Chapter Text
“It’s been two months now and you can’t stop me!” Richard insisted as he patted Mellow’s flank with an air of smugness. Allen’s lips pursed anxiously. It had been two months, so he could ride again, but did it really have to be Mellow Yellow? The horse who’d thrown him in the first place? Alright, that was unfair. It was an accident. Mellow hadn’t thrown him. She’d slipped and fallen. Still, did he really have to choose Mellow to ride first? Mellow seemed just as eager as Richard to get started, though that may have had something to do with the tack. Being so young, she was still getting used to wearing a saddle and bridle. “We won’t go too hard, will we, girl?” Mellow’s pull on the reins did nothing to inspire confidence.
“Why don’t you ride Treacle?”
“I will! I’ll ride her after Mellow.” Allen frowned. How many horses was he planning to ride on his first day back? Surely not all of them! “Come on, we’ve missed out on two months of training, and they all need some exercise!” It wasn’t like they’d been locked up while he couldn’t ride. They’d been out in the fields every day, and Allen had ridden them regularly to make sure they stayed in shape. Richard had been sorely missed, of course. He was much lighter and more experienced in the saddle. It was also true that they needed to get them all trained up and ready for the racing season. Although the season wouldn’t begin until next spring, jockeys and sponsors would be looking for new horses now. The riders would need time to train and bond with their new steeds.
“Are you sure you want to start with Mellow though?” Richard scoffed and patted Mellow’s nose, almost as if he were apologising for Allen’s rudeness.
“She had a fall! It’s not like she threw me on purpose and tried to trample me!” All of his horses were good tempered. He’d never had a dangerous horse before. There had been horses, usually males, that were a little too aggressive for him to handle. More prone to rearing and pulling on the reins, or walking in the wrong direction. But even then, they’d never tried to trample him or hurt him on purpose. He hadn’t even been bitten by a horse before, and the only kicks had been accidental. Allen, who’d worked with him through most of his career, knew that already. It didn’t stop him from worrying about him getting back in the saddle. “You’re more worried about this than I am!”
“Well, I am the one who has to put up with your sore temper when you can’t ride.” Richard chuckled, the first Allen had heard in weeks. Richard always took it hard when he couldn’t ride, sulking for days on end. Thanks to Hank, Allen had managed to escape most of the backlash this time. Whatever they got up to in the barn, it either put Richard out of action for a few days or put him in a terribly good mood. Looking back on it, Allen was glad he’d convinced Hank to save and restore most of the stuff up there.
“Why don’t you come with me if you’re that worried?” Allen raised an eyebrow. It had never been an option for Richard to go by himself. He wasn’t going to let him out of his sight for a month! Richard rolled his eyes as he slotted his foot in the stirrup and hauled himself up. He certainly looked at home up there. It was like he’d never left. Perfect poise as always. Allen took the reins and led the way, walking Mellow to the track and opening the gate. Despite his reluctance to go along with it, he couldn’t help smiling as he released the reins and watched Richard kick Mellow into a light trot. She was more than willing, and probably would have cantered if Richard hadn’t signalled her to take it easy.
“Alright, go on, but take it easy!” Allen called as Mellow turned tail and took off around the track. Sighing, he leaned on the fence and watched them warm up. It was hard not to worry. Mellow was still learning, and there was no guarantee she wouldn’t throw Richard off again. She hadn’t learned to listen yet. She didn’t work with the pull of the reins and trust Richard to know best. Like her rider, she was hot-headed. Overconfident. “Watch the turns!” Allen called as Richard passed by. They’d kicked things up to a canter now, and Richard was trying to get in a little leading practice.
“Hey, how’s he doing?” Allen just about jumped out of his skin as Hank appeared at his elbow, leaning on the opposite side of the fence. Richard probably hadn’t seen him yet. If his choice in horse was anything to go by, he hadn’t expected Hank to stop by. Not that Hank knew their mares well enough to know it was Mellow that threw him.
“Not bad. He’s on his second circuit.” Hank nodded along as he watched Richard’s ass bounce in the saddle. He could tell he hadn’t really started yet. If he had, his ass wouldn’t even touch the leather. When he hit high speeds, it was his knees that took most of the strain, keeping him up and clapping the saddle. His hips would rock and he’d lean low over the tossing mane, whooping and yelling encouragement over the wind. Right now, he was taking it easy.
Richard remained oblivious to Hank’s presence as he started the next circuit. Mellow got faster, making him lean forward and rest on his knees to keep balance. He let himself bounce, knees and hips keeping him on as they tore down the straight. Despite his excitement, he was still cautious. He had to be. Neither he nor Mellow could afford another slip. Watching the approaching turn, he tugged on the reins, urging Mellow to slow. She didn’t listen as well as he’d hoped. Shit…She was still disobeying the pull until the last second. She knew she could take that turn by herself at this speed, no problem, but she wasn’t accounting for Richard’s weight. Richard slowed a little as they rounded the bend, taking a deep breath. If she didn’t listen, they risked another fall.
His heart kicked up as they set off towards the next turning. Come on, girl! He kicked it up a notch, leaning low over her neck and keeping his hawklike eyes on the distant bend. Maybe if he pulled a little earlier, it would give her time to adjust. But if I pull early, I’ll be training her to expect the signal earlier…He had to get her used to it. Pulling harder might do it, but he didn’t want to turn her too quickly. This time…This time she’ll listen…He hoped. The bend was coming up quickly. Almost too quickly. Licking his lips, he gripped the reins tighter, just using his fingers. Almost…Almost…
The moment it was time, he gave a light pull, hoping beyond hope that Mellow felt it. His heart pounded, dropping lower as she sped round the turning, taking it way too fast. Gritting his teeth, he held on tight and closed his eyes as they swung out all the way to the fence. He swore he could feel the wood brushing by, less than a millimetre from his calf. Cursing inwardly, he pulled the reins, slowing her down. He didn’t want to sound annoyed, so he patted her neck with a slow breath and trotted over to Allen, who was clearly biting his tongue. The person who didn’t bite his tongue was Hank.
“What the fuck are you doing on your first day back?” Mellow snorted and scraped the ground, agitated by the irate grumble in Hank’s voice. Richard didn’t answer at first, pulling and reins and patting Mellow’s neck to calm her down. Hank seemed to understand as he took a breath and waited, still expectant. Richard wasn’t sure what to say. It wasn’t like he’d meant for Mellow to go careening round the bends, but she needed to be trained out of it. It wasn’t an overnight process! Hank was probably right though. It was his first day back.
“She’s still in training! You can’t expect her to get everything on the first try!” Allen couldn’t help feeling a little awkward being in the middle. It would usually be his job to chew Richard out, and he agreed with Hank in this case, but standing between them was a little uncomfortable.
“You almost fell off again!” Richard clicked his tongue, as he so often did with Allen. It was sort of nice to see someone else on the receiving end for a change. Gathering the reins, Richard prepared to move on. Allen reached out quickly and pulled Mellow to a stop. Letting Richard burn off steam on the track was fine on a properly trained mare or out where he had unlimited space, but here on the track while riding Mellow was a bad idea. His temper and her inexperience were a bad combination.
“I handled it!” Allen wasn’t going to say anything, but he was pretty sure Hank knew there wasn’t really a way to handle taking a bad turning. Any closer and he could have clipped the fence, possibly breaking his leg in the process. It was out of his control, much like Mellow seemed to be. Hank scoffed as he rested his hands on his hips.
“Handled it by almost being tossed through the fence? You could have lost your leg!” The colour in Richard’s ears was enough to tell him he was right, but Richard wasn’t about to take it lying down.
“But I didn’t! I’ve been doing this long enough not to get lectured by a sheep farmer!” Allen blinked, looking at Hank warily. They sounded angry now, both of them glaring. Allen held a little tighter as Mellow shifted from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere. Allen was pretty sure the only reason they weren’t yelling was because neither of them wanted to spook Mellow and risk further injury.
“I don’t just keep sheep! And so what if I did? You got a problem with that?” Allen was pretty sure Richard didn’t have a problem with it, but he wasn’t about to admit it in the middle of an argument. He was stubborn like that.
“I’ve got a problem when you start trying to tell me how to do my job!” Allen sighed and tugged Mellow’s bridle as she shuffled her feet. She was getting agitated, and Richard was being ridiculous. Hank had done no such thing. He was just worried.
“I won’t tell you how to do your job, but I will tell you when you’re being a damned idiot!” Clicking his tongue, Richard pulled the reins, scowling as Allen kept a firm hold and glared back. If he was going to have a tiff with Hank, fine. But he wasn’t about to let him risk his neck by speeding off around the track on a mare that was still in training. “For Christ’s sake! Get down here before you break your damned neck!” Hank’s voice was a little louder this time, and Mellow didn’t care for his tone. Before Richard could open his mouth to respond, Mellow’s front hooves had left the ground.
Both Hank and Allen stepped back as she reared, snorting and whinnying. Richard cursed under his breath as he hugged the saddle with his thighs and kept his legs loose. Leaning forward and gripping her mane, he managed to stay on without issue. The good thing about Mellow rearing was that Allen was forced to let go, allowing Richard to spur her into a canter the moment her hooves touched down.
“Richie!” Allen yelled after him as he sped away, but to no avail. He was ignoring him.
“You get back here right now, you little-”
“Hank! Please. You’ll scare Mellow.” Taking a breath, Hank nodded and stepped back. Allen was right. Horses were sensitive beasts, and it wasn’t fair on her for them to keep her trapped in the middle as they argued. “Why don’t you go…take a walk. I’ll keep an eye on him and make him calm down.” There wasn’t much Hank could do besides nod. With a final glare at Richard’s back, Hank turned heel and walked off, leaving Allen with just one hothead to worry about. He crossed his fingers and mumbled a silent prayer as Richard zoomed around the first bend, which was less than smooth. By the time he cleared the second bend, Allen’s heart was in his throat and he’d already stepped into the middle of the track with his arms out to force him to stop.
Richard was mad, but he wasn’t stupid. He’d never risk playing chicken with Allen’s life, so it was really no surprise as he pulled the reins and slowed Mellow to a walk. Breathing a sigh of relief, Allen tried to control his own temper as he approached and took the reins. Richard let him, thinning his lips and avoiding his eyes. He hadn’t exactly cooled off, but he knew he was being a reckless idiot and that Allen would be right to kick his ass for what he’d just done. Fortunately, Allen wasn’t the violent type.
“Down.” Richard didn’t even think to argue. “You’re done for today. Go home, clean up, and wait for lunch.” Waiting for lunch suggested that Allen would join him at some point, and that he was more worried than angry. If he were truly angry, they wouldn’t speak for a week. Nodding like a scolded child, Richard let Allen take the reins and stalked off the track, only stopping to close the gate behind Allen. Allen took charge of Mellow and led her across to the stables to remove her tack and groom her. She needed a little pampering after all that stress.
In the meantime, Richard stalked back to the house, pointedly ignoring Hank’s yard as he stomped by. Who the hell does he think he is? Lecturing me on riding as if he knows anything about it! Such thoughts continued as he pulled his boots off and let them fall by the door before marching up to the bathroom. He left his helmet on the chest of drawers and carefully removed his dark green riding jacket before getting the shower ready. His hair was a mess, sweaty and mussed by the helmet. He ignored it as he turned on the shower and peeled off the long-sleeved top he was wearing.
His body wasn’t sweating too badly, considering he’d only been around the track four times. He’d barely even started the day! He would have argued with Allen and ignored his orders to clean up for the day, only that wasn’t a fight he could win. Allen was usually right about these things, and he respected him too much to really piss him off. Hank, on the other hand, could go fuck himself. Huffing, Richard slipped out of his pants and stepped beneath the spray, folding his arms and gritting his teeth as his eyes started stinging. Asshole! He should mind his own business when it comes to my job!
Richard sniffled as he grabbed the shower gel. Fuck! Pull yourself together! He couldn’t help wondering how bad the fallout would be. Allen was still talking to him. I’ve known Allen for years, and he knows what he’s dealing with. Hank didn’t. He’d barely known him for a year, and they’d been fucking for far less than that. What if that’s it? What if I went too far? Then it was no different to all the rest of his relationships. He could go back to sleeping alone, no problem. It wasn’t like he needed Hank. Richard swiped his eyes, doing his best to ignore the tears as he washed his hair. It’s the shower…Getting water in my eyes.
By the time he’d finished in the shower and put a lid on his feelings, Allen was downstairs. He didn’t say anything when he first entered, too busy stirring the pasta on the stove. Richard quietly moved around the island to fill the kettle and set it to boil before making up the teapot. It was as he turned his back to lean on the counter that Allen looked over his shoulder and noticed the telltale puffiness around his eyes. With anyone else, he might remain silent or give them a good long lecture, but Richard struggled enough with social cues as it was. Telling him off would make no difference.
“Are you alright?” Richard’s shrug was enough to tell him he wasn’t. “You want to talk about it?” He wasn’t really one for talking. What was there to talk about anyway? He and Hank had argued. They might not be on speaking terms. Maybe they were finished. They probably wouldn’t meet at the chickens anymore. Nines and Gavin would be miserable. They’d both have to get new roosters. He’d go back to being petrified of dogs and shy away from Hank’s yard. In a few weeks, they’d probably get over the awkwardness. “You’d better not be making up a bunch of nonsense in your head right now.” Richard remained evasive as he filled the teapot. “Richie…”
“Well, what do you expect me to think? That this isn’t a big deal?”
“That’s exactly what you should think! It wasn’t even a big argument! You know your problem? You always leap to the worst conclusions.” Richard would have argued, but he’d be lying. Allen was right. He was so used to things going wrong and not working out that it was just easier to expect the worst and go along with it. We’ve only been sleeping with each other for a few weeks…What if it doesn’t really mean anything? He winced as an open palm struck the back of his head and rubbed it with a small glare. “Stop overthinking things and putting yourself down!” That was easier said than done, and they both knew it.
“Am I overthinking things? What’s so great about me? I’m a washed up has been, falling apart at the seams! I’m not good looking, I’m not fun to be with. Why would anyone want a piece of this?” Allen snorted as Richard waved up and down his body, which was in no way unattractive. Was he Casanova? Of course not! Few men were. Allen ruffled his hair and shoved him towards the stools that lined the island, where he sat and started pouring the tea. After he’d spooned some pasta into their bowls, Allen joined him.
“You’re only forty-three! That in no way makes you a washed up has been! You retired to start a business and save your health, that’s all! You’re ten years younger than Hank, and believe me, he’s not complaining.” Richard stirred his pasta doubtfully, glancing at Allen as he began to eat. “You’re also underselling yourself. You have a great body, and you’re not ugly. Liking someone and finding them attractive are subjective things. There are probably people out there who find me insufferable.” Richard wasn’t about to agree with that, but the nagging did grind his gears on occasion. “I’ll bet you anything that when you go to the chickens later, Hank will be there.” Richard wasn’t so sure, but he’d accept Allen’s attempt at comfort for now.