Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Equinity ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier, ne?

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Sap, angst, yaoi, Lemon, AU, OOC

Pairing: 2x1

Summary: Heero is a successful up and coming Showjumping rider with his promising new horse Zero. A fall at a show renders the animal injured and it is up to Duo Maxwell the new vet to treat the horse.

Dedication: To Klingonpoodle who gave me the plot bunny for this fic. *huggles* This one's for you hun!

Many thanks to my betas Yami_Tai and Ryouga.

Archive: http://gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com

http://sweetlysour.net.

http://adultfanfiction.net

http://www.theforsakenwk.com

http://www.templeofthegoddess.com/files/gwyaoi.html

Notes: All the information on showjumping, horses, etc is taken from my own knowledge of the sport having been a competitor and now judge for many years and is written from an Australian perspective. The rules and regulations are courtesy of the E.F.A Handbook. (Equestrian Federation of Australia) Should you have any questions just e-mail me.

Many thanks to Yami_tai for the title! *hugs*

" Equinity "

October 2004 ShenLong

Chapter 3

Duo returned with an armful of items which he deposited on the bench to the side of the crush. Picking up a bottle, he shook the contents then removed a syringe and needle from their plastic wrapping. He attached the needle to the syringe and stuck it into the rubber covering on the bottle. Drawing the plunger back, the liquid flowed into the syringe to the desired amount and Duo pulled it out. "I'll give him a shot of 'Bute now, along with a painkiller to make him a little more comfortable," he said and then picked up a second bottle and proceeded to fill another syringe with the recommended dosage. Once done he returned to the horse and swabbed an area on the neck, pressing his thumb to the spot he waited for a moment for the vein to rise before inserting the first needle and drawing back to make sure he's gotten the blood vessel. Rich, red fluid seeped into the end of the syringe and Duo depressed the plunger, easing the drug into the horse's blood stream. The second drug followed and Duo removed the needle, swabbing the area again. The used items were tossed into the trash and 'sharps' container respectively before Duo fetched the next lot of items.

Placing the stuff beside the horse, Duo fetched a bucket and filled it with cold water. Setting the bucket down and crouching beside the horse's front leg, Duo began to sponge down the swelling limb, the cool water obviously having some effect as Zero gave a low snort, something like a sigh in human terms. Duo gave a light chuckle. "Makes it feel better does it, boy?" Zero blew softly through his nostrils, stirring Duo's bangs with the exhaled air.

Heero sat back and watched as the young vet treated his horse. The gentle manner with which Duo treated Zero warmed Heero. He found himself liking the vet even more. It was obvious that he had a distinct rapport with Zero and a keen interest in the equine race in general. The way the practice was set up was evidence of that. It put Heero's small stable complex to shame. He winced as he moved in the chair, annoyed at himself for letting his horse down and now being unable to look after him properly. Heero was a very independent person, preferring to do everything for himself, from feeding and cleaning up after the horse to training and competing on him. When he had success it made it all that much sweeter to know he'd gotten it through his own hard work and skill.

Duo finished with the gentle sponging and dried the leg off. He reached for the cold gel pack and wrapped it firmly around Zero's cannon bone and fetlock joint, strapping it in place with the Velcro fastenings. Picking up a bandage, he carefully wound it around the injured limb, protecting the gel pack and providing support for the leg. Squatting back on his heels he checked that the bandage wasn't too tight and then straightened up. "That's all I can do for him for now. The painkiller should kick in any time now and the rest will be up to him, nature and the 'Bute." Duo picked up the bucket and the wrappings from the gel pack and bandage and carried them back over to the bench. "He will need to be confined to a stable for a few days, the less pressure he puts on that leg, the better the chances of healing. I'd like to keep him here for that period of time and then you can take him home and to your own vet for further treatment. If you let me know who your usual vet is I can send through the case history on treatment, diagnosis etc to him and he can continue the treatment from there." There was a touch of sadness to Duo's voice when he said those words. He'd rather keep the horse here and see the treatment through but it wasn't his place. He was merely the interim body, the one who happened to be there at the time when the animal needed him.

Looking up at the vet, Heero gave him a nod. "Okay. Thank you."

"Let's get him settled into a stable then. He needs to rest and you need to see a doctor." Duo moved across to one of the stables and slid the bolts back on the doors. He disappeared inside and returned with a water bucket which he promptly filled and placed back inside the stable. "What do you usually feed him?"

Heero looked up. "Chaff, lucerne, oats, bran and horse cubes," he replied.

"Right. I'll make him up a feed but I'll leave out the oats, he doesn't need any heating food whilst recovering." Duo went to the door to the large room behind the crush and began to lift lids on the large feed storage bins.

Listening to the sounds of food being prepared, Zero raised his head a little and gave a whinny.

Duo returned with a large bucket, filled to the brim with sweet smelling feed. He took it into the stable and dumped it in the feed bin, mixing it around. Two sets of eyes watched. Coming back out of the stable, Duo dropped the now empty bucket beside the door and walked over to the horse. "Come on, son, let's get you settled and then we can take care of your master." Duo undid the catch on the front gate of the crush and led the horse out. The pain killers had begun to work and combined with the gel pack and support bandage, Zero managed to walk a little better. He gave soft whickers of delight as he smelt the food inside the stable and eagerly went inside. Duo unclipped the lead rope and closed the stable door, sliding the bolts firmly home and then turned to Heero.

"Now that Zero is sorted out I think you need to be looked at yourself."

"I'm fine," stated Heero and went to get up. He didn't quite make it though, his muscles had begun to stiffen up while he'd sat and were reluctant to move, letting Heero know in no uncertain terms. With a grunt he sank back into the chair. "Damn!" he growled. A pair of sparkling violet eyes stared amusedly at him.

"Fine, are we? You, buddy, are going to take a trip to the hospital, whether you like it or not."

Heero hated hospitals. "Can't you take a look at me?" he asked in a hopeful voice.

"Heero! I'm a vet, an animal doctor not a human doctor. I can't treat you." Duo snorted.

"Same sort of thing," muttered Heero.

"No, it isn't and while I'm flattered that you should trust me to treat you, I can't. It's against all the ethics, besides, human anatomy didn't come into my studies."

"But surely..."

"No, and that's final. I'm going to take you to the hospital. Look, I'll help you up to the house where you can clean yourself up a bit first, then I'll take you down to the emergency room and go from there."

"Duo, you don't have to..."

"I know I don't have to, I want to. There's a difference you know." Duo gave the injured rider a warm smile, feeling his breath quicken and his heart speed up. He could smell the rider, a soft male scent with an undercurrent of horse, sweat and leather mixed in and it did wonders for Duo's libido.

"Okay." Heero slumped back into the chair in defeat. It was clear that the vet wasn't going to let him off so he accepted the hospitality and the help with as much grace as he could muster.

"Come on then, let's get you up to the house." Duo offered his hand for Heero, who took it and allowed himself to be assisted from the chair.

Heero managed to shuffle slowly towards the house, leaning heavily on Duo for support. His head had begun to ache again, causing white spots to dance behind his eyes and his right arm refused to work properly at all. He ached from head to toe and wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed and forget that the whole day had happened. With any luck this was all just a nightmare and he would wake up soon and find it the morning of the show, but the warmth of the body next to him, not to mention the male muskiness of the scent told him that this wasn't a dream.

"Here we are, just prop yourself up on the wall for a sec, Heero, while I unlock the door."

Duo's voice broke through the haze of pain in Heero's head and he managed to do as asked, watching through half lidded eyes as the vet fished his keys out of his pocket and slotted one into the door. Moments later he was being assisted into Duo's home and got his first look at how the vet lived.

The door opened up into a spacious kitchen, a few appliances adorned the bench tops adding a homey feel to the place. On the other side of the large breakfast bar sat a table and four chairs. This was obviously where Duo ate.

Leading Heero inside, across the kitchen and around the breakfast bar, Duo pulled a chair out from the table with his foot and eased Heero into it. "Sit there for a moment, Heero, and I'll go get a fresh towel out and take you through to the bathroom where you can clean up a bit."

"Arigato." Heero was too exhausted to say anything more and opted to watch as Duo disappeared through a door, presumably in the direction of the bathroom. While Duo was gone, Heero took a look around. The kitchen, dining and lounge area were all combined in one large section. A door led off the kitchen, to the laundry area, Heero presumed. There was the door that Duo had gone through, no doubt the bedrooms and bathroom were down that way and then there was another, large glass sliding door to the side of him. He twisted a little in his chair and noted that the doors led out to an enclosed patio section. He could just make out the end of an outdoor setting to one side and a barbecue pushed against the wall on the opposite side to the door.

"I've put a towel out for you to use, Heero. I think you should just clean up your face for now though, you can have a shower once the doctor has had a look at you and gives us the verdict." Duo came across the room to Heero and offered him support to walk through to the bathroom.

Heero gratefully accepted once more and slowly made his way through to the bathroom. Once he was inside Duo shut the door to give him some privacy after extracting a promise that Heero would call out for him if he needed any help. Once the door had closed, Heero slumped a little, letting the pain escape for a moment and giving a soft moan. He shuffled over to the toilet and lifted the lid; he really needed to relieve himself. Heero was right handed which now posed another problem to him. Somehow he had to get the zipper down, which wasn't easy at the best of times considering how form fitting the jodhpurs were that he wore. Utilizing his left hand as best he could and with several frustrated grunts and a close call where he thought he was going to almost wet himself, he finally managed to tug the zipper down and free himself from inside. His eyes closed in bliss and a soft sigh of relief escaped him as he began to relieve himself. When the flood finally slowed to a trickle, Heero shook the droplets off and then faced another problem. He could tuck himself back inside but had no hope of coaxing the zipper back up.

He tried for a few minutes and eventually gave up. He'd have to swallow his pride and ask for Duo's help. He pressed the flush button and moved to the sink to wash his hands. Again it was easier said than done. His left hand turned the tap on but it took him an agonizing few minutes to get his right arm out of the sling the medic had put it in and straightened out enough to be able to put it under the running water.

He looked at himself in the mirror and wished he hadn't. His eyes were slightly sunken into his head, a dark bruise was appearing on his right cheek and there were grass stains over the shoulder and sleeve of his jacket. There were a few grubby patches on his cheeks, along with grazing that had evidently occurred when his face had skidded into the arena. He sighed to himself and picked up the wash cloth that sat beside the basin. Running the water over it he did his best to get some soap on it and scrubbed at his face. No wonder Duo had suggested he clean up a bit before going to the hospital, he looked a wreck.

While Heero was busy in the bathroom, Duo put the kettle on to boil and fetched two cups out. He sat a tea bag in each and fetched the milk from the 'fridge. Waiting for the kettle to boil, he went through to the 'phone and called Lady Une's number. He had promised after all to let her know what had happened and how the horse was. There was also the small matter of his car. While Duo wasn't worried too much about the car, he did have a boot full of drugs and equipment that he really didn't fancy sitting around where anyone could get at it, besides, he would need the car if he had a call out.

The 'phone rang a few times, and then it was picked up and Lady Une's voice sounded down the line. Duo kept the conversation brief, giving the woman a quick run down on what had occurred and assuring her that the horse was as comfortable as could be expected. He thanked her again for her hospitality at the show and arranged for one of her show staff to call by and pick him up on the following day and bring him over so that he could return the 'official' ribbon and pick up his car. With the call out of the way and the kettle whistling in the back ground, Duo hung up and switched the kettle off. He poured the hot water into the two mugs and let the tea steep, stirring a spoon idly to assist the leaves. He heard Heero call his name and left the mugs on the side to go and see what Heero needed.

Having finished cleaning himself up as best he could, Heero rinsed the wash cloth through and placed it back by the basin. He dried his face off, patting gently over the bruises and abrasions and trying not to wince with the sting. Once finished he looked himself over again in the mirror. At least he was a little cleaner now, even if he still looked like he'd gone five rounds with Mike Tyson... and lost. Now all he had to do was zip up his fly and head back out to Duo. He tried again with his left hand but the tab flatly refused to budge. It simply stayed where it was, tormenting him with its tubbornness. He tried to use his right hand but as soon as he went to move it his shoulder burned fiercely and he blinked back tears of pain. There was nothing else for it, he would have to swallow his pride and ask Duo to zip him up. Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the throbbing of his shoulder and the fast beating of his heart, he called out for Duo.

"You called for me, Heero?" Duo's voice questioned from the other side of the door.

"Hai. I need a little help here if you don't mind." Heero could feel his cheeks flush.

"Okay." Duo turned the handle and entered the small bathroom. "What do you need?" he said as he took in Heero's slightly flushed face.

"I... Ummm... I need some help with..." Heero couldn't get the words out of his mouth; his tongue was tangling itself up around the words so he used his left hand to wave in the direction of his fly.

"Ah. Oh. Ummm... I see." Duo flushed a little now. "You've?"

Heero nodded.

"You can't?"

"No. My right arm won't work properly and my left is too awkward to ... "

"Errr... okay then. Hang on a sec and I'll see if I can get it up..." Duo blushed even harder as he realized what he'd just said. // Shit! Nice going there, Maxwell.//

"Sorry to be such a bother but I can't exactly walk into the hospital like this," Heero apologized. He'd begun to feel very uncomfortable for putting Duo in such a position. Not to mention that having the very good looking man touch him there, even if it was only to zip him up was giving him thoughts that he shouldn't have. Duo was a very attractive man and Heero knew he could easily fall for him. He'd never lied to himself about his own preferences, having understood he was 'different' from other boys his age when he'd hit puberty. While most of his friends were jacking off to Playboy he was busy checking out the latest editions of 'He-man' magazines. [1] But that was his own skeleton in the closet and he wasn't about to open the door for it to ruin what looked like becoming a good friendship.

Duo was faced with his own dilemma. He was quite happy to help Heero out and zip him up but heaven knew what it was going to do to his own hormonal state. Biting the inside of his lip and wondering if his face was going to burst into flame, he reached out with trembling fingers and took a hold of the tab and tried to pull it upwards. It was as if the zipper knew his intent and stubbornly refused to budge, instead he only succeeded in pulling the material of Heero's jodhpurs up and causing a small wince and gasp from the rider.

"Ow!" The exclamation left Heero's mouth before he could stop it. The tug to the zip having pulled the material tight against his balls in a painful fashion. The jodhpurs were snug fitting anyway, without the added stress to his lower regions.

"S-S-Sorry," stammered Duo. "I didn't know it would do that."

"It's okay," replied Heero, his voice a little higher than he would have liked.

"I'll need to hang on to the bottom of the material to stop it from doing that and line the zipper up easier. Is that okay?"

Heero nodded. He was having a stressful time trying to stop his body from reacting to the touch of this lovely man around his nether regions. He moved his right arm just a fraction and pain flooded his nervous system quickly quelling any amorous thoughts his libido was about to have.

Duo grasped the tab again and brought his fingers to the material. He quickly took a firm hold and slid the disappointed zipper up the teeth to the top, unfortunately his fingers brushed over Heero's package as he did so. "There you are," Duo said as he straightened up on slightly wobbly legs and turned around so Heero wouldn't see his burning cheeks. "I'm making some tea, would you like a cup?"

Heero had to take a couple of deep inhalations himself to try and steady his wanton body. The brush of Duo's fingers over his cock had felt good, but this was not a good thing he chastised himself. Duo had been merely helping him out and was probably disgusted by his incompetence. Duo's question penetrated his mind and brought him from his line of thought. "Hai, I'd love a cup please."

"How do you take it?" Duo groaned inwardly. Why did everything he said come out with a sexual innuendo of some sort?

"White with one sugar, thanks."

"Okay. I'll go finish making it. You okay to come out by yourself or would you like a hand?" Duo ignored his libido that was jumping up and down in his mind with glee as his double entendre words continued to flow.

"I'll be okay, I should managed to walk out there on my own, but thanks anyway." Heero really wanted a couple of minutes alone to gather himself back together.

"If you need any help, just call," Duo said and then headed back out to the kitchen.

Heero paused for a moment and ran the damp cloth back over his face once more to try and alleviate some of the redness from his cheeks. Feeling a little more comfortable and in control, he exited the bathroom, moving slowly down the hall and back into the kitchen. Duo was busy with the milk and sugar so Heero shuffled over to the chair that was still standing where he'd vacated it before and sat down. A mug appeared beside him and he was aware of Duo sitting opposite him.

"Drink that up and then I'll take you down the hospital," Duo said as he blew on his own mug.

"Arigato." Heero reached for the mug of steaming tea and sipped carefully at it, he didn't need a burnt tongue added to his list of injuries.

"Is there anyone you need to call? The 'phone is over there if you want to use it. I don't know if there is someone waiting for you back home, you know, that might be worried when you don't turn up soon."

Heero looked to the window and noticed that dusk was beginning to settle, he'd had no idea how much time had passed. Turning back to face the vet he gave a tired smile. "Thanks, but no. I live alone, just me and Zero."

"Oh, okay then." Duo returned to his mug of tea and couldn't help but notice a flinch of pain as Heero moved the wrong way. "You in a lot of pain?"

"It's bearable."

"I'd offer you some pain killers but I don't think that would be wise until you've seen the doctor and know what the damage is."

"I agree." Heero returned to his contemplation of the cup.

"You don't mind if we take your car to the hospital do you? Mine's still at the showgrounds, one of Une's committee members is going to swing by in the morning and pick me up to go and fetch it, so I don't have any transport at the moment."

"That's fine. Look, I can drive myself to the hospital, you don't have to go if you don't want to."

Duo gave an exasperated sigh. "Will you just knock off the tough guy shit? There's no way you can drive that car with one arm, you know it and I know it. I'm not exactly snowed under with calls here and Sunday is usually my day off, I'm only open for emergencies and if your case isn't an emergency then I don't know what is. If anyone needs me the answering machine will pick up and give them my pager number if they don't already have it. I have my pager on me all the time so if something should crop up anyone can get me quickly."

Heero slumped in defeat. "I don't know how to thank you," he whispered.

"Then don't. I don't need your thanks, Heero. I'm happy to be able to assist you, besides, it's nice to have some company for a change, other than the four footed kind or the simpering female kind that only bring their animals in so they can ogle the new vet."

Heero gave a small smile at those words. He hadn't thought that Duo would be lonely; he thought he would have had a string of girlfriends, he was certainly good looking and charming enough. "I don't want to cause any trouble between you and your girlfriend."

Duo snorted. "No way, buddy! Firstly I don't have a girlfriend and frankly I don't want one either. Have you seen the local single female population around here?" Duo shuddered.

"Iie, I haven't."

"Well, let me tell you, I'd rather surround myself with dogs and cats than some of the women out there."

Heero chuckled. "That bad, huh?"

"Heero, you have no idea."

"I would have thought you'd be hooked up with someone though, I mean, you're well set up here, have a good, easy going nature and hot looks." Heero suddenly stopped when he realized what he'd said and stared deep into his mug of cooling tea wishing he could retract the last few words.

Duo was a little stunned to say the least but let the words slip past, he could analyze those later. He could see that Heero was clearly uncomfortable with what he'd said so Duo tried to put him at ease. "That's the problem right there, Heero. They only want me for my body," he teased.

The light words lifted the tension from the air and Heero managed to relax a little once again.

"I swear I will remain celibate until I meet someone who is interested more in my personality than getting into my pants." Duo drained his mug and got up to put it in the sink. "I'll go and unhitch the horse float, then we can get you to the hospital and looked at." Duo left the kitchen.

"I'd like to get to know more of you, Duo Maxwell, and maybe get into your pants," Heero murmured softly.

Duo's sharp hearing picked up on the words he wasn't meant too and his brain froze in shock. He forced himself to continue outside and to the car where he began to unhitch the float while his mind digested the words that Heero had softly spoken. Did that mean what Duo thought it meant? Was there a chance that Heero was interested in him? That Heero might also be gay? Short of coming right out and asking Heero, Duo didn't know what to do, so he did nothing, shoving it to the back of his mind to think about later.

With the float unhitched, Duo straightened up and went back to the house to fetch Heero and take him to the hospital. His thoughts would have to wait until later.

~ * ~

tbc......

[1] I have no idea if there is a magazine out there called this, I simply made it up for the purpose of this fic.