Junhong and Himchan watched as Yongguk paced back and forth recounting the events as he remembered them from the afternoon.  “And then they jumped over this two bar hurdle, followed by one with three bars and there was another that had two jumps back to back and oh my god you should have seen it, Channie!  She was amazing!” Yongguk exclaimed, flailing as his hands mimicked the motions that Luna and her horse must have been doing in the competition.

                “Is he drunk?” Himchan asked, glaring at Junhong while he wrapped his fingers around his ankles as he sat cross legged on the couch.

                “Nope,” Junhong shook his head, watching his brother’s progress rather like a cat would, head swiveling to follow his pacing progress though the rest of his body remained still.

                “Huh.  I never took you for a horse person,” Himchan chuckled with a smirk.

                “He’s not,” Junhong added, gasping and plastering himself against Himchan when Yongguk turned to glare at him.

                “I’m fine with horses,” he retorted in annoyance.

                “I think you’re more fine with Luna,” Himchan explained sagely with an all-knowing expression, combing his fingers through the front of his short black hair.

                Yongguk stopped and opened his mouth to say something but then shut it abruptly and collapsed onto the couch next to Himchan, resting his elbows on his knees with his hands dangling between them.  “Yes, but she’s already got a boyfriend,” he sighed, defeated before he’d even been given the chance.

                “Oh?  Did you see him today?” Himchan asked, placing his hand against Yongguk’s back, the contact light but supportive.

                “No, but you can see she’s definitely attached.  Apparently he’s not really a horse person but still…  You don’t go after someone when they’re already involved,” he grumbled, giving the younger male a sidelong look, noticing that Junhong was remaining strategically silent, very interested in the patch of fabric on his knee.

                “Feh,” Himchan rolled his eyes, waving his hand dismissively.  “Things like that change all the time, Gukkie.  Just because she says it now doesn’t mean it can’t change,” he reminded him with a devilish grin.

                “Channie!” Yongguk grumbled, glaring at his friend.

                “What?  I’m just saying.  I mean, you’re going to be around her so why not at least make the best of it?” he shrugged, completely innocent in his suggestion.  “And horse person or not, you actually made it to see her today.”

                “Great.  Friend zoned,” Yongguk exhaled again, clearly put off by the idea.

                “Isn’t that better than not knowing her at all?” Junhong asked quietly, ready to hide behind Himchan if he needed to.  Yongguk grumbled at the statement but didn’t exactly argue.

                “Yeah.  What did you say he did again?” Himchan asked, patting Junhong distractedly on the hand while his attention was focused on Yongguk.

                “Supposedly he paints,” Yongguk shrugged dismissively, not exactly impressed with that topic.  “But he’s also a basketball coach at one of the high schools around here somewhere,” he muttered, waving his hand their direction before he stretched his neck, eliciting a loud pop from the one side but not the other.

                “Oh?” Junhong chirped, leaning around Himchan.  “Do you know his name?”

                Yongguk looked at his brother with a furrowed brow and tried to remember.  He hadn’t exactly been too happy at the time so filing that tidbit of info away wasn’t particularly important.  What had it been?  “Something with a K,” he grumbled.

                “Kevin?” Himchan asked immediately.

                “No.”

                “Kyle?” he tried again.

                “No.”

                “Kris?” Junhong asked very quietly.

                “No… yes,” Yongguk corrected himself, leaning forward to peer at his younger brother intently.  “Don’t even tell me…”

                “Eh.  It might not be the same one,” Junhong held his hands up as he leaned back on the couch.

                “You’ve got a coach Kris at your school?” Himchan asked, turning to stare at the boy with nonplussed eyes.

                “Yeah…?” he answered through a grimace.

                “Well.  Spit it out,” Himchan urged, nudging the younger male determinedly.

                “What?” Junhong exclaimed, instantly on the defensive.

                “What do you mean, what?” he grumbled, throwing an arm around Junhong’s shoulders to pull him into a loose headlock.  “I mean what’s our Gukkie up against?” he exclaimed, ignoring his loud but largely-for-show complaints.

                “Ack!” Junhong complained, finally managing to pry himself free with a grunt as he flung himself away from Himchan and settled in the chair across the room, sticking his tongue at him which only served to make him laugh.  “If it’s the same guy, then he’s tall, charismatic, and all the girls go crazy over him,” he groaned with a roll of his eyes.  “I’ve heard he’s a hard on the courts too.”  Yongguk frowned at the description and exhaled.

                “Oh no you don’t,” Himchan reminded him, slapping his shoulder sharply.

                “Ow!”

                “You’re already one up on this guy,” he told him, leaning almost uncomfortably close.

                “Eh… and why is that?” Yongguk muttered, holding his ground though it was hard not to squirm when Himchan was seriously less than a few inches from his face, grinning at him like a cat in the cream.

                “You’re working with her, dummy!  And you went to her competition today,” he stated as if it should be obvious.  When both Junhong and Yongguk looked askance of him, he smacked himself in the forehead with his palm.  “Seriously?!   Don’t either of you know how much that means to a woman?  No wonder you’re still single,” he glared, one eye narrowed with the other brow raised.

                “And you’re gay so what would you know about women?” Yongguk muttered uncharitably, though it wasn’t meant to be a particularly harsh dig.

                “More than you,” he responded, leaning over to plant a kiss on Yongguk’s cheek rakishly.

                “Ack!” Yongguk groaned, falling over onto his side of the couch as he wiped at his soiled cheek.  “Channie…”  He received no assistance from Junhong who just pointed and laughed from his safe vantage on the other side of the room.

                “Oh stop your complaining and just be glad you’re going to be spending time around her.  You like her, which is evidently clear, and the mere fact that she hasn’t gone running off like any sane, normal woman indicates she at least tolerates you,” he explained primly, sitting upright with his arms crossed over his chest.

                “Why are you so mean to me?” Yongguk complained pushing himself up with a glare at his best friend.

                “That’s what friends are for,” Himchan winked, thoroughly pleased with himself.

                Yongguk sighed and let his shoulders slouch slightly.  “So you’re saying I should go to the finals tomorrow as well?”

                “She made it to the finals?!” Himchan gasped, standing up quickly as he stared down at Yongguk, prompting the older male to slam back against the couch, eyes wide in his face as he looked up.  Yongguk nodded mutely and Himchan continued, “Of course you should go to the finals!  How is that even a serious question?!” he demanded, slapping Yongguk on the shoulder with both hands before the elder male grabbed him by the wrists and dragged him down to the couch next to him.

                “Quick!  While he’s immobilized!” he called backup from Junhong who cheered excitedly and ran over to attack his hyung with tickles while Yongguk held him captive.

                “Yah!” Junhong cried, laying into the writhing, laughing Himchan who yelped and struggled to get free without doing too much damage to either of them; he kept the claws in this time.

                He was fortunately saved by a call from his phone which turned out to be Jongup wondering where he was.  Himchan gave his boyfriend the quick rundown and then promised he’d be home shortly without batting an eye at either sibling.  They let him go with amusement and both settled in for the next day.  Junhong begged to get out of attending and Yongguk let him this time, since it was going to be later in the afternoon and presumably shorter anyway.

                Yongguk showed up at the competition the next day and Luna appeared really happy to see him.  “You made it back!” she cheered, waving excitedly in front of the stall Wind’s Playmate was assigned to.

                “Of course.  I figured it couldn’t hurt to bring you as much luck as possible,” he smiled, leaning against the stall, jumping when the mare decided to lip at his fingers in a testing gesture.  “Hey!”

                “I think she likes you,” Luna giggled, threading her hair behind her ear reflexively.

                “I can accept that,” he nodded, glad she wasn’t trying to bite or kick him or anything.

                “Thanks for coming again,” Luna smiled, beaming at him warmly.  “It means a lot to me.”

                “I’m glad,” he assured her, tempted to grab her shoulder encouragingly but he held off, still not sure where they stood in terms of friendship yet.  “Well.  I don’t think I’m supposed to be back here exactly but I’ll be cheering you on in the stands,” he promised firmly.  “You’ve got this!”

                “I’ll look forward to it,” she laughed in delight, glancing around him briefly.  “Your brother not make it today?”

                “Nah.  The lazy brat,” he chuckled dismissively with a half-hearted wave.

                “Yeah.  Kris was busy again too,” she shrugged, sticking her hand over the gate to pat Wind’s Playmate on the nose, completely missing Yongguk’s frown at hearing that name.

                “Eh.  He doesn’t know what he’s missing,” he promised her before he waved, composing himself quickly though he barely avoided her seeing the flush that crept into his cheeks at the admission.  Stupid!

                And he could have been simply hearing things when he thought he heard her say, “You’re right,” as he was leaving.

                As best he could, Yongguk pushed the possible words out of his mind and found a good seat in the stands.  Honestly, he never thought he’d be one of those people even remotely interested in anything to do with horses but he found himself caught up in the competition as he watched Luna make the rounds of the ring.  The rest of the riders were good and he recognized Yixing’s name when he was called, but his focus was squarely on Luna.  And when she came out, he would have put money on the fact that no one else was more determined that she should win than him, except for maybe Victoria, Minseok, and Luna herself.

                “Come on,” he breathed, hands balled into fists at his side as he watched her move with Wind’s Playmate, toned legs absorbing the shock of each launch and landing, the rest of her body moving with the motions of her mount.  Her exquisite face was frozen in a fiercely focused mask, soft brown eyes locked onto the next target, utterly determined.  “You’ve got this,” he murmured under his breath, caught up in the hush that fell over the crowd as she approached her next jump.

                Wind’s Playmate ran easily, head bobbing with each step, ready and willing to jump.  Her legs tensed, bunching beneath her for the leap, and she heaved her elegant equine body up, carrying Luna with her, the woman’s tiny frame locked into position as she adjusted her footing for the change, nearly pressing herself flat against the horse’s body at the apex of the maneuver.  The front hooves cleared beautifully, straightening out and ready to catch herself save for the back hooves clipping the bar, bouncing it off the pegs and sending it crashing into the sand behind them.

                “No!” Yongguk groaned, the collective cry of denial resounding around him even as Luna and Wind’s Playmate continued on, aiming for the next obstacle regardless.

                Needless to say, she didn’t win the championship, nor did Yixing, but she did place second overall.  Yongguk wasn’t sure if he was more annoyed at the first place winner or amused that Luna was so ecstatic over her placement, but he followed her lead and celebrated with the rest of the staff.  As a group, they went out for a bite to eat after the event wound down.

                Minseok and Victoria paid for everyone’s meals, including Yongguk, leaving him feeling uncertain about how to accept it politely since he’d wanted to pick up Luna’s tab in congratulations.   Fortunately though, he was formally introduced to Luhan, Yixing, and Sulli with the promise of getting to know Daehyun if he stayed on long enough.  Their resident cook loved to eat whatever he prepared but he was also a fan of seeing how others reacted to what he fixed, so long as he got to try enough of it.  They all agreed he was a wee bit of a glutton for good food and warned Yongguk never to get between Daehyun and his meal.

                Overall, the gathering was fairly low key where they discussed various other competitions coming up and plans for the other riders.  Minseok and Victoria were scheduled to go to England soon for an Equestrian convention and most activities would be put on hold in the meantime.  Lessons would still be offered, but actual competitions would take a backseat, which most of them were fine with.

                “Jongdae will be happy to hear that too,” Luhan laughed, taking a sip of the champagne Minseok ordered for them.  Yongguk learned that Jongdae was their accountant and he worried over everything when it came to finances, though his notoriously sharp tongue was reserved mostly for the owners of the stables, unless you were ill-fortuned enough to fall off your horse or experience some sort of blunder in front of him.  He wasn’t intentionally cruel but apparently he had a wicked sense of humor.

                “Oh!  Are you going to be seeing about getting new uniforms soon?” Luna asked giddily, gaze focused on Victoria who giggled at her expression.

                She shook her finger at the younger woman and smiled wryly, “I know what you’re thinking about.  While we might not be able to afford all of it, I’m sure Zitao would be interested in working with us to see about more… appropriate attire for competitions,” she giggled, raising her glass to Sulli who clinked it in delighted amusement.

                Luna leaned over to Yongguk and murmured softly, “Zitao is a designer who thinks our outfits are practically outlandish.  He’s always badgering Minseok and Victoria to let him do something decent to our clothes,” she laughed, nodding at Minseok.  “He and Minseok are good friends from… middle school, I think?” she murmured, blinking curiously.

                “Wow.  Okay,” he nodded appropriately, entertained by the gathering.  They certainly weren’t his usual crowd but they were a fun bunch of people.  He wasn’t entirely sure what he’d imagined but they were above and beyond anything he could have pictured.  Granted, that could have had something to do with his present company but they were good people in general and he found himself being even more annoyed with this faceless Kris for not being around.  What possible reason could he have for not supporting Luna in something she loved so much?

                He didn’t really get much chance to find out.  After the competition, things at the stables returned to a sense of normalcy for the rest of them and Yongguk was included in that.  Their schedules started right around six or earlier and come Monday morning, he was introduced to the recovered Amber and Krystal, the hired hands he had stepped in for.  While Krystal tended to back out of the manual work earlier to go handle the horses, Amber ended up being a blast to be around, and Yongguk found that he enjoyed their company.  He also finally met Daehyun as well and the sardonic young man had a schedule almost on par with the owners.

                The early mornings weren’t the easiest thing for Yongguk to get used to and while he missed Junhong most days, Luna started to make a habit of coming by to make sure he was awake so he wouldn’t be late again.  They took separate cars and did their own activities but Yongguk found himself enjoying her company more and more.  Himchan would have said he was smitten but Luna didn’t seem to mind him being around, even if he was a bit obvious about it.  Ironically though, despite the fact she had a boyfriend, he never really came up in conversation, which Yongguk found… odd.

                After the first full week though, Luna started to give him free riding lessons, something all of the stable hands were privy to.  Wind’s Playmate was a no-go but they had several other horses on hand and Yongguk was relegated to the beginner’s level gelding Prancy, the name a throwback from his younger years.

                “He doesn’t do much prancing anymore,” Luna admitted, carding her fingers through the brown mane while she held his head, nodding at Yongguk to give mounting a try on his own.

                With one hand on the saddle horn, the other on the back of the saddle itself, and his foot in the stirrup, Yongguk steeled himself to get ready for the leap, glad Prancy was only just over pony height status.  The brown horse blinked at him quietly as he hauled himself into the Western style saddle with a determined grunt, clinging to the horn with both hands and clamping his legs around the barrel of his mount fiercely.  “Got it!” he exclaimed, beaming like a fool.

                “Yay!” Luna cheered, grinning proudly as she pumped her fist in a victory gesture.  “Alright.  Now take the reins.  Do you want to try walking around the ring yourself or should I lead him?” she asked, resting one hand on Prancy’s shoulder, the other lingering against Yongguk’s calf.

                For a moment, Yongguk warred with his own inability to ride and his pride, opting to salvage the latter and nodded at her.  “I’ll give it a try first.  If that doesn’t work, you can save me, right?” he chuckled, earning a delighted peal of laughter from her.

                “I’ll do my best,” she grinned, patting Prancy on the neck before she stepped back, giving Yongguk room to try his way.

                Yes, he’d been on a horse… well, actually it was a pony then, when he was younger, but he’d never had the chance to lead it around on his own.  That same little boy resurfaced excitedly when his hands clenched about the reins and he laughed once as a gentle nudge on Prancy got the old boy moving under him.  Placid and calm, the gelding took one easy step after another, gently turning with Yongguk’s direction as he carefully tugged on the reins, afraid of pulling too hard.

                “Good, Yongguk.  Nice and easy,” Luna smiled, walking in a smaller circle abreast of him, keeping an eye on both rider and horse.  “You’re doing good,” she encouraged, gesturing with her hands in a fairly unconscious motion as she watched Prancy amble along, her gaze darting back to make sure Yongguk was comfortable where he sat.  “Just like that.”

                “This is nice,” Yongguk admitted, feeling his hips loosen up under the unusual but not uncomfortable pattern of Prancy’s gait.  It was easy to adjust to and he found himself really beginning to enjoy it.  Of course, it had the added bonus of him holding Luna’s undivided attention which definitely made him feel all manner of happy.  Even if she wasn’t looking at him for the reasons he might have preferred, she was watching him intently.

                “Very good!” Luna smiled, slowing down somewhat.  “Now.  Care to turn him around and go the other direction?” she urged, motioning with her hands to mimic what she meant.

                “Got it,” Yongguk nodded determinedly.

                “Just pull on one side of the reins nice and easy,” Luna instructed, watching with a critical eye as he did so, bottom lip caught between her teeth while she observed him.

                “Alright, Prancy boy.  Let’s go the other way,” Yongguk murmured, pulling carefully with his left hand so he was going inward, more Luna’s direction.  He gave her a gummy grin as they nearly aligned with each other, feeling his heart flip when she reciprocated in kind, and then focused on getting Prancy to move in the opposite direction, getting used to the slight differences in support.

                It wasn’t much, considering all they did was walk in circles at a slow pace, but Yongguk still felt inordinately successful with his first official lesson.  He’d ridden a horse on his own!  And nothing bad had happened.  He wondered how long it might take him to even get close to how skilled Luna was.

                He never got around to asking and he didn’t want to be a bother so mostly he just spent his days doing what was requested of him and becoming a part of the team.  It was… nice.  Junhong complained about him not being there but he was just as likely to tag along and see what was going on as he was to hang out around town with his friends.  And Himchan hounded him for updates almost relentlessly; demanding the tiniest of details about all their interactions and asking about her ‘supposed’ boyfriend, since he still had yet to make an appearance on site.

                The only thing Yongguk could say about Kris was that he was never there.  Luna was careful not to talk about him much, and he certainly never heard anything disparaging about the guy, but she seemed a bit subdued some days when he did come up in conversation.  It wasn’t anything obvious and if he wasn’t paying such close attention to her, he probably never would have noticed it himself, but there was a disconnect between the way she spoke about Kris and the way she spoke about the stuff she otherwise loved.

                Not only that, but after Yongguk started working at the stables, Luna didn’t spend a great deal of time lingering after her shift was over, opting to leave immediately.  Sometimes, he would see her on her phone as soon as her shift was finished.  It was odd and it left a slightly uneasy feeling in the pit of Yongguk’s stomach.

                Most of the time though, Yongguk could forget all about the fact that Luna had a boyfriend since she treated all her friends pretty much equally.  She treated Yongguk like one of the others and didn’t usually talk about Kris in front of them either, content to discuss the newest upcoming competition, gear or practice exercises they’d discovered.  Quite frankly, he was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to meet this faceless person, and how he would react if that situation ever came about.

(a/n: For those who aren't terribly familiar with horsemanship, a pony is any horse that is under fourteen hands in height.  One hand is the equivalent of four inches so anything under 56 inches at the shoulders (4' 8") is technically a pony in terms of size.  Likewise, the difference in saddles is that a Western style saddle is the type you often see in Western movies, with the horn in the front so you have something to hold onto, and English style saddles are sleeker and have nothing in front of you but are used more frequently in competitions/races/shows of the non-Western variety.

Otherwise, I hope you're enjoying how things are developing and please look forward to the next update!  Thank you!

*update 01/13/14 - I cut the original end of this chapter and pushed it into the next one)