Chapter Text
As the sun dipped low over the sprawling fields of the horse ranch, a boy named Gaming wiped the sweat from his brow, his hands still rough from a day's labor. He stood amidst the gentle whinnies of the horses and the rustle of the wind through the grass, a sense of contentment settling over him. This ranch was his home, his father's legacy, and now his responsibility. It was time to close up the ranch, the horses more than deserved the rest they needed from a full day of work. The business was booming, with horseriding lessons, seminars, trail rides, and clinics in tow and it was no joke. It was hard but fulfilling work.
As you exited Mr. Yip’s office, your mind was abuzz with excitement and anticipation for the new job opportunity as a horse trainer. You had just secured a position at the bustling ranch, and the prospect of earning money for your college fund filled you with a sense of purpose. You rounded a corner and quickly bumped into a broad chest and strong arms.
“Oh! Sorry!” you said.
“No worries,” a cheery voice said, his hands giving your shoulders a gentle squeeze as he moved past you and in the direction of Mr. Yip’s office.
Before you could even get a good look at him, he was already gone. All you could make out was his brown and red hair, tied in a messy high ponytail, bouncing behind him as he disappeared from your view. But your heart was brimming with excitement for the adventure that lay ahead at the bustling horse ranch, so you began walking again.
Something tugged at Gaming when he rounded the corner and he couldn’t help but look back at the person he’d just bumped into. They looked… interesting. After a minute, he turned and continued walking.
And as you both ventured forth, you couldn't shake the feeling that this summer would be one you’d never forget.
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The birds had barely opened their eyes by the time Gaming was at the stable door, unlocking and opening them wide.
“Good morning, everyone!” he greeted the horses. An excited dog ran up to him, wagging its tail as Gaming scratched his head. “What’s up, Man Chai, good morning!”
The horses stuck their noses out their stalls, their nickers low in a greeting and anticipation of getting their first hay of the day. Gaming got to work immediately, there were 38 horses and they all wanted food and they wanted it three minutes ago. So there was not a minute to waste.
Your alarm blared through your room at 6 am, making you sigh and turn around in your bed, snoozing it. As much as you were excited about this job, you were not a morning person. So after it rang two more times, you rolled out of warm, welcoming sheets.
By the time Gaming neared the end of his morning routine, the clock struck 7 am. But today felt different. Today, as he went about his chores, a strange sensation pricked at the back of his mind, a feeling that someone was about to enter the stable. So he glanced through the window in the tack room as he put away a few things, and his gaze landed on you, a figure he felt he’d seen before, confidently approaching the stables, a leather satchel slung over your shoulder. Visitors weren’t unusual at this time of day, especially the horse owners, but this one felt different.
You entered the stables slowly, your eyes searching for anyone who looked even remotely like they worked here. You were told the owner’s son would be at the stables already by the time you got there, but Mr. Yip unfortunately forgot to give you a description of the guy. So while you waited, you approached one of the horses and let it sniff your hand through the stall bars.
“Hey there…” you whispered to it, petting its nose with your index finger. You looked at the name – Kaito. “Hey, Kaito… you’re so pretty.”
You had read about Kaito – he went by Midnight Dance in his professional career, one of the best reining horses the country has ever seen. His temperament and skill have been unmatched for years. His coat was adoringly bay, with a white star that decorated the center of his forehead, his legs marked white and his mane as black as ebony.
“Can I help you?” you heard someone say behind you and jumped a little. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”
“You gave me a startle,” you exhaled a small laugh.
“Sorry… I tend to walk silently…”
“It’s okay, no harm done. I’m here about the job opening. I talked to Mr. Yip a few days ago and was told to come here, but I seem to have difficulty finding his son.”
“Ohh, you’re Y/N, right?” Gaming said, a hopeful smile spreading across his lips. “You're here about the horse training?”
“That would be me,” you said, smiling awkwardly. “I heard you're looking for some extra help around here, especially during the busy summer season. And you are…?”
Gaming's smile widened, relief flooding through him at the prospect of finding someone willing to lend a hand. “Well, you've come to the right place. I'm Gaming, and this is my family's ranch. You better be ready to work, because there’s a lot to do, and we could definitely use your help.”
“You can count on me. It’s nice to meet you, Gaming.”
“You too, Y/N.”
“So I’m guessing you’re the one that’s gonna show me around?”
“Yes, right this way, we’ll start in the tack room.”
As you two went about the ranch, you talked and laughed, getting to know each other.
“Since we’re gonna be working together from now on, we can go into town and get something to eat. My treat!”
“You sure? I don’t wanna keep you.”
“Naah, don’t worry about it. It’s only fair. Since you’ll be working with my horse the most, I feel like it’s only natural I treat you to a delicious meal.”
“Which one is yours?”
“Oh, I call him Kaito.”
Oh damn, you thought to yourself. You would have never guessed, but after thinking about it a bit, it was obvious that the most talented horse in the whole ranch would belong to the heir of the family business.
“You wanna go right now? It’s about brunch time,” Gaming offered.
“Uhh… sure…” you answered.
“Great! Let’s go, I’ll drive.” His demeanor was that of a golden retriever puppy. How can someone be so energetic in the morning?
“Do you think Mr. Yip will mind?”
“Naah, don’t worry about it. Do you think he’ll mind that you need food? We might have hired you to work with us, but we don’t want you to starve.”
You couldn’t help but laugh at that as you both got in the car and drove off. You talked all the way to the town, which was a 15-minute drive down the road, and stopped near a small diner. He hopped out of the car and opened the front door for you as you entered. The delicious smell of food hit your nose and it was then that your stomach remembered you hadn’t had breakfast yet. Maybe this was a good idea after all.
“Gaming, my boy!” you heard someone call out from behind the counter.
“Hey, boss! Got any deliveries for me?”
They both laughed at that.
“Deliveries?” you asked.
“Oh yes,” said the man, “This boy right here is the best delivery man this town has ever known.”
“Stop it, man,” Gaming answered, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.
“Nonsense,” the man said, leaning towards you, “He’s too humble for his own good.”
You smiled in response.
“Listen, could you give me my usual? Make it two, please.”
“Who did you bring this time? A new partner?”
Both of your ears lit up in red at that question.
“Come on, man, don’t do me like that,” Gaming said, covering his ears. “This is just the new hire for the ranch.”
“Ahh, I see, I see,” the man answered with a smirk and got to work. “You two sit down, we’ll bring it to your table.”
“Thanks,” Gaming said quietly, still embarrassed.
As you both sat down next to the window, your conversation seemed to die off since the statement and all that was left was one big awkward silence. He played with a napkin while you looked at the decorations on the ceiling.
“So…” you started, “you do deliveries?”
“Oh… hah, yeah. It’s a little side money for when I…” he went silent at that, but shortly continued, “…when I don’t have work at the ranch.”
“What do you deliver?”
“Mostly packages and food, I go where they need me. It’s good work though, everyone is nice and it’s great to have someone to talk to.”
“Yeah, someone like you needs someone to talk to all the time.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Gaming asked, a smile creeping onto his face.
“I just noticed you like to talk.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No! Not at all, that’s not what I meant. It’s just an observation.”
“And you seem to observe a lot.”
“It’s who I am,” you shrug and smile.
And just as you finish that sentence, food gets placed down in front of you and you begin to dig in. Gaming sees you eating with much enthusiasm and thinks to himself you must’ve been really hungry. It fills him with joy to know he took care of you and hoped you felt welcomed. But his appetite seemed to be stagnant as he picked at the food with his fork, with his gaze fixed on a poster next to your table.
“What happened to your hunger? Changed your mind?” you asked, looking up from your plate.
“Huh? Oh… no, it’s just… I’ll be right back,” he said and got up.
You followed him with your eyes and saw he leaned on the counter to talk to the man he talked to when you entered. Since you didn’t want to be rude, you focused on eating instead. You didn’t want to pry too much.
Gaming approached a poster on the other side of the diner, since the one next to your table would make it too obvious, and looked at it with a sigh.
‘Are you ready to dance?
SHOW YOUR TALENT! DANCE COMPETITION!
Winners: 1000$
Sign up today!’
He pulled out his phone to scan the QR code and a sign-up form loaded on the screen. He stared at it for a little while before sighing a deep breath and closing the browser.
You stretch as you leave the diner, taking a deep breath. “That was the best brunch I’ve had in a while!”
“Told ya you’ll like it.”
“Thanks for the treat. Next time, I’m taking you somewhere.”
“Maybe I’ll let you.”
You playfully push his shoulder, making him chuckle. “Let’s get to work now.”