The walk through the medium-sized town was calming and, for Spencer, heavenly. The dogs sniffed and tugged here and there, being allowed to be animals that like to explore. All the while, Sam held the leash in front of him with a loose hand and fought to remind himself to breathe. The hold on his elbow gradually moved the further they went, from the bend in his arm to his lower back then finally, softly resting the large, warm palm of Spencer's hand on his opposite shoulder. Each time, the touch stayed still to provide Sam time to adjust and decide if he should move or not. Once his body released any tension, the hand moved a bit further up.

Spencer just couldn't stop himself, his new favorite thing is touching Sam. The feel of his soft, fragile skin against his own rough hands will become his new desire to feel every second of every day. He adores how sensitive Sam's skin is, a light press from his fingers earns the pale skin to discolor with blood from the pressure. All the possibilities run through his mind, creating marks on the fragile throat or perhaps Sam will gain small bruises from light punishments in the future. The thought pleases Spencer, the urge to see his claim on Sam is making him impatient, yet he knows he has much, much more work to do with his new neighbor.

Sam is still highly uncertain of what is happening or why he is simply allowing himself to be touched. He isn't overly bothered or uncomfortable and has time to get accustomed to the hand. However, he is having difficulty processing the touch coming from a stranger, a neighbor he only just met. He has a feeling that this isn't how normal relationships, friendship or otherwise, are made. He only has one friend he met online and he has never felt the need to socialize all through school, Charlie is the only friend he has ever had. With this fact, he is naive to what usually happens when meeting someone interested in a friendship.

He admits to himself he is vulnerable to being used or manipulated, he'll just have to try his best to avoid things his common sense sparks as strange. The touch is odd to him, but Charlie touches him too and that seems fairly normal to Sam. Perhaps it's too soon to touch or walk alone with a stranger, yet he doesn't want to be rude and leave the man to himself in a new town. He was asked to show Spencer the ice cream shop and that didn't sound too bad, friendly even.

Should I search online for how one makes friends or a timeline for human interactions? Sam thinks. I'm not very good at being with other people. He glances at Spencer to his left, the man has made certain he was between Sam and any other men, or people in general. He has been walking on the side closer to the street while keeping Sam between him and the wall of different shops or buildings. The dogs still have enough room to go across the sidewalk and sniff to their heart's content, the position of the humans not affecting them.

It appears like Spencer is protecting me from the street and other strangers, Sam observes, blinking. Is that friendly? Or normal? Perhaps it's just how he is, a habit from past events. This also doesn't overly make Sam uncomfortable it seems that he feels an unusual sense of safety, one that continues to confuse him. Spencer is a big man, not necessarily a giant to others and Sam would even go as far as to assume the man is an even six foot, an average height for some males. Yet for Sam, the man is large and towers over himself. His mind is filling his thoughts with doubt, questioning if feeling safe is normal or if there was something wrong with him for liking it. He has never been in this situation and doesn't understand what is happening, why there's a hand on him, or why he is allowing the touch. He doesn't appear to have malicious intent doing it, just seems he did it without conscious thought of it.

He decides to leave it be, giving a tiny dash of trust that Spencer wouldn't do anything that could harm or make Sam too uncomfortable. So, he fights with his body to keep it relaxed and his heart to stay calm. Spencer, known by the expressions crossing Sam's face that the smaller is fighting himself and confused, is happy to see Sam allowing his touch and closeness. He can read Sam, not as well as he would like, but he can see the most obvious of his thoughts. The coltish boy doesn't appear to know how to hide his feelings or thoughts and projects them to others who pay enough attention.

It gives Spencer an inside view of his goal and further helps him understand how he can gather Sam as his own. Inside the skittish mind may be confused and spooked, but Sam is also allowing him to continue to touch him, which means he has decided to give trust to Spencer, no matter how small. It gives Spencer something to grow on, the more time he spends with Sam the more that tiny, crumb of trust will grow. Time is all he needs and he plans on spending any free time they both have with Sam.

He may not wish to frighten the boy, but if his plan doesn't work out with the outcome he desires, he'll have to do something extreme. He doesn't look forward to scaring his neighbor, that will be the exact opposite of what he wants, and will take longer to gain trust. Spencer dislikes the thought, however, he'll need backup plans if this natural, normal, plan doesn't work. He needs and wants Sam, to have and own him as his boyfriend, puppy, or even little colt.

He doesn't have cruel intentions, he wants to make him happy and feel special. However, he does have intentions of creating Sam into a Good Boy. Sam would be such a good submissive, no matter what Spencer decides to make him into; a normally loved sub, a cute puppy, or an adorable little colt. He'll ask, of course, what sounds better and let Sam explore each one with him. Yet, Sam will be one and Spencer will show him just how fun it will be to have affection and be petted. It'll be heaven, seeing Sam kneel at his feet and stare up at him with wide, shiny, uncertain grey eyes, his slim throat dressed in a collar.

Perhaps he'll even buy harnesses, pony masks, and hooves for any colt play they could do. The leather would contrast wonderfully with Sam's light complexion. He'll be subtle with his intentions, give small hints or phrases that Sam wouldn't necessarily understand, yet like nonetheless. Spencer noticed that Sam reacts well to praise, he craves it - even if he doesn't realize it. He craves someone telling him he did good, that he made them proud, and how good he is. It's only a matter of time before he looks to Spencer for any praise, he'll seek out the other man. Wait to be told he did something good and that he made Spencer proud. Condition the skittish boy a tiny bit, just enough he learns to depend on Spencer and that the redhead has his best interest at heart.

Spencer is brought from his fantasy and plans when Sam lightly tugs the hemline of his shirt shyly, trying to capture his attention. He grins down at the boy, very much pleased with that action. Sam is uncertain and shy that he did such a thing to a stranger. However, the taller man wasn't responding to his attempts of speaking, probably because his voice was nearly a whisper with how anxious he is. Tugging his shirt seemed the only option he was capable of forcing himself to do. He does wonder what had the man so distracted, a simple curiosity of why the man appeared so far away.

He doesn't need to know, it's not his business what the man is thinking and he isn't interested to find out. Spencer is a stranger, a touchy stranger, but one nonetheless. Sam doesn't have any right to ask about personal stuff, even if he was interested in satisfying his curiosity. Moving on from his embarrassment at the childish action, he gestures with the hand that holds the leash in front of them. The ice cream shop is directly ahead of them, the dogs recognizing their surroundings and the smells as they begin to tug a bit harder and wag their tails excitedly. Orthrus shakes his entire back end with his little nub of a tail - his tail was cut down before Sam adopted him, and he doesn't support clipping ears or tails unless necessary, like a health benefit.

The little shop isn't much, trapped by two other businesses on either side of the pink and light blue building. On the windows is the shop's name with cute paw prints running everywhere, a sign that welcomes all pets and their humans. Sam likes it because it's always calm and quiet, not many people normally visit when he's out and about, as he aims to avoid any rush hours and unnecessary interactions. The young woman working inside, a cotton candy-haired college student, is always smiling and happy when she sees the dogs.

She has grown used to seeing them, knows them well, and appreciates the history behind their names, absolutely adores how her favorite canine gods are brought back to life in them. She doesn't make Sam anxious or nervous, he has also grown accustomed to her and learned to appreciate her attempts at a small polite conversation about the dogs. The color scheme is light pastels, pink and baby blue, or cute greens and purples; rainbow. It's supposed to be a place for children's birthdays and aimed towards little kids, but for adults, it's a nice place to sit in peace if need be. Sam only visits when he thinks the dogs deserve an extra treat or to cool off from walking, perhaps a few times a week or more in the summer when the weather is hotter. He finds it cute.

Spencer, on the other hand, is wondering if he's going to be getting glitter all over him if he simply opens the door. It isn't overly bad, but he doesn't like children and merely seeing the building makes him vaguely uncomfortable. Still, he forces himself to open the door, smiling at Sam while reminding himself it's just a building and he'll be coming more often now. Better to get used to it, he tells himself, they all like it here, meaning I'll be making visits for Sam or with him. Inside is cool, the air conditioner running along with the chill of the ice cream. There's a rather tall woman behind the counter in a soft pink shirt with rainbow hemlines along the bottom and short sleeves, and soft grey skinny jeans are visible from the glass showcase. She has pink and blue hair, pastel and slightly faded with stretched ear lobes and a hoop through her septum piercing. She lights up when she sees the prancing dogs, cooing and running from behind the counter.

"Oh, Hi! I've missed you guys so much!" She stops feet away to grin at Sam, completely unaware of Spencer for time being in her excitement. "Hello, Sam. It's nice to see you drop by today, it's getting so hot. May I?"

Her tiny gesture to the dogs earns a small smile from Sam as he nods, allowing her to get closer and pet them. More at ease with her, he talks only slightly louder than his usual shy murmur. "Hi, Sabrina. You don't have to ask, they know and like you. I trust you with them."

The woman, Sabrina, beams and bends to pet the dogs and give out praises and scratches. Fenrir, Cerberus, and Orthrus all crowd her for attention, whispering to her in their inside voices and whining to get more affection. Even if Sam gives them all his attention and affection the moment they wake him up. Sabrina laughs at any licks that happen to land on her cheeks and arms, not minding it and loving the affection from innocent dogs. Yet after a minute, she stands correctly and looks back up to Sam, only then spotting the larger man with him. Spencer watches as her baby blue eyes widen in shock at him, flicking from Sam to him. He was correct in his assumption that Sam doesn't have many friends if any at all, and only has a few acquaintances. Quite obviously, she is shocked to see him with another man, but she doesn't comment about the rare company.

She just grins, giving a kind wave. "Hi! I don't recognize you, are you new here?"

Spencer nods, softly nudging Sam in the direction of a booth by a private corner away from the door. Sam blinks, uncertain why he's being moved but goes easily to avoid making a scene by asking or attempting to mention it. The dogs follow, jumping up onto the blue booth seat to settle in the middle, bumping into each other and playfully nipping at ears or softly growling to one another. Spencer has Sam sit, giving a squeeze to his shoulder to make sure he stays put in the seat. Sam only glances up at him, eyebrows furrowed in his confusion. The taller smiles warmly, knowing well Sam doesn't understand. He only did it to start the light conditioning he'll need, the sooner Sam realizes Spencer will do things for him and he needs to sit still and let him, the faster this plan of his moves forward.

Briefly, he squats down to be eye level with Sam, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder again with a smile. "Just sit here and look pretty, I'll get them some ice cream. What do you want?"

Immediately, Sam is shaking his head in denial, eyes wide. "Oh no! You don't need-"

His shoulder is squeezed again, the hand moving to the nape of his neck to firmly grip. Spencer interrupts, lowering his voice and allowing a stricter tone to slip in. Not enough to scare, just to make it clear he won't argue on this topic. "Sam. What do you want?"

Exhaling, Sam scratches at his wrist in nervousness. Saying the first flavor that comes to mind, is more of an uncertain question than a request. "Rocky Road?"

Spencer grins, thumb rubbing soothing circles on the boy's nape. Glancing at the dogs, he adds, "what do they normally eat here?"

"Fenrir likes strawberry with biscuits in his. Cerberus will only eat peanut butter, I get him little banana slices too. Orthrus refuses anything other than cinnamon." Is the immediate response, memorized, yet shyly spoken.

The taller smiles, standing with a soft, "thank you." Before going to speak with the nice lady at the counter, watching the interaction curiously. She smiles politely at Spencer as he explains he just moved in, saying Sam is giving him a tour.

Sam sighs, shaking his head lightly to get rid of his overthinking thoughts. He doesn't understand what happened, why he told Spencer what he wanted, or why he is letting the man pay for his dog's ice cream. The tone of the voice startled him, he will admit and his mouth moved before his brain could catch up. His body betrays his thoughts and responds without a single consideration, which is odd. He overthinks, he's grown used to doubting everything and his mind spiraling into uncertain chaos. It was shocking when he did what was asked without a single, doubting thought and he doesn't know how to process that.

Perhaps it is just shock, his voice changed so suddenly and the urge to listen forced me to respond. He considers, digging his nail into his wrist to ground himself briefly. Yes, that must've been it. Or maybe I was just caught up in trying to be polite and didn't properly understand what was happening. He decides to simply ignore whatever happened, clearly he wasn't thinking and it'll most likely never happen again