Dawsons Creek

Fortunately, after Rian finishes his cereal he's a little more helpful with his comments, helps Alex pick up just the right amount of contact to get the lead changes he's been working on and raises the poles another couple of inches higher.

Rian's always been the partner to all of Alex's achievements, and although he could outride Alex any day of the week he prefers to stick to the sidelines, coaching outgoing little kids and nervous adults. It used to confuse Alex, why someone who represented their state at age twelve could go on and drop right out of of the circuit but he can see it these days, the joy that his brother gets from helping other people live out their dreams, creating lifelong partnerships from the ground up.

Although he's more than happy to saddle up and kick Alex's ass if need be, there's no doubt about that.

After a few circuits of the arena over the higher jumps, Rian waves at him and taps his watch and Alex transitions Toby back down to a slow trot as they make their way to the arena gate.

Rian walks them back to the stables, Alex dropping his reins on Toby's neck and it's not exactly the safest thing to do but really, short of his mount having a hi-ho silver moment he's unlikely to come off, and Rian's right there. And he really needs his riding gloves off pronto because now that the suns starting to warm everything properly, his fingers are all gross and sweaty.

He puts Toby’s gear away as Rian hoses him down, helps a clearly baffled woman reattach the noseband to her bridle on the way back, finds an unimpressed Toby being scraped down on the grass just outside the wash bay, the gelding trying valiantly to grab a few mouthfuls of greenery and Rian having none of it.

“Awh come on Rian look at his face” He says, rubbing his fingers against damp ears.

Rian ignores him, wrings out Toby’s tail.

“His face Rian, look at it, look”

“You say that like you don't have treats in your pockets right now”Rian says smiling, handing him the lead rope and walking to hang the scraper back onto it's hook.

“He's got you wrapped around his little finger, or giant hooves as it may be”

Alex laughs, because it's true. It's become tradition almost, putting his stuff away and grabbing a few of the handmade horse cookies Mrs Williams makes for everyone on the way out. But honestly, who's going to deny the cutest horse in the world a cookie, especially when he nickers for one?

Alex is on the ball though, never gives out rewards in any discernible pattern because the last thing he needs is Toby trying to fleece people for treats on the rare occasion Alex isn't around. He wants a gentleman, not a cookie crazy bronco.

They let Toby go in one of the larger paddocks, amongst a couple of boarded horses he gets along with, watching as they gallop all the way down the other end and back again, clods of dirt flying behind them.

“So, what's the plan for the day?” Alex asks.

Rian shrugs, because technically they don't actually work on weekends any more than they do on weekdays – Rian covers a couple of his mothers classes when he wants, and sometimes Alex gets roped into holding their basic horsemanship classes but mostly it's their parents who do all of the proper work involved in running a successful barn. They're just supposed to represent how awesome the stables are, and not get anyone maimed or killed.

“There's something about a lady coming for a tour this afternoon, the one who wants to lease out Honey for the season, but it doesn't say who's doing it”

Alex frowns. Generally when no one actually qualified is listed on the notice board for something, it's a him or Rian job.

Personally, Alex always finds giving tours to potential leasers kind of stressful because it becomes his job to make sure that they pick horses and people that'll go well together based on a million and one different parameters. And he knows Rian's got a soft spot for the Honey, the palomino mare often used for the more nervous of their beginners.

Rian must sense his worry, as he generally does – Alex is pretty sure Rian has a sixth sense for reading both people and horses because he nudges Alex's shoulder, “I'll take this one if you help me with the kids tomorrow, deal?”

“Deal.”

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Jack sulks the entire car ride, keeps his gaze in his lap, refuses to look out the window or even turn the radio on.

“For goodness sake Jack it's a lovely day to be outside stop being such a child”

“I don't like the outside” He protests, sneaking a glance at his mothers disapproving expression. Whatever, she's the one who's forcing him to be here, she can deal with it.

“Well you won't be liking the inside very much if there's not a dramatic turn around in your personality when we get there” She snaps, and Jack pouts.

He's always been very susceptible to bribery and blackmail, knows that his mother will quite happily take any number of things away from him in payment for his unwillingness. His TV, phone, computer, his guitar and Jack requires all of those things, and is willing to do a lot to keep them.

“Fine.”

He ends up staring at his feet for good fifteen minutes more before the tarred road turns to gravel as his mother pulls into a driveway.

Holy fuck. Jack's genuinely surprised by the fact that he's looking at exactly the same place on the pamphlet. Neat white fences and green grass and horses, horses everywhere being ridden or pulled along by people dressed almost identically to his mother. It's the closest thing to hell Jack can imagine at this point in his life.

So he plasters on the most cheerful expression he can muster as they get out of the car, and it smells weird and dirty and dusty and there's poop like, not even five foot away from them. It's disgusting.

“Come on” His mother calls and Jack jogs to catch up to her tries to resist the urge to hold his nose and continue to whine childishly. Remember Jack, your technology is at stake here.

They make their way to a building, more like a shed that's ever so helpfully labelled office but it's empty.

Jack does not, does not say anything about if no ones here can they go home now. It's difficult, but he manages.

His mother starts walking towards one of the giant buildings and Jack trails after her, not wanting to get left behind. A few women his mothers age offer up cheerful greetings and after a moment, give them directions to where they might find the people who actually run this place.

Which they're not doing a very good job of, really. You don't give people a time to turn up and then not be there waiting for them.

Jack scuffs his feet in the gravel as they continue to walk, silently plotting revenge on his mother for this somehow, maybe early morning guitar practice, or salt in her coffee. Something annoying but not annoying enough that she'll kill him.

“Mrs Barakat?” A voice comes from behind them, and despite himself Jack jumps before he turns around to meet his would be attacker.

He's expecting to see maybe a pinch-faced old woman or a balding old man but that is most definitely not what he sees. Instead he's face to face with a guy about his age who looks like he's stepped out of the very pamphlet his mother's dressed like. Weird cream coloured pants and polo shirts and ridiculous boots. It's the weirdest mindfuck ever and all of a sudden Jack feels out of place in his skinny jeans and jack skellington shirt which is stupid, because he's the most normally dressed one here.

They boy introduces himself as Rian, son of the owners and that probably explains the clothes – he has to be dressed like that, and as they set off on the tour he seems pretty normal despite the fact that Jack doesn't understand every third word that comes out of his mouth.

When they come to a stop in front of what will be the horse his mother's leasing, Jack isn't all that impressed. It's a large, yellow ball of a thing, a long stripe of white down it's forehead.

It's a girl apparently, named Honey and really, they couldn't come up with a better name?

His mother seems enchanted though, talking softly to the animal and getting into the box with it and stroking it's neck and looking positively joyful and Jack might be a bit of dick to his mother sometimes, but there’s no way he could ruin something that's gonna make her this happy.