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Equus	By : Deb Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2855 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I do own the equines though, please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

Chapter List
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“Equus”

Chapter 12

Heero had just finished washing the dishes from their lunch and joined his partner in the lounge room to watch a movie when his cell phone went off. Frowning, he fished in his pocket and pulled the small machine out. Duo paused the movie and took a moment to sip at his coffee.

“Yuy speaking,” Heero said when he flipped the thing open. He didn't recognize the number displayed on the screen.

There was the sounds of someone talking on the other end before Heero replied. “No problem, I'll be down there in a couple of minutes to meet you.” Closing the phone, Heero looked to his partner. “That was June,” he stated. “She will be arriving in the next five minutes with her horse.”

“Ah. I'd forgotten about him arriving today.”

“I knew she was bringing him, I just didn't know what time.” Heero gave a sigh. “I'm sorry.”

“What for?” asked Duo.

“We were going to watch a movie together.”

“We still can. Look, we go down the stables and sort this new arrival out, pop him in a paddock for now as it will take a couple of days for him to settle in. Once we've spoken with June and sorted out the horse's gear we will still have time come back up and watch the movie before you need to go back down and start bringing the horses in for the night.”

Heero smiled. “Want to come with me?”

“Of course.”

The pair made their way down the raceway to the stables, pausing to pat Zero on the way. Shini and Wing were too busy in their grazing to come up to the gate for a pat and Angel was snoozing at the far end of her paddock.

Within a couple of minutes the pair heard the sound of a car approaching, the sound growing louder and then pulling into the driveway and past the house to the yard area where Heero and Duo waited. June cut the engine and got out.

“Mr. Yuy, Doctor Maxwell,” she greeted.

The pair exchanged pleasantries for a moment before June went to the back of the float and with Heero's assistance, lowered the tail gate. Heero released the tail chain and June led her horse out of the float and into the sunshine.

The black warm-blood stood sixteen hands and practically shone in the sun. His head was up, ears moving back and forth, nostrils flaring as he took in the scents on the air. From the paddock came a loud neigh, one that Orion answered. Soon there was a concert of neighs passing back and forth.

“I think we should put him in his paddock for a while. He can talk to the others without getting hurt out there and that should help to settle him down a bit,” Heero said when he could be heard over the noise.

June nodded and began to follow Heero towards the paddocks. Orion seemed to 'grow' as his mistress led him along the raceway. He could scent the other horses at first and once he was in the raceway he could see them too. His nostrils flared and he arched his neck, prancing a little as he walked. For all his showing off though, Duo noted the big black remained calm and obedient, telling Duo that this animal was well trained.

Reaching the paddock Heero had designated for Orion, he opened the gate for June to lead her horse in. Once inside the paddock, she showed Orion where the water trough was and unclipped the lead rope, letting the black go to wander around and introduce himself. Stepping back out of the paddock, Heero closed the gate and the three stood back to watch.

Heero's four horses were on one side of the raceway, Heero deciding to keep his animals separate to the clients' horses. The clients' horses would all take up residence in the paddocks opposite. At least they could see each other and talk to one another without coming into direct contact and possibly end up getting injured, especially with Zero and Shinigami being stallions and possessive over Angel. Although Wing was also a stallion, he was young and Wing was yet to discover all this macho stuff of protecting his mares and the like.

Zero was arching his neck over the fence and blowing through his nostrils at the new comer. From time to time he would let out a loud neigh. He could scent this new horse was a gelding and as such wasn't a direct threat to his family, but Zero was still protective. Shinigami had kinked his tail over his back and was strutting around his paddock showing off, tossing his head in the air and letting fly with loud snorts. Wing gave a couple of squeals but left the direct threatening to his father and half brother. Angel simply stood at the fence and watched, her ears pricked as her eyes took in the black form.

After several minutes, Zero returned to his grazing, although he kept a watchful eye on the new horse. Shinigami continued to prance around and show off whilst Wing lost all interest and found the shade under the tree to be far more comfortable than exchanging calls with the new horse. Angel remained standing and watching.

Orion took stock of the new paddock and the other horses and after exchanging grunts and neighs, he decided he would rather investigate his new home. Turning his back on the other four, he wandered off around the paddock, snatching a mouthful of grass from time to time as he walked around.

“I think they will all be just fine,” Heero said as he watched the horses returning to their grazing.

“I'm glad Orion seems to have settled down. I don’t think you will have any trouble with him, Heero. He's got good ground manners and is a nice tempered horse,” June said as the three of them walked back towards her car and stable area.

“I couldn't help but notice that as you led him to his paddock. It's nice to see an animal well trained and obedient but still retaining their spirit,” Duo said.

“Thank you,” June replied. “He's so big and I'm not all that tall myself so he has to be well behaved,” June laughed.

“Would you like a hand to bring his gear into the tack room?” Heero asked.

“Yes, please.”

The two men gave the woman a hand with Orion's gear. June hadn't brought a lot with her, just the basics Heero would need such as his saddle, bridle, rugs and grooming kit. Heero had allocated space in the tack room for the clients' gear, keeping his own in a separate, smaller tack shed that ran off the larger one. Once all the gear was put away, Heero took note of Orion's diet, pleased to note that the gelding was fed the same feed stuffs as Heero's horses were.

Once June had checked the stable Heero had assigned for Orion's use, she handed over a photo copy of the gelding's EFA registration card, grading card and his performance card. Heero would need the details of those to put on the entry forms when he intended to take the gelding out to compete.

Checking her horse once more and pleased to see the black was happily grazing, June bade her farewells and promised to keep in touch with Heero. It was arranged for June to call Heero once a week for an update on Orion's progress, Heero also letting the woman know she was free to visit her horse at any time, but it would be appreciated if she would call first so Heero could make sure he was there to speak with her.

Once the car and float had left the property, Duo wrapped an arm around Heero's waist and pulled the rider to him. “It's all starting to happen now, Heero,” he said with a smile.

“Hai, it is,” Heero replied and kissed his lover.

“Now, how about that movie?”

“Let's go.”

* * *

Monday morning arrived and after seeing Heero off to tend to his horses, Duo put on his shoes and made his way to the surgery for morning consults. Both Zechs and Hilde were also rostered on to work and Duo intended for the pair to share the morning's clients between them whilst he observed; not only how they coped, but to also work out exactly how many more appointments they would be able to take on for morning and evening consults. Then there was the roster to work out too.

Heero had indicated he was willing to sit in on the staff meeting and planned on having all his stable work done and at least one horse worked before morning consults finished. Duo had insisted Heero take his cell with him so they could contact each other should anything out of the ordinary happen to prevent either the meeting or Heero attending.

Stepping into the reception area, Duo picked up the appointments book and scanned down the list of bookings. The entire morning consults were booked out, something that pleased Duo and now with an extra vet it looked like he should be able to add another fifteen or so appointments to the current number and still be able to handle the number comfortably.

Putting the appointments book down for a moment, he reached for the surgery book and flipped through it. There were two cat spays and a plaster removal booked for the surgery and one outside visit to remove stitches from a horse Duo had attended almost two weeks ago.

“You're in here early.”

The voice startled Duo for a moment and he almost dropped the book. “Catherine! Shit, can't you make a bit of noise next time? You almost scared me into next week!”

“Sorry,” Catherine chuckled. “I thought you would have heard the door open and shut.”

“Nah, I was busy checking what's booked for today. Where's your shadow?”

“Hilde stopped off at the kennels to check on that dog with the broken leg she operated on last Friday.”

“He's doing really well. Should be able to go home today,” Duo replied as he put the surgery book back in its place.

Catherine placed her bag under the reception desk and prepared to start Nrobbuts up.

“Ah, I think I'll go get a coffee,” Duo said and backed warily out of the reception area. Catherine's chuckles followed him. Pausing in the small staff room to put the kettle on the boil, Duo then continued to the kennels where he found Hilde talking to and petting the dog with the broken leg.

“Morning, Duo,” she said as she closed the kennel door.

“Morning, Hilde. Charlie's doing really well and should be able to go home today. You did a great job on setting that break.”

“Thanks, Duo.” Hilde blushed with the praise.

“Come on, Zechs should be here in a moment and we have just enough time for a coffee and briefing before morning consults start,” Duo said and turned to leave the kennels.

“Right with you, oh fearless leader,” Hilde replied as she followed him out to the staff room.

Duo rolled his eyes.

*

With both Zechs and Hilde doing the morning consults, the appointments were finished an hour earlier than usual which enabled Duo to take a few extra consult bookings that came in over the phone that morning. The clients all welcomed the new vet and the feedback Duo got from them was promising. Several clients remembered Zechs from when he filled in as a locum whilst Duo was sick and were pleased to see him back at the practice in a permanent capacity.

Duo's only concern was that Catherine was busier than usual with the extra clients. Catherine assured him she was quite capable of handling the extra work, but Duo wasn't convinced. He didn't like to take advantage of the woman's generous nature. He still wanted to employ another receptionist, only on a part time basis. That way Catherine could have a regular couple of days off and when things got busy as they tended to do during certain seasons, the work load could be spread a little more evenly.

Catherine relented, seeing where Duo was coming from and agreed to the help. Now all Duo had to do was find someone to fit the bill, someone who would fit in with their happy 'family'.

With morning consults finished, Duo called his staff meeting. Heero managed to join them and once everyone had a beverage in hand and was sitting down and comfortable, he began the meeting. Starting out with officially welcoming Zechs to the practice, Duo moved on to see if anyone had any problems or items of interest that needed to be discussed. When nothing was forthcoming, Duo moved on to the main reason for the meeting – the working out of the roster system.

The practice was open six days a week for both morning and afternoon consults with surgery being performed in the break between the consulting hours. This time was also used for any 'home' visits. The practice was closed on a Sunday for anything other than emergencies and Hilde and Duo usually took it in turns to be on call for the Sundays.

“I've worked out a roster system which I think will suit everyone,” Duo began. “I'll tell you what it is and if you have any questions or aren't happy with the way it's currently set up we can look at changing things if and where necessary.” Duo picked up the piece of paper he'd written the roster out on and glanced at it.

“Everyone will have two days a week off and be on call every third Sunday.” Duo glanced at Hilde and Zechs, both nodded in reply. “Okay, Mondays and Saturdays are my days off, Hilde, you have Thursdays and Fridays off, Zechs has Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. As I already said we also have the Sunday off unless it's your turn to be on call. Any questions?”

“What about the surgery and call outs during the week?” Hilde asked.

“I'm coming to that,” Duo replied with a grin. “Mondays and Saturdays both of you will do morning and afternoon consults; Hilde, you can take care of any surgery on those days and Zechs will be on call and attend any house visits booked. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you and I will do the consults, Hilde, I'll do surgery and you can do the call outs. Thursday and Friday, Zechs and I will do consults, Zechs can do surgery and I'll cover the call outs. Does that sound fair to everyone?”

Both Zechs and Hilde thought about the roster and agreed it all sounded perfectly fine to them.

“I like it,” said Zechs. “It gives us each a bit of a break, a change in routine and still experience all the aspects of the practice. One question though.”

“Yes?”

“What happens if we have a call out or surgery that requires two vets?”

“If and when that happens, the other vet on duty that day can assist, or if that's impossible for whatever reason, the vet who is on their day off could be called in to help out. Naturally they would be paid overtime or they can take the time off in lieu. Most surgical cases that are going to require two vets are normally booked in advance so we can work out who will be operating and the like when those cases occur. If it's an emergency then whoever is available can step in. Everyone okay with that?”

“Fine with me,” Hilde said.

“I'm happy with that,” Zechs replied.

“If there's nothing else then I'll have this roster drawn up properly and I'll put a copy of it here in the staff room and another in the reception area.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Hilde. “Oh, one more question, when will the roster come into effect?”

“If everyone is happy with how the roster stands we can start it from today, otherwise we can begin with it as of next Monday.”

Hilde looked to Zechs who gazed back at the woman. “I'm quite happy to start the roster from today if you two are.”

“I'm okay with it too. What about you, Duo?”

“Suits me just as long as you're both willing to follow it.”

“Okay, we'll start it from today then. Oh, one last question if I may?” Hilde said.

Duo gave a shake of his head. “Yes?”

“The Sundays. It is supposed to be my Sunday for being on call this week; am I still on call or are you going to change it?”

“I think we will leave it as it is considering how we've both probably already made plans for the weekend around that. You do this Sunday, I'll do the following one as per the current arrangement and then Zechs can do the one after that; from there we can continue on. Sound okay?”

“Yep, that works well for me,” Hilde replied.

“What about you, Zechs?” Duo asked.

“That's great.” Zechs was still having a bit of difficulty coming to terms with the fact that he was getting two permanent days off a week, two Sundays and only having to be on call for every third Sunday. After the horrendous shifts he'd been working at Oakford this was like a holiday. He was really looking forward to being able to spend a lot more time with his lover. “I'll be able to go to a lot more shows and watch Treize now,” he added.

“One of the perks,” Duo grinned. “Now, if no one has any further questions I'd just like to say thank you to both of you for the efforts this morning. All the clients were really happy and the feedback I've had so far in relation to you, Zechs, has all been positive. Welcome to the practice and I hope you stay with us for many years to come.”

Zechs couldn't help the blush from tingeing his cheeks with the praise. “Thanks, Duo. I've really enjoyed my morning and it's a pleasure to be able to work for you and the practice.”

“Okay you two, time to stop with the mushy stuff. If we're adopting this new roster as of today I've got a couple of cat spays to do and a plaster to remove,” Hilde said with a grin.

“In that case, I suggest we all get moving. Zechs, there is a call out this afternoon, a stitch removal...”

The meeting broke up and everyone returned to their respective duties.

* * *

The new roster worked well, each of the vets settling into the routine easily. Heero returned to work at Treize's on the Tuesday and brought his boss up to speed with the clients he was taking on himself. He also let Treize know he would probably be leaving somewhere in the next couple of weeks. Treize told him not to worry about giving the two weeks notice, he quite understood how things worked in the equine world. As long as Heero could give him two or three days notice, that would suit Treize.

Heero had also thought a bit on Wufei Chang's proposal in regards to purchasing a show jumper as a tax deduction. He was well aware of many people doing similar things, but they usually involved thoroughbreds for racing. He'd decided to look into it a bit deeper and consulted both his accountancy books and did quite a bit of research on line.

Duo had found it all to be quite amusing. When Shinigami had been born the vet practice had become a sponsor of sorts and Duo used that as a tax deduction. He knew a person could save a bit on their tax in this way, but he'd never thought about owning an animal outright and what tax benefits there could be. After seeing the lengths Heero was going to in order to have all the necessary facts, Duo thought it would be better for the practice to simply stick with the sponsorship it currently offered to Heero and Shini.

Once Heero had a much clearer picture of all that was involved, he gave Wufei a call and arranged to meet with both Wufei and Meiran the following week and discuss things further.

Orion soon settled in and after a couple of days, Heero decided he would start to give the black a little work. The gelding was a pleasure to handle on the ground, his manners perfect. Duo arranged to give Heero a hand in the evenings when he wasn't on consults or needed in the surgery to bring the horses in and feed up. When Heero announced he would saddle Orion up and try him out on the Wednesday once he got back from Treize's, Duo insisted he be there to watch – and pick up the pieces if necessary.

Orion was brought in from the paddock and given a good brush down. The saddle and bridle followed, the black standing patiently whilst Heero checked that all the gear was fitting correctly and sitting right on the horse. Fetching his helmet and whip, Heero checked the girth again and led the horse out to the schooling paddock.

Duo followed his partner, he had about forty-five minutes before he needed to get back to the surgery for the evening consults, but he didn't want to miss anything. If Orion decided to play up for any reason, Duo figured it would be a good idea to have someone around to help out. Not that he expected the black to do anything nasty and he had no doubts as to Heero's skills in the saddle; but it paid to err on the side of caution.

Heero pulled the stirrups down and checked the length, letting the stirrups down a couple of holes as his legs were longer than June's. Taking up the reins, Heero put his left foot in the stirrup and swung himself into the saddle. He took a moment to settle himself then gave the horse the aid to walk. Orion seemed happy enough and moved off into a steady walk.

“So far, so good,” Duo called out from where he was sitting on the fence to watch. “How does he feel?”

“Calm and willing to please,” Heero replied, keeping most of his concentration on the horse beneath him. Having walked around the schooling paddock a couple of times, Heero pushed the horse into a trot, the long, black legs striding out easily and covering the ground with effortless strides. A couple of circuits at the trot and Heero changed rein, the gelding responsive to his light aids. Several circuits later and Heero deemed them ready to try the canter.

As soon as the aid was given, the gelding slipped smoothly into the canter, his stride even and steady. He was a comfortable horse to ride, a little more bouncy than Shinigami yet smoother than Wing, not that Wing was uncomfortable, he was still learning and gaining his balance and would even out as his education progressed. Sitting deeper, Heero decided to see just how much education the black had on the flat. He applied a little more seat and leg, hands steady on the reins and preventing the horse from moving faster. He was asking for the horse to shorten the stride up a bit and add more impulsion and elevation to the gait.

The gelding responded, his outline shortening and the energy concentrating more in the hind end. Pleased with that result, Heero lengthened the rein a touch and allowed the horse to move back into a working canter. A few strides later he brought Orion back to the trot and settled him down into a rhythmic, forward going pace. Coming along the longer side of the schooling paddock, Heero again sat deep and used his seat an legs, but this time he gave a little with his hands to allow the horse to stretch out. Orion began to lengthen the stride, powerful hind legs driving deep under the body and propelling him forward.

Watching his partner, Duo couldn't help the chuckle as Orion began to stride out into a very forward going, extended trot. Those black legs propelled him forward, eating up the ground effortlessly and even Duo could see the power coming through from behind. It wasn't hard to see as the amount of 'push' coming from the horse's rear end was tending to push Heero up and out of his saddle.

The sheer power in those hind quarters took Heero by surprise and he found himself being pushed literally out of the saddle with each stride the gelding took. Zero, Shini and Wing all had a terrific extended trot, but Orion left them for dead in the sheer power stakes. With muscles and energy like that in the 'motor' end of the animal, Heero had no doubts the horse had the capabilities to become a very good A grade horse. Just how long it would take to get there all depended on the animal's education, ability to date and his aptitude to learn.

Having warmed up enough, Heero thought he'd better put the gelding over a few jumps and get an idea of his scope, striding and jumping style. Drawing rein, he slowed the horse back to a working trot and finally a walk, heading back to where Duo still sat on the fence, an amused smile on his face.

“He looked really good from where I'm sitting, how did he feel to you?” Duo asked as Heero brought the horse to a halt.

“He's willing enough, comfortable and has a powerhouse of energy in those hind quarters,” Heero replied.

“Yeah, I could see that in the way he was pelting you out of the saddle,” Duo snickered.

“If he's got that much strength in his hind end he should be really good over the jumps and I can't see any reason why he couldn't go on to be a very good A grade horse.”

“You're the one that would know.” Duo fished a carrot from his pocket and fed it to the gelding. “You gonna try him over the jumps now?”

“Hai. I'll leave them at the height they're set at. I think three foot should be high enough for me to get an idea of how he jumps.”

“Okay. If you want any of them raising, just let me know.” Duo hopped down off the fence and moved across the paddock to where Heero's jumping course was set out. He found himself another spot to watch from where he wouldn't be in the way but still close enough to see and be of assistance.

“Time to see what other secrets you have, boy,” Heero muttered and put the gelding into a canter, circling him around before bringing him into the first jump.

Orion's ears pricked up when he spotted the jump ahead and his stride lengthened out a touch. Heero sat quietly on the gelding's back, not interfering in any way. He wanted to leave the horse to his own devices and see what he would do. That way, Heero would have a much clearer idea of how the horse liked to jump, if he relied on his rider to set him up with the take off points or if he was capable of deciding for himself. He also wanted to see if the horse would slow down, speed up or try to run out.

The black was a little unsettled by the lack of input from his rider, but decided to take matters into his own hoofs. He was used to having a light contact there to guide him, along with his rider's seat and leg, but this time he had nothing to tell him what to do. He eyed the jump up, lengthened out his stride and picked his take off point. He sailed over the jump with ease, landed and found his rider taking control again. He followed the signals, changing direction when asked, lengthening and shortening his stride as his rider demanded and jumping whatever came in front of him.

They completed the course without any mishap, Heero's face lit up into a smile as he brought the gelding back to a walk and joined his lover. He patted the black neck and praised the horse for a job well done.

“Well?” Duo demanded. “He looked fine from where I was standing.”

“He was a good boy,” Heero began. “He's got brains and is able to figure things out if left alone, if you pick him up and guide him, he's equally as responsive. He's also got a terrific jump on him.” Heero patted the gelding some more. “I think he's going to be quite easy to bring along. Whoever broke him in and did the ground work on him should be complimented, they did a great job. He hasn't been rushed or over faced and I think he will go on to prove June's faith right.”

“That's great then,” Duo said and fed the black some carrots.

Orion was feeling quite pleased with himself. Nothing had been asked of him that he wasn't capable of doing and whilst this new rider was a bit different to his mistress, he found him to be sensitive to his needs and clear in what he wanted of him. Orion thought he should be comfortable with this new master.

Duo glanced at his watch. “Shit, I'd better shift this ass, consults start in ten.” Feeding the last couple of carrots to the black, Duo patted the gelding's neck. “I'll see you later for dinner.”

“I'll have it all ready for you for when you finish,” Heero replied and leaned down over Orion's shoulder to place a hand on Duo's shoulder and pull the vet close. As Duo looked up, Heero stole his partner's lips in a warm kiss.

“Mmm, nice,” Duo mumbled as the kiss broke. “I want more of that later.”

“You got it.”

~ * ~

tbc...
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Equus