Fun. Fun was a silly term, Chris thought. To call a lifestyle “fun”, he felt, belittled its value; to treat it so light-hearted and whimsical. He wasn’t so bogged down by life that he didn’t think he needed fun, but he didn’t want to solely base his future on it either. It just wasn’t that big of a factor in his world. It was a bonus if anything. Chris frowned, feeling the worst kind of presence creeping up on him and probably giving him a dumb smile.
“Bro.”
“What, Ty?” Chris sighed, hoping he could just get this over with as soon as possible. “She digs you, bro,” Ty whispered, edging his little white mare closer to Chris. She threatened to rip Dapur's throat open if he even thought to look at her which made them both flatten their ears at each other. Ty was the only one that didn’t look like there was a bad smell in the air around them. “Thanks, Ty.” Just keep it brief and uninterested and he’ll go away. That was Chris’s goal.
“C’mon, man, she’s always hanging around you, she laughs at your bad jokes, probably thinks your horses are cute, man. Chicks dig the greys.” He winked, gesturing to Risky. “You should...ya know…” he smiled, raising his eyebrows and nudging him with an elbow.
“Ty. Keep your nose out of my business, please,” Chris said flatly.
“I’m just looking out for my little bro! C’mon, she’s super cute. You two would totally get along. If you’re shy, I can-”
“Ty…” Chris finally lulled his eyes over to him like it was far too much effort, given who it was he had to speak to.
Ty smiled innocently, “I know some awesome pick up lines. They work like...most of the time. Like, hey girl, are you a ninja? Because if you are, you shuriken have my heart!”
Chris could only stare and wonder how much dumber Ty could get. For one, he was absolutely sure he had never used that on a girl and it actually proved to be successful. And two, he was actually concerned that maybe he really had used that on a girl and was disturbed that he thought it was even a good idea. “Spare me.” Chris groaned, urging Dapur on. He couldn’t take any more of this.
Ty laughed and followed after, “Wait, for real! If you want me to like-”
Chris stopped again, sighing loudly. “Take a hint, Ty.” He stared at him extra hard, hoping that little cooked pepperoni of a brain could simmer up enough grease to understand that his help wasn’t wanted or needed or even necessary.
Ty sat and smiled as the smoke fanned from the kitchen up above. And then the microwave finally dinged, “Wait...did you already…” A smile stretched across his face, urging Risky to chase after him again, “Really!? How long!? Proud of you little bro!”
“How long, what?” Dave interjected, wondering what all the commotion was about when Tyler really should be warming up his cow of a horse instead of badgering Chris. But Chris never stopped heading for the arena. Ty, on the other hand, had his dirty little secret from Mr. Daddy. He chuckled menacingly, eyeing up Dave, wondering what he could coerce him out of in return. Maybe a nice new saddle or a swanky pair of shiny boots? Maybe he could get him to buy dinner tonight! Dave squinted at him hard. He didn’t like that look. It creeped him out and he cantered away before he had to speak one more word to Tyler.
It was all just fun and games, huh?
Dapur entered the arena with a mighty snort, flipping his ears to the jumps ahead of him. He didn’t require as much of a warmup. He was ready at any given moment. He was born and bred for this. He kept his eyes on the jumps, trotting up into his circle, waiting for the go. An even canter, ready for the signal. Now!? He bolted forward- No! Not yet! He shook his head, being a bull to turn away. He reluctantly breathed heavily, circling back again. Waiting...waiting…
Dapur felt the squeeze on his sides and lunged forward, this time it was for real! Fast and hard, the stallion slammed over a jump, blasting away at the ground for the next one! All of that raw power! Materialized potential erupting a puddle and landing on the other side of a jump before the water droplets even had the time to ripple the puddle’s surface again.
But it was unrefined power. He lacked any kind of real finesse. Chris had to sit hard and sit deep through turns, pulling his nose around when he got too throttled in a corner. The stud would fight hard to get out of the corner when it should have been easier if on a curve. But he would learn. He was still young. Chris was more than confident that Dapur would straighten out to be an amazing competitive mount.
Fun? Maybe? Chris just had a different outlook on this kind of lifestyle. He was raised into competing. Maybe it was fun when he was younger. Before his accident had rammed a freight train full of rotten feelings into it. It was hard to think anything was fun after that merry-go-round of “Chris can’t ride” to “Chris should ride” to “Chris could ride” to...it just went on and on. It was still everything he wanted to ensure a secure lifestyle, sure. But “fun” wasn’t a component that was necessary for whether he felt he had a good ride or not.
And it certainly wasn’t going to be a component of his next ride. He patted Dapur’s sweaty shoulder, coming out of the ring, sandy footing splattered all the way up to his boots. Not bad for the headstrong horse. Speaking of, he spotted poor Kate in the distance, bringing him his next ride who was looking spirited already. Dapur’s ears tipped forward, hearing the distant whinny of All Work, No Fun, Jax, on a straightway path to wrecking everyone’s definition of “fun”.Word Count: 1027
