Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Equinity ❯ Chapter 29 ( Chapter 29 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

 
Disclaimer: I don't own the G'boys, I just borrow them from time to time to play with 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://www.templeofthegoddess.com/files/FrontPage1.html
http://adultfanfiction.net
http://www.theforsakenwk.com
 
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 29
 
Duo placed the grooming kit on the wheel hub of the float so it would be in easy reach for Heero, then he returned to the car and set about retrieving the saddle and bridle. Heero removed Zero's rug and hung it over the middle partition of the float before picking up a body brush and beginning to brush Zero's already gleaming coat. Once Heero had removed any and all traces of dust and dirt from the horse, he picked up the saddle blanket and saddle from where Duo had put them and placed them on the gray's back. He slid the saddle into place and buckled up the girth.
 
"Could you get me his jumping boots please?" Heero asked as he smoothed out the wrinkles of skin from under the girth.
 
"Sure." Duo disappeared back to the car and returned moments later with four jumping boots. "Want a hand to put them on?"
 
"If you don't mind that would be great."
 
The pair busied themselves putting on the boots whilst Zero stood relatively still for them. "Good boy," said Heero and gave the horse a pat before reaching for the bridle. He undid the noseband of the halter and slid the top of the halter back along Zero's neck before slipping the reins over Zero's head, taking the crown piece and slipping the bit into Zero's mouth and then pushing the gray ears through the gap between crown piece and browband. Checking that the bit was sitting comfortably, Heero pulled the trapped forelock out from underneath the browband and set it flat over Zero's forehead. He unbuckled the halter and dropped it to the top of the wheel guard then turned Zero around to give himself enough room to mount.
 
"Here, you're gonna need this."
 
Heero turned around to see Duo grinning at him and holding out his helmet.
 
"Thanks." Heero took the helmet and put it on, doing up the chin strap securely. "Could you pass me my whip as well? I'll leave the spurs off for now."
 
"No problem." Duo fetched the whip whilst Heero mounted. "Where you gonna warm up?" Duo asked as he handed Heero his whip.
 
Heero looked around the grounds as he checked the stirrups and slipped his feet into them. "Over there for now," he replied. "Once he's loosened up enough I'll take him to the practice jumps and pop him over a couple."
 
"Right." Duo gazed in the direction Heero had indicated. It was a flat piece of ground where a couple of other horses were also loosening up. Duo began to walk over, intending to find a spot to the side where he could watch and not be in the way.
 
Heero gathered up his reins and pressed his legs to Zero's sides, asking the horse to walk out. Zero responded and with a spring to his gait, strode over the grounds in the direction his master guided him, ears swiveling and bright eyes taking in the scenes around him.
 
Zero felt good. His body quivered with excitement, knowing that he was again at a show and most likely going to be jumping. Zero loved to jump; he also liked to show off to all the nice mares and fillies around. He knew he was handsome and showed off a little. His ardor though was soon curbed as his master demanded his attention be returned to the job at hand. Zero switched his mind from the pretty legs of a chestnut mare and concentrated on his master's wishes. There would be time to check out the ladies afterwards.
 
Duo settled himself underneath a large tree to the side of the area Heero had chosen to warm Zero up in. He leaned against the trunk and folded his arms across his chest, crossing his legs at the ankle and watched as the gray began to walk out and take notice of Heero. Duo's eyes wandered around, taking in the sights of the show grounds. He could understand why Heero loved shows. The hustle and bustle was infectious and set your heart pumping and the adrenaline coursing through your veins. Duo had butterflies in his stomach and he wasn't even competing.
 
Zero moved into a trot and Duo's eyes continued to follow the gray's action for a moment, noting the even gait. As Heero circled around so Duo's attention wavered to the big bay a young girl was riding. The horse was stocky and had a short stride, the girl on its back was tiny and Duo was awed at the way she could control such a large animal and yet the bay was doing everything she asked of it. Duo was by no means dense when it came to horses, he knew enough about them from his own veterinary experiences to know that they were a strong animal and capable of seriously injuring and possibly killing a human if they got it into their heads to do so.
 
Most times if someone was injured by a horse though, it wasn't deliberate. Horses were generally quiet animals, willing to please and gentle in their ways. However, when they became frightened or in pain for whatever reason they became a serious danger. They didn't mean to hurt their human friends, it was purely an instinct reaction. Duo mused over how such a strong, large animal could allow a mere wimp of a human to control it. But as Heero had said, horses didn't have the ability to reason and think, they worked on conditioning and training. The key was to ask the horse to do something and make what it was you wanted the animal to do as easy as possible. By making the alternate options difficult and harder then the chances were the horse would respond and take the easy way out - the easy way being what it was you wanted the horse to do. Something like toddler training, Duo thought with a grin.
 
Duo had quipped back that if it ever came down to a battle of strength between a horse and rider then Duo's money would be on the horse every time.
 
Zero was now trotting around in a relaxed outline, even Duo could see that the animal was listening and responding to Heero. They truly did look as if they were one being. Duo noticed that he wasn't the only one paying attention to Heero and his horse either. Just off to the side a young woman on a rather compact brown horse was also watching. Duo felt his hackles rise a little as the girl pushed her horse forwards and started to work around the same area that Heero was using.
 
Heero was too busy concentrating on Zero and how the horse was feeling to take much notice of what was going on around him. He changed rein and gait from time to time, making sure that Zero's muscles were warming up and the horse was becoming suppler. He was aware of the other horses and riders around him and careful not to infringe on their areas as they were careful not to infringe on his. Steadying Zero into his smooth canter, Heero dropped his weight into the saddle and followed the motion of the horse. The gray had a lovely canter, easy to sit to and reminded Heero of being ensconced in a large rocking chair.
 
After a few more circles, Heero sat down firmer in the saddle and eased back on the reins, Zero immediately responded and slowed his canter, before dropping back to a trot and then a walk. Heero released the reins a little and let the gray stretch his neck out and relax, cooling him a bit before he'd take him over to the practice jumps. Heero became aware of another horse coming along side him and turned to see who it was. A young girl on a compact brown horse rode up beside him and smiled at him. Heero smiled back.
 
"Nice horse," said the girl.
 
"Thank you," replied Heero and patted the damp, gray neck.
 
"You jumping today?"
 
"Hai. The open AM3. What about you?"
 
"I'm doing that class too," smiled the girl. She turned her head a little more and raked her eyes over Heero. "I'd better go and pop Trouble here over a few practice jumps, they will be opening the course for walking soon and I want to make sure that I've got in a couple of practice jumps first. Good luck, I'll probably see you in the ring." With that the girl rode off.
 
Heero watched her go and then turned his attention back to Zero who'd taken advantage of his master's little distraction to become a little lazy in his walk. Heero applied his legs and the gray gave a grunt before putting a little more effort into the pace. Heero looked around for Duo and spotted the vet standing under the tree. Picking up his reins, Heero headed the horse for his boyfriend, noting as he drew closer that Duo's face seemed a little dark.
 
Watching the girl as she rode alongside Heero and smiled at him, Duo couldn't help but feel uneasy. When the girl started talking and smiling at Heero and Heero returned the smile and chatter, Duo felt himself go numb. He lowered his eyes and berated himself. He shouldn't be feeling jealous of Heero chatting to a girl, Heero had assured him that he was gay; gay, not bi, Duo reminded himself. But it didn't make the green eyed monster any easier to deal with.
 
"Can it, Maxwell," he growled under his breath. "Heero can talk to anyone he damn well pleases, just because it happens to be a female, and a very pretty female doesn't mean he's going to take things any further." The words sounded lame even to himself. Duo looked up again to see the girl riding off and Heero coming his way. Taking a deep breath, Duo did his best to throw off the dark cloak of gloom that wanted to shroud him and put on a happy smile.
 
"You okay, Duo?" Heero asked as he brought Zero to a halt beside the vet.
 
// Fuck! He'd forgotten just how well Heero could read him. Looked like he'd better try harder to hide his misgivings.// Duo took the green monster by the horns and shoved it to the back of his mind. "I'm fine, Heero. I was watching and concentrating hard on Zero's legs, making sure he keeps moving okay and doesn't show any signs of lameness," he replied, knowing it was partially true and hoping that Heero would accept it.
 
Heero did.
 
"I think he's loosened up enough to pop over a couple of practice fences now; that should give us a clear indication of how he's traveling."
 
"You're the boss," replied Duo. "Which way to the practice jumps?"
 
"If I remember correctly, they're over that way, not far from the ring." Heero dismounted and ran his stirrups up before taking the reins over Zero's head. "Ready?"
 
"Yeah." Duo walked beside his boyfriend, listening to Heero with one ear, his mind on the girl.
 
***
 
Zero had taken the practice fences with ease, giving them a disdainful look and tossing his head as if to say 'Am I reduced to these?'. He'd cleared them both by at least a foot and looked very smug. Heero was smiling, happy that Zero was keen and eager, and not showing any signs of soreness. Duo was also happy that Zero appeared to be going so well but he couldn't completely squash the feeling of jealousy he got every time Heero looked at or acknowledged another competitor. He knew he was being silly, that Heero had promised him that there was no one else; that Heero wanted no one but Duo and Duo believed the accountant, he really did, but he still couldn't help his stomach from lurching every time another person looked Heero's way. Oh, he couldn't blame them, Heero was a very attractive man and Duo could only stew in his own juice, wanting nothing more than to take Heero's hand or kiss him if only to let everyone know that Heero was his. Only problem was he'd probably find himself arrested if he did. The world still had a long way to go before it accepted love between two of the same sex.
 
The loud speaker interrupted Duo's dark thoughts, announcing that the course was open for walking for the open AM3 jumping class. Heero completed one more practice jump before bringing the horse over to where Duo was standing.
 
"Would you mind holding him for me while I walk the course, Duo? If you don't want to, or would like to walk the course with me I can take him back to the float and tie him up."
 
Duo smiled and was about to say he'd be happy to hold Zero when he saw the girl that Heero had been talking to earlier approaching. His mind changed tack and his eyes narrowed. "Actually, if you don't mind, I'd really like to walk the course with you, Heero. It looks quite interesting and I'd like to know what sort of jumps they are and how you intend to ride the course."
 
Heero looked a little surprised at Duo's sudden interest but he was also pleased. "Sure, no problem, Duo. Give me a minute to take Zero back and we'll walk it." Heero was about to turn Zero around and head for the float when another horse came to a halt beside him and he looked up to see the girl from earlier standing there.
 
"Hello again," she said with a smile. "You going to walk the course now?"
 
"Yes, I am," replied Heero.
 
"Good. So am I if I can get someone to hold Trouble for me." The girl looked at Duo then back at Heero. "Do you think your groom would mind holding him for me whilst I walk the course?"
 
Duo's jaw nearly hit the floor, Heero's wasn't far behind as the girl's request sank in. One look at Duo's face though and Heero, being the smart accountant that he was, put two and two together and came up with three; and three was one too many if he was reading Duo's signals right. "Ah. Firstly, Duo here isn't my groom, he's my good friend; secondly, he's walking the course with me as I value his opinion so I will be tying Zero up to the float; sorry."
 
"No problem." The girl couldn't disguise the disappointment in her voice, nor the look of disgust she gave Duo. "I'll see if I can't find someone else to hold him so I can walk the course." With one last look down her nose at Duo, the girl turned her horse and rode off.
 
Duo was fuming. How dare that girl refer to him as a groom and expect him to hold her horse for her so she could walk the course with Heero and try to chat him up! Not normally one given to malice of any kind, Duo couldn't help but wish the girl's horse would buck her off or something.
 
Heero returned his attention to his boyfriend and couldn't help the snicker as he dismounted. "Come on, Duo. Let's get Zero tied up so I can walk the course. If I don't move my butt it will be closed shortly and I won't have a clue as to what line or track to follow."
 
Duo's gaze flickered back to his boyfriend. "Huh?"
 
Heero chuckled. "I do believe you're jealous," he stated as they began to walk back to the float.
 
"I'm not!" growled Duo as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
 
"Yes, you are," teased Heero.
 
"Am not," scowled Duo. "I'm just wary of strangers, especially female ones, that want me to hold their horse for them so that they can walk the course with my boyfriend," he added under his breath.
 
Heero caught the muttered words and snickered to himself, he opted to keep quiet though and not tease Duo any more.
 
They reached the float and Heero tied Zero up, removing the bridle and loosening the girth before tossing the rug over the horse to keep him warm. Duo was inside the float, hanging up the bridle and Heero ducked inside to join him, making sure that no one would be able to see them for a moment. He quickly grabbed Duo around the waist, spun the vet around and kissed him soundly. "I've been wanting to do that for the past couple of hours," Heero murmured.
 
"Heero! Not that I'm complaining or anything, but what if someone should see us?"
 
"Don't care," replied Heero and stole another kiss. "You have nothing to be jealous about, Duo. I'm gay and not in the least bit interested in that girl or any other for that matter. Although I am flattered that you would be jealous."
 
Duo tossed his head back and laughed, his jealousy vanishing. "I know, Heero, and I don't doubt your intentions for a minute. I can't help myself though, it's so damn unfair that I can't express my love for you in public like hetro couples can."
 
"I agree. It isn't fair, but there isn't much we can do about it, Duo."
 
"You're right," sighed Duo and then poked Heero in the ribs. "Come on, you'd better get this course walked."
 
***
 
Duo stood and looked at the sea of poles before him. He blinked and then looked again. "You're telling me that you're supposed to jump that?" he said pointing at the jump. It looked solid and formidable to Duo, an endless pile of brightly colored red and blue poles that seemed to go up forever.
 
"Hai. It's not that hard a fence, Duo. In fact it's quite a good one."
 
"Good one? How the fuck to do figure that?"
 
Heero chuckled. "Although it might look intimidating with the number of poles in it it's actually very good. Being as how it gives the appearance of a solid fence so to speak the horse can gauge the height of it a lot easier. It has what we call a good and definite ground line."
 
"What the hell is a ground line?" Duo turned his head from side to side as he studied the fence. He was damned if he could see any line on the ground.
 
"The horse looks at the fence and with the poles the way they are he can see where the ground is as compared to the bottom and top rail, it sort of draws an invisible line for the horse and they can see how high they need to jump. It gets tricky when the course designer puts in fences with false ground lines or jumps with hardly any filling; those are really hard for the horse to negotiate."
 
"I'll take your word for it, Heero."
 
They moved on around the course together, Heero pacing out the distance between the two elements of the double fence, working out how many strides Zero would take after landing over the first element and then jumping the second, walking the course the way he intended to ride it. Most of the fences looked pretty high to Duo and he couldn't help the shiver of apprehension from running down his spine as he gazed around at the various jumps. "All I can say is I'm glad it's you and Zero that's jumping these, Heero. I think I would have fallen off at the mere thought."
 
"Actually, they're not all that high or hard, Duo. Zero should be able to handle it okay. The course designer has set a nice, flowing course, one that you can ride fairly easily. The questions appear to be asked in the jump off."
 
"Explain and define your logic, Heero," Duo said as he eyed the brick wall.
 
"There's lots of room allowed between obstacles in the first round. Out of all the fences here I'd say that the oxer is about the most difficult fence as you come off a right hand circle and need to turn left to jump it. That means getting the horse to change leading legs after landing and then you only have five strides to get him balanced again before the take off for the oxer,could be tricky if your horse doesn't want to listen to the rider."
 
Duo still looked mystified but gave Heero the benefit of the doubt. He guessed he would understand it clearer once he'd watched a few horses go around the course.
 
"The jump off is harder. The way the jump off is designed the course builder has left the rider with options. By that I mean you can take a longer route around the shorter course and pretty much go clear, but you will have a slower time; or you can take the short cuts, run the risk of getting faults but you will also get a much faster time."
 
"What would you do, Heero?"
 
"I think I'd wait and see if I go clear in the first round. If I do then I will decide whether to play it safe or go for broke. It also depends on how Zero pulls up after the first round."
 
"Now that's logic I can understand," replied Duo with a grin. "You sure you can remember your way around this course? It all looks pretty baffling to me, I know I would get lost, in fact I am lost and I'm not even jumping!"
 
Heero laughed. "It's not that hard to remember. All the jumps are numbered anyway and I tend to remember them by either the type of jump or the color of the poles."
 
"Smart thinking."
 
"Okay, let's see," said Heero as he paused and looked back over the course. "One is the cross rail; two, the pink upright; three, the spread; four, the off set rails; five, a: spread b: upright; six, the oxer; seven, the wall; eight, the hay bales; nine, the gate; ten, the black and white fan, and eleven, the barrels."
 
Duo's eyes followed Heero's recital, noting each of the jumps as Heero rattled them off. "What about those flags?"
 
"Start and finish. You have to pass through them with the red one on your right and the white on your left. The time starts from when you cross between the start flags and finishes when you go through the finish flags."
 
"Ah. I think I'm starting to get it a bit more now," said Duo.
 
"Well, I'm done here so I think I will go back to Zero and walk him around a bit so his muscles don't get cold. They will be starting in about five minutes and there's twenty entered. I'm eighth to go so I'd say I will be needed in roughly half an hour." Heero began to leave the ring, Duo beside him.
 
As they were leaving so Duo caught sight of the girl from earlier out the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but notice how her eyes traveled over Heero's body. Duo scowled slightly and resisted the urge to poke his tongue out at her; instead he gave a wicked grin, brushed his hand lightly over Heero's ass and gave her a wink. Duo left the ring with a satisfied look on his face. He didn't think that girl would try a second time to chat Heero up.
 
***
 
"You sure you can remember the course?"
 
"Hai."
 
"You want me to check your girth again?"
 
"No. It's tight enough, thanks."
 
"What about Zero's jumping boots?"
 
"Duo... Zero and I are both fine. Why don't you go find yourself somewhere ringside to sit and watch?" Heero gave his boyfriend a warm, reassuring smile.
 
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I should go and find somewhere to sit and watch. I'm acting like a mother hen, aren't I?" sighed Duo and gave Heero a rueful grin. "Sorry."
 
"No need to apologize, Duo. I have done this several times before and we will be okay, I assure you." Heero did his best to put Duo at ease. Heero actually found the entire scene rather endearing. Duo was visibly agitated, concerned for Heero and Zero's welfare. The way the braided vet was carrying on you would think Heero was about to be dragged before the Spanish inquisition. Heero didn't need to feel nervous, Duo was doing enough of that for the both of them.
 
"Okay, I'm going to find somewhere to sit and watch. Good luck." Duo squeezed Heero's knee. He'd much rather have given the rider a kiss but that was out of the question so the small gesture would have to suffice. He patted Zero's neck and whispered to the horse, "Look after him, Zero."
 
"Thanks, Duo," Heero said softly and watched as his boyfriend left the area where the competitors were waiting for their turn in the ring. Heero had two more to go before his turn and he began to walk Zero around. The gray trembled slightly beneath him, knowing he would be jumping very soon and eager to start. Heero ran a soothing hand along the sweaty neck, calming the horse a little. He'd watched a few of the other riders complete their rounds and so far only two had gone clear. The oxer had proven Heero right when he'd said it would be the problem jump on the course, having taken out five riders with faults already. Heero was determined to have Zero well and truly listening to him when he approached that fence.
 
The thunder of applause greeted his ears and Heero turned to see a chestnut horse leaving the ring, a wide smile on its rider's face as the loudspeaker announced another clear round.
 
"Number fifty-five?" called the gate marshal.
 
Heero rode over. "I'm fifty-five,” he said quietly.
 
"Good. You're next, so don't go away."
 
"Right." Heero let the horse stand and relax as he watched the competitor before him suffer a refusal at the wall. The horse went over at the second attempt but Heero could see that the animal was flustered and it showed when the horse brought the gate crashing down.
 
"Eight faults," stated the loudspeaker.
 
"Fifty-five? Okay, you're in." The gate marshal opened the gate to allow the current rider to exit and Heero to enter.
 
Heero had noted where the judge was sitting and rode towards the man. He halted Zero, removed his helmet and nodded his head to salute the judge. The judge returned the nod, waited for Heero to secure his helmet again and collect his reins before blowing his whistle, indicating that Heero had forty-five seconds in which to commence his course.
 
Quivering with anticipation, Zero gave a snort and then jumped a little as the whistle blew. He felt his master tighten the grip on the reins and touch his sides with the spurs. Zero moved off into a trot and then canter, letting his master guide him and eyeing off the various fences as he passed them.
 
Heero's concentration narrowed to the horse beneath him and the course to be jumped, all other thoughts were shoved out of his mind as he focused solely on the task ahead. He circled at the canter, settling Zero into his stride and then turning to pass between the start flags and head for the first fence.
 
The cross bar appeared ahead of them and Zero gave a soft grunt as he cleared it, swishing his tail and tossing his head as if in disgust at the size of the fence.
 
"Steady, my son," muttered Heero. "There's much bigger ones to come so don't go getting too cocky." Heero allowed his fingers to quickly scratch the gray neck, a way he and the horse had of communicating when they jumped. Zero's shoulder muscle rippled by way of acknowledgment and they bore down on the second fence. Zero jumped it easily, ears cocked and looking for the next one.
 
The small spread and off set rails were nothing to the big gray and Heero found them coming in to the double. Remembering that the oxer followed the double and the need to have his horse completely listening to him, Heero dropped his weight a little more into his saddle, took a slightly firmer contact with Zero's mouth and applied his legs to drive Zero's hocks underneath his body and thus have the energy of the horse exactly where he needed it.
 
Zero bounded into the first element of the double, eyed it up and with a whisk of his tail, flew over it. He landed, took another stride and gathered himself together to spring into the air and clear the second element. Immediately he landed, Zero felt his master's weight shift, asking him to re-balance. Zero shortened his stride and changed his leading canter leg as Heero's aids asked him to. His hindquarters came further underneath his body as his stride became more elevated due to the concentration of energy. Then Zero saw the reason for the change of pace. The fence loomed up in front of him and Zero gathered himself together, gauging his take off point and then with his master's legs urging him on, Zero lengthened out, one stride, two strides and with the third he pushed his body up from the ground, tucking his forelegs neatly underneath as he became airborne. Those same forelegs extended out as the inevitable return to earth approached, Zero taking his full weight and his master's onto them and then as his hind legs touched down so he grunted and pushed away from the fence.
 
Heero began to relax and enjoy himself. He'd missed this, missed the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins, missed the feeling of the wind in his face, the power of the animal beneath him and the sheer joy of jumping. The way Zero was going told Heero that the horse was just as happy as himself to be out there competing again. The wall loomed ahead and Heero rode the gray in a straight line, clearing it with inches to spare. The hay bales, gate and fan jump were all similarly jumped and now only the barrels remained. Checking back slightly, Heero then gave Zero the rein he needed and urged the horse on. Zero cocked his ears and sprang into the air, sailing over the fence and heading through the finish flags, nostrils flared and looking as if he could easily go several more rounds.
 
"Clear round," stated the loudspeaker as Heero left the arena, patting the gray enthusiastically.
 
As soon as he got back to the collecting ring, Heero was inundated with congratulations and well wishes of his fellow competitors. He thanked them and rode off to the side, his eyes scanning the crowd for the one person he longed to see. He spotted the chestnut head first and then the rest of Duo's body as the vet pushed his way through the crowd, eager to see Heero and congratulate him. He also wanted to check Zero's leg and carried a pocket full of carrots for his charge.
 
Heero dismounted and ran up his stirrups whilst he waited for Duo to squeeze through the crowd to him. A hand on his shoulder told him of his boyfriend's arrival and he turned around to stare into sparkling violet.
 
"Well done, Heero! A clear round. I guess that means you're into the jump off then?" All Duo really wanted to do was throw his arms around the accountant, hug and kiss him senseless. Duo's heart was still racing, he felt as if he'd ridden every inch of that course with Heero.
 
"Hai. The jump off won't be for a little while though so we might as well take Zero back to the float and tie him up for a bit."
 
"Sounds good to me," replied Duo. "I can give his leg a check over then and make sure it's holding up okay. But first I think he deserves this." Duo reached into his pocket and pulled out a carrot.
 
Zero wuffled in delight and took the offered carrot, crunching it eagerly.
 
Heero laughed. "Thanks, Duo."
 
***
 
Six riders had clear rounds including Heero and now those six were waiting in the collecting ring for their turn to complete the jump off. Much to Duo's delight the girl that had been chatting Heero up earlier had been eliminated from the competition, her horse having given her two refusals at the oxer. Seeing as how there wasn't so many horses and riders now waiting in the collecting ring, Duo decided to watch the jump off from there, that way he could be as close to the action as possible and be readily available should Heero or Zero need him. Duo glanced over as Heero was trotting the gray around in circles, loosening him up before his turn came. Duo was amazed at how calm Heero seemed to be, Duo's stomach felt as if it had a hive of bees in it and he was so nervous that he'd started to bite his fingernails. He mentally thwapped himself for being so nervous, this was just a small show and really just a test to see if Zero's leg would stand up to the competition. If this is how he was reacting to a small show, what the fuck would he be like if Heero did make it into the big time? If Heero did break into the big time then Duo thought he'd be better off staying at home and not watching! At this rate he was going to bite his fingernails back to his elbows.
 
A groan went up from the crowd and Duo's attention, along with everyone else's, was drawn back to the ring where the current competitor had knocked down the oxer in their haste to shave a few seconds off the time to beat. Inwardly Duo cheered, although he knew that wasn't the right thing to do.
 
"Fifty-five?"
 
Heero rode up to the gate marshal "I'm here."
 
"Right. There's the chestnut to go next and then you."
 
"Arigato." Heero turned Zero to the side and let the horse stand. His eyes watched the current competitor in the ring as they started out fast.
 
"They're going to pick up a fast time," Duo remarked as he moved across to stand next to Heero and the horse.
 
"If she doesn't steady back, that horse is going to flatten and knock something down," replied Heero as his experienced eye tracked the horse in the ring.
 
"Flatten?" questioned Duo as his mind supplied him with a horse having been squashed flat by a steam roller. He snickered at the image.
 
"It means the horse will run out of impulsion, energy and when it needs it to get over the jump it won't have it where it needs it the most and consequently will either trail its hocks or catch the fence with a fore leg. There, told you," smirked Heero as the chestnut sent the poles on the second part of the double flying in all directions. The horse and rider seemed to go to pieces after that and knocked down the remaining three fences as well. "Bad luck," said Heero to the rider as the woman and her horse exited the ring.
 
"Thanks. It was all my fault," she replied. "Poor Sandman didn't stand a chance after the double. Watch it out there; it's pretty tight if you take the short cuts."
 
"Thanks for the warning," replied Heero and then gathered his reins up. "Our turn, Zero," he said to the horse.
 
"Good luck, Heero. Be safe," said Duo with a warm smile and added silently, "Love you."
 
Heero flashed his boyfriend a brilliant smile and rode into the ring. This was it; this would be the test of Zero's leg. Heero had his course planned out in his mind, where he would take the shortcuts and save precious seconds and where he would give Zero the room he would need to turn and clear the fences. He approached the judge and saluted, ramming his helmet tightly onto his head and shortening his reins as he waited for the whistle to blow.
 
In the collecting ring, Duo was shifting uneasily from one foot to the other, trying not to bite his fingernails anymore as he didn't have much left. His heart was hammering in his chest as he heard the whistle blow and watched Heero's serious expression as he cantered past on Zero, eyes fixed firmly ahead and on the start flags.
 
The fences that had been selected for the jump off were numbers one, five a and b, six, nine and eleven. Duo knew that the first fence, the cross bar wouldn't provide any difficulty to Zero, it was the double followed by the oxer that had Duo worried. The fence had been a difficult one to negotiate in the first round, now in the second it had been raised by four inches in height, all the fences had gone up and the gate now stood at four feet two inches.
 
Heero passed through the start flags and the timer started counting down the seconds.
 
Duo suddenly felt sick.
 
"This is the one that really counts, Zero," Heero told the horse as they approached the start flags. He took a slightly firmer contact with his reins and drove Zero together with his seat and legs, the horse giving a grunt of acknowledgment. Then they were between the flags and on their way.
 
The first fence was but a blur to Heero. He set a steady pace and began to increase it as they bore down on the double. Five strides out and Heero half halted his horse, checking the speed and re-balancing before driving Zero on with his legs. Zero bounded forward, collected himself together and jumped, clearing the first element of the double easily. He landed, took a stride and leapt into the air again.
 
Whilst Zero was in mid air, Heero shifted his weight slightly to the left and as a consequence, when Zero came thudding back to earth, he picked up the left canter lead and was able to save precious seconds by not having to change his stride. His master's legs were pushing at him, driving him together and three strides later Zero was propelling his body upwards again and over the intimidating oxer. They cleared the fence, Heero applying the brakes to Zero who propped a little, regained his balance and digging his hooves into the ground, spun on his haunches then once again was moving forwards.
 
Duo's heart was in his mouth as he watched Heero and the horse land over the oxer then Heero literally spun Zero around to the right, ducked between the wings of fences three and four to bring himself perfectly lined up for fence nine; the gate. "Bastard," muttered Duo under his breath, annoyed that Heero had caused him to almost panic with the sharpness of the turn.
 
Zero's ears cocked as he spotted the gate and almost pulling the reins out of Heero's fingers, he charged at it, throwing himself into the air and clearing it easily.
 
"Easy, Zero," growled Heero as he regained the rein he'd lost. The last fence, the barrels loomed ahead and Heero did his best to keep Zero together. The horse was pulling, eager to jump and not so eager to listen to his master. "Steady, that's it, nice and easy," Heero said to his horse.
 
Zero's ears flicked back and forth, listening to his master's voice. He eyed up the fence and lengthened his stride, taking off beautifully and clearing the fence. As he landed, Zero felt his master urge him on, pushing him faster and Zero snorted, keen to obey.
 
Landing safely over the last fence, Heero gave the gray the rein to stretch out and pushed hard with his legs, encouraging Zero to gallop through the flags. Zero responded and as they crossed through the finish flags so Heero took a look at the electronic timer. 35.67 stared back at him and Heero gave a huge grin. He began to check Zero back, slowing the horse which was reluctant to come back to hand at first but obeying eventually, Heero aimed for the gate and exit from the ring, passing the next rider on his way and wishing them luck.
 
"Clear round in a time of 35.67 seconds. That is the time to beat."
 
Entering the collecting ring again, Heero hardly had time to bring the gray to a halt before Duo was jumping up and down beside them and stuffing Zero with carrots.
 
"That was great, Heero. Oh, Zero. You were such a good boy," Duo enthused as he smothered the gray in pats.
 
Zero wuffled as if to say 'Aren't I always?' and then proceeded to beg for more carrots, carrots that the nice human was only too happy to give him. Zero felt very pleased with himself.
 
"I'm sure you've won, Heero," Duo stated as his boyfriend dismounted and ran up his stirrups then loosened Zero's girth.
 
"Don't be too certain, Duo," replied Heero. "There's still another two competitors to go and as they say, it's not over until the fat lady sings."
 
Duo gave an evil chuckle. "Shall I go over there then and ask that lady to start singing?"
 
Heero's eyes opened impossibly wide with Duo's words and he looked over to where Duo was indicating. A rather rotund woman was sitting on an equally round horse.
 
"You do and I'll rig Fido to blow and not suck," threatened Heero, referring to Duo's faithful vacuum cleaner.
 
"Ohh... A vaccy that blows, hey?" Duo's eyebrows gave a suggestive wiggle.
 
"You're impossible," returned Heero with a shake of his head and then abruptly jerked around to look at what was happening in the ring as he heard a gasp from the crowd.
 
The current competitor was trying to emulate Heero's round but unfortunately his horse wasn't as well balanced or supple as Zero had been and he couldn't make the turn from the oxer to the gate. The horse ducked out to the side before being brought back around to face the fence again, clearing it on the second attempt. But the damage was done.
 
"Four faults and a time of 56.96," the loudspeaker announced.
 
"Last competitor," muttered Heero as he turned to watch a rangy looking bay horse enter the ring.
 
"Want me to walk Zero around for you whilst you watch the last round, Heero?" Duo asked. "I don't think he should be standing still for too long as he'll go cold."
 
"Would you mind?" replied Heero. Usually he walked Zero around himself whilst still on his back to cool the horse off but with having Duo at the show as well Heero didn't want to appear impolite and so had dismounted.
 
"I don't mind at all. Actually I'd prefer the distraction, the watching and waiting is kind of getting to me." Duo gave his boyfriend a rueful grin.
 
"Okay. Thanks."
 
Duo took the reins from Heero and began to walk around, Zero following amicably at his side, eyes wandering over the mares and fillies still on the show grounds. Despite his nervousness about the competition still in progress, Duo couldn't help his eyes wandering back to the ring and how the other rider was doing.
 
The other rider had set a very fast pace as he started his round and it was obvious to even Duo's inexperienced eye that this combination weren't like the others. There was a harmony and balance between this horse and its rider too, very similar to what Heero had with Zero. The knot of fear in Duo's stomach grew as he continued to watch. Gradually he found himself drawn back to where Heero still stood, watching from the ring side, despite his intentions of walking the horse, Duo couldn't help himself, he needed to stand next to his boyfriend and offer support.
 
Heero turned and gave Duo a tight smile as the vet and his horse came to a halt beside him. "They're doing well," Heero stated.
 
"Yes, they are," replied Duo as he watched the bay land over the second element of the double, turn and then gather himself for the spring over the oxer. He cleared the oxer and Duo's teeth ground together as he watched the bay's haunches strain with the effort of turning sharply. The bay made the turn, lengthened stride and leapt over the gate before flying towards the final obstacle.
 
Duo took his eyes off the combination for a second to look at the electronic timer busily counting down the seconds. He began to chew his bottom lip. It was going to be close, very close.
 
Heero's eyes were flitting between the timer and the horse in the ring. His stomach was churning as he watched the bay take the barrels and then sprint for the finish flags. The horse shot through the flags, his rider urging him on and Heero's gaze shifted to the electronic time clock to see what numbers were registered there…
 
~ * ~
 
tbc...