La saison quand Pégase a visité - Aoi/Uruha - Part 1/2
Title: La saison quand Pégase a visité ( The season Pegasus visited )
Chapters: Part 1 of 2
Author: candicecandy and venomousliberty
Genre: Romance and fluff
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None.
Pairings: Aoi/Uruha
Summary: Two souls from two different worlds, brought together by the mortal form of Pegasus.
Part One
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It was the first few weeks of autumn, the midmorning sun shining high up in the sky and bringing out the vivid colors of red, orange and brown that currently decorated the trees and slowly painted the ground. Kouyou smelled the faint scent of dried leaves and parched wood lingering in the air, mingling with the somewhat strong scent coming from the beautiful beast beside him. After years of being around horses and working in the barn, he was already accustomed to their usual odor, sometimes even forgetting about their foul smell.
His hands tightened around the reins as he guided the horse in its thirtieth lap, silent as he watched the majestic creature with a gleam of satisfaction in his aureate eyes. Walking with horses never failed to make him feel a sense of peace and calm, and to his delight, his task today was to walk whichever horse was given to him as a part of the “warm up” process, as they called it in the equestrian world. He had been seeing riders coming in and getting on the horses they were randomly assigned and he began to wonder as to when the rider of the horse he was currently holding would be arriving. It was always like this during the day of the competition. Riders come in and out in a fast pace, experiencing the most intense 60 seconds of their lives, but for a horse handler like him, the only element of surprise today was meeting an unfamiliar rider. He slightly chuckled at the idea of expecting a complete stranger. Though he loved meeting new people, he still couldn’t help but feel shy and conscious.
Kouyou turned and looked at the direction where the entrance was located, seeing a few riders making their way through the entrance, his eyes narrowing into slits as he struggled to look at their faces, guessing if one of them would be the person destined to take his horse. The first two people who entered the warm up arena immediately found their horses, thus he continued staring at the entrance, noticing another presence coming inside the arena. The next rider was tall in equestrian standards, his frame lean and slender. To Kouyou, there was nothing special or out of the ordinary with this person, until he got a good look at the mysterious rider’s face. Deep obsidian orbs that captured the glint of a starry night, high cheekbones and a nose similar to that of a greek statue sculpted by a grand artist, and as if to make his masterpiece even more perfect, the artist smoothened out the sharp edges on the nose to create an elegant line leading to a pair of full luscious lips. Kouyou suddenly found himself breathless, unable to comprehend that such perfection even existed, clueless to the sudden frantic beating of his heart inside his once hollow chest. He was so mesmerized, so caught up with staring at the handsome man he failed to notice that the current center of his universe was approaching him, walking towards him with a purpose.
“Capri?” A charismatic and alluring voice inquired.
Did someone just speak? Wait, why did the person he was openly staring at seemed to be so near, so close to him all of a sudden?
“Is this Capri?” There was a slight tension added to that appealing voice, and those onyx eyes were now staring at him questioningly.
The blond blinked stupidly and as realization slowly dawned on him, he felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. Though he couldn’t see any emotions present in the mysterious rider’s face, he knew he had been caught shamelessly ogling him. Gathering his scattered wits, he immediately opened his mouth to speak, “C-capri? Is this Capri? Y-yes, t-this is Capri!”
“Can I get on then?” Annoyance was clear in his impatient tone. “I’m riding her.”
The blushing handler quickly guided the horse to the side without a word, ignoring the piercing eyes he could feel boring through his back. He knew the other man was glaring at him, definitely irritated, maybe even angered by his idiocy.
The mysterious rider got on horseback in a swift manner and placed his legs on the stirrups so Kouyou could check for the length. As expected, the slightly longer than average legs of this rider were constrained within the stirrup in an uncomfortable angle. “Can you lengthen it by one level please?” The other man immediately requested, moving his leg forward to provide space for the handler to fulfil his request.
Kouyou quickly followed and shyly adjusted the stirrup, his heart pounding loudly in his chest as he tried to avoid the rider’s eyes and stopped his fingers from trembling, hoping that Capri would be called to the gate so he could have his task over and done with then finally get away from the mysterious rider. As if the goddess of mercy had pitied him, a staff suddenly called Capri’s name, signaling that the horse and the rider should proceed to the gate. Holding back a sigh of relief from escaping his lips, he immediately guided the beautiful steed and the competitor towards the entry of the competition arena. Just when they were about to reach their destination, Kouyou had half a mind of wishing the cold rider good luck, thinking that it might somehow make up for the stupidity he had displayed a while ago. He took a deep breath and gathered courage, loosening his grip to the horse’s reins as they reached the gate. He looked up and saw the mysterious rider focused on the course set up in the competition court, obviously not acknowledging his presence. A small pout formed on his lips. Even if he wished the other man good luck, he was sure that the rider wouldn’t pay attention to him, so without uttering a single word, he finally released the leather strip that bound the horse as it stepped into the field and heard the voice of the announcer blasting through the speakers. For the first time, he heard the name of his mystery rider- Yuu, Shiroyama Yuu.
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Taking a deep breath as he stood by the gate, waiting for the signal telling him to enter the court, Yuu casually looked around the barn as a way of distracting himself from the nervousness swirling inside his stomach. The said barn was surrounded with a stratum of trees outlining the edge of the vast property, small bushes of sumac were planted along the pathway, connecting the outdoor arena to the archaic stalls. Every inch of the ground was covered with golden and brown fallen leaves, painting the entire land into a picture of a romantic autumn.
He closed his eyes as the warm sun pulled him into a gentle embrace, feeling a soft breeze dancing lightly on his skin. He liked this place, the beautiful surrounding made it look magical, almost unreal, which made it the perfect place for him to spend his Sunday afternoon. He was silently making a mental note to talk to the owner of this barn when the gate to the competition arena opened, allowing him and his fellow competitors to search for their assigned horse among the group of steeds that was arranged in a neat line.
Chico, Yuu said to himself as he remembered the name of the steed that was designated for him in this section of the horse show. He steadily approached the majestic creature, seeing the unmistakably familiar shade of blond hidden behind the firmly built shoulders of his assigned horse. With each step closer, his heartbeat got heavier and heavier. Could it be? Could it really be? It seemed like fate had played a little trick on him by meeting the beautiful handler he met last week for the second time. When those aureate eyes looked straight into his obsidian ones, he couldn’t tell if his heart had stopped beating or if the entire universe had disappeared around them.
He didn’t even remember speaking, but somehow, he heard a captivating voice reply timidly, “Yes, this is Chico.” For the second time, Yuu got onto the horse and proceeded to check for the length of the stirrup, but before he could say anything, the blond had already started his task in a series of graceful movements. He felt stupid for having a beam of joy run through his heart just with the mere thought of them sharing an unspoken routine. The distance between him and the blond was within reach. Only if he shifted his leg backward for a little bit, then he could touch those milky fingers and have a taste of its smoothness. He couldn’t feel the warmth of his handler radiating on his skin under the thick layer of the breeches and leather boots that he was wearing, but the heat brushing on his cheeks was undeniably caused by his counterpart.
Chico and himself were now led to the track as indicated in the rules of the competition. His heart was still accelerating to an unhealthy speed even under the soothing rhythm of the horse’s steady steps. He wasn’t sure if this restless act of his body was caused by the competition happening in less than a minute or simply caused by the image of the blond’s slender back and narrow shoulders in front of him. All he knew for sure was that having a gorgeous blond as his horse handler was certainly not helping him to overcome his anxiety. Yuu closed his eyes, secretly wishing for the contest to start as soon as possible, but as the announcer declared the handlers to be excused, he realized with faint despair that he had let the blond walked away from him once again without knowing his name.
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The day after Kouyou’s three-day break, he was welcomed with a lot of changes that he wasn’t even informed of. His usual schedule that started from 7:00 in the morning was suddenly moved to 11:00 AM and when he asked his boss about the sudden shift in his schedule, the man only answered that it was done simply out of whim, just because he wanted to. After years of working for the owner of the barn, he knew that the old man wouldn’t just decide on something without a good reason. There must be something wrong with the owner and Kouyou couldn’t help but worry for the other man. Maybe he should talk to the owner again before he finish his work for the day, just to make sure that the old man wasn’t suffering from any kind of mental stress that might have dulled his decisionmaking. With a firm nod, he continued his way towards the stables, wondering once more as to why his suddenly weird boss had asked him to check up on one of the horses, saying that one of their precious steeds was acting weird. Of course, this was part of his usual tasks as a barn boy, but wasn’t he supposed to aid riders in the arena today? Finally arriving in his destination, he let out a small sigh as he was about to step inside the stable, only to pause mid step when he noticed another presence standing next to the magnificent creature. He felt his heart suddenly beat like a jackhammer, his sorrell eyes widening in surprise as he looked at the perfect visage of Shiroyama Yuu.
Meanwhile, Yuu was busy pretending he was doing his own thing, but actually, he was expecting the blond’s arrival. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a familiar silhouette slowly approaching, a pair of long legs that stretched for miles, a fragile small waist that seemed so breakable, a set of narrow shoulders that added to his delicateness, and finally, the messy mop of blond hair that seductively swayed with the graceful movement of its owner. Yuu could feel his throat slightly contracting and his fingers betraying him ever so slightly, but he somehow managed to hide it with a concerned look on his face and a gentle touch on the neck of the steed that he loved so genuinely. When the deep thud of leather boots colliding against the surface of the ground finally reached him, he ordered his momentarily stiffened neck to turn his head and faced the blond with a somewhat surprised expression. His obsidian eyes opening slightly bigger than usual, his beautifully shaped eyebrows raised into an elegant arch and the rest of his handsome face were as motionless as they could be. But somehow, under the cold facade of this charming young man, one could still taste a faint trace of astonishment.
Kouyou just stared back, fully aware that he probably looked like an idiot, confused as to what Yuu Shiroyama was doing in the stables and with the horse he was asked to check. Was the handsome rider lost? Was he planning to do something to the horse? Surely, he wasn’t planning on kidnapping one of their steeds, was he? Panic immediately filled his chest and even before he could properly justify his thoughts, he had already spoke, “What are you doing here? You’re not planning to do something evil to Cheerio, are you?” He blurted, his voice heavy with accusation.
“This is MY HORSE!” Yuu quickly replied, his onyx orbs wide with shock, the previously faked expression of surprise was no more needed, he was in pure shock. This was the first time in his life had he ever been accused as a horse offender, and by a barn boy no less!
A startled gasp escaped Kouyou, a cold chill running down his spine as those four words seeped into his confused brain, suddenly remembering that Cheerio was just a new horse in the barn and did belong to someone. What did he just do? What the hell was he thinking? He asked himself fearfully as he looked at the very offended expression on the raven’s face. He immediately straightened and bowed quickly. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” He desperately apologized with his eyes shut tight, afraid to look at the gorgeous rider. “I thought... I forgot... and then... I was... I’m so sorry! Oh, how can I help you?” He then rambled mindlessly.
A light chuckle escaped the raven’s luscious lips, the feeling of shock mixed with slight anger completely disappearing when he saw the cute response from the blond. While his eyes were filled with tender adoration for the person standing in front of him, the corners of his lips were uncontrollably pulled into a thin smile. “Can you take a look at him? He’s acting a little bit weird today. Maybe we should call the vet?” He asked in a calm voice. As light hearted as the blond just made him feel, Yuu was still concerned for the well-being of the beautiful beast. After all, the connection he had with this animal was almost magical.
The blond quickly stood up straight and had no choice but meet Yuu’s dark saucers while ignoring the burning blush that decorated his cheeks. With quick steps, he approached the supposedly sick animal and its owner, trying his best not to look at the raven. He focused his attention on Cheerio and raised his hand, touching the horses’ long neck as he looked at the animal’s huge cerulean eyes, staring closely at its dark pupils. The horse suddenly began to move and swung his head to the side, obviously disturbed by what Kouyou was doing. The barn boy gently turned its head back to its original position and started running his fingers behind the horse’s ear in an attempt to calm the distressed animal. He sensed the animal’s uneasiness in its eyes, the usual peaceful aura these extraordinary creatures give out was nowhere to be seen, instead, it was replaced by a restless tension. Feeling the horse’s crabbiness, Kouyou now shifted his gaze to its front legs, gently touching the fur and feeling the muscles as he knelt down to check for any visible injury. There was no cut nor any lumps on those well-built limbs. After quickly scanning through the rest of the body, as well as the untouched bucket of hay, he returned to the fore of the steed. The anxious animal lifted his head in a brutal manner, refusing to be touched by anyone. But the gorgeous blond only raised a hand and tenderly stroked its ear while the other bestowed a gentle caress on its nose, at the same time, cooing lovingly to the cranky steed. “Ssshhh...” the blond softly whispered to the majestic creature in a voice full of love and affection. As if those lithe fingers and sweet voice were possessed with special powers, the agitated animal magically calmed down and regained its serenity.
With great momentum, the enchanting image of the divine blond with the astounding creature struck the raven’s heart loud and hard. He couldn’t believe it was real, yet it was happening right in front of his very own eyes. Beams of December afternoon sun streamed through the glossy window and onto his delicate features, the coruscating particles mischievously flickering on a set of long, curly lashes that created the thickest frame for a pair of marvelous tawny eyes, then continued to dance along the straight line of a perfectly angled nose carved by the goddess of beauty herself, and slowly settled down to a set of pouty lips, gingerly touching rosy skin that Yuu suddenly had the desire to taste. Every inch of the blond’s porcelain skin was glowing under the array of glimmer that surrounded him in the most empyrean way. Before he even noticed, he was already lost in the boundless love and compassion flowing from those aureate orbs. Could he also be showered by the affection within those honey saucers for once in his life? Perhaps he was put under a spell by the sparking golden strands, Yuu couldn’t control any part of his body, not his eagerly dilating pupils, nor his painfully constricting lungs, and don’t even talk about the heart that was recklessly beating in a disordered pattern. Suddenly, Yuu’s mind was void of anything but the breathtakingly stunning angel. He didn’t care if the world would end at that moment, or if the entire universe would collapse under his trembling legs, because for all he knew, he had already found his own little heaven.
Finally determining what was wrong with the horse, Kouyou turned to face the raven, only to be met with a handsome face marred with a peculiar expression. Shiroyama Yuu looked as if he was hypnotized, mesmerized even since those piercing raven eyes were just gazing at him, glazed with emotions that he couldn’t figure out. He felt his face heat up under the intense gaze those beautiful saucers were giving him and couldn’t help the pained cough that tore through his throat.
As if someone had just about splashed cold water in his face, Yuu suddenly blinked, slowly snapping himself out of his reverie, letting out a startled gasp as he realized that he was openly staring at Kouyou. He immediately looked away, his unsteady eyes focused on the floor as he gathered his scattered wits. “So, what’s wrong with him?” He asked, hoping that his voice sounded calm, pretending that he had not just been caught by the mesmerizing angel.
Kouyou tried not to give the other man a weird look and temporarily shoved his confusing thoughts aside. “I think he’s just having a hard time adjusting to the weather.” He quietly answered, slightly surprised that he managed to utter a single sentence without stuttering. He mentally congratulated himself for that.
From staring at the ground, Yuu finally found the courage to look up. He averted his gaze to his horse and then to Kouyou, apparently dissatisfied with the blond’s reply. “Are you sure? Don’t we need to call a real vet?”
A perfectly shaped brow arched in vexation, somewhat offended by the sarcastic tone that laced the raven’s voice. Sure he wasn’t a real vet, at least not yet, but his years of experience working in the barn had taught him what signs and symptoms he needed to look for in order to find out what was wrong with a horse. He wiped the ugly expression off his face and maintained the polite tone in his voice. “I think we don’t really need to. We just need to let him rest and keep an eye on him.”
Yuu noticed the flash of irritation that crossed the blond’s pretty face. He knew what he just said had somehow affected Kouyou and he felt a little guilty about that, but he had no control over his actions sometimes. It was his way of hiding his emotions and masking his shame. He looked away from Kouyou and focused his attention on Cheerio, determination evident in his charming face. “I’m still getting a vet to make sure he’s alright.” He said, or more likely, declared before he turned around and made his way towards the exit, unaware of the deep sigh that came out of plush lips and sadness that flickered in captivating sorrell eyes.
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A shudder slipped through Kouyou’s throat as he shoved his hands deeper in his jacket’s pockets, ignoring the numbing bite of the cold brought by the harsh winter season. A thin sheet of snow could be seen outside, covering almost everything in shimmering white, creating a beautiful scene that resembled a winter wonderland. Kouyou didn't like the cold, but he liked how everything seemed so spotless when snow had fallen from the skies and covered every available surface, liked how his boots crunched against the layer of ice and loved how his footprints looked in it. Drawing his bottom lip between his teeth, his aureate eyes continued to follow their current focus of attention, fully engrossed and fascinated with a certain individual that seemed to stand out among all the riders that currently mounted their steeds.
Shiroyama Yuu looked very noble in his dark, perfectly-fitted jacket that highlighted his broad shoulders and slim waist, white breechers that tightly wrapped around those well-trained muscles, shaping the masculine line of his thighs, and black stylish boots that added a touch of playfulness to his formal attire. His stance was straight and proud, reminiscent of a young, charming aristocrat one could read in classic novels and movies. Kouyou was certain that he wasn’t the only person in the place who couldn’t take their eyes off the raven and honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised if one of the other riders would suddenly fell off their horse, broke his or her neck and died because he or she was too busy staring at the handsome man.
The sides of his plump lips were about to move up to form an amused smile when a female rider suddenly approached Yuu. The woman seemed to be saying something to the raven, which the other only responded with a nod and a small smile. They began to ride alongside each other, Yuu looking back at the seemingly friendly female with a soft expression on his face, as if he was pleased that the woman was talking to him. Kouyou felt a slight pang of sadness throb in his chest, the ugly feeling swirling inside him and spreading like wild fire.
Why did he feel sad?
Why did his heart suddenly hurt like that?
Was it because...
A soft gasp erupted from his throat as a sudden realization hit him. Could it be that he had developed some sort of feeling for the handsome rider? He began gnawing on his bottom lip, worry suddenly clawing at his chest at the thought. Even though Shiroyama Yuu was quite cold to him, he had to admit that the man was indeed attractive and he was one of the unfortunate people who had not become immuned to the other man’s impeccable charm. His heart beat like mad and he turned into a fumbling idiot when the raven was in front of him, so he must be... He was probably... He quickly tore his eyes away from Yuu and stared blankly at the ground, feeling his cheeks heat up in embarrassment, realizing and accepting that he had a crush on the gorgeous rider.
He brought a hand to his chest and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and control the rapid beating of his poor heart. His eyes slowly darted up again to look at Yuu, the charismatic raven was still engaged in a conversation with the female who had approached him, looking like a noble prince accompanying a fair lady. Shiroyama Yuu was definitely well-off if he could afford to have the barn take care of his horse. The clothes he wore looked very expensive too. His shoulder slumped as another realization hit him.
How could he like someone like me?
After letting out another sigh, he turned around and walked away. It wasn’t good to pine for someone who was different from him, like someone who would never notice his existence. It wasn’t good to indulge in feelings that would only hurt him in the end.
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Comments
candicecandy: Hello everyone! Thank you for reading this collab fic of Chrissy’s and mine. Chrissy came up with this idea when we were chatting and she was kind enough to ask me to join her, which is totally insane for her because she had never read my writing before! Anyway, we had fun working on this story, and I certainly hope you like it as much as we do. Thanks again for reading the fic from “Team Cheese”, comments will be much appreciated, but be nice to me okay? I’m new. >///////<
venomousliberty: Hello and thank you for reading our collab fic. This is the result of me and Candy talking about how awesome her ‘riding experience’ was until we ended up imagining Aoi and Uruha riding a horse, looking all gorgeous and godly, so yeah. LOL. I hope you enjoyed reading the first part and are excited for the second part. Please tell us what you think and give love to our rabid and very hungry plot bunnies. ^^