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Carlos bolted, running faster than he ever had before. The dog chased him, barking menacingly. He could see it gaining on him every time he looked over his shoulder, and he picked up the pace, panic giving him a speed boost.
He stumbled and screamed, afraid it was going to catch him, before he kept running. He could hear Ben shouting behind him but he wasn't paying attention to his words.
He ended up running into the woods, scrambling up a tree. He was clinging to it, terrified, the dog barking at the trunk, when Ben ran into the clearing.
"Carlos!" He said winded.
"Watch out, it's gonna get you!" Carlos cried, clinging harder to the tree.
"Who, Dude?" Ben laughed, scooping the dog into his arms. "He's not scary." Ben stroked the dog's head.
"Why are you holding him?! He's gonna attack you!!" Carlos yelped.
"Carlos, he's not going to attack you. This is Dude. Dude, this is Carlos." He waved one of Dude's paws at Carlos, who eyed him suspiciously.
"Well… he doesn't look like a vicious killer animal…" He said warily, stepping slowly off the tree.
"He's… actually kind of cute." Hesitantly, he reached out and pet the dog. "He's soft!" Carlos said, a little surprised. He'd always thought dogs would be rough and dirty.
"Yeah, he is." Ben cooed, carefully handing Dude to him.
"Good boy, you're a good boy." Carlos said to Dude, now smiling.
"You guys have it rough on the island, huh?" Ben asked, watching him rock the dog in his arms.
"Yeah, we… don't have much reason for dogs or belly rubs." He said, stroking Dude's stomach.
Ben smiled at him, then put a hand on his shoulder. "Good boy," He said. Carlos blinked, confused, then realized Ben was talking to him. His face flushed, and so did Ben's.
"I… Um, I mean…" He stammered. "You're a good runner. You're fast." He recovered quickly.
Carlos opened his mouth, then closed it again, dumbfounded. His face was still slightly flusuhed.
"You're uhm… You're good too. A good um… Good boy." He replied back awkwardly, trying to be charming or something, but he wasn't sure it worked.
Damnit awkwardness. He cringed internally.
"Right, um…" Ben's face was red, and he was looking everywhere but Carlos.
"Well, I'll uh… leave you two to it." He threw up finger guns and then hurried off. When he was gone, Carlos cradled Dude and giggled.
"I like him." He admitted to the dog, scratching it's ears. "He's nice."
Dude just blinked.