Hello everyone and merry Christmas even if it's a bit late^^
Anyway I haven't forget you (or this fic) so here it is. A brand new chapter and a lot more to shame on me...
Ehem. Anyway. I need to sincerely thank everyone who leave their comments or started to follow this odd journey. They give me strength and faith.
And special thanks to King of Doors who isn't yet faint for my typos and brainfarts. That's something!
But without anymore my babbling: here it is!
I can do this. Yami told to himself, squeezing the steering wheel in his hands.
I can do this. Yugi didn't say anything on Monday… I'm sure he would have said something if he had noticed… Oh gosh, why me? He leaned his head over the wheel, closing his eyes.
Currently, he was sitting at the stables parking area and trying to collect enough courage to face Yugi after his stupidity from Monday.
He hadn't seen Yugi at the University yesterday nor today. It hadn't been any big surprise but he was still worried. Thanks to his dreams, he hadn't forgotten how fragile Yugi had looked laying on the couch.
Yami growled.
Yep… Thanks to those dreams, he had had serious problems doing anything other than standing under the cold shower. Yep, those dreams definitely hadn't focused on Yugi's injuries…
He raised his gaze and looked at his watch. Time to go… A sigh was released from his lips when Yami get out his car and locked it before he started walking down to the sand road.
There was plenty of fallen leaves and the wind was getting colder and colder every day. Yami tugged up the collar of his jacket, wondering if he needed to buy a new winter jacket for riding.
"Yami!" The cheerful greeting startled him when he arrived at the yard of the stable. He raised his gaze from the ground and looked right.
Yugi was standing at the doorway of the riding hall where Yami hadn't been before. A smile crept its way up his lips instinctively when Yami noticed that Yugi was able to stand without any help.
"Yugi," he greeted back, nodding to the shorter man. "Are your legs better now?"
"Much better," Yugi flashed a smile. "Though they are still sore so I think we should take a shorter riding session today and then, if you want, I can teach you how to clean up the horse's equipment and the horse itself."
Yami's brows raised.
"Isn't it a little bit cold to start playing with water?"
Yugi tilted his head back and laughed.
"It might be, but we had a special room where we can do it without freezing our fingers or the horse."
"Okay then," Yami nodded curiously. "Sounds good."
Yugi nodded back a little more seriously.
"I wanted to ask because not all of my soon-to-be race riders want to do that." He didn't roll his eyes but Yami was quite sure that Yugi didn't look good by it.
"They only want to ride?"
"Yep." Yugi sighed but then smiled again and waved Yami inside, closing the door.
Yami was surprised when he saw Captain was already in there but the gelding wasn't wearing its saddle.
"You want me to ride without the saddle?" he asked, staring at Yugi in disbelieve.
"You are more than ready," Yugi encouraged him. "Don't worry. We won't do anything too difficult." He smiled and his eyes seemed to gather every single piece of the light from the hall. "Trust me, Yami."
Yami hesitated, looking at Captain, who looked back totally calm. Just waiting for his decision.
"Okay. I will try," Yami sighed.
"Awesome," Yumi praised. "Come. There is the stool that you can use." Yugi took Captain's reins and Yami follow him to the steady looking wooden stool that stood in the corner. There were even two steps for helping smaller riders but the stool was still high enough that when Yami stood atop it, he could easily slip his leg over Captain's back.
Yugi handed the reins to him and looked up. "Steady enough?"
"I think so," Yami muttered back, feeling anxious. It was so abnormal that he couldn't get any support for his legs. Captain's body heat felt so close.
"Just try to walk around the hall," Yugi advised.
"Everything's still the same, you just don't have that thick mass of leather between you and Captain."
"Much easier said than done," Yami smirked dryly but obeyed, pressing Captain's side and the horse started walking.
Yami looked forward, trying to relax. It wasn't really that big a deal to ride without the saddle. He just felt movements much easier and it felt more natural to keep his legs around Captain's tummy.
"It isn't that bad, is it?" Yugi called and Yami laughed, shaking his head.
"No, it's not."
Yugi's soft laugh echoed all around the hall. "Okay then. You want to try to do some circles?"
"Sure," Yami nodded, starting to make them as soon as he had said it. Nowadays he didn't need the corner's help anymore and it had come more natural to guide the movement with his legs, not with his hands.
Captain obeyed nicely and they did several circles all around the hall.
"Take hold now," Yugi commented and Yami stopped Captain at the middle of the hall, raising his brows to Yugi.
"What now?"
Yugi walked to them and Yami noticed, frowning when he did, that he was limping again. Not as much as Monday, but still.
"You need to sit down," he told him but Yugi just shook his head.
"It's okay, really."
Yami wasn't so sure but didn't say anything else, just waiting for Yugi's guide.
"Next thing we will be training is to back up. It's a part of the dressage competitions and it would show how confident the horse really is."
"Is it also related to the trust between the horse and the rider?" Yami frowned and Yugi nodded.
"Yes. Horses are prey so they don't want to go anywhere where they can't see. Even though horses have a very large field of vision, they have blind spots right in front and behind them. They can handle the spot in front of them, but the one behind them is the spot predators usually are."
"Okay, I understand," Yami nodded taking a deep breath. "So, how will I do that?"
"First you need to steady your sitting. Like you want to start moving forward but at the same time you will shorten the reins and keep them short. It's the signal to the horse that it needs to move backward."
Yami followed those bits of advice and was really surprised when Captain actually took a few steps backward. He chuckled and patted the horse's neck.
"It went well."
"Really," Yugi agreed smiling. "Take a circle and then try again."
Yami practiced backing up several times before Yugi was content.
"Want to try a trot?" Yugi lifted his brows to Yami.
"You don't have to do if you don't feel steady enough."
Yami bit his bottom lip unsure, focusing on his own body.
"I think I'll try..." he gulped. Really, the worst thing that could happen was he fell off. Nothing too big.
"Okay. You can raise to a trot anytime you want."
Yami took a deep breath and then rode Captain forward and the gelding obeyed. It started trotting along the long side of the hall.
Yami cursed aloud, grabbing handful of the horse's mane and glued his legs around Captain's tummy. Without the support of the saddle, he felt that his brain would soon pour out of his ears.
"Lean a bit forward and steady yourself on your knees," Yugi advised him.
"Light seating will help."
Yami wasn't so sure but if he had learned something during these weeks, Yugi always gave very good advice. So he did as told and was really surprised when it worked. He felt way more comfortable. He needed to steady his sitting twice but then he was able to actually enjoy trotting all around the hall.
In the end, when he finally stopped Captain by Yugi, Yami beamed like the sun itself. Yugi laughed.
"It really makes it easier, right?"
"Indeed! I really hate being forced to do a posting trot."
"It will get more comfortable when you get more experience," Yugi promised him.
"Get down now so we can go wash Captain."
Yami followed Yugi, who was slightly limping, to the side door of the stable. Yami was frowning the whole way.
"You should really sit down," he said again, concerned for Yugi's wellbeing.
"I will soon," Yugi waved his concerns off and opened the side door, letting Yami and Captain in.
The room they entered was semi large and it was quite bare. The floor was bare concrete and the walls were made of same style tile of normal bathroom walls. In the floor was the sewer for water. On the wall was the green hose in a roll, ready for use. There were also several rubber brushes, shampoo and a few things that Yami couldn't identify .
"You can chance Captain's bridle to the halter." Yugi gave Captain's halter to Yami who changed it and then attached the long halter strap onto the halter. Yugi did the same on the other side and Captain stood still in the middle of the room, shaking its head slightly.
"You'll want to change your boots." Yugi helds out a pair of Wellington boots and Yami noticed that he had already changed his own boots.
"Thanks." Yami left his own boots by the door and took off his jacket just like Yugi had done.
Under that jacket, Yugi had only the light blue t-shirt and Yami couldn't help but shake his head. He wore a long sleeved shirt and still he had been a bit cold outside.
"How are you not totally like an ice cube?" he smirked and Yugi looked puzzled before he looked down and shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm used to it. And I have been moving around all day long."
Yami shook his head and sighed. Yugi turned around, lifting to hose out of its hook and Yami sincerely wished he would have kept his jacket on. He had all too good view of Yugi's butt and it was a really distracting sight. Seriously… Yami was sure that someone could have pressed a gun against his forehead and he wouldn't notice. How on earth could a man look so good with slightly too big Wellington boots while holding a hose?
"Earth to Yami, earth to Yami. Can you hear me?"
Yami startled out of his daydreams and blushed, noticing Yugi's amused look.
"What?" he grunted, trying to force his brain back on track.
"Ready to start?"
"When you are." Yami deserved Yugi's chuckles as he walked around Captain and to Yugi who shook his head and calmed down.
"So, before we started you should know that the horses are individuals for many parts of life and that includes water. Some horses fear water, some tolerated it, some loved it. Pharaoh, for example, loves water and can be such a fool because of it." Yugi smiled fondly at some private thoughts and Yami smiled too. Yugi looked so happy due to the memory. It was over way too soon and Yugi continued.
"Captain tolerates water but hates when it's too close to his head. It's a survival instinct thing. Their vestibular system is inside their ears just like ours, but the horses' are much more vulnerable. They can drown if water gets inside their ears while swimming so they panic even on dry land if that happens. That why it's important to be careful."
"I will keep that in mind," Yami nodded, looking at the hose. "How warm does the water need to be?"
"Just a bit warmer than your hand," Yugi answered, turning the water on, keeping the hose towards the floor.
Captain twisted his ears when the water poured to the floor and Yugi let Yami try the water with his hand. Then he did it too.
"It's good. Another basic thing you should keep in mind while washing the horse is that it isn't the same as washing a car or something. Don't raise the water pressure. It's totally fine how it's flowing right now. This way it won't hurt the horse or scare it."
Yami nodded and together they started to wet Captain, who twisted its ears again but didn't react anyway else.
"Could you get that orange bottle from the shelf?" Yugi asked and Yami obeyed, grabbing said bottle and bringing it to Yugi who flashed a smile at him.
"Thanks. Want to take the hose?" Yugi offered the hose to Yami who took it, trying not to wet himself. Or Yugi… As tempting as that thought was. Yami rolled his eyes and let the water run down Captain's back. Yugi took a big yellow sponge and added the shampoo to it. Then he lowered the shampoo bottle on the floor by the wall.
"This is similar to when you wash yourself," he told Yami while starting to rub Captain's neck ina circular motions. The shampoo foam a little, dripping to the floor.
"Of course there is much more space to clean," Yugi laughed and Yami fought back several very dirty images. Yugi didn't seem to notice that the foam was also dripping on his shirt, wetting it in very disturbing ways.
Yugi moved closer to Yami, continuing from the neck to the back.
"You can rinse Captain's neck now. It's better not to let the foam and dirt dry up."
"Okay," Yami nodded and turned, intending to walk around Yugi, but the hose had something else in its mind. It twisted around on the floor and Yami stumbled but managed to gain his balance before he would have fallen to the floor.
A muffled yelp startled Yami and he tugged his gaze up, eyes widening. Yugi stood beside Captain the sponge still in his hands, but… He was soaking wet. The water dripped off his wet locks, glittered onto his skin and glued his shirt and pants to his skin. Yugi's look was of pure shocked when he slowly raised his gaze to Yami, who stared back equally shocked.
Yugi looks so fucking hot! Yami couldn't even move his gaze off him and his stare brought a beautiful blush upon Yugi's cheeks.
Finally, some very tiny part of Yami's intelligence got some movement to the rest of his brain.
"I'm sorry," Yami's words stumbled out off his mouth and even now he couldn't move his gaze away.
"I… didn't mean to..."
Yugi shivered and shook his head, silencing Yami.
"It's okay," he breathed and smiled a little.
"I was just surprised." He dropped the sponge and tried squeezing the water out of his hair. Yami lowered his gaze to the floor, feeling his cheeks get hotter. This couldn't get any more embarrassing even if he tried… He rubbed his face with his free hand and forced his brain to focus on this moment and not all those images of Yugi's wet body.
"Maybe it's safer if you hold the hose and I use the sponge," he offered with a dry smile, lifting his gaze to Yugi, who had gotten most of the water out of his hair. His locks drooped all over his face, making him look even more adorable than before.
"Should you change your clothes?"
"I don't have anything to change into," Yugi chuckled and wiped his hair out of his face. Yami bit his lip.
"I'm sorry," he said again, feeling extremely guilty. Yugi laid his hand on Yami's arm. Yami looked up and was caught by those amethyst eyes which stared straight at to his soul.
"It's fine, really," Yugi said with a soft tone.
"It's just water."
"You could get a cold," Yami said quietly and Yugi shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe, but I highly doubt that. I can stay inside until my clothes are dry. After all, I have an evening shift so I will be here until ten o'clock."
Yami sighed deeply.
"Okay. But I'm still sorry."
Yugi couldn't keep his giggles down and Yami smiled as well.
"If you want to be," Yugi teased and slapped Yami's arm softly.
Still smiling Yami offered the hose to Yugi and crouched to pick the sponge up from the floor.
"Let's continue, shall we?"
"We shall," Yugi smiled and started to rinse Captain's neck while Yami rubbed the horse's back and tummy.
The rest of the washing went smoothly enough and Yami was happy when he could rinse his hands and Yugi put the hose back to the wall. Yami noticed that his shirt was starting to dry up. It was good, even though he was a little bit disappointed.
Gosh, man, he scolded himself. Don't you have enough material for your wet dreams already?
He shook his head a bit and looked at Yugi who took a strange metal thing out of the shelf. It was a simple thin, long plate of steel that was just slightly curved and on both ends were wooden handles.
"What is that?" Yami tilted his head to the item and Yugi smiled.
"This is a sweat scraper. We can use this and wipe most of the water off Captain's fur." Yugi showed Yami how to hold the item and started to dry Captain with long wipes. The whole process was so quick that while Captain was not completely dry, he didn't drip water anymore.
Yugi patted Captain's neck and offered it a piece of carrot he had to taken off the little basket by the wall.
"All done."
Yami looked at Yugi and blinked in surprise.
"Already? Okay. It went..." His gaze hit Yugi's wet clothes and he grimaced.
"Not totally well, but..." He offered a sheepish smile and Yugi laughed by his heart.
"Come," Yugi encouraged.
"Let's take Captain back to his box stall."
Yami nodded and unleash Captain, taking hold only from its halter while Yugi picked up Captain's bridle.
Luckily there was a door where they could go straight into the stable and avoid going out. Yami was still concerned about Yugi's wellbeing. Yami took Captain inside its own box stall and then closed the door.
Yugi leaned against the wall and lifted his brow.
"Do you want to clean up Captain's equipment today, or should we try it later? If we do it now, it will take more than we have left from your hour. So if you want to go home in time, we should leave it for now."
Yami frowned, looking at Yugi. He didn't consider his own time but Yugi's feet. He didn't want to force him to stand any longer than was absolutely necessary.
"I think we should leave it for later. We'll have plenty of time later," he smiled a little.
Yami looked toward the stable's door but hesitated, looking back to Yugi who tilted his head curiously.
"Something on your mind?" he asked with a little smile. Yami chuckled.
"Indeed." He bit his lip but then forced the words out of his mouth.
"I keep wondering … If we could meet this weekend…? Like going out for coffee or... something?" He felt the serious need to kick his stammering brain out of his head.
"Though I have a meeting on Saturday so… maybe on Sunday?" He gulped, shooting a hopeful look at Yugi. There was a little smile on his lips and it gave hope to Yami.
"I would like to go with you," Yugi answered, a smile growing more and more, reacting easily his eyes, lighting them up.
Yami stared at him.
"Really?"
Yugi laughed and touched softly Yami's arm as he passed.
"Don't sound so surprised, it will be fun to talk with you. I will call you on Saturday."
"Okay." Yami's throat was suddenly dry as desert sand and his arm was tingling where Yugi had touched it. He looked after Yugi like an idiot until the spell released him and Yugi disappeared into the office. Yami took a deep breath and tried to moisten his mouth without any success. Holy shit… Had that really happened? Based on his still tingling arm, the answer was yes but his rational mind was still skeptical.
Yami rubbed his face and sighed.
There wasn't anymore hope that he would enjoy Seto's party. Not when he would be waiting for Sunday and his meeting with Yugi. Oh gosh… Where should he go with him? Would Yugi like something simple or would he be expecting something more classy?
Should the meeting be called a date? Or was Yugi speaking just only as a friend?
Yami's thoughts were such a big mess as he walked out of the stable and to his car.
Saturday and that phone call couldn't come quickly enough.
Hope you like it. If you have a moment, please drop a comment, I love everyone of them^^
