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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
- 16
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- 18
“Equus”

Chapter 17

Wing walked calmly into the ring and broke into a trot as Heero asked him too. Coming to a halt, Heero saluted the judge and turned Wing to ride for the start flags. Wing looked around him curiously at the many colorful jumps. His little ears were pricked and his eyes bright with excitement.

“Just listen to me, take it nice and easy and we will be just fine, Wing,” Heero murmured to his horse and ran a hand along the gray neck in a soothing motion. The bell rang and Heero collected up his reins, nudging Wing into a canter and making a small circle.

They broke through the start flags and were on their way.

Wing settled into an easy rhythm, all his training showing through in his trust and acceptance of whatever his master wanted from him. A jump loomed ahead and Wing blew through his nostrils. This was more like it! He loved to jump.

Keeping a firm hold on his reins, Heero rode the gray at the first fence, Wing responding perfectly and meeting the fence dead center. He cleared it easily and pricked his ears, looking for the next jump.

The second jump was cleared in similar style, Heero turning the gray slightly left for the first spread jump on the course.

“Are you sure he's never competed on Wing before?” Carl asked, unable to hide the doubt in his voice.

“Nope, never. This is Wing's first time out in competition,” Duo confirmed.

“Could have fooled me,” Carl muttered. “He looks like a seasoned veteran.”

Duo snickered. “That's what makes Heero so good at what he does. He takes his time with a horse, gets to know it, finds its strengths and weakness' and never asks for more than the horse is capable of giving. He spends a lot of time working and educating them at home in the paddock so when they do come out to compete, they're as calm and relaxed as they are at home.” Duo felt quite pleased with his little speech. Aside from it all being true, he was just happy to have been able to remember most of it from what Heero had taught him over the years they'd been together.

“Well, whatever it is Heero does, I'm really glad I answered his advert and he took Lunar on. If he can do that with a youngster, then he should be able to take Lunar through the grades as far as she's able to cope.” Carl looked suitably impressed with Heero in the ring.

Duo was quite proud of his lover too. Heero did have that 'knack' with horses; but he worked damned hard as well to get where he had.

Wing listened to what his master was asking and shortened his stride a touch, bringing his hind quarters deeper under his body and concentrating the energy in his hind end. Reaching the take off point, Wing dug deep and pushed himself from the ground to soar over the fence and land neatly on the other side.

“Good boy,” Heero praised as he sat deep and collected his horse up.

They continued to turn left, the barrels lay ahead and Heero didn't anticipate any problems. He'd had Wing jumping over anything and everything he could think of. When Shinigami had first been confronted with hay bales as a jump in competition and wanted to stop and snack on the jump, Heero was certain he would never make that mistake of not teaching his horse to jump anything ever again. Wing had found himself jumping all sorts of weird things, from hay bales to barrels, planks to sacks, witches hats and even old car tires. If it had been possible to make it into a safe jump, Heero had done it and jumped Wing over it.

The barrels weren't even looked at, Wing sailing over them in his own style.

“He's doing really well,” June commented. “I really hope Wing goes clear too, then Heero will have them both in the jump off.”

“I don't think Heero's even thought about the jump off. He'll be happy if Wing listens to him and goes clear,” Duo chuckled, but he couldn't help but hope Wing also went clear and through to the jump off. It would be a really exciting one if that were to happen.

The parallel bars followed the barrels and Wing also cleared them, settling down and building his impulsion as they turned and headed for the double. Heero wasn't taking any chances, he wanted Wing on the right stride, forward going and full of impulsion to clear both elements.

The young stallion was really enjoying himself. The jumps weren't hard, all well within his capabilities, his master wasn't asking him to do anything he wasn't sure of and the grass felt good beneath his hooves. It was also a lovely change of scenery from his paddock at home. So many new smells and different horses. Wing's attention was swiftly brought back to the here and now when Heero began to apply his leg a little more firmly.

Wing lengthened out his stride and launched into the air over the first element. Gray forelegs bore the brunt of the landing, hind legs touching down a second later and driving the body forward again. Heero was there with his seat and leg, pushing the horse together and maintaining a steady contact with the reins. Wing took two strides and once more shoved off the ground.

“Shit, I can't watch,” Duo moaned and shut his eyes. Carl snickered, June went for the more maternal approach.

“Are you alright, Duo? Don't worry, Heero's doing really well and Wing isn't showing any sign of not wanting to jump.” June didn't say anything further, but her mind was very busy tossing various ideas around.

“Yeah, I'm okay, I just get really nervous when Heero's jumping,” Duo replied and did his best to avoid eye contact. He knew all too well that his eyes tended to reveal what he was thinking.

“That's understandable,” June stated. “Most of my friends that used to come and watch me jump were in a similar situation, worried for my safety.”

Duo gave the woman a small smile and tucked his hands into his pockets as the nail nibbling was becoming a temptation he was finding increasingly difficult to avoid.

June glanced at him from the corner of her eye once Duo's attention was back on the ring and Heero. She couldn't help but notice how his eyes would soften when he looked at Heero.

She had her suspicions regarding the pair and their relationship and seriously thought there was more to the two than simply good friends and house mates. But June was no gossip and believed in a fair go for anyone and everyone. If they were a couple then as far as she was concerned that was fine with her and really none of her business. Heero had been nothing other than a complete professional in his dealings with her and her horse; and Duo had always been polite and friendly to her. No, June couldn't care less if the pair were together, it would make no difference to her and her friendship or business arrangement with them.

Wing cleared the double and landed safely, Heero sitting into his horse and collecting him up. The double had taken a little out of the gray so Heero was sure to take Wing on a slightly longer track to jump seven; the wall. By the time they were three strides away, Wing had recovered his energy and was eager to jump. The wall lay ahead and with a grunt, Wing launched himself into the air once more.

“Nice jump,” Carl commented.

“Only two to go and he's home safe,” Duo muttered.

The oxer arrived pretty quickly and Wing never hesitated. His muscles rippled under the gray hide, bone, muscle and sinew all working together to push the young stallion into the air and clean over the jump.

“Last one, Wing,” Heero mumbled. His concentration never wavered. Despite this being the last jump, Heero knew it was also the most important one. Too many riders let their concentration lapse at the last fence and that could mean the difference between a clear round and four faults.

Keeping a light contact, he used his legs to drive Wing together, they would need a lot of energy to get over the triple and Wing was starting to tire. Gamely the youngster dug deep and with a surge of energy, he lifted into the air and reached for the spread of the triple. Blue and white poles passed beneath a dappled belly, Heero sitting quietly on top and preparing for the descent. Once Wing's front legs were on the ground, Heero's fingers closed on the reins and he dropped his weight. With the hind legs touching down, Heero's leg was applied and Wing bounded forward and through the finish flags.

“Clear round for Heero Yuy riding Wing Zero.”

In the collecting ring, Duo, Carl and June all let fly with loud cheers, Duo adding a whistle to the noise.

Heero was so happy he couldn't help the grin that adorned his face from ear to ear. He was so proud of Wing, the stallion had done everything he'd asked and then some. Bringing the horse back to a steady trot, Heero rode for the exit as the last rider rode in.

“Congratulations, Heero,” Carl offered as soon as Heero was back in the collecting ring.

“That was a great round,” June offered as she smiled warmly at Heero.

“I'm so proud of you,” Duo whispered to his partner when Heero brought Wing to a halt beside him. “You were a really good boy, Wing, Fantastic round, Heero,” he continued in a louder voice and reached into his pocket to produce the carrots he knew Wing would be looking for.

Sure enough, the gray muzzle pushed gently at Duo's shoulder, liquid brown eyes asking for his reward.

“Here you go, Wing. You were a good boy and deserve a treat for that.” Duo fed the youngster several carrot slices, all the time patting the gray neck and wishing he could hug Heero.

“Thanks, everyone,” Heero managed to get out once he had the chance to speak. Slipping his feet from the stirrups he quickly dismounted and patted Wing. “He was such a good boy for his first time out.”

“He looked great from here,” Duo said, still feeding carrots to Wing who was eager to crunch them up.

“He did everything I asked, listened to me the entire way around and never put a foot wrong. If he keeps this up and continues to respond as well as he did today as his career progresses, then I think he's going to be just as good as Shinigami, if not better,” Heero said with a smile.

Duo knew then that Wing had really performed well if Heero thought he could be better than Shini. “I think they're all just wonderful, but they wouldn't be half as good without you in the saddle.” Duo took a quick glance around and lowered his voice to a husky whisper. “What I wouldn't give to be able to hug and kiss you right now.”

Heero's eyes softened. “I'd love that too, but unfortunately, we can't. Maybe when we get back to Drumstick we can sneak a couple of moments alone inside?”

Duo snickered when Heero called the goose-neck by the pet name he'd give it. “I'll hold you to that.”

Carl and June moved closer to congratulate Heero again and make a fuss of Wing so any further conversation between the pair was put on hold.

*

The last rider had a rail down at the triple which gave him four faults. That left four of them in the jump off. Rider two and five, plus Heero on Orion and Wing. The judge took a couple of minutes to raise the fences for the jump off course before allowing the riders five minutes to come back in and walk it. Duo held Wing, June had Orion and Carl busied himself by removing rugs, checking girths and generally getting the horses ready for Heero to hop on for the jump off whilst Heero walked the course.

“What's it like?” Duo asked when Heero returned.

“Could be worse.” Seeing Duo's frown, Heero snickered. “Actually, it's not bad. You can take a long or short track between the fences depending on how experienced your horse is.”

“What is the jump off?” June asked.

Heero took Orion's reins, checked the girth again and mounted the black. “It's fences one, two, six A, six B, eight and nine.”

“Ah.” June squinted as she looked at the jumps in the arena. “Kinda flowing if you want a longer track.”

“Hai, it is. I'm not pushing for speed though. Orion will be fine, he can take a shorter track, but I'll be going the longer way with Wing, he's not up to short runs into a jump yet.”

The commentator interrupted then by calling for those riders in the jump off to present themselves to the gate marshal. Heero rode over on Orion and let the steward know he was there and also his second horse was present. With all riders and horses now waiting by the entry, the steward sent the first rider in the jump off into the ring. The rest all watched with baited breath.

It was clear that the rider currently on course wasn't planning on breaking any speed records. They went at a steady pace, similar to their first round.

“Aiming for a clear rather than a fast time,” Carl stated.

“Looks that way,” Heero replied.

Duo fidgeted. It looked way too slow to him, especially after he was used to seeing jump offs that were very quick with only hundredths of seconds separating the placegetters. He had to remind himself that this was a novice class and not the A grade or Olympic level Heero usually rode in.

The first rider came out with a clear round in a time of 45:26. There was a smattering of applause from the spectators.

“Our second rider in the jump off, Heero Yuy riding Orion.”

“Go show them all, Heero,” Duo said softly and managed to squeeze Heero's calf as his lover prepared to enter the ring. He was rewarded with a loving smile.

“Good luck, Heero,” Carl and June said together.

Gathering up his reins, Heero rode into the ring and to where the judge waited. He saluted, picked up his reins and rode Orion towards the start flags. “This is question time,” Heero muttered to Orion, the black flicking back an ear to listen. “All I want is for you to listen to my aids and give me your best, Orion,” Heero continued and ran a hand along the black neck. The bell went and Heero circled the gelding around before passing through the start flags and riding at the first fence.

Despite the jumps having been raised by a couple of inches, Orion sailed neatly over the first element, the extra height not meaning anything to him. With the first jump behind them, Heero maintained his contact and rode Orion at the second jump.

Jump two was cleared and once Orion had all four feet back on the ground, Heero was sitting deep, taking a firm contact and driving Orion's hocks underneath. He needed to make a relatively sharp left turn, one that would leave him with about four strides to the take off point of part A of the double. He knew Orion should be able to handle the turn and short run up, providing Heero could maintain the impulsion in the black's hind quarters.

Orion responded admirably, shortening his stride and turning neatly. He kept his hind legs well underneath and had plenty in reserve for the double. Heero knew he was taking a risk and asking a lot of the black gelding, but he had confidence in the horse and his abilities, confidence that was well founded.

Orion's ears went forwards when he spotted the first part of the double coming up on them rather quickly. Luckily he'd listened to his rider and the energy he would need was concentrated in his powerful back legs. He grunted and dug his hooves deep into the dirt, muscles straining under the black hide and pushing the body into the air. They landed clean, Heero right there with his seat and leg, encouraging the gelding forward. Once more they launched into the air and soared over the second element, Orion pecking a little on landing but managing to keep his footing.

“Fuck, that's a tight turn,” Duo muttered and bit his lip.

June didn't say anything, her voice had deserted her for the moment, replaced by her heart that felt like it was about to pound its way right out of her mouth.

Carl simply watched in both awe and nervousness.

Wing dozed, oblivious to all the excitement going on around him.

“Good boy!” Heero said and gave the neck a quick pat. Orion flicked back an ear and continued his steady pace.

Shortening his reins, Heero had the black turning inside jump seven. Seat and leg drove the horse forward towards jump eight. Heero had no idea what his time was and right now he didn't care either. He simply wanted Orion to go clear and hopefully the time would take care of itself.

The oxer was cleared, Orion starting to get a little tired from the exertions but still listening to Heero and plodding forward.

“Last one, Orion,” Heero muttered. The black seemed to sense what Heero was saying and he gathered himself together for the final jump, the triple.

Duo held his breath, willing his partner on. June's lips were moving in a silent prayer. Carl was completely fixated on the pair in the ring, hoping they had enough left in reserve to clear the last jump.

Digging deep, Orion flew into the air again, legs tucking up against his body and arcing over the three, staggered poles. The ground was rushing to meet them, forelegs unfurled and reached for the turf, hooves biting in deep and lurching forwards as the hind legs came down to take the place of the front legs. Heero aimed for the finish flags and urged the gelding on, Orion happy to sprint for the finish. They passed between the flags and Heero had his hands full in bringing the black back to a sedate canter.

“Clear round in a time of 33:06 for Heero Yuy riding Orion,” the commentator announced.

“Yes!” Duo shouted and punched the air startling Wing from his doze and causing the gray to jump and pull back. “Sorry, Wing,” Duo quickly soothed and moved with the stallion so as not to hurt him by pulling hard on the reins. Wing settled and allowed the pats to soothe his fright away.

Carl was bouncing on the spot. “That was fantastic!” he cheered.

June was in tears, she was so proud of her horse and Heero.

Smiling broadly, Heero rained pats down on the black neck, praising the gelding for his efforts. With Orion now back at a steady trot, he rode out of the arena towards the equally happy group awaiting him. Once he reached them, Heero accepted the congratulations as he quickly dismounted and handed the reins to June who fussed over her horse and fed him apple slice after apple slice. Heero wasn't trying to be rude or ignore the happy group, but he had Wing to get ready as he was in again after the current rider.

“That was great, Heero,” Duo said as he held Wing while Heero checked his girth and mounted up.

“Thanks, he really did work hard and listened to me the whole way. I'm really pleased with him and how he's coming along,” Heero replied and collected up his reins. “I'll just take Wing over there and trot him around for a minute or so.”

“No worries. I'll sort Orion out,” Duo replied and turned to help June.

Both Carl and June knew Heero wasn't trying to snub them, that he had to get Wing ready so they didn’t bother him with wanting to know any details of the round; that could come after the class was finished. Carl tossed Orion's light rug over him to keep him warm while Duo undid the nose-band and let the girth out a little. June continued to pat and praise her horse, tears glistening in her eyes as she made a fuss of the black.

Heero loosened Wing up, keeping part of his attention on the current rider in the ring. He knew he'd set a time to beat with Orion and it looked like this rider was having a damn good go at bettering it. The pair had set off at a steady pace, the rider keeping his impulsion even when asking the horse to stride out more.

So far they were clear and had managed to pull off a pretty good turn into the double. Heero didn't think it was as tight as Orion's turn, but one never knew – it would all show up in the final time. Riding back over to the group, he brought Wing to a halt beside Duo and watched the pair take the last two jumps.

“It's going to be close,” Duo muttered and gnawed on his thumbnail.

Heero continued to watch and wait.

The horse put in a good effort and cleared the last two fences easily, galloping for the finish as soon as they landed over the triple. The rider sat down hard and brought the horse back to a sedate canter as the public address system crackled into life.

“Clear round in a time of 35:42 for Norman Watts riding Calypso. That puts him into second place behind Heero Yuy and Orion. Our last rider is coming into the ring now and it's again Heero Yuy, this time riding Wing Zero.” There was a smattering of applause from the spectators.

“Be careful,” Duo said as he managed to get a light squeeze to Heero's calf.

“I will. I'm not trying for any speed records, I plan on taking it steady and giving Wing plenty of room to move. He's got loads of time to develop in his training and I'm not about to put any of that in jeopardy for the sake of a fast time and a ribbon.”

Duo gave his partner a loving smile and patted Wing. “Be good and look after your master, Wing.”

Wing wuffled and rubbed his muzzle against Duo's arm.

With calls of good luck following him, Heero rode into the ring and towards the judge.

The bell sounded and Heero settled Wing into a steady canter. They circled around and came through the start flags towards the first jump.

Lengthening his stride, Wing took the jump easily, clearing it and looking for the next. He was enjoying himself again and more than ready to have another go at the fences.

Keeping in mind that Wing wasn't as seasoned or experienced as Orion or Shini, Heero didn't ask for anything more that the gray was able to give. His hand was light on the reins, seat and legs a constant presence in keeping Wing balanced and forward going. Jump two was also cleared, Heero riding his horse a little further forward than he had Orion before asking for the turn to bring them into the double.

Knowing Wing wouldn't be capable of clearing the double with a short run up like Orion, Heero made certain to give Wing a good six strides before the first element was upon them.

“Take it steady, that's it, nice and easy,” Duo muttered under his breath, eyes firmly fixed on his lover and Wing.

“He's doing good so far,” Carl said softly from beside Duo.

“Yeah, he is. I just hope Wing can keep it up.”

“He will. Heero's a sympathetic rider and won't ask for anything more than Wing is capable of doing.” Carl gave a shrug of his shoulders when Duo looked at him. “I've watched him when he's been working Wing and the other horses too. He has an uncanny knack of knowing just how much he can push an animal.”

Duo smiled. “I know, but it's nice to hear someone else say it too.”

The first element of the double appeared before Wing and with Heero's careful riding, the gray was full of impulsion and met the jump on the right stride. He sailed into the air, landed and took two strides, pushing his hind end underneath and soaring into the air again.

“Good boy,” Heero praised when they landed again. Wing snorted, he knew he was good and he wanted more of those carrots so he was determined to try and do everything his master asked him to.

Allowing the gray to take a sweeping turn and regain his energy from the double, Heero brought the horse around to jump eight. Wing eyed it up, calculated his take off point and dug deep with his hind hooves. Powerful muscles drew taut as they worked to fight the gravity of earth and push the stallion over the jump.

“One to go, keep it together,” Duo whispered and crossed his fingers.

Lining up the triple, Heero kept his contact light and rode the gray forward. Wing responded and bounded up to the final jump. He calculated his take off and launched into the air. The poles passed beneath his belly as the pull of gravity brought the gray and his rider back to earth.

As soon as they were safely back on the ground, Heero gave Wing his head and urged him forward through the finish flags. Wing was eager to comply and flattened out, zipping through the flags and tossing in a buck when Heero asked him to slow down.

“Clear round in a time of 37:28 for Heero Yuy riding Wing Zero,” the commentator happily announced. “Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the Novice jumping class. I will have the final results for you all in just a moment.”

Back in the collecting ring, Duo was grinning from ear to ear, his excitement bubbling over. He was so pleased for Heero and proud of Wing. For his first event the gray had managed two clear rounds and finished in the placings. Duo knew Heero would also be thrilled with that result.

Carl and June were also ecstatic, their joy showing through in the cheers and applause they offered with the announcement.

Exiting the arena, Heero found himself surrounded by his lover and friends, all congratulating him and making a big fuss of Wing. He accepted the congratulations with a soft smile, blush on his cheeks and an admission that it was all Wing. As Carl pointed out though, Wing couldn't have done it by himself and therefore Heero was just as important and deserved some of the credit. That shut Heero up much to Duo's amusement.

The commentator came over the address system again, this time with the announcement of the placings. Eagerly everyone held their breath.

“The results of the Novice jumping class. In first place with a time of 33:06, Heero Yuy riding Orion. In second place with a time of 35:42, Norman Watts riding Calypso. In third place with a time of 37:28, Heero Yuy riding Wing Zero. In fourth place with a time of 45:26, Greg Tempest riding Harrington.”

The applause sounded out and Heero quickly changed mounts, hopping onto Orion and leading the other place getters into the arena for their ribbons. He was going to lead Wing, but decided against it as the youngster hadn't really been led from another horse all that much and Heero didn't want to risk anything happening to either Wing or Orion. He asked Duo if he would kindly lead Wing in for him. Duo was stunned at first, then accepted, taking a firm hold of Wing's bridle and falling into place behind Calypso.

The four rode to where the judge stood waiting with the rosettes and lined up. The judge went down the line, shaking hands with the riders, offering a comment or two and placing the rosette on the horse's bridle. When he got to Duo, he smiled and shook Duo's hand. “That's a nice horse with lots of potential,” the judge commented as he placed the rosette on Wing's brow-band by his ear.

“Thank you. Heero's done a lot of work with him and we're really pleased with how he went considering this is his first competition,” Duo replied politely. He was quite proud of himself for being able to converse in a knowledgeable manner.

“His rider should be commended, excellent job and I know I'll be seeing more of this horse in the future.” With a nod, the judge moved on to the fourth place getter.

Once all the rosettes were handed out, the judge indicated for Heero to lead the line in a victory lap of honor, Heero setting the pace at a steady canter. Duo kept Wing to one side and led him from the arena, there was no way he'd be able to lead Wing and keep up at a canter on his own two feet. He knew he was in reasonable shape, but that was just asking too much!

With the lap of honor over, everyone exited the ring and the ground crew moved in to raise the jumps for the D grade event. Heero knew he had about an hour or two before the C grade would start so they all headed back to Drumstick to settle the two horses and discuss the rounds.

Heero was also looking forward to snatching a couple of minutes private time with Duo; he wanted his congratulatory kiss.

~ * ~

tbc...
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Equus