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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
- 13
- 14
- 15
“Equus”

Chapter 14

Heero smiled at the sight of his lover still nestled under the blankets and padded silently across the bedroom carpet, coffee mug in hand and set it down on the bedside table. Sitting himself down on the edge of the mattress, he gently shook what he assumed to be his partner's shoulder. “Duo, time to wake up,” he murmured.

There was a soft snort followed by what sounded like a grunt and Duo burrowed deeper into the cocoon of the bed clothes.

“Duo, time to wake up,” Heero tried again with a little more force to his shaking.

“Don't wanna,” came the muffled reply.

“Come on, sleepy head. I made coffee,” Heero coaxed, amusement rich in his tone.

Disheveled bangs followed by sleepy, violet eyes and a nose poked out of the covers. “Wanna sleep some more.”

Before Duo could duck back under the bed clothes, Heero picked up the coffee mug and blew gently on the contents sending the aroma in Duo's direction. “I brought coffee...”

“Coffee?” came the tired tone.

“Hai.”

“Gimme.” A hand managed to worm its way out, reaching for the mug as the rest of Duo's body slowly surfaced. Pushing himself up, Duo sat in the bed reclining against the headboard and took a sip of the hot liquid. “Ahh, nice. Thanks.”

“You're welcome. Hard night?” Heero reached forward and pressed a kiss to his lover's lips.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Duo replied as he covered the yawn with his hand. “What time is it?”

“Just after eight thirty.”

Duo closed his eyes as he rested against the headboard. “I could sleep for a week.”

“What was the call out?” Heero asked. He'd woken up when Duo's pager had gone off at one that morning, his lover departing and not returning until around four.

“Calving,” Duo replied. “Calf had big shoulders on it and was stuck. Took a while and a lot of expended energy, but I managed to deliver a healthy calf and the cow is doing just fine too.” He took another sip of the coffee and winced as sore muscles let him know of their presence. “What's on the agenda for today?”

“I've fed and put the horses out and cleaned the stables. I'll work Orion and Wing later this morning, Shini this afternoon. I've got another mare coming to be served later today and I thought I'd give Michael and Zoe a ring to see if they might know of anything for sale that might be suitable for Wufei's tax dodge.”

“Wufei's tax dodge?” Duo snickered with a raise of his eyebrow.

“You know what I mean,” Heero huffed.

Duo continued to snicker as he finished off his coffee. Finally feeling a little more awake and human, he began to shuffle himself out of the bed. “I'll go take a shower,” he mumbled. “I had a pretty good wash down last night after the calving but I still feel like I've got gunk on me.”

“I'll go start breakfast then.”

“Okay.”

Duo did feel much better after his shower, the hot water easing his sore muscles. He was glad he didn't have to attend consults today, Hilde and Zechs were rostered on which meant he was free to potter around and catch up on laundry and the other endless jobs that always awaited him.

Once breakfast was finished, Heero disappeared to make his call, Duo tackling the washing up after putting a load of washing into Gertrude. Dishes done, Duo was contemplating getting Fido out and vacuuming when Heero returned, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Any luck?” Duo asked, noting the distracted air around his partner.

“Sort of. They don't know of anything around at the moment that's remotely like what I'm looking for, but Michael did say he knew of a goose-neck up for sale and was going to ring me about it, only I beat him to the call.”

“Oh? Care to share?” Duo plonked down in one of the kitchen chairs; Fido could wait for a moment.

“There's someone he knows not too far away from Salsbury who is downsizing. He's got a four horse goose-neck he's going to be putting on the market. Michael said it was in good condition and a fair price if I'm interested.”

“Michael wouldn't recommend something if he didn't think it was worth it or good enough,” Duo said.

“I know that. He gave me the address and phone number if I want to go take a look at it.”

“Then why don't we? You're gonna need something bigger than the double float if you're planning on taking Wing, Shini and Orion to any shows in the near future.”

“You'd come with me?”

“If you want me to.”

“Thanks. I was hoping you would. I'll go call the guy up now and arrange a day and time to go see it.”

“No problem.” Duo got up and went to get the washing out of Gertrude and put it on the line, Heero stepped back into the lounge to make another call.

Within five minutes Heero had finished his call and went outside to the washing line to give Duo a hand and let him know what had happened. Pegging a pair of boxers onto the line, Heero told his partner that Gary, the man who was selling the goose-neck, had been very informative and Heero had arranged to go out and take a look at the float that afternoon. He would need to rearrange his schedule for working the horses, but that wouldn't be hard to do.

Having finished putting the washing on the line, Duo shooed Heero out of the cottage to go work his horses, promising to join him later in the schooling paddock once he'd finished vacuuming.

* * *

“This should be it,” Duo said and put the map down. He'd been navigating for Heero and it hadn't taken long to get to Hawksbury where the goose-neck was for sale.

Heero indicated and pulled off the road onto the driveway. A white house stood just up ahead, the gardens beautifully manicured. Bringing the car to a stop, Heero cut the engine and the pair got out, at the same time the front door to the house opened and a middle aged man stepped out, accompanied by two spaniels.

“Gary Rivers?” Heero asked as he approached the man.

“You must be Heero Yuy, Michael's friend,” replied the man and shook hands with Heero.

“Hai, I am. This is Doctor Duo Maxwell, my good friend.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Gary said and shook hands with Duo.

“Likewise,” replied Duo. “And who are you two?” he continued as he bent to pet the spaniels who were wriggling around at his feet.

“That's Cocoa and Butter,” Gary said. “They are a little enthusiastic.”

“Lovely dogs,” Duo complimented. “Beautiful examples of their breed.”

“Are you into dogs then, Duo?”

“I guess you could say that,” Duo chuckled. “I'm a vet.”

“Ah. I'll bet you have some tales to tell,” Gary laughed.

“Several,” Duo grinned.

“The goose-neck is around the back of you want to come and see it,” Gary said bringing them all back to the reason for their visit.

“Thanks.”

All three walked around the back of the house where the yard opened up. There was a large undercover parking area and the goose-neck sat parked in the middle, a double float to the one side and a land-rover on the other. Behind the parking area Heero could see a pathway leading to a barn type stable and several paddocks.

“There she is,” Gary said. “As Michael probably told you, I'm downsizing my stud and I no longer have any need for the goose-neck The double float will suffice for any transportation of horses that I need. It doesn't have a lot of mileage on the clock, drives well and has been regularly serviced. The full log books and history are in the glove compartment.” Gary stepped up to the cab and unlocked it. “Feel free to take a good look all around it and inside. If you have any questions, just ask.”

Heero's eyes had lit up when he saw the goose-neck. It was similar in design to Treize's, small bunk compartment up the front, tack and feed area just behind and then the four bays set on an angle for the horses.

The pair spent a good fifteen minutes looking all over the goose-neck, going through every compartment, checking the interior, tires and general condition of the body work. It was clean, neat and tidy, obviously well looked after. Although he wasn't mechanically minded, Heero did take a look at the engine and from what limited knowledge he had, it all appeared fine to him.

“Would you like to take it for a test drive?” Gary asked when the pair had finished with their inspection.

“If it's no trouble that would be great,” Heero replied and took the offered keys. Slipping into the driver's seat, Heero buckled up and started the engine, Duo sliding into the passenger seat. Putting the goose-neck into gear, Heero eased out the clutch and the vehicle rumbled forward at a slow pace. They traveled down the driveway and out onto the road, Heero planning on driving the thing around the block and back.

“How does it handle?” Duo asked as they rolled along.

“Good. It's not heavy on the steering like I thought it would be and the brakes are very responsive.”

“I like the layout of it. Given it has that small sleeping section with a kitchen in it we can take the horses to even more shows, you know, go to ones that are further away that we couldn't attend before because of the distance as we could stay overnight in this.”

Heero had to agree. One look at his partner's shining eyes told him Duo was just as excited as he was and he liked how Duo had used the term 'we' as opposed to 'you'. “Guess we should head back and talk cost,” Heero said with a grin.

“You really going to buy it?” Duo's face was lit up.

“Hai, I think so if I can get it for the right price.”

“Great.” Duo sat back and watched the landscape roll by as they made their way back to Gary's stud.

“What do you think?” Gary asked once Heero had returned and cut the engine.

“It definitely drives well and seems to be sound in all aspects. I think it would suit me and my purpose quite well. I think we should talk price.”

The pair went into a huddle, Duo opting to stay out of it and let Heero negotiate, after all it was Heero's deal, not his. He petted and played with the spaniels whilst the two talked money. After a few minutes of haggling, the deal was struck, Gary accepting a couple of thousand less that he'd wanted and Heero spending a couple of thousand more than he'd anticipated, but the deal was a good one.

Heero arranged to have a bank check written and would collect the goose-neck the following Saturday. Gary was happy with that as it gave him time to organize the necessary transfer papers and such. Heero would also have the opportunity to speak with his insurance company and have the vehicle covered before he picked it up.

After thanking Gary again, Heero left a holding deposit and his contact details with the man and bid him farewell. Getting back into Henrietta, he drove home, arriving five minutes before the mare that was booked to be served by Zero.

* * *

“Morning, Heero,” Treize greeted as he stepped into the stable area where Heero was saddling up Dollar.

“Morning, Treize,” Heero replied. “Treize, do you have a minute?”

“Of course. Come into the lunch room.” Treize had a pretty good idea of what Heero was gong to be talking to him about and whilst he was sad to lose such an excellent employee, he knew Heero had to break out on his own.

“Treize, I've had quite a good response to my advertizing and as of next weekend I'll be pretty much booked up with horses to educate. I'd like to give you the week's notice and finish up this Friday if that's okay.” Heero thought it best to come out and say things directly.

I won't say I'm not sorry to lose you, Heero and I will certainly miss you around here, but if you wish to finish up on Friday, that's fine.”

“Thank you, Treize. I really do appreciate that. You've been a great boss and mentor and I will miss working here.”

“You will be welcome here any time, Heero, the door is always open to you and Duo too.”

“Thanks, that means a lot to me.”

“Tell me, what animals have you got coming in,” Treize said, interested to know what Heero had planned for his future.

Heero proceeded to tell Treize about the two that were to be educated and the two agisters. “Once we find a horse to Wufei's specifications, I'll have three to educate plus Wing and Shini so I think that's going to be more than enough. Oh, I bought a goose-neck too.”

Treize was curious about the goose-neck, Heero happy to fill him in on the details.

“Sounds like you're all set then, Heero. I really wish you all the very best of luck and hope you make a success out of your business, which I'm sure you will.”

“Thanks, Treize. I hope it all works out too.”

“Heero, I don't know what yours and Duo's plans are for Friday night, but if you're not busy I'd like to take you both out for dinner, a sort of farewell thing and to thank you for all the time and effort you've put in here over the years.”

“You don't have to do that, Treize,” Heero replied, blushing at the kind words.

“I know I don't have to, I want to.”

“Then I'll speak with Duo tonight and let you know tomorrow. As far as I know we haven't got anything planned.”

“Good. I'll wait for your answer tomorrow before I book anywhere.”

* * *

The week flew by for Heero and before he knew it, Friday had rolled around. He had accepted Treize's generous offer of dinner and his boss had booked them a table at the Fountain Restaurant where Zechs and himself had dined before and thoroughly enjoyed the food and service. With both Zechs and Duo working the evening consults, Treize had booked for seven-forty-five, giving both vets enough time to finish up and change for dinner.

Zechs traveled to the restaurant with Heero and Duo, he planned on going back to Treize's afterwards and his lover would drop him back home sometime later. They pulled into the car park just before the booked time and approached the restaurant doors. Stepping inside they were greeted by the Maître-d who took their coats and escorted them to their table. Treize was already there and stood as his guests arrived.

“Good evening, Heero, Duo,” Treize greeted. “Zechs,” he murmured, eyes softening as he looked upon the elegant form of his partner. The greetings were returned and the four sat down. Treize had already ordered wine and the waiter poured glasses for the three arrivals, reciting the specials for the evening before leaving them alone to peruse their menus.

Having ordered their food, the four sat back and enjoyed the wine and company of good friends. The conversation flowed easily, Heero's new business venture taking up a large portion of the chatter. Treize was keen to know what training regime Heero had planned for the horses he had taken on to educate and offered advice where it was warranted. The discussion changed to the two horses agisted with Heero.

Heero explained that Frank and Jester were already in residence and so far he'd had one lesson with Frank. Jester was a keen jumper and apt to be a little too enthusiastic at times. He reminded Heero a lot of Taurus, although Jester wasn't quite as 'hot' as Taurus had been.

“I plan to work both of them over grids, get the horse thinking a bit more before switching to courses that are deliberately set off stride,” Heero informed the group.

“Good idea,” Treize returned.

“How will that help?” Zechs asked.

“If the horse is inclined to rush at things and not listen to his rider it could be very dangerous, by putting a horse over grids, he has to think, to listen to his rider as he won't be able to clear all the obstacles if he doesn't, and that will end up causing him to hit the jumps and give himself a few nasty raps to the legs. By deliberately setting a course off stride, the animal will again need to listen to his rider otherwise he will be face with jumping too close or too far away. I suppose you could say they are a sort of 'gymnastic' exercise for horses that not only build the muscle tone of the body, but the muscle known as the brain as well,” Treize supplied.

“That actually makes sense in a strange way, thanks,” Zechs muttered. Duo snickered.

“What about the other two?” Treize asked.

“I don't really know as neither has arrived yet. Lunar, that's Carl's horse, arrives tomorrow morning so I'll be able to work her on the Monday and get an idea of what she's like.” Heero paused to take a sip of his wine.

“Is he the one who has lost his nerve?” Treize questioned.

“Hai, he is, but he seems confident his horse has the ability to make B grade. She's currently not long upgraded to C and needs around another six points to make B grade. I'll know more about her once she arrives and I've had the chance to work her a bit,” Heero finished.

“And the other one?”

“Comet is due to arrive on Sunday morning. She's currently B grade and Stefan thinks she will be an A grade horse and possible Olympic contender. At least that's what his aims are.”

At the mention of Stefan's name, Duo's face soured a touch. Zechs noticed the change but declined to comment for the moment. Instead, he watched Duo a little closer.

“He's aiming high then. This horse of his will need to be very fit and educated if he wants to compete in the Olympics. You know yourself just how hard it is to be selected,” Treize said.

“I'll know more about their potential once the horse arrives and I've had a chance to observe them together.”

“He's also planning on taking lessons with you?”

“Hai, he is. He wants a minimum of two lessons a week.”

Duo frowned at that information. He wasn't aware that Stefan wanted lessons as well, probably because he'd made himself scarce when they'd returned to the cottage to fill out paperwork. He still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling around that man.

“You okay, Duo?” Zechs asked when he spotted Duo's reaction to Heero giving Stefan lessons.

Startled, Duo looked up, noticing everyone's attention was on him. “I'm fine,” he said softly.

Heero looked at his lover closely and could read the slight unease in his body language. “What's wrong, Duo?”

“Your meal is okay, isn't it?” Treize asked, concerned it might be the food that was affecting Duo.

“There's nothing wrong and the food is wonderful,” Duo stated.

Still concerned, Zechs pushed on. “You seem to be a little uncomfortable when Heero started talking about this Stefan fellow.”

Duo scowled.

“What's wrong with him?” Zechs began. “Ah, I see, getting a little jealous maybe?” Zechs teased, thinking he was on the right track for Duo's discomfort with the other man.

“Have you been flirting with your clients, Heero?” Treize snickered, picking up on what Zechs was assuming was the reason why Duo was annoyed.

Heero's eyes widened. “No!” He lowered his voice when he realized he was getting a little loud. “No, I haven't. This is purely a business arrangement,” he insisted. “I have eyes only for Duo,” he added softly.

“There, see? You have no reason to be jealous, Duo,” Zechs continued to tease.

“I know Heero only has eyes for me and I trust him explicitly,” Duo growled. “It's Stefan I don't trust. There's something about him that makes me uneasy.” Duo hesitated, unsure if he should reveal his thoughts on the man and then decided against it. He really didn't have anything substantial to claim, the man had simply shaken his hand and glanced him over – granted Duo was sure the glance had been more like a 'checking out' of his body, but that didn't warrant his expressing concerns regarding the man's intentions.

“He seems to be okay to me and he hasn't done anything that I know of when he came around last weekend for a tour of the facilities. Did he say or do something to you, Duo?” Heero asked, a touch concerned now.

“No, no he didn't.” Duo shrugged. “I just don't feel all that comfortable around him.”

“I think you're just feeling a little out of sorts because you won't get to cuddle as much around the stables any more,” Heero said, trying to lighten the situation. “But I'm sure we can snatch some moments alone.”

“Yeah, you're probably right.”

The conversation changed to how Zechs was finding his new job and Stefan was forgotten for the moment.

The evening wore on, all four enjoying the good food. Dessert arrived and along with it their coffees. Having gorged all they could and noting the growing lateness of the hour, Heero and Duo decided it was time to leave. Heero still had horses to get up for in the morning, although Duo had his day off and could sleep in if he wished, he usually got up and gave Heero a hand.

They bade their farewells, thanking Treize for an excellent evening and headed home to the cottage.

* * *

Heero had almost finished his stable work when the sound of a car and float arriving in the driveway greeted his ears. Putting the rake back in its place, he wiped his hands on his jeans and stepped outside the stable block to greet Carl and the new horse.

“I hope I'm not too early,” Carl said as he got out of the car.

“No, not at all,” Heero replied. “You did say you would be here around nine and it's almost that now.” Heero followed Carl around to the back of the float and helped lower the tail gate. A chestnut rump greeted him and Heero waited whilst Carl went back into the front of the float to untie the mare.
“I'm ready,” Carl called out from inside the float.

Heero released the tail chain and stepped to the side. “Okay, you can bring her off now.”

The chestnut mare stepped quietly from inside the float, her ears pricked and eyes looking about her as she scented the air. Out in the paddocks the other horses had picked up on the new comer and were standing either at their gates or fence line trying to see and get a scent of the new horse.

Lunar gave a loud whinny, a series of calls coming back from the paddocks to her. “Looks like we're about to have the usual symphony,” Heero chuckled.

“It does kind of sound like an opera gone wrong, doesn't it?” Carl agreed with a laugh.

The horses all continued to exchange greetings. Zero could scent the new horse was a mare and he puffed himself up. Jester was similarly doing his best to impress as was Shinigami. Angel looked on with excitement, she was happy to know there was another female on the property, currently there was far too much testosterone flying around for her liking and another mare would suit her perfectly. Wing didn't stand a chance with all the other posturing going on by the stallions so he didn't even bother and Orion watched with interest the antics of the other horses.

“I'll show you to her paddock,” Heero said. “This way.”

Carl led the mare along, keeping a firm hold on the lead rope as Lunar tossed her head around and continued to snort and neigh.

“I've put her in this paddock opposite Angel and next to Orion. I've got another mare coming tomorrow and she will go on the other side of Lunar. That way the gelding is between the mares and Jester,” Heero informed Carl. It really wasn't a good idea to have a mare in a paddock next to a stallion, and even more so when they were clients' horses. Zero was fine next to Angel, the pair knew each other and Angel was a part of Zero's 'herd'; plus the mare was in foal – or so he hoped - which meant she wasn't receptive to Zero in the sexual way.

“Thanks,” Carl said as he led the mare into the paddock. Unclipping the lead rope he let Lunar go and stepped back out for Heero to close the gate. They stood and watched for a few minutes as Lunar took a look around and then sauntered across to the fence to say hello to Orion.

Orion had his ears pricked and grunted softly through his nostrils. Extending his muzzle he touched noses with the mare, blowing softly. Lunar gave a squeal and shook her head, touching noses with the gelding once more before taking off around the paddock at a gallop, bucking and kicking out as she went. That set the others off, Orion following along his own side of the fence, Jester squealing and tossing in a few bucks of his own as he tore around his paddock. Shinigami kinked his tail over his back and with his nose in the air began to strut around his paddock, showing off. Zero gave a few screams of his own and went into a very elevated trot around his paddock. He knew he looked good, his tail flowing out behind him and body bouncing along with his neck arched and the wind catching his mane. He wasn't silly enough to go bucking and cavorting around though, he was much older and wiser than that. If one wanted to catch the attention of a pretty mare one was by far better off simply showing her what nice lines and movement one had.

Wing wondered what all the fuss was about.

Angel gave a snort and shook her head, watching all the antics with amusement.

After a few minutes of showing off, the horses began to settle down again and return to their grazing or finishing off their breakfasts.

“They should be fine now,” Heero commented after watching the goings on. He'd been quite amused to note the stallions all trying to out do each other. Returning to the car, Heero gave Carl a hand to unload Lunar's gear and put it away in the tack room. He double checked the mare's feeding program with Carl and took possession of the copies of her jumping card and registration, noting the mare's registered name was Lunar Eclipse.

Carl stayed for a while and gave Heero a hand to finish off the remaining stable work, brushing off Heero's objections that the man was a client, not an employee and should not be doing the work. Carl insisted on helping, he liked to do it and it gave him a feeling of self worth. In the end Heero gave up and let him help.

With everything finished off, Carl said his farewells, promising to call Heero in a couple of days to see how Lunar was settling in and find out how Heero found the mare under saddle.

Once Carl was gone, Heero went back to the cottage for a coffee before saddling up Orion and working the gelding.

~ * ~

tbc...
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Equus