Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I just borrow the guys from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. I do own the plot and any other characters, especially the equines, that you will find in this fic. Please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

Pairing: 2x1x2, 3x4, 13x6, H+C

Warnings: Yaoi, lemon, sap, angst, vet themes, AU

Rating: NC 17

Archive: gundam-wing-diaries. foreverfandom .net and gundam-wing-diaries. 150m. com Anyone else please ask.

Betaed by Karina *snugs*

Summary: Set 2 years after Equus and Heero is doing so well in his own business that he's taken June on as a working pupil. The qualifying shows for the International teams are well underway and it looks like it will be a good year for Heero, his pupils and horses... until Mother Nature steps in.

AN: This fic, although a complete work of fiction is based partially on fact. I will add notes at the end of chapters where necessary to clarify events and provide links where needed.

Dedication: To Leslie and Karina. Leslie for giving me the original idea for Equinity and encouraging and supporting me through the writing of all the fics thus far in the arc. And Karina for not just taking over as my much needed beta, (poor woman needs a medal!), but for also poking and prodding Fred until he went on strike, refusing to work on anything at all until I let him start this. Needless to say, we managed to come to a compromise... Fred gets to write a chapter of this one week... the next week he has to write a chapter of 'Bound'... Did I ever tell you all I hate my muse? :-)

Fic 5 in the Equine Intervention Arc.

Commenced December 2013 – ShenLong

"Rival Riders"

Chapter 10

Heero rained pats down on the gray neck before taking a firm hold on the reins and asking the stallion to slow his gallop to a more manageable canter. Shini responded, settling into his steady canter and looking for the exit. He knew he'd been very good and that the other nice human would be waiting for him with those yummy orange treats he loved so much.

Riding through the exit, Heero passed the last rider in the jump off and wished the man good luck, accepting the other competitor's congratulations with a polite 'thank you'. Once he was clear of the main arena he looked for his partner, weaving Shini through the remaining competitors to get to where his support crew were waiting for him.

"Congratulations, Heero," Carl enthused.

"Great round, Heero. You certainly gave that last rider a time to chase," June stated with a smile.

"Thanks, guys. Shini was such a good boy," Heero responded as he pushed his feet from the stirrups and slipped to the ground.

"He was wonderful, wasn't he?" Duo said and pulled several carrot slices from his pocket for the gray. A soft muzzle had been sniffing over his person as soon as the gray had been within snuffling distance. "There you go, Shini." Duo fed the gray several of his favorite treats.

"I'm so proud of him," Heero replied and gave the gray several more pats.

"I'm sure you will have won."

"Don't dismiss the last rider, Duo. He could very well pull something out of the bag and beat our time," Heero said and turned back to the arena to see how the last competitor was faring.

"He might get a faster time, but he'd also get faults to go with it," Duo quipped, a broad grin on his face.

"Not being a bad sportsman, are we?" June asked with a raised eyebrow and a twinkle in her eye. She couldn't help but overhear the exchange between to pair.

"Bad sportsman? Me? Never," Duo grinned, "Just stating the facts."

Heero shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Don't listen to him, June."

Duo gave the pair an innocent look. June decided to quit now; there was no way she'd ever beat the vet in a verbal sparring match.

The bay on course had started out steady, building the speed as they went. The pair had cleared jumps one and seven, the rider managing to turn on the inside of twelve and bring his horse in reasonably straight for the triple. The bay drew its hind quarters underneath it and cleared the first element, landing safely and taking two strides it launched into the air and cleared the second element. Another stride and the pair launched into the air over the third element. Having cleared all three parts, the bay cantered away, but the effort had taken a lot out of the horse.

The rider did their best to ride the horse together and managed to re-balance, however he wasn't a fool and knew his horse needed a little more time to regain the energy it had lost over the triple and rather than push the horse and take a sharp turn inside jump six, the rider elected to go around the outside.

"Smart move," Heero commented.

"Why? I would have though he'd have gone on the inside like you did with Shini. Taking the outside way means extra time if I'm correct," Duo responded.

"That's right, it will take more time, but the rider knows his horse needs to rebuild the impulsion and he won't if he takes the short cut. He's playing it safe and going for a clear round instead."

"Ah, I see."

"It shows that the rider does have an empathy with his horse and isn't out to simply win at all costs," Heero said with a smile.

"Guess you can't fault him for thinking of his horse first then," Duo replied with a grin.

"No you can't."

The pair turned their attention back to the ring and the bay who was fast approaching the hogs back.

By taking the longer route, the bay had managed to regain some of his energy and cleared the hogs back with ease. Pushing his horse on a touch, the rider aimed for jump twelve, the wall and the final fence in the jump off. The bay dug deep, finding that last bit of energy and managed to clear the wall. The pair sprinted for the finish.

Both Duo and Heero watched the pair, eyes going from the bay to the clock and back again. When the pair passed through the finish flags, Duo let fly with a hissed 'yes!'.

"Clear round for John Flinders riding Reprieve in a time of 37:08. Ladies and gentlemen I will have the results for you in just a moment."

Duo was certain the Heero had won, but he daren't voice his congratulations just yet. He was also pretty sure that Wing had finished in the ribbons as well, but just exactly where was anyone's guess.

The public address system crackled into life again. "Ladies and gentlemen, the results of the Open Table A competition are: In first place with a clear round and time of 34:15, Heero Yuy riding Shinigami. In second place with a clear round and a time of 36:41, Jack Smith riding Sentinel. In third place with a clear round and a time of 37:08, John Flinders riding Reprieve. In fourth place with a clear round and time of 42:16, Heero Yuy riding Wing Zero and in fifth place with four penalties and a time of 52:24 George Leech riding Have a Go."

There was a smattering of applause from the crowd, cheers and whistles (Duo) from the collecting ring.

"Way to go, Heero!" Duo congratulated.

"Well done, boss," June said with a cheeky grin.

"Congratulations, Heero," Marie offered.

"That was a great result, Heero," Carl said.

Blushing bright red, Heero muttered his thanks and began to mount up. Once in the saddle, he picked up his reins and turned to Duo. "Would you mind leading Wing in for his ribbon, please? I can't ride them both and it's not safe to lead Wing from Shini."

"Me?" squeaked Duo.

"Yes, you," Heero said with an amused smile.

"Ah, okay." Blushing slightly, Duo took Wing's reins from June who whipped off the horse's light rug. "Thanks," he said and taking a firm hold, he moved to the side of the ring to allow the first three placegetters to enter. He fell into step behind the bay, Reprieve, and led Wing across the arena to stand in line with the others.

The judge came down the line and presented the various rosettes to the place getters, clipping them to the browbands of the bridles and taking the time to exchange a few words with the riders. When he got to Duo, he gave a warm smile, Duo holding tightly to Wing as the rosette was attached. With the ribbon in place, the judge turned to Duo and handed over an envelope which Duo took. He then offered his hand, the vet taking it and shaking firmly.

"Congratulations, that's a fine young horse you have there."

"Thanks, but the credit all goes to Heero, his owner and rider; I'm just the groom," Duo replied.

"Ah, Mr. Yuy, the one who won on the other gray?"

"Yep, that's him."

"He should be proud then. That other gray hasn't lost any of his edge in the competition and I hope he's intending to try for the next Olympics."

"That he is, sir."

"This is another of his jumpers?" Duo nodded. "I'm impressed. I'd say this one should also be a good International prospect. Give him time to mature and gain experience, he's showing a lot of promise."

"Thank you." Duo began to blush a little. He spotted Wing's muzzle starting to creep forward, intent on searching the judge's person for carrots and quickly pulled back a little on the reins. Fortunately the judge didn't realize just how close he came to being molested by the gray and moved on to the fifth place-getter.

"Wing," Duo growled softly, "It isn't polite to attack the judge, especially when they have been nice and given you a lovely ribbon and lots of praise. Not everyone is a walking carrot dispenser you know."

Liquid brown eyes gazed innocently back.

"Ah, not the horsey eyes, Wing."

Sensing victory, Wing upped the anti, softening his eyes further and adding a tremble to his muzzle as he gently nuzzled the nice human.

"Shit," Duo muttered and reached into his pocket drawing out a carrot and slipping it to the gray.

Wing crunched it up eagerly. Humans were so easy to train.

The judge finished placing the last rosette on the horse and indicated for the riders to take their lap of honor. Duo remained standing with Wing whilst the rest of the riders moved off for their victory canter around the arena. Once the fifth rider had left, Duo turned Wing and began to lead him back towards the exit, the youngster jogging a little from time to time but nothing naughty. "Don't worry, Wing. You'll get your chance soon enough to lead a victory lap, of that I'm sure," Duo said and patted the gray.

Once everyone was back in the collecting ring and the congratulations passed around once more, the group began to trek across the grass towards the goose-neck and begin the preparations for the trip home.

# # #

Things fell back into a routine for the two guys after the Exbury show. Heero was kept busy working his own horses and those of his clients, he also continued to work with Frank and Jester. Frank's riding had improved dramatically under Heero's tutelage and although Jester was still a hot horse – and always would be – Frank now had a much firmer seat and leg and was able to ride his horse properly. The pair had developed a trust between them, one that was vital if they wished to succeed in their goal of making the Olympic team. Frank had also expressed his interest in gaining Olympic selection to the EFA and along with Heero, had many shows mapped out for Jester.

Since the training camp, June had been working extra hard with Orion. Heero had continued to give the woman a lesson each week, more if he had the time and was very pleased with the improvements the pair were showing. In one way Heero hoped that June would get her chance to ride in the Nations Cup team, but that would only happen if one of the other riders or horses fell sick or were injured, and that was something Heero wouldn't wish upon a fellow competitor. If June did get to ride then that would be great, but only as long as the person and horse she replaced didn't suffer any serious issues.

Nataku was working well, the mare giving her all for the sympathetic rider. Since giving in and trusting her new rider not to hurt her or ask her to do anything she wasn't capable of doing, Nataku had outstripped even Heero's expectations. Heero was so proud of the mare and made sure to make a big fuss of her every time she did as Heero asked.

Heero's pride in the mare and his foresight as to what she could be capable of were paying off in spades. But it was nothing compared to the pride Wufei showed in his horse.

Whenever Wufei had any spare time from his restaurant he turned up at the stables. If he wasn't brushing the mare, he was feeding her treats, checking her over or simply standing with her and gently stroking her face and ears. Nataku, for her part, simply adored her new master and would gladly stand for hours with him, letting him do anything he pleased.

Heero would never have believed the bond that had formed between the two if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. Even Duo had to admit that the pair had something special between them. Duo had heard of several occasions where animals had formed strong ties and bonds with their masters, but never had he seen anything as strong as the tie that bound Wufei and Nataku.

"Mail's in," Duo said and dropped a pile to the table where Heero was sitting, enjoying a cup of coffee before heading back out to work the next horse.

"Thanks." Heero picked up the pile and began to separate it out into piles; those for the practice, Duo's personal mail and his own. There was a large envelope amongst the pile and Heero's heart skipped a beat when he got to it. It had the official EFA logo in the corner and that could only mean one thing.

"You gonna open that or use x-ray vision?" Duo teased, sitting opposite his husband and placing his just made coffee to one side.

Grunting softly, Heero tore open the envelope, a pile of papers slipping out to the table top. Picking up the letter that appeared on the top of the pile, he opened it and began to read.

Despite his curiosity, Duo held his tongue. He had a fair idea what the paperwork was but would wait for Heero to confirm it. He began to pick up his own pile of mail. When Heero lowered the letter, Duo looked up expectantly.

"It's all the paperwork for the Nations Cup," Heero explained.

"Ah, I thought it was something like that," Duo responded and got up to move around the table and sit next to Heero.

Heero handed over the letter to Duo for the vet to read and occupied himself by sifting through the remaining paperwork.

"From what I remember of the last time you competed at the Nations Cup, it all appears to be pretty much the same," Duo commented.

"Hai, it does," Heero replied and scanned through the paper he was holding. "The program appears to be the same too. The grand parade is on the Thursday along with the official opening of the events. The dressage is also on that day."

"When is the cup competition and the Championships?" Duo asked, worming his way into Heero's lap so he could read the paperwork at the same time.

Adjusting his position slightly to accommodate his husband, Heero glanced over the program of events. "The Cup first rounds are on the Saturday afternoon, the final is on the Sunday. The A grade Championships are on the Friday along with the C grade Championships and the speed event."

"Are you going to enter Shini?"

"I might as well. I'll be taking the goose-neck with Nataku and Orion in it so I might as well take Shini along. It would be a good event for him to catch the eye of the selectors again for the Olympics."

"Well, by the looks of all these forms, we'd better get started on filling them out," Duo snickered. "Especially if you have to write a spiel about yourself and the horse again."

Heero scowled. "I'd forgotten about that."

"So I gathered. I take it you will want a hand?"

"If you don't mind?"

"I think I'd better otherwise if I leave it all to you all the commentator will get is; 'Heero Yuy, competing for several years. This time on a client's horse.' or something along those lines," Duo teased.

"They'd be lucky to even get that," Heero retorted.

"Then it's lucky you have me to help you out," Duo said softly and stole a kiss.

"Mmm, what would I do without you?" Heero replied and sealed their lips once more.

"Hire a secretary?" Duo managed to get out before he totally lost himself to the kiss.

When they finally broke apart, both men were flushed. "God I love you," Heero stated and feathered kisses to Duo's jaw and neck.

Closing his eyes and simply enjoying the attention, Duo gave a soft sigh. "Love you so much too, Heero."

# # #

"Heero?"

Looking up from where he was brushing Shini before saddling the gray up, Heero noted the distracted look on June's face and the envelope in her hand. The woman had just shown up for work, Heero having put all the horses out earlier and fed them, returning after his own breakfast to make a start on the stables and working the horses. "Hai?"

"I had all the paperwork come through in yesterday's mail for the Nations Cup and there's a couple of things I'm not clear on. Any chance you could help me out?"

"Of course. What are the problems?" Heero put down the body brush and gave his attention fully to his working pupil.

"My main question is, if I'm only the reserve rider, do I really need to fill out all the forms and send them back? I doubt there's any chance I will be competing so it seems silly to fill all these out. Oh, that's the other thing, will I have to travel to the show as well or simply wait at home and see if I'm needed?"

"I assume that you will need to fill out all the paperwork and send it back, even if you are only the reserve. Being that the competition is being held here in Australia should anything happen to any of the team members it's much easier to get the reserve rider to attend. If it was overseas then they don't usually bother to have the reserve go along as it's an unnecessary expense. I think the best thing to do would be to give Noin a call and ask her what exactly she wants you to do. In the past she's contacted the reserve to let them know, but it wouldn't hurt for you to call her for a change."

"Good idea, that way I'll at least know if I need to book accommodations for myself, Geoff and Max."

"The accommodations for the team are already taken care of by the EFA so we don't need to worry about that side of things, although I don't know if they would have booked anything for the reserve and if they have, will they include Geoff in that booking? Normally they have the riders share with their grooms, unless they're the opposite sex and in that case they sometimes share with another groom or still stay with the rider if they're comfortable with that. I'm starting to get a little side tracked, aren't I?" Heero chuckled. Usually it was Duo who tended to explain things in minute detail, not Heero so he found it quite amusing that he'd picked up some of that trait from his husband.

June was looking a little lost with information overload.

"Give Noin a call, ask her all your questions and I'm sure she will be able to explain everything in better terms than I can."

"I think that would be the best thing," June mused.

"Use the phone extension in the tack room, Noin's number should be on the paperwork somewhere."

"Thanks, Heero."

By the time Heero had finished working Shini and returned to the stables, June had finished her call and had also completed all the stable work. She came across to give Heero a hand to unsaddle and brush the gray down.

"Did you manage to get a hold of Noin?" Heero asked.

"Yes, I did and she was very helpful."

Heero glanced at his watch. "Let's finish brushing Shini off and go up to the cottage for a coffee. We can talk more about it all up there, it's more comfortable than down here."

"Thanks, Heero."

Shini was soon brushed and rugged, Heero turning him back out into his paddock and continuing to walk up the raceway towards the cottage, June following along with her envelope of papers. Entering the cottage, Heero spied his husband sitting at the kitchen table, reading through the latest veterinary newsletter.

"Hey, Heero," Duo said as he looked up. "Hi June," he added when he spotted the woman behind Heero.

"I hope I'm not intruding," June said with a pointed look at the paper Duo held.

"Nah, just catching up on the latest in the world of the vet. I need a break though so you're doing me a favor." Duo folded the newsletter up and put it to the side. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Heero replied as he filled the kettle and fetched three mugs. "June's had her paperwork for the Nations Cup and was a little confused with it all so she gave Noin a call to get the low down. I thought it would be easier to discuss it all up here rather than in the stables."

"I don't think confused is the right word for all that lot," Duo replied with a grin and waved the woman to a seat. "More like totally baffling if you ask me. The first time Heero got his paperwork for the Cup event we ended up over at Treize's trying to sort through it all."

"That I could believe," June replied with a grin of her own.

Heero approached with the coffees and set one down in front of June, one for Duo and went back to fetch his own. Taking his seat beside Duo,, he took a sip of his coffee and then faced the woman. "What did Noin have to say?"

June took a breath and began to recite what Noin had told her. "As the competition is in Victoria she wants me to be there just in case. Apparently the EFA has already booked the accommodations and I've been included in that booking. She also said that there would be enough room for Geoff and Max in the room too, so that's one problem solved. I've also got to fill out the same paperwork as you and the rest of the team just in case I'm needed."

"Well, that sucks," Duo said with a snicker. "Filling out the paperwork I mean." Seeing June about to question him, Duo continued. "Aside from the basic information, they also want a spiel on you and your horse, something for the commentator to read out just as you enter the ring for your round. Does wonders for the nerves."

June looked shocked. "They don't?" She looked at Heero who nodded slowly. "Crap. I'm no good at that sort of thing," she muttered and lowered her eyes.

"Neither is Heero," Duo snickered. "That's why he has me, to write the damn thing for him otherwise all they'd have is his name, he works for himself and that the horse he's riding is a client's animal."

June laughed, Heero scowled. "I have better things to do with my time than write out stupid summaries; besides, you're much better with words than I am." Heero gave his partner a look.

"Can I help it if I'm multi-talented?' Duo said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"In that case, you can write one for me too," June stated and gave the vet a cheeky grin.

Duo rolled his eyes. Deciding a change of topic was in order, he moved on. "Does it state anywhere in that paperwork who the other countries competing will be?"

"Hai, it does." Heero got up and fetched his own envelope from the dresser and began to sift through the contents. "Ah, here it is. Aside from Australia, there will be another eight countries. France, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Sweden, Italy, England and Germany."

Duo let go a low whistle. "Should be a good competition then."

"That it will." Heero continued to read through.

"You're entering Shini in the A Grade Championships, aren't you, Heero?" June asked.

"Yes, I am."

"Are you going to enter Nataku as well?"

"No, she will have more than enough to cope with doing the Cup competition. I'd rather keep her fresh for that, why?"

"I had thought about entering Orion, but I guess it would be better to keep him for the Cup in case he's needed."

"I think that's probably a good idea, although you can bet if you were to enter him then you'd be needed for the team, if you don't enter him then chances are, you won't be needed," Duo shrugged, "Murphy's Law," he added.

"I think you could be right about that," June chuckled. "What about Frank? Do you think he would be interested in entering Jester in the A grade? If he is, he can have my entry form."

"That's not a bad idea, June," Heero said and mulled the thought over in his head. "He will be here after work to ride Jester, we can fill him in then and see what he thinks."

"Looks like we're going to have a full goose-neck," Duo chuckled

tbc...