felt the right side of his lips tilt up the slightest amount. It only took him a few seconds of glancing around the area before he noticed a doggy poop station with plastic bags. He quickly walked over and took one, then shoved a few extra into his back pocket before returning to the now-wiggling dog. 

“Good boy,” he said, not really minding picking up the feces. 

He could handle dogs. Pat the head. Pick up the poop. Feed twice a day. It was humans that he couldn’t deal with unless he was able to use an extremely firm hand. 

Guess that’s why I’m so good at my job. 

Once he was done picking up after Ravi, he told the pup to stay in the area and headed inside the large building. He was just walking over to a urinal after washing his hands when he heard a faint sound of nails clicking on the tile floor, drawing his attention down and to the left. 

Uh…

Ravi sat down right at his side, as if he’d been trained as a service dog. Except, his eyes were most-certainly not  on anything appropriate. 

Are you seriously going to watch me pee? 

“Turn around,” he mumbled as quietly as he could, not wanting anyone else coming and going to hear him being embarrassed over a dog watching him go bathroom. 

Thankfully, Ravi simply twitched an ear and did as told, facing the empty stalls behind them without an ounce of hesitation. 

Thank god he listens well. 

 The pup’s tail began swishing back and forth on the dirty floor, clearly doing its best to win the fastest Swiffer sweeper  award, but at least it didn’t have eyes. 

I’m so strange, Trever thought as he quickly relieved himself, then headed over to the sinks. 

He finished washing his hands and turned toward the exit, but realized that there wasn’t a pup with him. Looking over his shoulder, he couldn’t help but snicker a little as Ravi looked over his own fuzzy shoulder at him, his eyes wide with worry. 

I’m not going to intentionally leave you at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere, you doofus. 

“Come on, Ravi. Let’s get going,” he said as he headed out. 

Ravi’s dog bolted past him, disappearing around the corner in a blur of fur and dust. Trever walked around the corner a few moments later, nearly jumping from surprise when Ravi suddenly appeared abruptly and dropped something at his feet before backing up a few steps and whining. 

Leaning down, Trever eyed the… ball? 

Can that thing even be called a ball? 

It looked like it had long-since been freed from its fuzzy outer coating and now sported the darkest blown color he’d ever seen. Another whine from Ravi drew his eyes up to the pup, who immediately dropped down into a very sloppy, over-excited play bow. 

You look like a psychotic cat kneading the sidewalk with a terrible kink in your neck. 

Resigned to needing to wash his hands again before they left, Trever picked up the disgusting ball and straightened back to his full height. By the time he returned his attention to Ravi the dog was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, spinning every other step as he anticipated that the ball was actually going to be thrown! 

Shaking his head, Trever glanced down at the nasty ball in his hand one more time before winding up and throwing it as far as he could. Ravi watched it soar over his head, stunned into pausing his craziness for a whole five seconds before he gave a surprisingly-high jump into the air, turning as he seemed to hover for a moment. 

The second his paws returned to the ground he snorted and kicked his back feet up like an overly-excited horse, though Trever would have bet that he just slipped on the smooth bit of concrete, before he darted off into the distance. 

That’s one fast boy. 

He probably shouldn’t have thrown it so far, but it had been forever since he’d pitched in a baseball game. He’d just wanted to see how far he could still throw a ball…

It took Ravi nearly three minutes to find and retrieve the ball, then return it directly to the designated spot in front of Trever’s shoes. He then backed up into his strange bowing pose, hoping beyond hope, that the ball would grace the air again so that he may retrieve and return it once more.  

“You really like to fetch, huh? I guess we can play for a bit. Maybe it will wear you out enough so that you can sleep some more,” Trever said as he wound up and threw the ball again. 

They played that way for about thirty minutes before a second dog, a golden retriever mix of some sort, tried to join in. Trever thought that it was cute, but Ravi, evidently, did not. 

He put all of his effort into getting to the ball the fastest, and if he somehow wasn’t the first one to it, he made sure to take it from the golden no matter how hard the other dog tried to simply bring bag its little prize for some praise. 

Eventually, the owner of the golden mix walked up to Trever, a frown on her face as she crossed her arms, holding her dog’s leash in one hand.   

“Your dog is being pretty rude, you know?” 

Trever raised an eyebrow as Ravi brought the ball back again, snarling every few steps he took to try and get the message across to the golden that he didn’t want to share the darn ball he’d found. 

“No he’s not. My dog found the ball first and we were playing with it. We aren’t in the dog yard, so I don’t see why it should be shared?” he said as he picked up the disgusting ball again, but didn’t get ready to throw it again. 

He had been watching Ravi’s behavior slowly worsen as the other dog continued to try and intervene during previous throws, and now, even with the dog not outright bothering him, it was clear that he didn’t like it so close. 

“You know what, Ravi? Let’s get back on the road,” Trever said, then turned his attention back to the young lady and lifted his hand holding the ball. 

“Here you are, ma’am. Enjoy your day,” he said as she automatically put her own hand beneath his and caught the slimy, dirty, absolutely-disgusting ghost of a tennis ball. 

The look of sheer horror on her face had Trever biting back his own grin as he turned and, remembering Ravi’s penchant for commands, tapped his leg for him to follow. Thankfully, he listened and immediately followed him back into the men’s bathroom where Trever got his hands washed and wiped off Ravi’s dirty paws one at a time with some paper towels. 

Once they were ready to head out again, Trever gave Ravi another order to stay directly behind him. He wasn’t too comfortable with that lady who had bothered them about the ball, and, evidently, he’d been rightfully nervous. 

She was waiting at the entrance for them with her dog, though she had yet to put it back on its leash, thus allowing it to run forward and immediately start nudging at Ravi. 

“Behave please, Ravi,” Trever said as he noticed the pup’s hackles begin to rise. He had truly had enough of the dog, but thankfully he looked up when given his command and forced himself to calm down enough to keep from snapping… for now. 

Need to get going. 

“Hey, you rude asshole!” the young woman started yelling immediately when she saw them, even going as far as to jamb her finger into his chest a few times. 

His eyes narrowed on her face immediately, making her hesitate, then withdraw her finger before sneering at him. 

“How dare you drop that nasty thing into my hand!” she squealed, sounding much more like an upset piggy than a frustrated young woman.  

Unable to hold himself back, Trever burst out into a fit of laughter that was quite embarrassing, even for him. It was just that he’d never seen someone so contradictory before! 

“First you call my dog rude because he just wants to play alone. Then I give you the ball and decide to leave since you want to play with your own dog, but because the ball is dirty, you suddenly think that it’s okay to yell at me?” he asked sarcastically, still trying to quell bits of laughter here and there. 

He could tell that the woman was losing her last shred of remaining patience as her face reddened with each word he said, but he hadn’t anticipated what she’d actually do about her frustration. Thankfully, he’d been paying attention, and when she lunged forward and aimed a kick straight at the underside of Ravi’s jaw, he was able to turn and reach down at the same time. 

Right before her kick could hit, Trever grabbed her foot in both hands and after shoving it backwards just enough for the attack to miss his pup, he jerked his arms upward abruptly, throwing her off-balance and onto her back with another loud squeal. 

He almost felt bad at how hard the lady hit her head on the concrete, but it had been her own fault for attacking his dog. 

“Is there an issue here, guys?” 

Looking off to the side, Trever frowned as he noticed a police officer approaching. Unsurprisingly, the woman, who had previously been rolling around on the concrete grabbing her head like it was going to explode, suddenly shot up and ran right up to the officer. Her hand shot out to point back at him and Ravi as she screamed. 

“That bastard let his dog attack mine then threw a nasty slobbery ball at me when I told him that his dog had to be nicer and then he flipped me onto the ground when I tried to discipline it since he obviously refuses to!” 

Dang, girl. At least use some punctuation and take a breath every now and then. 

The officer didn’t seem impressed with her yelling, either, but none-the-less, he had to investigate what had happened since he’d likely seen the woman at least being thrown onto her back. 

So, Trever gestured for Ravi to stand at his side as he turned to face the officer that was now walking over to him. 

“Sorry for the trouble, officer. My dog had found a dirty ball somewhere in the picnic area and we were just throwing it for a bit to try and tire him out when that nice young lady’s dog showed up and started trying to play, too. I’m still learning my buddy’s personality, but it seems like he doesn’t enjoy sharing when playing fetch, so he grumbled a bit and got a little reactive, but never bit her dog. When she came up to us to complain that my dog was rude, I decided to just give her the ball so that she and her dog could play without mine getting in their way. Surprisingly, though, when I dropped the ball into her hand, she got really mad and started yelling,” he said, making the officer look back at the woman with a raised eyebrow. 

The lady tried to quickly interject, but the officer raised his hand, silencing her. 

“I listened to your story, now I want his. Without , an interruption.”

The woman ground her teeth together but stayed quiet, allowing the officer to turn back to Trever. 

“What about when you grabbed her foot and flipped her onto her back? Why did that situation happen?” he asked. 

Trever reached down and gave Ravi a pat on the head for his good behavior, then returned his attention to the officer. 

“I guess she decided to punish my dog with a kick, but I didn’t want to risk her getting bitten or my dog possibly being quarantined for said bite if I could prevent it, so I just grabbed her foot and pushed it back and up a bit, sending her off-balance and stopping the whole situation before it possibly got out of hand.” 

The officer nodded a few times before turning to Ravi and kneeling down, then offering his hand for him to smell. Of course, Ravi wasn’t really interested and simply leaned closer against Trever’s leg and lifted his closest paw to settle on top of his shoe. 

“Is he a shifter?” the officer asked, surprising him. 

“Uh, yeah. He is, but he rarely ever changes into his human form. He’s much more comfortable as a dog.” 

The officer offered Ravi an understanding smile as he stood back up. 

“I don’t blame him. There are crazy people everywhere,” he said before glancing at the woman still seething nearby. 

“Ma’am, please take your dog to the fenced-in area if you want it to play with other dogs,” he said, making the woman start forward again until the officer lifted his hand a second time. 

“Enough. I saw the majority of that situation and what he did was clearly in defense of his dog when you tried to kick it. And considering that the dog is a shifter, he could have requested to press charges against you for trying to hurt it, so I suggest that you simply count yourself lucky that he’s a nice person and take your dog somewhere else to exercise.” 

Trever didn’t wait around to see the woman’s likely-incoming meltdown at the officer’s decision and calmly walked back to his car. Ravi stayed on his heels the whole time, then hopped up into his spot and sat down as soon as the door was opened. 

They remained silent for the first twenty minutes of their drive as Trever’s mind focused on absorbing what had almost happened. He worked at troubled companies and was used to stress, but that situation could have gone much, much  worse. If Ravi had bitten the woman, or even her dog, it could have been a huge deal. 

I also shouldn’t have let him run off like that without any kind of identification on. 

Glancing at a road sign advertising some basic stores in the oncoming town, he noticed a pet shop and quickly but carefully got himself into the right lane to take the exit in order to get off the interstate. 

The store was quite close and he didn’t even need to get his phone out to be able to find it. He hopped out of the car after parking and went to retrieve Ravi before walking up to the small store. It looked like it was going to close soon, but the door was unlocked and the owner greeted them with a crooked-toothed smile, so he figured that it was fine to look around. 

He didn’t waste time finding the dog section, then the leash and collars. 

Oh right. I should ask before I just buy something like this for him…

He’d seen the marks on the guy’s neck, likely from a previous, too-tight collar. 

Maybe I shouldn’t even ask him to wear one.

He was just about to ask when he noticed Ravi’s ears go up and his tail begin to do that strange windmill-sort of wag. 

You like that one?

Reaching down, Trever picked up the dark pink collar and raised an eyebrow. It definitely wasn’t what he would have picked out, but considering how excited Ravi suddenly got when he grabbed it… 

“I’m going to assume that your dancing-paw jig means that you want this one?” he asked with a growing grin on his face. 

When Ravi nodded so hard that it made him bounce up and down, Trever gave out a quiet chuckle and patted his head so that he’d settle down a bit. 

“Alright, pink it is. While we’re here, is there anything else you’d like?” he asked as he grabbed the matching pink leash for the collar… just in case. 

Ravi tilted his head one way, then the other, before turning and wandering off to a different isle. Trever hurried to follow him, but got distracted for a second as he grabbed a pink harness and car clip on the end-cap. When he heard an eager squeak a moment before he finally managed to turn the corner into the other isle, he knew what would be waiting for him. 

Ravi ran up to him and sat immediately, a stuffed duck between his panting jaws. 

“You like that ducky?” Trever asked, already knowing the obvious answer by the pup’s wide eyes and wiggling body. 

Ravi nodded again, adding a squeak and a whine for good measure. 

“Alright, carry it up to the front for me please?” Trever asked as he started heading that way. 

Ravi quickly got himself situated at his side, heeling perfectly with his ducky held high with pride. Trever took the toy so that he could pay for it once at the checkout desk, and also added a little tag that he got engraved with Ravi’s name and his telephone number, just in case. 

Once he’d paid and bid the owner goodbye, they walked out and hopped back into the car. He immediately returned Ravi’s ducky to him, then got the tag fastened to the collar before reaching over and snapping the collar around his neck. He made sure that it wasn’t too tight, then got the harness settled around Ravi’s chest. It took a bit of work to fasten correctly, but once it was done and the pup was clipped in with the doggy seatbelt, he felt much better about driving with him. He’d honestly had no idea that dog seatbelts even existed, so to find one had been a great relief. 

Ravi didn’t seem too thrilled that he could no longer run around in the car like a crazy… him, but he settled pretty quickly as he remembered that he had a squeaky duck between his teeth. 

Trever embraced the slightly-calmer calamity of squeaks for the remainder of their evening drive. They would stop once he got tired again, but until that time, he was actually enjoying the drive with his new, buckled-in passenger pup.

Wild Dog 17

Blake lifted his fingers to the barrette in his hair for the sixth time since leaving his hotel to meet up with Sage. He was clearly good friends with Wyatt, so he didn’t mind accepting his request to take him to an early lunch. Besides, he could use a chance to distract his poor mind. It had been really hard to sleep after seeing those… those…

I really wish I had taken a screenshot of those adorable ears!

He knew that a blush was likely permanently stuck on his face after how many times he’d thought up the end of their conversation, and the image that accompanied Wyatt’s farewell, but he just couldn’t help it. 

Trying not to think about it made him think about it, and as he turned a corner into a crisp, cool breeze, his mind was already beginning to wander back to the man. The image was nearly at the forefront of his thoughts again when he abruptly ran into someone! 

“I would say that we really need to stop meeting this way, but I honestly don’t mind,” came Sage’s voice as the man’s gloved hand gently caught him around the waist so that he didn’t fumble backwards and possibly fall. 

Once Blake was steady on his feet the man removed his hand and offered him a quiet, entertained chuckle with a smile almost as white as the snow beginning to fall from the sky. 

“S-sorry for running into you again,” Blake stuttered, bowing his head slightly even though he knew that Sage probably couldn’t see it. 

He heard another calm chuckle from the man in front of him before a hand moved into his line of sight. 

“May I have the honors?” 

Blinking down at the gloved hand, Blake glanced up at its owner, then back down before hesitantly setting his own within it. He wasn’t a huge fan of touching people at the moment, but Sage seemed very low key, and he was also one of Wyatt’s good friends.

And Wyatt respects him as another master. 

That was actually the most important thing to him. Not only did Wyatt accept the man as a person, but he also knew and accepted how he treated people within their lifestyle community. 

With a reassured smile, Blake allowed Sage to lead him across the street, then down the long sidewalk. They didn’t hurry, but they also weren’t walking slowly, either. The buildings were thankfully blocking most of the wind, so it was a pretty pleasant little stroll, too. 

Blake glanced around as they walked, taking note of the many different stores lining either side of the block they were on. 

“This is part of the downtown area,” Sage provided as he tapped his cane on the sidewalk in front of them, the tempo of it leisurely and practiced. 

He’s using his pole a lot more now than he had before… maybe his vision is okay some days, but gets bad on others? 

“Do you have any questions you’d like to ask while we’re walking?” Sage offered, making Blake blush and look down. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare,” he said awkwardly, earning a quiet hum from the man as he felt him give his fingers a gentle squeeze. 

“I am completely blind,” Sage said simply, making Blake frown as he looked up at the man staring slightly down at him. 

But you were walking past people the other day without using your cane. 

“Here we are,” Sage said as they turned toward a doorway and he reached for the handle. 

Holding it open for him, Blake stepped inside and was immediately met with the delicious scent of fresh-baked pastries. 

“Two, please,” Sage said as he walked up to the host stand. 

The young man working it grabbed two menus and happily lead them to a table, then explained the specials for the day before leaving them to get their drink orders. It was hard not to just order a bunch of pastries, and funny enough, while Blake was going over the menu trying not to drool, their waiter appeared and Sage immediately pointed to four different pastries he wanted, then looked over at Blake with a grin. 

“Which ones would you like? Get whatever you want, since we can always take the extras home,” he said, making Blake purse his lips but nod as he quickly skimmed over the choices again, then settled with a cheese danish and apple turnover. 

“Sounds good! I’ll go get those for you, then come back for your main orders?” the guy said, earning a nod from Sage before hurrying off. 

Thankfully, he at least knew what he wanted to order, so when the young guy came back with two large plates of pastries and set them in front of them, Blake waited his turn as Sage ordered a meal of bacon, eggs, french toast, and potatoes, before giving his own order of eggs benedict and toast. It was close to lunch time, but the place had quite an extensive breakfast menu and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a good eggs benedict, so he had to try it.  

He normally didn’t like possibly spoiling his appetite with appetizers before a meal, but there was no way that he was going to be able to not devour at least one of the treats he’d ordered before their food got there. So, after much planning, and staring, he decided to go for the danish and save the turnover for a snack later. 

He’d honestly never had a fresh one, either. His only memory of such things were from vending machines, so when he finally lifted the warm folded dough to his mouth, he couldn’t believe how incredible it tasted!

Is this really what they’re supposed to taste like? Those vending machine ones are garbage compared to this heaven. 

They both ate in silence, each clearly enjoying their delicious food as other patrons filled the silence around them. They were just finishing their first pastry when their food came out and was set in front of them. Once the waiter made sure that they didn’t need anything else, they got busy on their main course, again remaining silent as they enjoyed their meal. 

It was honestly quite odd not to feel  like he had to fill the silence. Not that it was actually quiet in there, at all, but he didn’t feel a need to make small talk while they ate, and honestly, he’d always found such a thing to be a little rude. Sure, talking here and there was fine if you were just nibbling on something after having already eaten the majority of your meal like when he’d gone out with Wyatt and Ravi, but when both you and your partner are hungry and wanting to eat, talking isn’t necessary right away. 

Thus, they both dug into their meals, and Blake quickly realized that he needed to come back to the little restaurant quite often in the near future. Everything was absolutely delicious. He didn’t even realize he was finishing his last bite of food until he went back for more and frowned at the completely empty plate. 

Licking his lips in slight embarrassment, he gently set his fork down, then glanced sideways at his remaining apple turnover. He knew that he didn’t need it, because he was honestly rather full, but the food was just so darn good that he had to hold his hands in his lap to keep from reaching for it. 

“Want to help me finish half of my turnover?” Sage asked with a hint of humor to his words as he nudged the little plate it sat on to the middle of the table. 

He’d watched him cut it with a knife earlier, probably in anticipation of possibly not being able to finish the whole thing after his own huge meal. Blake considered it for a few moments before giving in with a small smile and reaching over to take it. 

“Absolutely, thank you,” he said before biting into the delicious treat. 

To his surprise, it wasn’t overly sweet like the ones he was used to, but that didn’t mean that it was lacking flavor in any  way. 

So good!

“You’re adorable.” 

Hearing Sage’s compliment made Blake pause in his chewing of the last bit of pastry. Then he realized that he’d actually just devoured the thing in less than two minutes! 

Embarrassing…

Sage nonchalantly crossed one arm on the edge of the table and leaned forward the slightest bit, a warm smile on his face. 

“I apologize if I’m too forward. Please feel free to tell me whenever I say something that makes you uncomfortable,” he added, making Blake slowly nod, then remember that the guy couldn’t see it. 

“Yes sir,” Blake replied, then felt his face warm. 

Sage tilted his head slightly at hearing that sir  word, making Blake want to press a hand over his face to hide. 

“I don’t mind if you address me like that. In fact, I like hearing that word come from your mouth,” Sage said, making Blake’s face heat further. 

He really is extremely straightforward. 

He didn’t mind, though it would take some time to get used to. 

“Um, could I ask you something kind of personal?” Blake said nervously. 

He honestly didn’t know the man at all, but since he was good friends with Wyatt, he kind of wanted to know more about him. 

“Of course,” Sage replied with clear interest. 

Blake swallowed down his nervousness and licked his lips. 

“Can I see your eyes?” 

He really hoped that the question wasn’t considered rude. It was just that he was super curious since he’d only see the guy with sunglasses on so far. 

To his relief, Sage’s smile widened as he lifted his hand and nonchalantly removed his sunglasses. His eyes remained closed until he lowered the item to the table, then, ever so slowly, they opened. 

Oh wow, they’re gorgeous. 

“Thank you,” Sage replied, making Blake immediately purse his lips as he realized that he’d let his telepathic ability slip again. The guy had heard his thought. 

“That’s a very interesting ability you’ve got there, sweetheart,” Sage said, making Blake’s heart stumble a bit in his chest as he looked down at his hands in his lap for a moment before forcing his attention back up to the other man’s face. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t usually have so much trouble controlling it,” Blake said awkwardly, wanting to simply whisper and mumble the words, but feeling that doing such a thing was not be appropriate, so he spoke clearly. 

Sage didn’t seem bothered by the slip up at all, in fact, he looked intrigued as he moved his hand away from his sunglasses, allowing Blake to stare at his beautiful light blue eyes to his heart’s content. 

“I don’t mind. Talk to me whichever way you wish. I like hearing your voice, both audibly and inside of my own mind,” he said, then leaned back a little to settle against the back of the booth. 

“Would it be alright if I asked you a personal question now?” 

Blake hurried to sit up straighter and nod as he replied with a hurried “of course!” 

Sage chuckled at his enthusiasm, then tilted his head slightly as he spoke. 

“What is your relationship with master Wyatt?”  

Blake froze as his mind processed the man’s question. It was the same one that he’d asked himself several times since leaving Kansas. Of course, the answer was obvious, and it was that there was no relationship, but even as he went over the question in his head again and again, he couldn’t make his mouth confirm the fact out loud. 

“May I change the question?” Sage asked abruptly, snapping Blake out of his depressing thoughts. 

“O-of course,” he said quickly, glad that the man wanted to ask something else. 

Sage waited a few moments before speaking, clearly going through his thoughts and taking his next words seriously. It was something he’d noticed Wyatt do sometimes, too. It wasn’t too odd, though, since dominants words generally held quite a bit of weight. It was only logical that they’d be careful with what they said. 

When he finally seemed to decide exactly what he wanted to say, Sage offered him a more serious grin, then leaned forward onto one arm as his bangs gently swished in front of his beautiful eyes. 

“Would you consider accepting me as a master?” 

Blake felt his mouth suddenly go dry. He had not expected the guy to be that straightforward! Instead of sputtering out whatever came to his mind first, which would have likely been a request to abstain from such questions for a while, since he hadn’t even gotten settled yet, but instead, he bit his tongue and forced himself to think through the man’s request seriously. 

He really hadn’t planned on even going to look at the local BDSM clubs until he had a house and was comfortable with his new life, but then to just be asked if he wanted a master so abruptly? 

Wait a minute…

Looking up, he replied, “but you don’t live in this area.” 

He remembered that Sage actually lived back in Kansas  and was just visiting family. 

He lives in the same area as Wyatt. 

“Distance can be overcome,” Sage said without an ounce of hesitation. 

Blake’s fingers fidgeted with each other in his lap. 

“True…” he said after a few more moments. 

He remained silent for a bit longer after saying that one word, glad that Sage was letting him think about what he said as long as he wanted to. As he got toward the end of his consideration, Blake actually felt relieved when he looked back up to meet Sage’s calm eyes. 

“I don’t think I’d be able to be away from my person for any extended period of time, though. Especially not if I decide to accept one right now. It’s hard enough not being able to be around Wyatt, and I’d only been with him as a friend, and only for a few days, at that,” he said, then realized that he was talking about another dominant when one was sitting directly across from him, asking if he’d like to be his sub. 

He’s straightforward, but you shouldn’t have been that straightforward!

Instead of seeming annoyed that he’d talked about another dominant right in front of him, and as a response to such an important question, he was actually smiling a little wider and the edges of his eyes crinkled the slightest bit with humor. 

“There it is,” he finally said, making Blake tilt his head in confusion. 

“What, sir?” he questioned, not understanding at all. 

Sage took out his phone from where it had stayed in his pocket during their entire meal, and after tapping a few spots on the screen, he set it on the table facing Blake, then nudged it closer. 

“I know he’s still being stubborn and has probably told you that he’s not ready for another sub, but I could hear right through that nonsense when he was talking to you over the phone the other day. And I think you already know what Wyatt is to you, sweetheart,” Sage replied as Blake leaned forward to look at what he was trying to show him. 

He immediately leaned back against his seat with a blush warming his face as Sage chuckled quietly and withdrew his phone. On the screen had been a picture of two very handsome men in bathing suits at the beach… shirtless. The ocean had been behind them with a tiny hint of sand near the bottom of the photo. Sage had one hand on Wyatt’s head and was messing his hair up jokingly as the other guy tried to stand properly for the photo, but eventually ended up with his head bowed forward and his mouth parting in the beginnings of a laugh as his buddy was all smiles. 

“Let me rephrase my words a bit. I’m not interested in keeping you away from him. I might be blind, but I can read situations extremely well and I’m one of his best friends… though I do feel like I am the best of those friends. I’m not sure why you have decided to come up here, or why you aren’t running back to Wyatt because that guy is one  fine, domineering piece of man, but I’d like to be part of your life, too. I’m not interested in stressing you out with this, though, so answer however and whenever you’d like. Take as little or as long as you want to think through my request. And if you decide that you don’t want to consider me as a master, then I’d be more than happy being a new friend, instead.”

He paused for a moment before adding one more thing as he lifted his sunglasses back up to cover his gorgeous eyes. 

“And if you do  decide to consider me as a possible master, I’m more than willing to share with Wyatt…” 

Blake blinked once, then twice. 

Share?

Wild Dog 18

Wyatt’s feet blurred forward as he ran full-tilt on the tiny treadmill in his bedroom. His heart was already well into racing after twenty minutes on the device, but he still felt as if he could run for another hour, at least!

He was just buckling down to go at least another twenty minutes when he heard a familiar chime begin to ring from his phone. The caller was immediately identified by their assigned song; Halo, by Beyoncé. It was an older song, but the moment he’d thought about putting a ring tone to Blake’s number, the song just came to mind and stuck. 

Thus, when that song suddenly began playing from his phone, his feet slipped and he went tumbling paws over tail all the way across the room and into the wall behind him! He smacked into it with his belly, his big back paws pressed up above his head as his ears slowly sank to the carpet from displeasure. 

Thank god he hadn’t seen that. 

Wiggling his body a bit, he managed to flop over and hurry toward the bed. It only took one decent hop to get up onto it, then he hurried over to the phone he’d left there mid-shift back to his human form. He managed to hit the accept call button right as he came down onto the blankets on his belly!

When Blake’s face came up on the screen a second later, Wyatt felt his little bunny tail, which was always a bit slow to go away, wiggle excitedly. 

“Good evening, master Wyatt,” Blake said with a gorgeous, contagious grin. 

That blush and that face and those eyes…

Mentally shaking himself out of his stupor, Wyatt knew that he had to get down to business fast, because he knew who already had. He didn’t blame the guy, either. He knew as soon as he saw Sage with Blake the other day that the guy would pounce, but he was also his best friend and was the most respectful person he knew. He told you what he wanted to, and that was that. There was no beating around the bush… unless he was messing with someone. 

Mainly, me. 

“May I ask you something before we start talking, love?” he asked, not wanting to wait. 

Blake looked like he was about to readily agree, but then his face began to redden and Wyatt tilted his head, enjoying the blush but curious as to its reason. 

“Is something wrong?” Wyatt asked as he leaned a little closer and adjusted the phone a bit. 

Blake’s face reddened further, making him begin to get nervous. That is, until the man glanced away from the phone and cleared his throat, then forced himself to speak clearly. 

“M-master Wyatt, I definitely don’t mind, but um… you are kind of flashing me.” 

  I’m flashing him…? 

His mind took a moment to connect the dots, but then he remembered having literally shifted mid-reach for his phone!

Feeling like there was literally lava now crawling beneath the skin of his face, Wyatt quickly slapped the phone face down on the blankets, then hurried off the bed to tug on a pair of shorts and a shirt. Once he was decently covered up, he returned to sit on the bed cross-legged, then picked up the phone and tilted it up at his face… which, he had no doubt, was bright red by now. 

Blake was clearly trying to hold back a giggle of laughter when he’d returned to the screen, but it was obvious and honestly, he loved the sound, even though he was laughing at him. 

Laugh at me as much as you’d like. I was a bit of a goofball for not realizing that I was naked. 

He’d been too excited to get to the phone before it dared go to voicemail. 

“Welcome back, master Wyatt,” Blake said, humor still clinging to his words. 

I want to lick those lips. 

“Sorry about that. I got so caught up in trying to get to the phone fast that I didn’t even realize I was naked,” Wyatt said as he looked away for a moment, still clearly a little uncomfortable with what he’d done. 

He’d been naked in front of quite a few people before, and had had a lot  more people naked in front of him, too, since he was a trainer at a pretty busy BDSM club, but it was never not consensual.   

“It’s alright, master Wyatt. Like I said, I really don’t mind,” Blake reassured him, nudging away what remained of the humor in his voice when he realized that he was honestly stressing about the mistake. 

Alright, sulk later. He’s not upset. 

Pulling himself together after rubbing at the back of his neck a bit, Wyatt cleared his throat and tried to give a small smile. 

“Alright, um… I wanted to ask you earlier, but is your neck healing up well?” 

Blake nodded and tugged down the collar of the sweater he was wearing so that Wyatt could see. 

“Yes sir, it’s looking much better,” he replied, making Wyatt smile, relieved.

“That’s great. So, how have things been up there? How many awesome job offers have you already gotten?” he asked, trying his best to hide his slight upset from his words. 

“Honestly, more than I thought I’d get. They must really be hurting for pediatrician’s up here,” Blake replied, making Wyatt’s eyes go wide. 

“That’s so cool! You’re a pediatrician? You must love kids, hmm?” he asked, honestly interested since he hadn’t known his love’s profession until right then. 

Blake looked a little sheepish as he nodded. 

“Yes sir, I like helping kids.” 

Wyatt considered something for a moment, then leaned forward slightly. 

“Does your ability help you with them?” he asked, curious. 

Blake quickly nodded, excited to talk about his interests. 

“Yes, it’s been such a great help. I know it’s not something that people would probably appreciate being used on their kids, so I don’t do it too often, but I work with special needs children or kids from stressful home situations and it really helps me understand those who are nonverbal or too stressed to talk much but want to convey messages. I also do a lot of work with the foster care system,” he said, making Wyatt’s heart nearly melt. 

You are a gift to humanity. 

He really didn’t feel like he could even compare being just a pharmacist, but he quickly reigned himself in. His job was important, too, and helped a lot of people. Probably even some of the kids that Blake would be responsible for if he worked in the area. 

If he worked in this area… we could help a lot of people, together. And we could go to lunch together, and live together, and— he quickly snapped himself out of his daydream before he was caught zoning out. 

Don’t be rude. 

“That’s really cool,” he replied, earning a wider smile from Blake as the guy got comfortable on his own bed. It looked like he was still in a hotel, so he hadn’t found a solid place to live yet. 

“What do you do, master Wyatt? I noticed the other day when I was talking to you with Sage that you were at the club and dressed up pretty nice. Do you work there full time?” 

Wyatt shook his head slightly and moved to lie down at the head of the bed so that he had some back support from his pillows. 

“I’m a pharmacist. I only work at the club part time when they need a trainer for a new group of subs,” he said, earning an understanding nod from Blake. 

“How did your lunch with Sage go, by the way? He’s a pretty straight-forward guy, so I image that he’s already proposed to you?” he asked with a chuckle. 

When Blake suddenly looked away as his face turned red, Wyatt felt his heart skip a beat. He took a deep, calming breath and after closing his eyes for a moment, opened them with a smile. 

“I knew he wouldn’t be able to help himself,” he finally said, drawing Blake’s adorable blushing face back to toward the screen. 

“I can’t be upset. He’s been my best friend since we were kids, and is honestly the nicest, most charming, most stubborn  bastard I’ve ever met,” he said, earning a nervous chuckle from Blake. 

“So then, do you like him? I imagine he took you to that delicious brunch place downtown, and let me tell you, those pastries can sway someone’s heart after a single bite,” he said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. 

Thankfully, it seemed to work, and Blake was soon talking about the delicious food and relaxing time he had with the guy. Even though his proposition had stressed him out a bit, he couldn’t deny that Sage was very sweet and stunningly-handsome. 

He had made himself call Wyatt as soon as he thought he’d be free to discuss the situation, though, which was that evening. 

“I’m glad that you called and talked to me about this. We might not be together, but I’ve wanted to make it clear that I am very interested in you, too,” Wyatt said honestly, silently upset with himself that he hadn’t told the man sooner. 

They’d both been going through things when they’d first met, and it had been kind of a whirlwind thing. Then suddenly, he wasn’t there anymore and it hurt so much worse than he’d thought it would. Blake was literally a stranger to him, even now. Heck, he’d only just learned what the guy even did for a living, but even so, he wanted him to come back. If only to just give him a chance to be around him again. 

Blake licked his lips and moved to lie against his pillows before lifting the phone above his head, making Wyatt want to be that phone hovering over him, looking down at his gorgeous face. 

“He said something else that I think I should mention, too,” Blake eventually said after a few moments of silence. 

Wyatt tilted his head against the pillows. 

“What else did he say?” 

His love looked more embarrassed just thinking about the words, but thankfully he managed to get them out after a few seconds of trying. 

“He said that he’d like me to be his sub… a-and that he wouldn’t mind sharing with master Wyatt, since he knows that I already like you.” 

His rabbit did not like that idea. Though it did like the confirmation that Blake was interested in him. 

But it’s not just your choice. 

Still, the animal was fuming in his mind, kicking its tiny feet and stomping constantly in displeasure. As far as it was concerned, Blake was already as good as collared, but that wasn’t how it worked and the stubborn little beast knew it. 

I think I’ve spoiled your fuzzy tail too much, behave. 

It scoffed at him in his mind, making Wyatt mentally roll his eyes at it before returning his attention to the monumental situation at hand. He had never  considered sharing anyone he decided to take as a submissive, so the idea was definitely new to him. At first, he had zero interest in even considering it, but when he looked at Blake’s nervous, wide eyes, he bit his tongue and forced himself to actually reconsider the situation. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t think that he could  share. At least, he might be able to if it was with Sage, but at the same time, they were both very strict dominants, and Sage, himself, was a bit of a brat, too. He doubted that the guy had shown that side of himself yet, but he remembered it quite clearly. Especially during high school when their hormones were going a bit crazy. 

He’s definitely a dom… but he’s a dom that tends to try to prey on other doms! 

Well, he’d only ever seen the guy try to go after him , but still. If he did it to him, one of the most dominant people in the entire freaking city, he had no doubt that he’d tried his luck with others, too. 

Biting back a sigh, Wyatt licked his lips and smiled. 

“I can’t say that I’ve ever thought about doing such a thing, but I’m not completely against it,” he finally said, making Blake’s expression relax a little bit. 

“I do want to say that I don’t know you enough, and you don’t know us well enough, to really make that kind of decision yet, though.”

Blake quickly nodded his agreement. 

Maybe…

Pursing his lips for a moment, Wyatt nudged himself to talk, knowing that his chance to request what he wanted to would dwindle with each passing day. 

“Um… if you haven’t accepted any of those job offers yet, would you, perhaps, want to come back down here for a little while? J-just a few days, o-or a week…” he said, stuttering off into silence on his last few words. 

Blake’s eyes crinkled at the edges a tiny bit as he gave a quiet, nervous laugh before replying. 

“That was actually the other thing I wanted to ask you about. Sage said that he had an extra ticket back home for tomorrow evening, since his sister, who was going to come down with him to visit for a bit, had things come up and couldn’t go,” he said, making Wyatt suddenly think that sharing with the man wouldn’t be so bad. 

“I’ll pick you guys up from the airport!” Wyatt chimed in excitedly, unable to help his rabbit’s hyper personality from slipping through his normally-well managed barriers. 

Blake gave another chuckle and nodded. 

“Thank you, that would be great. We land around seven, if that works? We can wait as long as you need, though,” he added, clearly not wanting to be a burden if he wasn’t off work by that time yet. 

“Seven is fine! I’ll be there,” Wyatt replied, earning a final nod from Blake before the guy hid a yawn behind his hand. 

It’s getting late and you probably have to pack up at least some of your stuff. Hopefully all of it. 

“Bed time, hmm?” he asked, getting a quiet tired laugh from Blake. 

“Mm, I think so. Thank you for talking with me tonight, sir,” he said, making Wyatt’s heart do a little flip, mirroring his bunny in his mind. 

“Of course. Call me anytime. I’ll always answer,” he said before hiding his own yawn and nuzzling into his pillows. 

“Good night, master Wyatt… and by the way, your shirt is inside out and backwards,” Blake said as he stuck his tongue out the slightest bit, then clicked End Call , turning the phone screen black in his hands. 

“Uh…” 

Wyatt stared at his phone, then looked down at his clearly-inside out shirt, then back up at his blank phone. 

“That guy… is so fucking adorable.”

Wild Dog 19

They drove until around eight at night, then got off the interstate and spent about twenty minutes looking for a hotel. The one they found wasn’t perfect, and was quite a bit of money, but he didn’t want Ravi to be nervous with people walking by an outside room all night. 

He quickly got them checked in, then grabbed their two small suitcases and headed toward the elevators. Thankfully, Ravi was totally fine stepping onto it, though he shook a little and squeaked the ducky in his mouth as the doors shut and it began to move upward. 

Trever watched him silently, glad that no one else was in the elevator so that at least the pup wasn’t crowded. When the bell chimed above the door a few moments later and they swung open, Ravi bolted out like a scared little rabbit. 

“You did it, bud. Our room should be right around the corner,” he said as he guided the pup down a carpeted hallway, then turned left. 

“Here we are,” he mumbled as he slid the key card into the lock and heard it click  open. 

The room actually smelled very clean and as he walked inside, he was quite impressed. 

“Not bad for the price, at least,” he mused as he watched Ravi start running around the room with the zoomies. He couldn’t really blame him since he’d had him buckled in for quite a while during the later half of their trip. 

However…

“Ravi, are you okay with me giving you a bath?” he asked, noting the dirt all over the pup from when they’d played fetch earlier. 

Ravi spun in a circle back by the bathroom, then darted inside with a squeak from his duck. 

“I’m going to take that as a yes ,” he said as he got their suitcases settled near the bed, then took his shoes off and walked into the bathroom. 

Oh dang, this is definitely not what I had expected. 

The room was quite a nice size, giving him plenty of room to get situated before he tapped the edge of the tub and glanced over at the pup perched atop the closed toilet seat lid. 

Ravi gave out a little squeak from the duck and tilted his head, but didn’t do anything else. 

Giving him a look , Trever nodded toward the tub. 

“It’s bath time now, Ravi. Get in the tub please.” 

The pup’s ears perked up with the order and he quickly hopped into the tub and sat down with his tail thumping against the bottom. Trever got out one of the complementary bottles of shampoo and stared at it, then looked at the dog. 

This… might not be enough. 

He was just giving it another glance, perhaps silently hoping that it would grow in size, when something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Looking up, he felt his heart fidget in his chest as he quickly glanced away from a very  naked Ravi. 

“Would it… be easier like this, sir?” 

He’s just a guy. Nothing to worry about. 

Except, his mind just refused to listen. He just didn’t like the feeling of skin on skin. Hell, even those expensive sphinx cats freaked him out. He would never  even consider petting one. And dogs with thin fur? 

Nope, nope, nope. 

“Master Trever?”

Right.

Shaking himself internally, Trever looked back over at Ravi. 

He’s just a young guy who doesn’t like being in his human form. Nothing to worry about. He shifted to make things easier on you, not to stress you out. 

That still wasn’t helping him calm down, but there wasn’t much of a choice about the whole bath thing. He was dirty, human or dog, and needed cleaned up before he could get in bed. 

“Alright, let’s get this done,” he said, more to himself then to Ravi. 

The young man pursed his lips and gave a stern nod, making his super curly afro-like hair bob with the action. It was a gorgeous head of hair, but it was pretty clear that it hadn’t been taken care of for a while, too. 

“Would you like a haircut sometime?” he asked as he grabbed the detachable showerhead sprayer and began to dampen Ravi’s hair and rinse off his body after gently removing the ducky still held in his arms so that it didn’t get wet, too. 

He definitely wasn’t going to scrub his body for him, but he didn’t mind rinsing it off so that it would be easier for the guy to clean himself afterward. 

“Will master Trever come with me?” Ravi asked, making Trever raise an eyebrow as he continued to work on the guy’s unruly hair. 

“Sure, I don’t mind coming with you. Maybe we can get one done after I get settled at my new job?” he asked as he finally got down to scrubbing the shampoo into Ravi’s crazy curls. 

He noticed the guy beneath him fidget a lot as he took care of his hair, but since he wasn’t saying anything against his actions Trever let him be. It wasn’t until a few minutes later, when he’d finally gotten all of the dirt scrubbed free, that he realized something. 

My shirt… is unbuttoned. 

He froze with the sprayer hitting the spot directly behind where Ravi sat. The boy was leaning forward slightly, still holding onto the bottom hem of his shirt.

I…

He was honestly close to just standing up and storming out of the room. It took all of his effort to simply stay there, kneeling next to the tub as still as a statue. He kept his mouth shut tight, trying so  hard not to get mad. He was just about at the end of his rope when he felt hesitant fingers gently brush against his lower belly as Ravi nervously began rebuttoning his shirt. 

At first, Trever thought that Ravi might have figured out that he was mad, but when he didn’t seem to speed up or slow down with his task, he realized that he wasn’t doing it to intentionally bother him. 

I took the ducky away. He needs something to fidget with. 

After that realization, he slowly… very  slowly, began to relax again. Ravi continued his work, seemingly undisturbed by the reactions of the person leaning close to him. He was completely zoned in to the task he was performing. 

Taking a deep, calming breath, Trever quickly but carefully finishing washing Ravi’s hair, then slowly leaned back to sit on his heels so that the guy’s fingers would slip from his clothing. Thankfully, he’d buttoned it almost all the way back up by the time his hair was done being rinsed out. 

“Alright, are you okay washing your body by yourself?” he asked, not knowing exactly how the guy lived before he’d left his brother.   

When Ravi nodded, Trever gave a sigh of relief and stood up, stretching for a moment before turning around to walk into the bedroom. He changed after digging through his suitcase for his pajamas and was just settling the flannel pants on his hips when he heard a dejected whine come from behind him. 

Turning, he raised an eyebrow at Ravi’s wet dog as it looked around the corner from the bathroom. 

“What, you wanted a show?” he asked jokingly. 

When the pup nodded immediately in response, Trever blinked, then frowned. 

I swear this guy has two different personalities. 

“Let’s get your teeth brushed before bed,” he said, resolved to ignore the dog’s previous agreement to his other question. 

Thankfully, Ravi let him brush his teeth and dry him off without a fuss, then went back into the bathroom to retrieve his ducky before curling up on the floor next to the bed. 

 “You… don’t want to get in bed?” he asked, surprised. 

Ravi slowly sat up with the duck in his mouth, seemingly contemplating his words as he glanced between him and the bed a few times. 

“You’re allowed to get in bed, if you’d like. It’s big enough for both of us,” Trever said, not really worried. 

When Ravi simply settled his head down against his paws and squeaked his ducky again, Trever shrugged and got his phone charging, then sent Wyatt a quick text that everything was going well and they were heading to bed. 

Once that was done he slid beneath the covers and dropped his head down onto one of the soft pillows. It didn’t take long at all before he was drifting off to sleep. 

At some point during the night he partially awoke, but not enough to really bring himself to full consciousness. It honestly just felt like one of his pillows had been positioned a bit weird and it was making his back uncomfortably hot. 

So, he rolled himself over slowly, then grabbed the pillow. It squirmed a bit for some odd reason, but stopped once he got it better situated against his chest. 

Something grunted in response, and he wasn’t sure if it was him or something else, but again, it didn’t bother him enough to wake him up any further. So, after tossing the blankets back a bit so that he wasn’t so hot, Trever settled back in with a content sigh and drifted back off to sleep. 

The sound of incessant sniffing brought him out of his slumber some ten hours later. As his eyes slowly opened to a new day, they weren’t quite sure what they were seeing. 

Is that… a duck butt? 

The sound of a tail thumping against the mattress pulled him further out of his sleepy haze right before Ravi’s head popped up directly behind the ducky, his ears perked and his mouth doing his nervous chewing-but-not-chewing habit. 

“Good morning, my hyperactive friend,” he mumbled as he stretched his arms over his head and yawned, feeling some of the muscles in his body pop just the right way to feel amazing. 

When he opened his squinting eyes back up he was surprised to see Ravi sitting up next to him, the pup looking down at him with pointed ears and a tilted head. 

“Can I help you, good sir?” he mumbled before giving another yawn. 

Once he was done with said yawn he felt a paw tap against his chest, drawing his attention down to it with a raised eyebrow. 

“Do you want me for something?” he asked, slowly pushing himself up against the stack of pillows piled behind himself. 

Ravi looked down at his ducky for a moment before hesitantly picking it up, then gently setting it down on Trever’s midsection. 

“Oh, do you want me to throw it for you?” he asked, already reaching for the stuffed toy. 

When Ravi shook his head, Trever frowned and looked at the toy, then back at the dog sitting beside him. 

“Alright, then what are you trying to get me to do?” he asked, still not understanding. 

Ravi flicked his ears this way and that, then huffed and flopped over onto his back. He seemed almost forlorn…

I think I need a Ravi translation device. 

Shrugging aside that strange interaction, Trever moved onto his hands and knees and reached over to begin rubbing the pup’s belly. At first, Ravi seemed determined to ignore the attention, but that little bout of stubbornness didn’t last long… at all. 

Pretty soon he was rolling around making little squeaking grunts and snorts as Trever used both hands to scratch at his belly and fuzzy neck. 

“Trying to ignore me, huh? I thought you aren’t supposed to ignore the person you call master , hmm?” he teased, enjoying watching the pup’s paws flailing in the air as it grumbled and sneezed with excitement at such an exciting belly rub.

When Trever stopped what he was doing all of a sudden and leaned back enough to lift his hands away, Ravi stopped abruptly, too. His head lifted slightly from the messy pillow he’d had it on and his ears perked up and forward as a paw lifted to try and pat at Tever’s chest. 

“Done ignoring me, huh?” he teased, panting a little as he watched Ravi’s tongue slowly roll from the side of his mouth. 

Shaking his head, Trever turned and moved so that his legs hung over the edge of the bed. He wasn’t sure why he’d just played around with the pup so much, but at least it might have worn it out a bit so that it wasn’t so hyper for the remainder of their trip. Of course, that was unlikely, since they’d only played for a few minutes, but one could dream, right? 

He was just chuckling to himself and leaning forward to stand when he felt something warm and firm wrap around his midsection, freezing him in place and making his eyes go wide. When a faint pressure was added to his back, he pursed his lips tightly and fidgeted. 

Touching… Too much touching. 

Trever was about to lose his temper when he heard muffled words from directly behind him. 

“I’m sorry master Trever. I would never ignore you… I just wanted some attention,” Ravi said quietly, his voice shaky with nervousness. 

Stay calm. You have a shirt on. He’s not touching you directly. 

Biting his lip hard, Trever counted to twenty in his mind before shakily reaching up to undo Ravi’s smaller arms from around his waist. He was as careful as he possibly could be to not grip his wrists too hard and not move too quickly, but it was extremely hard to manage. Especially when he just wanted to rip himself away from the guy right that second. 

When he was finally free, after a grueling fifteen seconds, he mechanically reached over and picked up the ducky toy, then handed it to Ravi, who looked like he was doing his best to keep his tears at bay. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize that you were asking for attention. I’m not used to being around other people in such a way, or shifters, for that matter. How about we try this. If you’d like attention, I give you permission to tug on my lower pant leg or shirt sleeve, whichever you can reach easier?” he said, trying to find a middle ground so that he wasn’t touched so abruptly again. 

Ravi took a moment to process what he was offering, but then took the ducky in his arms and, after hugging it to his chest, nodded sheepishly. 

“Yes sir, I can do that.” 

Giving a grateful sigh of relief, Trever licked his slightly-bleeding lip and straightened back up. 

“I’m going to go take a quick shower. Do you want to shift now so that I can put your harness on, or wait?” he asked with a small smile. 

Ravi looked down and waited nearly a full minute, contemplating his response before finally looking back up and speaking it out loud. His words, however, weren’t what Trever had expected to hear. 

“I want to stay human for now, sir.”

Wild Dog 20

(Quick cute chapter before work :P and here, Wyatt’s bunny is going to sneak into the photo section since he’s not physically in this chapter and is a little jealous lol) 

Pausing as they got to their gate at the airport a bit early, Blake fished his phone out from his back pocket as it vibrated with a text message. Setting his carryon bag down, he took a seat beside Sage and turned on the screen. 

Wyatt: Hope you’re all set for your flight. Don’t forget to drink some water and eat something. 

Smiling at the sweet message, Blake responded. 

Blake: We stopped for a quick breakfast at that brunch place again. It was absolutely delicious. We’re all set, just waiting to board. 

Wyatt: Can I ask you a favor, if you’re comfortable with it? 

Blake raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly as he replied while shrugging his left shoulder. It was bit of a habit of his when he figured that he wouldn’t mind doing something, even when he wasn’t being asked out loud and thus, the person that the shrug was for wouldn’t even see it. 

Blake: Of course. What would you like me to do?

Wyatt: Please only do this if you’re comfortable with it, but Sage is honestly not very good with flying. He is a bat shifter, and while bats actually have pretty good eyesight, he was born blind so he relies mainly on echolocation. That being said, his hearing is fantastic, but he’s also extremely sensitive to vibrations…

Oh man, how could he possibly handle flying? 

Blake: How can I help him? 

Wyatt: He has headphones he normally brings in his bag. Please make sure he remembers to grab them before he sits down so he has them during takeoff, and if you’re one-hundred percent comfortable with it, please hold his hand. He tries to put on a tough guy act, but he panics on the inside. 

Aww…

Looking up and to the side, Blake stared at Sage’s profile until the man seemed to notice the attention and turned to look his way with a curious smile.  

“Ready to go? I think they’re getting ready to accept passengers,” he said as he stood up and grabbed his carryon bag. 

Blake hurried to his feet as well, grabbed his own bag, then followed Sage over to the boarding area. He had been right, and they were the third pair to board. He wasn’t actually sure where their seats were until he started looking at the numbers on the seats. He’d only really glanced at one first class number from the corner of his eye, but then faltered slightly when he realized that it was their number!

He had bought first class tickets?

A little dazed, since he’d never  considered such a thing, Blake quickly helped Sage get his things stored after he made sure that he had his headphones out, then put away his own overhead stuff before taking the seat closest to the window. 

Once he was sure Sage was comfortable he took his phone back out and texted Wyatt. 

Blake: We’re all set and on board. He has his headphones. 

There was no response for a few minutes, so Blake allowed his attention to wander outside the window until his phone chimed again. 

Wyatt: Thank you. I will see you two in a few hours. Have a good flight. 

Blake: See you then, master Wyatt. 

Tucking his phone away as the pilot came over the intercom for their normal before-takeoff talk, Blake listened as he reclined in the huge first class seats they got. 

These are so comfortable. 

He wanted to share his excitement with Sage, and he knew that the guy wouldn’t have blamed him for his enthusiasm, but when he glanced sideways at the man, he could immediately tell that he was already scared for what was to come. 

The intercom overhead turned off at that moment and the jet began to rumble slightly as the pilot began guiding the giant aircraft away from the loading gate. 

At that moment Sage slipped on his large pair of sound-canceling headphones, then tried to settle back into his seat. 

Your breathing is a mess and your fingers are twitching on the armrests…

Pursing his lips, Blake looked down at the man’s right hand. He still wore the leather gloves he’d seen on him every other time they’d met, but they were pretty fashionable and looked quite good with the rest of his dark outfit. 

Lifting his attention back up to the man’s face, Blake pursed his lips and took a deep breath to calm his own nerves. 

“Master Sage, may I touch you?” he whispered just loud enough for the man beside him to hear. 

Sage turned his head against his headrest, a tense but playful smirk sliding onto his lips. 

“Always, love,” he replied, making Blake blush at the connotation of his broad request.  

I should have just asked if I could hold his hand, but I’m sure that he can tell that flying doesn’t bother me at all, so he might have been uncomfortable being comforted for his own reaction that he was clearly trying to hide. 

Swallowing down his embarrassment, Blake scooted a little closer until he could rest his head against Sage’s shoulder, then nervously slid one hand beneath the man’s right arm before reaching for that tightly-clenched gloved hand with both of his own.  

The moment his fingertips touched the soft, worn fabric of Sage’s gloved hand the man’s fingers slowly unfurled, relaxing until Blake could wrap his own around and entwine their digits together. 

His shoulder is actually really comfortable. 

The long leather jacket the man wore definitely had some padding on the shoulders. 

I feel like I could get used to falling asleep against him…

Feeling his face heat again, Blake took in a content, deep breath and snuggled up against the other man after nudging the armrest that had been down between them up into the back of the seat. 

As the jet began to speed up for takeoff Blake could feel Sage’s fingers tightening around his own. He winced slightly as the pressure began to hurt, and somehow, Sage seemed to realize what he was doing at the same time and quickly tried to remove his hand from Blake’s two. 

“It’s okay,” he hurried to reassure him. 

Sage didn’t seem to believe him, because he tried to withdraw his hand again after another pause, but Blake kept hold, but just-barely. 

“I really don’t mind if it hurts. I like pain,” he said as he lowered his gaze, embarrassed. 

He hadn’t intended to just give away his darkest secret, but thankfully, it seemed to have been the right thing to say, because Sage stopped fighting him after another moment and pretty soon after that, his fingers returned to squeezing Blake’s tightly. 

There you go. It’s okay. I’m happy that I can help relieve at least a little bit of your stress. 

To his surprise, once Blake had refocused on what was going on, he realized that they were already up in the air and the worst of the shaking and noise had ended. As if just realizing this, too, Sage’s clenched hand slowly relaxed within both of Blake’s. 

Not a moment later he felt the man nuzzle against his hair, drawing his attention upward until he could see the Sage’s dark sunglasses and warm smile. 

“You’re a stubborn one,” Sage finally said when he had his full attention. 

I… that’s what you wanted to say? After all that? 

Giving out an involuntary chuckle, Blake left his left hand tucked into Sage’s right one while he lifted his right one to poke at the man’s chest a few times. 

“Let me get this straight, the guy that—” his words were cut off abruptly by the softest, most gentle kiss to his forehead. 

You… you sly, stubborn, mushy bat!

Sage’s smirk widened as he leaned back just enough to press their foreheads together. 

His bangs are so soft…

“This sly, stubborn, mushy bat thanks you for the compliment, love.” 

Blake’s mouth fell open slightly, shocked that he’d let his ability slip again ! 

His mind was snapped back into focus quickly, though, as he felt Sage lean over the slightest amount so that he could reach over and settle his left hand against the side of Blake’s face. He leaned into the touch out of habit, his mind already already quite comfortable with the other man’s presence. 

“What if you’re not letting your ability slip at all, sweetheart? What if you’re meant to be mine, and I am meant to be yours?” Sage said in a gruff whisper that made Blake’s insides twist into knots of nervous excitement. 

The guy was way too forward!

“I’ll behave,” Sage said, making Blake blink out of his awkward daze. “I was just messing with you a bit to keep my mind off of all the vibration noise in my head. I’m sure you’ll get ahold of your ability once you’ve settled down and are comfortable in life again,” he said with a warm smile as he leaned back and withdrew his hand. 

Licking his lips for a moment, Blake considered his words, but then decided to just shrug off the whole conversation. There was no need to stress about a few wandering thoughts. Sage definitely didn’t seem to mind hearing them, anyways, and neither had Wyatt. 

 “Be a good bat and let me borrow your shoulder,” he chastised, earning a deep chuckle from Sage as he got himself comfortable against the man. 

He was just closing his eyes, getting ready to drift off for a quick nap when he felt Sage settle his head against his hair. 

“Be a good human and let this stubborn, tired bat rest with you.” 

 The edges of Blake’s lips tilted up as he nuzzled against the man a tiny bit more, then sighed with contentment as he wrapped his left arm gently around Sage’s right one. 

“Yes sir… rest well.”

Wild Dog 21

It was scary. 

They were getting quite close to their destination after another six hours of driving, but both of them were also clearly getting pretty hungry since the small breakfast they’d gotten at a drive-thru place hadn’t been the greatest. He would have definitely preferred going to another drive-thru for food instead of just about anywhere else, but at the same time he also didn’t want to.

My thoughts are strange today. 

Twisting his fingers together in his lap, Ravi finally looked up when Trever pointed to a sign on the side of the road up ahead. 

“There are quite a few fast food places if you’d like to stop for an early dinner?” he asked with a knowing smile. 

Both their stomach’s had been grumbling almost nonstop for the past hour. 

I’m hungry, but I don’t want to just go to a window. 

His fingers twisted tighter against his hoodie-covered lap as he tried to figure out the right words to say, but quickly gave up before he got too stressed out. Instead, he simply shook his head, but then mumbled out a quiet, “I’m hungry.” 

Trever looked a little confused, but he was evidently getting used to his poor communication skills, because he simply returned the smile to his lips and nodded as he flicked on the turn signal so that they could get off at that exit. 

“Alright, no fast food. Would you like to go sit down somewhere? The sign also said that there was a barbecue place around here. Does that sound good?” 

Sit down… and eat with master Trever? 

He liked that idea more than eating in the car again. So, Ravi looked up with a determined expression that probably bordered on being slightly psychotic, then nodded. His big head of curls bounced softly with the action, earning a quiet chuckle from Trever that made him feel like he’d said the right thing. 

Perhaps master Trever wanted to eat at the sitting down place, but didn’t want to worry me by making me go inside? 

Pursing his lips, Ravi thought through a few more scenarios until the car slowed to a stop outside of a large brown and red building. He watched as Trever hopped out of his side of the car, but when he, himself, reached for his own door handle, he noticed that his hand was already shaking. 

He quickly shoved both of his hands in the pocket of his hoodie when Trever opened the door, but when he moved to stand up, Ravi felt his face warm. He’d forgotten to unbuckle his seatbelt… Before he could put the pieces together and turn to undo it, Trever was leaning in and pressing the button for him. Ravi’s heart stumbled around a little in his chest as the man’s clean scent met his nose. 

I want to lean up and lick his neck…

He knew better than to say such a thing, though. And he definitely knew better than to actually do what he was thinking right then. So, he simply sat with his hands clasped together in his hoodie pocket until Trever leaned back out of the car. 

“Alright, all set?” he asked with a hopeful smile. 

Ravi gave a quiet grunt, a habit from his shift that was eagerly waiting for him to retreat in panic just beneath the surface of his skin. 

It’s my turn to be out, he told it sternly, only to get another grunt, this one inside his head, in response.   

He carefully climbed out of the car, then gently grabbed hold of Trever’s jacket sleeve. The guy looked a little confused, probably because they’d agreed that he could tug on his coat’s sleeve when he wanted attention, but this time he honestly just needed something to hold onto. 

“We can go inside…” he said quietly, not daring to lift his head toward the door that had a constant stream of people coming and going through it. 

It was obvious that he was incredibly nervous, but thankfully Trever didn’t question him about going somewhere else and simply guided him inside. The taller man made sure to keep himself between anyone that got too close, and even as they were guided to the far back of the restaurant, past booth after booth, and table after table, of raucous patrons. 

By the time they got to their seats Ravi’s heart was struggling to keep an even tempo and his breathing was becoming a terrified pant. He was just beginning to get a hold of himself and scoot to the far, far  back of the booth, when Trever gently hugged him to his chest so that he couldn’t see most of the people around them, then looked at the hostess. 

“I’m sorry to bother you, but would you have anywhere a little quieter? Maybe an event room that’s not being used at the moment? We won’t be long,” he said as he gently ran a hand up and down Ravi’s back. 

The hostess excused herself for a moment in order to check, but returned after only a minute. 

“We actually do have a room available and aren’t expecting a large party tonight so if you’d like to use it, my boss said that it was fine,” she said as she guided them toward a dimly-lit back area. 

“Thank you so much,” Trever said as he guided Ravi along until they were in a much quieter back room. 

Lights flickered on above them, lighting up the large table in the middle of the area. Ravi looked around, his previous nerves slowly relaxing as he noticed that there was no one else in the room besides himself, Trever, and the single hostess. 

He quickly found his smile again and tugged Trever over to a seat. Ravi took the one beside him, much more comfortable now that there was almost no sound or people around them. 

“What would you guys like to drink?” the hostess asked with a warm smile. 

Trever ordered an unsweetened ice tea while Ravi ordered a chocolate milk, then they were left alone with two menus. 

“Any preferences?” Trever asked as he held the menu down for Ravi, even though they’d been given two. 

He appreciated the gesture and scooted a tiny bit closer so that he could see better. Thankfully, Trever didn’t seem to mind and pointed to a few things that looked mouthwatering. 

In all honesty, it had been years since he’d been allowed to go out to eat, and when he did, his old master would only let him go to a fast food place. 

After a few minutes of looking at the menu together, Ravi was beginning to feel nervous again. Everything looked really good, but the prices were a lot higher than the fast food places he’d been to before, and he didn’t have any money to his name. 

“How about we get two sample platters? That way you can try a little of everything and eat the parts that you like?” 

  That… was actually a pretty good idea. 

“Yes sir, that would be fine,” he replied with a nod of his head. 

Trever placed their order once their drinks came, then they waited. That was the part that Ravi was still nervous about, but it didn’t take long before Trever was leaning back over with his phone out, a clip from a nature documentary playing on the screen. 

The moment he saw the wild dog pop into view Ravi’s focus was one-hundred percent on the video. He got so into it that Trever had to pause it every time he wanted to ask a question about his shift animal, but Ravi didn’t mind the interruptions. In fact, as time went by, he even looked up from the video every few moments, curious about whether Trever had anything else to ask yet.  

Each time he did that, the man somehow managed to have a question, too, but nothing complicated. Each one was easy to answer but even though they were easy for him to respond to, Trever seemed honestly surprised by some of the answers he gave. He seemed honestly interested. 

“Here we are guys,” their server said as he appeared through the double doors leading directly from the kitchen. 

Ravi tilted his head up and sniffed the air as the man approached. 

Oh, it smells so good!

Ravi wiggled in his seat as he watched the two giant plates of food be settled in front of each of them. 

“Is there anything else I can get you two?” the young man asked with a warm smile. 

Ravi slowly shook his head from side to side, completely entranced by the food in front of him. 

“I think we’re good. Thank you so much,” Trever said, dismissing the man politely. 

Once they were alone again Ravi finally removed his hands from where he’d tucked them back into his hoodie pocket and reached for a honey glazed chicken wing. 

“Let’s taste test together, hmm?” Trever asked as he held up the same item from his own plate. 

Ravi lifted his chicken wing with a big smile, then brought it to his mouth as Trever mirrored his actions. Needless to say, it was absolutely fantastic! Giving an excited, quiet whine, also from his inner pup, Ravi hurried to retrieve another chicken wing. He knew that they had planned to sample the different things together, but he really wanted another of the chicken wings and hoped that Trever wouldn’t be upset if he ate another before trying a different item. 

The man beside him gave a quiet chuckle and grabbed a second wing of his own. 

“I can’t argue. These are amazing,” he said as he took a bite, then another, easily cleaning the wing to the bone before licking his lips and taking a sip from his drink. 

Noticing him drinking, Ravi reached for his own chocolate milk with both hands, then brought the edge to his lips to drink. He didn’t like straws, so his was still sitting in its wrapper on the table. His old master had hated that habit of his, but he really, really , didn’t like straws. The only time he’d ever intentionally used one since leaving his previous master was when Wyatt sometimes took him out to breakfast. He hadn’t wanted to seem any different than anyone else, even though it had probably been obvious right from the beginning that he was. 

Master Wyatt is so sweet. He didn’t care if I disliked some things or obsessed over others. Master Trever doesn’t seem to mind, either. 

“How about the brisket?” Trever asked, drawing Ravi out of his thoughts as he quickly picked up his fork and nodded with determination. 

The brisket had a light barbecue sauce on it, but it was thankfully not smothered by it. The bite was quite yummy, too, but he had to say that the wings were more his thing. 

“Want to try the loaded potato?” Trever asked as he cut a big piece from his own. 

It was stacked high with bacon, sour cream, chives, and sharp cheddar, and since Ravi was all for all of those things, he quickly agreed with an excited “yep!” before reaching toward his own with his fork. 

While he was definitely more a meat guy, he couldn’t deny that when he took a bite of that potato that he’d found his absolute favorite thing at the restaurant! Sure, there were still a few other things on the platter to try, but nothing was going to stop him from destroying the baked potato first!

“I feel like we’ve got a winner,” Trever said, humor in his words as he cut his own in half, then set the part he hadn’t cut previously on Ravi’s little extra plate that had been set off to the side for bones. 

Ravi’s eyes lit up as he looked up at Trever with a big, close-mouthed smile. 

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Eat as much as you’d like, and whatever we don’t finish we can bring to the hotel for a late night snack. Sound good?” 

Yes! Yes sir!

Instead of speaking, since his mouth was once again full of the heavenly-tasting potato, Ravi gave a firm nod before turning back to his food. It was so nice to be able to go to a sit down restaurant and eat with someone else. Sure, he’d been about to have a panic attack, but master Trever had handled the situation easily, getting them a seat in the back so that they could order food and enjoy eating without all of the noise in the main dining area. 

They ate in silence for about thirty minutes before Ravi finally leaned back, surprisingly at the same time as Trever. Both of them gave out a huge sigh of contentment.

“I feel like I need to sleep off this meal,” Trever said as he finished the last sip of his drink. 

Ravi nodded in agreement, then yawned before he felt fingers gently press against the bottom of his jaw and lift it slightly. He jumped a tiny bit at the sudden pressure there, but quickly forced himself to stay calm as Trever leaned forward with a wet towelette and gently wiped all of the sauce from his face. 

His inner dog groaned at all of the delicious stuff being washed away, but Ravi didn’t dare voice its frustrations. Master Trever was cleaning his face for him! 

“There we go. Now you look presentable,” the man said with a grin as he leaned back and cleaned his own face with a different wipe. 

He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. 

The wallet isn’t there right now. Can I put my hand in his pocket? I still want to put my hand in his back pocket…

Of course, he knew better, but that didn’t stop the thought from existing. Forcing his eyes away from the man’s jeans, Ravi watched as he took out two twenties and set them on the table, then he added another twenty as a tip. It was a pretty big tip if the bill was only forty dollars, but the restaurant had helped them find a quieter place to eat and the food had been fantastic. It was just that his old master had rarely ever tipped, if ever, so to see such a large amount of money on the table was a bit of a surprise, but also made him feel good. He hadn’t been able to hold any of the jobs he’d tried to get since high school, but a few of them had been customer service and the people who could do such work day in and day out definitely deserved to be paid well for such a stressful job. 

“Ready to go? I think we should just find a place around here and finish the last bit of driving tomorrow,” Trever said as he actually offered his hand to help him up. 

They had surprisingly finished all of their food, so they didn’t have to wait for the waiter to return. Ravi stared at that hand in shock for exactly three seconds before he reached out and took it. 

Master Trever is letting me hold his hand!

He knew that the man wasn’t a fan of touching. The signs had been pretty clear right from the beginning, so just being offered that contact without any other stressful previous context? The meal had been phenomenal, but the pressure of his hand gently enveloped in master Trever’s was a thousand times better. 

That was the first time that Ravi didn’t notice any other person in the room as they stepped out into the main dining area. The noise of the crowd had grown to a painful pitch, but he simply smiled and followed Trever as he was gently lead from the bustling main room. Nothing else mattered to him at that moment besides the hand wrapped around his own. Not the amount of people in the room, nor the volume as they all tried to yell over each other. 

I really like it… Master Trever’s hand holding mine. 

Lifting his eyes to the back of the man’s head as they finally exited the building, Ravi licked his lips and then pursed them as he was calmly guided toward the car. 

I… really like master Trever. I want to hold his hand again. And I want to drive around with him, and eat with him. 

He allowed the man to settle him into his seat and bit back his grin when Trever even leaned over to snap in his seatbelt before walking around the car to his own seat. Ravi watched him, somehow awestruck. It was a new feeling and it made him nervous, but he also, kind of, liked it. 

I’ll eat with him more often as a human. Then, maybe, I’ll eventually be able to put my hand in his back pocket.

Wild Dog 22

Positive anticipation was such an incredible feeling. 

Wyatt waited by the entrance gate as his bunny ran around in his mind like it was trying to win some imaginary race with itself. 

I should have woken up a little earlier and run longer on the treadmill. 

He was just glancing at his phone for the fifteenth time to check the clock when he heard a faint chime overhead and saw the first person wander out of the exit gate. His feet took a few unintentional steps closer as he waited, trying to be patient while his inner bunny did backflips like one of those little electronic toys he used to see in the mall around Christmas time. It was honestly taking quite a bit of effort to keep his rabbit’s ears and tail from slipping free of his human skin. 

Thankfully, he’d planned ahead just in case his bunny managed to out maneuver him in such a way, and had on a long black trench coat, black pants and a dark red long-sleeved shirt. If he randomly sprouted a tail, it would thankfully be well hidden. The ears, however, would be a bit more awkward. 

The stream of people disembarking began to slow to a trickle as time went on, but he knew better than to worry. Sage needed a little extra time after landing before he’d be able to stand. He honestly wanted to go help the guy out, but he obviously wasn’t allowed to just board the plane. Besides, Blake definitely wouldn’t leave him alone. 

He’s probably hovering over him right now, worried and willing to help in any way that he could. 

As he finished his thought, something caught his eye near the connecting tunnel leading to the plane. 

There they are. 

Blake had both carryon bags on his right shoulder as he helped support Sage with his left side. He also had the man’s guide pole tucked beneath his arm, too. 

Hurrying forward, Wyatt quickly took the two medium bags, as well as Sage’s guide pole. He folded the pole, since Sage was definitely in no condition to be swinging it around. He then leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Blake’s forehead before taking the spot on Sage’s other side. 

“I smell an adorable little bunny rabbit,” Sage whispered quietly as he allowed himself to be lead over to a chair to rest. 

Wyatt humored him with a chuckle, but then immediately turned to a chastising tone.

“And I smell a bat who forgot to take his iron pills.”

Sage grunted out a quiet scoff but didn’t argue. 

“I guess I left them… again.”

They both knew that he hadn’t intentionally left anything, but whenever he goes to visit his family, his grandmother, who unfortunately has been battling dementia and Alzheimer’s, always had to go through his things to make sure that he had everything he needed for his camping trip with his father that weekend. Unfortunately, they hadn’t gone camping in years, and his father had passed away eight months ago. 

No one had the heart to tell her, and even if they had decided to be so cruel, she would have forgotten almost immediately, anyways. So, they let her go through his things, checking his camping  supplies, and even turning out his pockets in case he decided to try and bring any cool bugs home when he wasn’t supposed to… like he had done when he was eight. That’s  where she usually found his medication. Of course, he’d tried to hide it other places, but while the woman’s mind was struggling in some aspects, she was still extremely sharp and could literally find a needle in a haystack with the perseverance of a professionally trained bloodhound. Even if he put them away around the house, they’d still somehow vanish. Thankfully, though, she never bothered trying to open the bottles and they always showed up on the counter a few days later, but by that time Sage was usually already back home. 

Wyatt didn’t press him about it. Instead, he moved in front of him and gently leaned over, removing Sage’s dark sunglasses. To his slight surprise, Sage reached up and grabbed one end of them before he could fully pull them away. Reading the signal loud and clear, Wyatt released the glasses and straightened back up. 

“You know I just need a nibble,” Sage said as he carefully got himself back to his feet. 

He seemed a little unsteady, but Blake didn’t hesitate to step back beneath his arm and help hold his weight. His expression when he looked up at Wyatt, however, made him fail to bite back a grin. 

Let’s not talk about it in the middle of the airport. 

“Let’s go, you stubborn bat,” he said instead, leading them as Blake helped a slightly-more mobile Sage walk the remainder of the way to retrieve their luggage. 

Wyatt grabbed both suitcases and tucked Sage’s guide pole into his, then lead them to the exit. He set all of their stuff next to a bench as Blake helped Sage sit down again. The guy looked a little better, but he knew that he was just trying not to worry Blake too much. 

Heading across the street, Wyatt wove his way through hundreds of parked cars until he found his own, then ducked inside and got the heater turned up before buckling in and heading around to the pick up area. 

Blake helped Sage get situated in the car while Wyatt got their baggage loaded into the trunk. They finished their tasks around the same time, and soon, they were heading home. He checked on Sage in the rear view mirror multiple times during the trip, but the man just seemed to be resting with his head settled against Blake’s shoulder. 

Blake looks very stressed. 

“Don’t worry about him. This tends to happen when he goes to visit his family. He just needs a bit of iron,” he said, drawing Blake’s attention toward him. 

I missed those eyes so much. 

A video call just didn’t do them justice. He was honestly still extremely jittery since he hadn’t gotten a chance to smother Blake in a strong hug yet, but they’d had to take care of Sage’s needs first. A hug could wait… but not for too much longer. 

“Thank you for coming back,” he eventually said, making sure to keep his sentence short or risk delving into everything else he wanted to let fall from his mouth. Mainly, when can we be official and do you like being on your knees? 

His mind had quite a few other thoughts that were much less appropriate, but thankfully he was a master at controlling himself.

Except… judging from the reddening color on Blake’s cheeks, his thoughts had, unfortunately, be heard loud and clear. 

“I should just stop thinking,” he mumbled awkwardly as his own face warmed uncomfortably. 

“Am I missing something fun?” Sage said quietly, a hint of humor in his tired voice. 

Wyatt was about to tell him that he definitely wasn’t, but to his utter surprise, Blake leaned his head sideways against Sage’s, a smirk on his face. 

“Master Wyatt was just wondering if I like being on my knees.”

He… he’s turned into a monster. What happened to my nervous, embarrassed submissive? Sage, what did you do! 

Sage hummed for a moment as he considered Blake’s words, but they both knew that he was just pausing to mess with him.

“That is definitely one of master Wyatt’s favorite things. He rarely takes subs, but when he does, he loves to have them sitting on the floor, leaning against his legs and the sofa.” 

Darn it, Sage!

 “He’s a little mad at you,” Blake said, giving away his thought without a care in the world.

Sage gave a slightly louder chuckle in response as a smirk stretched across his pale lips. 

“I already love this situation.”

Fighting himself to keep from rolling his eyes, Wyatt cleared his mind and focused on the road… but not before issuing one order. 

“Behave, Blake.” 

The guy had the decency to look at a little embarrassed, but even the reprimand couldn’t wipe the grin off of his face as he snuggled in a little more against Sage. 

Why can’t he drive? I want to cuddle with my beautiful sub…

He heard a faint bit of laughter in the back of his mind, making him immediately perk up. His bunny, too, which had at least calmed down a tiny bit since they’d left the airport, jerked its ears to pinpoints. Someone was intruding in its home, but it really liked it heard. 

  I don’t think we’d get home in great shape if you handed him the wheel. 

If he wasn’t driving right then Wyatt would have dissolved into a puddle of mush. 

You can talk into my thoughts whenever you’d like? he asked, immediately curious to learn more about the man’s amazing ability. He’d thought that it was more of something akin to catching each other’s thoughts, but if he could actually speak to people without having to say things out loud, too? 

My baby is an angel.

He heard another little bit of laughter in the back of his mind and decided right then and there that he absolutely loved it. Blake could read his thoughts anytime. 

Thank you for your permission, sir, but I try not to be too obtrusive. 

He was about to tell Blake that he could intrude as much as he’d like, but his bunny decided to take the reigns of the conversation at that moment, sending thoughts of belly rubs, head pats, and delicious carrots to where Blake was carefully situated in the back of their mind. 

Hello there, little guy. Those are some great ideas you’ve got there. I’d be more than happy to rub your belly, pat your head and give you all the carrots you could eat when we get back home. 

Wyatt felt his body tense as it did its best to hold back the overly-excited bunny rabbit from shifting right then and there!

“Oh, oops. Sorry, I guess I got him a bit too excited,” Blake whispered, a smile in his quiet words. 

“It’s alright, but let’s ignore him until we get Sage inside and taken care of, then we can do a proper introduction,” Wyatt said as they pulled off the interstate. 

Blake gave a slight nod, nuzzling more against Sage’s soft hair as the other man dozed comfortably. 

“I was planning on going grocery shopping later today if you’d like to come?” he asked, having postponed his normal morning shopping trip since he knew that Blake would need things. 

“Thank you, that sounds perfect,” he replied, making Wyatt smile. 

They were silent for the last twenty or so minutes of their drive, but as they pulled into his parking spot, they both got back to business. Wyatt got their things out of the car and upstairs in a flash, then came back down to help Blake with a sleepy Sage. 

By the time they were finally all upstairs with all their things, Wyatt was just about ready for a nap. Sure, he normally got up early and stayed up late, but having to hold back an attention-ravenous bunny while also trying to hold back your own arms that just wanted to pull a certain adorable guy into them during a long drive? He was pretty darn tired. 

“Master Wyatt, do we have something that can help Sage here?” Blake asked, clearly worried as he checked Sage’s pulse and pale features. 

“He forgot to leave a refill of his medicine here, but we can just do it the old fashioned way this time,” he said, making Blake glance at him in confusion. 

Wyatt grinned and walked over, patting the farther side of the sofa so that Blake would give him some room. His sweet submissive listened to the silent command without question, moving so that he could settle beside Sage. 

“Alright you stubborn bat, time for a little lunch,” he said as he lifted his hand, palm up, toward his own mouth. 

He could sense Blake’s curious interest as he moved, but before he could bite down and puncture his skin, Sage’s hand grabbed his wrist. 

“I love you, babe, but you’re going to tear up your palm again,” he whispered as set his sunglasses aside, then gently pulled Wyatt’s hand closer to his chest. After grasping it softly with both hands, he lifted it to his own lips. 

First, he placed a kiss against his warm skin, then he tilted his head slightly and, after positioning the outer edge of Wyatt’s palm right between his lips, bit down. 

“Wait a minute…” came Blake’s dazed words as he stared around Wyatt at what was going on. 

It took him a few moments to finish connecting the dots, but Wyatt was honestly glad that he wasn’t freaking out at all. 

“I get the fact that Sage is a bat shifter… but I’m going to go really far out on a limb now and say that his species of bat isn’t the kind that eats fruit,” Blake said, disbelief and awe mixing together in his voice. 

Wyatt turned his attention to Blake with a smile as Sage nudged off his shoes and tucked his legs up on the couch, snuggling against him as he licked at his slowly bleeding palm. 

“Correct. While being a shapeshifter, he can eat what human’s normally would just fine, but he does need blood, or iron pills, to keep his animal side healthy. If it starts to go downhill, so will he.” 

Holy crap. So he really is…

Grinning, Wyatt reached over and rustled Sage’s soft hair as the man continued to feed from him in a slight daze, his tongue softly lapping up a droplet of blood every few moments.

“Yep, Sage is a vampire bat.”

Wild Dog 23

(I didn’t sleep great, but don’t worry, Pepper did…)

Blake helped Wyatt make Sage comfortable on the couch as he began to drift off to sleep. He hadn’t really taken all that much blood, but it seemed like he had his own internal timer for when enough was enough, because after a few minutes he simply began to nod off without a word. As soon as he was settled with a light blanket over him he curled with a quiet mumble and nuzzled against the armrest.

How is someone with such a strong dominant personality so adorable all of a sudden?

Feeling a warm hand wrap around his own, Blake looked to his left as his lips tilted upward into an automatic smile.

Ah, I guess it’s not too surprising. Master Wyatt is really adorable, too.

“Can I take you to my room? He’s going to need to rest for a bit,” Wyatt whispered as he gently tugged him closer to his bedroom door, but stopped a few feet short.

Blake nodded, not having needed much time at all to think about the request. He’d really missed being around master Wyatt, and while he still wasn’t the best at physical contact, since he hadn’t really had much time to relax the past few days and focus on himself, he couldn’t not think about how much he wanted to just snuggle up with the man and allow himself to finally just close his eyes and rest without worrying about anything else.

He was honestly excited to finally see the other man’s bedroom, too. Of course, he’d seen it plenty of times while on their video calls, but as he walked through the door, he knew that the tiny videos hadn’t done it justice. It wasn’t that the room was extravagant, by any means, but it was surprisingly large and extremely clean.

I really wanna just jump right on his bed, just to mess it up a tiny bit.

Wyatt gave a quiet chuckle beside him and released his hand before nodding toward his perfectly made bed.

“It will hurt me deeply, but if it will make you happy, then I’ll gladly just put a band-aid on that little wound,” Wyatt said jokingly.

Blake tilted his head as he reached back and nudged Wyatt’s door close, then turned slightly in front of the man before reaching forward and taking one of his larger hands between both of his own. The guy seemed confused, at first, but when Blake let his smile morph into a scheming smirk, Wyatt’s expression turned nervous.

“Master Wyatt,” he teased as he tugged him toward his giant, king-sized bed.

The soft gray and black covers were calling to him, but he was also enjoying the look of conflicted torment on Wyatt’s face. It was clear that he was extremely tempted to accept the invitation to roll around in bed with him, but there was that roll around in bed that was likely making him hesitate. They would definitely mess up the perfectly-made blankets.

Master Wyatt doesn’t like any kind of mess, it seems.

He’d picked that up a few times during their calls, but it was honestly a bit cute seeing him struggle. However, he wasn’t one who liked to stress others out, so he released the man’s hand right as they got to his bed, then spun them around abruptly before nudging Wyatt down to sit on the edge.

The guy recovered quickly after that, giving a shaky sigh of relief before reaching up to gently settle one hand against Blake’s waist.

“You’ve only been home for an hour or so and you’re already heckling your master,” he said with a smile that lit up his eyes like stars as he stared up at him.

My… master.

He couldn’t find a single cell in his body that didn’t absolutely love what the man before him had just said. His heart sped up as a faint warmth rose to his cheeks, making Wyatt’s eyes widen slightly, likely having realized what he’d just said.

They both knew that he’d been joking around, but neither of them opened their mouth to clarify or correct. Instead, after a few tense, nervous moments, Wyatt gently guided Blake forward with the hand that was still softly grasping his waist. It would have been easy to simply step out of his hold, but he absolutely did not want to.

He took the initiative once he was close enough and lifted one knee to settle between Wyatt’s at the same time his hands lifted to the man’s shoulders. It was all very carefully calculated, with each movement double-checked in his mind, needing to be sure that he was comfortable with everything he was doing. When he was finally content with everything he’d decided to do, Blake grinned down at Wyatt and then lunged himself forward, hugging the guy tightly as they both went down!

Wyatt grunted a tiny bit from surprise, but he was clearly ecstatic by the abrupt tackle-hug! His arms wasted no time wrapping tightly around Blake’s back as they fell to the plush blankets. They did actually roll around quite a bit as Wyatt tried to cautiously pin him beneath his own body. He finally managed to get him, too, but it took him about fifteen minutes and quite a few slip-ups and bouts of laughter.

Now that they were finally lying still, Blake couldn’t help but look up at the man staring down at him, holding part of his weight off of him with his elbows on the bed. His hair was now amess, which had been his original goal, but they were also both panting and master Wyatt’s previously perfectly-unwrinkled shirt was now messy and lopsided, just like his fancy jacket.

This person is the man I want to try loving again with.

Wyatt’s eyes widened at his thought, making Blake realize that his ability truly was slipping.

Or maybe Sage was right. Maybe my ability isn’t slipping at all… maybe it just knows who should hear and who shouldn’t.

The man above him leaned closer, nuzzling his nose gently against Blake’s.

“He’s a stubborn bat, but he’s incredibly good at reading situations,” Wyatt whispered before leaning back a little.

“I’m not quite as good, but I’d like to think that I’m not too far off,” he said, then continued, “I think that this beautiful, handsome young man beneath me really likes what he sees, and I hope that he would be interested in giving me a chance to love him?”

Blake’s heart, which was already racing, began to hum with nervous excitement as he reached up and placed a hand on either side of Wyatt’s face.

“I’m still a little nervous about everything, but I definitely can’t see myself going back to that cold hotel room in Ohio again. I loved our phone calls and video calls, and I always looked forward to them… but now I want to look forward to you. I don’t need a video call if I can just come home to the real you. I won’t need to call you to hear your voice, either, because you’ll be there whenever I want to talk to you,” Blake said, trying to blink back tears but missing a single one that hurried down the left side of his face.

Wyatt leaned down just fast enough to press a kiss to the spot where the tear almost escaped to drop down onto his pillow. A faint, damp pressure took the tear away before Wyatt leaned back with a warm smile.

“I wasn’t looking for a new sub, but when you showed up out of nowhere, then disappeared in the blink of an eye, I felt like I was letting a piece of my heart go,” he said honestly, making Blake purse his lips, then lick them slowly before he gently guided Wyatt’s head downward.

Their mouths were only centimeters away when he felt the warm skin against his palms suddenly vanish!

Blinking open eyes he had only just closed, Blake looked up at the fuzzy little bunny wiggling its way free from the top of Wyatt’s shirt.

Oh my god. Oh my god!

It gave its head a good shake once it was free, making those huge ears flop this way, then that, before it finally lifted its little head, tiny flaring nose and all, and stared down at him.

I’m going to die from a

cuteness-induced heart attack. That’s how I’m going to go.

The rabbit lifted a little paw and scratched at its face for a second, then flicked its right ear before carefully inching its way up Blake’s chest.

“Hey there, little guy,” he said, trying not to coo at the poor thing.

Yes, it was one-hundred percent the most adorable bunny rabbit he’d ever seen, but it was also master Wyatt, and he was a very strict dominant.

Once the bunny was quite close to his face, settled comfortably against the base of his neck, it lifted one tiny paw up to settle on his cheek, then did the same to the other side. Blake wasn’t really sure what it’s intentions were until it leaned up on its big back legs and leaned forward to press its tiny nose to his lips!

Bunny kisses.

I’m getting bunny kisses.

I’m going to die. That’s it.

A nervous chuckle reverberated through the back of his mind, drawing part of Blake’s attention as he reached up and gently picked the bunny up so that he could straighten against the pillows and settle it in his lap.

I guess it’s time to introduce my other half. This is Timmy.

Blake couldn’t breathe.

Master Wyatt, the handsome, sweet, hunky bunny shifter named his other half… Timmy.

I-I didn’t really name him. He just kind of picked it out himself.

Grinning, Blake lifted the soft bunny into his arms and let it stretch out until it was able to press another wet-nosed kiss to his cheek.

“You are so sweet,” he said as he tried to lift the bunny over his head, but learned quickly that he wasn’t a fan as he kicked his big back feet and waved his little front arms.

“Sorry, sorry. Lost control a bit there,” he said as he quickly settled him back against his chest and allowed the gorgeous black ball of fluff to nibble at his hair as it climbed higher on his chest before settling down again.

He’s a bit more dominant then me, but as I’m sure you can tell, there’s not much he can do with his size besides sit as high on you as he can get and stomp his feet if he gets frustrated. Just try not to treat him too much like a baby.

That was going to be tough, but he would definitely do his best.

“Does Timmy like any specific treats?” he asked, curious about his new absolute best friend.

As stereotypical as it sounds, he loves carrots… but I don’t.

“Do you have any? We can pick some up later,” Blake said with a grin as he gave the bunny a scratch behind one of its big ears, making its back left foot stamp a bit as it nuzzled closer against his neck.

You’re going to torture me… but yes, we can pick some up. He should let me come back in a little bit, then we can go shopping. I usually have better control when I’m shifted but I had been keeping him in a bit too much recently.

Blake smiled and nodded, setting aside Wyatt’s abandoned clothing before getting a bit more comfortable as he let his eyes slide closed.

“I was hoping to take a quick nap with my new master before we went shopping later, but I guess Timmy will just have to take your place until you’re able to come back,” he said with a quiet chuckle.

He can start the nap, but you’ll be in my arms the next time you open your eyes… I promise.

Grinning, Blake lifted one hand to settle against Timmy’s soft fur as he gave a quiet sound of acknowledgement. He wouldn’t mind waking up tucked in master Wyatt’s arms… not one bit.

Wild Dog 24

Ravi slowly sat up in the darkness of their hotel room. He shivered a little as the heavy blanket slid from his body to settle in his lap, but he didn’t pay it any mind. His full attention was focused on something else entirely. 

Looking to his left, he slowly, carefully, turned his body until he was mostly facing the sleeping man beside him. His wild dog’s eyes shone through his human ones, giving him decent night vision. He could feel his dog’s eagerness well up within his chest but he hurried to push it back down. 

Be good. I can’t be like you when I’m in my human form. I don’t want to make him stressed. 

He’d never truly liked someone enough to want to literally pounce on them in the middle of the night, let alone while in human form. His body felt oddly hot and his fingers itched to touch Trever, but he knew better. Just being allowed to sleep beside him in his human form had been an unexpected treat… but he wanted more. 

Leaning forward as he bent his legs, Ravi pressed his forehead to his knees and wrapped his arms around his legs. 

I’m a bad dog. 

He stayed that way for several moments until his mouth began his bad chewing habit. Deciding that he should at least put something in it since he didn’t want his jaw to hurt from grinding his teeth together, he quietly slipped from the bed and after a short search of the room, found his ducky. 

“Mm, Ravi?” 

Trever’s gruff, sleep-laden voice sent a different kind of shiver down Ravi’s spine as he straightened a little more, then turned as he clutched his ducky to his bare chest. 

“Oh, you wanted your duck?” he mumbled, still clearly half-asleep. 

I want to touch you, but I don’t want to make you upset so I grabbed it instead.  

Ravi quickly gave a jerky nod in the darkness, then took a step forward, but didn’t move any farther. He kneaded his bare toes into the worn, dark blue carpet and held his duck closer, not wanting to seem strange by lifting it to his human mouth… even though that had been the original plan.

“Come back to bed now… since you got it,” Trever said quietly as he settled back in and closed his eyes. 

Ravi nodded again, but he just couldn’t make his feet move forward anymore. Thus, he remained standing there for nearly a minute before Trever blinked his eyes open again and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. His hair was an absolute mess and Ravi had to squeeze his duck a little tighter against himself to keep from moving forward any farther. If he got closer, he’d tug at his hair. 

“Ravi? What’s wrong?” 

I… I’m wrong. My old master wanted to do these things to me, but I’d hated it. Master Trever will definitely hate it. I have to behave. 

“I-I need to take a shower!” he abruptly shouted before turning and darting into the tiny bathroom behind him. 

He could hear Trever getting out of bed as he ran, but he didn’t dare let himself stop until he was beneath the cold spray of water in the tub. His boxers were soaked through in seconds, making it even more obvious that he was having a strange reaction. He’d only ever gotten the awkward hardness between his legs right after waking up in the morning, but it was incredibly rare. It had never happened at night, and never  when he was near someone else!

“Ravi, what’s going on? Are you not feeling well?” 

Ravi quickly yanked the curtain more tightly closed, then sat down on the floor of the shower and hugged his legs. 

“I’m fine, just c-cold,” he mumbled, then realized his mistake and stuttered out, “h-hot. I’m just too hot.”

The quiet patter of water was the only thing that could be heard in the bathroom for nearly five minutes before he heard Trever hum softly. 

“Please talk to me, sweetheart. I promise I won’t be mad, no matter what you say. We can figure out whatever’s going on,” he eventually said. 

Ravi gave a quiet squeaky grunt in response, though it was more his dog pushing the sound through his human mouth. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave him hanging, but he just didn’t have any words he wanted to say. 

“You… do you want to change back into your dog form for a little while?” Trever asked after another minute of silence. 

He did. He really, really did, but he refused. 

I don’t want to rely on my dog all the time. 

“Yes sir… but I won’t.” 

There was quiet for another moment before he heard Trever get up and leave the room. 

I’m sorry I’m making you stressed. I didn’t want to bother you. 

At least his body had calmed down enough to not be uncomfortable anymore. Now he was just stressed and his heart was beating super hard against his chest. 

“Ravi, can I hand you something?” 

Hearing Trever’s voice suddenly, Ravi looked up, frowning in confusion. 

“Y-yes sir,” he replied, his teeth chattering from the cold of the water spraying on him. 

He heard a faint rustling sound, as if Trever was taking something out of a grocery bag, then he saw a small dark red package of something being nudged past the curtain near the front of the shower. 

Jerky? 

“You seem to clench your jaw and grind your teeth when you’re stressed, so I picked up some jerky at the last gas station we stopped at while you were picking out a drink you wanted. I hope you don’t mind it?” Trever said nervously. 

Ravi took the little package, then stared at it for a good solid minute before opening it with a shaky hand. He raised a piece to his mouth and bit down, relieved that he had something to chew on. Trever let him eat for a few minutes before speaking again. 

“Would it be okay to turn the water off now? It hasn’t gotten steamy, so I’m guessing you’re sitting beneath cold water. I don’t want you to get sick.”

Ravi quickly reached up and turned the water off, then added another piece of jerky to his mouth as he finished off the first one. 

“Thank you,” Trever said as Ravi heard him walk about the room for a second. 

He silently wondered what he was doing before a large, fluffy towel appeared through the shower curtain. 

“Please dry yourself off.” 

Realizing just how cold he was at that moment, and considering the statement an order, Ravi gratefully took the towel as he stood up on shaky legs. He was mostly dried off after a few moments and wrapped the towel around his waist before, finally, nudging the curtain back and stepping out of the shower. 

“Can I help with your hair?” Trever asked from the doorway as he held a second towel in his hand. 

Ravi really wanted to say yes, but he knew that he shouldn’t. His hands still wanted to touch him, but they were thankfully preoccupied with holding the bag of jerky at the moment. 

“I-I got it,” he said as he slowly set the bag on the counter, then took the proffered towel from Trever. 

His curly hair was a bit hard to dry well, though. He spent a few minutes trying to get through the insane amount of curls, but in the end it was still going to be damp. 

“I-I really do need a haircut,” he mumbled out loud unintentionally. 

“How about later today? We’re only an hour or two away from our destination and I’m sure there are a few places that will accept walk-ins,” Trever said, making Ravi finally lift his eyes to meet the other man’s. 

“Today?” Ravi whispered as he reached up with one hand to tug at his hair as the towel he’d been using to dry it slipped to settle around his shoulders. 

Trever nodded with a tired smile. 

“Yeah, if you’d like to. We can also grab breakfast, either at a regular restaurant or fast food.”

Ravi felt his heart twist in his chest, evidently drawing a frown to his face since Trever looked nervous again all of a sudden. 

I still want to touch him really badly. I want to pull his hair and pin him down. 

He’d thought that the idea would go away after he sat under the cold water for a while, but it was still stubbornly pushing him to just try . A voice in the back of his mind whispered that, perhaps, Trever might not freak out. That he might not push him away or send him back to Wyatt with his tail between his legs. 

An awkward shiver swam up his spine as he felt himself grow warm again, and uncomfortable in a certain inappropriate place. Groaning, he dropped down to the closed toilet seat lid and tugged at his own hair as hard as he wanted to pull on Trever’s. 

I’m a bad dog. I’m a bad dog. I’m a bad dog.

“Hey Rav,” Trever said as he suddenly dropped to his knees in front of him and gently coaxed Ravi’s tight fists out of his ridiculously-curly hair. 

“It’s okay. Whatever’s wrong, it can be okay. Just tell me what’s wrong. Are you worried that I’ll be upset if you tell me what’s going on?” he said, his voice beginning to sound openly anxious. 

Ravi refused to look up, let alone say anything in response. Eventually, Trever slowly lowered his hands, which in turn brought Ravi’s down until the man clasped them both together in his larger ones, then squeezed gently. 

“What if I promise that I absolutely won’t react until I take at least five minutes to consider what you need to tell me? I won’t say a word or do anything.”

Ravi sniffled and blinked back tears he hadn’t realized had been escaping his eyes for the last few moments. Then, after sitting in silence, shaking for another minute, he slowly straightened. 

“Y-you won’t say anything… o-or do anything? For at least a few minutes?” Ravi replied, trying to speak well enough to be understood. 

Trever nodded seriously, not an ounce of hesitation in his actions. 

“I won’t say or do anything for at least five minutes. I promise I’ll think over whatever you say.” 

Swallowing down what felt like a rock in his throat, Ravi gave a shaky nod, but then just stared… unable to make words come out of his shivering lips. 

Thankfully, Trever just stayed still the entire time with a tired smile on his face, but as seconds turned into minutes, and minutes dragged on with not a word, Ravi felt his chance slipping away. Five minutes without being yelled at was better than an immediate refusal. At least it would give him a chance to believe that he wouldn’t be rejected. 

Words are so hard, though. 

He could tell that Trever was considering speaking again, but before he could possibly take back his offer, Ravi tugged his hands free from his, then reached forward to slide his fingers into the man’s super soft hair. It’s so soft. Softer than my own fur.  He pulled him closer as he leaned forward, himself. Then he did it . What he knew , darn well, he should never do without the other person okaying it first. 

He pressed a barely-there kiss to Trever’s left cheek.

Wild Dog 25 Fixed

(This chapter had to be fixed as it had some bad mistakes. I’ve been terribly stressed kicking someone out of my house so my mind wasn’t really there when I wrote the last update. Please let me know if there are any other issues in coming chapters and thanks to those who pointed them out this time. 

Trever did end up shifting in chapter 13 and wasn’t aggressive, so I fixed it to be a reaction from stress and edited some parts.) 

No one had kissed him since he was a tiny kid, and that had only  been his grandparents. Unfortunately, he’d hated it, even though it had just been on the cheek and nothing special. He’d just… hated it. 

You promised five minutes, though. 

He did, and he would never break a promise… even if he was so incredibly uncomfortable staring up at a young man who had done something that was stressing him out so badly. He told himself to keep counting the seconds and not pay attention to Ravi’s terrified, nervous, near-sickly expression, but he just couldn’t focus on the numbers. Instead, he decided to withdraw into himself, leaving his expression blank for the last three and a half minutes. 

“M-master Trever?” 

He heard Ravi’s voice, but couldn’t process it well enough to respond. 

“M-master Trever, it has been five minutes… I think.” 

Has it? 

He wasn’t ready, but he knew that he couldn’t just keep hiding in silence, either. 

“Okay,” he whispered in a defeated tone. 

When he didn’t say or do anything else, Ravi began to cry, though he didn’t look away. 

I can’t handle this. It needs to stop. I can’t be the person you want me to be. 

He was just opening his mouth to make the worst decision of his life, or at least of the year, when Ravi lifted a shaky hand and settled it atop his head. 

Oh. 

Oh no. 

No words ever left his mouth to try and stop the gesture, however, and Ravi’s eyes widened to saucers as his jaw dropped in shock. His hand also didn’t dare move from where it had settled atop Trever’s head. 

This… will not end well. 

He could already feel his anxiety skyrocketing… and it had already been terrible! 

“Master Trever’s dog suddenly came out…” Ravi whispered, still in shock. 

The fact that his shift had forced its way out was no surprise, but it wasn’t a good thing in such a stressful situation. It didn’t understand the situation, only that it had happened and that it was still happening since Ravi’s hand was still settled atop his head. 

You need to move your hand…

He groaned inwardly at his complete inability to communicate. They had caught a tiny bit of each others’ thoughts a few times, but it hadn’t been reliable… and he really needed it to be reliable right then.

He could feel his beast’s cold stare as it held Ravi’s eyes as he fought to regain control, but he knew that it was fruitless. It was way too stressed to listen to him right then. It was the main reason why he was so adverse to others touching him. His animal was generally a loner in the wild, though they did form pairs to mate. Unfortunately, his just got too aggressive whenever a stressful situation came up to ever consider a significant anything. His territory and things were  his , there was no sharing unless the other person was an absolute submissive… and such a thing was extremely rare and still would come with stressors. It was safer alone.

His other unfortunate issue was that while he could keep it inside quite well, even during triggering stressful situations, the simplest thing… a pat to his head, would drag it out in an instant. That was the other big reason why he wasn’t a fan of people getting close to him. Touching others, hugging and patting, was a normal thing most people would do during stressful situations. Well, it definitely wasn’t something that should be done with him. 

I’d let my guard down too much. I know I shifted for him once, but even then he was handsy. Now that I’m extremely stressed, my shift isn’t going to be as lenient with the excessive attention. 

“Master Trever,” Ravi said a little louder, his voice a tiny bit more confident.  

I can hear you, but I can’t control him right now. 

“Master Trever is so beautiful,” he said as he finally removed his hand from atop his head, likely to get a better overall view of him. 

The moment it slipped away from his fur, Trever’s beast slowly pulled its lips back to reveal a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. A rough, deep, warning growl accompanied the gesture.

Stay very still. Don’t look him in the eye. 

Ravi still clearly couldn’t hear him as he got more and more excited, not registering the obvious warning that was being given to him… or maybe, not caring about it as much as he should have.  

Thankfully, Ravi’s other half had some good instincts and reflexes. The second his shift lunged, Ravi was in his own canine form and darting out of the tiny bathroom. Trever tried to reign his animal in, but it refused to listen. It blurred into the bedroom and didn’t hesitate to pounce up onto the bed where Ravi’s own canine was bowing playfully at him.

Now isn’t the time to joke around, Ravi! 

Of course he didn’t listen. Instead, he yipped and wiggled his fuzzy backside in the air, then dodged a millisecond before he would have been grabbed! 

Darn it!

Their crazy game of tag tore up the room as claws and jaws, mainly his own, bounded and bit. His beast managed to nip Ravi’s tail twice, but the pup wasn’t a push over. His claws were also quite sharp and his aim was spot on, leaving Trever’s own pup with two cuts across its face. 

By the time he actually managed to corner him in the tiny, open closet near the bathroom, Trever’s beast was panting hard… while Ravi’s dog was still wiggling from toe to tail. 

That energy is scary. 

He could tell that his own animal was running low on steam, so he began trying to really push for control. It resisted as it hunched forward, growling quietly, but, surprisingly, Ravi finally stopped wiggling and allowed his hackles to rise as he pulled his lips away from his own sharp teeth. 

The sudden display of reciprocated aggression actually made his own canine hesitate. He’d never seen it actually be cautious when it was out and feeding off his stress. But then again, no one had ever dared get in its way the few times it had managed to wiggle free from his control. They always just got the heck away from him and waited for his beast to calm down. 

Damn, Ravi looks vicious…

His own animal slowly backed away as it let out a confused, nervous laugh. The sound wasn’t like that of it’s more popular cousin, as it wasn’t a true laugh, but it was still reasonably unique. The sound seemed to pique Ravi’s interest, because his ears pricked up and he tilted his head, closing his mouth and relaxing his hackles slightly. 

Seeing a chance to try and land another nip, Trever’s beast lunged, but it had miscalculated Ravi’s speed, again. While Ravi’s dog was built slim but decently-muscled for hunting in a pack, Trever’s striped hyena was built a little more compact but with thicker muscles, and while the animal could hunt relatively well in the wild, they were more well-known as scavengers in their native range. 

They were also usually quite cowardly around people, but his hyena evidentially hadn’t gotten that memo.  

They bounded around the room for a few more moments before Trever’s silver and black striped hyena finally collapsed onto the bed where it had been considering one final lunge. It hadn’t been worth it, and thus, he’d decided not to waste anymore energy. Panting heavily, it kicked its back legs out to either side and glared at Ravi’s little dancing dog back by the bathroom door. 

They were both cut up a bit, but the damage was minimal… at least to them. He was definitely going to have to pay the hotel for their bedding and the carpet, but that was totally fine. He was just relieved that he hadn’t hurt Ravi badly. 

He still seems oddly excited that I shifted again. Even after I tried to use him as a chew toy.

In fact, Ravi shifted abruptly at that moment, making Trever’s hyena lift its fuzzy head and pin its ears back. It didn’t even bother growling anymore, though. It was well and truly exhausted. 

“Master Trever’s dog is super pretty!” Ravi said excitedly as he leaned forward on his hands with the biggest smile he’d ever seen on his now scratched-up face. 

His hyena didn’t seem interested in the flattery and practically scoffed at him as it turned its head away and lowered it to rest on its paws. 

  This definitely could have gone much worse, but I don’t understand why I still can’t get a hold of him. He’s not letting me have any control. 

“I’m so happy I got to meet you again Mr. Silverdog,” Ravi said, making his hyena glance back at him and narrow its eyes. 

That… is a terrible nickname. 

His hyena seemed to think the same thing, because it grumbled and lifted its lip slightly, but then gave up and huffed out a tired sigh. 

Ravi looked like he was about to say something else when he seemed to get an idea and quickly darted into the bathroom. When he reappeared a moment later, Trever’s hyena abruptly lifted its head back up and tilted its ears forward. It’s nose flared a tiny bit, too. 

“Do you want a snack? We played for a while, so you must be hungry, right?” Ravi said as he sat back down near the bathroom with a towel around his waist and opened the bag of jerky he’d been chewing on earlier. 

Trever’s hyena immediately hopped off the bed and sauntered closer, stopping only a meter or so away before leaning forward and sniffing the air again. It had thankfully calmed down enough to at least let the food dissolve its remaining frustration. 

“I’ll share,” Ravi said happily as he fished out a large piece of jerky and gently tossed it toward him. 

It landed only an inch away from his paws and was immediately snapped up and crunched to bits. 

“It is pretty good, huh? Master Trever always picks out the best stuff,” Ravi said as he put a small piece into his own mouth, then tossed Mr. Silverdog  another one.  

He couldn’t argue, it was pretty good. That’s why he preferred that brand whenever he wanted to chew on something. The new flavor was also quite delicious. 

They worked together to finish off the bag of jerky, with his hyena sneaking forward here and there until he was surprisingly close. 

“That’s all I’ve got for now,” Ravi said with a calm smile.

Mr. Silverdog twitched his nose and turned away since the food was now gone, then wandered  into the small bathroom. He calmly walked over to the bathtub, then hunched forward until his wet nose bumped against a soft stuffed animal. 

Oh no, ducky. 

“That’s mine,” Ravi said in a stern voice that he’d never heard come from him before. 

His hyena glanced over its shoulder and grumbled quietly, but Ravi wasn’t deterred in the least. In fact, he was already on his feet and walking into the room. He knew that his hyena wouldn’t leave the toy, however, and wasn’t surprised at all when it quickly snatched it up and hopped into the tub before turning to face Ravi and snorting. 

It’s not edible, bud. It’s just a toy… and it really isn’t yours. 

Of course, it didn’t care. It had stolen a meal  from the other dog  fair and square. 

“That’s mine Mr. Silverdog,” Ravi repeated again, but thankfully didn’t seem interested in acting aggressive. 

Trever’s hyena bristled when Ravi took a step closer, but relaxed slightly when he sat down with a closed-mouth smile on his face. 

“I’ll tell you what, though. I’ll let you have it… but only if you let me do something in return,” he said, making Trever’s hyena tilt its head and squeak the ducky once. 

Ravi seemed to take that as curiosity, because he spoke up again. 

“I’ll trade you that awesome, squeaky ducky, for one simple head-pat. I pat your head once, and you get the ducky forever,” he said, making Trever’s heart flip in his chest. 

You… are a genius. Please, please work. 

He knew that his hyena didn’t like being touched, at all, but if someone patting his head could push the shift out, then perhaps it could also put it back. It also wasn’t stressed much anymore, so it should be easier to deal with.

The hyena tilted its head this way and that, clearly considering his words. It was a pretty reasonable trade. A moment of annoyance for a squeaky meal that could fill its belly… but not really. It would just be a vet bill or an hour or two of throwing up, but it didn’t know that. 

Thankfully, after about two minutes of thinking over the deal, his hyena hopped out of the tub and slowly inched its way closer to where Ravi was sitting patiently. 

When it stopped a short distance away and grumbled, Ravi gave a quiet chuckle right back. 

“You’re a sweet dog.” 

He really wasn’t unless he, himself, was in control. His actual hyena was kind of a butthole to most people, but Ravi somehow managed to calm him even when stressed out. 

Well, he wore him out, but I guess that still counts since he’s not being aggressive anymore. 

His hyena turned slightly and set the ducky near its right back leg, then slowly leaned its head closer to Ravi millimeter by millimeter. Once it got within reach, Ravi slowly lifted his slightly-turned left hand and allowed Trever’s hyena to nudge its fuzzy head into his palm. 

It only took that one second to drastically change the situation. In an instant, Trever was back in his human body and leaning into that warm hand as his exhausted eyes stared calmly into Ravi’s excited caramel ones.

Wild Dog 26

Wyatt had stuck to his words. Blake awoke a few hours later nestled quite comfortably, and tightly, in the man’s strong arms.

He’s so warm.

Thankfully, his blanket was decently light, but still soft, so it somehow worked out perfectly.

“Good evening, my love,” Wyatt whispered with a sleep-laden voice.

Looking up with a growing smirk, Blake felt Wyatt’s jaw move against his soft hair as the man leaned away just enough for their eyes to meet.

God, he’s so beautiful.

Blake felt his face burn as he picked up Wyatt’s thought. He honestly didn’t mind being called such a thing, though. He put a decent amount of effort into his appearance and he knew that it would always be a little more on the cute side instead of the handsome one.

“You are adorable, but also very handsome,” Wyatt said as he leaned closer until their foreheads were pressed together softly.

Blake felt his heartbeat pick up steadily as master Wyatt stared into his eyes.

Timmy won’t interrupt us this time…

He’d be lying if he said that he hadn’t been waiting to kiss the man before him since he’d met him. His lips always looked absolutely perfect and even during their phone calls he knew that his eyes had strayed to them more than once without his consent.

Lifting his left hand from where it had been settled comfortably between their chests, he settled it against the side of Wyatt’s face, then leaned up a fraction more.

“I’m going to kiss master Wyatt,” he finally said with a bit too much determination, making it sound like he was ordering the man to just stay still and take the attention.

His ears immediately burned red when Wyatt lifted an eyebrow and gave a quiet chuckle.

“I like the determination in your voice, and I’d love to see it turn into action,” he said as he brushed his nose against his own and his breath ghosted over his lips.

Do it. He wants you to, and you want to.

His stomach twisted into nervous knots at just the thought, but he pushed through the stress it caused.

I want to kiss him. I’m allowed to kiss him.

Pursing his lips for only a moment, Blake shoved all of his doubts aside and suddenly shoved Wyatt onto his back as he swung his left leg over his torso and sat up with his hands on the man’s warm, bare chest.

Wyatt seemed a little surprised by the sudden switch in positions, but it didn’t take him long before he was grinning lazily up at Blake.

“Pinning your master down, hmm?” he mused as he tilted his head against his pillow playfully.

Blake was honestly a bit too overwhelmed to respond with words, but he knew that Wyatt wouldn’t be upset about that. The man knew all of his weaknesses, and yet, he still wanted him.

“More than you could imagine,” Wyatt said, chiming in to his thoughts again.

Swallowing down his remaining nerves, Blake leaned forward and down, taking his time but not allowing himself to hesitate to much with each movement. It took him nearly a minute to get to his target, but when he did, all of the stress and worry in his body immediately unwound when their lips finally met with the faintest of brushes.

He retreated a few centimeters almost immediately, but the overwhelming feeling of relief was far too strong to allow his nerves to rule his actions any longer. After only a short pause, Blake leaned back in with more determination.

Their kiss started gentle and careful, but as Blake got more comfortable and began to explore Wyatt’s mouth with his tongue, he felt the other man’s hands begin to wander the slightest bit. Thankfully, they stayed above his clothing and didn’t go anywhere inappropriate, so they surprisingly didn’t bother him much at all. In fact, when Wyatt began to add pressure to his grip as his hands decided to settle on Blake’s legs, he found that he actually really liked it.

They broke apart after a few minutes in order to catch their breath. He considered going back in for another round once he’d recovered, but quickly dismissed the idea when he realized that his hands were shaking a little bit. He might have been able to kiss him, but his body still remembered what used to happen during, or after, such a situation. In fact, even though he was relatively comfortable at that moment, he couldn’t manage to push away the encroaching emotions that he’d worked so hard to bury.

It’s okay, sweetheart.

Blinking out of the darkness that had begun to cloud his eyes, Blake coughed a few times and looked around, trying to remember where he was. He thought that he’d still be sitting on Wyatt, or at least in his lap, but when his vision cleared and he realized what was going on, his entire body sagged with relief as he heaved an embarrassed, exhausted sigh.

“I-I’m sorry, master Wyatt,” he whispered as he looked down at the only place the man dared to touch him.

He was rubbing his hands gently between his own, clearly trying to calm him without crowding him.

That hadn’t sounded like master Wyatt’s voice in my head, though.

A faint sound against the closed door drew their attention behind him. There was a shadow beneath it, giving away that someone was likely sitting against it.

“Looks like everyone’s up from their nap now. How about an early dinner? Perhaps we can just order some pizza and relax with a movie or…?” Wyatt asked with a warm smile.

Returning his attention to the man still holding his hands, Blake took note of his swollen lips and flushed face. He wanted to kiss him again. He wanted to pin him down and kiss him senseless.

But you clearly can’t.

“You absolutely can. You had me panting almost immediately trying to keep up with you. I’ve never seen a sub so aggressive with their affection, but I loved it,” Wyatt said as he lifted his right hand to settle atop his head and muss up his hair the slightest bit.

“You can definitely do it. We’ll just slowly work on replacing those negative reactions with positive ones over time,” he said as he scooted to the edge of the bed, then stood up and turned to offer him a hand.

Blake blushed at his words and nodded, then followed him to the edge, but hesitated when he noticed something that turned his face an even darker color of red.

“U-uh…”

He’d totally forgotten that the guy was completely naked since he’d shifted previously.

“Oh, right… Timmy was out,” Wyatt mumbled as he quickly turned around with a faint blush on his own face, then hurried into the bathroom and gently shut the door most of the way.

I… didn’t mind looking.

The guy had one hell of a body. Said body had also been rock hard in a certain place, and while he knew that it would take him time to be comfortable enough to go there he definitely had something to look forward to now.

Grinning to himself, Blake stood from the bed. He began trying to straighten his clothes, but quickly gave up with a shrug and walked over to the bedroom door.

Now to address a certain eavesdropper… that I owe a big thank you to.

He opened the door carefully, but Sage didn’t seem interested in behaving, because he continued to lean against it until he flopped right over on the carpet partially inside Wyatt’s room.

“Hello there, Mr. Bat,” Blake said with a grin as he squatted down beside Sage.

The guy gave him a goofy, sleepy grin before replying with a cheerful “hi hi.”

He looked a bit surprised at his own enthusiasm and quickly clamped his mouth shut, making Blake tilt his head.

The guy remained still for a few moments before he rolled over, his long coat wrinkling some with the action. Now on his belly, Sage huffed as he pressed his mouth into the carpet and glared at the poor flooring.

I think Sage is broken.

Having heard his thought to him, Wyatt stepped out of the bathroom, thankfully in a pair of black checkered shorts. He could see a small portion of the top part of his dark red and gray boxers above their waistline, too, but he actually kind of liked it.

“Oh… you should just let it out, bud. I’m sure Blake would love to meet him,” Wyatt said as he walked over and knelt beside them with a grin.

Blake frowned, confused as he looked between the two.

Sage pouted more as he clenched his fists where they were settled above where his head was on the carpet.

His bat gets a bit restless when he feeds from a human. It wants to come out, Wyatt told him through their thoughts.

“I can hear you,” Sage grumbled as he pressed his face into the carpet and groaned.

“I don’t want him out right now. I want to—”

Blake watched as the man’s body completely vanished abruptly, leaving only clothing behind.

“Uh…?”

Wyatt chuckled and sat down, then reached forward. He dug inside the man’s clothing for only a moment before retracting his hand. He moved it between the two of them, then slowly opened it so that Blake could see what he’d retrieved from Sage’s shirt.

“Oh wow…”

It was shockingly tiny. Of course, he’d never really thought about how big bats were, but he’d never thought that they could be so small!

“Do you mind if he hangs with you for a bit? I can take him if not. He also might fly around, but hopefully he’ll settle quickly so that he doesn’t accidentally hurt himself,” Wyatt said.

Blake looked up at the man for only a moment before he quickly reached up and, very carefully, took Sage’s tiny bat.

“Hey there, little guy. Go ahead and make yourself at home until you can change back,” he said as he lifted the little bat up to his shoulder.

It hobbled off his hand and onto its new perch immediately, then seemed to wander a bit before deciding on where it wanted to go. It then carefully inched its way down into the top of his shirt.

“Of course,” Wyatt said with a chuckle as he stood up and offered Blake a hand.

Once they were both on their feet Wyatt went to order their pizza while Blake picked up Sage’s clothing, then folded and put it away in the guy’s suitcase. It wasn’t until he was dropping down onto the sofa next to Wyatt that he heard a faint voice in the back of his mind.

You’re really warm… and you smell good, and sexy.

Looking away from Wyatt, Blake rolled his eyes and bit back a snicker.

Thanks for helping me earlier. That was your voice, wasn’t it? he said to Sage as Wyatt got the TV on and began flipping through the movies available.

Yes, watch out.

Blake blinked and glanced down at his shirt as he felt the little bat climb its way up it.

Watch out?

Before Sage could respond his little bat scurried out of the shirt and opened its tiny wings. The thin layers of bone and skin were flapped a few times before the little bat abruptly took off!

“W-woah, hey!” Blake shouted as he jumped to his feet.

He tried to catch him before he got out of reach, but it was a lost cause. Sage’s tiny bat zoomed around the small room like a dog with the zoomies. It chirped frequently, using its echolocation ability to, thankfully, avoid running into the walls.

“It seems like he’s practiced quite a bit since the last time he’s been here. Let’s sit down and let him burn off his energy, love,” Wyatt said as he took Blake’s hand, then gently squeezed his fingers with a smile.

He was hesitant to leave the little guy alone, but if master Wyatt said that he was doing fine, then he’d relent. They started a movie after another minute or so of watch Sage, but Blake didn’t truly begin to relax until the little bat finally came in for a landing on the arm of the sofa.

“Hey buddy,” he said quietly as he reached over while the little bat was stretching out its wings and tiny legs.

Sage climbed onto his proffered hand as soon as it was close enough, but then flapped his wings abruptly and hopped up into his hair.

“Oh?”

He felt him get comfortable near the front of his head before he finally stopped moving.

“Going to watch with us, Sage?” Blake asked quietly, not wanting to talk over the movie.

Yes.

Grinning, Blake finally relaxed against Wyatt and turned his attention to the screen. Except, he couldn’t quite focus. He was still a bit too excited to have met Sage’s bat so suddenly.

Hey Sage? Does your bat have its own name, like Wyatt’s bunny?

He felt the guy’s bat wiggle around a bit in his hair, possibly making itself a nest to be more comfortable.

No, he doesn’t, but I don’t think he would mind being given one. Do you have any ideas?

Blake thought for a moment, and surprisingly, came up with something that brought an immediate smile to his face.

Well, your name is Sage, so how about Peppermint? Since he’s more white than black, like those peppermint candies you see around Christmas?

There was a content silence across their connection for a minute as Sage contemplated the name.

“I think it’s adorable,” Wyatt said, drawing Blake’s attention to him.

He couldn’t help but smile and nod.

“It really is. Sage and Peppermint,” Blake replied with a grin.

He isn’t a big fan of cute stuff, but is overjoyed that both of you like the name, and that you came up with it. So, my ferocious little vampire bat will now be known as Peppermint.

Wild Dog 27

(Racket didn’t wanna stand still for a photo so I got half XD) 

The sound of Wyatt’s ringtone drew their attention away from the movie. Honestly, Blake hadn’t really been focusing on it anyways. His mind was wandering too much… as well as his hands. He was behaving, of course, but he was still nervous and thus, his hands had needed something to do. Thankfully, Wyatt didn’t mind him drawing little pictures with the tip of his finger against his warm skin. 

He wasn’t normally one to listen into others’ conversations, but it was hard not to hear with the phone so close. Wyatt would have definitely gotten up if it was anything he shouldn’t have heard, anyways. Seeing as the man didn’t move a single muscle as he began speaking, Blake didn’t bother to worry about listening in. 

Wyatt only talked for about a minute before looking down at where Blake was nestled comfortably beneath his left arm. Having listened in, he knew exactly what he was going to ask and after only a brief moment of consideration, Blake nodded his agreement. Evidently, one of the club’s dominants got into a car crash on the way to teach one of his classes. It wasn’t bad or anything, but he had to deal with the police report and figure out something for his car, since it wasn’t drivable at the moment. The owner had called Wyatt asking if he’d wanted to fill in for him.  

They both got up and stretched for a second, having refused to move once they were both comfortable against each other. Blake shook out his right arm that had fallen asleep as Wyatt disappeared into his room, only to reappear a moment later with a black long-sleeved shirt on and a heavy winter coat draped over one arm. 

Good idea. 

It was obviously going to be cold outside, but the club wouldn’t exactly be warm, either. Tugging on his own coat, he was just about to button it up when Wyatt walked over and leaned down to do it himself. 

Blake’s hands paused, confused about what to do since their job had been suddenly taken. Instead of returning to his side like they probably should have, they lifted higher until his finger’s were nice and tightly entwined into Wyatt’s hair. They then tugged his face up slightly as Blake leaned closer, sealing their lips together for a brief kiss before letting go and dropping his hands to where they should have gone in the first place.  

Why did I do that? He’s doing something and I just forced him to kiss me.

He had no doubt that his face was bright red as he looked anywhere but at the man who still hadn’t moved to clasp another button together yet. 

I think I messed up…

There was an awkward silence in the room for a moment before he heard a faint chuckle in the back of his mind. 

I don’t think master Wyatt understands what he’s gotten himself into with a such a cute, dominant, little submissive. 

Blake frowned and blinked a few times, taken-aback by what he was just called. Of all the things to call him, dominant  was not what he’d ever expected, even though he’d considered trying to be one very briefly after leaving his abusive previous one. He was honestly about to argue back that Sage needed to get his eyes checked, but quickly bit his tongue on the unintentionally-rude comment. 

Another string of laughter, this time much louder, echoed around his thoughts. 

That’s actually a pretty good one, but it’s not going to get you off the hook. I think you’ve got some learning to do for yourself, as much as we do. 

He really didn’t understand how he couldn’t know about himself , but he didn’t argue. If Sage thought that there was something else there, then he’d listen and try to pay attention to his actions a little closer from now on. 

“Ready to go, love?” Wyatt asked, snapping Blake out of his internal conversation and drawing his eyes up to the man now smiling slightly down at him. 

Oh… he finished buttoning my coat. 

He realized something else while staring up at the beautiful man in front of him. 

His face is really red. 

“Y-yeah, I’m ready,” he mumbled as he reached over and took Wyatt’s hand. 

Master Wyatt is really cute sometimes, isn’t he? Sage asked as his bat wiggled its way down from his hair so that it could snuggle within his warm coat. 

It felt awkward agreeing with him, but he couldn’t deny it, either. During the short time he’d gotten to know the man, he’d definitely seen an adorable side sneak its way in between the stern rules and dominant persona. Now he understood why Wyatt had mentioned that Sage tried to go after  him once in a while… and he honestly couldn’t blame the guy. 

Wait a second. You don’t honestly think that he’s a switch, do you? 

Before Blake could even finish adding the words no way to the end of his thought, Sage repeated them into his mind in a slightly more colorful way. 

Hell no. He’s definitely a top, but I bet you I can make him bottom for me…

Shameless. Bat. 

“I can hear bits and pieces of that conversation and I’m not sure I want any hints to the rest of what’s on that perverted bat’s mind,” Wyatt said as they stepped outside. He then turned to lock the door behind them. 

The guy then lead him down the outdoor walkway before stopping at the top of the stairs and glancing down at the top of Blake’s coat. 

“You know, Sage, you can stay here if you want,” he said with a hint of sarcastic humor to his words. 

Oh no, I can’t miss this. I’ve been away for so long. I couldn’t possibly pass up a chance to stare at master Wyatt in all his dominant glory , Sage replied, making Blake think that he actually managed to talk to both of them at the same time, because Wyatt rolled his eyes right away in response before they headed down the stairs. 

“You can’t see me, you stubborn flying rat,” he grumbled, making Sage scoff into their minds. 

There’s no way you can compare me to a rat! Their junk is way bigger than my poor tiny bat’s. It’s a travesty, truly. Especially since I pack quite a nice package on my human body. They probably couldn’t even be compared to a grain of ri—  Blake let him continue to babble into his mind as he enjoyed the cool night air and short car ride to the club. 

The building itself didn’t look like much from the outside, but that was generally the point. Snooping people were discouraged. They parked around back, since the front was surprisingly-full, then hopped out of the car. He felt Sage shiver a little against his skin and subconsciously lifted a hand to settle it over the tiny lump he made beneath his jacket, then rubbed the fabric gently. 

The temperature was thankfully decently warmer once inside, and to Blake’s surprise, the building itself looked impeccably taken care of and smelled extremely clean, but not like the disinfectants that tended to burn your nose. 

They had come in near the offices, so there were barely any people milling about the area. The few that were there gave Wyatt respectful nods and greetings as they walked past. When they finally stopped it was at the very last office, or really, the closest one to the main scene area. 

Wow, it’s crazy busy. 

Almost every miniature stage had something going on, and even as Wyatt tugged his hand for him to follow, Blake couldn’t seem to pull his attention away. What did manage to take it back immediately, however, was the faint brush of his master’s lips against his cheek. 

“S-sorry,” he quickly mumbled out to apologize as he hurried after Wyatt into his office. 

The room was sparsely decorated, but tasteful, just like the man’s home. He dropped down into one of the two leather chairs across from where he was standing behind a large desk, looking through a small manila envelope. 

“Dammit…” he sighed out after a moment, making Blake frown and furrow his brow slightly. 

“Is everything okay?” he asked, knowing that there was obviously some sort of issue with what he’d been asked to do. 

Closing the envelope, Wyatt pursed his lips and replied, “I’m sorry, I should have asked what class he was having tonight. This is a private session with four brand new submissives. No outside observation is allowed.”

Oh…

Wyatt looked more and more stressed as the awkward silence drew out, but then they both heard Sage speak into their minds again. 

No problem. I’ll show him around the club while you take care of your session. 

“That… actually sounds good. I’d really love to look around, if that would be okay?” Blake asked with a new, excited smile. 

Wyatt looked a little hesitant, but then seemed to remember something and dug into a side drawer in his desk for a moment before seemingly finding what he was looking for. When he pulled out a small bright red collar, Blake tilted his head, slightly confused. 

Oh, good idea! Sage chimed in excitedly. 

They evidently employed a system of red light green light at their club. Most people were given simple wristbands when entering that were either red or green, symbolizing their interest in interacting with others. A lot of people new to the scene chose red so that they could look around in peace, while those wanting attention requested a green wristband. 

Wyatt has always used a collar for people he knows personally. He wants the color to be abundantly clear, Sage told him.

“Is it alright if I put it on you?” Wyatt asked as he walked around his large desk and stopped next to Blake’s seat as he stood to meet him. 

“I’m not against you meeting other people, and the employees can still speak to you freely if you’d like, but I don’t um… I just…” 

He doesn’t want anyone thinking that you’re up for grabs! Sage chimed in again, making Blake unable to hold back a chuckle. 

“Of course you can put it on me. I don’t want to be bothered by anyone, anyways,” Blake said as he took a step closer and tilted his head back a tiny bit. 

He expected Wyatt to slip the collar on him immediately and then head to his class, but when he, instead, felt the man’s soft fingers gently settled against his newer scars from his older collar, he felt a small shiver run down his spine. 

When Wyatt leaned down and actually pressed a warm kiss to the damaged skin, Blake felt like he was about to swoon. 

Down there, boy. You’re going to be late… and make your man faint. 

Wyatt immediately leaned away with a blush on his cheeks as he cleared his throat and carefully fastened the collar around Blake’s neck. When he didn’t move after, or even look away, Sage didn’t hesitate to speak up again. 

Alright, away with you now, you stubborn man. You have a class to teach and I have a sub to corrupt. 

Wyatt scowled, but then rubbed a hand over his face and gave a quiet laugh as a smile found its way onto his face. 

“Yeah, yeah. I know I have to go, but damn I don’t want to,” he said as he pulled Blake into a tight, slightly-painful hug. 

For someone who wasn’t a pain dom, the guy was learning quickly how to at least give a little here and there at the perfect times. Now he didn’t want him to go. They could just play around on his desk a little bit, right? 

We could , Sage replied, making Blake grin as Wyatt finally stepped away and walked over to the door. He held it open for them, then hesitated stepping out. 

Probably a good thing that he didn’t seem to hear that. 

“You’re free to look around, but please keep Sage with you. I’ll leave my office unlocked if you want to come back and rest, too,” he said, earning a nod from Blake as he stepped past him and into the hall. 

“Alright, thank you master Wyatt. I’ll take a look around and make sure to keep Sage from going after too many people,” he said jokingly as Peppermint’s tiny head finally poked itself out from within his coat and gave out a tiny squeak. 

“Sounds like a plan. If you need anything, I’ll be in room twelve just down the hall over there,” Wyatt said, pointing to his right. 

Blake nodded his understanding and waited until Wyatt was completely out of sight before turning toward the open room before them. 

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a huge club before. 

The one he normally went to back where he used to live was pretty large, but it definitely didn’t hold a candle to this one. 

It’s even two stories, with a bunch of observation decks and… is that a second bar? 

Pretty sweet, huh? Sage said as he scurried back up into Blake’s hair, then squeaked a few times as they began wandering around. 

As soon as Blake stepped out of the darkened hallway he felt several sets of eyes fall on him. It used to stress him out beyond belief to garner attention from others, even when not trying, because his boyfriend would always get extremely possessive and abusive about it, but now that he’d been free of him for a little bit, he at least could handle the stares without beginning to shiver. 

We don’t mind if other people look. We know you’re gorgeous. Touching, however…

As he thought those words Blake felt Peppermint tug at a few strands of his hair, likely trying to symbolize that they would get bitten if anyone tried anything more than looking  with him. 

“Ah, yes. The threat of a tiny bat nibbling at their hair. That generally keeps all the musclebound guys far away,” he said playfully as he wandered over to one of the cool looking black metal staircases and carefully headed up. 

There was an elevator a few feet away, but he wanted to burn off some energy, so the stairs would work well. Once at the top, Blake could hear a faint tempo from loudspeakers spread out tactfully around the upper floor as he began walking along the railing that overlooked everything going on down below. The music was actually quite pleasant and not overbearing, like it would be in most normal clubs. 

As he glanced around here and there, he also noticed that most of the people on the upper floors were less focused on what was going on down below and were more content to just relax with whatever company they currently had while some even sipped wine alone while reading a book. 

So many different things going on at once, yet somehow not clashing with each other. 

Sage squeaked again and tapped at Blake’s head with a tiny hooked-hand. 

That’s why this place is so awesome. You don’t have to come here specifically to get naked or hit on. You can just come by to have a drink, relax, or rent out a private room for some amazing ball-sl— Sage’s thought was interrupted abruptly when a young brunette woman who sported the name tag Jersey, came up with a welcoming smile. 

“Hi sweetheart, I just wanted to welcome you to Red Line,” she said in an honest, happy voice. 

“Thank you. This place is surprisingly nice,” Blake said as he offered her a smile. 

Jersey was just about to respond when she noticed something that clearly caught her by surprise. 

“Oh? You already know master Sage?” she asked, now suddenly curious about their relationship, no doubt. 

Before Blake could think of how he wanted to respond to that question, Sage flitted from his hair to land on the girl’s shoulder with a little squeak. 

“It’s so nice to see you again, master Sage. Did you have a good trip home?” she asked with enthusiasm in her voice. 

The little bat squeaked and flapped its tiny wings for a moment before hopping back over to cling to Blake’s coat. 

Tell her that it was quite nice, but I missed seeing her beautiful face. 

Blake bit back a scowl so that Jersey didn’t think that he was mad at her, then sighed and replied, “he said that it was nice but he missed seeing your face.” 

At first Blake thought that Sage possibly pretended to be able to see and had fooled quite a few people at the club, but when Jersey just burst out laughing, he realized that the guy’s response was just Sage being Sage. They all likely knew he was blind and expected the corny jokes. 

“That’s definitely master Sage. By the way, do you two have a bond? You don’t look related, though genetics can be funny like that sometimes,” she asked, then immediately looked a little chastened. 

“Sorry if I’m bothering you. I did see your red collar, which is only given out to long-time dominants of the club… but since Sage is actually with you I thought that it wouldn’t be an issue. If I’m bothering you I’ll definitely let you be,” she said, still maintaining her warm smile. 

Blake expected Sage to respond, but when he didn’t hear anything, he mentally shrugged. 

“This collar is actually master Wyatt’s, but it’s fine. You aren’t bothering me at all. We kind of have a small one, but it’s mainly just my odd ability to catch and broadcast thoughts,” he said, making the girl look much more excited. 

“That’s so cool! So you can hear random thoughts from anyone you want?” she asked, honestly curious. 

Blake chuckled and nodded. 

“Yes, but I’ve toned it way down with some practice. It can drive you a bit crazy to just hear things all the time.” 

The girl nodded her agreement immediately. 

“I can totally understand that. My own thoughts drive me crazy enough, I don’t think I could handle hearing a bunch of other people’s, too, and especially not master Sage’s!” 

Ouch, my poor heart. 

“He’s being overly-dramatic,” Blake replied with a smirk as his words sent Jersey into another fit of laughter. 

By the time she was able to catch her breath, she had to hurry back to the area she’d been bartending to fill an order for a woman that had been patiently waiting for her return. 

“She’s really nice,” Blake noted with a grin as he continued on his way. 

Hey Blake? Can we go down the hall that’s just ahead and to the left for a moment, please?   

Spotting the hall easily, Blake nodded and calmly made his way in that direction. He noticed as he looked around that a few patrons gave him nods of acknowledgement and even a couple waves, but he quickly realized that they were likely greeting the little bat currently clinging to his coat, and not him. 

Oh, they are definitely greeting you. They’re just using me as a chance to bypass the red collar. Smart cookies. 

That was actually pretty smart, though he didn’t see much of a reason for them to want his  attention. 

Babe, we’re going to work on that self esteem until you know how fucking amazing you are. 

Blake chuckled again and shook his head as he ducked into the dim hallway. 

Second door on the right. 

He followed Sage’s instructions and opened the unlocked door, then stepped inside and quietly closed it. As the door clicked shut, Blake felt Peppermint drop from his coat, making him hesitant to walk around in the darkness in case he might accidentally step on him. 

Instead, he felt around for a light, and was grateful when he found one easily within reach. A faint glow soon illuminated the area around him, making Blake much more comfortable. He quickly scanned the ground and saw no sign of Peppermint, so he put on a content smile and turned around. 

His smile immediately faltered when he realized exactly why  Sage had wanted to go into this room. 

“Um… someone must have moved my set of spare clothing,” Sage mumbled awkwardly as he kept his back to him where he stood in front of a small dresser. 

Holy back muscles…

He’d only ever seen the guy wearing a full set of clothing, so the view was definitely a treat he hadn’t expected, but absolutely didn’t mind receiving. 

“I’m just one big yummy goody bag, but I don’t think daddy Wyatt is willing to share just yet,” he said as he looked over his shoulder with a smirk and a wink. 

Right, head out of the gutter. 

Looking around the large bedroom, Blake quickly found another dresser on the opposite side from where Sage had gone and dug through it. 

“I think I found your stuff,” he said after only a moment as he tugged out a pair of worn black jeans and a black sweater. 

Sage hummed a little as he walked over and reached for the clothing, but missed by an inch or so. 

“Here,” Blake said as he set the items in his hand, then took a step back so that he could change. 

Except, Sage didn’t tug the clothes on right away, but instead turned to face him with a breathtaking smile. 

“Thanks, this dresser is new so I didn’t think to look in it,” he said as Blake nodded, doing his best to keep his eyes above Sage’s waist… but failing miserably. 

There was a long stretch of silence between them before Sage finally turned to face away and began tugging on his pants… without underwear. 

“Be careful about staring at certain things  too long, they might just start looking back at you,” he said with a deep bit of laughter that made Blake’s entire face burn. 

He didn’t think that Sage would be able to tell that he’d been staring point-blank at his junk, but leave it to him to know that that was exactly what he’d been doing. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Wyatt… because he’s stared a few times, too,” Sage said with an even deeper laugh as he finally finished tugging his sweater over his head and turned back around. 

Blake was skeptical at first, but as Sage took his hand, then felt for the door handle and then proceeded to lead him back out into the hall, he realized that the guy was probably telling the truth. Master Wyatt was definitely gay and considering that the two had known each other since they were kids… Yeah, he could totally see him being comfortable enough to stare if Sage was willing to be naked around him. 

I kind of want to see that situation play out.

Blake’s thoughts flitted away as a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders and tugged him firmly against Sage’s side as the man leaned over, while still somehow walking perfectly straight, and pressed a kiss to his hair. 

“We’re going to get along quite well, I think.”

Wild Dog 28

Trever slowly managed to finish pushing his beast to the back of his mind as he kept his eyes on Ravi. He wasn’t sure how he had so much energy left after they ran around, but he was honestly a little worried that it would manifest itself into something unpleasant again, so he quickly wracked his brain for an idea to wear him out the rest of the way. 

“Um… Ravi, would you like to play fetch with ducky?” he asked as he began to reach back to retrieve the stuffed toy. 

Except, when Ravi quickly shook his head, Trever slowly let the ducky fall from his fingers. He sifted through any other possible activates and mentally shrugged as he offered his next suggestion. 

“What about going for a swim in your dog form?”

It was pretty cold outside, but his dog should be fine in the pool… and it was dark out so no one would probably be there. 

“I don’t want to go swimming,” Ravi stated with another shake of his head. 

Unable to remain sitting where he was completely naked any longer, Trever reached up and grabbed a clean towel, then wrapped it around his waist before getting to his feet. 

Ravi quickly fumbled himself upward, too, then awkwardly backed out of the bathroom as Trever nervously took steps forward. 

The guy thankfully didn’t crowd him, allowing him to go back into the bedroom area and tug on a pair of sweatpants. Of course, he could feel his eyes on him the entire time, but he was getting used to that, at least. 

Once he had his sweatpants on, Trever dropped down to sit on the bed, then lifted his eyes back to where Ravi still stood near the bathroom. The guy was all nervous smiles and fidgeting.

Sneaking a glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand, Trever inwardly groaned. 

Three in the morning. 

He needed to get some sleep or there was no way he’d be able to deal with the shit show he was, no doubt, going to walk into later that day. 

“I’m sorry I kissed you without permission, master Trever.”

Oh? 

He hadn’t honestly expected an apology from the guy, but it was appreciated and calmed him down a bit more. 

“I accept your apology, but please don’t do that again. If there’s ever something that’s bothering you so much that you feel you need to act on it without someone else’s consent, then you need to tell me, okay?”

His voice was very slightly chastising, but he made sure to keep it lighter than he normally would with other people. Ravi seemed to understand well enough, though, because he quickly nodded his agreement without looking stressed that he’d been reprimanded. 

Okay, crisis averted. 

“Master Trever?” 

Trever pulled the blankets back from the bed and promptly flopped over onto his side with an exhausted sigh as he responded with a simple “hmm?”.  

“Um, there is something I want to do, master Trever,” Ravi said, his voice almost too quiet to hear as the air-conditioner kicked on near the door. 

“Oh?” Trever mumbled as he slowly pushed himself back up into a sitting position. 

“What would you like to do?” he asked, hoping that it wasn’t something that would take too long. 

Ravi twisted his hands together nervously, making the gesture look almost painful. Yet, even after a minute of waiting, he still said nothing. 

“Ravi?” Trever verbally nudged, needing to know what he needed so that they could finally get some rest. 

The guy looked more and more stressed as the silence stretched on, but right as Trever was about to get back out of bed to check on him, Ravi suddenly darted back into the bathroom. 

I’m… so confused. 

Tossing the covers aside, Trever swung his legs over the edge of the bed right as Ravi reappeared, carrying a pair of Trever’s discarded pants.

The confusion is growing quite quickly.

Ravi nervously shuffled forward until he was close enough to hold the pants out to Trever, who awkwardly reached out and took them. 

The guy didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands now that they were empty again, so he went back to twisting them together in front of him as he finally mumbled out new words. 

“I-I… want to put my hand in master T-Trever’s pocket.” 

I… don’t think I’m ever going to understand this person. 

Still, he could at least try. No one could understand someone else one-hundred percent, anyways. 

“You want to put your hand in my pant’s pocket?” he asked, trying to wrap his mind around the request. 

Ravi gave a jerky nod, then pointed to the pants Trever had let settle in his lap. 

“Master Trever is very warm, but he doesn’t like touching, but I want to feel his heat,” Ravi said as he looked down at his feet, unable to meet his eyes any longer. 

That almost sounds like a line from a cheesy porno . 

He felt bad just for thinking that, but it was true! 

“So, let me try to get this straight. You want me to put my pants back on so that you can put your hand in my pocket because it will be warm?” 

Ravi’s eyes immediately jumped back up to his, a new light in them shining forth. 

“Yes! Yes, sir!” he said with the slightest hint of a nervous smile slipping onto his face. 

Normally, I wouldn’t trust something so ridiculous if it came out of anyone else’s mouth, but I can’t really see any sort of lie in his eyes. He just looks genuinely excited. 

He definitely wasn’t a fan of touching, just like Ravi had said, but if it really was just holding onto his pocket and not groping or anything… 

Groaning quietly, Trever fell back down and yanked the blankets up to his waist as he tossed the dirty pair of pants back on the floor, making Ravi partially reach out to catch them, but hold himself back at the last second. 

The guy’s smile vanished when the pants hit the floor,  but Trever just smiled faintly and yawned before scooting more toward the middle of the bed, then patting the spot in front of him. 

“Come here, Ravi,” he rasped, sleep already edging its way back into his mind. 

Ravi’s brow furrowed as he looked down at the pants still on the floor, then back up at Trever. He repeated the process several times before looking down at the only thing currently covering himself. 

Oh crap, I forgot he’s only wearing a towel. 

Thankfully, the guy seemed to realize that Trever had made a mistake and forgotten to tell him to get dressed, because Ravi quickly turned and headed for his suitcase. He only pulled on a pair of boxers, but considering he’d been invited into bed practically naked by mistake, Trever would take the small victory. 

As soon as Ravi was content with his newly not-really clothed self, he hurried back to the bed and carefully climbed up, seemingly having a bit of trouble with the added height of the hotel bed since their previous room had been quite a bit lower. 

His human side is actually kind of, almost, cute. Sometimes. 

It kind of reminded him of when he’d refused to climb the stairs back at Wyatt’s apartment, but he seemed to clear the hurdle of the bed much easier. It probably helped that all Trever could see in the guy’s eyes was excited determination instead of stress. 

He flopped down the second he got completely up onto the bed, then hugged his hands to his chest and pursed his lips, clearly trying not to reach out and grab him. 

“Okay Ravi, we’re going to do what you want, but I need you to do exactly as I say, okay?” Trever said as his heartbeat picked up with every single word he spoke. 

He knew that what he was doing was probably considered a reward for the guy, and after what he’d done without permission, he probably didn’t deserve one, but everybody was different. Ravi had gotten his punishment, being reprimanded, already, and Trever knew that he didn’t process things quite like most others. What both of them needed right then was some sleep, and if giving him a little leeway would allow for that, then he thought that it was fine. 

Ravi nodded repeatedly, his ridiculous curls making little wispy sounds against the sheets as he moved. Trever waited for him to calm down again before reaching up with his own, slightly-shaky hand. 

“The sweatpants I’m wearing have pockets,” he said quietly, honestly wanting to burry his face in the pillows as he spoke. 

Ravi’s eyes shone so bright at that moment that Trever nearly had to squint. 

“Okay, so um… you can put your hand in this pocket,” he said as he rolled over onto his back, then reached down to slip his thumb into the pocket at his side as an example.

“No rubbing against me or digging farther down into the pocket, cause it’s pretty big,” he said, making Ravi nod with each rule. 

“Y-you have to earn going farther into it,” he said, feeling so unbelievably awkward that he was actually setting rules on someone putting their hand into his own pocket. 

“Yes sir, I understand!” Ravi chimed as he wiggled back and forth on his side, clearly trying to hold back his excitement until he was given the okay to finally do what he so-desperately wanted. 

Okay, enough stalling. 

Squeezing his eyes closed for a moment, Trever just decided to let the guy do it. He also couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes back up, because he was just that tired. 

“Go ahead,” he said as clearly as he could force himself to. 

He honestly expected the guy’s hand to shoot right into the pocket, then down its long length, but to his surprise, he barely felt anything as two hesitant fingertips just-barely nudged the edge of the fabric open and settled there without moving a single centimeter farther. 

That’s… it?

He waited for five minutes, counting out each second as it passed… and yet, the guy’s fingers didn’t move a single inch. 

He waited another ten minutes, but when the only thing that changed was the sound in the room, because Ravi’s quiet, barely-there snores started up, he couldn’t believe it. 

You literally lose control of yourself and kiss me, then cry when I don’t react positively. Then you ask to put your hand down my pants, technically, and you only put two little fingertips inside the lining of the outer fabric? 

He was so confused, but also too tired to even care anymore at that point. So, after one more minute of stressing, Trever sighed out a deep, calming breath and let himself finally drift off to sleep to the sound of Ravi’s gentle snoring.

Wild Dog 29

“Master Wyatt?” 

The man on his phone screen seemed distracted, but he quickly took care of whatever he was currently doing and found a quiet place to talk. 

“Hey there, Ravi. How are things going?” he asked, clearly a little surprised that he’d bothered to call him on his own phone. 

It was probably only the third time he’d ever called the man on his cell phone, and he’d even remembered how to do the Facetime thing, too, so he could see him. 

“Master Wyatt, should I cut my hair?” 

Wyatt tilted his head as he settled down into a chair, or possibly sat on a desk? He couldn’t tell since it was pretty dark wherever he was, but it didn’t look like he was at home. 

“I think it would be a good idea, yeah. Your hair is gorgeous but it has gotten quite tangled over the past few years and could use a good trim,” he said honestly, making Ravi bob his head in agreement. 

“Master Trever said that I should get a haircut, so I just wanted to ask master Wyatt his opinion, too.” 

A faint smile curved along Wyatt’s lips as he looked at him through the phone with an expression Ravi had rarely seen directed at him. 

“Sweet Ravioli, what’s on your mind?” 

Ravi pursed his lips and looked down at the concrete between his crossed legs, not caring that he wasn’t paying direct attention to Wyatt any longer. He got lost in his mind as he considered his question, eventually finding a string of words that somewhat summed up what he had running through his mind. 

“I met master Trever’s dog again and we played for a while. He got mad at me because I kissed his cheek without asking, but then he let me put my hand in his pocket when I asked,” he said, earning a short bit of silence from Wyatt before the man decided on a response. 

“Oh? It’s good that you get along with his shift, and that he didn’t take your mistake to heart, but I’m a little confused. Did you ask him if you could put your hand in his pocket? Did he let you do that right after you kissed him?” 

Ravi nodded but still didn’t lift his eyes, his visual attention now taken by a small ant wandering about on the concrete beneath him. 

“He didn’t like it, but then he relaxed and fell asleep…” Ravi added, making Wyatt hum as he considered what he was trying to get at. 

“Ravi, do you want to do more than that now? Since he let you put your hand in his pocket, do you want to do more?” Wyatt asked with a hint of understanding in his voice. 

Ravi quickly lifted his head, bringing his eyes back up to the man on his phone’s screen. 

“Yes sir, I want to do more… even though he let me do what I had wanted to do for a while. I want to pat his head again to bring out Mr. Silverdog, a-and I want to put my hand on his leg now, not just in his pant’s pocket. I want to kiss his mouth and nose…” he went on rambling for a few moments as he looked back down at the wayward ant still wandering about, then realized his words had divulged into imperceptible mumbles. 

 “I’m sorry master Wyatt. I understand a little from my time with master Trav—” 

“Ravi, I’m sorry to cut you off, but I’d like to say something about that situation,” Wyatt said, making Ravi immediately shut his mouth mid-sentence as he watched the little ant try to climb up onto his bare foot. 

“The situation you were in before is nothing like the situations you’re going to experience from here on. Master Trever will never  be anything like your former master.”

Ravi pursed his lips tightly and hunched his shoulders as his mind tried to work through their conversation. 

“But I want to do some of the things my former master wanted to do to me. I hated those things…” 

Wyatt made an agreeing sound on the other end of the call, but then waited quietly until Ravi finally brought his wandering eyes back up to meet his. 

“Ravi, just because someone dislikes something, doesn’t mean that someone else will. I definitely disagree with how you were treated previously, but I can’t argue that some people enjoy those sorts of things. You said that you wanted to touch him more, which is perfectly normal.”

Shaking his head hard, Ravi looked back down as he tightened his grip on his phone. 

“I hated it, though. I hated it when my former master tried to touch me. Master Trever already doesn’t like me touching him. I shouldn’t want to touch him if he doesn’t like it,” he said as his voice began to rise slightly, clearly getting stressed by the conversation, but refusing to end the call like he normally would when he disliked the subject. 

“Ravi, sweetheart, what you want and what he wants can be completely different things, but that doesn’t make either of them wrong. He let you put your hand in his pocket earlier, and also didn’t get too upset when you kissed his cheek. I don’t want you to force yourself if you aren’t comfortable with him, I’ll buy you a plane ticket home right now if you want to leave, but I’m not sure I’m seeing that in you,” Wyatt said honestly, his calm tone of voice bringing Ravi’s attention back up to him. 

“I don’t want to leave him. My dog likes him… and I like him,” Ravi said quietly, earning a smile and nod from Wyatt. 

“I understand, but how about you take a step back now that you understand your own feelings and try to see how he’s reacting to things? He drove over there for a job, and I know that travel jobs can be pretty hectic. Why not just stay by his side for the next few days and do whatever you can to help ease the stress he’s likely going to be under? Be there for him.”

Be there…

“I will do what master Wyatt suggests,” he said sternly, making Wyatt give a quiet chuckle in response. 

“You’re a very good boy, Ravi. Thank you for calling me, and please do so again whenever you would like to talk,” he said as something off camera tried to take his attention. 

Understanding that Wyatt had to go, Ravi straightened and gave the man a toothy grin. 

“Yes sir, thank you for talking to me. I will go back inside now,” he said right as the door to their room opened, drawing Ravi’s attention immediately toward it. 

He heard another faint chuckle from his phone before it beeped, signaling that the call had ended. 

“Master Trever?” Ravi questioned as he slowly got to his bare feet. 

Before he could say anything else he was being picked up and carried back inside by a scowling Trever. It seemed like he was trying to wipe the frustration from his face, but the man wasn’t doing a good job of it, at all. 

It also seemed like Trever was considering dropping him on the bed, but then redirected and walked toward the bathroom, eventually setting him down on the counter beside the sink before heaving a long sigh. 

Master Trever is mad again? 

He tried to figure out what he’d done to make him upset, but he couldn’t figure it out so just remained silent so that he didn’t make things worse. 

“Ravi… I thought that you ran away because I got mad at you earlier,” he said as his hands settled on either side of Ravi’s legs. 

He knew that he should have been focused on what the man was saying, but his attention quickly redirected to the man’s right hand that was just-barely brushing against his boxer-covered thigh. 

Master Trever is touching me, but doesn’t even seem to notice. 

“Ravi, I’m talking to you. Why were you outside on your phone? It’s cold out and you’re barely dressed.” 

He’s mad at me at me because of that?

The thought nearly made him start to cry, but Ravi bit back his normal response and lifted his nervous eyes to meet Trever’s. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to wake you but I needed to talk to master Wyatt,” he said honestly, his voice barely shaking, even though his heart was rolling around in his chest with worry. 

Trever took a moment to consider his words before abruptly dropping his head down to Ravi’s shoulder, nearly making him jump from the sudden contact. 

“Jesus, okay. I thought… you scared me half to death,” he said, his voice turning from upset to exhaustion. 

I really want to nuzzle against his face, but I don’t think I should. 

He went through all of the things he could do in that moment, but after a few seconds of considering each one, Ravi decided on the one option he didn’t like. He did nothing. 

“I apologize master Trever. I should have put on more clothing and let you know that I was going outside,” he said instead, his voice a bit more steady now that he was more sure of the words he was speaking. 

Trever took a few more moments to regain his composure before leaning away and straightening back up. 

“Alright, thank you for answering honestly, and I’m sorry I lost my cool,” he said, earning a nod from Ravi as a small smile found its way onto his lips. 

They stared at each other for about twenty seconds before Trever blinked a few extra times, then glanced away and turned to walk over to the shower. 

“Anyways, um, we’re already in the city we need to be in, so would you want to go get some breakfast and, if you still want, a haircut?” he asked as he reached down for the hem of his shirt and began tugging it up over his head. 

Of course, Ravi barely heard the man’s words because he was much  more focused on watching Trever remove his shirt, even though he wasn’t even facing him. 

  He’s talking to you. 

Inwardly groaning, Ravi forced his eyes away from the show in front of him that Trever probably didn’t even realize he was giving, then slid from the counter to put his back to the other man. 

“Okay, I will wait for master Trever to finish his shower, then I will take one,” he said, trying to make his voice sound normal even though his body was reacting a little too much to what was going on behind him. 

“Alright, I’ll be quick,” Trever said as Ravi heard him pull back the curtain and step into the shower, then close it back up. 

Only then  did he finally turn to look over his shoulder. He could faintly see the outline of the man behind the curtain, making his hands itch to join him, but he wouldn’t. 

You’re going to be a good dog. Master Trever just touched you more than you ever thought he would. Be patient and wait. 

Rubbing a hand over his face, Ravi forced himself to walk away from the bathroom, and so that he didn’t dwell on what was going on beyond the open door, he dug through his suitcase and, for the first time, intentionally pulled out a specific set of clothing that he thought would go together. 

It wasn’t much, just a pair of black boxers, a pair black jeans, and a matching maroon sweater that said W oof on the front, but he thought that it looked decent enough to wear out with master Trever. Hopefully it would be good enough for him to come to his work, too. 

You’re going to be useful. Master Wyatt said to wait and help him with whatever he needed, then see where things go from there.  

Ravi stared at his suitcase, suddenly wanting to pull out the secret to handling his situation correctly instead of just more clothing, but he knew that the rolling clothing box didn’t work like that. He’d honestly rarely even looked inside of it the last few years, since he’d spent most of his time as a dog. And most of that  time had been spent tied outside to a doghouse. 

I… wonder if there are more things in here that master Trever might like me to wear?

Setting his phone and the previous outfit he’d picked aside, Ravi got up on his knees again and began digging through the big fabric box, making quite a mess as he took stock of what he actually had to wear on his human body. 

He wasn’t a huge fan of most of the items, and quite a few of them were now too small since he’d been eating much better than he used to. When he finally sat back down on his heels and licked his lips, he knew that he had to do something if he was going to stay as a human for any reasonable amount of time. 

“I need to get a job so that I can buy myself better human clothing.” 

He didn’t want to have to rely on Trever for everything. Especially since he wanted to impress him. A job he could do shouldn’t be too hard to find anyways, right?

Wild Dog 30

They truly were beautiful souls.

His private class had ended a short while ago, and while Wyatt had intended to immediately steal Blake back from his friend, when he saw them sitting on one of the couches that was settled right next to the railing on the upper level, he hesitated. It was overlooking all of the stages, four of which were currently busy with scenes, but neither of them appeared to be interested in watching, or listening.

Blake had nudged off his shoes and gotten comfortable on his back with his head resting in Sage’s lapand his legs bent and leaning against the back of the couch. It looked like they were talking about something, but their body language and that smile he could see in the darkness on Sage’s face…

Wyatt felt his heart beat a little faster than normal as he lifted one hand to run it down his face. He really wasn’t very good at sharing, anything, but while he definitely wanted to go upstairs and pick up his person and walk away, he also wasn’t minding, in the least, watching his best friend interact with his sub.

“Master Wyatt?”

Forcing his attention away from Sage and Blake, Wyatt offered the young woman now standing before him a smile.

“Hello Carla, how have you been?” he asked.

She was a regular that he was quite familiar with. A bi switch with a mind as sharp as a razor… and a taste for inflicting pain.

“Very well, master Wyatt. How have you been doing? I haven’t seen you in a few days,” she said, her curiosity nudging its way to the surface.

He wasn’t too surprised, though. He did usually come here most nights after work, though it was usually just to unwind with a beer and perhaps some attention from a sub or two, or for work.

It was usually for work.

Chuckling too quietly to be heard over the light music playing, Wyatt shrugged one shoulder playfully and found his eyes wandering back up to the second floor.

“I’ve been very distracted,” he said honestly as a smile slipped onto his face without permission when he saw Blake reach up and grab either side of Sage’s mouth, then stretch it slightly as the other guy tried to laugh and half-heartedly shake him off.

“I never thought I’d see master Sage look at another person like that,” Carla said as she settled her hands on her leather-clad hips.

Wyatt’s brow furrowed and he looked back at her.

“Another?” he asked, his voice sounding as confused as he felt.

He’d never seen Sage look at anyone the way he was looking at Blake as they continued to joke around. Of course, they both knew that looking wasn’t the same thing as seeing, but that never seemed to matter to the man. He looked around just as much as any non-blind person, and honestly, Wyatt thought that he saw things much better than a normal person did, too.

“Who else has he looked at in such a way?” he asked right as his eyes wandered back up to the two, then blinked in surprise.

Sage was clearly looking at him as he hugged Blake to his chest and settled his chin on the slightly smaller man’s shoulder. Sage had a huge grin on his face, as did Blake as he nudged him backwards just enough so that he could sit up fully. He was just scowling at Sage when he noticed them staring up at them and quickly redirected his attention down to Wyatt, a big smile growing on his adorable face.

So cute.

“I can see that you’re still distracted . Have a good evening, master Wyatt,” Carla said, drawing his attention back to her just long enough to get a nod of acknowledgement before he headed for the stairs.

He greeted a few people once he got to the second floor, but he refused to be pulled away from his current mission. He could feel their attention on him, and that was all that mattered right then.

As soon as he got close enough Blake, who had turned around to face him and Sage, got up on his knees in Sage’s lap and reached a hand out to him over the back of the couch. Wyatt gladly took it and pressed a kiss to the back of it as his eyes met Blake’s.

“I feel like you two are having a moment, which is adorable. Please, continue while I nonchalantly settle my hand on his butt, just in case he loses his balance, or something,” Sage said as he grinned over his shoulder, then nuzzled his nose into Blake’s side, making the guy jump a little and giggle unintentionally.

“Oh?” Sage mused as he leaned away just enough to break the contact.

Wyatt couldn’t help but grin at their new discovery.

“Ticklish, love?” he asked as he reached forward with his free hand and nudged Sage’s head.

To anyone else, the gesture might have looked playful, but there was a stern but gentle signal behind it, too. Don’t take advantage of what they’d just found out.

“I’ll be good, babe,” Sage said as he gently tapped Blake’s backside, silently telling him to scoot off of him.

Blake did as told, but refused to release Wyatt’s hand, making him lift an eyebrow as he calmly walked around the couch until he was in front of them both.

“How was your class?” Sage asked as he scooted a little closer against the armrest and Blake moved the other way, making just enough room for him to join them.

“Pretty good,” Wyatt said as he dropped down onto the sofa.

The moment he was comfortable Blake crawled right into his lap and wrapped his arms around his neck, then rested his head on his shoulders.

I…

Sage’s grin was impossible to miss, even as he tried to hide it behind a hand that was nonchalantly scratching at the edge of his mouth.

Honestly, he still had a lot to get used to. His last few subs had been extremely submissive. They didn’t do a single thing without his consent. It had been quite nice, but also a tiny bit stifling. That’s one of the reasons he’d decided to take a break.

But this man… he’s definitely submissive, but he also does what he wants, as long as he isn’t reprimanded for it or told not to.

Feeling Blake push himself away from his chest abruptly drew Wyatt’s attention to him.

“I’m sorry, master Wyatt. I didn’t mean to grab you without permission,” he said as he tucked his chin against his chest and pursed his lips. He’d probably picked up on his thoughts… oops.

Wyatt could tell that Sage wanted to comment something along the lines of you can grab me whenever you want, but was thankfully holding himself back from speaking. It was a miracle.

Moving his arms around Blake’s body, Wyatt gently guided him forward until he was back against his chest.

“It’s alright, Blake. I’m just not used to you yet. I’ll definitely let you know if you do something that honestly bothers me, but I think, for right now, don’t worry about basic physical stuff, alright? If you want to hug me, then I give you exclusive permission,” Wyatt said right before he felt the faintest nudge against his right side, drawing his attention back to Sage.

“Exclusive?” his best friend asked with a frown that could rival any sad puppy.

Deciding to have a bit of fun, Wyatt smirked and turned his attention back to Blake as he nuzzled into the guy’s soft hair.

“Mm, I don’t know. Blake gives some really good hugs. I don’t think you can compare,” he teased… right before they were both grabbed and pulled into Sage’s strong arms.

Wyatt refused to release Blake as he was pulled up against Sage’s chest, but instead of being annoyed by the sudden arms now tightly wrapped partially around them both, he actually leaned his head back against Sage’s shoulder and gave out a quiet laugh.

“You are such a stubborn bat. Can’t you tell I was joking?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer to his own question.

Of course Sage knew that he’d been joking. The guy knew exactly what he was doing. He didn’t think that Sage could act impulsively, to be honest. It always seemed like he knew exactly what he was doing, all the time. There were no mistakes with him.

“Mm, I love it when you joke around with me,” Sage said before reaching up with one hand as he leaned back partially against the back of the couch and partially against the armrest. His hand pressed against the back of Blake’s head, guiding it down to rest against Wyatt’s chest.

“Perfect,” he said before taking in a deep, calming breath, then releasing it through his nose as he got a bit more comfortable… then a bit more comfortable.

Pretty soon they were all lying down with Sage resting his head on the armrest while Wyatt used his shoulder in the same way. Blake was tucked between the back of the couch and them, but was still comfortably situated mostly on Wyatt’s chest.

It might not have looked comfortable, and he knew that he was going to probably have a kink in his neck when they did finally decide to get up, but for the moment, he didn’t want to move.

“You wore him out,” Wyatt grumbled in a hushed whisper as he gently got Blake a little more comfortable while at the same time nudging Sage until they were practically spooning, because he really didn’t want to hurt his neck just for some cuddles… and the guy was just-about falling off the couch.

He kind of wanted to give him that one last nudge, just so that he could hear him thud to the floor, but he knew that Sage would take them both with him if he even dared to do such a thing, so, begrudgingly, he relented and snuggled in against the sleeping man in his arms.

“He’s had a long day, love,” Sage finally whispered back once he was more comfortable.

He couldn’t argue that.

“But he’s here,” he eventually said as he fought himself not to hug Blake tighter.

He heard Sage mumble affirmatively, but then felt him nuzzle his nose against his hair before settling his forehead there. To anyone else, he was just enjoying their closeness, but Wyatt knew him better.

“Behave, you stubborn bat. I’m glad that you’re back, too,” he said as Sage’s arm slowly slipped from Blake’s hip to settle around Wyatt’s middle.

It was awkward, but again, he expected it, to an extent. He normally would have just told him to move his arm, and he would have, immediately, but a thought came to his mind pausing the words on his tongue.

“Hey Sage?” he asked quietly, making sure to keep his voice down.

“Mm?”

“Do you… have someone else you like? Besides Blake, I mean,” Wyatt asked, his curiosity from earlier concerning what Carla said about Sage looking at someone else like he had been looking at Blake, returning to the forefront of his mind.

To his surprise, his straight-forward friend simply chuckled at his words in response, then snuggled in a tiny bit closer.

He’s… not answering?

Wyatt tried to look over his shoulder at him, but Sage had clearly anticipated his action because he nudged his face against the back of Wyatt’s head, making it impossible for them to look at each other.

This man…

“Fine, I get it. I’ll drop it,” Wyatt said with a sigh as he pushed aside his curiosity and forced himself to relax.

Even though he closed his eyes and managed to calm down enough to drift in and out of a doze, he just couldn’t fall asleep. He even shifted around here and there, nudging one of his legs backwards between Sage’s, then stretched his other one out a bit, but he just couldn’t do it.

What’s wrong with me? Why does it even matter if he likes someone else? He hasn’t even asked Blake out yet, and he only messes with me on very rare occasions.

Not to mention that they were both very strict doms! What were they going to do? Wrestle until one of them managed to pin the other and had their way with them?

His mind was just about to run in another circle, refusing to just calm down enough to let him rest for a bit, even though he had his eyes closed and his breathing had mostly evening out, when he felt the faintest brush against the back of his head.

It almost felt as if Sage had just kissed his hair…

Wild Dog 31

Ravi hurried through his shower once Trever had finished his own. He kept his eyes to himself, even though the other man seemed to have misplaced his shirt and walked out of the bathroom without one. 

He would be a good dog! He would!

Once done cleaning himself he dried his hair as best he could, then got dressed. After a quick tooth-brushing, he eyed Trever’s hairbrush, but immediately decided against requesting to use it. His tangled hair would be the death of that little thing. 

Definitely need a haircut. I want to be able to take care of it. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to get a brush through it.

Master Trever did say that I could get a haircut. 

He didn’t want to spend more of the man’s money, though… but if he wanted to get a job, he had to look decent, and right now he definitely needed to get his insane head of curls in better order. 

I will pay him back for everything once I start making money. 

Of course, he’d never actually had  a job before, nor had he made any kind of money in his life, but he was determined to try. So, licking his lips, he took one final glance in the mirror, even spinning in a circle once to make sure that he looked as good as he could, then opened the door and walked out. 

“Oh?” 

To Ravi’s relief, Trever was now fully dressed… but unfortunately, he looked insanely good in a pure black suit and dark red bow tie!

Good dog. You’re a good dog. It’s okay to like him, even if he doesn’t like you that way yet, he reminded himself, earning a slight head tilt from Trever that made Ravi’s heart skip a few extra beats. 

“You are a good dog,” Trever responded after a moment, making Ravi heave an internal sigh. 

He really needed to be careful with his thoughts since Trever could hear bits and pieces of them off and on. 

Forcing a smile, Ravi nodded and walked over to his clothing box, intending to pick up the mess he’d previously made while looking for his current outfit, but to his surprise, everything had already been returned to it and the lid had been zipped closed. 

“I put all your stuff back since you seemed to have the clothing you wanted…” Trever said with a nervous smile. 

Ravi quickly nodded again and pulled up the little handle so that he could wheel the bag. 

“It’s okay. I got everything I needed out of it. Thank you for putting the rest away while I was showering,” he said before heading to the door and opening it after tugging on his shoes. 

He stepped out first, then held it open for Trever before falling into step just slightly-behind him on his left side. 

The look on Trever’s face, and especially the raised eyebrow, made Ravi hesitate, worried that he might be being too forward, but when Trever just ended up smiling, he knew that his decision hadn’t been an issue. 

It wasn’t that he hadn’t walked beside the man before. He’d done so several times, but he was used to being second, and second meant walking obediently behind your master. It would take him a while longer to get completely out of the habit, but he was doing pretty well with it already.

Holding his head a little higher, Ravi happily walked with Trever to the car and helped get their stuff situated, then hopped in the passenger’s side. 

“Ready for some food, then a haircut?” Trever asked as he got them out of the parking lot after running inside for just a moment to return the keycards. 

Ravi was about to nod his agreement when his hands began to fidget in his lap and he bit his tongue. Trever seemed to notice his unease but instead of questioning him, just continued to drive, allowing Ravi all the silence he needed to get his thoughts together into words that he wanted to say. 

It took nearly five minutes of patience, but it was worth it when Ravi swallowed down his remaining worries and smiled slightly up at Trever. 

“Master Trever, may I get a haircut first?” 

Without missing a beat, Trever spared him a quick smile and got into the left lane, then stopped for a red light. 

“Of course, I saw a place nearby on my phone that had great reviews and takes walk-ins. Let’s try there?” he said as he did a U-turn once the light turned green again.

“That sounds good,” Ravi replied, feeling a little relieved that he’d managed speak up and ask the question he’d wanted to. 

He was content for a whole three minutes before they pulled into a parking lot. Then stopped in a spot. Then the car turned off. 

Oh no. 

His hands twisted together tightly in his lap, the pull of the skin hurting but just-barely managing to keep him from crying at the sight before him. 

Too many people. Way too many people. 

“Hang here for a minute, okay Ravi? I promise I’ll be right back, alright?” 

It took Ravi a moment to even realize  that he was being spoken to, and another couple seconds before he could peel his wide eyes away from the busy storefront and meet Trever’s. 

“Just stay here, okay? You’re not going inside right now,” Trever said, clearly trying to sooth his nerves. 

It didn’t work all that well, but it did do just enough to get a jerky nod from Ravi, which, in turn, made Trever smile and reach over to pat his head twice before getting out of the car and hitting the automatic lock from his key fob. 

Ravi began chewing on nothing as he watched him leisurely walk right into the shop. He had to wait in line for a few moments, but then he was talking to the person behind the greeting desk. 

I’m so glad I didn’t eat yet. I would have thrown up and messed up master Trever’s car. 

He waited impatiently as Trever discussed something with the person, then, to his surprise, walked farther into the shop. His heart immediately jumped into his throat when the man disappeared around one of the long privacy screens near the back of the building. Even his dog wasn’t a fan of losing sight of their master and it let out a little whine through Ravi’s human lips as proof. 

He was just beginning to chew on the inside of his cheek when he felt his pocket vibrate. 

Pockets don’t vibrate , was the only thing his mind could register for a few seconds before it connected the dots and allowed his hand to slip into his hoodie pocket and retrieve his phone. He hit the accept call  button right before it would have gone to voicemail, then lifted it to his ear. 

“It’s a video call, sweetheart,” Trever said with a tiny hint of humor to his words. 

Ravi quickly moved the phone away from his ear and pursed his lips as he looked down at the image of the other man on the little screen. 

“I’m in the back of the shop. They have a quiet area back here where no other people are allowed,” Trever said as he moved his phone so that it showed the area he was in. 

Oh… there really are no other people there. 

It was also dimly lit, but not so much so that it would be hard to cut hair. 

“I also had them turn off the music, so it will be nice and quiet. Just you, me, and the barber. Is that alright?” 

He could probably do that… but getting to the back of the store? Ravi glanced up from his phone several times, trying to see himself walking through that suffocating amount of people. 

He couldn’t. 

There was a muffled sound from his phone as Trever asked someone something, but Ravi wasn’t paying enough attention to catch it. Instead, he returned his attention to the screen and waited until Trever was looking at him again. 

“They said that you can come in the back entrance, too. No other customers will be there and I can even drive the car around and park right next to the door,” Trever said, making the stifling stress that had grown in Ravi’s chest slowly disperse. 

It didn’t disappear completely, because he still had to let someone he was completely unfamiliar with near him, and with a sharp object, but master Trever would be there. 

“Yes sir, that is okay,” he finally responded, earning a bright smile from Trever before he promised to come get him right away, then hung up. 

Ravi waited like a good dog, and like a good dog, was rewarded with his master’s attention as soon as he got back inside the car and shut his door. The hand that reached over toward him made the world a better place, and as soon as it was close enough, he reached up and grabbed it. 

Of course, he knew that Trever wouldn’t be happy with too much touching, so he made sure that his grip was very loose as he gently but quickly brought that hand closer until he could lean his cheek against its palm. 

He felt the man’s wrist tense beneath his fingers, but the reaction subsided almost immediately as another hand reached over and patted his hair. 

“I’ll need that back to drive, bud,” he said teasingly. 

Ravi licked his lips and just-barely held himself back from licking Terver’s hand as he forced himself to lean away and release his captive… for now. 

“Thank you, Ravi,” Trever said as he got the car started again and drove it around to the back of the large strip mall area. 

They parked right next to a bright blue door, and instead of hesitating, Ravi jumped out of the car the moment it was turned off again. 

Trever looked surprised, but his smile remained firmly on his face as he got out and locked the car, then hopped up onto the sidewalk where Ravi was waiting, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.  

As soon as he got close enough, Trever reached out and, without needing any other hint, Ravi gladly took the man’s hand it in his own. Instead of waiting for his master to open the door, Ravi took the initiative and grabbed the handle, then swung it open. 

He held the door for Trever, then clenched his jaw as he hesitantly walked toward the young woman standing beside a large barber’s chair. 

“Hello, young man. My name is Angela and I’ll be cutting your hair for you today,” she said with a cheerful tone before giving him a closed-mouth smile. 

No teeth was good. No teeth meant no threat… usually. 

“I see that you’ve already washed your hair. Do you mind if I brush it out for you?” she asked as Ravi nervously walked closer, but stopped about three feet away, not quite ready to move farther yet. 

“U-um… it’s not good hair. You will need a really good brush,” Ravi mumbled as he stared down at his phone’s blank screen, refusing to meet her eyes. 

Trever had stopped a few feet away after Ravi had made himself release his hand, but he could still feel his attention on him. It took a lot of effort to have let go in the first place, but he needed to start being his own dog… at least, a little bit. Once in a while. At least once a day. For a few minutes. And those minutes were right now!

“I have fantastic brushes, and if one doesn’t do well, I can switch to a different one until we find one that works well for you. I also have a little conditioner bottle that I can either spray in it to help, or just spray it on the brush and my hands and work it in that way,” Angela said as she calmly began walking closer to the barber’s chair. 

Without really thinking, Ravi followed her with small, short, tiny steps… but he still followed. 

Two minutes later he was seated at the very edge of the chair. His right hand was gripping the armrest tightly as his left hand held his phone. 

Thankfully, Trever had walked closer, too, and pulled up a seat next to a small mirror hanging on the wall to Ravi’s right. 

“Do I have to look at the mirror?” he asked quietly as he looked away and down at the dark floor. 

“No sir, you can look wherever you’d like. I’m going to start and just see what brush we are going to need, alright?” she asked as she pulled over a small tray on wheels that had only different brushes sitting on it. 

There are no scissors…

“Okay,” Ravi said in response, though he didn’t even try to look higher than that tray. He had no reason to look higher. Master Trever was there, watching over him. 

The first few moments of the woman trying to brush his hair had him extremely tense, but as she set that brush aside after a few moments and chose one with wider-spaced bristles, he relaxed a tiny bit. Another thirty seconds passed before she swapped that one out for an even wider one, then walked away for a moment and sprayed here hands with something from a bottle. She didn’t even seem to mind that she was getting it all over her nice brush, too. 

When she returned, she set the bottle aside and out of sight, then made sure that her hands lowered down to where his field of vision was before reaching back up with both of them. 

“I’m going to just sift my fingers through your hair so that I can get some detangler in it, alright sweetheart?” she asked as she gently began to tug softly at his matted hair once he gave a slight nod in response. 

The cold, non-scented product was a bit annoying at first, but when Ravi finally began to feel his terribly-mussed hair begin to unknot bit by bit, he couldn’t help but look over at Trever. 

He’d expected the guy to be on his phone, but it wasn’t even out. Instead, he was staring right back at him and when their eyes met, a warm smile slid onto his face. 

Reassured, Ravi slowly scooted back in the seat without considering the person working on his hair. It wasn’t that he was trying to be rude by moving so much, but he just had to. If he thought about something when nervous, it was extremely hard not to do it. Especially if it made him feel more comfortable. 

The barber seemed perfectly fine with his fidgeting, though, and didn’t even say anything as she moved her hands away so that he could do this or that, then returning them to work once he was settled again. 

The whole detangling process took nearly an hour, but when she was finally done with what she could get, Ravi couldn’t help but give his head a good shake. His damaged curls bounced like they hadn’t in years. They also hung down quite a bit, framing his face instead of just being tied together in a matted afro. 

“You have some gorgeous hair, young man,” the barber said as she set her large brush down and switched to a comb, then, finally, took a pair of small scissors out of her smock pocket. 

Instead of beginning to cut right away, she set those items down on the tray next to each other, then walked away, only to return a moment later with a large smock. 

Ravi immediately tensed at the sight of the large drape. He wouldn’t be able to move well with that on him. He also wouldn’t be able to see his hands. Without even realizing it, he’d begun to shake and lean farther back into the chair, even though he couldn’t really go a whole lot father. 

“Let’s use this instead,” Trever chimed in as he stood up and walked forward, shrugging off his fancy suitcoat. 

But that’s really nice…

He knew that he shouldn’t use such a thing to replace a smock, but he couldn’t find the words to say to decline the offer, so Trever stepped forward and gently guided Ravi’s arms through the two armholes. 

“Lean forward a little, sweetheart,” he said, making Ravi immediately obey. 

Trever tucked the front of the jacket behind him, then gently guided Ravi backward until he felt the chair settled against his shoulder-blades.  

“There we go. Oh, hang on,” he said as he walked away for just a moment before returning with a clean white towel. He settled it around Ravi’s shoulders, then stepped back with a satisfied grin. 

“Perfect. Now you won’t have to change clothing after.” 

Ravi still felt bad for using Trever’s nice jacket, but he wouldn’t argue. The man even rolled the sleeves up so that he could still see his phone, even though he’d never turned the screen on. It was just another one of his habits that he had. 

“All set?” Trever asked once he was done. 

Ravi nodded with determination before looking at the barber. 

“Miss. Angela, you can cut my hair now,” he stated with resoluteness. 

The woman smiled warmly and nodded, but instead of getting right to it, she leaned forward and whispered something just quietly-enough so that Trever couldn’t hear. 

Oh? 

Looking back at the man, who was now staring at him with a slightly raised eyebrow, Ravi thought for a long moment, then said, “master Trever can look away until it’s done?” he asked. 

The woman had said that Trever might like to see his new hair as a surprise, instead of watching the whole process. It made him a little more nervous, but he would still be there, just turned around. If anything happened, he’d still be able to help him. 

Trever seemed a bit surprised by the request, but gladly accepted and sat back down after turning his chair to face toward the door. He still didn’t pull out his phone, though, and instead, just relaxed a bit more and crossed one leg over the other. 

With that done, Ravi looked up at Angela and nodded for her to continue. What followed was a very  tedious process. She added some extra water with a different spray bottle using her hands again, then slowly worked from the left side of his head to the right. 

Thankfully, she didn’t mind when he randomly looked somewhere else, but after the second time he realized that she could accidentally cut him if he didn’t at least give her notice, so he started training himself to at least tap on the armrest with his pointer finger right before he felt the need to divert his attention. 

They worked together until, finally, Angela leaned back after ruffling his hair one final time. 

“I think we’re done!” she said cheerfully, even though she looked quite a bit more tired then when they’d first started. 

Ravi wiggled in the chair as she took the little towel off. He stood as soon as the towel was gone, then quickly took the jacket off before shaking it out, not caring that he was adding tons of hair to what was already at his feet. 

It honestly looked like they had shaved a poodle, not given a human a haircut. There were just so many curls everywhere. 

“Master Trever, I’m done!” he said excitedly as he took a step closer to where the man sat. 

Almost too-slowly, Trever began to turn around. When he wasn’t fast enough for Ravi’s liking, he hurried to meet him halfway, a wide smile on his face even though he hadn’t even looked in the mirror yet. 

It honestly didn’t matter to him as long as he looked good to master Trever. If he thought he looked good, then he knew that he looked good!

When their eyes finally met again, Ravi couldn’t hold back his excitement and began rocking back and forth on his feet again as he waited for the man’s critique. 

At first, Trever actually seemed shocked and mute, but after a few moments his wide eyes and open mouth were replaced with squinting eyes and a smile so wide that Ravi’s mouth hurt just looking at it. 

“Come here, let me see,” Trever eventually said as he reached forward, toward Ravi’s hair. 

Master Trever wants to pat my head! 

The haircut was already a success!

Ravi happily walked forward and leaned his head down just enough for Trever to sift his fingers through the soft, beautiful curls. 

“You look fantastic, hun. And your hair is gorgeous,” he said honestly as he rustled it here, then there. It actually seemed like he was  enjoying  touching his new hair!

The lady needs paid! Definitely, she needs paid a lot! 

Ravi turned around toward Angela, who was cleaning up her little area while still keeping an eye on them and a smile on her lips. 

I don’t have money. 

Turning back around, he looked at Trever and opened his mouth, but then snapped it closed and spun around again toward the barber, his clean curls bouncing around his face with the action. 

I don’t want to ask him for money, though… but I don’t have any! 

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll gladly pay,” Trever said as he stood from his chair and stretched, then walked over to the barber as he took his wallet out of his back pocket. 

“Thank you so much for everything. I really appreciate it and your work was fantastic,” he said as he handed her a hundred dollar bill. 

The woman’s eyes lit up as she took the money and thanked him in return, then looked over at Ravi, who hadn’t walked with him. He’d just sat next to the woman for two hours… no matter how much he appreciated her work, he didn’t really want to be next to her anymore if he didn’t have to. At least, not for the rest of the day. 

“Take good care of that beautiful hair, alright young man?” she said with a motherly tone to her cheerful voice. 

Ravi pursed his lips and nodded before promptly turning and walking right out the back door. Trever joined him a moment later, taking the dirty jacket from him to toss in the back seat as they got settled in the car again. 

“There’s a nice little park around here. How about we grab something to-go and relax there for breakfast?” Trever asked, already knowing that Ravi was at his people limit for the time being. 

Ravi nudged his shoes off and crossed his legs in his seat as he grasped his ankles and looked over at Trever. 

“Yes sir, that sounds perfect!”

Wild Dog 32

The building they drove to after their little picnic at was absolutely massive! Ravi began trying to look up to its tallest point after stepping out of the car, but quickly gave up and returned his attention to Trever as he came around to his side and offered him his hand. 

Ravi wanted to grab it immediately, but held himself back right before he could reach forward. Trever looked surprised, but he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he gestured for Ravi to come to his side, which he gladly did. 

“Ready? We’re just going to walk around for a bit, then get settled in my office,” he said as they headed for the large spinning door in the front. 

It took him by surprise, halting his steps as he watched Trever seamlessly step through the swinging walls without issue. 

Taking a few steps backward, Ravi eyed the strange door and noted that Trever was waiting for him on the other side, clearly considering coming back through to get him. 

I can walk through a door!

Just the thought of such a thing stopping him made him uncomfortable. It was moving, and it stressed him out because he wasn’t sure if he could time his steps correctly to get inside, but he didn’t want to rely on Trever for every little thing that bothered him. 

So, before Trever could come back and get him, he waited for the door to spin one more time, then ran forward as soon as there was a tiny opening. 

He stumbled into the glass wall in front of him, but before he could stop, like he automatically wanted to, he forced himself to lean into that wall until an opening appeared and he fumbled out… and right into waiting arms. 

Said arms carried him a few more steps away from the door before setting him down. A head pat then followed before Ravi finally looked up at a smiling Trever. 

He’s touching my hair again. 

Even though his heart was racing hard in his chest and his mind was still in partial panic mode, going through the spinning door on his own had earned him another head pat.

The door was worth the stress. It was definitely worth the stress, and he’d done it on his own without hesitating much at all!

“You good, bud?” Trever asked as he tilted his head slightly. 

He had left his jacket in the car, since it had been used for for Ravi’s haircut, but he still looked incredibly handsome in his tucked-in, white, button-down long sleeved shirt and black pants. 

“Master Trever is super handsome,” he said without thinking. 

Thankfully, the guy took it in stride, like most things that have been happening recently, and simply widened his grin. After one more nice head pat, he lowered his hand. 

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” he said with a light chuckle before heading toward the large receptionist desk at the far end of the room. 

Ravi hurried to follow and fell into step beside him, holding his head high just like his master. Sure, he had no idea what they were doing or even what Trever’s job was going to be at such a massive company, but he wasn’t going to make him look bad! 

He did his best to pay attention to what his master said to the receptionist, but the only thing he could really wrap his mind around as he was looking off to the side at a fly buzzing around her cold cup of untouched coffee, was that the building actually didn’t belong to just one company. 

They would be going up to the fourteenth floor, and the company he was working for rented the offices on the fourteenth through the sixteenth floors. 

“Thank you, ma’am. Have a great day,” Trever said as he turned and gestured for Ravi to follow him again. 

As directed, Ravi fell back into step next to him, but spared the little fly one last glance before they stepped onto one of the three elevators off to the right side of the room. 

“Don’t mind these, hmm?” Trever asked as they headed up. 

Ravi kept his eyes strictly on the lit up button for the fourteenth floor, not daring to look out the glass back of the elevator. 

“I’m okay,” he said in a robotic tone that proved that he was, in fact, not all that okay . 

Thankfully, Trever decided not to push him on it, and soon they were stepping off the elevator and heading toward another receptionist desk. This one, however, wasn’t nearly as welcoming as the one downstairs. 

The girl behind the desk was much younger than the one downstairs, but that wasn’t really an issue. It was her demeanor, and the way that she was blatantly dismissing them before she even greeted them by looking down at her phone, that made Ravi think…

This person does not want her job. 

“We’d like to speak with Mr. Spencer, please. He should be expecting us,” Trever said with a voice Ravi had rarely heard from him. 

Master is not interested in being ignored. 

The thought made him grin, because the girl certainly hadn’t been expecting to hear such a no-nonsense tone right off the bat. She even jumped slightly and dropped her phone on the desk as her head snapped up. 

A fake smile was plastered on her lips, but even that changed to one of awkward authenticity when she realized the person who wanted her attention was easy on the eyes. 

Ravi bristled at her appraising look and was about to let out an unintended grumble when the girl leaned a little closer. 

“You are absolutely stunning,” she said to him , not to Trever. 

Me? Stunning? 

His mind couldn’t wrap itself around the compliment. The only one he really understood was good boy . She hadn’t said those two words, though. She’d said stunning. 

All of a sudden, Ravi’s brain stopped functioning and he quickly darted behind Trever to hide. 

“We’re expected and don’t want to be late. Is Mr. Spencer still in his office down the hall on the left?” Trever asked, his voice calm but now with an added hint of displeasure. 

It sounded like the woman leaned back in her chair as she replied with a bored tone. 

“Yes.” 

Trever turned slightly and reached up to pat Ravi’s head, then nodded toward the hall before he began walking in that direction. Not wanting to be left behind, Ravi hurried after him. Right before he went around the corner and out of sight, though, he glanced back at the odd girl sitting at the desk. 

Unfortunately, she was watching him, too, and the moment their eyes met she winked. His inner dog whined, not a fan of the attention since it wasn’t from Trever. 

Quickly returning his focus to where he was going, Ravi hurried forward and caught up to Trever right as they stopped outside of a large office door. 

Not hesitating in the slightest, Trever lifted one hand and knocked loudly. When they heard a voice enthusiastically shout “come in!” Trever reached down and turned the handle, then shoved the door open. 

He walked in with his back straight and head held high, his demeanor no less dominant than it had been previously, even though the guy sitting across the room from them had a really big desk and an even fancier suit. He also looked incredibly nervous, like he really didn’t feel superior to Trever at all.

My master is amazing. 

“Welcome, welcome. Thank you for coming out again, and on such short notice,” Mr. Spencer said as he clearly tried to sneak a look at Ravi a few times, even though he was mostly back to hiding behind Trever. 

“Don’t worry about my friend. Let’s get down to business,” Trever said as he gently took Ravi’s hand and tugged him forward and into a seat beside the one he took for himself. 

Ravi twisted his hands in his lap at first, but when he noticed that the man wasn’t paying him anymore mind, and was, instead, focusing all of his attention on Trever, as instructed, he was able to relax enough to give a quiet sigh of relief. 

Trever scooted his heavy black armchair a little closer and tapped his hand lightly on the large oak desk. 

“Let me see the information I had you keep from my last visit here. You have been filling out the forms, right?” he asked with skepticism clear in his voice. 

Ravi tilted his head, then went over what his master had said before thinking up his own slight copy-cat of him. 

Yeah, you got the forms, right? 

He nodded to himself as he nibbled at a nail, proud of his little internal monologue. Of course, saying it in his head and saying it out loud to other living human beings were two very different things, but that was a problem for another day. 

His attention remained on copying whatever Trever said back into his mind, with his own little twists, pretending as if he  were the tough guy making Mr. Spencer nervous and scurry about like a mouse. 

He was silently giggling to himself when the man across from them finally yelled in relieved excitement, making Ravi jump and snap out of his thoughts. 

“I finally found them! I knew they were here somewhere, but Brian must have moved the files when he was cleaning up my computer,” Mr. Spencer said as he reached over and pressed a button. 

“Hey Gina? Can you go pick up some papers I have printing out please?” 

He let go of the button after speaking, but when no one replied, he frowned and pressed it again, then repeated himself before releasing it a second time. 

Again. No response. 

Trever didn’t look all that surprised, though. He seemed like he was just about to get up and go get them himself when he noticed Ravi staring at him, wiggling slightly in his chair. He had a bit too much energy after having not run around for a while, but he didn’t want to bother master Trever while he was working. 

“Hey Ravi, are you good with directions?” he asked as he settled back into his seat. 

Directions? 

“Yes, yes sir. I will do whatever you want me to. I remember directions well,” he said proudly. 

If it was one thing he could do well, it was listen to what he was told to do! 

“Good, I need you to go get me some papers. You’re going to go out this door and take a right, then walk all the way to the end of that hall until you come to a dead end. Then take a left and follow it all the way, too. The room to the left of that dead end is a copy room. I need you to go get me all of the papers that are coming out of the copy machine right now please.” 

Ravi immediately went over the instructions in his mind, then nodded and stood. 

“Yes sir.” 

He walked out of the room with his head held high and took the right turn he’d been told to. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, however, his resolve dissolved and his eyes widened. 

The hall was very  long. 

There were people coming and going, glancing at him with either curiosity, or confused annoyance. 

He didn’t want to go anywhere but right back to his master’s side. And he nearly did just that, but stopped himself with his hand on the door handle. 

You want to pay him back, though. He’s already spent a lot of money on you, and you still need new clothes and other stuff. 

Ravi forced himself to let go of the door handle and slowly turn back toward the hallway he needed to go down. 

You wanted to get a job. This is a good chance to see if you can even handle a simple task given to you by your own master. Stop hesitating and just do it. 

Of course, that was much easier said than thought. Perhaps if he could shift, he’d manage better, but jobs weren’t normally given to dogs. So, swallowing down what nerves he could, Ravi began his odd chewing habit as he hurried down the long walkway. 

It honestly wasn’t too terrible for the first stretch of distance, but as he got to the corner, a large group of people nearly ran right into him. 

“Woah there, careful bud, almost ran you over,” said an older man with thick glasses and a terrible taupe smooshed atop his head. His bright red sweater-vest made Ravi want to lift his leg and pee on it, but he held himself back… much to his dog’s displeasure. 

“Oh, it’s that grump’s boy,” the girl from the front desk said as she walked forward and promptly reached out to grab Ravi’s collar. 

He noticed the name on the tag of her shirt this time, then inwardly grumbled. 

Gina. So she is the person who was supposed to go get the papers. 

Slightly annoyed at that thought, and very uninterested in being pet by anyone besides his master, Ravi did  finally let out a quiet growl, making the girl withdraw her hand quickly but brush it off with a laugh. 

“He’s a puppy shifter! That’s hilarious! No wonder he looks so cute,” she said with a too-shrill laugh as the rest of the group got closer, nearly trapping Ravi in the corner as they began to fawn over him. 

Too much. Too close. Too many. 

One person was too many for him most times, yet there were now five trying to reach for him to pat his hair and look at his collar and touch his shoulder and—“S-stop it!” 

The entire group went abruptly silent at the sound of his stuttered, growled shout. 

He honestly felt like he was about to cry, but he knew that tears weren’t going to make the people go away. So, he forced all of his frustration into that one, terrified yell. 

 When the group remained silent for several more seconds, Ravi slowly looked up, but not before he made sure that he had a very unhappy expression on his face. 

“I-I have a job to do. Go away,” he grumbled out as he forced himself to take a hesitant step forward. 

Thankfully, his risk paid off and the group moved aside so that he could get past them. Of course, as he hurried down the next hallway, he could hear them talking about him behind his back, but that didn’t matter. All that he cared about was completing the job he had been given by his master. 

So, when he got to the end of that  hall and looked to the left, he was relieved to see a sign that said Copy Room  right next to the door he now faced. 

I made it! 

Hurrying inside, Ravi saw the giant machine spitting out paper and happily waited until it was finished before gathering everything up nice and neatly in his arms. He was just about to leave when he looked down at the top paper and noticed something looked weird. 

Page sixty out of one-hundred and two? 

Granted, he’d never copied anything before and had no idea how to even use one, but it kind of looked like it hadn’t finished the full job. 

Turning back around, he set the stack of paper on the desk nearby, then went over to the copy machine. 

He honestly had no idea what to even consider pressing, but right before he was about to give up and just bring what he had back to Trever, he noticed a few stickers on the top of the machine. 

Ink low if blue light flashing on screen. 

Ah ha! Maybe the ink was low? He didn’t know how to change it, but at least he’d be able to go back and tell his master what the issue was. 

Except, when he looked at the little screen on the front of the printer, the light that was flashing there wasn’t blue. 

What does it mean if the red light is flashing? 

Ravi quickly went back to read the next sticker. 

Ah, out of paper.

He looked around on the big machine until he found a compartment that said paper drawer, then tugged it open. 

It’s empty. 

He grinned and straightened back up, then looked around at the cabinets nearby until he noticed one that had a little piece of tape near its handle that said paper . 

Yes! 

He quickly hurried over and took out a ream of heavy paper, then, after looking at the picture of how to load it at the bottom of the copier tray, he slid it in, then nudged the tray closed gently until he felt it settle into place. 

Before he could even stand back up and look for what else he had to do, the machine whirred back to life and quickly began spitting out more papers. 

I… I did it? 

Grinning to himself, Ravi gave a little happy dance at his accomplishment, then scooped up the last of the papers the machine had finished printing. After adding those to the stack he previously took, he got everything settled nice and neatly, then stepped out of the room and hurried back before anyone else could try to stop him. 

“M—Mr. Trever!” Ravi said with a tad too much enthusiasm as he walked back inside, catching himself right before he could yell master . 

He knew that the man wouldn’t mind, but most people weren’t as accepting of such relationships, so he didn’t want to make his master feel awkward. 

“The printer ran out of paper but I found some. Here are all of yours,” he said as he happily handed them over. 

It was quite a large stack, but Trever didn’t seem worried about it at all. 

“Thank you, Ravi. You did well.” 

I did well? I did well! 

“These look like they were kept decently. I’m honestly surprised,” Trever said as he looked from the first few papers he flipped through, then glanced up at a sweating Mr. Spencer. 

The man looked a lot more stressed than he had before Ravi had left… perhaps they had talked more while he wasn’t there. 

“Alright, well, I need to review these and go get settled. Is it the same place as last time?” Trever asked as he got up, tucking the papers beneath his left arm as he did so. 

The older man jumped up, too, nodding his head vigorously. 

“Yes! Everything is the same, but if you would like any changes, please let me know,” he said as he hurried to hand over a key. 

Trever slid it into his pocket, then nodded. 

“Thanks, I’ll let you know. We’ll be back tomorrow and I’ll review these tonight. Do you have any questions for me?” he asked. 

Mr. Spencer quickly shook his head. 

“No sir! I’ll see you tomorrow, and thank you again for coming back. We will take care of this situation once and for all this time,” he said as a drop of sweat ran down his brow. 

This man is kind of yucky. 

Trever gave out a tiny chuckle at that exact moment, stunning both of them before he could cough it away behind his hand. 

“Sorry, I was just thinking of something from earlier. Have a good day, Mr. Spencer,” Trever said before turning and walking toward the door. 

Ravi obediently fell into step beside him, heaving a huge sigh of relief once they were finally back outside a few minutes later. 

“He was definitely kind of yucky ,” Trever finally said once they both slid into his car and got them on their way to their new living arrangement. 

 Ravi’s eyes widened and he jerked his head to the side to look at a smirking Trever. 

He’d heard me? 

Said smirking Trever was chuckling to himself. 

“I heard what you thought in there. It kind of caught me off guard, so I burst out laughing by mistake. You made me look unprofessional,” he said, then stuck his tongue out the slightest bit, even though he refused to take his eyes off the road to see Ravi’s response. 

He knew that he was just messing with him. He could finally tell the difference with master Trever. So, instead of fretting about it, Ravi showed off his own toothy grin and replied. 

“I like seeing master Trever caught off guard. It was cute.” 

Trever immediately pulled his tongue back into his mouth and cleared his throat. 

“L-let’s go check out our new temporary home, then how about ordering in? That way I can get through this paperwork so that I’m ready for tomorrow,” he asked, changing the topic abruptly. 

Ravi let him, of course. It didn’t bother him. Besides, if he pestered him about it every time he did it, he wouldn’t get to see master Trever looking embarrassed or nervous at all. There was no reason to poke fun at him and risk losing what they’d managed to build together so far. 

“That sounds good!” he said as he clasped his hands in his lap and smiled out the window. 

The short time they’d been at the company so far had been very stressful, but he’d managed to do what he was told, and he’d managed to actually tell people to stop bothering him, too. It might have been a rude execution, but he didn’t care. It had worked and he had been able to do the task that had been assigned to him correctly. 

I will keep helping master Trever until I can find a job that will fit me well. I can learn more. I will learn to work around other people and become very useful so that I can earn my own money!

Wild Dog 33

Waking up to the sound of his phone going off, Wyatt gave a quiet moan and tugged it from his back pocket. He just-barely got it to his ear before it would have gone to voicemail. 

“Mm, hello?” 

“I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” 

Oh, Trever?

Suddenly much more awake, Wyatt gently moved his arm from beneath a still-sleeping Blake, then rolled over onto his back on the couch. 

Sage is gone…

“Hey Trever, how are things going?” he asked, wanting to jump to is everything alright?  but not wanting to assume that something negative had happened. 

The man on the other end of the phone chuckled a bit, then replied. 

“This is a video call.” 

O-oh. 

Moving the phone away from his ear, Wyatt stared up at the other man’s face, then looked slightly down and to the side at a sleeping… “Ravi?” 

Was that really Ravi? His hair was cut way down and actually looked taken care of, and while it wasn’t a surprise to see him sleeping against someone, considering that someone was Trever, but the fact that he wasn’t  in his dog form, was what was a shock. 

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ravi cuddle someone in his human form. 

Heck, he’d rarely ever seen him in his human form in general. 

Trever smiled sheepishly and shrugged his left shoulder. 

“I just wanted to give you a little update. Ravi got a haircut this morning.” 

He could definitely see that, but how had it had happened was Wyatt’s question. He’d tried to get Ravi to agree to a haircut several times over the years he’d known him, but he’d always been way too nervous around other people to go through with it.  

  “I found a really great barber. It took a while, but they both worked together really well and she ended up taking care of everything in one go,” he said as he reached over and gently sifted his fingers through Ravi’s gorgeous curls. 

The young guy gave a quiet mumble in response, but instead of waking, like Wyatt expected him to, considering someone was touching him, he simply snuggled a little closer against Trever before quieting down again to continue resting. 

“I’m impressed. He looks fantastic, and also seems to be getting comfortable around you. How are things going on your end, though?” Wyatt asked as Blake began to stir beside him. 

The man was soon cuddling up again, having rolled over after being woken up by the phone call. He was still clearly dazed and half-asleep, however, and looked so damn adorable as he stared up at Trever’s face with glassy eyes. 

“Mm, Ravi,” Blake finally mumbled as Wyatt lifted the hand of the arm the guy was resting on to hug him tighter to him. 

Trever nodded to Blake with a small smile, then returned his attention to Wyatt. 

“I’m doing pretty well, too. Went into work for the first time today. Things still don’t look great, so there’s going to be a lot that needs to get done. Interestingly enough, Ravi actually helped me out, and don’t tell him, but I heard him yell  when I sent him to get some papers for me from the printer,” Trever said, whispering that last part just in case. 

Wyatt furrowed his brow. 

“Yell? Ravi doesn’t yell. He barely talks on the rare occasions he’s actually in his human form,” Wyatt said, his voice filled with disbelief. 

Trever gave a quiet chuckle before hiding a yawn behind his free hand. That gesture had Wyatt glancing at the clock on his phone. 

Four A.M., no wonder he’s tired. 

“Sorry, I haven’t gone to sleep yet. Been reviewing paperwork and got a bit carried away,” Trever said as he glanced at Ravi. 

Sure sure, paperwork. I think you just didn’t want to wake someone up. 

Not that he could blame him. He’d never felt emotionally attracted to Ravi, but there was no denying that the guy was an absolute sweetheart. He’d also fallen asleep against him plenty of times in his dog form, and to say that Wyatt had let his arms or legs go numb so that he wouldn’t wake the sweet guy was an understatement. 

“Get some rest, and thank you for giving me a call. Please keep me updated,” Wyatt said before they ended their call… and his attention turned immediately to a certain man whose hand had slipped beneath the hem of his shirt. 

“Good morning, love,” Wyatt whispered quietly as he slowly rolled himself over onto Blake’s warm body. 

They shared a long, slow kiss before separating just enough to calm their breathing. 

“Did we just fall asleep on a couch at a BDSM club?” Blake asked with a hint of humor in his sleepy words. 

Wyatt grinned and kissed him again before responding. 

“Mm, we definitely did. Something about hearing those whips crack downstairs and those m—” his words were muffled abruptly by Blake’s lips, which he didn’t mind at all. In fact, the action made him smirk. 

“You’re a pervert,” Blake mumbled once he finally broke off that kiss. 

Wyatt pretended to look mortified, but just couldn’t hold back his smile when he was with his love. 

“Says the man whose fingers are toying with the hem of my pants,” he chided jokingly. 

He could tell that Blake was enjoying their time together, but there was also something in the younger man’s eyes that made him be extremely careful with his words and actions. He absolutely loved that he was feeling secure enough to touch him more, but he knew not to overdo it, too. Or to even let Blake go too far. 

Yes, they were probably going to overdo things several more times before Blake got comfortable enough around him, but he didn’t want those times to happen in such quick succession. The guy had already gotten extremely stressed earlier, and a full day hadn’t even past before they were both clawing at each other again. 

I need to learn some restraint. 

It was hard, though. He hadn’t expected to get the chance to actually have Blake in his arms again, let alone so soon after he’d left. Just thinking about it made him uneasy, and before he even realized what he was doing, his arms were tightly wrapped around Blake’s warm body and he was gently switching their positions again. 

“Is everything okay?” 

Hmm? 

Blinking out of his thoughts, Wyatt tilted his head on the armrest slightly and smiled down at Blake, who now rested on his body. 

“Yes, sorry. I just got lost in thought,” he said honestly. 

It was rude to do so while you were with someone who was wanting your attention, but he was also human and sometimes just slipped a bit here or there. 

“That’s okay. Is Ravi alright? He looked pretty content in that phone call,” Blake said, a knowing grin slipping onto his lips that Wyatt wanted to kiss until they were both out of breath again. 

Thankfully, he managed to hold himself back… but just barely. 

“He definitely did seem that way. I was a bit nervous about letting him go on a trip with his ex’s twin brother, but I think it was actually exactly what he needed. I know that he can differentiate between people, but that might only go so far. It’s no surprise that Ravi took an immediate liking to him. He looks exactly like the person he’d lived with for years, and he was far nicer than him, too.” 

Blake nodded as his left hand wandered beneath Wyatt’s shirt, having abandoned its venture farther south as to not push things too far. Wyatt wouldn’t admit it, but he could tell that Blake had heard most of his thoughts when he’d gotten distracted. Thankfully, he seemed to agree that he shouldn’t try to push himself, or Wyatt, too far, too fast. 

“Want to head home? I think Sage already left, since he tends to start work pretty early in the morning,” Wyatt said as he slowly sat up, allowing Blake to adjust until he was more balanced. 

Blake hopped up from the couch with a nod and stretched his hands high over his head, allowing his sweater to ride up just enough to catch Wyatt’s attention. He wanted to touch, but he had to behave… at least a little bit. He could feel Timmy running around in his mind, freshly rested and ready to love on his person, too. 

I need to figure out how to tell a rabbit that mating isn’t life. 

His bunny thumped its feet inside his mind at the mere thought of such a horrific suggestion. It was to be expected…

“When do you go into work?” Blake asked as he took Wyatt’s hand and lead him toward the stairs. 

The club was still pretty active, and a few stages were busy, but he didn’t really feel like looking at anyone besides the person tugging him along. 

“I usually go in around six thirty. I like to be early,” he said. 

Even though he lived pretty close to his job and leaving a few minutes beforehand would normally be fine, he didn’t like the possibility of risking being late. Although, he was definitely contemplating it if leaving on time meant spending more of it with his new submissive. 

As they left the club and headed home, Wyatt couldn’t help but think that calling Blake a full-fledged submissive wasn’t quite right. He was pretty sure that he was a bottom, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t a power bottom. The thought had crossed his mind a couple times, but his rabbit was not  a fan of the idea, so it quickly nudged it away whenever it came to the forefront. 

Timmy was trying to push it away now, too, but Wyatt internally shooed the bunny away as he contemplated the man sitting next to him. It was clear that Blake wasn’t really nervous about physical interactions… but he did  have a reaction when things got a bit too heated between the two of them. 

I was reacting too, though. Maybe if I keep my hands to myself a little more it will help him overcome some of the stress it gives him. 

“I’m willing to try that, but are you able to keep your hands to yourself?” Blake said with a knowing grin that brought a faint hint of pink to Wyatt’s cheeks. 

This man… already knows me too well.

“You can tie me up,” he said without really thinking as he turned onto the street he lived on. 

When Blake remained completely silent in response, Wyatt went back over what he’d said in his mind, then felt the color drain from his face. 

“Um…” was his only awkward response to his mishap. 

He was most definitely not  interested in being tied up. By anyone, at all. Not to mention, Sage would have an absolute field day if he even caught hint of the possibility. 

“Sage would definitely be salivating,” Blake said in response to the thoughts running through Wyatt’s mind as they pulled into a parking spot and he got the car turned off. 

It was almost funny how much Blake already understood Sage. 

“He most definitely would,” he agreed before getting out of the car and heading toward the stairs once he saw that Blake was following him. 

Once they got inside, Wyatt headed straight for his room, tugging his shirt off as he moved. 

“Sage is big  into bondage. If— When he asks you about it, just know that while he will listen to whatever you say and is extremely careful about safe words, if you give him the green light to tie you up, he won’t play around with you,” Wyatt said before turning around… and feeling his face heat again . 

Blake had followed him right into his bathroom… and even took of his own shirt in the process, too!

This isn’t the best way to take things slowly. 

Was he going to ask Blake to leave, though? Hell no!

“Something on your mind?” he asked as he tried to keep his hands from reaching for the man. 

Blake looked a little nervous for just a single moment before he smiled sheepishly and tucked his hands behind his back. 

“I was thinking that, because we both need a shower and we probably shouldn’t waste water, but there probably isn’t enough room for two… how about I shower with Timmy?” 

Before Wyatt could even open his mouth to respond he was roughly a foot tall and covered in soft, fluffy fur. 

Blake had evidently not expected him to actually shift, and honestly, the look of pure joy on his face as he grinned and reached down to pick up his bunny was worth the hassle of losing his human form for a bit. 

“Hey sweet Timmy. I’ve missed you,” Blake said cheerfully as he set Wyatt’s bunny on the counter before hurrying to undress himself. 

Since he had automatically undressed by shifting and being lifted out of his clothing, Wyatt simply sat with his ears up and little black eyes wide as he took in his love’s beautiful body. 

It’s honestly a good thing that I’m a bunny right now. 

He had a heck of a lot of self control, but damn…

“Glad you’re enjoying the view, master,” Blake said, making Wyatt inwardly thrash around, needing to be in control again. 

Of course, Timmy adamantly refused to relinquish the reins and once Blake was completely naked, gladly hopped right into his arms for a good bit of snuggling. 

“Your bunny is the cutest thing ever,” he praised as he peppered little kisses atop the small rabbit’s head. 

He’s adorable, sure, but he’s more of a pervert than I am , Wyatt grumbled, earning a laugh from Blake as he got busy taking care of setting the temperature for the shower. 

Once it was just right, he stepped inside with Timmy in his arms. It’s little nose flared as its nubby tail wiggled here and there, excited. 

Stop pretending to be all cute. You just want him all to yourself , Wyatt chastised his rabbit as it was finally set down on the tile floor so that Blake could look through his soaps. Being a bit of a clean freak, he had quite a few different ones to choose from. 

“Oh?” 

Oh no…

  Blake reached up and selected the one  soap he should have hidden before allowing the guy into his bathroom!

“Sleek and Shine, bunny all-in-one shampoo and conditioner?” 

Just hearing the name of his bathing product had Timmy’s ears perking up as he stood on his little hind legs. 

“Oh? Did I say the magic words?” Blake teased as he sat down in the shower and opened the bottle as the spray of warm water pattered against his bare back. 

Timmy hurried closer and put his front paws on Blake’s crossed legs, eager for what it knew came next. 

“I am a bit curious about something, though,” Blake noted as he scooted to the side a bit so that the water could dampen Timmy a bit. 

Wyatt felt his heart race in his tiny chest as Blake came to his own, correct, conclusion without even needing to ask the question that likely came to his mind. 

“Sage washes your bunny for you.” 

He couldn’t deny it. And he also couldn’t deny that he’d done it more than just a few times, either. The bottle was half empty, after all, and that was his third one… that year. 

A hint of shame nudged its way into his mind, but before it could begin to fester Blake lifted his little bunny up and pressed a kiss to its tiny nose. 

“You are the cutest, most-handsome man I have ever known,” Blake said, making Wyatt’s recently-lowered ears perk up a little. 

“Your bunny is also absolutely adorable,” he added, making Wyatt pause for a moment. 

Wait, I’m cute? You mean my bunny is cute? 

“Master Wyatt is extremely cute, but also very manly, handsome, and a truly sweet man,” Blake said with such an honest smile that Wyatt couldn’t argue. 

I’m a handsome, manly, cute man. 

It sounded so weird, but when Blake kissed his nose again, he just accepted the words. 

“Alright, time to scrub you up,” Blake said as he squeezed a decent amount of the soap into his hand, then began gently rubbing it into Timmy’s coat. 

At first, his bunny was fine with just having the attention, but after a short time Wyatt felt like he had  to voice its grievance. 

He wants you to use your nails…

His bunny really liked being scrubbed.

 “Oh? I can do that. I just didn’t want to hurt him,” Blake said with a quiet chuckle as he did as told. 

Wyatt’s bunny immediately turned into a puddle of happy fluff in his hands as he worked the shampoo into his damp coat. 

“You weren’t kidding. I guess it does feel good when I go get my hair cut and they wash it for me,” he noted with a smile as he finished scrubbing Wyatt’s bunny from ears to tail. 

“I think we’re good now,” he said as he stared down at him. 

It was obvious that he was about to move out of the way so that the water could hit him and begin to rinse him off, but Wyatt knew that Timmy didn’t want that. 

In fact, his little bunny let its ears droop and stamped its fuzzy feet in the puddle building around the drain, since it wasn’t quite depressed enough to flow perfectly. 

“I know that little stomping thing means you’re upset, but I can’t get over how adorable it looks. I guess you prefer longer scrubs, but your other half has to get ready for work, so I need to get you cleaned up,” Blake said matter-of-factly. 

That didn’t stop Timmy from continuing to pout, but he thankfully didn’t put up a fight as he was lifted and gently rinsed off, then set down again so that Blake could wash his own hair and body. 

Out of all the soaps Wyatt had, he’d picked the two he’d dreamed of him using. Peach shampoo and rose conditioner. 

When the shower was finally turned off, Wyatt had enough mental snapshots and mini-videos of the man in his mind to fuel his dreams for a very  long time. 

“Okay, my perverted bunny master. Time to dry off before work,” Blake said with only a slightly-chastising tone to his words. 

He would never say that he wasn’t a pervert for the beautiful man who was now picking him up, but it was only  him that he wanted to see naked. 

After setting Timmy down on the closed toilet seat, Blake grabbed a large, clean towel and began quickly but carefully drying his bunny until it was one big, fluffy ball of fur. 

“Okay, I can totally get behind that look on you,” he joked as he draped the towel over Timmy’s head with a playful laugh, making his bunny swat at it to try and find its way out. 

While he was doing that, Blake must have gotten himself a towel, because he could hear the faint sounds of the fabric sliding against his wet body. 

I want to see…

In less than a second, the towel was no longer an obstacle to obstruct his vision, because Wyatt had shifted back to his human form. His hungry gaze immediately rose to skim along Blake’s damp body as his tongue flicked out to moisten his lips. At the same time, he straightened into a proper sitting position and reached up. 

Blake, noticing what he intended to do, immediately leaned over submissively and allowed Wyatt to tangle his fingers into his hair, then tug his face closer until their lips could meet. 

A thousand things were running through both their minds at that moment, overlapping and tangling with each other just like they wanted their bodies to do, but both managed to restrain themselves enough to lean away from the other after a few tense moments. 

“I’ll go get dressed in the living room. Take your time, master Wyatt,” Blake said with a knowing grin as he briefly glanced down, then returned his heated gaze to Wyatt’s as he wrapped his towel around his own waist, then walked out.

Wild Dog 34

I don’t think this is how it’s supposed to go…

Once Wyatt had finished his shift at work they’d decided to go out and grab some groceries. Except, Timmy evidentially hadn’t had enough Blake time yet, and the second the man got home from work his bunny pushed itself out again and ran over to be picked up. 

He’d felt the man’s frustration at not even being allowed a hug before his bunny took over, but Blake hadn’t been able to reprimand Timmy. He was a bunny. A cute, adorable, fluffy bunny that wiggled when it was picked up! How could he dare even think about chastising such an angel? 

He’s a demon. If he shifts me back in the middle of this store naked I’m going to have Sage shave him later. 

Blake fought back a smirk as he tossed a few boxes of mac and cheese into the cart for himself, then continued on to grab spaghetti noodles. He had to move his head pretty slowly, because Timmy had demanded the best vantage point… the top of it. 

“Wouldn’t he love that, though?” 

Nah, he loves petting Timmy. Sage is a super tactile guy. He loves to touch things, and if they’re soft, all the better. 

Blake nodded his understanding as he moved onto the fruits and vegetable area and stocked up on a lot of different things. Thankfully, they both enjoyed fresh food, and a lot of similar ones, too. 

“Here you go, love,” Blake said as he snapped off a piece of a long organic carrot he was putting into their cart and held it up to the rabbit settled atop his head. 

You’re evil. You couldn’t have chosen a piece of lettuce or something? Wyatt grumbled as his bunny went to town on the little piece of carrot. His hair was probably going to get messy, but he could just wash it out later. Although, it didn’t seem like Timmy was daring to drop even a single scrap of the treat. 

He barely ever gets them. He’s not going to waste any. 

“You monster. Not giving your poor precious bunny carrots,” he said as he grabbed another bunch of them and tossed them in the cart. 

You… are just as evil as Sage, aren’t you? You were hiding it. 

Blake immediately wanted to say no take backs  but bit his tongue as a sense of panic welled up in his chest. 

Things can always change, Blake. We’re just going one step at a time with this. 

The reminder gave him something to focus on, allowing him to calm down enough to avoid a panic attack. Eventually, he got his breathing under control and heaved out a long sigh of relief. 

By this time, Timmy had finished his carrot and was patting his forehead with one little padded paw. Blake grinned at the gesture and reached up, gently taking that tiny paw between his fingers. 

“Thank you, Mr. Timmy. I appreciate your help calming me down,” he said honestly. 

He felt the bunny wiggle a bit from the attention, then started shopping again. By the time they were out of the fruits and veggies aisle their cart was a little more than half full. 

Blake stopped at the meat counter next and got a few pounds of ground turkey, some chicken thighs, and a few nice cuts of salmon. 

Another couple aisles later and they were stocked up on a few bags of chips and some tea for Sage. To be honest, they had gotten quite a few things with the other man in mind. It made him wonder just how much the two men’s lives were intertwined. Wyatt hadn’t mentioned him before they’d met up north, but that didn’t really bother him. 

He could tell that Wyatt wanted to defend his reasoning for not mentioning his friend, but it really was fine. Things had happened very quickly between the two of them. There had been barely any time to think, let alone delve deeper into each other’s lives. 

“Don’t worry about it. You two are close, and that’s absolutely fine with me. He’s a sweet guy, from what I’ve seen so far. I’m not upset. Besides, I can handle both of you.” 

He felt a zip of excited energy come from the bunny on his head and realized his mistake with a dark blush. 

“Um…”

He was about to correct his awkward wording, but instead, Blake pursed his lips and shrugged one shoulder. 

“You know what, no. I’m not taking it back. I can handle both you guys.”

He felt a nervous hint of curiosity in the back of his mind and tilted his head slightly forward until Timmy fell off and flopped down into his waiting arms. The bunny quickly began rubbing its nose with its paws and wouldn’t make eye contact. 

The gesture was definitely something close to embarrassment, but it also had some nervousness and possibly even a little intrigue mixed in. 

I’m getting good at reading rabbit emotions, I think. 

When he didn’t get any kind of response from Wyatt, Blake settled the man’s bunny in the child’s seat of the cart, then pushed it up to the check-out register. 

Their bill came to quite a bit once it was rung up, but considering he’d been shopping for two full grown men, plus at least a quarter of another, it was reasonable. 

Use my card , Wyatt said quickly as Blake pulled out his own. 

He didn’t really want to, but Wyatt had  asked him to use it while on their way there and he had  agreed. 

Alright . 

He quickly put his own wallet away and took out Wyatt’s from his back pocket, then pulled out his two-sided I.D.. He then handed the side with Timmy’s photo on it, as well as the debit card, to the cashier. 

The lady looked a bit shocked when she flipped the I.D. over to check that the information matched the card, not that he could blame her. He could also see the look of interest in her gaze when she saw Wyatt’s human photo. 

“Everything check out?” he asked, wanting to speed the process along. 

The young lady had the decency to look a bit embarrassed as she hurried to hand back the two cards. 

“Yes, go right ahead.”

Blake gave her a fake smile and quickly got their stuff paid for, then headed outside.   

Babe…

He knew that he was beginning to pout for no reason, but he couldn’t help it! 

Blake packed up the car and returned the shopping cart, like a decent human being, then walked back with his  bunny in his arms. 

He really was trying to calm down, but old habits died hard. Extremely hard, with him, it seemed. 

His old master had drilled it into his mind that he was the only  man that would ever want to deal with him. Of course, now he knew that he had been lying out his ass, but the damage was still there. Blake had become terribly jealous of anyone who even looked at his master, no matter how many times he was hurt by him. 

Now, with Wyatt, he was beginning to see that disgusting side of himself rear its ugly head again. 

I don’t see anything bad about being jealous over me, love. Believe me, I didn’t like it when the young guy at the meat counter looked you over one bit, Wyatt replied, making Blake pause as he sat down in the driver’s seat with Wyatt’s bunny in his lap.

Wind rustled his hair and the bunny’s fur as he thought back through their little trip to the store. 

Had that guy been eyeing me? 

He honestly hadn’t been paying attention to anything besides what he’d needed to buy from him. And besides, he’d had no reason to even take note of it, either, because he already had a a super sweet master, and a possible candidate for a second, if things ended up going that way. 

He had been looking at you, and if I hadn’t been a bunny, I would have kindly reminded him that you were most-definitely not available. 

Blake grinned as he settled Wyatt in the passenger’s seat and got his little pink bunny seatbelt harness hooked up properly. The guy really didn’t like it, but he also didn’t complain about it… more than once. 

 They drove home in companionable silence, but as Blake got the car parked, he was surprised to see Sage heading toward the stairs. Well, he had been heading toward the stairs until he, evidently, heard their car? 

He knows what it sounds like. Can’t sneak anything past that crazy bat. 

“That’s pretty cool, honestly,” Blake said as he undid Wyatt’s seatbelt, then picked him up and hopped out of the car. 

Instead of going straight to the trunk to get the groceries, Blake hopped up onto the curb and gently set Wyatt’s bunny in Sage’s arms. 

“Hold this for me, please?” he said with a grin that Sage would definitely be able to hear in his words. 

The man gladly took the little wiggling bunny, and, after only a quick snuggle, Timmy settled down and allowed himself to be tucked inside of Sage’s warm trench coat. Only his fuzzy little ears were sticking out near his collar. 

“Do I smell a freshly-washed bunny?” Sage questioned with a hint of accusation in his voice as he nonchalantly walked to the edge of the sidewalk and stepped down near the back of the car, following Blake. 

Feeling his face warm, Blake quickly handed Sage a few bags of groceries, then grabbed a bunch, himself, before hurrying up the stairs. 

“H-he was a dirty bunny,” he muttered as he went, not bothering to wait for Sage since the guy seemed to be navigating the stairs perfectly fine on his own. 

Blake hurried to drop what he had carefully but quickly in the little kitchen area, then headed right back out the door as Sage was coming in. He could hear the guy’s deep chuckle following him out, but he didn’t dare look back. He knew that he couldn’t see, obviously, but he still somehow seemed to know when he was making him blush!

Before Sage could come back down, Blake had already gotten the rest of the groceries and locked up. The man met him at the top of the stairs, though, and even though he was just nonchalantly leaning against the railing with a lazy smirk on his face, he looked like a damn model. 

Instead of making some snide comment or joke, which he was sure the man was expecting, Blake just shifted the groceries he was carrying to his left hand and arm, then took Sage’s hand and tugged him back toward Wyatt’s apartment. 

The moment he got the rest of the groceries set down, he straightened and turned around. He could tell that Sage had been waiting to say something. The guy was now leaning against the door he’d just shut and locked, a little bunny head poking out of the top of his coat as its nose flared in a hurried rhythm. 

It’s going to be bad, Wyatt warned as Timmy began nibbling at the hem of Sage’s coat. 

In all honesty, Blake would have been surprised if whatever the guy wanted to say wasn’t bad, or corny, or perverted, so when he finally did speak, it was completely anticipated… 

“So… what if I want to be a dirty bat?” 

 Of course, he still couldn’t manage to stop his face from turning even more red in response.

I… where did you find this guy, master Wyatt? 

Timmy flicked an ear and looked up at Sage as the other man looked  down at him. 

High school. Where you find all the good perverts. 

He couldn’t really disagree with that. It was actually a pretty accurate statement. 

He uh… actually really likes his bat washed, too, Wyatt said, making Blake’s eyes widen as he realized what he was saying. 

You two… take turns washing each others’ animals. 

It was too cute to even think about. Sure, whichever one was human at the time was probably naked since they were likely sitting in the shower, but come on? 

As nice as that eye candy would be, though, scrubbing a soggy bunny or bat? That was cuteness overload. 

He wasn’t sure how long he’d spaced out, but by the time he managed to pull himself from his daydream, Sage was right in front of him, a warm smile on his face and eyes crinkled slightly with humor. 

Blake could tell that he wanted to reach out, too, and likely pat him on the head or run his fingers through his hair, but the man had wisely decided against it. 

“Your sweet fuzzy love has instructed me that he’s not comfortable with me being a bad bat just yet, so I’ll behave and not ask again for a while,” Sage said as his blind eyes stared straight through Blake. 

I swear, sometimes I feel like he can see better than anyone else. 

Sage gave a quiet chuckle at his thoughts, making Blake realize that he’d accidentally shared them. 

“You can see everything, but if you understand nothing, what is there to look at it?” Sage asked… right before Timmy bit his collar bone, making him jump from surprise, and hopped out of his coat to thump down onto the floor. 

The bunny’s reactions had Blake trying to bite back a laugh, but he completely failed in the end. Thankfully, Sage was a great sport and while Blake was losing himself, hunched over and hugging his belly, Sage managed to get all of the groceries put away in their proper place. 

When he was finally  done laughing and able to catch his breath, Blake straightened up just enough to lean against the counter. 

Sage was watching him again, but both their attention quickly turned to Wyatt as his human form walked out of his room and right over to them. He was only wearing a pair of loose-fitting dark red boxers, and if Sage were anyone else, Blake probably would have stepped in front of his mostly-naked master, but he honestly didn’t mind. 

“I know that it’s getting late, but would you guys like to go for a quick walk down the street?” Wyatt asked as Blake eyed his single garment and Sage’s lips stretched into a knowing smirk. 

Before Blake could question him, Sage stepped toward Wyatt and lifted one arm around the guy’s shoulders, then tugged him right up against his side. 

“Absolutely, babe. Let’s go for a walk. You’re going to really enjoy it,” Sage said to Blake before releasing Wyatt and nudging the guy back toward his room. 

“You need to put on more than that, though… for now. Feel free to strip again once we get back, though.”

Wyatt rolled his eyes at him, but instead of returning to his room right away, he turned back around and promptly walked up to Blake and tugged him into his arms for a tight hug. 

Um? 

He definitely didn’t mind the hug, but it was kind of rand— oh. 

“Are you jealous of your bunny getting all the hugs today?” he asked with a cheeky grin as he looked up at his master. 

Wyatt didn’t even hesitate to nod, which drew attention to something that was on his head that technically shouldn’t be anymore. 

“Your ears… are still there,” Blake mumbled in awe. 

My dom has bunny ears. Bunny ears!

He wanted to grab them. And squeeze them. And tug on them. It was utter torture to hold back, but he managed… just barely. 

Sage, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate in the least!

“Babe, this is what dreams are made of,” he said as he tugged one of Wyatt’s ears as the man’s face turned red. 

He was nudged away once Wyatt regained his wits, making Sage give a quiet chuckle. 

“Go get dressed, babe.” 

Blake wasn’t sure if Wyatt would want to go out since his ears were still clearly visible, but the guy pursed his lips stubbornly and turned to return to his room. A few minutes later and he was walking back out in a pair of distressed black jeans, black boots, and a black T-shirt and jacket. And, unfortunately but understandably, there was a matching baseball hat on his head that was pinning down his ears so that only the very tip of them were visible mixed in with his hair near the back. 

On one hand, he was kind of sad to see them hidden away like that, but on the other hand… 

No one needs to see my dom’s bunny but the people he wants to see them. 

He was about to think that he  was the only one who should be allowed to see them on his human head, besides Sage with his echolocation ability, but he managed to stop himself before the thought really solidified. If Wyatt didn’t want to show his bunny ears when he was human, then he had no right to force him to do it. 

Rubbing at the back of his neck, Blake was honestly proud of himself for catching his near-mistake. 

He’s definitely mine, but as he said earlier. We’ll take it one step at a time. 

When Blake refocused his attention, both Wyatt and Sage were grinning at him. Wyatt with his super sweet, patient grin and Sage with his hot, I know  I’m hot, smirk. 

These two… 

Are so freaking awesome. 

Grabbing Wyatt’s hand and the cuff of Sage’s coat, Blake tugged them both toward the door. 

“Alright, let’s go for that walk,” he said happily. 

Said walk was surprisingly-quick. They had only covered roughly two blocks before they slowed to a stop in front of a little stand nestled between two larger buildings. 

Blake was a bit confused, at first, but when he was handed two warm cannoli wrapped in wax paper, his eyes widened. 

“I know it’s a bit odd to see a random vendor out selling these, and literally nothing else, but I swear that they’re going to be the best thing you’ve ever tasted,” Wyatt said as Sage devoured his first one in just a few seconds beside them. 

“The best thing ever, huh?” Blake replied with an anticipating grin. 

He honestly expected Sage to respond with some pervy comment of some sort, but the guy was completely engrossed in annihilating his food. 

This is better than sex. 

Ah, there he was. 

He doubted that the guy meant for him to intercept that thought, but he didn’t doubt that he would have said it out loud if his mouth wasn’t so thoroughly distracted at that moment. 

 Pushing aside all of those thoughts, Blake lifted one of the powdered sugar-covered cannoli to his mouth and took a big bite. 

Holy…

If anyone had said anything to him after that point, Blake hadn’t heard them. The only thing that mattered right at that moment was taking another bite of food. He finished both of his treats in record time, and as they began heading back, Sage snuck him a third one that he’d been hiding.

Blake took it without hesitation, but split it into three super messy pieces to share instead of eating the whole thing himself… even though he really  wanted to. 

“I’m glad you enjoyed them,” Wyatt said with a chuckle as he slipped his arm around Blake’s waist to settle a hand on his side and tug him a little closer. 

Being busy sucking at the mess he’d made off of his fingers, Blake was only able to respond with “mmn,” but that was evidently enough for his master. 

“The booth is only there every once in a while, so when I saw him setting up on my way home earlier, I knew that I had to get you down there before he sold out,” Wyatt said as Sage walked backwards in front of them with his hands tucked behind his back so that he could face them.  

It was actually kind of cool to see, since he didn’t have to look behind himself to know what was there. He didn’t even trip on the raised portion of sidewalk that caught Blake by surprise, even though he kind of wished he had, just so that he  didn’t feel so foolish. 

“I’ll fall for you any day, love,” was Sage’s unsurprising response. 

Blake didn’t mind it, though. He was getting quite used to both of the men who were beginning to situate themselves comfortably into his life. In fact…

“You already have,” Blake replied with a cheeky grin, and, for once, as they finished their short walk home,  he wasn’t the one blushing.

Wild Dog 35

Ravi felt his tail thump rhythmically on the bed beneath the covers as he began to come around. Someone was scratching behind his right ear in the perfect  spot. He stretched and grunted, flaring his nose to take in a few unfamiliar, faint scents, then the most important, familiar one. 

Master Trever…

Looking up slowly, Ravi blinked open one eye and gave a content huff. 

“Good morning, bud,” Trever said with a grin as he switched to gently petting Ravi’s dog’s head. 

He was a tiny bit miffed that it had shifted while he’d been asleep, but he couldn’t blame it. After all, before meeting Trever, he’d refused to be in his human form for more than a few minutes every few weeks. Now, his dog was the one that was being pushed into the background. 

I’m sorry, dog. I was being greedy. 

His dog snorted again and scooted more onto Trever’s chest as the man continued to pet it. Ravi watched through its bright caramel eyes as it got not-just attention, but cuddles, snuggles, and even a light kiss to its nose. 

I… I want that attention. 

Of course, he could feel it all through his dog, but for the first time in his life, he felt like he wasn’t  his dog. Right at that moment, it felt like they were two completely different entities. 

I’m not happy. 

“Vivi?” 

Ravi paused his internal musings at the sound of the odd name, and it seemed to surprise his dog, too, because it finally let him have control back. 

“Do you like that nickname? I wasn’t really sure what to call you since Wyatt seems to already use Ravioli… and I don’t really want to share a nickname,” Trever said with a hesitant smile on his face. 

Master Trever can call me whatever he likes. I don’t mind Vivi. 

“I’m glad. We should get up,” Trever said, even as he stretched out more beneath Ravi’s dog, making his previously-stilled tail begin to swish back and forth. 

Ravi was a bit distracted to really react to his words, too. He wasn’t sure why, but while he could see Trever’s dog staring at him through his eyes, the silver dog seemed reasonably okay with him being pinned down by another dog. 

“It takes him a while longer to really wake up in the morning, so he won’t be too upset… for now,” Trever said, making Ravi tilt his head curiously. 

The man was reading his mind quite a lot recently. 

Master Trever, may I lie on you like this in my human form? Ravi asked abruptly. 

He probably shouldn’t have requested such a blatantly dominant thing, but he wanted to do it, so he asked. It was better than not asking and trying to do it, which he disagreed with in terms of nearly everything. 

The only thing he’d never really asked permission to do when it came to other people was leaving his last master. 

He got a bit lost in his thoughts before he realized it and gave himself a little mental shake. By that time, he noticed that Trever’s face had turned a little pink. 

Cute…

Since he hadn’t gotten a verbal answer about pinning the man down in his human form, Ravi disregarded the question… but now he wanted to lick that face. 

Trever pursed his lips and his face reddened further as he glanced away for a moment, then looked back at Ravi. 

“Y-you can… do that.”

Ravi nearly jumped him at that moment, but then he hesitated and lowered his ears a bit and gave a quiet grumble as he pawed at his nose. 

“What’s wrong?” Trever asked as he reached up to nervously set a hand on Ravi’s fuzzy head. 

Ravi twitched his nose and flopped his head down on the man’s chest with a huff. 

I want to lick master Trever in my human form. 

The guy’s hand paused abruptly atop his head.

“That… probably isn’t a good idea,” Trever eventually said, surprising Ravi a bit. 

He perked up the slightest amount, flicking his ears and tilting his head. Yes, Trever had said that it probably wasn’t a good idea , but he hadn’t outright said no . 

Ravi quickly tamped down his growing excitement and calmed his dog enough to roll off of Trever… and right onto the floor!

He yipped, startled from the sudden fall, but quickly bounced up and shook out his coat as if it had all been planned. The bed was a bit smaller than the ones they’d had at the hotels they’d stayed at, so he’d been taken by surprise and fell off. 

Trever sat up, trying to stifle a laugh as he moved his legs over the edge and reached down to pat Ravi’s head. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh,” he said as he got up and stretched his arms over his head. 

“This full sized bed was fine for me when I was here alone, but I guess I should ask him for a bigger one now,” he noted with a sleepy smile. 

It’s okay, I like the smaller one , Ravi replied immediately. 

It had allowed him to cuddle with Trever all night long. He really  liked the small bed. Evidently, however, the man hadn’t seemed to hear his last thought. 

“Do you want to shower? I’m probably just going to rinse off real quick,” Trever said, earning a shake of Ravi’s head in response. 

He didn’t really want to shower… unless he could come in with master Trever, but he wasn’t about to simply ask that. Their connection seemed to have faded, anyways, so he simply lied down next to the bed to wait. 

“Alright, I’ll be just a minute,” Trever said before disappearing into the bathroom. 

Ravi watched him go and silently noted that he had left the door open… again. His dog saw it as an invitation to join him, but his human mind understood that it was simply him being given more trust. He left the door open because he trusted  him not to go inside and it probably helped it not get so muggy inside the small room from the steam of the shower. 

Thankfully, Trever didn’t waste time and walked out in a towel about eight minutes later after having brushed his teeth and combed and styled his hair. 

“Are you going to stay in your dog form today?” he asked as he tugged on a pair of boxers beneath his towel, then let it fall to the floor as he pulled out a pair of pants from his suitcase and pulled them on, too. 

Ravi watched without hesitation since the man had intentionally walked out in front of him with only a towel on, then dropped it after putting on only one layer of clothing. If he hadn’t wanted him to look, he would have brought his clothing into the bathroom. 

When the man looked back at him after pulling on a shirt, Ravi licked his nose and nodded. His dog was allowing him to move it like normal again, but he doubted that it would be happy giving up its freedom just yet. It wasn’t used to sharing with its human form. 

“Alright,” Trever said with a smile as he finished buttoning his shirt and put on a dark blue suit-jacket. 

Ravi sat up at that moment, expecting to hear that they were going to head out now, but instead of leaving right away, the man before him turned in a circle once, then smiled at him a little nervously. 

“Do I look okay?” 

Did he look okay? Master Trever was asking him  if he looked okay? Ravi had a slight bout of mental panic as he tried to figure out why the man would ever ask him , a literal dog , if he looked alright, but he quickly stuffed his blossoming anxiety back into his heart before it could show on his fuzzy face. Then, he nodded, several times, repeatedly, until he heard Trever burst into a quiet fit of laughter. 

“Alright, alright. I get it, I look great,” he said with a faint blush to his cheeks as he quickly packed a small bag with spare clothing, then gestured for Ravi to follow him. 

He didn’t mind being the cause of his master’s laughter, and he really  liked that because of his agreement, he had made the man so happy. 

They headed out of their new, temporary apartment in search of somewhere to eat. In all honesty, the place where Trever was working wasn’t too far a distance, so they’d decided to just walk most days in order to get some exercise and, hopefully, burn off some Ravi energy.   

Thier new place was actually pretty big, even though it was only a two bedroom apartment. They had played tug with a toy they’d picked up from the store on their way home the previous evening, then rested in bed until they fell asleep. Or really, until he  fell asleep. 

Master Trever had been studying the notes Ravi had gotten for him from the copying room earlier that day, and while there were two bedrooms in their apartment, he’d allowed him to snuggle up against him without a single reprimand when he’d caught him staring at the second room nervously. In fact, he’d even walked up to him and taken his hand to tug him the other way. 

He’d eventually fallen asleep on the man’s arm, but when he’d awoken he had somehow wound up snuggled right up against, and slightly on, Trever’s chest. 

The memory gave him a burst of energy that sent Ravi zooming around the little park they were currently passing. He ended up chasing a few innocent birds and one terrified squirrel up a tree before finally returning to a chuckling Trever. 

“Behave, bud,” he said with a tone that wasn’t serious enough to make Ravi question his actions. He basically just took it as don’t eat what you catch. 

“I think I’d prefer it to be perceived as don’t catch , in general,” Trever said as he gave Ravi’s head a pat as his dog finally returned to walking beside him, panting quietly. 

They ended up stopping at a bagel shop and ordered six for the day, along with some smoked salmon, cream cheese, and a huge twisted glazed donut for Ravi to have later as a treat. Much  later. 

They arrived with their meal still sealed away in a large paper bag, and it took a lot of patience to stay away from the delicious-smelling item, but Ravi managed. He even got through the door without a problem since he stayed right up against Trever’s side the whole time. 

They stopped by Mr. Spencer’s office first. The man was momentarily out, but the receptionist from the day before, who refused to take her eyes off of Ravi enough to make him scoot behind Trever, said that he would be back shortly. 

So, while they waited Trever pulled apart one of the warm cinnamon raisin bagels and fed Ravi piece by piece. He didn’t want to make a mess in the man’s office, so there would be nothing extra until they went to their own working space, but that was totally fine with him. 

After about ten minutes Mr. Spencer ran in, huffing and puffing as if he’d just run a marathon. He was also sweaty, again, making Ravi’s sensitive nose wrinkle. 

Having finished off the bagel between them, though Ravi had gotten the majority of it, Trever tucked their paper bag away and got down to business. He took out the stack of papers from the previous day and set them on the desk. He’d evidently marked them quite a bit while Ravi had slept last night. 

I wonder how long he stayed up.

Ravi allowed his mind to wander a bit as he went over what they would do once they got back to the apartment. He wanted to take care of his master, but his skills were still lacking… quite a bit. 

Looking down at his paws as he sat in the seat beside Trever, Ravi licked his muzzle, then began to chew on nothing. 

I need to learn how to be a better d— human. 

He had already been told, many times, that he was a good dog , but he’d never been told that he was a good person. Mainly, most likely, because he rarely ever allowed his human form out, and when he did, it was jittery, stressed, and just all-around uncomfortable to be around. 

You have been behaving very well in your human form. I’m not catching most of your thoughts, but don’t doubt yourself, Vivi. You are a good dog, and you are a very good person. 

Ravi felt his heart skip a beat in his fuzzy chest as he looked over at Trever at the same time his master glanced at him with a quick grin before returning his attention to the man across from them. 

He wanted to ask exactly what Trever wanted him to be, but two things held him back from inquiring. One, he didn’t want to interrupt his master’s work. And two, he didn’t want the man to think that he was stuck with him. He knew that he was a lot of work. It didn’t need to be spelled out for him, but he wanted to be worth enough to someone to want to keep him around and let him be part of their life. 

He thought he’d had that kind of situation before, because his previous master had never thrown him away, technically, but he had  left him outside to freeze and had been starved for both food and attention. 

His mind wandered again as he went over all sorts of different things he’d seen other people do for each other. They bought flowers, food, gifts… bought bought bought. Buy buy buy. He understood kissing and general affection, but Trever didn’t like those things… no matter how much Ravi wanted to shower him with them. 

I haven’t even kissed much, anyways. 

Who was to say that he was any good at it, anyways. He’d honestly hated it when his previous master had wanted to kiss his human form, let alone touch it. 

Heaving a silent sigh, Ravi let his shoulders sag before curling up into a stressed ball on the padded chair. 

I should just lick my butt and not think for a while. 

It was the only thing that could immediately stop his thoughts from going crazy, but he’d tried really hard to stop doing it since his old master had hit him for it. 

You’re a dog, sweetheart, I’m not going to be mad if you act like one. Just brush your teeth and wash your mouth out later if you decide to clean yourself, please. 

Ravi looked up with wide, slightly-watery eyes as he set his chin on the armrest to stare at his master. The man’s familiar hand settled atop his head and gently rubbed at the fur there as he continued to talk business with the other man for a few more moments before finally reaching over with his free hand to shake Mr. Spencer’s. 

“That’s all the questions I have about the papers, and I’d like to request one thing before we head over to check out your employees,” Trever said, earning a hurried nod from Mr. Spencer. 

“Of course, what can I do for you?” he asked as Ravi slipped from his chair to stretch. 

“I want your write up forms. Judging from the paperwork we just went over, several employees are overdo to be reprimanded for poor performance. I would rather fire them outright, but I know there are rules to follow,” Trever said, making Mr. Spencer somehow, sweat much  more. 

Ravi could sense Trever’s growing frustration within their intermittent bond, making him hesitantly tuck his tail, yet wag it at the same time. He knew that he wasn’t mad at him, but the emotion was the emotion, and he was used to it always being him that had his old master’s ire, so he simply reacted to it automatically. 

Mr. Spencer seemed to realize that he was already making a mistake with the man he hired, twice , to fix his company’s issues, and quickly produced a stack of paperwork and two pens. 

“Here you are. Do whatever you think is necessary,” he said with a grimy smile that had Ravi questioning what was cleaner; his own butthole, or the man’s mouth. 

Your butthole, I’m pretty sure , Trever replied as he gave the other man his own fake smile and picked up the papers and tucked the pens in his jacket pocket. 

“Thank you, I’ll send you an email at the end of the day with what I did and why, as per usual,” he said before dismissing himself. 

Ravi, of course, followed immediately after picking up their bag of bagels, flicking his tail and holding his head high as he practically pranced out of the office. 

My master is a bad ass. 

He heard the man chuckle as they headed past the original receptionist desk, then down a separate hall. When Trever opened a door to another room Ravi was a bit surprised. 

This office actually looks almost nicer than the boss man’s. 

“He likes spoiling people, but he doesn’t know how to put his foot down. I told him everything he needed to do to in order to keep this company going well last time I was here, but it just tanked again since he wouldn’t implement what I’d worked on,” his master said as he sat down beside the desk at the far end of the room and, instead of getting straight to writing up the paperwork he’d requested, he sat it aside and gestured for Ravi to bring him their bag of breakfast. 

The next half hour was devoted to making bagel sandwiches with the salmon and cream cheese they’d bought. It was an unfamiliar taste to him, but he couldn’t say that it wasn’t delicious. They polished off the remaining five bagels and split the water bottle they’d purchased with the food until it was empty. 

“That hit the spot,” Trever said as he took a pen out of his jacket pocket and got down to business. 

Ravi stretched out on the carpet and closed his eyes next to the man’s chair, not bothering to pay attention to the paperwork part. He took a quick cat nap until he heard Trever’s chair moving again, the sound drawing him out of his light sleep. 

“Ready to go make some people’s days not so great?” Trever asked as he got up, making Ravi hop to his feet, too. 

Always. I love making people’s days bad , he said, not really understanding but wanting to agree, anyways. 

They headed back out onto the floor and, unsurprisingly, stopped at the main receptionist desk first. Gina was there, but instead of greeting them, or even acknowledging their existence, she was painting her nails with her feet up on the desk. 

“Hello Gina, I have a piece of paper for you that you need to sign and return to Mr. Spencer by the end of the day, please,” Trever said before walking away. 

Ravi followed him, but as he looked back over his shoulder, he saw the young lady glare at them and flip his master off. 

And thus, their day went pretty much like that. They visited the main offices and handed out quite  a lot of papers. Each one earned them a glare, but, after two hours of handing out frowns and speaking with a multitude of employees, Trever handed someone a paper and their face actually lit up with excitement, Ravi tilted his head in curiosity. 

“Thank you so much, sir, and welcome back!” the older man said as he looked back down at the paper in excitement. 

They made a few more people’s days before worsening five others before finally returning back to the office to type up the email he’d said he’d send to Mr. Spencer at the end of their tasks for the day. 

Master Trever, why were people happy to get a write up? he asked, understanding the gist of what they were after listening to Trever explaining them to several confused employees that had clearly never seen such things. 

“A few of those were left over from the last time I was here. He’d added them to the stack in the hopes that I wouldn’t make everyone’s day terrible,” Trever said with a chuckle. 

Ah, well I am glad that some people got good news . 

Trever nodded and finished typing up his email, then got up and gestured for Ravi to follow him after swinging the bag he’d brought back over his shoulder. 

“I think we’re about done for today. I went around to introduce myself and handed out what needed to be given out. Now to see if people will respect my decision,” he said as they headed out after he locked up the office. 

Do you think that they will? 

Trever grinned and shook his head as they walked toward a now-fuming Gina who, surprisingly , was no longer painting her nails. 

“Some will, some won’t. I don’t doubt that Mr. Spencer is going to have a bad day, just like them. There will be a lot of arguing, I’m sure, but that’s not my problem. I can’t force his people to do anything. All I can do is deliver and implement the tools that can help him regain control over his staff,” he said as they stepped into the elevator and headed down. 

Ravi nodded in understanding as they stepped off the elevator and started their walk home. He had a lot going on in his mind as he tried to process everything that his master had done, and why. He didn’t understand much, but he was determined to understand enough. 

“Hey Vivi?” 

Ravi looked up, tilting his head slightly. 

“Thank you for coming with me on this trip. The last time I did this it was pretty stressful, but with you here it just seems simple. Even with all the glares I got today, I still didn’t feel nervous handling all of the employees,” he said with a smile that made Ravi’s heart thump within his chest. 

Needing to burn off the extra excitement from Trever’s confession, Ravi began bounding around the sidewalk and little field they were walking beside, making sure to behave and not chase anything… for too long, at least. No catching, either. 

It was around five by the time they got home and while Ravi played by himself with his tug toy, swinging it around and tossing it the air, Trever ordered them a pizza and relaxed on the couch with the TV on low. 

Ravi made sure to wear himself out a bit before walking over to Trever with his purple toy still hanging from his mouth. 

“Hey bud,” Trever said before sitting up and tugging his fancy jacket off, then tossing it on the back of the couch. He then laid down again with his head propped on the armrest and patted his chest. 

Taking the obvious hint, Ravi dropped his toy and hopped right up to snuggle with his person. He snuck in a tiny lick to Trever’s chin as the man pet him with both hands, and thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind at all. Not that he hadn’t been told that he could do it earlier, but he was still not the best with showing affection and he knew that Trever wasn’t interested in really receiving it, either. 

He thought over the situation several times as Trever turned his attention to the movie that was playing on the television but kept petting his soft coat. 

By the time Ravi had decided to try another lick he had shifted back to his human form… and was now propped up on his elbows, staring slightly downward at his surprised master. His hands were dangerously close to being able to caress the man’s neck and saliva pooled in his mouth as he considered how he would taste. 

Move. Move. I should move.  

He kept telling himself that, but his dog didn’t want to hear the version of the warning he meant. The most he was able to do at that moment was hold himself back from pushing things further. 

Thankfully, Trever noticed his internal struggle and, instead of responding with his silver dog, which wasn’t looking too happy behind his eyes, he reached down and picked up the paper bag Ravi had forgotten about. 

“Let’s have a snack before our dinner gets here,” he said, his voice only sounding a tiny bit off. 

Ravi immediately accepted the distraction, relieved that his dog was never not hungry. It also loved sweets, so even if it wanted him to eat Trever, a donut was enough of a treat to draw his attention away. 

Bringing the bag up to the couch, Trever took out the braided donut, making Ravi’s nostrils flare as the scent of sugar met his nose. Without even thinking, he leaned forward and took a bite of one of the ends, but when he went to pull away and tear it off, it didn’t budge much. 

“It’s probably gone a bit stale since it’s been in the bag all day,” Trever noted with a hint of humor to his words as Ravi continued to yank on the piece of sugary bread until, finally, he managed to tear the piece off with a frustrated growl. 

While the task had been a bit annoying for his human half, his dog half was quite delighted with the sensation of tearing. It was a hunter, after all, and not a very nice one, at that. Wild dogs tended to eat their meals on the go, which basically meant that they had to tear it apart as fast as they could before it could get away. 

They took turns tearing off pieces, and the shorter the braid got, the higher up Ravi inched on the man’s body. When it was finally down to the last two pieces, Ravi quickly inhaled his, but Trever took a few extra seconds to allow a quiet laugh to slip out before he began to slide his own piece into his mouth. 

Ravi had no problem with him taking the last bite, but his dog? Before he could stop himself, he lunged forward and grabbed the piece of dough with his teeth. At the same time, however, Trever’s eyes flashed and his silver dog seemed to urge him to not relinquish his food, either. 

Thus, both held onto the last bite of donut with their teeth. 

Ravi began to growl when Trever refused to relinquish the food, and as time passed, crawled even closer as their breathing mixed together. Even with his imposing behavior and warning growls, however, Trever’s own dog refused to give in. Ravi would have tried harder to calm his own pup, but when he noticed that Trever wasn’t growling, nor was he trying to tug the food away, he realized something. 

Is he…

Ravi felt his dog’s instincts surge as he reached up with one hand and tangled his fingers into Trever’s hair, then gripped it as he let out one final warning growl. He felt the man tense beneath him in response, but then, ever so slowly, he relented and released the morsel between his teeth. 

While he hadn’t really wanted the small bite of donut all that much, Ravi didn’t hesitate to chew it quietly, then swallow it down while keeping direct eye contact. The man kept looking away, but each time he glanced back up at him, he was met with the same dominant stare. 

When the food was completely out of the picture, Trever turned his head to the side on the armrest and kept his eyes averted. His face was quite flushed and Ravi read the signals loud and clear. And, although his dog wanted to immediately take things further, instead, he forced himself to calm down enough so that he could release the man’s hair, then carefully climb off of him and the sofa. 

He mechanically tugged on a pair of pants so that he could answer the door for the pizza that was going to arrive at any moment, and also to keep himself from climbing back onto his master. The man also needed some time to breathe. He hadn’t intended to crowd him and force a reaction… it had just kind of, happened. 

“I’m sorry,” he said clearly but nervously as he slowly walked over to wait by the door, wanting to give him even more space. 

Trever’s dog was extremely dominant, but his human form? He hadn’t expected it, at all, but he’d sensed certain things here and there. Now that he’d finally figured it out… he wasn’t sure what to do. He’d need to keep better control of his dog, for starters, and, he supposed, just go from there. 

Biting back a smile that he knew he didn’t disserve to have at the moment since he’d been quite rude to master Trever, Ravi crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, allowing his thoughts to replay their previous situation, and its conclusion, in his head over and over as he waited there. Even the man’s dog, as dominant as it was, had allowed Trever to respond to Ravi’s show of dominance in a way he hadn’t expected it to. 

Sighing out the craziness of the situation, Ravi tilted his head up slightly and closed his eyes. 

My beautiful, sweet master is submissive to me.

Wild Dog 36

“Is everything alright?” 

He’d never seen Trever look so stressed out before. Granted, he hadn’t known the guy for long, but he seemed like he generally had a good handle on his life. Even after Ravi had spontaneously jumped into it. 

“As far as work and things go, yes…” the man responded, making Wyatt tilt his head on his pillows as Blake snuggled in contently against his bare chest. 

They had been working on getting more comfortable around each other physically, and Blake had been adamant about there being no more clothes in bed. He definitely didn’t mind the idea, but he didn’t want to let the guy push himself too far too fast, so they’d compromised. They both still had boxers on. Smiling gently, Wyatt ran his fingertips along his man’s smooth, warm back as he chatted. 

“Where is

Ravi?“ 

The last time Trever had called him he’d been snuggled up nice and comfortably with Ravi, but now… 

“He went to sleep in the other room,” Trever said, clearly wanting to mumble but knowing that it would be rude. 

Wyatt frowned at that bit of information, but didn’t judge. Ravi could be over the top sometimes, so it was perfectly logical to make him go sleep in another room if he got to be a bit too much to handle. 

“What happened? Was he too hyper?” Wyatt asked again, wanting to get a better understanding of the situation. 

Trever took a few moments to figure out what he wanted to say, then seemed to throw it all out the window on a sigh and responded with an exhausted expression. 

“He pinned me down earlier.” 

Wyatt’s mind blanked for nearly a minute as shock washed over his system. He had never, for even a single second , though that nervous little Ravi was a dominant! 

“I… what happened after that? Did you yell at him?” 

He knew that such a thing wasn’t appropriate, so if the guy had yelled, he honestly wouldn’t be mad, but when Trever replied, Wyatt couldn’t help but become a little curious. 

“I didn’t yell. I uh… actually didn’t say anything. Neither of us really said anything afterward. He just got the pizza when it came and we ate in silence. I then got to work and he wandered off into the other room,” Trever said as he glanced away from the phone for a second, then looked back at it. 

Wyatt thought through his explanation for a moment before he replied, “did you like it?” 

He knew that asking something so straightforward wasn’t always the best route, but he was a very straightforward person. If he thought that something was okay to say, then he’d say without hesitation. 

As expected, though, Trever’s eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly in surprise. 

“I-I… o-of course not!” he ended up saying, making Wyatt fight himself not to raise his eyebrows and immediately grin. 

Ravi saw something that even I missed. 

Granted, he hadn’t been around the man nearly as much as him, but he was usually a pretty good judge of preference. Trever also didn’t act like any kind of submissive he’d ever seen. Now Ravi , however, acted very submissive, so hearing that he’d actually pinned Trever down was quite a shock. 

“Are you mad that he did it?” Wyatt asked calmly as he continued to run his hand along Blake’s back. 

Trever didn’t hesitate to answer that question with an “of course I am.” 

It made sense to be upset. Ravi shouldn’t have done something like that without permission. 

“Are you going to yell at him tomorrow?” 

Trever quickly shook his head. 

“No, I won’t. He’s already punished himself by sleeping in the other room tonight. He knows that he wasn’t supposed to do what he did.” 

Understandable… but very lenient considering what he’d done. 

“So you’re comfortable with how things played out? Are you still okay with him being there?” he asked, needing to make sure that Ravi was still in a good situation. 

Trever nodded right away. 

“I’m fine with it. I knew when I took him with me that he wasn’t a normal guy. He just made a mistake, and he corrected it without needing to be told to. So, I think we’ll be fine come morning,” he said with a determined smile that Wyatt felt was a little too hopeful. 

It wasn’t his place to burst bubbles, though. Perhaps the two could figure their situation out better than he could. Besides, he wasn’t there and he didn’t understand everything. All he was getting were bits and pieces whenever one of the two called him to check in. There was likely quite a bit more going on that he wasn’t seeing. 

“Alright, well if there’s ever anything you need, please don’t hesitate to give me a call,” he said before they chatted for a few more moments, then hung up. 

Not long after, Wyatt got snuggled in a bit better and tugged the blankets up over himself and Blake. They had a busy week ahead of them and they both needed some good rest. 

Hanging up his phone, Sage finally leaned back in his recliner and gave a content sigh of relief. His work day was over, but now that left him with another dilemma. 

My sweet bunny has a new man. 

Of course, he didn’t mind, at all. Blake was amazing and Wyatt deserved to have a nice sub like him. It was just… 

“I want to squeeze them both and kiss them until they’re breathless.” 

It had already been a few days since he’d seen them and he was itching to go back to Wyatt’s place. He honestly would have already be there after work, every single day, if the guy wasn’t actively courting a new sub. 

I really need to find one for myself. 

Of course, he knew that such a thing was extremely unlikely. Sure, he could get most single subs to look at him easily, not to mention kneel before him and beg for attention, but he knew that actually keeping one would be a ton of effort. A lot of the people he met at the club were great, but whenever he tried to take a sub over the last few years, it all ended up the same way in the end. Him being single within a few months. 

It wasn’t that any one of them were mean. And they all did  like him, but after living with each and every one for a few weeks, he would begin to see changes in how they behaved. He was the master, the dominant, the person in charge. That’s how it always was and that’s what he’d made sure to tell anyone who wanted to be around him. 

Except, after a little while of living together, his subs would begin trying to take care of things that he could easily do himself. He didn’t mind a little help around the house or with cooking, but the more he lived with someone, the more they began to baby him because of his disability. No matter how much he told them that he didn’t want them to spend their time working around his blindness, they always ended up doing so anyways. 

Humming quietly, Sage pursed his lips as he listened to his surroundings. His entire apartment lit up in his mind, showing him every single nook and cranny. He could see  just fine, and wanted to be with a sub that wouldn’t continuously, yet unintentionally, point out his one true flaw. 

Setting aside his laptop, Sage got himself up and stretched his arms over his head for a moment, then relaxed as he looked toward the door. 

I want some ice cream. 

He’d just worked three doubles in three days. 

I deserve some ice cream. 

His bat was also hankering for some, even though wild one’s normally only ate blood. It’s system had become accustomed to small treats here and there. It could also eat normal less-sugary foods quite frequently, as long as it was still supplemented often with blood or iron pills. 

I need to buy it first, though, so you need to behave until I can sit down somewhere. If you shift again before I can even purchase our treat, we’re going to go without again, he told it as he grabbed his coat and headed out. 

The walk was decently comfortable, and thankfully, their favorite ice cream vendor was stationed right outside the park. He felt his bat flapping around inside his head as he got closer. 

Behave , he warned it one final time before stepping up to the stand. 

The guy behind it gave a gap-toothed smile and pointed at the strawberry. 

“One scoop in a waffle bowl?” the man said, having already memorized his order from his previous trips there. 

Sage nodded and pulled out three dollars. 

“Yes, please. He’s very excited for it today,” he said with a chuckle as the man took his money, then scooped his treat up and handed it to him. 

“Tell him I said to enjoy.” 

Sage grinned, making sure not to look at the ice cream in his hand. 

“I definitely will. Have a great day, sir.” 

He quickly turned and left after speaking, needing to get somewhere that his bat could safely eat without being disturbed. Unfortunately, everywhere he looked there was either a stray cat, a bird of prey, or children. None of which were good for a tiny little bat. 

That’s when he realized something. 

I’m pretty close to master Wyatt’s home and it’s Friday. Maybe he’s home early and wouldn’t mind lending me a plate and a safe place. 

The thought had him grinning as he hurried toward the man’s home. It only took him about eight minutes before he got there, then headed up the stairs and knocked. His sensitive ears picked up footsteps inside, and when Blake answered the door, he offered the young man a smile. 

“Is master Wyatt home, by chance?” he asked.  

He knew that Blake wouldn’t mind him coming in to simply eat some ice cream, but he didn’t want to walk into another man’s territory while he was courting someone that he also intended to court. It wasn’t his turn, so being there alone with Blake, in Wyatt’s own home, was definitely not something he was comfortable with. He wouldn’t cheat his friend like that. 

“He is. He’s just rinsing off in the shower before we make dinner. Come on in,” Blake responded before stepping out of the way and holding the door open with a tired smile. 

Sage nodded and stepped inside, then walked over and grabbed a plate from the cupboard, then brought it to the table and set his now partially-melted ice cream on it. 

Two seconds later he was wiggling his fuzzy self out of his clothing with eager squeaks and chirps. 

“Here, sweetie,” Blake  said as he knelt down and helped him free himself, then lifted him up to the table so that Sage could take a flying leap into his little pool of strawberry milk and sugar. 

He knew that Blake was probably trying to hold back laughter as his tiny bat literally swam through its melting ice cream, but honestly, that was fine. If he was watching a bat swim through liquid milk and sugar, he’d be laughing, too. 

As it were, he scurried up onto a big chunk of strawberry and began gnawing at the bright red fruit, shaking his head every few moments to try and dislodge the frozen treat that had gotten into his ears and fur. 

He was so engrossed in his dessert that he didn’t even hear Wyatt come in, only noticing the man when he heard Blake address him. 

“I think he might need an intervention, master Wyatt,” Blake noted as he walked a little closer. 

Nonsense… dang, this is the best strawberry I’ve ever had. 

“Okay, bud, you’re going to drown yourself in there,” Wyatt said, finally making Sage’s ice cream-covered bat look up from its swimming pool. 

Before he could argue in squeaks, he was lifted out of the soggy waffle cone bowl and brought over to the sink. 

“Can you get the warm water going?” Wyatt asked as Blake appeared beside him. 

He immediately did as asked, then helped Wyatt squirt some soap onto Sage’s tiny squirming bat so that they could scrub his fur free from the ice cream. 

“I didn’t know Sage had such a sweet tooth,” Blake said as he followed Wyatt’s lead in where to add more soap as he gently scrubbed him with his thumbs. 

Sage didn’t make it easy to clean him. His bat was miffed it hadn’t even been allowed to finish its big strawberry, and he was kind of miffed because he really did  love that fresh ice cream. 

“You can finish it in human form. I don’t want you drowning in sugary milk in my home,” Wyatt said as he easily wrestled his bat into submission. 

I chose the wrong place to eat , Sage thought stubbornly as he finally gave up and turned his attention to Wyatt’s thumb right beneath his fuzzy little jaw. 

He flicked an ear as the other man gently cleaned it out, then tilted his head just-so. He felt him flinch slightly from his bite, but Wyatt didn’t comment as Sage’s bat quietly sucked on his thumb. He figured that the man was letting him get away with it because he had stopped struggling against him, but either way, he wasn’t going to let his treat be spoiled without taking another one from his tormentor! 

A quiet laugh to his left had Sage glancing in that direction, but refusing to remove his tiny teeth from Wyatt’s thumb. 

“His thoughts are pretty great,” Blake said as Wyatt reached up and grabbed a few paper-towels, then wrapped them around Sage’s bat, finally freeing his thumb from his fangs in the process. 

Blake, tell him he’s being mean! This was my ice cream day! Sage complained as he was thoroughly dried between the four paper-towels like a white potato!

“You’re a little cuter than a potato, but now I can’t get that comparison image out of my head,” Blake replied, a grin hiding in the tone of his voice that made Sage finally lose his patience and squirm until he shredded the white towels into damp bits, letting out a raucous squeak at the end of his tyrannical ordeal!  

When he eventually came down from his unwanted bath frustration, he looked up at the two men staring down at him as he sat perched on the edge of the sink. Of course, he didn’t technically see  either of them, but he was still making enough noise so that his echolocation worked well. 

You’re both cruel. I came here for safety and acceptance, and you not only stole my ice cream, but forced me to take a bath in the sink!

Wyatt retrieved a clean dish towel and reached forward to pick up Sage, but before he could grab him, his little bat flew over to the couch and landed on a throw pillow. 

They seemed to decide to let him calm down a bit and started making an early dinner. Sage waited impatiently until they were decently distracted, then quickly flew toward the table, and his waiting melted ice cream! Unfortunately, Blake likely caught the slightest fraction of the end of one of his thoughts, because right before he could land in his pink waffle cone bath, the man caught his bat in mid-air.

“Dang, nice catch,” Wyatt said as he quickly removed the dish from the table. 

Instead of throwing it away, however, he put the entire thing, plate and all, onto a shelf in the freeze. 

“We’re going to keep it?” Blake asked, seemingly a little surprised. 

Wyatt shut the door, then turned to him with a smile for both himself and Sage. 

“It’s honestly not mine, so of course I won’t throw it away. Sage’s bat just gets a little crazy for strawberry ice cream and he can actually hurt himself if he accidentally asperates it after it melts, so I’m really glad that he decided to come here to eat it,” he said, making Blake hold the little squeaking bat against his chest protectively, much to Sage’s split excitement and frustration. 

“Then he can have it for dessert once he shifts back,” Blake added after a moment as he helped Wyatt get vegetables prepped while his love browned some ground chicken in a skillet. 

Sage dozed for a bit within Blake’s shirt as the man worked on cutting up vegetables and mixing them together in a bowl with cream of chicken soup. The meat was added to it once done, then the entire thing was seasoned again before being added to a big puff-pastry-filled muffin tin. The two were making enough noise to tell him what was going on, and his sensitive nose made picking out most of the ingredients too easy. 

Wyatt had also gotten out a much smaller tin, one he was familiar with, and lined it with scraps of the pastry dough, then filled it with the leftover ingredients. After adding a quick layer of grated cheese on top of each, he got them into the oven and set the timer. 

“Now then,” he said as he leaned over and stole a quick kiss, then looked down at the little fuzzy head now sticking out of Blake’s shirt the slightest bit. 

“Let’s clean up a bit since we have a guest for dinner.” 

My babies are cleaning up and making dinner for me…

Maybe he would stop being upset about his ice cream now… besides, he could still eat it later. 

Thankfully, they had a pretty small apartment, and it didn’t take them long to sweep up and put away the random books or clothing lying about. As they worked, they talked about the jobs Blake had applied for, making Sage perk up with interest. He liked the idea of the man staying in their area, even if he didn’t eventually end up as part of his personal life. He still definitely wanted a friend position. 

They were just finishing up cleaning when the timer for their dinner went off. 

The little chime drew Sage’s attention as everyone washed their hands, then Wyatt got their food plated and Blake brought him over to the table and set him down on a clean, folded hand towel. 

Before he had time to wander around, Wyatt brought over a little saucer plate with a miniature chicken pot pie muffin on it. 

“Here ya go, Peppermint. It’s not ice cream, but I promise you can have some more if you eat a bit, alright? It’s not good to have  too  much sugar in one go,” he said as he offered the little bat a smile and Blake brought over their two much larger plates. Add two glasses of water and a little dish of it for Sage, and they all sat down to enjoy their peaceful family meal. 

(Sage kind of commandeered this chapter but oh well XD)

Wild Dog 37

As he’d predicted, Ravi apologized and things went back to normal, mostly. Ravi decided to keep sleeping in the spare room, but he busted his butt at work and was becoming quite proficient at running errands and making copies. He was also not taking any nonsense, and while Mr. Spencer had received quite a few complaints about Ravi’s attitude when people tried to talk to him, he dismissed it all once Trever sat down and spoke with him about it.

Ravi wasn’t there to be anyone’s friend. The only person he had to be around and at least be willing to talk with sometimes was him. Anyone else could just get over his little attitude . He was his helper. No one else needed to pay him any mind.

They can go find their own dog.

Looking up from his messy desk, Trever saw Ravi slip in through his office door, then nudge it quietly closed before heading his way with a determined expression. It was the look he usually wore when helping him out at work. He had actually been gone the previous day, having requested to be dropped off in town, then picked up after Trever had finished everything he needed to do at the company for the day. He’d been quite dirty when he’d climbed back into his car, too.

Trever had asked what he’d done all day, but Ravi had just smiled and said he’d been looking around town. It made him even more curious, but he let it go since it was obvious that Ravi hadn’t wanted to share his activities.

“I delivered the paperwork,” Ravi said as he stopped in front of Trever’s desk, waiting silently for his next requested task.

It had only been a couple days since their awkward situation had transpired, but the guy had really put his mistake behind him and was honestly one of the best workers he currently had at his disposal. He’d also set up an employee account for him and got a 401k savings plan started, as well as a timesheet for pay. Mr. Spender saw how well he worked and how much he helped Trever get his job done, so he’d gladly agreed to pay him a wage. It was just the entry salary, but Ravi was more than happy to start earning some money and Trever thought that it was a fair amount.

“Look over these papers for me real quick? I made some notes and just need a second pair of eyes to double check me,” he said as Ravi reached forward and took the proffered items.

He quickly nodded and gave him a “yes sir” before sitting down in one of the seats across from him and beginning to read.

He still struggled a bit with reading and understanding certain things, especially when it came to work related topics, but the guy continued to show improvement and powered through the documents. It took him a while longer than it might most people, but that was perfectly fine with him. Ravi took any task he was given very seriously, and as Trever skimmed the papers that were handed back to him with only a few small extra marks on the pages, he was quite happy with the guy’s work.

“Perfect, you caught a few things I hadn’t noticed. Thank you, Vivi,” he said as he pulled up the documents in his computer and fixed the errors.

Once he was done, Trever leaned back in his chair and gave a good yawn as he stretched his arms over his head. He could feel eyes on him as he did so, and wasn’t too surprised since his previously tucked-in shirt pulled up just enough to free itself from the waistband of his pants. When he lowered his arms and opened his eyes, Ravi was just finishing looking away with a faint blush on his cheeks.

Cute pup.

Ravi glanced back at him with a slight head tilt, making Trever purse his lips for a moment as he realized that the guy had picked up on his thought.

“Um, want to head out? I can do the rest of today’s work from home since you’ve already copied everything else I needed and we’ve already checked the reports for today,” he said as he got up and began cleaning up his desk.

Ravi gave a quiet sound of agreement and stood, too, then leaned over to help him clean up the mess he’d made throughout the day. Their fingers brushed each other’s a few times as they worked, but Trever didn’t really pay much mind to it. He was getting used to simple things like that with Ravi.

Once they were all set, they headed for the door and Trever gave Ravi an appreciative nod as the guy held it open for him. They rode the elevator in silence and walked quietly to Trever’s car, but it was obvious that something was on Ravi’s mind. The guy was chewing nothing, which was pretty much a dead give away.

Thankfully, as soon as they got heading back home, he spoke up.

“Can we stop at a clothing store, please?”

Trever glanced around and spotted a decent one right after he’d spoken.

“Sure, there’s one right here,” he said as he pulled into a parking lot a few moments later.

It was just a normal chain store, but it was quite large so he was pretty sure that Ravi would be able to find something he liked. It was pretty busy inside since it was around four in the afternoon, but to his surprise, Ravi didn’t seem to mind all of the people milling about. One of his hands was clenched at his side as he began looking through racks of clothing, but that was really the only visible sign that he wasn’t a fan of the crowds.

Trever followed him around for a little bit, but when Ravi didn’t seem to ask him anything or request he look at certain clothing with him and give his opinion, he wandered off to look for a few things for himself.

By the time he’d selected two new pairs of pants and a dress shirt, he figured that Ravi would have had enough of the place and be ready to go. Except, when he went back to find him, the guy had actually retrieved a shopping cart and had quite a bit of stuff inside it.

He was just about to call out to him when he saw him turn and head toward the dressing rooms.

He’s actually going to try stuff on, too?

Trever paused in the middle of the aisle, holding his few articles of clothing draped over his arm as he watched the guy walk away.

What happened to my shy, nervous Vivi?

He awkwardly wandered over to the dressing room area, then took a seat outside to wait. It wasn’t two minutes later that he felt a hesitant nudge in the back of his mind, as if Ravi’s dog wanted to get his attention.

You want me to come over?

He felt another nudge in response, and when he heard a door creak open a second later, he slowly stood up. It was a bit weird walking into the long hallway of dressing rooms, but when he spotted Ravi at the end, glancing at him as he hid mostly behind a door, he felt a bit better.

You wanted me to come but couldn’t quite voice it, then.

He was okay with that. As long as he was supposed to come, how the guy got him there wasn’t an issue.

“Can I see your outfit?” he asked with a small smile, honestly curious about what he’d decided to pick out.

Ravi hesitated for only a moment or two more before he stepped out into the hallway. At first, his eyes stayed on the floor, but it wasn’t long before they rose up to meet his. Trever wasn’t exactly focused on those eyes, however, and was instead a bit taken aback by the outfit Ravi had picked out.

It wasn’t that the clothing looked bad or didn’t fit. Nothing was technically wrong with it, but there was something a tiny bit off…

“That looks really good, but can I see what else you got? I think they might look better split up,” he said as he waited for the guy’s permission to walk forward.

Ravi hesitated for a few seconds, but then seemed to get over his his nerves and nodded as he disappeared back into the dressing room but left the door open.

Accepting the silent invitation, Trever stepped inside… and had to keep his eyes from going wide and his jaw from dropping at the sheer amount of stuff Ravi had brought into the dressing room.

I swear there was a sign about a limit of six items or less.

There were at least twenty different articles of clothing in the little room.

“Okay, let me see,” he said as he set his own things down and he heard Ravi shut and lock the door behind him.

The guy joined him a moment later as Trever held up a black turtleneck shirt.

“This might also go with those pants, if you want to try them together,” he suggested, honestly wanting to see the two garments together on him.

Ravi stared at the shirt, then at the hot pink one he was wearing. The pink one was soon on the floor as he tugged the black one over his head. Trever averted his eyes for the few seconds it took Ravi to finish getting dressed, then looked back at him with a grin.

“That looks really good. I knew black would match those jeans well,” he said as he reached forward and carefully adjusted the faded blue jeans on Ravi’s hips just a bit.

“This outfit would work great at the office, too.”

It wasn’t sophisticated or dressy, but it was decently stylish while not being overboard in any way. It was a basic, nice-looking outfit.

“Do you like it this way? You can always switch out the pink and black, too,” he said, hoping that him stepping in to switch the shirt didn’t make him upset in any way.

He was getting much better at understanding when Ravi was getting frustrated or upset, and could normally avoid causing any undue stress pretty easily now, but sometimes some things just didn’t go the way they needed to. For those now-rare moments, Trever would just try to keep Ravi as calm as possible until he was able to pull himself out of the stressful darkness he slips into.

He was honestly surprised that the faint background music in the store wasn’t bothering him, now that he realized it was there.

“Mm, yes. Master Trever should try his things on, too,” Ravi said as he grinned and tugged off the black shirt, then removed his pants as Trever hurried to turn around.

The dressing room he’d picked was likely the biggest one they had, so there was enough room for him to change, too, but…

“It’s okay if you don’t want to. I changed again already. Can you tell me what you think?” Ravi said, making Trever stop momentarily panicking as he slowly turned back around.

Oh.

Ravi now had on a pair of white jeans that hugged his legs perfectly. The top was a dark purple and black sleeveless shirt with little wisps of dark blue swirling around down the left side.

“That looks really nice,” he said honestly as he tucked his hands behind his back to keep from reaching forward again.

There really wasn’t anything that needed adjusting on the outfit. He just wanted to reach forward for some reason.

When Ravi smiled happily Trever couldn’t help but mirror his expression. The guy began to strip again, but this time, Trever didn’t bother looking away… completely. He turned his attention, instead, to the clothing Ravi was likely going to try on next.

It seemed like the guy had already set most of his stuff in specific piles, now that he really looked, so it was easy to know what he was wanting to try on together and what was fine to test with anything opposite it.

When they got down to the last few items, however, Trever paused.

That… definitely doesn’t look like it would fit him.

When he looked sideways at Ravi, the guy had a plethora of emotions flitting across his face.

He picked it out for me.

It definitely didn’t look like something he would normally wear with his plain wardrobe of mostly black and grays, but what the heck, trying something on couldn’t hurt.

So, turning around, Trever tugged off his black dress slacks and quickly pulled on the pair of black jeans. Thankfully, they weren’t too tight, and honestly fit quite well.

When he tugged off his shirt and tossed it onto one of the benches, then turned around to grab the shirt Ravi had picked out for him, he realized something and paused with his arm outstretched.

He was about to ask himself if he felt eyes on him, but the answer slapped him in the face without him even needing to respond. Of course there had been eyes on him, Ravi was in the dressing room, too, and he hadn’t exactly told the guy to turn around!

Shaking his head slightly, Trever shrugged off a wave of oncoming stress and grabbed the shirt. Thankfully, it settled over his body comfortably.

Oh?

He hadn’t noticed the design on the front, but now that he saw it, he couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as he looked over at Ravi.

“You would find the one shirt that had a dog on it,” he said as he turned to face him in his new outfit.

Thankfully, the dog was actually perfectly placed and didn’t look odd in its little corner. It was also embroidered in dark red as a partial outline, so it honestly looked pretty nice on the lighter red shirt.

Slipping his hands into the pockets of his pants, Trever gave a boyish grin and shrugged one shoulder.

“How do I look?”

Ravi was already wiggling, even in his human form, so it was no surprise when he gave an eager humming whine from his dog in response.

“I’ll take that as a positive review,” he said with a grin as he quickly pulled the shirt off, then replaced it with his previous one.

A moment later and he had done the same with his pants. Once he was back in his regular clothes, Trever looked back at Ravi and was a bit surprised to see that he had changed back, too.

“All set?” he asked.

When the guy shook his head, Trever furrowed his brow in confusion.

“What are we missing?”

When Ravi pointed past him to where he’d left his own few items, Trever felt his face warm slightly.

Ah, right.

He hadn’t really planned on trying them on. He knew what fit him and what not, so there was really no need. Except, those puppy dog eyes of Ravi’s were making a rare appearance.

Reaching over, Trever mussed up the guy’s soft curly hair.

“You’re a bratty pup, you know that?” he said before pulling his shirt off again.

Those familiar hungry eyes didn’t hesitate to watch, but Trever just shrugged them off as he pulled on the white collared shirt he’d brought with him, then tugged his pants off to pull on a similar pair of gray dress slacks.

I… really don’t have much diversity in my wardrobe.

It was always black or gray with a rare splash of white. He only owned a few pairs of non-dress clothing, too, and they were mostly just black jeans and black shirts…

“Master Trever is very handsome,” Ravi said, drawing his attention away from his bland outfit.

He was about to respond with a generic set of words, but they got caught in his throat as he simply stared at Ravi. The guy didn’t look any differently than he normally did. His hair was tussled but beautiful, his smile wide and dimples clearly visible…

Why do I feel weird looking at him all of a sudden?

He didn’t really want to dwell on the awkward situation, so he decided to shrug it off and quickly switched back to his original outfit. Once he was done he turned back to the other man and was relieved to see that Ravi had gathered up a big armful of clothing and was waiting by the door with a content smile.

Trever walked forward and opened it for him and then helped him load up the stuff he wanted to keep… which was all of it. He had to hand it to the guy, he had picked everything out very carefully. Setting his own things in the cart, they headed for the check-out at the front of the store.

“Want to go get something to eat?” he asked as they waited in line.

He wasn’t too hungry, but if they had an early dinner they probably wouldn’t need to go out later or cook the little bit they’d bought from the grocery store a few days ago. Of course, he should cook, but he was lazy when it came to such things.

“Sure, I saw a sign for Chinese?” Ravi said with a hint of excitement to his words.

Chinese did sound good. They’d done quite a few fast food places and some sit-down barbecue, but not Chinese yet.

“Sounds good,” Trever said as they finally got to a register and began loading up the counter.

He was just about to step over to where the cashier was ringing things up to get ready to pay when Ravi ran up first.

Eh?

Before he could even consider that Ravi had brought enough money to pay for all of their stuff, the guy whipped out a brand new wallet and handed the cashier their entire total… in cash.

I know that we’re paying him and he has money now, but when did he buy a nice wallet? And why did he bring so much when he knows that I have plenty to pay for whatever he needs?

“Thank you, sweetheart. Here’s your change. Have a wonderful day,” the lady behind the counter said as Ravi quickly took it and the receipt, then finishing setting the rest of their bagged clothing in the cart. Once that was done he took Trever’s hand as he began pushing the cart toward the door, snapping Trever out of his surprised daze.

He couldn’t find words until they were outside beside his car.

“V-Vivi, I could have paid,” he said as he awkwardly unlocked the car trunk so that they could put their things away.

Ravi just gave him a beaming smile over his shoulder as he set another bag in the trunk.

“I can pay now, too,” he eventually said after finishing loading up their remaining items.

It feels so weird when you pay, though!

Trever forced his strange thoughts to the back of his mind as he gave a silent sigh, then put a smile on his face.

“Thank you for the clothing, Vivi. Ready to go eat?” he said as he shut the trunk and they headed back toward the store to return the cart since they’d parked decently close.

Ravi gave a happy hum and nodded as he skipped ahead, seemingly overjoyed with their little outing. The guy’s excitement alone made Trever smile honestly as they then headed over to the restaurant next door.

It had looked like a fast food place, but it was actually sit-down, which was fine with him. The moment they were seated they were handed a menu. It was a bit pricey but it seemed like a lot came with a meal.

Ravi grinned over his menu after a moment and said “get whatever you want.”

Trever raised an eyebrow at the guy’s words.

Gonna pay for this too, huh?

Ravi gave an overjoyed nod in response to his thought, making Trever chuckle as he set his menu down and looked it over closely.

“Alright, the bill’s all yours, Vivi.”

The waiter came back a few minutes later with waters and to take their orders. Trever got spicy pork and vegetables while Ravi got sesame chicken and crab wantons.

Their food came with sides of ginger salad and miso soup, so there wasn’t much time for talking, but neither of them minded. The food was delicious and they both ended up cleaning their plates.

“Wow, that was fantastic,” Trever eventually mumbled as he heaved a content sigh.

Ravi looked just about ready for a nap. His head began bobbing slightly once he finished all of his food, but he quickly shook it to snap himself out of his oncoming doze.

He then took out his nice wallet and after glancing at the bill, set a fifty on the table. It was a bit of a steep tip, but when Ravi got up, clearly ready to leave, Trever decided to let him do as he pleased. The waiter had been great, and the food had been amazing, so twenty percent wasn’t unreasonable.

Trever got up, too, then followed Ravi out, thanking the hostess on their way for the great food. Once back outside they both stretched and yawned, then headed for his car in content silence.

The drive home was also quiet, but that was probably because Ravi had conked out almost immediately and was now snoring softly as he leaned against the window. The sun was on its way down and the warm breeze from the slightly opened back windows made it quite a nice, peaceful ride.

Today was a good day.

For some reason, Trever smiled the entire way home, then carefully carried Ravi upstairs in his arms. It was a bit tricky to get the door open, but he managed. Once inside, he slipped his shoes off, then headed for the couch. Except, when he got there, he hesitated to set Ravi down.

The guy was completely out cold, so if he set him down on the couch, that’s probably where he would sleep all night.

That’s no good.

Turning, he walked toward the hall and into his own room. They had long-since gotten over that awkward situation several days ago, so he didn’t really mind Ravi sleeping with him again. Thus, he gently laid the guy down on top of the blankets, since it was a tad warm, then carefully tugged off his shoes.

Once he was done, he went back outside and brought up all their stuff, then walked back into his bedroom after locking the door and turning off the lights. Except, instead of just getting into bed like he’d planned, his feet took him back over to where Ravi was sleeping. He’d rolled over, but looked a little uncomfortable…

Ah, his phone.

Reaching down, Trever removed the large device from his pocket, then watched as Ravi got a bit more comfortable, then sighed contently.

My bad. I should have grabbed it right after I set you down.

He was just about to put it on the nightstand after having plugged it into his charger when the screen lit up.

Digging Person: Hey there, kid! Thank you again for helping us out the other day. Your dog was fantastic with digging the holes we needed. Even better than our broken machine! We wanted to see if you’d be interested in helping us again this Saturday around noon? We’d pay one hundred again. Let me know!

Oh, and I hope your date went well! You’re a good guy and I’m sure whoever it was loved spending time you with you.

Trever stared at the message for a long, long while before slowly setting the phone on the nightstand, face down.

Was that what that had been earlier? Did he pay for everything thinking that we were…?

Licking his lips slightly, Trever stared down at the sleeping man in his bed. Yes, he’d enjoyed the time they’d spent together, but if he’d known that Ravi had considered it a date, would he have still gone? He wanted to think no immediately, but as he finally pushed himself to walk around to the other side of the bed and remove his outer clothing, he knew that he was being foolish. The second Ravi had offered to pay for their clothing, he’d known that he considered the situation important.

The guy had been getting paid each day he went to the office instead of setting up a bi-weekly system like the other employees. And he’d evidently been working the day he hadn’t gone, too.

Digging holes… No wonder he’d been so dirty when I’d picked him up that day.

Sitting down on the bed in just his pair of boxers, Trever lifted his legs up onto it and laid down. His head immediately turned when it hit his pillow, though, and his eyes soon fell upon Ravi’s sleeping face.

How did you even find that odd job? Why did you even take it?

Of course, he knew why . He’d wanted to take him out on a date with his own money, but he probably hadn’t been sure exactly how much it would cost, so he’d tried to make some extra money while also taking a break from the people at the office.

A faint smile curled the edges of his lips as Trever turned onto his side and nuzzled into his pillow, then finally closed his eyes.

I guess I can’t be mad. If he wants to think that we went on a date, then so be it.

The food had been excellent and the shopping had been nice, too. As he drifted off, Trever replayed their evening together in his mind. The last thing he remembered before drifting off was the look in Ravi’s eyes when he’d turned around in the dressing room. The attentiveness and honest yearning in them had made his heart fidget in his chest… and as he fell asleep with that image firmly settled within his mind, his heart moved a little more.

Wild Dog 38

Blake knew that he’d wiggled himself out of Wyatt’s hold at some point during the night. He’d loved being held, but at the same time, he’d had a pretty bad nightmare and had just needed some space. He was honestly quite glad that he’d scooted away a bit, because now, as he turned over to face his master, yawning quietly in the process, he noticed something that had his mouth slowly closing. 

That’s… not a bat. 

Blake very  slowly pushed himself up so that he could get a good look at the two other men still sound asleep in the bed before him. He knew that Sage wasn’t technically allowed to sleep with them, but Wyatt had been very lenient since Sage had remained a bat for the entire night. Peppermint had been stubborn and, to Blake’s surprise, made Wyatt cave without a whole lot of effort. 

He’d happily snuggled himself into Wyatt’s hair before they all quickly fell asleep. Now, however, the bat was gone, leaving its handsome, much-larger human self in bed with them. It was an extremely rare opportunity, and he wasn’t about to let it slip by. 

His eyes greedily took in what he could see of the man’s naked, well-toned body. Sage wasn’t bashful at all in his sleep, or in general, really. He was absolutely glued to Wyatt’s back with one arm draped over the man’s chest to settle against Wyatt’s warm skin. 

He had no doubt that he was holding the man against him intentionally. It was clear enough to him that Sage liked master Wyatt just as much, if not more,  than he himself, did. 

Sage’s leg was nudged between Wyatt’s nonchalantly and he had his face tucked out of view, likely resting his forehead against the man’s warm back. 

They’re so cute together. 

He was just about to quietly climb out of bed when he felt a nudge in the back of his mind. 

I’ve waited so many years just to be able to hug him to me like this. 

Blake felt his smile grow on his face as he watched Sage slowly beginning to wake up. His words had been a bit fuzzy in his thoughts, so it was no surprise that it took him a bit to finally remove his arm from around Wyatt’s chest, then push himself up with a big yawn. 

Licking his lips at the sight of the man’s bare chest, Blake fought himself not to move closer. It helped when Sage lifted a finger to press against his own lips, signaling that they needed to be quiet. 

Our love is still resting. 

Blake quickly but silently nodded, even though he knew that the man couldn’t see the gesture. He understood that they definitely shouldn’t wake Wyatt yet. He watched as Sage got up, then walked over to a laundry basket of clean clothing that they hadn’t gotten to yet. 

He picked up a pair of black and white bunny boxers from the mess of clothes and winked over his shoulder before tugging them on. They were a bit tight, but no one was complaining. At least he’d put something on. 

He watched Sage turn and walk toward the door, making Blake hurry from the bed and quickly but quietly follow him. He nudged the door closed once he stepped out, then turned around when he heard sounds from the little kitchen area behind him. 

The man was just finishing setting a pan and two pots on the stove when he walked over. 

“Here, babe,” Sage said as he handed him three potatoes. 

Glad to help, Blake got busy washing, then slicing the potatoes. By the time he was done Sage had eggs poaching in one pot as the other was gently simmering a butter-type sauce. 

“The potatoes, love.”

Blake snapped himself out of his thoughts and hurried to offer the stacked potato slices to Sage. The guy smiled and gave his thanks as he tossed them into the pan that he’d been melting butter in. Once he was finished adding them he seemed to realize something and quickly stepped over to the fridge. 

“Ah ha,” he said as he reached in and retrieved half an onion. 

He quickly rinsed it off, then chopped it faster than even Blake would have been comfortable with. 

Wait a second… he’s humming. 

“You… just used echolocation to chop that onion as fast as a master chef,” he noted in awe, earning a smirk from the man… and a slight blush. 

He’s blushing? 

He hadn’t expected the man’s cheeks to tint pink at such a comment, but there was no hiding the response he was giving. 

“I’ve always wanted to be a chef,” he said quietly as he added the onions to the potatoes. 

They began to sizzle immediately, absorbing some of the butter still in the pan. It smelled like heaven. 

Blake watched for a moment longer before he looked back up at Sage. 

“Is there anything else I can help with?” he asked, wanting to be of use. 

Sage nodded to the pot on his right and Blake quickly moved around him. 

“Can you stir that every few moments please?” 

Blake quickly nodded and picked up the wooden spoon Sage had been using for the liquid in the pot and began stirring gently. While he was busy, Sage made nine pieces of toast, then fished out the poached eggs from the other pot. 

By the time that was done and Sage had settled the eggs atop the toast, Blake was about ready to die from hunger. He finally recognized what meal the man was making, but he’d only ever had it once in a long while. 

“Let me see that sauce, love. It smells like it’s done,” Sage said, making Blake stop stirring and remove the wooden spoon, then hand the pot over. 

Watching Sage pour the delicious-smelling sauce over the poached eggs and toast made his mouth water further. When he added the potatoes and caramelized onions to the side and added a bit of salt and pepper, Blake wanted to steal the plate. 

“Don’t worry, there’s plenty. Want to go wake up your handsome man for some breakfast in bed?” Sage said with a wink. 

That’s a great idea!

Blake carefully took the tray Sage had settled the plate and a fork on, as well as a small glass of orange juice, then hurried into Wyatt’s bedroom. The man was still sleeping soundly, adorably curled up now that he wasn’t being held. 

“Master Wyatt,” he called quietly at first. 

The man didn’t move, so he took a step closer and called again. That seemed to wake him up a little as he nuzzled against his pillow with a quiet moan. 

He really is the cutest. 

“Master Wyatt, I brought you some breakfast,” he said as he finally walked around to the side of the bed the man was closest to. 

The guy sighed contently before finally opening his eyes. He then slowly rolled over so that he could see him. A smile immediately settled on Wyatt’s lips as he got himself into a sitting position, then covered his mouth as he yawned. When he finished, he seemed a bit more awake, so Blake carefully helped him situate the tray in his lap, then snuck a kiss in as he leaned back up. 

“Master Sage cooked,” he said cheerfully as Wyatt picked up the fork and carefully cut himself a delicious piece of the benedict. 

Instead of responding verbally, Blake sensed the man in the back of his mind. 

This is fantastic. Go get some, love. 

Blake nodded and hurried from the room. Sage had his own tray of food ready and waiting and handed it to him with a warm smile before turning to fix his own. 

Hmm. 

Somehow, he could tell that the guy wasn’t going to come back into the bedroom to eat with them. It was the respectful thing to do, especially since he’d gotten to sleep with them earlier because of his bat. He wouldn’t invite himself to their little moment, even if he’d cooked for them. 

Master Wyatt? 

He felt the man’s mind fluctuate slightly within his own, letting him know that he could hear him. It honestly made him grin a little. His manners were quite impressive. He wouldn’t even think to him much with his mouth full. 

Would it be okay if Sage sat with us? 

He knew that Timmy wasn’t the biggest fan of the guy being around him, but he also knew that Wyatt definitely wasn’t against being close to Sage. Heck, he’d said that they’d known each other and been good friends since high school. When the silence between them stretched on and Sage looked about done making his plate, Blake figured that it wasn’t likely to happen. 

Except, then he heard Wyatt’s voice in his mind once more. 

Timmy will allow it… if you sit in my lap. 

Blake couldn’t hide his wide grin as he quickly turned to Sage, who was, as he’d expected, heading toward the couch, and spoke. 

“You can come eat with us if you’d like, master Sage.” 

The guy paused by the arm of the couch and turned around with a surprised, hopeful expression. 

“Really?” he asked, sounding honestly shocked. 

Blake walked over to Wyatt’s open door as he replied, “yes sir. I just, uh… have to sit in his lap. That was Timmy’s stipulation.” 

Fighting back a smirk that he was clearly failing at, Sage gave a deep chuckle and walked over. 

“I gladly accept his Fluffiness’s stipulation.” 

Blake nodded and hurried inside. He was a bit surprised to see that Wyatt had already finished his entire meal, cleaned the plate and set the tray aside on the nightstand before he even got back over to him. 

“Wow, that was fast,” he said as he walked over and carefully settled himself into Wyatt’s lap with the guy’s help. 

Right as he got comfortable Sage dropped down onto the bed, but instead of sitting beside them, he got himself situated up against the pillows. The man seemed to truly  be a master of enjoying the concept of breakfast in bed. 

Blake watched Wyatt look over his shoulder at the man, then give a quiet chuckle, but that didn’t really catch his attention. At least, not as much as the smooth bit of warm skin that action exposed of his neck. 

Mine. 

Without really thinking too much into it, Blake leaned back just enough to press a kiss to that warm skin. He quickly retreated when Wyatt jumped slightly in response, then returned his attention to him with a raised eyebrow. 

Blake just licked his lips and turned to face away before he could get chastised for his abrupt action… if  Wyatt even intended to scold him. 

Babe, I bet you he’s over the moon. Any attention from you is his drug, even if he wasn’t expecting it. 

Blake felt his face warm as he quickly got busy devouring his own meal. 

This is fantastic , he replied after a few moments. 

“He really is a fantastic cook,” Wyatt responded, surprising him a little that he’d heard him. 

The arm the man had wrapped around his waist tightened the slightest bit as Wyatt looked over his shoulder again. 

“Thank you for making breakfast,” he said sincerely. 

Yes, thank you! Blake chimed in mentally. 

“You’re both welcome. I love cooking when I’m in a great mood,” he said with what sounded like a hint of flirting to his words. 

Wyatt tilted his head a little, clearly considering his words carefully. 

“It’s rare that I see Sage in such a great  mood,” he said, sparing the man another glance. 

Blake heard Sage put his tray on the other nightstand and figured that he was done, too. 

“Wait a second… you’re wearing my underwear,” Wyatt said, his tone hard to read. 

Sage, of course, took that opportunity to mess with him. Blake could hear him moving on the bed as he spoke without an ounce of hesitation. 

“Oh right, I can take them off. One sec.” 

Wyatt quickly turned back to facing forward as his cheeks warmed. 

“It’s fine. Just wash them and bring them back next time,” he hurried to mumble out. 

Blake, having finally finished his own food, got up and collected their trays and brought them back to the kitchen. He then unloaded and loaded the dishwasher and scrubbed out the sink. Once that was done, he hesitated. 

They’re… still not out here? 

Curious, he considered nudging his mind into the theirs’ in order to try and figure out what might be going on, but he quickly decided against it. He didn’t want to intrude on personal thoughts if they weren’t meant for him. He did, however, want to make sure that everything was okay, so he slowly walked to the side, but not forward. 

He moved until he was able to get the bed in his line of sight, then froze abruptly when he saw what had happened. His heartbeat quickly began to speed up and even though he felt like he should look away, his eyes refused to even blink. 

“Hmm?” 

Sage turned his head where it rested on his hands as he hummed for a moment. He looked quite comfortable on his back even though Wyatt was sitting right on top of his chest. 

“Hey love, sorry we got distracted.” 

Is that what you’re calling it? 

Wyatt quickly scooted off of Sage, but before he could get off the bed, the other guy snagged his arm with one hand and yanked him backwards! At the same time he rotated his body and spun around, easily pinning Wyatt’s wrists above his head as he straddled his torso. 

Hot. 

“Sorry love, you did great, but I want to impress your babe, too,” Sage said playfully, earning an eyeroll from Wyatt before he slowly moved one of his legs upward, then gently nudged it against the Sage’s firm abdomen. 

Sage took the obvious hint and rolled off of him, then hurried to get off his bed and walk into the bathroom. 

Blake watched the two in silence until Wyatt finally sat up, then looked over at him. Sensing the silent request to come to him, he hurried forward and didn’t hesitate to climb into the man’s arms and straddle his lap on the bed. 

“He’s not that  impressive, right love?” Wyatt asked as he began to sift his fingers through Blake’s short hair as his other hand firmly massaged its way up his lower back. 

Blake didn’t hesitate to lift one of his own hands and begin playing with Wyatt’s right nipple. 

“Mm, I don’t know. He’s pretty cool for such a batty  guy,” he said as he glanced up at Wyatt sheepishly. 

His master was clearly not impressed with his humor, if his nonplussed expression was anything to consider. 

“U-uh… okay, that was bad. How about; his words echo with me?” 

Wyatt’s expression turned even more sour. 

Instead of letting him try a third pun, Wyatt leaned forward and firmly sealed his lips over Blake’s. Of course, he was totally okay with not getting his last pun in if it meant getting a yummy kiss from his man. 

Said kiss deepened quickly, making them both begin to pant as they turned their heads here and there, trying to get closer each time they separated to take in a hurried breath of air. By the time they stopped because they were both struggling to breathe, Wyatt was back to being on his back and Blake was resting comfortably on his chest. 

Damn, that was nice. 

He rested where he was for several moments until he felt Wyatt move beneath him, eventually bringing them both back up into a sitting position. Blake expected the guy to look back down at him and possibly try for another round, but when he noticed him looking forward over his shoulder and into the bathroom, he realized something. 

Oh… we just did that in front of Sage. 

Right as he glanced over his own shoulder, Blake heard the man respond to Wyatt’s firm gaze. 

“Don’t mind me. Was just gonna rinse off before heading back home. Besides, I can’t see anything,” he said with a wink. 

Wyatt pursed his lips and shook his head as he sighed. 

“How many times did we just kiss?” 

Sage didn’t hesitate at all in his response. 

“Eleven.”

“What hand did I have in his hair?” 

“Left.” 

“Where was my other hand?”

“His back, moving upward at approximately an inch every other second.” 

Wyatt groaned, making Blake turn around in his lap so that he could see Sage easier. 

“Behave, you,” Blake said at the same time Sage offered him a wide grin, then turned around and got the shower going. 

He honestly couldn’t help but smile at the man before he turned to look back over his shoulder at his master. 

Oh?

He quickly hid his own growing smirk as he settled comfortably against Wyatt’s chest, not wanting to draw his attention quite yet. He’d expected the man to be focusing on him, having had enough of Sage’s little jabs for the time being, but to his surprise, and interest, Wyatt was still staring quite intently at Sage as the man finally stripped off his borrowed pair of underwear and hopped in the shower. 

The moment Blake heard the curtain finally being pulled back into place, Wyatt snapped out of his daze and looked down at him. His eyes were soft and warm as they stared at him lovingly, but there was no way he’d miss the other emotion that was being nudged to the back of the man’s expression quickly. 

He kept his thoughts to himself, but they bounced around in his mind like a Ping-Pong ball as they slowly began to kiss again. 

Someone’s a curious little bunny.

Wild Dog 39

Ravi tilted his head as he watched Trever roll from his side to his back, then to his other side, then to his stomach, all within two minutes. 

The man had been restless off and on all night, and while he was used to not sleeping much after being tied outside by his previous master, he knew that Trever needed his rest. 

When the guy rolled around again a few minutes later, then ended up facing him once he stopped moving, Ravi reached over and gently nudged his bangs aside so that he could press his fingers to Trever’s forehead. 

Oh. 

Leaning back, Ravi settled his hands between his bent legs and stared at the man before him. He was beginning to pant quietly and his head was definitely unusually warm. 

Pursing his lips, Ravi carefully and quietly scooted off the bed, then walked into the bathroom. He found a clean washcloth and quickly got it damp before returning to sit beside Trever. 

He really wanted to just lick off the sweat that was beginning to show on the man’s brow, but he’d said that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea last time he’d asked to do such a thing while in his human form, so he would just do it the way humans usually did. Even though he really wanted to do it a different way. 

Ravi spent the next hour gently wiping away the sweat from his master’s forehead, face, and neck, and making trips back and forth to the bathroom to rinse the little towel. 

When he returned on his last trip a faint buzzing sound brought his attention to the nightstand. He quickly hurried over and picked up Trever’s phone, then walked out of the room before answering in a hushed whisper. 

“Hello?” 

Mr. Spencer’s voice rang clearly through the connection as he responded. 

“Hello Ravi, is Trever there? You guys are late so I just wanted to check in with him.” 

Ravi glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and frowned. They were  late. He hadn’t even been paying attention to the time. 

“I’m sorry, master Trever is sick and I’ve been taking care of him. I should have checked the time and called you,” he said honestly. 

While he had originally not cared much about his job as long as Trever was happy with him, he was beginning to realize that his job was his way of making Trever look at him… and not just as a dog. 

“Oh, that’s what I thought it might be. He would never be late intentionally. Take good care of him and let me know when he’s doing better please,” Mr. Spencer said, earning a nod from Ravi even though the man couldn’t see it. 

“Yes sir, I will. Take care,” he said before hanging up the phone and returning to the bedroom. 

It took another hour or so before the man’s fever calmed a little, making Ravi more comfortable going into the kitchen to make something. Well, he intended to make something, but they hadn’t exactly gone shopping for food recently. 

Okay, I don’t want to go out and leave him here, but I need to get him something to eat. 

He paced for a few moments before retrieving his own phone and searching for a way to get delivery. Several apps popped up right away, but the sheer amount of stuff on them made him extremely nervous. There were fees and tips and extra charges everywhere. 

I need to feed my master, though. 

Pushing aside the apps for the moment, he decided to just search for restaurants near them. There were thankfully quite a few, but not all of them would have food that would be easy to digest while sick…

One thing at a time, he told himself as he carefully looked through several menus until he found a simple chicken and rice dish on one that he thought might work. It looked yummy and didn’t have a ton of extras like sauces and hot peppers and such. 

Now that he had his target in sight, he called the phone number that was given for that restaurant. The person on the other end thankfully picked up quickly, because Ravi was already stressing terribly. 

“Hello, Mama’s Italian. How may I help you?” 

Swallowing down his nerves and trying to keep his shaking to a minimum so that he didn’t stutter, Ravi replied quickly but clearly. 

“Ma’am can I order the chicken and rice dish for delivery? My friend is sick so I can’t go out to pick it up, but we live really close.” 

The woman replied cheerily, “of course, sweetheart. What is your address, and how would you like to pay?” 

Relieved, he gave her their address, then asked if it would be alright if he paid in cash when it got there. 

He did have the card Wyatt had given him in case he needed anything, but he didn’t want to use it unless there was a real emergency. He had his own money and if she was okay with him paying when it arrived, then he would rather do that. 

“We don’t normally accept cash payments for delivery orders, but you are right down the street, so I’ll make an exception, sweetheart.” 

Ravi did a little dance and promised that he would absolutely pay for it and tip well for the trouble. When the woman confirmed his order and told him it would be there in about twenty minutes, he hung up and just stared down at his phone in silence for a few long moments. 

He’d never  ordered anything unless in person. 

“I… really got my master some food without having to leave him alone,” he mumbled as his lips tilted up into a relieved smile. 

Proud of himself, Ravi walked back into the bedroom, then hesitated for a moment before looking down at himself. 

I… should I put more clothing on to answer the door? 

“Vivi…?” 

Master!

His previous thought completely forgotten, Ravi hopped up onto the bed and crawled over to where Trever was trying to push himself up against the pillows. 

Ravi hurried to help him get situated and even added his own pillow to the stack so that he was more comfortable. Once everything was done and Trever was all set, Ravi sat next to him and waited until his tired eyes fell upon him. 

“Thank you, Vi. It’s been a long time since I’ve been sick. I wasn’t expecting it so suddenly,” he said as he coughed quietly. 

Ravi licked his lips and glanced at his phone where he’d tossed it aside to free his hands so that he could help Trever. 

“Mr. Spencer called and said to relax and get better and that I can stay with you to help,” he said quickly, not wanting the man to think that they were in trouble at work for not calling out or showing up. 

Trever leaned back into his pillows and closed his dark-rimmed eyes. 

“That’s good. Thank you for taking care of that, sweetheart,” he whispered, making Ravi’s wiggle slightly where he sat. 

If he were in his dog form his tail would have thumped a few times at the man’s praise. 

“Yes sir, no problem,” he replied as he reached over with the damp towel he’d also set aside previously, then gently tapped his master’s forehead. 

“I have some food coming for you. Can you eat?” he asked, hopeful. 

Trever nodded slightly and Ravi opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of a knock on the door stole his attention away. 

“I’ll be right back,” he said as he hurried from the bed.

“Hang on,” Trever said right as Ravi reached the bedroom door. 

Turning around, Ravi tilted his head. 

“Yes sir?” 

He watched as Trever nodded toward him. 

“Put a shirt on.” 

A… shirt? 

Guys normally walked around without a shirt on in public, so he was a bit confused about having to put one on now, but he didn’t argue and did as told immediately before running for the door. 

He was surprised to see the lady he’d spoken to on the phone behind the door when he’d opened it. 

That was really fast. 

“Hey there sweetheart. We weren’t too busy so I decided to just bring it by myself,” she said as she handed him a stapled paper bag. 

Ravi gladly accepted it, then handed her thirty-five dollars. 

“Is that okay? I have more if needed. I’ve never ordered stuff for delivery before,” he said, not wanting to be rude if he wasn’t offering enough. 

The meal had been twelve dollars, so he thought that thirty-five made sense for the quick delivery, but he really wasn’t sure. 

“That’s perfectly fine. Thank you, young man. I hope your friend enjoys his meal and gets better soon. I added a little something extra just in case his stomach doesn’t handle the chicken well yet. Have a wonderful day.” 

What a nice lady!

“Thank you ma’am. You have a great day as well,” he said before carefully closing the door, then bringing the food over to the kitchen counter. 

He began pulling out what was in the bag once he’d set it down. It had been pretty heavy for the single meal he’d ordered, so he wasn’t too surprised when he found three containers in the bag instead of just the one. 

The chicken and rice meal was there, but she also gave them a small container of soup and another of… Ravi tilted his head as he took out the other little container. When he couldn’t quite tell what it was through the lid, he popped it open. 

Oh. 

Fresh vanilla pudding. 

His own mouth began to salivate as he quickly put the lid back on the container, then turned and ran back into the bedroom. 

“Master Trever, I got chicken and rice, chicken soup, and vanilla pudding. Which would you prefer?” 

He was excited to provide for his master, so even though he only ordered the main dish, if the man preferred one of the other ones that were given to him, he would be just as happy. 

“Is the chicken shredded?” Trever asked as he turned his head to the side and cracked open his tired eyes. 

Ravi was about to go check but then he remembered the image of the meal. 

Ah, no wonder she said that she added other things just in case. 

“It’s not. It’s a whole chicken breast,” he said, a little upset that he hadn’t thought of such a thing. 

Of course, he could shred it, but he might not do the greatest job… and he didn’t trust his dog’s claws, or mouth enough for him to let it try. 

“Could I have some of the soup first to see how well I can hold it down?” Trever asked with a small smile. 

Ravi immediately nodded and hurried to retrieve the hot bowl of soup and a plastic spoon the lady had given him. Instead of climbing back through the bed, he walked around to the side Trever was closest to, then sat down and carefully took the lid off the little styrofoam bowl. 

Trever sat up a bit higher against the pillows, but when he tried to reach for the spoon, his hand began to shake from exhaustion. 

He might burn himself if I let him try to eat alone. 

“Master, may I feed you until your strength returns?” he asked as he dipped the spoon into the soup and nervously lifted it up a little bit. 

Trever seemed a little hesitant, at first, but then relaxed back against the pillows and nodded as his eyes drifted closed again. 

“Yes. Thank you, Vivi,” he eventually replied, making Ravi smile with relief as he carefully began feeding his master, blowing gently on each spoonful of soup to cool it just enough each time. 

It took quite a while for Trever to finish off the small bowl of food, but he managed to get it down, and hold it down. Not soon after he’d finished it he fell back asleep, leaving Ravi to put away the remaining food in the fridge. Once done, he turned around and pursed his lips, considering what else to do. 

I suppose I can clean up. 

Nothing was really dirty in general, but dust happened and he could pick up a bit. So, after quietly closing the door to their bedroom, Ravi went about cleaning the rest of the apartment. He even did the laundry and made sure that the spare bedroom was in perfect condition. 

He also cleaned the spare bathroom and wiped all the windows and counters. By the time he was finally done he noticed that it was close to three in the afternoon and he could hear the faint sound of Trever moving around in their room. 

Wanting to be of use, Ravi put his cleaning things back where they belonged, then walked into their room. 

Oh. 

Turning abruptly, he averted his eyes, even though his inner dog saw absolutely no reason not to stare. 

“Vivi.” 

Nervously, Ravi slowly turned back around but kept his gaze slightly to the side of where Trever was standing next the bed… naked besides a pair of boxers that were riding precariously-low on his hips. 

“I’m still feeling dizzy, but I’d like to rinse off the sweat on me. Could you help me get to the shower?” 

Ravi quickly nodded and walked over, forcing his dog to the very  back of his mind as it began to go crazy. It had seen Trever with minimal clothing quite a few times, but he had a feeling that the added scent of sweat was making it a bit more chaotic. It liked the smell on him. That smell often meant certain situations  might occur with humans. 

He tried his best to keep his attention focused on where he needed to get his master, but each step took more and more effort to complete.

You’re a good dog and your master is sick. Don’t get distracted.  

He had to keep telling himself that as he got Trever situated in the bathtub, then carefully got the water running at the right temperature. Once that was taken care of, he stood back up and turned to leave and give the man his privacy. 

Except, when he tried to walk away, a too-warm hand quickly but gently wrapped its fingers around his wrist. 

Ravi felt his heart jerk in his chest as he stopped and hesitantly turned around. Exhausted eyes met his own as they stared up at him, silently begging for him to not go. 

Unable to resist anything his master wished him to do, Ravi obediently sat down beside the bathtub. That seemed to appease Trever, because the man released him and got busy wiping off the sweat from his body a few moments later. 

He knew that the man didn’t understand that what he was doing was literally beginning to drive him crazy, but Ravi really was having a hard time controlling himself. 

He wanted to help clean his master… amongst other things. 

It didn’t take long before Ravi was getting up again. Even though they’d only run cool water for Trever’s bath, he felt uncomfortably warm in the small room. His entire body was humming and hungry, and not for food. 

“I just need a minute,” he said as he walked toward the door again. 

Thankfully, Trever let him go, but he could sense that he didn’t want to. 

Ravi walked straight through the bedroom and didn’t stop until he was standing out on the balcony with the wind rustling his hair and cooling his own overheating body. 

I’m sorry, Ravi. 

Looking to the side, Ravi eyed the closed bedroom window and sighed out a stressed breath. 

It’s not your fault. 

It really wasn’t. His dog was just refusing to back off, so he’d needed to step out. 

Their connection remained quiet for quite some time before Trever spoke again. 

What would you have done if you hadn’t had to hold your dog back? 

Ravi blinked and swallowed down the sudden lump in his throat. 

What would he have done? 

His mind immediately ran through a thousand things his dog wanted  him to do to Trever, but those things were easy to sift through to what he actually would  have done. 

I would have pat your head and licked your face. 

Of course, he knew that patting the man’s head would likely drag out his own dog, but he’d wanted to answer truthfully, so he had. 

You can do that. 

He… could? 

Ravi couldn’t wrap his mind around the permission he was just given. He did   remember that the man had said that it probably  wasn’t a good idea to lick his face previously, but he hadn’t thought that he would change his mind on the subject so quickly. 

When he hadn’t moved for at least five minutes, he heard Trever speak into his mind again. 

If you don’t want to anymore, that’s okay. I… I guess I just wanted some attention while my hyena was too tired to fight me on it. Maybe it’s just this cold getting to my head.

Ravi felt his heart begin to race as he slowly turned around and walked back inside. When he stepped into the bedroom, he looked ahead and noticed that Trever had already gotten himself out of the tub and had dried off and wrapped a towel sloppily around his waist. 

He was leaning against the sink in front of the mirror with his damp hair covering his face, panting quietly and looking down as his arms shook slightly. 

Ravi hurried forward and helped support Trever until he was comfortably back in bed, then turned off the light in the bathroom and drained the tub. Once he was done, he returned to Trever’s side to notice that the man had gotten under the blankets and tossed his towel on the floor. 

His mind immediately went to the fact that he was now naked beneath the blankets, but his thoughts were interrupted as soon as they began when warm fingers wrapped around his wrist again and tugged him right down onto the bed!

Before he could react Trever had him pulled tightly against his chest in a hug he’d only dreamed of. Unable to help himself, Ravi snuggled in so damn much. After a few moments he managed to free his arms and return the hug before wiggling a bit higher up against the pillows, giving Trever just enough space to nuzzle his face into the crook of his neck. 

The man was still quite warm where their upper bodies touched as he fought his fever, but when Ravi heard a huge sigh of relief as Trever relaxed against him, he couldn’t help but smile into the man’s soft hair as he began to sift his fingers through it. 

Mine. 

He kept that thought to himself, for now. And, since he couldn’t quite reach the man’s face with his tongue right then, he also kept that to himself, but the cuddling and access to pat his head as much as he wanted was more than enough to satisfy even his rambunctious dog. 

“Sorry… if I get you sick,” Trever rasped quietly after a long bout of silence. 

Ravi grinned and hugged the man to him a tiny bit more as he nuzzled into his hair. 

“I’ll gladly take that risk if I get to snuggle with master like this more often.” 

He sensed a bit of confused static from Trever’s mind within his own as the man tried think through his words, but the fever and his need for rest were likely taking a toll on his cognitive ability. It took him quite a while to respond, but when he did, he definitely didn’t disappoint. 

“Next time, neither of us will be sick.” 

Next time. 

He had said next time. 

Out loud. 

Ravi forced himself to hold back a full-body wiggle of excitement and instead put all of his focus into gently rubbing Trever’s warm back. 

“Rest well, master Trever.” 

He got a quiet hum from the man in response, and after only a few more moments, he could hear Trever’s breathing even out as he drifted off into a much needed sleep.

Wild Dog 40

Mmm…

Blake snuggled in a little closer as his heat source withdrew, unwilling to be away from it. He felt a faint vibration as he wrapped his arms back around it and scooted closer.

He felt a hand gently pat his hair as he began to fall back asleep, but just moments after he had drifted off he sensed that heat pulling away from him again.

“Alright, love. Wake up for me then, please,” came Wyatt’s deep, quiet voice.

Blake grumbled a little in protest, because quite frankly, he was exhausted. They had stayed up a bit after Sage had left the previous evening. Things had also gotten quite a bit heated and Blake had ended up taking care of Wyatt’s needs with his mouth.

It hadn’t been planned, by any means, but he’d enjoyed bringing pleasure to his master while on his knees. However, when Wyatt tried to reciprocate things took a turn and they had to stop. While it had ended with another stressful negative reaction, Wyatt had quickly turned that negative into a positive with hot chocolate, cuddles, and a movie to fall asleep to.

He was just drifting back off to sleep when a sudden loud crack of thunder startled him awake!

Pushing himself up, Blake quickly looked around, then realized that the sound had come from a storm that was starting up outside. Once that was figured out and his heart had calmed a little, he turned his attention to Wyatt.

“Master?” he said in a still-sleepy voice.

Wyatt immediately reached over and pet his head with a warm smile on his face that was all for him.

“I’m sorry, I was trying not to wake you, but you wouldn’t let me get out of bed. Then that lightning strike happened…” he said right before another boom of thunder shook their apartment.

Rubbing at one eye, Blake yawned and sniffled a little.

“Mm, it’s fine. I’m sorry I wouldn’t let you go,” he said before yawning again.

Once he finished that gesture Wyatt leaned in and stole a quick kiss before scooting out of the bed, making Blake curiously look toward the alarm clock.

Two in the morning?

They had only just gone to bed two hours ago.

“Master Wyatt, is something wrong?” he asked as he hurried to the edge of the bed, too.

Wyatt hesitated for just a moment in the darkness before running a hand through his hand and sighing.

“I just wanted to call Sage and see if he was okay. He doesn’t do well during bad storms.”

Blake was about to question why, but then he realized that the answer was obvious. The man was a bat and bad storms could generate such powerful lightning strikes that the thunder could shake buildings. It didn’t matter much to regular people, but Sage relied on his hearing to see, too.

“He gets extremely nauseous and overstimulated during bad weather. I just wanted to check on him,” Wyatt said, making Blake climb out of bed, too.

“Give him a call.”

Wyatt reached over and turned on the lamp on the bedside table and grabbed his phone, then sat down on the edge of the bed as he dialed.

Blake sat down right next to him, his hands twisting together in his lap as nerves began to make him uneasy. He hadn’t realized that Sage would have such difficulty with something most other people wouldn’t even mind. Heck, storms usually helped him sleep.

Wyatt lowered the phone from where he’d pressed it up against his ear a few moments later, then sighed again.

“I figured he wouldn’t be able to pick up the phone.”

Before Wyatt could even think about asking, Blake stood up again and reached his hand down.

“Our stubborn Batman needs us,” he said with a knowing smile.

Wyatt seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then returned his smile with a stressed one of his own.

“Thank you, Blake. Let’s go check on him,” he said as he quickly pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt.

Blake copied him, getting dressed quickly before grabbing his phone, keys, and heading for the door and slipping his shoes on. The moment they opened the door it nearly slammed back in their faces as a harsh gust of wind shot through the outdoor walkway.

“Got it. Go ahead, babe,” Wyatt said as he easily caught the door.

Blake hurried out into the walkway, then quickly made his way toward the stairs. Wyatt was soon at his side as they descended, then ran for the car as rain pelted down upon their heads.

By the time they managed to get inside and fight with the wind to get the doors closed, they were absolutely soaked!

“I suppose we should have tried an umbrella, but I have a feeling that it would have gotten destroyed by that wind almost immediately,” Blake said as he buckled himself up with shaking hands.

Wyatt got the heater going right away, along with the windshield wipers.

“Yeah, definitely would have broken it,” he agreed as he carefully got them on their way.

Thankfully, Sage didn’t live that far, and it only took them a few minutes to navigate the empty streets to his place. When they pulled into an huge apartment complex and Wyatt went to the third building, then stopped the car in front of a small garage, Blake pursed his lips. He’d honestly been curious about where Sage lived, though he hadn’t expected that his first visit would be in the middle of the night during a terrible storm.

“We’ll use the garage,” Wyatt said as he reached up and pressed a button on a small plastic opener Blake hadn’t noticed on his sun visor in front of him.

Wait… why does Sage have a garage? Aren’t they usually extra?

There was no way the guy could drive, either.

“He uh, got it for me since I look after him,” he said as a faint blush tinted his cheeks.

Blake noticed the slight coloration, but he couldn’t fault the man. The more time he spent with the two of them, the more he’d come to realize that they seemed like more of a packaged deal. Not that he was complaining, and of course, he wouldn’t try to force either of them to do anything in terms of changing their relationship, but he wasn’t against it.

“The rain has slowed down a little bit. Should we try and make a run for it now?” he said as Wyatt pushed the button to close the garage door.

“Yeah, let’s get going,” Wyatt said as they both got out, then headed for the door at the back of the small garage.

An abrupt lightning strike startled them both as Wyatt yanked him back inside the small building right before a crack of thunder so loud it made their ears ring shattered the calm sound of rain.

They both ignored the door now smacking against the inside wall as the wind blew it back constantly. They were far too preoccupied with regaining their breath and calming their shaking bodies.

Wyatt had his arms tightly wrapped around him and refused to let go for nearly two full minutes as they both panted and shook.

“That… was way too close,” Wyatt finally said as his arms shakily fell away from Blake’s body.

“Are you alright?” he asked after another moment.

Blake nodded, still a little stunned that they’d almost gotten struck by lighting.

“Let’s go,” he said, his voice a little scratchy.

Wyatt leaned in and pressed a kiss to his forehead, then took his hand and carefully walked back toward the open door. They waited a few moments before deciding to make a run for it.

Thankfully, the apartments were only about fifteen feet away and they made it with just some more rain added to their already-wet clothing. Once in front of the man’s door, they looked at each other for a brief moment, then Blake watched as Wyatt knocked twice.

Neither of them really expected an answer, so when there was none and the rain began to pick up harder, splashing them as it came down in torrents, Wyatt took out a small key and unlocked the door.

It was completely dark inside, but that was no surprise considering the time of day. Wyatt didn’t hesitate to flick on the first light switch they found as Blake stepped inside behind him, then turned around to close and lock the door.

When Blake turned back around and slipped his shoes off like his love just had, then followed Wyatt down the small hall and then into the living room, he was a bit stunned.

It’s… spotless.

It was also very minimalistic. The man literally had two tan recliners with a coffee table between them as far as furniture went. There was absolutely nothing on the walls, but that wasn’t too surprising. What use were pictures if you couldn’t see them? And a clock would have probably been incredibly annoying to someone who uses echolocation.

Blake waited in the living room as Wyatt stepped into a bedroom a few feet away. When he silently closed the door most of the way, Blake licked his lips and rocked back and forth on his feet.

He wasn’t going to say anything, but he could already tell that Sage wasn’t in good shape. The man’s thoughts were running a mile a minute and since he was so stress, they were easy to pick up.

As much as he wanted to go help, since he did often deal with traumas in his pediatric career, he held himself back and waited.

It took quite a while, but as time passed, he began to sense a change in those frantic thoughts. Each time a burst of thunder would rumble in from outside they wavered abruptly, but it didn’t take long for them to get back on track. About ten more minutes passed before he heard Wyatt’s thoughts slip into his mind.

Could you bring me some warm water with honey in it please, love? There are cups in the cabinet to the left of the sink and the honey should be sitting out on the counter.

Blake hurried into the little kitchen and easily found what he’d been asked to retrieve.

Found them. Give me a moment.

Thank you.

Blake got busy with his task, then quietly entered Sage’s bedroom. He was a bit surprised when he didn’t see either of the men there, but then remembered that Wyatt had mentioned that bad storms make Sage nauseous.

Turning, he noticed a faint light coming from within the bathroom. The door was also cracked open.

Poor baby.

Walking over, he gently nudged the door open right as he heard the sound of the toilet flushing. Wyatt was just repositioning himself on the tile floor and guiding Sage’s shivering body down into his arms. His love had also removed his soaked shirt, but that was no surprise… and a good idea.

Blake waited until Wyatt was ready, then handed him the glass of water.

“Could you bring this to the sink, please love?” Wyatt asked as he lifted up another cup that had clearly already been used.

Blake didn’t question it and quickly brought it to the kitchen to sit in the sink. It was probably used to help rinse out Sage’s mouth after he’d thrown up, and simply putting it back on the bathroom counter might be an issue later. It also smelled like toothpaste, so at least he’d had help brushing his teeth afterward.

He decided to remove his frigid shirt once he’d completed that task. His chest had gone pale from the cold, making him realize that he should have removed it much sooner.

Oh well. Hopefully I don’t get sick.

At least it was Sunday so he didn’t have to worry about calling in for the new job he’d just gotten.  

He flinched when another round of thunder roared outside, snapping him out of his thoughts and making him wrap his arms around his bare chest.

Are you alright, Blake?

Blake felt his face warm a little. He hadn’t meant to let his own emotions drift.

I’m okay. Just a little cold, he replied.

There was silence between them for a moment as the rain outside began coming down even harder, making it easily audible in the small apartment.

Sage said that you can borrow whatever you need from his dresser.

Blake glanced back toward the bedroom, hesitated for a moment, then gave in. He was cold, and his pants were soaked, too.

Alright, tell him I said thanks, he replied as he walked back into the bedroom.

Now that he was actually looking around the room, Blake was a bit surprised to see that there was almost nothing in it. A single bed, one nightstand, and a dresser made up the entirety of the room. There were a few suits hanging up in the closet and two pairs of shoes beneath them.

He doesn’t buy anything that isn’t necessary. Especially if it’s going to be inside of his home permanently. He wants to feel safe here without having to focus on his echolocation , Wyatt thought to him, answering Blake’s curiosity.

Turning, he walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of shorts and a shirt. They were well worn and soft, with Sage’s pleasant clean scent on them. Once he’d removed his soaked pants and tugged on the clean clothing, Blake gave a content sigh and glanced down at the faded picture he’d noticed on the gray shirt.

Of course…

It was a little red faded cartoon bat standing at the top of what appeared to be the grand canyon, screeching with all its might to try and make as many echoes as it could. On the bottom corner of the shirt was a bat, possibly at the bottom of the grand canyon, spinning dizzily as the echoes from the other bat bounced off the walls incessantly.

So cute.

Without the frigid clothing, Blake was warming up quite nicely and calmly made his way back toward the bathroom.

“Is everything alright?” he whispered from the doorway.

He couldn’t see them since he’d closed the door for Sage’s privacy once he’d brought in the honey water previously.

I’m trying to feed him a bit of blood but he’s refusing because I’m really cold. Would you mind sitting with him for a few minutes while I change clothes?

Blake nudged open the door with a tired smile.

Of course I don’t mind. I can even feed him if he doesn’t have a preference.

He expected Wyatt to be a little uneasy at the idea, but to his surprise, instead of answering telepathically, he simply stood up and walked to the door. It was obvious that he wanted to hug him, but the guy was still wearing his soaked clothing, so he held back and instead just leaned forward for a quick kiss.

“If he doesn’t mind, then that’s fine. I’m going to change my clothes.”

Blake nodded and stepped inside. He immediately walked over and sat down against the sink cabinet beside a shaking Sage. He was managing to hold himself up, but it was clear that he was struggling. His skin was also terribly pale.

He considered pulling the guy into his lap so that he didn’t have to hold himself up, but he was a decent bit bigger than him, so it might be awkward…

You know what, screw it. He’s not feeling well and needs some love. I’ll baby him no matter what it might look like. He also has shorts on, so it’s not like he’s naked.

And so, Blake carefully helped Sage into his lap, then once the man was as comfortable as he could be, lifted his hand toward his chin.

Sage reacted faster than he expected, but not by doing what he’d expected. The guy grabbed his wrist before it could even touch his skin, then tilted his head upward where it rested against his shoulder so that their eyes could meet… even if his couldn’t truly see.

“Babe…” Sage whispered hoarsely, his throat clearly having been damaged from throwing up so much recently. 

Blake smiled as he hugged Sage a little closer.

“Master Wyatt said that it was fine to feed you since I’ve already warmed up,” he said, making sure that he was talking loud enough for Wyatt to easily hear him in the bedroom, too.

There were no secrets between them, and he never wanted Sage or Wyatt to think that he was trying to keep something from the other. He could read between the lines easily enough, and honestly, the other two were getting so close now that he didn’t need to even try . Those lines had already been blurred together to the point of becoming one.

I love you master Wyatt , he thought to his boyfriend happily as he felt Sage slowly turn his head until his nose was nuzzling against the warm skin of his neck.

I love you, too, Blake. I would also say not to let him bite you on the neck because he can get a bit carried away with the chewing, but I have a feeling that you’d like that pain.

He would definitely like that pain, but…

Are you okay with that, though?

He felt Wyatt consider his words carefully for a few moments, then respond with a content tone.

Yes, I would be okay with that. I’m not sure how to put this, but I think Sage might have a point in considering the three of us being together. I love you to pieces, even though we’ve only known each other for a short time, but I also, for some reason, don’t mind when he gives you attention, either. Timmy is the only one who throws a bit of a tantrum, but even he is getting used to the possibility of Sage being around you more.

Blake wanted to roll his eyes at Wyatt as he felt Sage begin to lick his neck, making the area he intended to bite unfortunately go a bit numb.

He had easily been able to tell that Wyatt’s interest in Sage had been more than just friends, but the guy, himself, was clearly still trying to figure it out. He also missed one thing in his assessment, too. Sage was, and evidently had always been, after him. Yes, Blake could tell that he liked him a lot, too, but the man clearly wanted both of the options laid out in front of him.

The amount of patience Sage must have is incredible , he thought to himself, being extra careful not to send it to either of the two men.

I love you, too, and while I’m not one-hundred percent sure that I share the same feelings for Sage, I do really enjoy his company and I don’t mind having his attention if you’re alright with it. I didn’t want to really entertain the idea of a second master unless you were completely comfortable with the idea, he replied, trying to make sure that he was wording things correctly.

Right after he’d finished that thought Blake winced slightly as sharp teeth took a decent bite out of his neck. The reaction seemed to get Sage’s attention right away, however, making him quickly tone it down a good amount.

I told you he bites pretty hard when you let him have your neck, Wyatt teased as he walked into the bathroom with a small blanket.

“Oh, good idea,” Blake said out loud as Wyatt knelt down and draped it over Sage’s still-shivering body.

“Do you think you can get to bed, or do you feel better sitting next to the toilet in case you have to throw up again?” he asked as he sat down and began gently rubbing Sage’s back through the blanket.

They both waited patiently as Sage drank a few sips from his neck, then licked the wound he’d created a couple times before replying quietly.

“I don’t think… I can yet,” he forced out as he tried to control his quiet panting.

“In that case, give me just a minute,” Wyatt said as he got back up and went into the bedroom.

He returned a few moments later with an armful of pillows and one of Sage’s heavy blankets.

“The storm has died down quite a bit and should be gone within an hour or two,” he said as Sage went back to gently licking at Blake’s neck.

Wyatt then hurried about them, flitting from here to there like a worried mother as he got some pillows situated behind Blake, then wrapped them both up tightly in the large blanket.

He hadn’t even realized it before since he’d been so distracted, but as soon as Wyatt had finished tucking them in together, Blake was just about ready to pass out from exhaustion.

“We did wake up in the middle of the night, love. Get some rest. I’m going to cook a bit. He’s going to need more than blood once he’s feeling better,” he said, making Blake look up at him with heavy eyelids.

He didn’t want Wyatt to have to stay up, but he knew better than to argue. His love knew what he was doing and was used to taking care of Sage, that much was obvious. So, instead of letting himself get upset, he simply nodded and replied with a quiet, “thank you, master. Rest once you’re done, please.”

Smiling softly, Wyatt leaned over and pressed their lips together, then reached a hand up and settled it against Sage’s soft hair. The man had already passed out and was quietly snoring with his nose just-barely touching where he’d bitten Blake’s neck.

“Such a messy eater,” Wyatt remarked as his smile grew a tiny bit bigger. “Get some rest and let me know if you need anything,” he said a moment later as he took one more kiss from Blake, then stood up.

Blake gave a sleepy nod in response, then yawned. A moment later and the bathroom light, which had already been dimmed, was turned off completely, leaving just a faint glow from the kitchen area outside the bedroom. Blake snuggled in as he contently listened to Wyatt work quietly in the other room, but before he could even smell any food cooking, he had fallen completely asleep.

Wild Dog 41

Ravi awoke to the gentle sound of birds singing outside their window and a cool cloth pressed against his forehead. His nose felt a little sore for some reason, and when he tried to breath in using it, he barely got enough air to take a decent breath. 

Strange. 

Sitting up, he swayed a little, then managed to get his balance as he opened slightly-aching eyes. When those noticed movement near the bedroom door, they immediately opened wider and locked onto the figure calmly approaching. 

“Hey there, Vivi. You’ve been out for a while,” Trever said as he walked over and checked his forehead with a surprisingly-cold hand. 

“You’ve got a pretty good fever,” he said, though all Ravi could register was the correlation between the word fever and Trever touching him. 

His face immediately warmed further, making his cheeks darken in color. 

“Do you think you can eat? You’re still pretty warm…” Trever said as he actually lifted Ravi right up into his arms!

Heaven. 

If he were in his dog form, his tail would have been wagging nonstop. 

“You’re sweaty, pup,” Trever said as he turned and headed for the bathroom instead of the kitchen. 

Ravi licked his lips as memories from the previous evening played out in his mind. 

I want to lick his face. He said it was okay, but is now a bad time? It might be a bad time. If I lick his face he might put me down. 

“Alright, sit here for a minute while I draw you a bath to rinse off, okay?” Trever said as he sat Ravi down on the counter, then walked over to mess with the tub. 

He… put me down anyways. I should have licked his face. 

Watching silently, Ravi sniffled here and there as he saw muscles gently move beneath Trever’s shirt. 

Wait a second… that’s the shirt I picked out for him!

“You okay, bud? You look a little high.” 

Blinking out of his euphoric daze, Ravi quickly nodded, then fumbled off the edge of the sink because he’d overexaggerated his gesture. Thankfully, Trever was right there to catch him with a quiet chuckle. 

“That fever going to your head a bit, hmm?” 

Ravi quickly shook his head, then paused as the room spun a little. 

“No sir, I’m excited to see you wearing the shirt I picked out for you,” he said honestly, making Trever pause in his steps back toward the bathtub. 

“O-oh… it’s actually pretty comfy,” he said as his cheeks tinted the slightest bit pink. 

Master Trever was very comfy last night, too. 

He heard Trever cough abruptly before the man continued the few steps to the bathtub, then helped Ravi settle into it. 

The water was cool, but honestly felt great on his overheated skin as Ravi carefully tugged off his wet shorts and shirt. 

“I called Mr. Spencer and updated him on our switching fevers. Since mine didn’t take long to go away, I’m betting you’ll be good to go tomorrow as long as you eat well and get some more rest.” 

Ravi, who had been in the middle of cleaning himself with their shared body wash, paused in his actions when he seemed to have something to stay. 

“Can I touch you again tonight?” he asked as he looked back up at Trever.

 While Trever did immediately blush in response to his question and settle a hand over the lower half of his face, after he took a moment to shake off the evident embarrassment of the sudden question, he actually removed his hand to reveal a calm smile. 

“We’ll see,” he finally responded, making Ravi lick his lips in anticipation. 

He hadn’t been able to lick the man’s face at all the previous evening because Trever had been sick and he’d just wanted to make sure that he had been as comfortable as possible. Now that he  was the one sick, that didn’t really matter. He would take uncomfortable any day of the week if it meant being able to give his love some physical attention. 

“Are you okay to finish up on your own or do you need me to help you get out?” Trever asked. 

Ravi thought about his words for a few moments, then replied honestly. 

“I think I might need your help.” 

It was true that he wasn’t too bothered about being sick, even though he rarely ever was, but he was having little bouts of dizziness and smacking his head would definitely not be good if he fell over trying to get out of the tub. 

“Alright, I’ll wait for you to finish,” Trever said as he sat down on the closed toilet seat and looked away a little bit. 

Ravi waited a few moments before returning to his previous task. He actually put a good bit of effort into it, too, making sure that he was squeaky clean and no longer smelled like sweat. 

I want master Trever to like the way I smell so that we can cuddle more tonight. 

He doubled-checked himself twice before setting aside the soap and pulling the drain plug. As soon as the water began to disappear, Ravi stood up on shaky legs, eager to be back in Trever’s arms, except… he grunted when a big fuzzy towel was tugged over his head, then rustled relentlessly!

“Sorry bud, but you need to dry off first. I don’t want to have to change out of my super comfy new shirt,” Trever said, his tone lightly teasing as his hands continued to dry Ravi’s hair. 

It honestly felt good. More than good. 

Not wanting the attention to stop, Ravi stood as still as possible and allowed Trever to dry his hair and upper body. When the man finally stopped with his hands awkwardly holding up the towel against his lower torso, Ravi realized that he’d been openly staring at the other man and hurried to grab the towel pressed against him so that he could finish drying himself off. 

“S-sorry,” he whispered as he got the rest of himself taken care of in a flash, then wrapped the towel around his waist. 

Thankfully, Trever just shrugged off the awkward moment and reached up to help Ravi carefully step out of the tub. To his surprise, once he was steadily on the other side, the guy didn’t release him. Instead, he moved his hands to his left elbow, then lead him out of the bathroom like one might guide an elderly patient. 

It was… an interesting experience. Once he was situated on the edge of the bed, Trever finally  released him, but only to turn around and retrieve an outfit that had clearly been left on top of the dresser on purpose. 

A minute later and he was dressed not  in his own clothing, but in one of Trever’s nice, super soft silk dress shirts and a pair of too-big drawstring pants that had be rolled up a bit after being tied.  

So adorable. 

Ravi tilted his head slightly at hearing his love’s voice in his head. He had a feeling that Trever hadn’t meant to let that thought slip, but he relished it whether it was intentional or not. He didn’t mind one bit that he’d been called adorable, either. A positive was a positive, especially  if it came from his master!

“Is it okay, Vivi? If it’s not comfortable enough you can totally use your own clothing, too,” Trever said, seemingly nervous since he hadn’t gotten any kind of response from him yet. 

“It’s good!” Ravi quickly said as he took Trever’s hand and began tugging him toward the door. 

“I’m hungry, has master Trever eaten yet?” he asked as the man walked with him, a gentle smile on his face. 

I want to lick. 

“I only had a snack, so I could definitely eat. I ordered us some food right before you woke up if you don’t mind barbecue?” he said as Ravi finally released him so that he could go to the refrigerator. 

Soon there were three huge take out containers of barbecue warmed up in front of them on the coffee table. Ravi was all-but drooling as he stared at the entire chicken, rack of ribs, and  a third container of nothing but macaroni and cheese and bacon baked beans!

Ravi was just about to literally dive into everything when he stopped himself a second before he could make that mistake. Instead, he quickly rolled his sleeves up so that he didn’t get anything on them, then  reached toward the chicken. 

Except, he stopped himself again and looked over his shoulder at a grinning Trever. 

The little crinkles at the edges of his eyes when he smiles are adorable. 

“Don’t worry, hun. I’ll eat, too. I just want you to pick what you want to start on, first,” he said, making Ravi’s dog howl within him. 

Wild dogs generally shared all the food they hunted, but submitting to allow another dog first dibs was still a respect thing. 

He was practically wiggling in his seat as he tore into one of the chicken legs hungrily, humming happily as he did so. There was no hesitation at all as he completely cleaned the leg down to the bare bone. 

“Such a ferocious young man,” Trever said with a chuckle as he reached forward and grabbed himself a few of the ribs. 

Unlike Ravi, he actually put them on a plate and worked on them slowly. They were honestly close to being polar opposites in a lot of ways, but as their meal progressed and the food began to dwindle, Ravi found himself nestled right up against Trever. He even had his feet tucked up beneath him as he leaned his head on the man’s shoulder, still nibbling at a chicken bone sleepily. 

“Any room in that endless pit for some dessert? I brought over that little container of pudding, too, if you want any,” Trever said as he gently rustled Ravi’s hair after having cleaned his hands with the little wet napkins the restaurant had provided, drawing his sleepy gaze upward to nuzzle into that warm hand. 

Trever took that moment to check on his fever, then smiled. 

“It’s going down slowly. You should be good by tomorrow, but we’ll still play it by ear,” he said as he moved the arm that Ravi was leaning against behind him so that he could wrap it around Ravi’s waist gently and tug him a bit closer. 

When Ravi simply snuggled in against his chest, then gave a big, content yawn before settling down and looking up at him with half-lidded eyes, Trever grinned. 

“Alright, no dessert right now. Maybe later after a good nap,” he said, then leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Ravi’s lightly damp hair. 

Half asleep, Ravi nuzzled against the man’s warm chest for a few moments, but when Trever leaned away and clicked on the TV, then set the volume low, he realized that the man wasn’t just going to look after him. 

We get to cuddle right now. 

Blinking open eyes he hadn’t realized he’d let slip closed a moment ago, Ravi slowly tilted his head upward until he was able to see his master’s handsome face. 

The man was distracted by whatever was on the television for a short while, but he eventually noticed that he had eyes on him and looked down with a beautiful smile. 

“Is the TV bothering you? I can mute it,” he said quietly as he reached over with his free hand to pat Ravi’s soft hair again. 

He liked the attention, but his own attention was on something else. Mainly, the tiny smudge of barbecue sauce just below Trever’s lower lip. 

He said that I could lick him. He definitely said that I could, but I haven’t yet. 

With that sleepy thought, Ravi slowly moved his body two different ways at the same time. His legs extended until he was on his knees, while at the same time his right leg moved across the other man’s lap to straddle it. When he finally lifted his gaze to meet Trever’s, his heart was beating so fast it felt like it was humming within his chest. 

Ah, I can’t see that tiny smudge from this angle. 

Needing to fix the situation, since that smudge was the reason he was able to push himself to try and finally initiate a lick, Ravi tilted his head slightly, then reached up and nudged Trever’s jaw from beneath with a bent finger, moving it just enough so that he could see that itty bitty spot of barbecue sauce. 

 Licking his lips, Ravi slowly leaned down until their mouths were only an inch or so away from each others. He could smell the faint scent of the ribs the man had eaten on his breath and his dog honestly loved it. 

“Vivi?” Trever questioned, snapping Ravi out of his determined daze and making him quickly move his right leg and drop back down to his comfy, normal cuddling position. 

He also tucked his head against the man’s chest, hoping that he wouldn’t be mad that he’d tried to lick him just then. 

“Vivi? Can you look up at me, please?” Trever asked as he gently stroked his super curly hair. 

It took Ravi a few moments to build up the courage to do as he was told, but when he felt something soft press against his slightly-parted lips the moment he looked up, his mind short-circuited and he froze. 

Master Trever just… 

He’s…

His heart was in his throat for the entire three seconds that their kiss lasted. 

B-but…

When he saw Trever, red-faced and panting, turn his head away and lift a hand to cover his mouth nervously, Ravi wanted to immediately grab both sides of his face and make him kiss him much longer, but he somehow managed to hold himself back… just barely. 

Instead of doing what his dog was barking at him to, he simply bit his lower lip and tucked his head against Trever’s chest. He could hear the man’s frantic heart beating like crazy beneath where he had his ear pressed against his shirt. 

I want to kiss him a lot more, and do other things, but he’s already stressing a lot and his dog might be upset, too. I need to be a good dog right now and not push him. 

He kept telling himself that, over and over and over again, until he unintentionally drifted off to sleep.

Wild Dog 42

Coming home to Sage’s apartment after work felt so normal. He’d cooked quite a bit the previous night, and after making sure that Blake ate a huge breakfast before he had to leave for work, he took his time helping Sage. The man had been doing better, but still wasn’t close to one-hundred percent yet. So, he’d helped him rinse off in the shower, gave him some of the warm oatmeal he’d made with honey and cinnamon mixed in for a light breakfast, and made him take his iron pills before putting him to bed. 

Then  he left to head to his own job. 

Thankfully, it hadn’t been a very eventful day, but it had been decently busy, allowing him to keep his mind off of things for a bit as he focused on work. 

“Welcome home, master Wyatt,” Blake said the moment he walked in the door. 

His sweet sub waited patiently as he got the door closed and locked, then slipped off his shoes. Not a second after he’d finished his tasks, a warm hand settled on either side of his face as they gently guided his head slightly downward until his lips could press against Blake’s. 

Such a sweet man… and he’s all mine. 

Hearing footsteps behind his love, Wyatt softly broke their kiss in order to look up. Of course, he gladly wrapped his arms around Blake’s waist and hugged him to him in the process, though that little hint of jealousy was spurred on from Timmy more than himself. 

“Hey babe, welcome home,” Sage said in such a scratchy voice that Wyatt immediately began walking toward him. 

Blake slipped into the spot at his side seamlessly, then walked an extra step ahead as they got close to help support Sage as he slumped against the doorframe to his room. 

 “What are you doing out of bed? You’re clearly not recovered yet,” Wyatt said in a tone of voice that he’d rarely used around Blake. 

The younger guy didn’t really need a whole lot of ordering around. He was honestly the sweetest, least problematic sub he’d ever had. He knew what he wanted, and if he didn’t want him to do something, he said so. Their communication was practically spot on with each other. 

Sage allowed Blake to help him back to his bed, but instead of crawling into it, he sat on the edge and looked up at them with puppy dog eyes. 

“I just wanted to greet master Wyatt when he got home, too,” he said after a few moments of silence. 

He then had a little coughing fit, making Blake hurry to the kitchen to grab him a glass of water. His sweet sub even held Sage’s hand as the man drank what he was given. 

“All better?” Blake asked as he took the empty glass Sage held out.

“Yes, thank you, love,” he said, then added, “and thank you for last night. Both of you.” 

Sage was just looking up at Blake to put a smile with his words when his expression faltered abruptly, but then shifted back to normal the next second. 

Hmm?

Wyatt was just about to ask why he was looking at Blake like that when his words got stuck on his tongue. 

Looking. He’s… actually looking? 

Before he could question the impossible, Sage abruptly released Blake’s hand and stood up.   

“How about pizza for dinner? Blake and I ate the rest of what you’d cooked earlier this morning and I’m craving some pepperoni,” Sage said as he walked past him toward the kitchen. 

Was I just imagining things? 

“Master Wyatt?” 

Slowing to a stop just before the entryway to the kitchen where he’d automatically followed Sage, Wyatt turned around. 

“Yes, love?” 

Blake actually looked a little nervous as he reached forward and took his hand, then seemed to examine it a bit before furrowing his brow in confusion. 

Something felt off just now. 

Now it was Wyatt’s turn to be confused. Blake very  rarely spoke into his mind instead of out loud when Sage was around unless he was asking permission to do something. 

Did you want to do something?  he asked, a little nervous. 

When Blake shook his head, Wyatt frowned. 

What is it that’s bothering you, then? he asked as he tugged Blake into his arms for a gentle hug. 

It’s not really bothering me so much as I… I don’t really know how to explain it, Blake replied, making Wyatt even more curious. 

Is it about Sage? 

He’d be shocked if it wasn’t, considering they were communicating through their minds and leaving the man completely in the dark about the conversation. He wasn’t normally a fan of keeping things from other people and talking about them behind their back, but their current conversation didn’t seem negative yet, so he’d allow it to continue. 

Yes, I think I know why he stares at me sometimes… and why he liked me so abruptly when we first met. 

Oh? He hadn’t thought much into Sage liking him, honestly. What wasn’t  there to like about his love? 

Tell me? 

Blake nuzzled into Wyatt’s shirt as he replied. 

I think he can see when he’s touching me. I don’t know how it’s possible, perhaps it might have something to do with my own telepathic abilities, but I swear it’s becoming more obvious recently. 

Wyatt licked his lips as he went back over what Blake was telling him. His best friend since high school, who has been blind his entire life, can suddenly see whenever he touched his man? 

It didn’t make any sense, but then again, neither did Blake’s ability, but that was completely real. 

Why wouldn’t he tell us about it, though? he finally replied, suddenly feeling a little depressed that it had been kept a secret so well. 

I’m not sure. At first I just thought that he was expressive and that he was focusing on his surroundings using sound, but earlier I actually felt something behind my eyes. It was kind of like a faint tingle right when he held my hand. He also looked startled for a second at the time. Of course, this could all be in my head, but I just wanted to ask if you noticed anything strange, too…

He honestly hadn’t… until that startled look. Sage had always seemed to be looking at things one moment, then staring past you the next. 

I haven’t noticed anything besides what you just mentioned. He looked surprised for a moment. 

Blake pursed his lips and leaned away and Wyatt immediately allowed his arms to drop from around him. 

I’m not sure why he’s hiding it, if it’s even a thing, but I just wanted to ask if you had seen anything. Perhaps I’m just overthinking things. 

“You guys chatting without me, hmm?” Sage said as he walked back into the living room, tucking his phone back into his packet as he moved. 

He stopped next to them, then grinned as he reached up to settle a hand against Blake’s soft hair. 

“You tend to let your thoughts wander when you’re tired, sweetheart,” Sage said as he gently rustled Blake’s hair. 

Wyatt watched him far more closely than he normally did, but he still couldn’t figure out if he was actually seeing anything, or if he was just that good at faking it after so many years. 

“The answer you two are probably waiting for is complicated,” Sage said as he turned and wandered over to drop down into one of the recliners. 

Wyatt took the other one, then Blake happily climbed into his lap without an ounce of hesitation. He was glad that he was perfectly comfortable being himself in front of both of them. He was also quite content around Blake and Sage, and quickly tugged him closer, then wrapped one arm around his waist while slipping his free hand slightly beneath the waistband of his love’s pants. 

“The simplest answer I can give you is yes , if I touch Blake, I can see. But , it’s a lot more complicated than that, and I’m sorry that I’ve been hiding it from you guys. It honestly scared the crap out of me when it first happened, and I honestly didn’t think that it would ever happen again. Hell, I thought that I’d just had a strange dream, because the image I saw that day had been incredibly blurry and impossible to figure out,” he said as he put the footrest up, then leaned back all the way. 

“I talked myself out of being weird and trying to make it happen again right away, but that  was the main reason why I decided to try and pursue you, Blake. Of course, I fell in love pretty damn quickly after that, but I didn’t see anything again, even when we touched. I convinced myself that it must have just been a random fluke.” 

He paused for a moment as he thought about what he wanted to say next. 

“Well, things moved on, but then I found out that the love of my life was also interested in you,” he said, making Blake’s cheeks redden slightly as Wyatt leaned down and pressed a kiss to one of those adorable cheeks.   

“I already knew that Wyatt wasn’t the type of dominant who liked sharing his subs, so I honestly considered backing out right away when I knew that he was interested.” 

He heaved a stressed sigh and licked his lips as he stared blankly up at the ceiling. 

“I got greedy, not just because of that strange little instance, but because you actually seemed like a really sweet guy… and I’m sure that you’ve guessed by now, but I love Wyatt so god damn much, too.” 

Grinning, Blake tilted his head up where it rested against his chest, making Wyatt lean down and press another kiss to his forehead. He left his lips there far longer than he needed to, but his heart was racing in his chest and his own cheeks might have been tinting red. 

“Are you blushing for me, Wy?” Sage said playfully as he turned his head to the side and his blind eyes stared past them. 

Wyatt felt his face heat further right before Blake pressed a kiss to his lips. The attention cooled his overheating head, allowing him to think logically about the confession his best friend had  finally  put out in the open after so many years. 

He’d never been blind to it. Sage had only ever really had short trysts with subs here and there, but there had never been a serious relationship. 

He always came back to me, grumbling about how this person or that person just didn’t get him. Then we’d chill on the couch and eat pizza and ice cream until we fell asleep together beneath the throw blanket. He’d be back to his normal, goofy self the next morning. 

He hadn’t meant to broadcast that thought, but when Blake moved to sit on the arm of the chair and smiled adorably at him, Wyatt realized that he’d been overheard. 

Babe, what do you think of Sage? Blake asked him calmly. 

It was a simple question, but at the same time, it was the hardest one he’d ever been asked in his entire life. 

I… he…

Wyatt slid his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. 

Blake, there’s only one thing that’s really kept me from being able to see myself together with him once you told me that you would be okay with it… 

Blake leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his hair, then leaned back when Wyatt looked up at him. 

You’re worried about him not willing to budge as a top , Blake thought to him, making Wyatt’s face warm more. 

Blake leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Wyatt’s neck in a tight hug. 

You can always back out if you become uncomfortable, Wyatt. And you know Sage. He’s a sweetheart and he’s been with you for so many years without overstepping your boundaries, right? 

He was right. Sage had never  tried to push him, even though it had been clear for years that he was interested. They’d gotten close a few times, with the most recent one being when the guy had pinned him down in his own bed in front of Blake, but even that hadn’t honestly worried him enough to make him want to distance himself.  

I’ve pretty much ignored the part of him that likes me to keep the friend part at my side…

Blake hugged him tighter. 

It’s okay to do those things. If he wasn’t alright with it, he would have said so or left. He loves you, hun.

Wyatt swallowed down his nerves several times, then gently squeezed Blake’s shoulder. It was all he seemed to need to understand. His love carefully got off of the recliner so that he could stand up, then settled back down into it with a grin. Evidently, Blake would not be walking the short distance with him. 

You got this, love. 

Nodding over his shoulder at Blake, Wyatt steeled the last of his nerves, then finally turned to face Sage. 

The man was watching  him, but of course, his eyes didn’t focus on anything in particular. Just the thought of being able to stay next to Sage and Blake, together within the same relationship made him nearly tear up. 

Now that I’m finally faced with this decision, I don’t know how I hesitated for so long. 

He glanced back at Blake for just a split second. Just seeing the man’s smiling face put one on his own. 

Maybe we just needed someone to come along and finish tugging us together. Maybe we just needed someone to hold us together. 

Returning his attention to Sage, Wyatt calmly walked right up to the man and sat himself on the armrest of the recliner. His weight forced the chair back into an upright position, but Sage didn’t seem to mind in the least. 

When Sage’s hand just-barely settled on his thigh, Wyatt’s eyes crinkled as his smile widened as he reached over, himself, to tug the guy’s head against his chest in a gentle hug. 

My sweet bat. 

“May I, love?” 

Huh? 

Wyatt blinked out of his thoughts to realize that those same, faded gray eyes that had been watching him for years were now focused strictly upon his face. While it was clear that Sage still couldn’t see him, his eyes still expressed so much emotion as they stared up at him. 

Swallowing another round of nerves, Wyatt lifted his right hand and settled it overtop the one Sage had placed on his thigh, then squeezed gently. 

I like him. 

He could feel eyes on his back, but instead of making him more nervous, the idea of Blake watching over him made him finally be able to relax. 

I like him. I like you, Sage. 

Pursing his lips, Wyatt leaned down as Sage tilted his head the slightest bit to the side. 

“Yes. I like you, Sage,” he said, answering the other man’s question while at the same time forcing his confession out before he chickened out. 

His best friend had waited years  to be able to hear him say those words. He hadn’t wanted to delay them another second. 

When the man’s lips pressed against his a moment later, Wyatt expected the kiss to turn fierce immediately, considering it was between two stubborn dominants, but when Sage’s lips began to shiver against his own, Wyatt blinked and leaned away the slightest amount so that he could look down at the man before him. 

You’re shaking? 

Wait. Was he crying, too? 

“Love, I’m going to be a mess,” Sage said as he reached up and gently grabbed hold of Wyatt’s face and brought it back down for another extremely soft kiss. 

“I’ve been dreaming about this moment for so many years,” Sage whispered as he continued to pepper nervous kisses upon Wyatt’s lips. 

I… was no expecting such careful nervousness. 

He felt a hint of humor in the back of his mind before Blake responded. 

I bet you most of it is relief. Maybe a little stress that you might withdraw right now, too, but you don’t seem to mind his attention, right? 

He didn’t mind it at all. 

I really wasn’t expecting things to go this way. I thought he’d try to pin me down immediately and make out until I couldn’t breathe. 

The hint of humor coming from Blake actually dimmed before replied again. 

He was worried that you would never give him a chance to love you, and you were worried that he would push you to do something you didn’t want to do. 

Wyatt licked his lips as Sage stopped kissing him so that they could both get in a bit of air. Looking down at his best friend now, he couldn’t believe that they’d both let their insecurities stop them from growing closer. 

Finally letting go of all of his hesitation, Wyatt slid into Sage’s lap and lifted his arms up to wrap around his love’s neck in a comfortable hug. Sage responded immediately, but he was still clearly nervous as his hands just-barely settled against his lower back. 

He was just about to ask for the guy to hug him tighter, when he bit his tongue at the sound of Blake’s voice in the back of his mind. 

Let him handle the situation the way he needs to, hun. Let him get himself under control before you send extra signals. 

Grinning, Wyatt unwrapped his arms from around Sage’s neck and settled more into the man’s lap, then leaned contently against his chest.   

Ah, his heartbeat is pounding even though he seems pretty calm on the outside, besides a few nerves. 

Closing his eyes as he felt Sage’s arms gently wrap around him, Wyatt found a smile slipping onto his lips. 

His heart’s beating that way for you, master Wyatt. 

It was such an odd thought, but at the same time, he loved it. 

I’m lying in Sage’s arms. 

It felt really good.

Do you want to come over here, too? he questioned once they had both settled down comfortably. 

I’d love to cuddle with both of you, but right now his attention belongs completely to you. I’ll get plenty of love from you guys later. Just enjoy your time with him right now. 

Right as Blake finished speaking a quiet knock sounded on the front door. 

“I got it,” Blake said as he hopped up before either of them could even consider moving. 

The smell of fresh pizza wafted through the air as Blake went about getting them drinks after setting the entire box down on the little table between the two armchairs. 

No plates, love? 

After setting down their three glasses of water, Blake opened the lid and grinned at him and Sage, who had turned his attention to the food, too. 

“Let’s be a little dirty tonight and just dig in, hmm?” 

This man… is the best. 

The rest of the evening was spent making an absolute mess of themselves with pizza, cuddling, and watching old movies. 

He loved every single second of it, and if Sage’s beaming, permanent smile was anything to go by, he’d also enjoyed himself immensely. Especially when Blake finally crawled into the chair with them both, earning immediate kisses as Wyatt made plenty of room for him to snuggle with them. 

His sweetheart was the first to fall asleep, too, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. After eating a bunch Sage was doing much better, but Blake had just come home from one of his first days of work at a new job. No matter how nice the place was, it would still wear someone out until they were comfortable with everything. 

“I can’t believe we got so lucky,” Sage said quietly as the film they were currently watching lit up his face with different shades of light. 

Wyatt stared up at him from where he rested his head on his shoulder, then looked down at the man snuggled up in his arms. 

“Yeah, he’s amazing,” he said as he saw Sage lift his arm that wasn’t wrapped around his waist and settle a hand gently atop Blake’s soft hair. 

Timmy grunted in his mind a little, but settled down as soon as that hand redirected to Wyatt’s hair and gave it a pat, too. 

“Wanna head to bed? It’s getting pretty late,” he said as he started moving a bit. 

Sage let him do as he pleased, and soon Wyatt was back on his feet with Blake in his arms. He headed for Sage’s bedroom without any hesitation, and didn’t even worry when he heard the other man following close behind him. 

They both got Blake tucked in, then Wyatt tugged his shirt up and over his head, then hesitated when he realized what he was about to do. 

I don’t usually sleep in my clothing, though… At least, not my shirt. It’s super uncomfortable. 

“I’m about to pass out. Let’s brush our teeth and go to bed, hmm?” Sage said as he calmly walked past him and into the bathroom. 

Wyatt waited a few more seconds before nodding to himself and letting his shirt slip from his fingers, then stepping into the bathroom with Sage. 

They might have gotten a bit distracted after having brushed their teeth, but eventually they both slid into bed with slightly sore lips. Wyatt slipped in behind Blake while Sage took his front. They then made a sandwich with their love’s body between them, comfortably wrapped in their arms.

 “Good night, Sage,” he whispered quietly, completely relaxed even though he wasn’t in his own bed. 

“Night, master Wyatt, and our beautiful babe, Blake. Until tomorrow, my loves.” 

Wyatt nuzzled gently into Blake’s soft hair and felt his face warm. 

Untill tomorrow…

Wild Dog 43

Ravi shook the dirt from his coat, sending it raining down upon Trever’s hyena who was standing in the ditch they’d just completed after two long hours of work. His animal was a bit frustrated with the new addition to its already-dirty coat, but it thankfully just shrugged it off, then grunted as it hopped out of the hole and shook its own body. 

Once done, it flicked an ear and looked past Ravi toward the foreman of the company, who was hurrying towards them with an excited look on his face.  

“You boys are the best! That’s all we need for right now, but I’ll definitely be calling you again in the future,” he said as he handed Ravi a surprisingly-heavy bag. 

“I gave you guys some extra money since you worked so fast, and some of the lunch I bought for my regular boys. You deserve it, and I hope you guys have a great day,” he said as he gave Ravi a pat on his head that made the edge of Trever’s hyena’s lips twitch the slightest amount. 

As soon as they were dismissed his hyena gave a big yawn, then licked its lips as Ravi’s dog wandered over. It’s tail was swinging widely and its body was wiggling from head to toe. 

How are you not tired? I swear we ate the same breakfast, yet I don’t have even half of that energy.   

Ravi wiggled his way right over and nudged his nose against Trever’s. 

I’ll give you all of my energy, master Trever!

The guy was crazy… but adorable. 

Let’s go home. We’re going back to work tomorrow, remember? We need to relax a bit more. 

They had just decided to take the week off, with Mr. Spencer’s permission, of course. He hadn’t really intended to go with Ravi when he’d been texted about doing another round of digging, but when he’d mentioned that the man gave him treats and pet his dog, he’d decided to get some fresh air. 

I think I’m going to have dirty boogers for a week after that. 

It honestly wasn’t as bad as he’d thought it would be, though. Sure, he was exhausted and absolutely filthy, but his hyena’s tail was wagging back and forth contently and Ravi was bounding around him like a child that had just been given five pouches of Kool-Aid. 

The guy really was going a bit crazy, and as cute as it was, he had to lunge forward a few times to nip at him in order to keep his crazy dog from running out into the street on their way back. Granted, there were very few cars and it was obvious he was paying at least a little bit of attention to the ones coming and going, but still… don’t ever play in the street. 

By the time they finally got back to their apartment he was just about ready to pass out. As it were, Ravi was actually the one who ended up shifting to let them in. Which was a good thing, because Trever basically walked ten steps inside, then flopped over onto the carpet with a tired whine. 

Closing his eyes, he listened as Ravi ran around the apartment. Pretty soon he’d gotten the food they’d been given put away in the fridge, then got the shower going. 

He definitely wanted to rinse off, but that involved moving and now that he’d lied down, he didn’t think that he could honestly get back up. 

“Master Trever, the water is warm.” 

I know, sweetheart, but I’m really tired. You wash up first. 

There was silence for a few moments after he’d spoken before he heard Ravi’s footsteps hurry closer. 

“Master, can I pick up your dog? You’re really dirty and it’s best to clean up after digging in such a dirty place,” he said, making Trever slowly blink open one eye and glance sideways at him. 

You know, you may act childish sometimes, but you’re pretty darn smart, too. 

He contemplated his offer for a moment before mentally shrugging. 

Okay, you can clean him up. 

The sheer joy he felt through their bond when Ravi leaned over and, somehow, easily lifted his hyena up into his arms was quite shocking. The guy appeared kind of scrawny, but there was no way he was able to miss the muscles flexing against him as he was situated against Ravi’s chest and promptly carried into the master bathroom. 

He didn’t hesitate to gently set him right in the tub, then climb in, himself, before yanking the curtain closed. As soon as he was settled Trever nuzzled his dirty muzzle against the building puddle on the bottom of the tub and watched the dirt flow from his fur. 

“Look at all that stuff coming off of you. My master is quite a dirty boy,” Ravi said cheekily as he reached over to grab the shampoo. 

You’re going to drain that whole bottle if you use it to clean my hyena…

He was kind of stuck, though. Either he let Ravi wash his hyena and they went and got more shampoo after work tomorrow, or he shifted and wasted considerably-less soap. 

Trever shifted back to his human form. 

There was a brief moment in time where the only thing he could feel was the pattering of warm water against his bare back and backside, but then things changed… quite quickly. 

Strong, determined fingers pressed against his shoulder-blades, kneading the skin there like an excited cat. It honestly felt good. Really good. He wasn’t normally a fan of such attention, but his body ached pretty badly from so much physical activity. Surely it deserved a little massaging? 

Ravi wasn’t shy with his hands, either. He made sure to take care of every single tired muscle that he could reach. When he started trying to nudge him to flip over, however, and near his waist, too, Trever smirked and turned his head to look over his shoulder slightly. 

“Excuse me, sir, but I don’t think that area needs attention.” 

Ravi pursed his lips and looked upset for a moment, but then grinned and licked his lips. 

“So I can go lower on this side?” he asked without an ounce of hesitation. 

This man is relentless. 

After a few moments Trever turned his head back to facing forward, then dropped his chin onto his crossed arms. 

“I thought you were going to clean me? I’m pretty sure I’m still quite dirty…” 

Ravi took the hint… immediately. 

Those same strong hands returned his skin in an instant, then softened the slightest amount as bodywash was added. Then the scrubbing began. He knew that even if he’d bathed in mud all day, there was no way he needed that  much scrubbing, but instead of reprimanding the guy, he buckled down on his nervousness and let him clean. He even rolled over the next time he silently requested him to. 

Thankfully, Ravi was very careful about where he was touching once he finally got permission. In fact, by the time he was finished with the majority of his body, Trever was actually pretty comfortable and just about ready to nod off. 

“Master Trever, may I touch your private places?” 

Okay, he was awake now. Very awake. The word no  was also on the tip of his tongue immediately. Except, when he looked back up at Ravi that word was somehow swallowed. 

“Fine, but you have two minutes. We’re running out of warm water.” 

I’m crazy. 

To his surprise, however, Ravi was extremely quick. He managed to clean everything in just under one minute! 

Wow, kind of impressed. Time to get out n— his entire face turned red as he lifted one arm in front of his mouth to automatically try to hide his blush. Ravi had begun moving his hand up and down his quickly-hardening length without a single hint of warning!

Vivi?!

The guy stopped abruptly and looked toward him with a confused expression. 

“I-I thought I still had one minute to touch?” he asked quietly, his worried words nearly silenced by the pattering of water coming down on them. 

It was supposed to be for cleaning!  he thought to the guy, unable to form audible words at that moment. 

Ravi looked utterly dejected, making Trever furrow his brow and think back on what he had said. 

Dammit. 

I really did tell him he could touch me. 

Soap had not been a mandatory part of that deal. 

Lifting up his other arm, Trever shielded his upper face as well, then replied quietly. 

“Fine, but just so you know, it takes a lot longer than one minute to, um…” he couldn’t say it. 

He honestly wasn’t one to jerk off regularly, if at all. Maybe once a month, or even once every two. It just wasn’t something he normally cared to do. It made him sweaty and there were honestly a hundred other things he’d rather do most times. 

“I can do it in one minute, master Trever.” 

Ravi’s words made him crack a smile beneath his arms. 

“Oh really?” he said, taunting him a bit since he highly doubted the guy had such talent. 

He expected an immediate verbal response, but when he heard the shower being turned off, he lowered his arms a tiny bit so that he could tilt his head back and see. His eyes locked with Ravi’s soft caramel ones in that moment, and while he expected some sort of haughty response, Ravi simply leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to his lips. 

“One minute, master Trever. If I can make you cum in one minute, then may I touch you tom—u-uh, another time this week?” he asked as his lips brushed against his. 

Trever grinned as he caught what Ravi had been meaning to say. If he’d finished his initial sentence, it would have probably been declined. Touching him again in such a way right after doing it right now would have been too much. He wasn’t a people person, and Ravi was one hell of a people… and dog. 

But he’s your people-dog. 

 Unable to help himself, Trever grinned up at the sweetheart leaning over him and leaned up just enough to return his kiss for the briefest of moments. 

“If you can do it in one minute, then I’ll accept your request for more attention later this week, Vivi.”

Wild Dog 44

(My friend’s cat reminds me of Ravi waiting for any possible attention XD) 

“Master Wyatt!” 

The man on the screen was clearly just beginning to wake up as he held his phone a little above himself. His smile was sleepily-crooked, he was missing a shirt which gave a decent view of a few red marks on his neck, and his hair was a rare, absolute mess, but Ravi didn’t seem to notice any of those things. 

“Eh? Is that master Sage?” 

That’s  what he noticed. 

Wyatt gave a quiet chuckle and turned the phone just enough to prove that yes, Sage was, in fact, sleeping against him while hugging his other arm. 

“But master Wyatt, where is master Blake?” he asked immediately. 

Wyatt lowered his phone to a more comfortable distance and replied without any worry in to his words. 

“He just left for work. How are things going there, sweetheart?” 

Ravi pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes on Sage further, clearly not ready to leave that topic alone. 

“Master Wyatt, why is Sage there instead of Blake?” 

Wyatt turned his head on his pillow and looked at the man cuddled up to him, sleeping like a child. 

“Blake is definitely still here ,” he said as he looked back toward the phone. 

“We’ve just decided to try adding one more person to our relationship,” he said calmly, clearly not worried about the situation. 

Ravi took notice of the man’s relaxed response and decided to take a minute to go through what he had said about the situation. He didn’t like the idea of sharing his master with anyone, no matter who they were, but he’d met Sage a few times and knew that he was master Wyatt’s good friend since childhood. Blake was also a pretty laid-back person and might not mind the added person. He might even enjoy his attention along with Wyatt’s. 

He didn’t like the idea for his own situation, but eventually he decided to just accept that it was what master Wyatt had decided. Besides, it wasn’t for him , and if master Wyatt wanted to change his situation, then the only people who should really have a say in it are the ones directly involved. 

 “Okay,” was all he said as his final judgement, because that was the only response he felt he was entitled to. 

With that bit of awkwardness out of the way, Ravi folded his legs on the sofa and grinned widely down at his phone. 

“Master Wyatt, I get to kiss master Trever now!” he said in an excited whisper, not wanting to wake the other man in the bedroom behind him. 

He had succeeded in his mission the previous night and was rewarded with being allowed to have a few more kisses before bed. Master Trever had been sleeping ever since, and it was getting close to eleven in the morning already. They had to head into work at noon. 

The look of surprise on Wyatt’s face made Ravi wiggle a little with his growing excitement. 

 “That’s awesome, Ravi. How is he doing, by the way?” Wyatt replied with a proud smile. 

“He is good! We got sick last week so we took off work but he went digging with me yesterday and we made some money that way,” he said. 

“We actually need to get ready for work soon, but he is still asleep…” he said, letting his words drift off into silence for a moment before his smile widened further. 

“I suppose you better go get him up,” Wyatt said with a quiet chuckle right before Sage pressed a kiss to his neck and blinked open one unseeing eye. 

“Go get your man up… so that I can work on one of mine,” Sage rasped with a smirk as he ran his hand down Wyatt’s bare chest and out of view of the camera. 

Ravi quickly ended the call and slip his phone into his pocket.

I want to work on my master… 

Vivi? 

Ravi immediately jumped over the arm of the sofa and bolted into their shared bedroom! He held himself back from jumping on the bed, but just-barely. Instead, he ran around to the side his master was lying on and waited patiently in his pajamas for the man to speak. 

“Thank you for waiting, Vivi,” Trever said as he pushed himself up, then hid a yawn behind his hand. 

When he returned his attention up to him, Ravi was practically vibrating with excitement! 

“My hair is a mess, isn’t it?” Trever said after watching him nearly self-combust for a few moments. 

Ravi immediately nodded multiple times, looking quite a bit like a bobble-head figure as his super curly hair bounced with the action. 

Trever’s bruised lips tilted upward into a smile as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. 

“I’m not even going to ask about my mouth or neck, because I can feel those aching already,” he added, making Ravi glance away for a moment as his cheeks reddened the slightest amount. 

He’d gotten Trever to cum in less than a minute the previous night… then had gotten a tiny bit carried away loving on him. He’d stopped as soon as his master had told him to, but he’d still overdone it a bit.   

“It’s fine, I let you do it and you stopped when I told you to. You did nothing wrong,” Trever said as he finally stood up. 

Ravi returned his full attention to the man as he straightened to his full height, not willing to miss a single second of his near-naked glory. He was only wearing a pair of thin, black boxer briefs.

“Let’s get dressed for work, then pick up some breakfast on the way in,” Trever said as he settled his hand on top of Ravi’s soft mane of hair, snapping his attention away from lower areas as he smiled up at the man before him. 

“Yes sir,” Ravi replied before hurrying over to the dresser they’d put their clothing away in, stripping on his way. 

He could feel eyes on him as he moved, right up until he was completely redressed in a pair of black jeans, a white dress shirt, and a comfortable black jacket. When he finally turned around to face that gaze, he was a bit surprised to see Trever walking towards him with a comb. 

When the man stopped in front of him and lifted the item, Ravi immediately lowered his head with a grin. Trever gently brushed out each of his curls to make sure that no tangles remained. Once he was done about five minutes later he set the comb down on the dresser and ran his fingers through those soft curls. 

“You have the most beautiful hair,” Trever said as he fought with himself to lower his hand from said hair. 

“Master, can we get some eggs?” Ravi asked as he watched Trever tug his underwear off, then pull out a clean pair from the dresser. 

“Sure, we can get some take-out instead of doing fast food. That way you can get whatever you want, alright?” he said as he pulled on the small garment, unfortunately hiding the man’s length from his view.  

It was probably a good thing at that moment. He kind of wanted to nibble on it.

“If you’re all ready, go ahead and grab my phone and do an order for Frank’s diner down the street, please. We’ll pick it up on the way to work,” Trever said, clearly trying to get him to stop staring… if his dark blush was anything to go by. 

Ravi immediately did as told, and, surprisingly easily. He was getting used to technology and had unending patience whenever his master wanted him to do anything, so even if he didn’t get it right the first time, he’d try again or ask for help. 

“Master Trever, would you like the ham and cheese omelet with bacon and three biscuits with butter and jelly?” he asked, remembering one of his master’s go-to orders from previous meals. 

Trever was just buttoning up his dress shirt as he nodded his agreement. 

“That sounds perfect.” 

Ravi nodded and put in the order, then did his own before looking back up at his master. 

“Orange juice or coffee?” 

Trever finished buttoning his shirt and tugged on his suitcoat as he considered what he wanted, then shrugged one shoulder with a half-smile.

“What are you getting?” 

That was obvious. 

“Chocolate milk!” 

Trever chuckled and nodded. 

“Of course, of course. You know what? I’ll have that, too,” he said as he finally walked forward, fully clothed, and pressed a kiss to Ravi’s forehead right after he confirmed their order. 

Happy!

Evidently having heard his thought, Trever leaned over again and placed a second kiss against his nose. 

Master Trever is amazing!  Ravi added, hoping that he would get another kiss for his effort. 

“I think you’re baiting me now, bud,” Trever said with a grin… even as he leaned over again and pressed a gentle kiss to Ravi’s lips. 

Ravi’s mind spat out a jumble of praises as he kissed his love, trying to entice the man even though it was all just gibberish because he couldn’t focus. In fact, a rumble actually began from Trever’s chest, making Ravi realize that he’d been mumbling utter nonsense to his thoughts. 

“U-um… that’s wasn’t as smooth as I had wanted it to be,” Ravi whispered as he watched Trever lean away with a grin on his face. 

“It’s alright, it was adorable,” he said, making Ravi purse his lips and wag his invisible tail. 

“Does master Trever like it when I act adorable? That means cute, too, right?” he asked as they got their shoes on and headed out the door. 

“I do like it,” Trever said as he locked up and followed him onto the elevator. 

Licking his lips, Ravi quickly began searching on his phone about how to be cuter. Except, before could even find an article he thought might be useful, there was a familiar hand covering the screen, forcing his attention back to his companion. 

“You don’t need to look up anything. I’m the one who is learning, but I don’t want to research anything, either. I think we’re managing alright on our own, hmm?” 

Ravi immediately nodded, making his curls bounce. 

“Yes sir, I think we are doing very well,” he said as he quickly tucked his phone into his back pocket. 

“Perfect, then we’ll just continue as we are for now,” Trever said as he gently grasped two of Ravi’s fingers right before the elevator stopped on the first floor and the doors opened. 

Ravi couldn’t help but stare down at the man’s fingers wrapped around his own as they walked past person after person until they were suddenly at the car and the man was letting go. 

Oh…

“Hop in, Vivi,” Trever said as he held the door open for him. 

He immediately did as told and slipped into the passenger’s seat, then buckled himself in as Trever walked around and got in on his own side. Before he could think of something to say Trever was reaching over and taking his hand in his own. When he squeezed his hand gently, Ravi felt as if it was his heart that was being wrapped in a large, warm hand. 

“Are you alright, Vivi?” 

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Ravi tugged Trever’s hand against his chest and nodded quickly. 

“Yes, I’m fine. I like your hands,” he said, then blushed when he realized that his response was a bit odd. 

Trever just brushed it off with a light bit of laughter as they drove. 

“Oh? I only have two, so I’m glad they don’t disappoint.” 

Ravi grinned as he nuzzled the hand he’d captured, then paused for a moment and went back over what Trever had said. When he seemed to realize something, he held the hand tighter against his chest and sent the man a look . 

“Master Trever is being sarcastic?” 

Trever pulled them into the parking lot of the restaurant they were picking their food up from and smiled over at him. 

“Nah, I’m just having a bit of fun. Is it okay?” he asked honestly. 

Ravi quickly nodded, then finally released his hand. Trever then let his go, and Ravi got out of the car. The diner was surprisingly busy already but Ravi didn’t hesitate to walk inside and right up to the hostess stand. 

“I’m picking up an order for Trever, please.”

The lady handed him their order after checking a small list, then wished him a great day. He returned the pleasantry, then high-tailed it out of there. As soon as he got out the door, though, he made sure that he looked calm and collected… even though the front of the restaurant was all windows so Trever would have seen his little run anyways. 

His master thankfully ignored his little show of nerves and, instead, gave him a nice head pat when he sat back down in the car. 

“Thank you for grabbing that, sweetheart.”

Ravi nodded as he held the warm bag of food in his lap. Unfortunately, things wouldn’t quite work out the way he had wanted… which would have entailed him feeding his love while being left alone in the man’s office. 

Nope. Instead of enjoying a nice breakfast together, the second they stepped into their office they were both busy with ringing phones, problem employees, and a messed up computer system. 

Eventually, he’d just decided to put their food and drinks in the little minifridge in the room and just get down to business. He was running messages, scanning documents, and even ended up manning the front desk since the receptionist had to go home early. 

By the end of the day he was just about to fall asleep in his chair. 

I’ve never talked to so many people. I’m so hungry. I don’t want to be nice to anyone else. Digging is so much easier. 

“You look like you’re ready to go, Vi.” 

Ravi immediately perked up and jumped right out of his seat!

“Master Trever, is it time to go? Please tell me it is time to go!” 

His master took his hand as soon as he was close enough and, unfortunately, began tugging him back toward his office. Ravi bit back a groan as he was pulled inside, then released as Trever turned around and locked the door. 

“I sent everyone else home since we worked so late. It’s just us here now,” he said as he walked toward the fridge and took out their food from that morning. 

Everyone else is gone? 

Suddenly a little more awake and comfortable, Ravi watched as his master heated up their food, then brought it over to his desk and opened both containers. 

“Let’s have a nice quiet, late lunch, then go home and maybe order some dinner later?” he said as he held out a plastic fork to him. 

Ravi walked over and took the proffered fork, but instead of sitting across from Trever, he silently walked around to stand at his side and look down at his lap with a hint of hope in his eyes. 

Trever read the situation without an issue and uncrossed his legs, then patted his lap. Ravi didn’t hesitate to settle himself down, then Trever turned his chair back to facing the desk and reached forward to hand Ravi his meal of eggs, sliced tomatoes, and a bagel with cream cheese. Then he reached forward to stab a bit of his own food with his fork. 

They both ate silently for several moments to quell the worst of their hunger, but once their stomachs were quieted, they began sharing their remaining meal back and forth. 

Trever shared quite a few pieces of his bacon and Ravi happily let the man nibble until he’d eaten half of his bagel. As the man chewed his last bite of food Ravi leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

He’d gotten what he’d wanted. To share a meal with his love in his office without being bothered. It might have been reheated breakfast, and the day might have been exhausting and frustrating, but the ending definitely made up for it all. 

“I think a long nap might be in order once we get home,” Trever said as Ravi slid from his lap and got rid of their empty containers. 

He then met Trever at the door, and was delighted when the man took his hand in his with a smile before walking out. 

Ravi ended up swinging their arms a little from tired excitement, but Trever didn’t seem to mind at all. They even held hands on the drive home, and once they finally got back inside, they didn’t hesitate to go straight to bed together after a quick change of clothing, brushing of teeth, and bathroom break. Trever even let him hold him a bit, though he wasn’t allowed to drape his leg over his waist… yet. 

He’d be patient. Besides, he was getting way  more than he ever thought he would. If he had to continue to go slow, or even take some steps back once in a while, he would gladly oblige. He would do anything to make sure that his master remained comfortable around him.

Wild Dog 45

Living with Sage was way different than what he’d expected. He knew how dominant the man was, and they had definitely needed to sit down and discuss some things, but somehow, someway, the situation turned out to be pretty darn good.

He especially enjoyed the fact that he was getting twice the amount of attention as before. Though, at the beginning he wasn’t completely sure if Sage was interested in him enough to redirect his attention away from Wyatt when he was home, but boy had he been wrong.

The man loved on him so damn much it was almost like he was a mosquito instead of a bat! On the other hand, though, if he ever didn’t want attention, Sage immediately backed off, but not in a snarky way. He would stop touching him, but would still keep himself available if he wanted to talk, watch a movie, or even make some dinner together.

Running his fingers through his wet hair, Blake checked to make sure that he hadn’t left in any conditioner, then reached forward and turned off the shower.

Instead of getting out right away, he slowly looked down at his abdomen, then lifted a hand to touch his length gently.

I…

He wanted to try having sex again. Well, he’d wanted to try for a while now, but that didn’t mean that his past trauma wouldn’t get in the way like it always did.

All of his previous external bruises and injuries had healed long ago, but it wasn’t that simple to solve the internal issues.

Can I help you with anything, sweetheart?

Was fuck me an appropriate answer to that question?

He felt an immediate tense static in response. He hadn’t voiced anything in particular, but he didn’t doubt that Sage could sense enough of his frustration to figure things out.

Wyatt is cooking. Would you like me to get him for you? Sage asked, ready to step back, even though Blake had no doubt that he would be more than willing to assist him with what he wanted done.

Sighing, Blake pressed his forehead against the cold tile in front of him and slowly shook his head as he released his length.

No, it’s alright. I’m just…

What the hell was he even doing? He knew that he couldn’t do it with Wyatt, so why was he about to complain to Sage that he was horny?

Can I ask you something personal, Blake?

Frowning, Blake straightened back up and looked toward the closed bathroom door.

Of course , he replied without hesitating.

I understand that you aren’t good with physical intimacy, but I wanted to ask; where did you and your ex have sex? Was it just one specific location, or multiple places?

Blake felt his face heat and his heartbeat quicken within his chest, but he refused to shy away from answering. He’d said that Sage could ask him something personal, and he would respond respectfully.

Only the bedroom. Only on the bed.

“Lunch is ready guys!”

Blake snapped out of his stress-induced daze immediately and hopped out of the shower. Quickly drying off, he washed his hands, then tugged on the pair of shorts he’d brought to change into before adding a shirt. After a quick check he opened the door after settling the towel around his shoulders.

Oh.

Sage was sitting right in front of him on the bed, leaning back on his hands with a relaxed smile on his face.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” he said in his familiar raspy tone.

Blake was about to greet him, then walk to the kitchen when he noticed something he couldn’t ignore. Instead of walking past the man, he moved until he stood between his legs, then lifted a hand up to his hair.

“So messy,” he whispered as he worked on fixing that unruly hair as best he could.

He felt Sage’s arms gently wrap around the back of his legs a moment later, settling just beneath his backside, but it honestly didn’t bother him.

“Thank you, love. My hair gets a little messy when I dream about you two,” he said, making Blake roll his eyes… even though he was grinning, too.

Sage had taken a nap after working an all-nighter, but he hadn’t bothered to change out of his clothing or even eat dinner. The second he’d turned off his laptop he’d gotten up and walked straight to his bed.

“Nice try, but your hair was already messy before you went to bed,” Blake said before glancing to the side for a moment, then reaching up with his other hand to make an absolute mess of the man’s just-fixed hair.

He was actually having quite a bit of fun tormenting Sage, but his hands slowly came to a stop when he noticed the man’s gorgeous eyes staring straight up at him as if he were contemplating having him for lunch instead of whatever Wyatt had cooked.

“It’s definitely a thought. You look good enough to eat… and I think I might just want seconds, and thirds,” Sage rasped, making Blake’s face turn red as he quickly tucked his hands behind his back.

His reaction got a quiet chuckle from Sage as those beautiful eyes continued to stare at him.

“I-I thought you could only see through my eyes,” he mumbled as he looked away, unable to handle the man’s stare, even though it was now clear he couldn’t see him.

“You’re correct, but I remember what you looked like when you showed me in the mirror, and I haven’t forgotten a single detail since then,” Sage said as he gently squeezed Blake’s backside, then released him completely.

“We better go eat. You know how our man gets when he’s alone at the table,” he said as he slowly stood up, giving Blake plenty of time to step back.

Except, he didn’t want to, so as Sage stood, their body’s brushed against each other in several places, making Sage’s head tilt curiously as he finally straightened to his full height.

“Babe, I want you to try something after we eat, okay?” he asked as he gently took Blake’s hand in his own, then leaned forward for a brief kiss.

When that kiss ended, Blake licked his lips and allowed himself to be lead out of the room. His only response to the other man’s question was a squeeze of his hand.

Dinner was already set up in the main living room on top of the little dining table they’d bought recently. Three chairs were pulled out around it, and since it looked like almost everything was already there, he decided to just help Sage to his seat, then take his own.

Once they were settled Wyatt appeared carrying their three drinks. A knowing grin was on his face, but he didn’t question them at all. Instead, he set the drinks down, leaned over for a kiss, then pressed one to Sage’s hair before sitting down, himself.

“I hope you guys like hotdogs and mashed potatoes, because we need to go grocery shopping,” he said, making Blake grin as he loaded up his plate with food.

“Love it,” Blake said as he added some chili to the top of his two hotdogs, then happily began digging in.

Sage was a little slower, but he ate nearly twice as much, making Blake honestly a bit jealous.

“Don’t worry love, you can eat me for desert,” Sage said with a wink that made Wyatt roll his eyes.

Seemingly sensing the gesture, Sage turned his attention to Wyatt and slowly licked his lips as he raised his eyebrows.

“I wouldn’t mind eating

you afterwards.“

Wyatt quickly returned his attention to his food, making Sage give a quiet chuckle before they all settled down to eat.

This was honestly one of his favorite parts about living with his two boyfriends. They knew when to joke and when to be serious, but they also took time out of their schedules, no matter how busy, to eat together as a family at least two days a week.

“Hey Wy, I’d like for you to try something with Blake,” Sage said once everyone had finished eating.

Wyatt looked toward him, which made Blake blush slightly, before returning his attention to Sage.

“What would that be?”

Sage looked in his direction with a relaxed smile, giving Blake a chance to change his mind. He didn’t want to, though. So, after gathering his determination for a moment, he turned his attention back to Wyatt and grinned.

“I want to try being intimate away from the bedroom.”

Wyatt looked a little surprised, but he quickly smiled and nodded his agreement.

“Sounds like a good idea to me. Who would you like to try with?” he asked, surprising him enough to make Blake look between the two a few times.

Before he could figure out a response, Sage leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You. I’ll just be your side-dick. Err, I mean wang man. Um… Why aren’t you guys laughing? Do you not get it? You know, sidekick? Wingman?”

Oh, they got it alright. They were just trying not to vomit at the terrible puns.

“You might want to just sit this one out,” Wyatt said as he got up from the table and immediately tugged his shirt up and over his head.

Blake, of course, stared to his heart’s content until Wyatt reached over and took his hand, helping him up and over to the sofa they had brought over from Wyatt’s place. He likely won’t be renewing his lease, so they were slowly bringing over the things he wanted to keep.

Not interested in taking things slow, since that usually just built up his stress, Blake quickly tugged off his own shirt, then dropped his shorts to the floor. His body was already ready, too, and he didn’t bother trying to hide it.

He was just stepping forward for a kiss when he heard Sage get up from the table and slowly wander over.

“Don’t mind me, loves. I’m just going to assist my handsome boyfriends so that they may finally show their undying love for each other,” he said as he pressed a hand against his chest, as if swearing an oath.

“Oh? And what do you intend to do?” Wyatt asked as he casually sat down on the sofa, then guided Blake down onto his lap.

It was quite obvious right away that his master was ready to go, but he would be patient. Besides, he was curious to see what Sage intended to do.

When the man walked closer, but stopped about two feet away from the couch and sat down, Blake tilted his head, confused. He could also sense Wyatt’s uncertainty as he looked over his shoulder at Sage as his arms wrapped around his middle.

“What are you doing?” Blake eventually asked when Sage simply wrapped his arms around his bent knees and stared.

“Watching!” Sage said with a huge grin. “Just incase he decides to be a bad boy.”

Watching? Just incase?

He’d never had anyone propose such a thing, and he doubted that his old master, or even Wyatt, before their whole combined situation happened, would have allowed it.

“Do you want him to watch us?” Wyatt asked as he pressed a kiss to Blake’s ear, making a shiver run down his spine.

He honestly found that he didn’t mind in the least if Sage was present. In fact, he kind of liked the idea.

“He can watch. In fact, Sage?”

Sage perked up, his blind eyes alight with curiosity.

“Mm?”

Blake carefully turned around in Wyatt’s lap, then straddled him before looking over his own shoulder, then turning a little to reach out a hand.

“If you want to watch, then you have to be able to see.”

Sage’s eyes went wide as he looked a little higher, likely silently asking Wyatt for permission.

“I’m okay with it, and Blake is okay with it,” Wyatt said before patting the cushion next to them.

Sage immediately crawled forward until he was on his knees in front of the couch with one hand shakily pressing against Blake’s smooth, bare backside.

He could feel the man enter the back of his mind immediately as his conscious slowly connected with his vision. It was still a strange feeling, but the huge smile that found its way onto Sage’s face as he began to see through his eyes was worth the world.

Now that Sage was ready, Blake didn’t hesitate to reach between himself and Wyatt and undo the man’s pants. He’d never really been one to hesitate when having sex, but his past trauma had made it extremely difficult to do the deed without panicking.

As he looked back up at the man in front of him, he couldn’t help but grin. He was a little nervous, but the normal panic that came along with intimate physical attention was barely a whisper in his mind. Heck, Sage had a bigger presence in his thoughts right then!

Especially the words that he had said a few moments. He would watch, and if anything happened, he would be there for him. Just incase.

“I think you might have been right, Sage,” he said as he calmly wrapped his arms around Wyatt’s neck and leaned in for a long, slow kiss.

Wyatt returned the attention in full as his tongue danced with Blake’s and his hands settled on his backside. His right one pressed over Sage’s, then squeezed at the same time he did.

Both men used their nails, and the resulting bit of pain made Blake moan against Wyatt’s mouth. As they continued to kiss, Blake let his hands slowly drift downward until they were able to grab hold of Wyatt’s length.

“Mm, already?” Wyatt whispered roughly against his bruised lips.

To answer his question, Blake immediately got up on his knees and lined the item up with his hole.

“I’ve been waiting far too long to hesitate now. I’m going to please both of my masters today,” he said with such determination that Wyatt even blushed.

He felt Sage begin to nip at his ankle as he slowly began sinking down onto Wyatt’s length and was honestly glad for the distraction. He was beginning to stress, but it wasn’t a panic attack yet.

Are you alright, love? Stop whenever you need to. We both love you and want you to feel comfortable.

He knew that, and he had stopped so many times already.

You’re going to step in if something bad happens, so what is there to worry about? he replied after settling himself completely over Wyatt’s length with a content, shaky sigh.

He felt Sage’s teeth begin to slip beneath his skin at the same time the man replied in his mind.

Yes, sweetheart I will be here for you whenever you need me. Enjoy your time with master Wyatt… while I enjoy a little nibble from your ankle.

The man’s words made him grin as he felt his hand slip down from his backside to hold his ankle firmly, but he quickly returned his attention to Wyatt.

“I’ve been waiting quite a while for this… I hope you have the stamina to keep up, master.”

Wyatt blinked a few times, a little surprised by his teasing words. It didn’t take him long before he was smirking, though, and grabbing Blake’s hips with both hands.

“We said that we’d give Sage a show…” he replied as he grabbed Blake’s hips and squeezed tightly but carefully.

“…I suppose it’s now time to perform, love.”

Wild Dog 46

Ravi stared at the text on his phone screen as he held it above his head. His person was sleeping next to him, soundly breathing in and out just loud enough to be adorable. 

Master Wyatt really did decide to date both master Blake and master Sage. 

He still didn’t understand it, but he was also still indifferent about the situation as long as Blake was happy with it. 

“Watcha looking at, Vi?” 

That sleepy, raspy voice made Ravi’s body react immediately, though he kept himself calm and collected on the surface. 

“Master Wyatt and master Blake decided to allow master Sage into their relationship,” he replied simply. 

Trever gave a quiet hum  as he thought through his words, then nudged his head onto Ravi’s pillow and closed his eyes again. 

“If they’re happy, then I’m happy for them. Are you alright with it, though? I know that you were quite close with master Wyatt,” Trever said quietly as he nuzzled his nose against Ravi’s neck a little. 

Ravi turned his head and returned the man’s nuzzle with a tiny lick to his warm cheek. 

“Of course. Master Wyatt is not mine, so I have no say in his situation. I just wish that him and master Blake are happy.”

Trever was quiet for a few moments before responding with a faint grin on his lips. 

“Are you happy, Vivi?” 

Ravi didn’t hesitate for even a second. 

“Yes sir! I am very happy!” 

Trever gave a quiet chuckle as he opened his eyes partway beneath his bangs. 

So cute!

“Is there something that would make you even happier?” he asked with a slight teasing tone to his voice… that seemed to go right over Ravi’s head. 

The answer, of course, was obvious, though. 

“Sex with master Trever!” 

The man beside him gave another quiet chuckle, then stretched out with a content little moan. Ravi watched him with the focus of a hawk as his body itched to close the miniscule gaps between them.

Every. Single. One. 

He’d watched the man enough times recently when he was naked. Their bodies would fit together perfectly. His dog agreed incessantly, making his eyes flare gold. 

“We’re off the next two days, Vi,” Trever eventually said, making Ravi tilt his head and lick his lips. 

He waited patiently until his master connected the dots, then grinned, yawned, and finally, nudged the blanket partially covering him aside. 

Ravi took the invitation immediately . 

His mouth didn’t hesitate to lock onto one of the man’s nipples and begin to suck as his hands wandered eagerly over Trever’s mostly-naked body. 

He made sure to stay clear of the one off-limits area that was still covered by a thin piece of clothing… even though that was the place he wanted to go most. He also kept his body off of Trever’s for the most part even as his mouth continued to devour every inch of him that he could. 

His love let him enjoy himself for quite a long time before he heard the man rasp out a quiet request. 

“Mouth, Vi.” 

Ravi immediately redirected up to Trever’s mouth and sealed his lips over his. The kiss lasted until they were both out of breath and forced to separate. Instead of lying down on top of him, however, Ravi rolled off to the side and flopped down onto his back. A goofy grin spread across his face even as he continued to focus on steadying his breathing. 

They relaxed for a bit before they both rolled back to face each other, then Trever pulled him into a tight hug. That, of course, pressed a certain still-hard item against the guy’s abdomen, but he didn’t seem to mind. 

“Master Trever?” 

His love didn’t respond for a few moments, as he was busy burying his face in Ravi’s neck, but he was a patient dog, so he waited until he was completely content and ready to answer. 

“Yes, Vi?” 

Reaching up, Ravi settled a hand against the back of Trever’s head and mussed his hair gently. 

“Will master Trever have sex with me?” 

He hoped that he wasn’t overstepping his boundaries, but Trever had been laughing a little at his previous perverted response… Another week had also passed in the blink of an eye, and while they had grown quite a bit closer in that time, they hadn’t done anything else as perverted as when he’d gone down on him in the shower. 

There hadn’t even really been time to ask for the attention he’d earned that night, either, though Trever had showered him with plenty of kisses and sweet gestures even though they’d been super busy at work. 

His man thought about his response for a short time before replying in a whisper against Ravi’s neck. 

“I will… but I’m not comfortable trying that yet.” 

Just hearing the words I will had Ravi wiggling with excitement. 

“I think I’m comfortable enough to help you here  though,” Trever added as he moved his hands between their bodies, then nervously slipped them beneath the waistband of Ravi’s boxers. 

He could easily tell that the man was uncomfortable, but he also knew that Trever would never do anything that he didn’t want to. So, instead of telling him that he didn’t have to touch him in such a way, Ravi, instead, held his breath as his body heat began to skyrocket. 

He eventually ended up closing his eyes as Trever worked, testing out how to make his length react the way he wanted. It was such an odd sensation, since the only person who had ever touched him in such a place had made it incredibly painful. This time, however, it felt pretty darn good!

Once Trever got into a rhythm Ravi stretched out a bit more and opened his legs so that he could reach him as easily as possible. 

He could see Trever’s own body reacting but held himself back from trying to reach over between his legs. It had taking him quite some time to be willing to touch him in such a way. He didn’t want to ruin it by trying to reciprocate an action that was likely not wanted at that moment. 

Moaning quietly, he watched as Trever pushed himself up until he was kneeling over him a little. He expected the man to straddle him and sit back on his legs to get into a more comfortable position, but to his surprise, Trever wasn’t interested in doing it that way. 

Instead, the man grabbed him and easily pulled his body up and into his lap as he settled onto his backside. 

Very happy!

Ravi eagerly wiggled against the man’s warm chest as Trever’s arms slipped beneath his own so that his hands could return to what they had been doing. 

Their new position also allowed him to do something else, which he took full advantage of immediately by burying his face into Ravi’s soft curly hair, nuzzling happily here and there as his hands worked his length. 

Soon the only sounds in their room were Ravi’s quiet moans and heavy panting. When he finally felt his body climax into Trever’s hand. 

“I-I’m sorry!” he squeaked out as he hurried to lean forward and help clean up the mess he’d made… only to be pulled back against his love’s chest for a calm kiss. 

When they finally separated again, Trever was all smiles with a pretty blush on his face. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’m wiping it on you anyways,” he said, making Ravi blink for a few seconds before looking down at his now-dirty torso. 

“Oh,” was his well-thought out response. 

Trever accepted it without hesitation as he lifted one hand up to pat Ravi’s hair, but caught himself right before he got it dirty, too. 

“Um, we should probably go wash up. I can hear your stomach growling and I’m not on the menu,” he said, then looked away and cleared his throat. 

He’d definitely been on the menu the previous week. 

Ravi caught his slipup but just grinned and hurried off the bed and into the bathroom. Trever followed him, but at a much slower pace. 

How does he still have energy after that? 

Just that one blowjob from the him last week had knocked me out for hours, yet I just jerked him off and he’s still full of energy and already half hard again. 

I’m going to marry a succubus, aren’t I? 

Ravi fought as hard as he could to keep his giggles to himself as he heard his love’s thoughts. He didn’t doubt that he wasn’t intending to broadcast them, but he couldn’t tell him, either. They were just too cute! 

The moment Trever stepped into the shower after removing his underwear Ravi wrapped his arms around him and pressed his forehead against his chest. 

I’m also getting dangerously addicted to this hair. 

Ravi loved that his man was obsessed with his hair. He used to not care about it and it used to be a mess of tangles and mats, but after that haircut and now that he was keeping up with it? He really liked his mane of curls… especially since Trever really  liked it! 

When someone from the office had asked to touch it a few days ago, Trever had just about let his hyena slip out!

Just thinking about how jealous his love had gotten from such a simple thing made him grin like a kid on Christmas morning… or, at least, that’s what he’d assume would happen. He’d heard holidays were quite nice when you had a family that cared about you. 

I wonder…

“Vi, mouth?” 

Ravi immediately shook off his thoughts and tilted his head up for a yummy kiss. He wasn’t even sure where his strange thoughts had come from, but he was more than happy to simply push them aside. Besides, he had a family now. It didn’t matter that it was only one person and that they were still working on building their relationship. He was perfectly happy the way things were turning out.

Wild Dog 47

(If I had given the person who shows up in this chapter a name before, please remind me. I don’t think I did. This book will also likely be ending soon. :)) 

He had become more than a little bit of a pervert. Once Sage had figured out his problem with intimacy, him and Wyatt were acting, well, quite a bit like bunnies. They tried to keep it so that they didn’t do it in front of Sage very often, but then the guy complained that his shows were being hidden from him. 

That had been that. Now they waited until he was finished with his naps or returned from one of his daily walks around the apartment complex before going at each other. It was no surprise to them when, after a few weeks of having sex in front of the man, he told them that he had developed quite a voyeur fetish. 

And he wasn’t much better, to be honest. He was already getting horny just thinking about Sage watching him and Wyatt. 

I want to start bringing Sage into our physical relationship, too. 

Of course, the guy definitely got his fair share of kisses and touching, but there was still a line drawn between them concerning sexual acts. 

Pulling into their shared, upgraded garage, Blake turned off his new car, then got out and stretched his arms over his head. His phone chimed with a notification, but the sound wasn’t one he’d heard in quite a while. It was specifically set for his ex. 

Oh well. He’d been ignoring him for a long time already, he had no reason to give him attention now. 

I actually need to block that number. 

Grinning happily, he locked up his car, then stepped out the back door. The second his foot touched the concrete outside he felt a strange, familiar twisting sensation in the back of his mind. 

His heart immediately jumped into his throat as his heartbeat doubled its pace and a cold sweat began to trickle down the back of his neck. He tried to swallow his nerves, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t complete the action. 

“Come here.” 

Blake felt a shiver run down his spine as his body tensed painfully. He didn’t want to walk up those stairs if his ex boyfriend was standing at the top of them. He wanted to immediately go back to his car and drive to his lover’s work and hide in his arms. 

You need to stop running away. 

He’d up and left the man without even bothering to take the car he’d helped him get. Nor had he brought much of his stuff with him. It had literally been a spur of the moment decision. 

And I regret nothing. 

Lifting his head, Blake allowed his eyes to rise until they locked with his ex’s. He was about to start walking forward when he felt something else begin to unwind the tight knot in the back of his thoughts. 

Sage…

The man was making his presence known. Likely because he’d felt how stressed he suddenly was. It was a relief, though, when he didn’t open the door to their apartment. 

He’s letting me deal with it, but is offering backup if I need it. 

It was appreciated… and he actually might need the help, but he wanted to try on his own, first. 

Squaring his shoulders and straightening his posture, Blake calmly walked over to the steps, then climbed them with an even pace. His heart was still hammering in his chest, but he refused to let his stress show on his face. 

Once at the top of the stairs, he turned slightly to face his ex. 

“Mario,” he said, the greeting anything but sweet. 

The other man smirked and stepped forward, easily towering over him, though Blake didn’t retreat at all. 

“You aren’t the easiest to find, my little bitch,” the man said, making Blake fight to keep his fingers from tensing into fists. 

He used to think that he liked the demeaning title, but after being free, even for such a short time, he’d grown to hate it. 

 “So how did you?” Blake asked, wanting to know where he’d slipped up. He hadn’t even officially changed his address yet. 

Mario reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone, then reached over and tapped it against Blake’s forehead. 

“I linked our phones when you were asleep one night after a good fuck. Needed to make sure that I could find you if you ran off for a bit.” 

Blake’s face paled slightly. 

He knew where I was this whole time? 

“I was tracking you for a while thinking that you would just come back home after you got your little bout of whoring out of your system, but when you didn’t, I decided to just come bring you back myself.” 

It hurt to hear those words, but it also solidified his decision. 

I made the right choice leaving you. 

When the man reached out to grab his wrist, Blake yanked his hand back and narrowed his eyes. 

“I’m not going back with you. You need to leave,” he said with an authority he didn’t quite feel. Heck, even his hands were beginning to shake at his sides. 

You are not going to have a panic attack right now. Keep it together. 

His ex gave out a sarcastic laugh as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Of course you are. You’re a needy little bitch. No one else but  me is going to deal with your ass.” 

Blake ground his teeth together to keep them from chattering from stress. 

“I have two new boyfriends and I’m happy here. I don’t need anyone to deal  with me,” he said sternly, crossing his own arms as he held his head high. 

He could sense Sage right on the other side of their door, his presence calming him enough to keep him from passing out. 

“Stop lying, you slut. If you somehow managed to get some masters to look at you, I know that you’re tricking them somehow. You’re nothing special. I did you such a huge favor by coming all the way out here, and—” the sound of someone coming up the stairs drew their attention downward. 

Blake felt his remaining stress immediately slip away as his master stepped up onto the landing beside him and seamlessly slid an arm around his waist, then tugged him close. 

 “Can I help you?” Wyatt asked his ex at the same time the door behind Mario opened and Sage appeared in a pair of low black jeans and nothing else, revealing quite a nice set of muscles. 

“Are you bothering our man?” he asked with a slight tilt to the edge of his lips, giving him quite a psychotic look when mixed with his unseeing eyes. 

His ex looked between the two before sneering back at him. 

“You really did whore yourself out. If you wanted fucked more, all you had to do was say so!” he said, his words turning into a yell as he finished speaking. 

Blake fought with himself not to lower his gaze from embarrassment. He’d never wanted Wyatt or Sage to know about his past in such a way, and now that he was being confronted by it, it really did seem like he could have run away because he wanted to be screwed more. 

Even though that obviously wasn’t the truth, it was hard to clear his mind enough to get that through his head. 

Blake snapped out of his daze when he felt Wyatt’s hand tighten on his hip considerably. 

“You’re clearly upset that your lover decided to leave, but we aren’t interested in giving Blake up. Perhaps if you change your attitude, you’ll be able to find another sub who will tolerate you… but I hope not. Now then, you are on property owned by our apartment complex and we pay to live here, while you do not. If you don’t want an issue with the police, please leave,” Wyatt said with such a calm tone of voice that Blake would have been convinced he was completely calm and unbothered if he didn’t know the man so well now. 

He’s incredibly angry. 

Sage didn’t look very happy, either. 

His ex wasn’t a small guy, at all, but having two people of similar size and stature on either side of him was clearly forcing him to keep his hands to himself. Though it was obvious that he wanted to start swinging at them. 

“Also…” Sage reached forward abruptly, snagging the man’s phone before he could react. 

Without an ounce of hesitation, he broke the device in half with his bare hands, then tossed it over the railing. 

Mario’s face immediately turned dark red with rage!

The phone was a dangerous move…

Mario treated that thing way  better than he had treated him, but he understood that breaking it would at least sever his ability to track him. 

Unsurprisingly, his ex finally lost his cool and spun around to take a swing at Sage! Blake tried to hurry forward and help him, but Wyatt easily held him back. 

“Leave him be, love. Sage doesn’t take very kindly to people talking poorly about his loved ones.”

He knew that, but still!

To his utter shock, however, Sage didn’t seem to need any assistance. Even in such close quarters, he easily dodged the man’s wild swings, then counterattacked with simple, yet affective, hits. 

“Hold still you pathetic bastard!” Mario yelled as he failed to hit Sage two more times. 

It was actually rather humorous, considering Sage was legally blind. He watched silently with Wyatt as his ex got worn out quickly, but refused to give up. If he hadn’t been beaten by the man for years, he would have almost felt sorry for how pathetic he looked. 

He was so focused on the fight that he jumped when Mario suddenly turned around and aimed a punch straight for his face!

Wyatt intercepted him with one arm, then kneed him between the legs, elbowed him in the throat, then stepped aside with Blake still firmly attached to his hip as the man tried to shove them right over the railing. Of course, that just meant that Mario was the one who went over. Thankfully, it was only a one story fall and he managed to protect his head, but judging from how loud he screamed, his leg probably wasn’t as lucky. 

“Hey, Wyatt  did  warn him that there would be an issue with the police,” Sage said as he walked over and promptly picked Blake right up into his arms.

“I was a cop years ago, you brat,. I meant the real police,” Wyatt said with a chuckle as he got his own phone out and dialed the actual police. 

He’d been a cop? 

“Just for a little while. It wasn’t something he ended up liking so he switched to pharmacist pretty quickly,” Sage said, making Blake nod as he looked over the railing. 

“Though I’ve always dreamed about handcuffing him to my bed…” 

Wyatt was already downstairs, but he didn’t seem interested in helping the flailing man as he continued to scream his head off. 

“Hey Blake?” Sage said as he suddenly turned and carried him inside their apartment. 

He was a bit surprised at first, but didn’t try to go back outside once they sat down in his recliner and Sage hugged him tightly but comfortably. 

“I’m very proud of you.” 

Me?

“Yes, you, love. You stood up to someone who has been absolutely terrible to you, and you did it with so much poise and determination. I’m proud of you and I’m glad that I get to be in your life,” Sage said, making Blake blush as he nuzzled his nose against the man’s warm neck. 

They waited there patiently as Wyatt took care of everything with the police. It actually took so long that Blake ended up dozing off until he felt fingers gently sifting through his hair. He slowly blinked open blurry eyes and was about to greet his other master when he felt one of those fingers tap against his lips. 

Wyatt leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his head as his finger slipped from his lips, its message having been sent and received loud and clear. Once Wyatt leaned away Blake looked up at Sage and smiled. 

He’s so cute when he’s asleep. 

Blake returned his attention to Wyatt as the man nodded his agreement, then headed for the kitchen. Figuring that he was going to make dinner, Blake decided to stay cuddled up with Sage. Besides, the guy tended to enjoy hugging him from behind when they all slept together, so it was rare that he got to watch him sleep. 

Completely content, he rested against his love until Wyatt had the table set and almost everything ready. As he was finishing adding the last of their drinks Blake finally leaned up and pressed a kiss to Sage’s cheek. 

“My sweet Sage, it’s time for dinner,” he whispered, then added another kiss. 

The man woke quite quickly, but that was normal for him. He was soon returning the little kisses Blake was peppering his face with, trying to outrace the man to a different spot before he could turn his head, but Sage reacted faster than even Wyatt did! They fooled around for a few minutes before Wyatt suddenly appeared beside their chair and leaned down to steal Blake’s next kiss. 

That had Blake leaning back abruptly in Sage’s lap with a deep blush on his already-red face. Instead of returning to the table now that their distraction was over, Wyatt leaned over toward Sage and pressed his lips to the other man’s, too.   

Hot. 

While he definitely didn’t mind the show right in front of him, everyone knew that dinner was ready and they all needed to eat after their busy days. 

“We’ll play together later, my loves,” Sage said as he reached up and rustled both his and Wyatt’s hair with a genuinely happy smile. 

Blake felt a little stressed all of a sudden at his words, remembering what his ex had said out on the landing, but before he could slip into depression, he felt Sage hug him tightly and pull him against his chest at the same time Wyatt grabbed his jaw and kissed him deeply. 

When they finally released him Blake was panting hard and, well, hard . 

“We love you, Blake. Everything  about you. I love your heart, your soft eyes, and your amazingly fun personality,” Wyatt said before Sage took over. 

“And I love your unbeatable positive attitude, your love of sweets, and your deliciously-naughty sex drive.” 

Okay, he couldn’t help but laugh at that as he finally climbed out of Sage’s lap and stood up. 

“Thank you guys. I really appreciate you both so much,” he said as he took Sage’s hand and helped him up. 

 Dinner was fantastic, but not because it was fish sticks, salad, and leftover macaroni and cheese. It was fantastic because of the people he ate it with. 

And after dinner, even though they’d planned to get quite a bit down and quite a bit dirty, both of his loves animals decided to come out once Wyatt brought out a huge bowl of strawberry ice cream for them to share! That left out the down part, but they definitely got quite dirty. 

“Um, we need to share a bit better, guys,” he said as he gently lifted a very  pink rabbit out of the bowl of melting ice cream as Peppermint flapped his wings in warning.

He also might have been drowning, actually. 

Sighing, but smiling, Blake reached over with his free hand as he held a strawberry Timmy against his now-ruined shirt. After a brief struggle trying to find the now-submerged Peppermint, he managed to pull the little guy out of the melted bowl of ice cream, too. 

“Alright, it’s bath time for both of you troublemakers,” he said as he quickly carried them into the bathroom. 

Sage thankfully had a full bathtub with his shower, allowing him to set his fuzzy friends inside, then  get the water going. He expected them to freak out a little bit, but then he remembered that both of them loved getting bathed. Once the water had warmed up, he plugged the drain and watched as both brats spread out in cute little sploots to enjoy the warmth. 

“Alright, I guess I’m scrubbing both of you,” he said as he tugged his shirt off, then hopped in with just a pair of shorts on. 

Both Timmy and Peppermint were in his lap as soon as he sat down and turned off the water. 

“Alright, at least you guys are willing,” he said as he grabbed the soap he’d put on the ledge beside him. 

Unfortunately, he hadn’t been ready to wash two animals that were so jealous of each other receiving attention! Before he could stop him, Timmy had already shoved Peppermint down into the water! But after he’d fished him out, Peppermint immediately flew, screeching and fangs bared, into Timmy! 

There was another wrestling match before he was finally able to fish out the little bat again and put it on his head. Thankfully, that allowed Peppermint to calm down a bit, giving Blake just enough time to scrub up a pouting Timmy who couldn’t seem to stop stomping his feet in frustration. 

After finishing up with Wyatt’s bunny and setting it outside of the tub to dry, Blake reached up to find Peppermint, but when he suddenly felt arms wrap around his middle and a warm nose nuzzle against his neck, he realized that Sage had shifted back. 

“Hello master Sage. I was just about to wash Peppermint,” Blake said as he looked to the side so that he could nuzzle against the man’s messy hair. 

Smells like strawberries.

“You can wash me,” Sage said as he nipped at Blake’s neck gently. 

“Hmm, but Peppermint really wanted his bath,” he said with a grin on his face. 

When Sage lifted his head and met his eyes with his unseeing ones, Blake’s smile slowly faded as he swallowed. 

“I got jealous.” 

Aww… 

Turning until he was sitting back on his heels in front of a very naked Sage, Blake reached up and removed a small piece of strawberry from the man’s damp hair. 

“You want me to help you?” he asked calmly, though there was a hint of mischief hidden within his voice. 

Sage slowly nodded without missing a beat, but then added. 

“I’ll take care of wherever you aren’t comfortable touching.”

Blake nodded, then let his grin spread back across his lips. 

“Alright, hold on tight,” he said, making Sage raise an eyebrow in slight confusion before Blake grabbed the man’s legs and spread them, then leaned down!

Wild Dog 48

“You almost ready to start packing, Vi?”

His pup looked out of the bathroom, his gorgeous curls bouncing with the simple action. 

“Yes sir! Just one more moment!” Ravi said before disappearing again. 

Trever grinned at his love, then shook his head as he sat down on the bed beside his own already-packed suitcase. He was happy that his assignment was finally over, but at the same time, he wasn’t  happy about going back home. 

Looking back toward the bathroom, he lifted a hand to rub at his stiff neck, then looked down with a sigh. Going home meant that Vivi had somewhere else he could go. Not to his brother, of course, he would fight tooth and nail to keep him away from Travis, but would he go back to Wyatt? 

I don’t feel that great. 

Their relationship was pretty simple, but he still valued it quite a bit. 

I want him to live with me. I don’t want to have to go out and get him everyday. I like waking up to him beside me. 

He looked up abruptly when he felt arms wrap around his shoulders from behind. As he turned his head that super soft curly hair that he dreamed about brushed against his cheek before lips were softy pressed to the same spot. 

“Master Trever is stressed?” Ravi asked. 

I don’t know how to bring up the topic… 

“Master Trever, where are you going to go now?” Ravi asked, making him blink in surprise a few times before he could figure out what he was supposed to say. 

“I… I’m not sure yet. I let my apartment lease run out since I wasn’t sure how long we might be needed out here.” 

Ravi gave a quiet hum in response as he settled his chin on his shoulder and slowly wrapped his arms around Trever’s middle. 

“I want to go with master Trever. May I?” 

With me? So easily? 

He was just about to agree that he could definitely come with him when he heard his phone begin to ring in his pocket. Taking it out, he lifted it up to his right ear as his left hand found its way into Ravi’s soft hair. 

“Hello?” he asked, having not looked at the caller I.D.. 

“Hey.” 

Trever’s eyes widened. 

“Travis?” 

He had not  expected his brother to call him. They hadn’t actually contacted each other since he’d talked with him about how he’d mistreated Ravi. 

“Hey Trev…” 

There was a tense silence from both of them, but to Trever’s surprise, Ravi didn’t seem worried about the person on the other end of the call. He knew that he could hear him, too. 

I wish I had your strength, love. 

He was still very upset with his brother, but he would hear him out if he was calling for something important. 

“Can Ravi hear me?” he asked, surprising him a bit more. 

He didn’t want to say yes , but he wasn’t a liar. 

“Yes, he can hear you,” he said, a warning in his tone. 

He would not tolerate his Vi being upset by something that he could prevent from happening. He was giving his brother a chance to make amends, and he better not waste it. 

“Hey Ravi, I hope you’re doing well with my brother and I just wanted to apologize. I was a terrible person and I’m now going to therapy and volunteering in my spare time, so um… I just wanted to wish you well and I hope that you are very happy now and well taken care of.” 

Trever looked over his shoulder as Ravi nuzzled against the side of his face and lifted his hands up to rest on his shoulders so that he could lean closer to the phone. 

“Master Trever is taking good care of me. I’m going to marry him!” 

Trever felt his face warm as he tried to hide a smile but failed miserably. 

“Things are going really well. He’s been my assistant at work and is really great at running errands and even works on the side digging holes for construction pipes,” he said proudly. 

Ravi seemed happy with his assessment, too, because he got a lick to his cheek in response. 

“I’m glad. I’m sorry about everything Ravi and I’m happy for you. My brother is a great guy and he’ll treat you like a king,” Travis said, making Trever lower his head slightly, a tiny bit embarrassed. 

Him and his brother might have had a falling-out over Ravi’s situation, but the man was still his brother and it still meant a lot to hear such praise coming from him. 

“He is a great person! We are going to pack now to go find our new home. Bye!” Ravi said, not bothering to extend the conversation.

Trever gave a quiet chuckle as Ravi released him and went about gathering his things. 

“Thank you for calling and apologizing. He’s very happy now and I’ll do my best to take care of him the way he should have been,” he said, not bothering to hold back his words.  

Travis gave a hum of approval on the other end of the line, then replied. 

“Good, I would expect nothing less from my bro. I’ll let you go now, take care,” Travis said before they hung up and Trever turned his attention to where Ravi had gone. 

“Master Trever, I’m in the kitchen!” 

Ah. 

Heading that way, he began to hear shuffling sounds. 

“Master Trever, we don’t have any food leftover. Are we going to get more food?” 

Of course you would be hungry all of a sudden. 

“We’ll grab something once we’re on the road.”

Ravi stood up with a few empty containers in his arms, then walked over to him. 

“Can we get donuts for lunch? We haven’t had donuts in a while,” he asked, making Trever give a quiet chuckle. 

“We can grab some, but we need breakfast first.”

Ravi quickly nodded, licking his lips as he finally got busy packing his things. Thankfully, the guy didn’t have too much, and within an hour they had everything taken care of and loaded into his car. 

It felt a bit strange leaving again, and he was also a little surprised that Mr. Spencer hadn’t decided to keep them full time… though the amount of money he wanted for that could have had something to do with it. 

In all honesty, he hadn’t wanted to stay. He’d done what he’d been asked to do, twice. It was time to move on now. If Mr. Spencer couldn’t manage his company correctly by now, then there was nothing more he could do. 

Feeling Ravi slip his hand into his free one, Trever looked over and smiled. 

“Ready to get out of here?” he asked as he began backing the car out. 

They were taking a lot more than they had brought. There were quite a lot of new clothes and Ravi even bought a big wild dog stuffed animal he’d seen at a local toy shop they’d stopped in a few days ago. 

It was currently buckled into the back seat with Ravi’s pink collar fastened around its neck. 

“Is there any place you want to live, Vi? Do you like it warmer or colder?” he asked as he got them onto the interstate. 

They were technically heading back toward where they’d original lived, but it was quite a long drive so there was plenty of time to consider things. 

Ravi crossed his legs in his seat and thought pretty hard about that question. It was just another thing he’d come to really like about the guy. He took important things seriously, but knew how to have a ton of fun in between, too. 

“I think I like it colder. Snow is a lot of fun!” Ravi said after a few minutes, making Trever grin as he spared him a quick glance before returning his eyes to the road. 

“I haven’t gotten the chance to play with you in the snow yet. We’ll definitely have to do that,” he said as he flicked his turn signal on and took the next ramp that lead north. 

They discussed their ideal living situation throughout the long drive, and, of course, stopped to get breakfast and donuts along the way. 

They ended up finding a nice hotel for the evening and spent quite some time in pool as Ravi’s dog burned an exorbitant amount of energy off. The pup evidently loved diving boards… and nearly smacked its chin on the far side of the pool a few times from jumping too far!

Once he was finally worn out, however, Ravi shifted back to his human form after they returned to their room and was a lanky ball of snuggling sweetness wrapped around him until their pizza order was delivered an hour later. 

They ate while watching the local news, snuggled up with the box of pizza on Trever’s chest for easy access. It was such a strange thing to consider since he’d always been such a straightforward, carefully-planning person. 

Yet here I am cuddled up with my own little wild dog whose currently licking my nipple like it’s a piece of pepperoni. 

“Vi, mouth please,” he said, not wanting his nipple to be sore rubbing against his shirt on their drive tomorrow. 

Ravi gladly redirected as he climbed on top of him. It was kind of funny to think how far he’d come with his ability to accept someone else in his space. Last year he would have thrown a guy out of his hotel room for even looking at him funny, yet now he was returning Ravi’s eager kisses while feeling the man’s hand slowly travel downward between them toward a very obvious target. 

He let it happen. 

He let it all happen. 

After driving all day all he wanted to do was relax, and surprisingly, his idea of relaxing had shifted quite a bit since he’d met his ball of curly-haired energy. 

He’d made sure to pick up some things to make the situation easier on him, though, and handed them to Ravi before the guy got too engrossed in his current task, which had shifted rather abruptly from kissing his mouth to kissing… other places. 

Ravi thankfully listened to anything and everything he said, making the pain at the beginning much more manageable. He also didn’t say a single thing about the condoms and gladly put one on, then used all of the lube in the little container for prep.

The guy really  liked to nibble and nip when making love, though, and Trever actually found it kind of fun to call him back up to his mouth for a kiss every now and then with a playful mouth, Vi. 

 By the time they were done he realized something that had him grinning up at the ceiling as his eyes finally slid closed. 

I was worried about my nipple being an issue while driving tomorrow… how the heck am I going to sit for so long after letting Ravi have me for—wait, what time is it? 

Turning his head on the pillow quietly, since Ravi had finally  fallen asleep against him, Trever felt his cooling face warm back up as he read the numbers on the clock next to the bed. 

Two in the morning. 

They had started getting frisky around nine. 

Jesus, we might have to stay another night. 

Looking down at his love in the darkness, Trever didn’t think that he’d honestly mind. He knew that the first thing Ravi would likely think about was getting more time together physically, but he would also listen if he told him that the second day would just be for actual resting. 

Maybe he’ll even try to spoil me. 

It wasn’t something he’d ever thought about before, but then again, he’d never considered himself gay, or at least bi. And he definitely had never  thought that he’d be a bottom, at that. 

Grinning, he settled in for a nice long bit of sleep, hugged his Vi against his side a little more, and just relaxed, completely content with his current life.

Wild Dog 49

He felt like a king. 

Sage watched as Blake leaned over him where he rested in one of their recliners. They had bought another one so that each of them could have their own whenever they didn’t want to cuddle or use the couch… which was rare, but still important. 

“Having fun looking at yourself, hmm?” Blake asked with a smirk to his words. 

Tilting his head against the fabric, Sage matched his smirk. 

“Absolutely, babe. I love everything you show me, but I can’t argue that who I’m staring at right now is quite a handsome fellow,” Sage replied with a wink. 

He absolutely loved flirting with both of his men, and hugging, and touching.  

Feeling Blake settle down straddling his lap, Sage calmly reached up to grab either side of the man’s waist. He’d lost a bit of weight after his ex had showed up from stress, but that had quickly be rectified with some good meals and extra love. 

Mario was now completely out of the picture, too. With  a restraining order in place, just in case he decided to be even more of a dumbass. 

Blake eventually snuggled right into his arms with a content sigh after a few quick kisses. Since the man seemed so comfortable, Sage slowly wrapped his arms around him, then nuzzled his face into his soft hair. 

Blake’s target was a little less gentlemanly… and he was perfectly okay with that!

The man had easily slipped his hand between the waistband of Sage’s sweatpants and, with expertise even he had yet to master, himself, got him hard within a minute. 

“Babe, your hands are magic,” Sage groaned as he spread his legs to give Blake as much room as he could. 

“I think you’re just a little bit too horny all the time,” Blake replied… even as he lowered his head down to lick at the tip of Sage’s length. 

He had no rebuttal. He was  horny all the time, but his hands worked just as well as Blake’s mouth. 

Err, well. That wasn’t entirely true, but he could jerk off with either, so he never bothered the man for such attention. 

Of course, he would never say no if Blake wanted to give him any  kind of attention, but he was more than capable of taking care of himself, too. He’d done it for years, and he was more than happy to continue doing so if either of his loves ever didn’t want to assist at any time. 

Sage gave an abrupt squeak as he felt teeth slide against his length! 

He honestly didn’t mind a bit of pain, but he’d let himself get lost in thought, and thus, was caught a bit by surprise. 

Not wanting to make Blake feel like he had anything but his full attention, Sage lifted his hands and sifted them into his love’s soft hair. 

The additional contact made his normally visionless eyes brighten and focus as he saw their humble situation through Blake’s eyes. 

“Going to eat me, love?” he asked with a smirk that had Blake suck quite a bit harder than he had been. 

Sage groaned in response, quite pleased with the man’s skills. 

“You spoil me,” he rasped after a few moments of content panting. 

We both love spoiling you, master Sage. 

His heart thumped a little harder when he heard those thoughts. They really did  seem to love spoiling him, too. 

Master Wyatt always brought him home new foods to try and different braille cookbooks to go through. He honestly hadn’t even thought about being able to use cookbooks, either. He’d been completely self-taught with a little help from his grandmother. 

Once he’d gotten those books, though… 

So much fun. 

His head jerked back as he winced, enjoying Blake’s strong hand as it helped him rise to a delicious climax. 

One of the other amazing things about the man now lifting his head from between his legs… he really liked swallowing. You know, food, water, other things . 

Seeing a tiny line of white slip down along his chin had Sage reaching forward and pulling him in for a tight hug and deep kiss. 

So damn cute!

The door behind and to the left of them opened at that exact moment, drawing both their attention toward the third and final piece of their puzzle. 

As Blake waited anxiously for his other master’s attention, Sage tucked his length back into his sweatpants. 

Wyatt liked to come inside calmly and put away the things that needed to be before he gave them his full attention. 

In fact, they’d all begun to be honest about the specific rules they wanted followed and, surprisingly, it never got overwhelming. Wyatt liked things calm until he was out of his work clothing.   

Sage, on the other hand, didn’t mind a good blowjob right after finishing his final task for his work-from-home job. Sometimes Blake barely gave him time to move his laptop before he started getting handsy. 

He waited with a patient smile as Wyatt walked into their shared bedroom, then came back out a few moments later in a simple pair of sweatpants that looked identical to his own. Which wasn’t really a surprise, considering he was wearing a pair of Wyatt’s. 

That was one of his  rules. Being blind, it wasn’t very easy to tell what was what. Especially when they were all living in the same apartment together. He also had a tiny bit of a kink when it came to wearing Wyatt’s things… so that was also a plus.  

Most of Blake’s stuff was a bit too small, but he sometimes used his sleepshirts.

“Hello, loves,” Wyatt finally said as he walked over and easily lifted Blake out of the recliner and up into his arms. 

They shared a long kiss and a few whispered words before Blake was set down on his feet and Wyatt’s attention was finally turned toward him. 

The moment Wyatt slid down into his lap Sage had his arms around him, holding him close as he heard Blake wander off towards the kitchen to cook what he’d planned for dinner that evening. 

“How was work, love?” he asked after getting a kiss of his own. 

His heart nearly melted in his chest when Wyatt snuggled in and tucked his head beneath his chin, putting the dopiest grin onto Sage’s face. 

It was a good thing that Blake had just helped relieve him or he might have made a fool of himself… again. 

“It was good, but I missed my men,” Wyatt said without an ounce of hesitation. 

I am a happy bat!

“And I am a happy bunny,” Wyatt said as he carefully began to move in his lap. 

Sage let him do whatever he wished, only offering support with a hand against his love’s back until he was in the position he wanted to be in… which was leaning against his arm and chest while his head rested against his shoulder. 

I wanna rub the belly.

Amongst other  things. 

He was just about to turn his blind gaze back to the quiet television to try and distract himself a little when he felt Wyatt’s warm hand gently grasp his own. Said hand didn’t hesitate to tug his over and press it gently to his bare belly. 

The zip of electricity that shot through his system with the silent permission to touch sent a shiver down his spine and his tongue out to dart across his lips. 

He’s been thinking about letting you touch more recently, but we’ve all been so busy.

Sage couldn’t smile anymore if he tried!

I don’t want to stress him out, though. 

They all knew that he was a bit more aggressive with his affection, and while Blake absolutely loved it, Wyatt had shied away more than a few times. 

Which was totally fine, but it had him a bit nervous now that he was finally asking for such attention. 

He knows how you are and he wants you to love on him right now, even though he’s still not great with verbally asking.    

Well, him putting his hand on his bare belly was more than enough to get the point across. In fact…

He’s so damn cute. 

They might be pretty close to each other in size, but Sage had never been able to see Wyatt as anything but adorably-strong. He handled his life without hesitation, and yet, whenever they interacted physically he was always nervously cautious. Even when they were kids. He was one of the most no-nonsense high schoolers he’d ever known, yet when it was just the two of them his rules and walls seemed to wane just the slightest bit to make room for him. 

Refocusing on his love, Sage allowed his fingers to flex against the man’s warm skin as excitement shone in his blind eyes. 

He no longer hesitated in rubbing his hand along Wyatt’s well-muscled belly and chest. Once they were both comfortable with his pace, he turned his head and lifted his blank gaze up. 

Ah, I can sense my sweet Timmy. 

He knew that the man’s little shift had liked him all along but it, too, was stubbornly dominant. He’d worn it down over the last few years, and even gotten to groom it quite a few times in the shower, but it still wasn’t too big a fan of his bat. 

Blake has actually been a pretty great go-between with their animals and they could actually be around each other without tussling… too much. 

With a boyish grin, Sage leaned in for a long, gentle kiss. Wyatt was perfectly receptive, melting into him as the man’s arms reached up and he readjusted his body a bit, making it easier for them to explore each other’s mouths. 

As Wyatt settled again, eventually ending up straddling his lap, Sage allowed his left hand, which had been moved to the man’s back beside his right one for support, to slowly slide down the man’s warm skin. 

When he drummed his fingers softly against the spot just about Wyatt’s waistband and got an immediate moan in response, he finally  slid his hand beneath the soft cotton. 

So warm. 

His hand eagerly settled against his backside and squeezed just hard enough to illicit another moan from Wyatt. 

Their lips slid apart a few moments later, allowing Wyatt to catch his breath and Sage to begin feeding Peppermint’s interests. 

With his own slightly bruised lips parted a tiny bit, Sage began to kiss across Wyatt’s strong jaw, then down along his throat until he could nestle his face into the crook of his love’s neck. 

While Wyatt wasn’t normally nearly as interested as Blake when it came to being bitten, he wasn’t sending any kind of signal to stop, either. After a few slow licks, Sage allowed his fangs to lengthen. 

The bite itself was quick, and to his surprise, Wyatt didn’t even flinch as his fangs sank into his flesh.

He only drank for a few minutes, lapping at the droplets that pooled to the surface once he’d removed his teeth before simply settling down to cuddle. 

“You guys ready to eat food?” Blake asked some time later. 

Sage slowly opened his eyes and licked at Wyatt’s warm skin in front of his nose before lifting his head. 

It’s a good thing that he’d mentioned food instead of leaving his words open. He would gladly eat both of them if they offered.  

Wyatt took his time climbing off of him, but Sage didn’t mind in the least. He gave a good stretch once his love had moved, feeling his body’s muscles contently pull taut. 

He expected to hear Wyatt speaking with Blake, but when he didn’t hear the man at all, he sat up straight, then turned and stood as he focused on his echolocation. 

Ah!

No wonder.  

Blake was just settling an eager Timmy in front of a giant  bowl of salad with a massive carrot perched right on top!

This guy…

Sage gave a silent chuckle at hearing Wyatt’s voice in his head. 

Loves you so damn much? he thought to him, finishing his sentence as he moved to sit beside his favorite bunny after washing his hands. 

Timmy, of course, thumped his back feet in warning against the table. He wouldn’t dare risk losing such a valuable carrot to anyone . In fact… he quickly leaned up and reached into the giant bowl to drag out the carrot that had to be close to equaling his own weight. 

It thunked down onto the table once retrieved, then Timmy was lost to the world. 

With a smirk Sage looked across the small table to his other love. 

Blake was grinning and judging from how his head was tilted, blushing a little, too. He knew that he shouldn’t have put any carrots without Wyatt’s permission but he couldn’t argue that the man hadn’t let his little bunny out for quite some time. 

They had all been super busy with work, but that was no reason not to let the little guy run around a bit, at least. 

You’re going to keep our man on his toes, love. 

Blake matched his grin with one of his own as he handed him a plate piled high with two burgers, potato salad, and coleslaw. 

“There’s strawberry ice cream for desert.” 

Sage nearly dropped his plate as he hurried to set it down before his bat tried to take control!

He thankfully managed to control himself just enough to prevent his fuzzy half from coming out, but it had been extremely  close. 

This guy… 

…is our perverted brat,  Wyatt finished into his thoughts, making Sage grin as he lifted up one of his sandwiches.

  He knows what he’s doing. We both haven’t been letting our animals out much lately.

Glancing sideways, he sensed Timmy quickly adjust the carrot he’d been chowing down on into his arms as he returned his stare with a likely warning glare of his own. He might not have been able to literally see him, but the rabbit was so expressive it was impossible not to know what it was thinking.

Those big beautiful ears… I can’t wait to see them on your human self while we’re in bed together and I’m p—Focus on your food, you perverted bat. 

Sage could sense that his love was only being half serious, but any percent was still a percent, so he quickly quelled his unsavory thoughts and turned his attention back to his food. 

“So, I was thinking about maybe upgrading our living situation. I just got a raise last week and you two are working full time, so we could easily afford to get something a little bigger than my tiny place,” he said with a smile for Blake. 

The man seemed a little surprised, at first, but then Sage could sense the gears working.

He wanted to give Blake a place to relax without them having to be in his face all the time. Three men crammed into a one bedroom was nice when you were interested in snuggling a lot and just being around each other constantly in general, but Blake still had some demons from his past that came out every now and then. 

It wasn’t something he expected to ever go away, so he’d been thinking about just upgrading, if only a little bit, to give him some more room to relax whenever he needed some space. 

“I… I would be willing to do that,” Blake said after only a few more moments of thought. 

Me too. Something bigger would be great. Maybe we can even get a house with a yard, Wyatt chimed in.   

Sage didn’t bother turning his attention to Timmy, since he knew that the bun wasn’t the one commenting and wouldn’t appreciate anyone look at him or his carrot right then, but he did respond verbally. 

“A backyard would be great. I already started looking around, but I wanted to bring up the topic with you guys before I really got into it since it’s not quite affordable on my own just yet,” he said, earning a nod from a smiling Blake. 

In fact… the guy had grabbed his tablet from where it was sitting on a small bookshelf off to the side and turned it on, then set it down on the table.

And that was how their dinner went. They eventually ended up scooting their chairs together so that they could hold hands and look through everything in the surrounding area with Sage using Blake’s eyes to go over things with him. 

Once Timmy had finished the majority of his carrot he, also, hobbled over and watched as they scrolled through the listings. 

They eventually settled on looking at four houses next weekend and even contacted the necessary realtor after considering each of their budgets. 

Finally pushing his chair back from the table, Sage stretched out his long legs and arms, then sighed as he yawned. He was just about to get up when he was startled a bit. Timmy had jumped right into his lap!

The little bunny quickly climbed up into his arms, then settled in for a long nap. 

I was gonna go help Blake with the dishes, though…

“Don’t worry about it, master. I’m almost done anyways,” Blake said from the little kitchen, making Sage purse his lips but quickly give up trying to be useful for the evening. 

Alright, thank you, Blake. I’m going to put Timmy to bed. 

He’d already made a little one out of a laundry basket and a bunch of blankets a few weeks ago, so it was ready and waiting beside their bed. 

By the time he’d gotten him settled and rinsed off the scent on himself from his and Blake’s earlier fun in the shower, his love was standing in front of him at the sink, about to brush his teeth. 

Ah, I should have tried to brush Timmy’s, but carrots are supposed to be pretty good for them. I’ll leave him be. 

Blake, however, was staring at him with his brush still halfway to his mouth. 

“Like what you see, love?” he asked as he calmly dried himself off, then wrapped the towel around his waist. 

He didn’t get an answer until he finally straightened back up with a knowing smile. 

“O-of course,” Blake mumbled as he quickly stuck his toothbrush in his mouth, or… at least tried to. 

It missed and swiped paste across his cheek, instead. 

It’s a good thing I can’t see right now. 

After mentally shaking off the simple mishap, Sage calmly walked forward until he was partially behind Blake, then reached up after wetting his fingers in the sink to wipe off the toothpaste. 

“Th-thanks,” Blake whispered before Sage reached up and gently took the brush from between his fingers. 

The next three minutes were one of his favorite so far. Not because they did anything perverted, or even close to it, but because he got to hug one of his loves with one arm as he gently brushed his teeth for him. 

And the caveat? Because he was touching Blake, he could see their reflections in the mirror. 

 It was such a simple situation, but to be able to see it all happening, and to be able to participate, too?

Heaven. 

“Master Sage?” 

Sage immediately looked down and slightly to the side as he finally removed the brush from between Blake’s soft lips and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

“Hmm?” 

His love’s lips pressed against his own a moment later, making Sage’s tummy tingle pleasantly. 

The kiss only lasted for a moment before Blake quickly rinsed out his mouth, but it was more than enough. 

“I love you, Sage. I never thought that I’d fall for another person, much less two at the same time, but these past few months have been the happiest of my life,” Blake said before giving him another brief kiss, then looking over into their bedroom at a sleeping Timmy with his big feet up in the air on his back. 

Nuzzling into his love’s hair, Sage replied as he lowered the toothbrush to the edge of the sink after rinsing it, then wrapped his free arm around Blake’s waist for a hug. 

“I’ve loved Wyatt for more than half of my life, and I never thought that someone else would come into the picture until I ran into you while I was visiting my family in Ohio. I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask you out before I missed my chance, even though my mind was still mostly focused on Wyatt. You snuck into my heart so quickly that I didn’t even realize it until everything was already happening.” 

The guy really had. He had been planning on returning to Wyatt after his visit to try and sit down and talk about finally looking at a relationship between them, but then he walked right into Blake before he could, and the rest was history…

“We finally all have a day off tomorrow. Can we go back to that food stall?” Blake asked, making Sage realize that they had skipped desert. 

Smiling, he gave Blake one final squeeze before releasing him and taking his hand in his own. 

“Of course. We’ll go out for lunch, then enjoy some ice cream and maybe a walk in the park?” Sage whispered as they made their way quietly into the bedroom and got in bed together after Sage tossed his towel and tugged on a pair of boxers… that might have also been Wyatt’s. 

The moment he was settled in bed Blake was in his arms. They shared one more calm kiss before they both drifted off to sleep. 

At some point during the night he felt the bed depress behind him and an arm settle around him as something warm pressed up against his back. 

My sweet bunny…

He didn’t quite wake up completely, but that was totally fine. He gladly let his love hold him as he held Blake. The man had been right about what he’d said earlier, but his words hadn’t just related to himself. 

The last few months had been the best of his life, too. 

He finally got to be part of his lifelong crush’s personal world, and, somehow, they had both gained an incredible second love who had honestly been the one thing they’d seemed to need to finally bring them together. 

He was happy. 

Beyond happy. 

And beyond hopeful that their situation was going to blossom into something even more amazing. 

As he drifted back off into a deep, content sleep, only one thought ran quietly through his mind, over and over again. 

I can’t wait. 

-End 

(There will be an epi at some point. Thank you guys for coming along for this ride :) )

Epilogue

“Everything is scanned into the folder you’re going to use for the next meeting, sir, and I also made paper copies and highlighted the portions you mentioned that you wanted to discuss,” Ravi said with a determined smile on his face. 

He was working hard, but whenever it was an order from his master, it just felt it like second nature to accomplish his tasks to the best of his ability. 

If someone else tried to give him something to do, however…

Once they had found a place they wanted to settle, Trever had easily found himself the exact job he wanted. And  with a good pay raise. 

Unfortunately, Ravi wasn’t qualified for any sort of position at the company, so he’d agreed to stay home and take care of their new house while his master worked. 

That situation lasted roughly a month before he found himself wandering around, doing dog things. He’d even managed to get chased by animal control one day for nearly half a mile before managing to escape through someone’s broken fence! 

After that, Trever decided to sit down with his boss and ask if they could squeeze in a new assistant for him. The one he was given by the company wasn’t bad, at all, but he was worried about Ravi being bored at home and getting into more trouble.

Thankfully, they’d allowed a trial run with Ravi, and to say that he’d impressed them would have been an understatement. 

He didn’t exactly do well with the other people in the office, since most of the crew were rather outgoing, but after a few reminders and a short email to each employee from the higher-ups they learned to leave the adorable guy alone. 

“Thank you, love,” Trever said as he took what he was being offered and scanned through it.

“Perfect.” 

Checking the time on his computer, Trever glanced down, then over toward the door with a raised eyebrow. 

Ravi read the silent request loud and clear and turned around to shut and lock the door before returning to where he’d been standing in front of his master’s desk. 

“I have a few minutes before my meeting. What would you like to do?” 

He’d asked such a question several times before, and the answer he was given actually changed quite often. He knew that he wouldn’t ask for anything perverted, because if anyone took their job extremely seriously, it was Ravi. 

He would never, ever  do anything that would cause his master stress at work, or in general. 

“Can I sit in your lap please, sir?” he asked, already excited for a chance to get a little bit of personal time. 

Trever moved aside his mostly empty coffee cup and began to turn his large computer chair after inching it away from his desk a little. As soon as he stopped, Ravi was in front of him.  

He waited until his master extended a hand before taking it in his own and stepping forward. Within moments he was settled in his man’s strong arms, contently licking at the spot just beneath the collar of his shirt.

He’d learned very quickly not to leave marks anywhere visible, even though it irked him a bit not to be able to show others that his mate was taken. 

Trever had made sure to shut down anyone who tried to get his attention for such things, though. He was very stern when it came to declining unprofessional requests for his attention. Everything he did was for himself or Ravi. There was no room for a third person. No matter how sneaky some people tried to be. 

“Master Trever, I love you.” 

Trever’s chest expanded and contracted calmly as they rested against each other. These were the moments that meant the most. It wasn’t that he couldn’t love on his man at home, he definitely could, and he definitely did, but the fact that Trever also took the few miniscule minutes he had to rest between meetings and paperwork to simply spend that time with him… it meant the world. 

“Your bum is wiggling, sweetheart,” Trever whispered as he hugged him a little tighter and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

Ravi felt his face warm as he half-smiled and half-grinned. He probably looked a bit dopey. 

“Because I love you and you make me happy,” he said without an ounce of hesitation. 

A faint beeping tone began to emanate from Trever’s laptop at that moment, warning them that a video call was now waiting for his attention. 

“I love you, too, sweetheart. This is my last meeting for today, so we can head home a little early afterward if you’d like? Maybe even stop by somewhere for dinner?” Trever said as Ravi reluctantly climbed off his lap and straightened back to his full height. 

“Yes sir, that sounds like a good idea.” 

Once Trever turned back to face his computer Ravi stepped away and sat down in one of the far corners, then pulled out his phone. 

He hesitated for a moment, then mentally shrugged and dialed Wyatt’s number. He hadn’t spoken with the man since they’d moved up north because he hadn’t felt like it, but since he had some time now and there was plenty of space between himself and Trever, he decided to go ahead. 

To his surprise, however, Wyatt wasn’t the one who picked up. 

“Master Blake?” 

The handsome younger man smiled back at him from his phone screen. 

“Hey there, Ravi. How are you doing?” he asked pleasantly. 

Ravi furrowed his brows and scowled right away. 

“Where is master Wyatt?” he asked, ignoring the man’s words. 

He wasn’t intending to be rude, but his mind just cut to the chase constantly. He didn’t like replying to unnecessary things. Especially when something wasn’t right… like Blake answering Wyatt’s cell phone. 

“Oh, he’s um, busy at the moment with master Sage. I’m afraid he won’t be able to talk on the phone right now. Can I take a message for him and let him know as soon as he’s free?” Blake asked, not minding having been ignored at all. 

Ravi was about to agree, but then he thought for a moment and shook his head, making his curls bounce around his face. 

“I’ll call again another time, bye.” 

Before Blake could respond Ravi hung up, then looked over his shoulder at his master. 

The meeting was clearly in full swing and his master had even nudged a pair of glasses onto the bridge of his nose so that he could go through the paperwork while switching his attention quickly between it and the screen. 

He looks so cute. 

The people in the meeting with him seemed to think so, too. At least, the females did. Ravi could pick up little nuances and just the change in inflection in some of their voices when they spoke directly to him… 

He was upset. 

Not at Trever, of course, but at the women on the call who thought that he would have any  interest in them. They even kept discretely flirting with him during meetings because it would seem rude or even self-centered if he told them to stop in the middle of the meeting and they happened to decline that they were doing anything strange in the first place.  

He was just about to glare down at the carpet in order to distract himself when he noticed something underneath his master’s desk. 

Trever had moved his left hand out of view of the camera and was now holding it out to him beneath the desk. 

I can… come over? 

When his master moved his hand to gently tap against his leg, Ravi stopped hesitating and hurriedly scurried over. 

He quickly got himself situated against his love’s left leg, then began to nuzzle a little closer to his crotch. Of course, he knew better than to act perverted after being given such a rare opportunity, but he couldn’t help but stare at the faint outline before him. 

He was a very   possessive dog, but he somehow managed to behave and keep his tongue inside his mouth during the entirety of the meeting. It helped that Trever had begun petting his curly hair halfway through, calming him down with the sweet gesture even as he got heated in one of the meeting’s debates about budget and production issues. 

By the time the meeting was finally over and Ravi heard the click of his master closing his lap top, he might have dozed off a tiny bit. 

“Vi? My Vivi, would you like to be carried?” 

Always. 

Ravi sleepily climbed up into his master’s lap and waited until Trever had his arms around him comfortably before reaching up with his own and wrapping them around his neck. 

He was honestly pretending to be tired. Yes, he’d rested a bit while his master had worked, but he was more than awake now… he just wanted to make sure that everyone knew that Trever was taken by being carried right out of the office building. 

“Your mind is racing quite a bit for someone who is so sleepy that they need to be carried,” Trever mused as he nonchalantly picked up his briefcase, then set it down with a half shrug. 

Ravi gave a quiet grumble in response as he locked his arms and legs around his man. 

Instead of chastising him for behaving poorly, Trever pressed a kiss to his hair before heading for the door and stepping out. 

Since they were leaving early Ravi could hear quite a few people still milling about, but he continued his tired charade and didn’t lift his head as he heard footsteps faltering and a few whispered frustrations. 

One of the people he immediately recognized by their voice, forcing him to bite back a smirk. 

See? He’s mine! 

He felt Trever’s chest shake briefly against his own, letting him know that his love had heard his thought. But, again, he wasn’t chastised. 

I am yours. I have no reason to disagree with you, my Vi. 

Trever continued walking toward the elevators, then stood to wait for their turn to board. 

Besides, I think I like that you’re jealous of them. It’s adorable. 

Ravi suddenly lifted his head and leaned back a little as they stepped onto the elevator. He could see one of the girls he knew was interested in Trever walking towards them. She probably expected him to hold the elevator for them, but he was done being nice.

Reaching over before Trever could, Ravi pressed the close doors  button, leaned back, then grinned at the woman’s surprised expression before leaning forward again and pressing his lips gently to his man’s as the doors closed on their story with a content and quiet click. 

   

(There will probably be a second epilogue for the other boys, but for now, this is the end of the general story :3)

Epilogue 2

He’d never seen  such a beautiful sight. Even with just his echolocation, Sage knew exactly what was going on. Every, single, sweaty detail. 

He’d finally, finally  gotten the love of his life in bed with him physically, and he was absolutely, completely, one-hundred percent smitten with him all over again. 

“What… is that… face for?” 

Sage immediately snapped out of his heady daze and felt his face warm considerably as his fingers tightened their grip on Wyatt’s thighs. 

“For you, love. Definitely for you,” he said honestly as he stared up at the man straddling his lap. 

Wyatt had finally decided to sleep with him, but he’d wanted full control over the situation. It wasn’t something Sage normally conceded, ever , but this time it had been completely worth it. 

Wyatt had prepped himself, and barely given him a kiss or two before situating himself down on Sage’s already-stiff length. 

It definitely hadn’t been the situation he’d literally dreamed of for years, but he’d definitely be dreaming about it for the rest of his life!

“How are you… still able to hold back?” Wyatt asked as his arms shook from holding himself up and exhaustion. 

He’d been riding him for a while, but…

“I’ve dreamed of this day. I don’t want it to end too early,” Sage said with a cheeky grin. 

Wyatt scowled as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. He’d already cum twice, and with the amount of effort he’d put into riding him, he’d probably burned a couple hundred calories, too. 

He looked just about spent. 

“I am more than satisfied with your love, sweetheart. May I return the favor with you beneath me?” he asked, wanting to finally get the man under him.

He was honestly running out of stamina, himself, but he really didn’t want their current situation to end so soon. 

He could feel his love’s expression change to one of indecision and calmly waited as he considered his words. 

“Not today…” Wyatt eventually mumbled as he looked to the side, clearly nervous about Sage’s response. 

My baby is so sweet. 

“Alright, we’ll end it here for now, then,” Sage said with a content grin. 

Wyatt seemed a bit surprised by his response and fidgeted a little before wincing. 

“I can still help you get off, though. You haven’t yet,” Wyatt hurried to say as he tried to lift himself up a bit so that he could get to work on that task before he truly passed out. 

Sage squeezed the man’s thigh again with his left hand, making him pause in his attempt to rile him up further. 

“That’s enough for today, love. I didn’t cum because I was being a greedy, stubborn bat. That’s my own fault, not yours.”

Wyatt didn’t seem convinced that he wanted to stop, but Sage had already begun to calm down. 

“My hand is perfectly capable of taking care of it, my precious bunny. Next time I won’t let myself be so greedy,” Sage said with a wink before carefully pushing himself up into a sitting position, then gently helping Wyatt up and off of him. 

His body wasn’t happy having to pull out before it got off, but it was completely his own fault so he ignored its protests as he settled his love beside him on the bed. 

“Can we actually shower first? I don’t want to lie in bed all sweaty,” Wyatt said as he slowly inched his way to the edge. 

We? 

“Absolutely,” Sage chimed as he hurried into the bathroom and got the shower going before returning to help a wobbly Wyatt to his feet. 

He couldn’t blame the guy for hurting. His bat might have been tiny, but his human self wasn’t. Especially when it came to certain organs. 

Of course, Wyatt was too stubborn to show it much, but it was clear in the way his body moved just the slightest bit differently than normal. Sage wasn’t going to say anything about it, though. The man had already gone above and beyond his wildest dreams by letting him inside him, there was no need, nor will there ever honestly be, to poke fun at him for the pain it had caused. 

Once he’d stepped into the shower, Wyatt turned to face him with a tired smile. 

“Want to get our other half in here, too?” 

Hell. Yes. 

Blake was walking into the bathroom a moment later after they both likely called out to him through their thoughts, his arms were already in the process of tugging his shirt over his head. 

Uh, Sage’s mouth was watering already. 

“He’s impossible,” Wyatt said from behind Sage, making him blink back to attention and glance over his shoulder. 

“I’ll take care of it, master Wyatt. You just have to learn what sets him off,” Blake said, drawing Sage’s attention back to him with a raised eyebrow. 

Um…

“Oh? Do tell… or show, if you’d prefer,” Wyatt said as he settled in the back of the shower, evidently needing to sit down for a short rest. Or, perhaps, he just wanted to watch whatever show was about to unfold. Either way, he seemed quite content. 

Sage was just looking between the two when Blake finished stripped and grabbed his hand, then tugged him forward into the shower. 

It was a good thing Wyatt was sitting with his legs spread, or they’d likely have trouble all fitting. 

As it were, before Sage could even figure out what they were going to do, Blake was on his knees between Wyatt’s, his backside facing the man, but was staring up at Sage. His hands had already found their target, too, and he didn’t hesitate at all to lean forward and take it into his mouth!

Sage jumped in response, but Blake managed to keep a firm hold on his length. Sage had watched the other two have sex plenty of times in the past several weeks, and had even participated with his mouth a few times, but to get taken care of with Wyatt watching…

Feeling his face warm nearly to the temperature of the water almost scalding his back, Sage lifted an arm up to cover the lower half of his face as his eyes squeezed shut in pleasure. 

The man between his legs knew what he was doing and he never hesitated to do it well. Pretty soon, Sage was sweating nearly as much as Wyatt had been as he tried to hold himself back from releasing. 

Wyatt had worked on him for nearly half an hour and hadn’t quite managed, yet Blake’s mouth was driving him crazy and it had only been two minutes!

“Hmm, I see. I didn’t realize he liked it like that,” Wyatt said as he leaned closer, making Sage blush even harder. 

He’d always thought that he was a bit of sadist, but unfortunately Blake had managed to figure out his real secret in no time at all. 

He liked pain… quite a bit. Unfortunately, he was the only one he’d trusted with that bit of information for the majority of his life. He’d let his guard slip around Blake a little, though, and evidently the man was far more perceptive than even he had thought. 

Needless to say, Blake’s teeth easily had him seeing stars within moments as a loud moan echoed around their steamy bathroom. 

He was just coming down from that high a minute later when he felt soft hands begin working a damp washcloth over his back. When he opened his eyes he saw Wyatt now standing in front of him, a washcloth in his hand as well. 

“Ready for round two, love?” he asked as he reached forward to press the cloth against Sage’s damp chest and lean up the slightest fraction to seal his lips over his. 

Two? 

Before he could question them Wyatt had moved his mouth to one of his nipples, then bitten it! 

Sage would have backed away out of instinct alone, but with Blake at his back, he forced himself not to move. 

“Okay?” Blake asked as Sage felt the man’s washcloth dip lower and lower until it rested against the small of his back. 

Struggling to find words as Wyatt tended to his nipple, Sage forced himself to swallow twice before he managed a response. 

“Y-yes.”

The next twenty or so minutes saw Sage being scrubbed from one side while being pleasured on the other. Then, once his two little devils were done, they switched sides and continued their attack!

By the time they both finally stepped back Sage was panting in pure exhaustion. He also had quite a few marks on his neck, chest, and even waist. 

I feel like we’d just had one hell of an orgy, but we didn’t even… jesus. 

Unable to do much else, Sage wandered to the back of the tub and sat down in the spot Wyatt had vacated earlier. 

He dozed off and on as his loves cleaned each other with grins on their faces, sparing him looks every few minutes, clearly proud of their work. 

  “Can I have our sweet little Mint, please?” 

Hmm? 

He’d nearly fallen asleep again. 

Sage opened his eyes, only to blink a few times in surprise. Blake was squatting in front of him, still completely naked and nice and clean,  smelling like his and Wyatt’s soaps. 

Yum. 

He was about to say something when he noticed that the water had been shut off and Timmy was now staring at him from behind Blake’s leg. 

Oh, he’d asked for Peppermint. 

Well, he had no reason not to shift. He was pretty tired and rather content with the day’s events. He didn’t mind passing the torch for a while. 

With a quiet sigh Sage allowed his human body to fade until a tiny little white bat was left standing in his place. 

Of course, right at that moment Timmy decided to launch a sneak attack, but was thankfully caught at the last second and tucked against Blake’s chest. 

“Enough of that. You two haven’t been bad lately. Let’s keep it that way,” he chastised as he returned his attention to Peppermint and reached down. 

With his tiny head held high Sage’s bat happily, and a little pompously, climbed up his arm until he was situated in Blake’s damp hair. 

He could sense Timmy’s glare on him the entire time, and even saw the rabbit kick its back feet a little, but once he was settled the little black ball of fuzz calmed down, too. 

“There we go. Now let’s go watch some TV in bed, hmm? I’ve got plenty of cuddles for the both of you sweet ones,” Blake said with a smile as he stepped out of the shower. 

He’d evidently already dried off, so as he got them into bed, Sage decided to finally rest, he ceded complete control over to his bat as he fell asleep, content and complacent with his current life. 

It had been a long, long time since he’d been so happy, but ever since he’d found Blake, his life had done a one-eighty. 

I finally got the love of my life, found a second love who holds us together like glue, and I think things are only going to get better from here. 

“I completely agree,” Blake said out loud as Sage felt Wyatt’s mind gently brush against his own. 

“Get some rest, you two. I’ll watch your sweet ones,” Blake added, making Sage inwardly grin as he felt his bat snuggle in for the movie his love was putting on.   

Timmy, content for the moment with the pets he was getting, relaxed on Blake’s chest, not as interested in the film as he was the attention. 

Alright, good night, my loves. 

Sage could sense that Wyatt was already asleep, but that was perfectly fine. After a gentle pat from Blake for Peppermint, he let himself finally drift off into a peaceful sleep. 

(I’ll be putting my Ko-fi link at the bottom of the final chapters of my books from here on. It’s totally optional, of course :) See you guys on the next story!)

Tips always appreciated :) https://ko-fi.com/theorykierei