Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Cowboy ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Duo has his ride on Reaper, Heero watches the ride on the television and can't get the image of the other cowboy from his mind.

Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Drama / Hentai / Romance / Angst / Sports | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.12.2010 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.8K | Visits: 304 | Status: Work In Progress

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 don't own the song 'Rodeo' either. It belongs to Garth Brooks and as such all rights remain his. This fic is based loosely on the lyrics. Written for pleasure not profit.

Pairing: 2x1x2, past 1xR (sorry!) 3x4

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Angst, fluff, sap, yaoi, Lemons, Lime, AU

Summary: Heero is a rodeo rider, the best on the circuit and looks set to remain there until an up and coming young cowboy appears on the scene.

AN: This fic is based loosely on the lyrics of 'Rodeo' by Garth Brooks - although it is not a song fic.

Dedication: To my lovely beta; Sakura for giving me the plot bunny and for all her hard work in editing my stuff. (No easy feat!) Thanks hun! You're the best!

“Cowboy”

October 2010 ShenLong

Chapter 2

[She knows his love's in Tulsa

And she knows he's gonna go
Well, it ain't no woman flesh and blood
It's that damned old Rodeo
Rodeo - Garth Brooks]

Checking his chaps were secure, Duo grabbed his gloves from the bench and reached to tuck his gold cross inside his shirt. He said a silent prayer as the cool metal slid beneath the fabric to rest against his warm skin. Pushing his hat harder onto his head, he left the change room and headed back towards the corrals and chutes.

There was a slight commotion up ahead and Duo's curiosity was roused. He strolled towards the end of the corral where the noise seemed to be coming from and stopped. The rodeo workers were moving horses through the narrow lane-way and directing them into their respective chutes in preparation for their riders. One bronc, it appeared, wasn't keen on entering the chute.

Moving closer, Duo eyed off the large, black stallion that was causing all the ruckus and swallowed hard.

Reaper.

This was the horse he'd drawn, the horse that Trowa had warned him about.

The men finally managed to get the horse into the chute and closed the gates with sighs of relief. Once the animal was secure, they moved back to the first of the chutes and began to prepare the broncs for the cowboys. Duo had passed his gear over to the cow hand earlier and wandered closer to chute four where Reaper was waiting.

Each cowboy usually had his own set of gear and most preferred it that way. They could keep a close eye on the ropes, replace them when they started to fray and keep themselves a lot safer by doing so. Nothing worse than having your hand hold break whilst in the middle of a ride.

Approaching the chute, Duo watched as the horse turned his head and stared right at him. A cold shiver ran down his spine when his eyes connected with those of the horse. Those eyes, they seemed to bore right into him, as if the stallion was looking him up and down and taking stock of his strengths and weaknesses. There was white showing slightly around the remainder of the dark eye, a sure sign of a mean spirit and the expression on the horse's face only added to that picture.

Standing beside the chute now, Duo raised his hand and brought it to the opening in the wooden slats, doing his best to make friends with the horse. Most broncs would sniff at him, maybe even lip at his palm and remain calm. But not this one.

A flash of white teeth and the audible sound of enamel snapping shut were all Duo was aware of as the air wafted over his hand. Luckily his reflexes had kicked in and he just avoided the bite. “No need to be so nasty,” Duo muttered to the horse. “I'm not planning on hurting you and the return of the gesture would be appreciated.”

A loud snort, roll of the whites of the horse's eyes and another warning snap of those teeth were all he got by way of reply.

“I wouldn't get too close to him,” came a voice from the side and Duo turned to see who had spoken. A tall, blonde haired man stood to the side. Duo recognized him as Zechs, the rodeo vet. “He's a nasty piece of work,” the blonde continued.

“So I've been told,” Duo replied.

“I take it you've drawn him?”

“Yeah. Thought I might be able to see why he's so mean, if he'd maybe been mistreated or something like that.”

“I don't think so. All the animals here are looked after very well,” the vet started to say.

“I know that,” Duo replied. “I didn't mean by the rodeo itself, more maybe in his past, before he became a rodeo bronc?”

“That I couldn't tell you. But for what it's worth, keep your wits about you when riding him and once the time is up or you get chucked off before then, high tail it outta there as quick as you can. He will come after you.”

“Thanks for the advice, I've already been told the same thing by someone else,” Duo stated with a small smile.

“Looks like they're almost ready. Good luck and stay safe,” Zechs said and with a smile turned to move away to return to his checking of those horses that had already performed.

The crowd was cheering as a chute opened and a gray blur whipped out, bucking for all it was worth. Duo watched for a moment and gave a grin. His own adrenaline started to pump through his system and he turned again to face the chute his ride was now standing ready in.

“All set for ya, Duo,” the rodeo hand said and offered a toothy grin.

Duo climbed up the outside of the chute and paused at the top to slip his gloves on. Beneath him the broad, black back of the bronc awaited. His hand hold lay flat just by the withers, the flank strap cinched loosely for the moment. Gloves in place, Duo straddled the chute and tucked his braid down the back of his shirt. One cow hand remained at the front of the chute by the bronc's head; the other was poised close to the flanks, ready to pull the flank strap tight.

Taking a deep breath, Duo lowered himself down, sliding one leg on either side of the restless horse. He could feel the quiver of rage pass through the animal's body and he risked a pat to the muscular neck. Grabbing the hand hold, he worked his gloved hand through the webbing and pulled it tight. Once he was satisfied that the rope was secure and his grip tight, he let himself sink fully into the animal's back.

“Ready, Duo?”

Resting one arm on the top of the chute gate, Duo nodded to the man waiting to open it. He closed his eyes for a second and forced his body to relax.

The chute opened and the black stallion exploded out of it and into the arena.

The cheer went up from the crowd but Duo didn't hear it. He was concentrating hard on staying with the horse determined to throw him. Reaper literally launched out of the gate and straight into a bucking frenzy. Head jammed between his knees; his hind quarters rose and fell in quick succession.

Duo hung on, one arm raised in the air, the other clinging for dear life to the webbing hold. His shoulders were jolted; his arm felt like it was being torn from the socket as he did his best to keep his balance with the bucking animal underneath him.

When the straight out bucking didn't unseat his rider, Reaper changed tactics. He began `sunfishing' as he bucked, twisting his body in midair and pushing Duo right out and up with him. Landing fairly hard, the stallion began to spin in circles as he continued to buck.

The sudden change in tactics by the horse caught Duo off guard. He was still trying to reduce the amount of daylight between himself and that black back when Reaper began to spin along with his bucks. His grip was slipping, along with his balance and Duo knew he was going to hit the dirt. Trowa's words reminding him to get out of their quick were stuck in his mind.

Another jolt as the horse landed, crow hopped and then tossed in a huge buck followed by a twist. Duo could see the gates and fence line to his left, the pick-up guys on their horses also on his left. Trowa was off to the right standing beside a large barrel. Duo couldn't tell if Trowa's face was white with fear or if it was just the grease paint.

Knowing he wasn't going to make the eight seconds and rather than have his arm torn off, Duo planned his strategic `dismount'. Another upward push and Duo brought his legs forward, wriggling his hand free at the same time. The horse went down again, Duo following slowly and as the animal launched into the air again Duo pushed himself to the side, swung his legs around and hit the dirt feet first.

He didn't wait to see what the stallion was doing, he'd picked his point on the fence line and as soon as his feet touched down, he was off and sprinting.

Reaper felt the weight shift and knew his rider was unbalanced. He tossed in another buck and twist, the weight leaving him altogether. Fore feet touching down, Reaper brought his back legs underneath and whipped around, looking for where the cowboy had landed. At first he didn't see him, then, through the dust he spotted the movement and dug his hooves into the dirt. His black body spun sharply, ears flat against his skull and teeth bared as he bore down on the cowboy that had tried to ride him.

Trowa watched from across the arena, heart in his mouth as Reaper bucked, twisted and spun. He could see Duo hanging on for grim death, his face a mask of concentration. Then he noticed the slight loss of balance and he looked at the clock. Four seconds. Eyes swiveled back to Duo and the amount of daylight between the cowboy and the stallion's back. He froze as Duo brought his legs forward and then bailed out to the side of the horse whilst the horse was in mid buck. Watching Duo's feet hit the dirt running he couldn't help but be impressed with not just the cowboy's strategy, but his speed as well.

The instant the cowboy hit the ground, the pick-up guys were spinning their own mounts and doing their best to get to the cowboy before the bronc did. Both were well aware of Reaper's mean streak and really didn't want another casualty on their hands if they could help it.

“You get to the cowboy, I'll try to get between Reaper and him,” yelled Wufei over the noise of the crowd and spurred his horse forward. Nataku responded gamely, haunches straining as he galloped flat out towards the fence, cowboy and rapidly closing bronc.

“Move it, Sandrock,” Quatre encouraged his chestnut, quarter horse gelding. The animal gave a grunt and then pushed its powerful hind legs underneath his body and sprinted forth. The hand guiding the rein was soft and steady; Sandy so finely tuned to his rider that he knew exactly what was wanted and needed a split second before his master asked.

Duo could hear the sound of pounding hooves behind him but he didn't dare take a look over his shoulder. He knew the pick-up guys were coming for him, but the black beast was uppermost in his thoughts. He didn't want to end up with a broken leg like the last guy, hell he didn't want a bite or kick mark if he could help it. Call him a coward if you liked, but Duo was rather fond of living and having his body intact.

The fence was just ahead, Duo calculating how much further before he could take a flying leap at it. Another two steps and he was preparing to launch into the air; then he sprang off his left foot, hands reaching desperately for the railing. The other cowboys and rodeo hands were gathered along the top and other side of the fence, all watching and encouraging him on. Several hands were outstretched, offering assistance and support.

Reaper closed the distance fast, completely ignoring the bay and chestnut horses that were coming at him. He watched the rider make a last ditch effort to reach the fence and safety and drew his hind legs underneath him to lunge forward. His teeth bared, whites of his eyes showing, he made a last effort to reach his goal. Teeth barely snapped closed on a denim thigh as the bay horse collided with his haunches, knocking him slightly off balance and spinning him around. A chestnut appeared between him and the still scrabbling cowboy, blocking his attempts to turn back around and take a bite out of that cowboy's rear.

Seeing he wasn't going to get the chance to settle the score, Reaper gave an angry snort, stamped his hoof and took off across the arena for the exit gate that would take him back to the corrals.

“Fuck that was close,” Duo gasped as he was grabbed by several hands and hauled over the top of the fence. Reaper had managed to just get him, nothing as bad as it could have been thanks to the two pick up guys, but he was missing a small bit of denim from his jeans on the back of his thigh and his pride was severely dented.

“You okay? Shit, I thought you were a goner. I was sure Reaper had you,” came the barrage from the cowboys and hands all standing around.

“I'm okay,” Duo replied as he stood on shaky legs and took stock of his situation. “Thanks for all the help, guys.”

Calls of “No problem, glad to be of help” came back to him from everyone around as the crowd began to disperse a bit. With the shaking of his knees reduced enough for him to be able to walk, Duo made his way around the outside of the arena to locate the pick-up guys and thank them for their assistance.

* * *

Heero remained riveted to the screen as a black bullet shot out of the chute and began to buck. He winced as he watched the strain on the cowboy's arm as the man did his best to stay with the bucking animal. He was all too familiar with aching and torn muscles from an exuberant ride.

The horse continued to buck, Heero noting the style the cowboy had as he sat the attempts to dislodge him. He had to admit, this greenhorn was a lot better than others he'd seen come and go in the past. Idly, Heero wondered if the guy had been competing for long and if so, where? Heero couldn't recall having seen him at all on the major circuit.

His breath hitched as the cowboy lost his balance and his eyes widened at the spectacular bail out. It all seemed to go into slow motion for Heero as he watched the cowboy run for his very life towards the gates. He noticed the pick-up guys urging their mounts towards the sprinting cowboy; one heading for the cowboy directly, the other aiming for Reaper who was closing in fast. “I hope they get there in time,” he mumbled.

Seeing the cowboy reach the fence at the same time as Reaper made a lunge for him had a whole flood of memories invading Heero's mind. Suddenly he was back in that stifling arena, the smell of horse, leather and dust in his nostrils and a searing pain through his lower leg.

“Heero? Heero! Are you all right?”

The voice broke through his thoughts and drew him back to the present. He let go a gust of air he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. “I'm okay,” he replied and immediately focused back on the screen where the cowboy had been hauled to safety.

“You sure? You seemed to zone out there for a minute,” Relena's concerned voice stated.

“I'm okay, just a couple of bad memories,” he replied truthfully.

“I knew you shouldn't have watched this, especially with that animal on there,” Relena began to rant. “They should get rid of it, it's obvious that the horse is dangerous, mad even. Are they going to wait until someone gets killed by it before they do something?”

Heero let her drone on, tuning the voice out as he watched Reaper's reaction to the cowboy's escape. He could tell from the horse's body language he wasn't happy and he sincerely hoped that greenhorn would have enough sense to stay out of Reaper's way at future rodeos. Although that could be a bit difficult seeing how Reaper was one in the string of bucking horses that also toured the rodeo main circuit.

His ears informed him that Relena had finished her tirade and he gave a soft sigh and tried to stifle a yawn. Immediately he was regretting that as Relena started again - only this time in mother hen mode.

“You should be in bed, Heero. You need to rest not just your leg but your body too. It's been a while since you did a lot of physical work and today has worn you out,” she chastised gently.

Heero didn't have the strength to argue, he just nodded and allowed the woman to turn off the television and lead him to their bed. Safe under the covers, he gave another yawn, wriggled around to get comfortable and then began to doze off. Relena slipped in beside him a couple of minutes later after she'd checked the house was locked up.

She snuggled up close behind him, the warmth of her body warding off the chill in his own, but as he drifted into slumber, Heero's mind kept returning to the long haired cowboy with those unusual eyes.

* * *

A shiver of fear ran down his spine as the saw buzzed to life. Steeling himself, Heero grit his teeth and averted his eyes as the doctor took the saw and began to run it along the cast.

He hoped to god that the doctor didn't have the sudden urge to sneeze.

Within a minute the cast had been cut and the saw turned off. Heero breathed a sigh of relief and glanced to where the cast still sat, a neat line down the middle.

“Okay, Mr. Yuy, that's the worst of it over.” The doctor gave a warm smile and bent to grasp both sides of the cast in his hands and pull it apart. It gave easily, peeling away to be tossed into the trash. “Now, let's get a good look at that leg, shall we?” The doctor removed the protective `sock' of gauze that had been applied and finally Heero's lower leg saw the light of day for the first time in six weeks.

“Tell me if this hurts,” the doctor said and began to poke and prod at Heero's leg.

Heero grunted in all the right places, his eyes never leaving his leg. Truth be told, he was a little shocked with the appearance of it. Yes, he'd expected it to be a bit on the whiter side and he'd also expected to see some muscle wastage, but he'd not expected as much as was evident. His lower leg reminded him of a shriveled up prune.

“All is fine, Mr. Yuy. The bones have knitted back together perfectly. You're as good as new, or you will be once we get your muscle tone back up. Now, Here's a list of exercises I want you to do that will build the calf muscle back...”

The doctor continued on with his spiel, but Heero was only listening with half an ear. The cast was off, his leg had healed and that was pretty much it. Now he could get back to riding Wing, return to the rodeo and see how much making up he had to do to return to his position as top all round cowboy.

Fortunately, Relena was with him and she took notice of all the doctor's instructions.

“Any questions?” the doctor asked as he handed over a few sheets of paper to Relena with the exercises printed out on them for Heero to do.

“When can I return to the rodeo and competing?” Heero asked, his blue eyes staring intently at the doctor.

“It will be another couple of weeks yet before you can even think about getting on a horse,” the doctor replied. “And probably about four before you can start competing.”

Heero's eyes narrowed. He didn't want to wait that long; as it was he would have his work cut out for him to get back to the top of the standings, if he waited too much longer he probably wouldn't make it. Besides, Wing also needed work. The stallion hadn't been ridden in six weeks and had also lost a lot of his muscle tone. If Heero wished to continue to compete, Wing needed to be exercised and brought back up to par.

“Thank you, doc.” Heero stood and shook the doctor's hand before slipping the new crutches onto his arm and settling them at his elbows. He wasn't stupid enough to try walking straight away without any form of support when he'd just come out of plaster. With Relena at his side, Heero `walked' from the outpatients section of the hospital and back to the car.

Heero had a date with a paint stallion and he wasn't going to waste any more time

~ * ~

tbc...