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. 


   

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