It didn't work. If anything, the move made things worse. For the first two days, Gavin had run around in circles, flapping and cawing as he looked for Nines. By the third day, he'd figured out where he was, only he couldn't get to him. He hopped and flapped along the mesh fence, cawing mournfully. That Nines answered only seemed to make it worse. They both sounded miserable, crowing at all hours of the day. On day four, Gavin had attacked the fence so vigorously that he'd managed to scrape his beak on the mesh, leaving behind a noticeable scratch. By day five, he'd given up the fight and found a new spot, sitting on top of the coop where he had a clearer view of the old pen and Nines' distant form. The black cock had a similar idea, sitting atop his own coop and flapping his wings as if waving.
Along with the distress came a drop in health. Where before Gavin had been happy to eat and preen his feathers, he was now lazy and lethargic. He barely pecked his seed, prompting Hank to take him to the vet again. Luther was patient as he looked him over, wincing where he'd started plucking his own feathers out. He was a sad-looking lump as he slumped on the table, not even kicking in protest as he usually did. Luther gave him a shot to perk him up a little, but upon hearing Hank's story, there was really only one conclusion.
"Lovesick?" Richard snorted in disbelief at the news, having had similar problems with Nines. There was no way his rooster was lovesick! Not when he was spoiled and wanted for nothing. Fresh water, crisp hay, the finest seed, a sea of voluptuous hens. What more could a healthy rooster want? Apparently, another rooster. Hank shrugged as he leaned on Richard's doorframe, having dropped by to discuss the situation and come to some sort of agreement. He was actually a little out of his element, having never had a proper conversation with the man before.
"I've never heard of it either, but it's the only explanation." Richard gave another scoff, lips curling as he stepped inside and left the door open. Accepting the silent invitation, Hank followed him through the large wooden hall into an open-plan kitchen, which was far more orderly than his own. Everything had its proper place in various pots and boxes, china cups and plates neatly stacked in glass-fronted cabinets. Richard filled a heavy-looking kettle and set it on the Aga, a huge black gas oven that was always running. It made the kitchen feel quite stuffy in the spring and summer, but kept things warm in the winter.
"Well, what do you expect me to do about it?" Hank watched from the doorway as Richard grabbed two cups and spooned some leaves into a teapot. He was dressed down today, wearing a fresh set of jeans and a light linen shirt that was unbuttoned at the collar, giving him a glimpse of the dark hair on his chest. He was clean shaven that day and his dark hair was combed, a clear sign he hadn't been out in the stables that morning. The discarded jacket and empty carrier suggested he may have been busy on a mission of his own.
"What if we opened up the coops? Let the two groups mix?" Richard looked utterly bewildered.
"Are you mad? These are breeding stock! I don't want your rooster anywhere near my hens!" Hank gave him a withering look. They really didn't have much of a choice. It wasn't like the roosters would mate the hens as things were. Maybe mixing it up was what they needed.
"Fine! How about you send Nines over to my coop for a playdate?" Richard paused as the kettle whistled, slowly pouring out the water and setting it aside before resuming their current argument. Despite his hot temper, he didn't hurry himself, patiently waiting for the leaves to brew. Hank watched as he grabbed a small sugar bowl and ceramic jug, which he topped off with milk to complete the service.
"And let Nines mate your hens?" He didn't see how that was fair. Nines was expensive breeding stock! He shouldn't be wasting his season on common hens. The quality of the rooster was of no concern to Hank. He'd be happy with chicks of any kind. It was a shame Richard was so stubborn with his penny pinching attitude.
"Alright, how about a separate pen just for those two? It might be just what they need to get it out their system." He accepted the cup Richard gave him and added milk and sugar as he pushed it across, though Richard took his own tea black. Why am I not surprised? Perhaps that's where he got his bitter attitude. The thought almost made him chortle. "It can't hurt." It wasn't like the roosters were mating as things were. Though reluctant to encourage this madness, Richard agreed that he'd fork Nines over for the express purposes of getting it out of his system.
It was strange, being in Richard's home. Everything was cool, dark wood, more like a hunting lodge than a cosy farmhouse. He hadn't even added carpets or rugs, just cold wooden floors or hard stone tile. The long kitchen window looked out onto the yard with a fine view of the chicken coop, Hank's yard, and the distant fields bordering the trees. Hank could see his own sheep, fluffy white clouds in a seat of green. In the field at the end of Richard's yard, he could see a few horses trotting about with fine, glossy coats. Either Richard or his staff kept them well groomed. From the care he'd taken over the tea, Hank could believe it might be Richard himself doing the work. Even now he was quite meticulous, returning the sugar and storing the small jug in the fridge.
He could only imagine the heart attack he'd have upon seeing his own home. Dirt and fur from muddy boots and paws, a few days' worth of cups and plates, crumby counters and random odds and ends. He didn't consider his house to be filthy, just a little lived in. It was hard to keep on top of things with all the animals to tend to. The sheep could take care of themselves mostly, but there were the chickens and pigs, and even a couple of donkeys. The donkeys didn't do much nowadays, but he did rent them out in the summer for beach rides. Kids loved them, and their parents sometimes bought his eggs.
"Guess we should get this over with," Richard grumbled as he finished his tea. Since they didn't want to mix the hens, it was agreed they'd use the old pen in Hank's yard. Hank followed Richard out through the back door, waiting patiently as he slipped into a set of black boots. A wise choice if he didn't want chicken shit all over his shoes. While Richard stepped into his shiny new pen, Hank hopped the fence and walked over to grab Gavin. It was almost like he knew what was coming as he saw him arrive, brown wings beating as he skittered up to meet him.
"Hey there, pretty boy. You want to come and see Nines?" Gavin squawked his loud agreement, suggesting that he very much did. Hank huffed fondly as he leaned down and trapped his wings, lifting him in his hands and watching his head bob excitedly. "Come on then, let's go see your boyfriend." It seemed odd to think of chickens and roosters in such terms, but if Gavin could get what he wanted and regain his mojo, who was he to judge? Stepping inside the abandoned pen, Hank chortled as he watched Richard stumbling about after Nines. He certainly wasn't experienced with chickens, that much was painfully obvious as Nines cawed and opened his wings, sharp eyes issuing a challenge.
Setting Gavin down, Hank folded his arms and leaned on the mesh to watch as Richard reached for his rooster, only to receive a face full of beating feathers in return. Covering his face, Richard stumbled back as Nines leapt and flapped, sharp claws raking his covered arms. If not for the linen of his shirt, those claws would have left quite the scratch. Nines crowed and pattered away, quickly noticing Gavin as he hooted and hopped at the mesh. Richard cursed quietly as he drew back, checking his sleeves for tears and scowling at the oblivious roosters.
"You've got to get in behind him and trap those wings," Hank called, smirking at the glare Richard sent his way. With Gavin now distracting him, Richard had the perfect opportunity to sneak up behind the black rooster. Nines pecked and scraped the ground, bobbing his head and fluffing his comb as Gavin batted the mesh with his wings. Bending his knees and being as quiet as possible, Richard questioned his own sanity as he crept closer to snag his rooster. It seemed ludicrous he was going to all this trouble to send his prized rooster on a date with another rooster. "That's the spirit!" If looks could kill, Hank was pretty sure he'd be dead as Richard glared up at him, having just made a grab for Nines and missed.
"If you're so good at it, why don't you grab him? This was your idea!" Hank guffawed, staying where he was and enjoying the show as Nines pecked at Richard's booted feet and skittered off around the large coop. Even the hens seemed amused as they cooed and clucked. Richard sighed, clearly frustrated as he ran a hand through his fluffed hair.
"It's your rooster. You have to get used to it if this is going to become a regular thing."
"Regular thing my ass!" Hank shrugged. Depending on how things went, they might have to make it regular. In the best-case scenario, the roosters would get whatever hormones they had out of their systems and go back to mating the hens as they should. Slightly better would be if they continued these little trysts regularly while also mating the hens while separated. In the worst case, they'd refused to mate anything else, and one or both of them would have to get a new rooster. That probably wouldn't go down well with Richard. Hell, I could see him turning Nines into nuggets out of spite. They certainly weren't getting along that day. "Would you get your prissy little ass over here?" Hank snorted at Richard's grumbles as he finally wrestled Nines into his arms.
"Not bad for a first try," Hank praised as he finally got the black cock stuffed under one arm and wrestled his way to the door. It was clearly a struggle for him to keep hold of Nines as he walked. Black claws kicked and clawed the air, wings straining to break free as Richard approached the fence and stopped dead. Hank raised an eyebrow before remembering Connor, who was sitting at his feet, panting happily as he stared up at Richard. "Connor, away." With a whistle, the fluffy collie zipped off across the yard, giving Hank time to step out and help the smaller man over the fence. If this becomes a regular thing, it might be an idea to put a gate between the pens.
Richard was a little shaky as he climbed up, resting his weight on the top rung of the fence with only one hand to steady himself. Seeing his chance, Nines tried to wrench his wings free, turning his head this way and that to get at Richard's skin. If not for Hank's muscular hands on his arms, Richard would have fallen as he struggled to keep hold of Nines. Stumbling against Hank's chest, Richard cursed as a burning pain seared the back of his hand.
"Agh! Fucking-fuck-I ought to turn you into Sunday dinner!" Richard cursed as Hank hurried him into the pen and shut the door. Nines had finally managed to get one wing free, and wrestled his head around enough to dig his beak into Richard's hand. Richard considered himself lucky he'd managed to hold on long enough to stumble into the pen before releasing him. Nines squawked indignantly, kicking up dirt as he flapped his way across the pen to Gavin. Richard paid them no mind as he straightened up and shook his bleeding hand, cursing quietly as Hank chuckled.
"You don't mean that." Richard was quite sure he did mean it at that particular moment. He hissed and cursed, only stopping as Hank gripped his wrist with a weathered hand and pulled him closer. His mouth suddenly felt very dry as those aged blue eyes dropped to examine the nasty gash. He'd caught him right in the soft skin on the back of his hand, between his thumb and index finger. "Looks like he got you pretty good." You wouldn't think it to look at him, but Richard's palms were pretty rough, probably from all the time he spend in the saddle. The back of his hands were much softer, untouched by the rough leather reins. It was almost subconscious as Hank circled a thumb across the soft skin, sending tingles up Richard's arm.
"It's just a scratch..." Hank huffed as Richard's hazel eyes dropped. He didn't pull away, quietly allowing Hank to prod and tease the bleeding skin. They both paused as the sound of gentle hooting and scraping claws caught their ears. Over by the fence, Nines and Gavin had started flapping and circling each other. They both scraped and pecked the earth, digging out whatever worms or seed they found and tossing it to each other. "What are they doing?" Richard asked with a frown, continuing to watch as Hank chortled.
"What? You've never seen chickens courting before? They're flirting, proving they can provide." Hank paused his examination to watch as they accepted the small gifts and flapped their wings. "The problem is, they're both taking the rooster's role." He wasn't sure how they'd expected things to go, but being roosters, they might need to fight it out to see who was stronger. If that's the case, things might get ugly...Hank remained alert as Nines cawed and flapped his wings, opening wide and puffing out his chest. Gavin danced similarly, ducking this way and that with a gentle caw of his own. Drawing up to his full height, Nines gave an even louder crow, swaying this way and that to show off his glossy feathers.
"What now?" Richard asked curiously as Gavin bobbed his head and spread his wings, slowly lowering himself to rest on the earth. Hank chuckled softly as Nines gave a flap of triumph and circled behind to jump on his back. Gavin cooed and flicked his shiny green feathers, lowering his head and raising his tail as Nines' claws settled in place over his wings.
"Looks like Nines won the flirting match." Despite how uncomfortable it looked, it seemed Nines was fairly gentle as he settled in place and plucked at Gavin's neck feathers. Gavin followed the pull and lifted his head, accepted Nines' beak as he groomed him. Moments later, the roosters parted. Nines hopped off, and Gavin pushed to his feet, flapping his wings and fluffing his feathers. Richard blinked in disbelief, looking at the roosters and back at Hank in question.
"Is that it?"
"That's it." His face said it all. All that trouble for that? Hank chuckled as Nines and Gavin finally relaxed and took to pecking the earth, happy to just be near each other. Richard still couldn't believe it. All that fuss and within a few moments, they were acting like nothing happened! It was then, as he turned to ask what they should do next, that he realised Hank was still holding his hand, weathered fingers gently teasing the torn skin. Hank also seemed to notice their predicament, blue eyes dropping to the cut once more. "This is pretty nasty...Come on up to the house and I'll get you sorted."
"I-it'll be fine. I should probably get Nines back over in his pen and-" He winced as Hank tightened his grip and tugged at the bleeding skin, sharp eyes looking for anything in the wound.
"That can wait. Wouldn't want this to get infected." That's true, but...Glancing at the mesh fence, Richard could already see that the lumbering hound was back. Bright brown eyes stared at him where the fluffy beast sat panting, patiently waiting for his master's return. He got to his paws as he noticed Richard's gaze, a gentle woof rumbling in his throat as his tail wagged. "Don't worry, he's harmless." That was easy for him to say! It was his dog! Noting his tense muscles, Hank finally relented and told him to wait. If Richard wouldn't come to the house, he'd just have to bring the med kit down to the pen.
Though he insisted he was fine, Richard agreed to wait and watched Hank leave the old pen. The moment he stepped out, the black and white hound was up, panting and barking as he followed him to the house. Richard sighed as they left, soon turning his attention to his ruined shirt. Blood had already stained the cuff, and a few droplets got on the breast where he'd shaken his hand earlier. The amount of blood was a little concerning, but he doubted it was a problem. It was probably just a little deeper than a regular scrape. Hank didn't seem too concerned either as he returned and had him sit by the mesh, a little away from where Connor sat.
Despite the gate being shut and sitting at a distance, it didn't slip Hank's notice that Richard's sharp eyes barely left him for an instant. It was a good thing Sixty hadn't hopped over to explore his fields. Richard would probably have a heart attack if he found himself alone with that great white beast. It was a good thing for Sixty, too. If he was on Richard's land, he was free to deal with him as he pleased, and he knew Richard owned a gun. Probably many. Maybe Sixty understood that on some level. He was a smart dog. An excellent hunter, too. Hank had woken up to a deer carcass on his doorstep more than once where Sixty had returned to share his spoils.
Opening the white box, Hank started with a saline wash. He tipped the bottle and squeezed, squirting the open wound with a generous dose of solution and watching it rinse off the blood. Unfortunately, that blood was quickly replaced as the wound continued to bleed. Cursing under his breath, Hank dabbed the gash with some cotton so he could see inside. As far as he could tell, nothing was stuck in the cut, but he grabbed the disinfectant anyway. Even if he couldn't see anything, Nines would have bacteria in his beak from all that pecking around in the dirt. Richard didn't even seem to notice as Hank set his hand on his knee and dipped a long swab in the Betadine. Knowing it would sting like a bitch, Hank gripped Richard's wrist to trap his hand in place before firmly brushing the swab along the wound.
"Agh-fuck! Fucking-" He cut off with a hiss, reflexively flinching and trying to pull away.
"You've got quite the mouth on you," Hank teased in a low rumble as he continued stroking and teasing. He wouldn't say it pleased him, but it would be a lie to say he didn't get a little kick out of the little whine he heard stick in Richard's throat as his fingers curled. Short nails dug into his knee through the thick denim, barely pinching the skin beneath. It was somewhat endearing, especially with how his nose scrunched up and his eyes squeezed shut. "Alright...Just a little more." Richard almost regretting closing his eyes as Hank's low voice rumbled in his ear. There was something almost sinful about his lulling tone as he teased his open wound. The knee beneath his hand was large, much bigger than his fisted hand as he gripped the denim.
Richard didn't answer out loud, but he did open his dark eyes to level a sour glare at him. Hank chuckled softly, finally setting the swab aside and grabbing some gauze. Thin lips softened in relief as the wound was finally covered and the gauze was taped in place. The last thing to do was wrap. Richard sat patiently, holding his arm steady as Hank slowly wrapped his hand in a bandage, pulling it snug and taping it in place before sitting back to admire his handiwork. Richard could still feel those rough fingers on his skin as he finally drew back and looked at the neat bandage.
"Thanks." It would be rude not to say anything.
"No problem." It was better that it was taken care of than left to cause problems later. Richard licked his lips, unsure where to go from there. The decision was made for him as loud squawks sounded and they looked up to see Nines and Gavin kicking the air and clawing at each other. It looked much more violent than usual, beaks pecking as they tried to jab each other with their spurs.
"What in tarnation-Hey!" Richard was up in an instant, hurriedly getting between them and shooing Gavin away. Hank chuckled as he pushed to his feet and waited for Gavin to calm down a little. Since Nines was now behind Richard, and seemed set on staying there, it didn't take long for Gavin to relax. Richard still looked confused as Hank leaned down and scooped Gavin beneath his arm in one fell swoop. It was criminal that he made it look so easy.
"Looks like date time is over. Don't worry, it happens sometimes with their territorial instincts. This could mean it's out of their system, or it might just be a small spat. Only time will tell." Richard nodded stiffly, staying where he was as Hank headed for the gate. "You grab Nines while I'm gone, and I'll help you over the fence." Richard almost flushed at the offer. It wasn't like he needed help. It was only a fence. He wasn't even that short. "Unless you think you can handle wrestling Nines, opening the gates, and climbing over all by yourself?" Well, when he put it like that, it did sound a lot more reasonable.
Richard didn't know if it was a drop in energy or just feeling hungry and sated, but Nines was far easier to catch this time. He flapped and kicked a little, but it was nowhere near as bad as before. He didn't even peck him as he stepped out and let Hank help him over the fence. It was a relief to see him strutting among the hens when he returned, tail flicking flirtatiously. Within the first few minutes, he seemed to have claimed his first hen. That little tryst with Gavin seemed to be what he needed to get that nonsense out of his system and go back to what he was supposed to do. Maybe I won't turn him into Sunday dinner after all.