(no subject)
Title: Top Gear Stables (2/?)
Author: Sonata Night
Rating: NC-17 (eventually)
Pairing: James/Richard
Summary: James May is a Thoroughbred trainer looking for a job, and he finds himself involved with Jeremy Clarkson, the owner of four horses, and Richard Hammond, Jeremy's exercise rider.
Notes: Well, they do like to go fast - Thoroughbreds are pretty fast. :P If this is terribly OOC, sorry. There have been modifications to their age, although I tried to keep the same distance in ages, which makes an 18 year old Richard and 26 year old James kind of ... interesting to write.
Disclaimer: Fish are friends, not food - Erhm, I mean, all of this is purely from my imagination.
The first horse they approached was the first horse that James had seen as he arrived two days previous, the one that had begun to run alongside the car as they passed. A beautiful bright bay colt, his exquisitely sculpted face curiously peered at James as they approached.
"The only biter is Midnight Bliss," Jeremy informed James. "So feel free to pat them if you'd like," and James lifted his hand, flat palm up, and let the colt sniff at it, then shove his head forward to curiously lip at James' shirt. James smiled, brought his arm up and rubbed his palm along the horse's withers and up to his ears, tugged very gently at the tip of one, and the horse snorted loudly.
"Meet Lively Attraction. He's one of our two-year-olds, and he looks like he has quite some potential. He's fast, anyways, and when he wants to, he can beat any of the other horses here. His only problem is he likes to be lazy." Richard introduced the horse, also rubbing his hand along the colt's neck, the other side, and Lively Attraction whinnied, pleased at all the attention he was getting.
"He's also the biggest, vainest, and possibly neediest horse ever. If he could, he would just crawl in your lap and sleep there." Jeremy added. "We call him 'Live' for short. Here, I'll introduce you to our other colt." The colts were on one side and the fillies on the other side of the aisle, it appeared.
James kept his distance from Midnight Bliss, who snorted and pinned his ears back slightly as they stood outside his stall, chewing on hay. Richard laughed. "We get along well. We're both a bit... well..."
"Shouty?" Jeremy cut in.
"I was going to say spirited." Richard frowned at him. "But if you want to put it that way. We just call him Night, because Bliss is certainly not what he is. Well, blissful anyways."
James laughed. "And how is he on the track?"
"Well, he's sort of like Lively Attraction in that he's fast - but it's so that he can bite at the other horses. With blinkers on, he doesn't bite, but he doesn't perform as well. He's still fast, and we're hoping with some training, we can get him focused." Jeremy answered. "Now, onto the fillies."
James turned to see a plain brown filly, delicately built and with an inquisitive look on her face, staring at him. "Well, you're a pretty girl," he murmured to her. Her ears pricked forward at his soft, low voice, and she pushed herself against the stall to sniff at him.
"Can you tell she's a half-sister to Live back there?" Richard asked, a smile on his face. She turned to him, snorted, and sniffed his shoulder, then looked at him almost expectantly. "I know, I know, I forgot your carrot. I'll bring you one tomorrow, Kiz," he patted her nose lightly and she retreated into the corner, as if scorned.
"She's got quite a bit of character. Even more than Live does," Jeremy said. "She's not as fast as he is though. And finally, meet TG."
A pale palomino filly approached, her features course, her frame built more like a colt's than a fillies, but her gaze smart. "TG?" James asked.
"Short for Top Gear Dog. Richard commented that she was a bit of a dog when I brought her home, and somehow, Top Gear Dog seemed to fit. And TG might be a bit of a dog to look at, but she's faster than Kiz and Night and can keep pace with Live when they're both going full-out. She's not afraid to run with the colts, either. She's smart, and she'll try to take a hole that you might not even see. She's not very big for a two-year-old, but I think she'll do well on the track."
James looked around at the four horses he had to train, and found himself very pleased with the stable he was at. "Well, I think tomorrow we should get them all out on the track and see how they do. Can I see what you've done so far or how they've been trained, Jeremy?"
Jeremy frowned. "I don't know much about their histories at all. I know that Night took fourth in a race once, and the other three he was in, he was lost somewhere in the back of the pack. Kismet only raced a few times. She took first once, and then had a couple of thirds, and then again, sort of drifted in the middle. TG only ran a few races, but she got either first or second in all but one, taking fifth in that. A lot of these horses came from the same stables - they were going out of business."
"Ah, I was wondering how you got the three-year-olds at the auctions. I haven't seen too many there." James said. "And how about Live?"
"He's done the most. He ran first several times, second just as many, and a few other races. The worst he's done is fifth. But I don't know how they were trained. I was hoping you could figure out a training schedule for them."
"I think I'll have them go out for three furlongs each at a slow gallop and breeze them two furlongs to see how they do." James said. "All of them, just to get an idea of what to focus on."
"Great. What time do you think you'll be showing up for that?"
"Say, six in the morning?" James answered. He laughed at Jeremy's face. "What time have you been exercising them?" He asked.
"Eight!"
James laughed. "No, no, get up early and get them exercised so that your day is free to do other things, like make sure you have enough grain and hay for them, or make sure the tack is clean and in good condition."
"I've hired an incredibly nitpicky trainer, haven't I?" Jeremy asked. James shrugged. He didn't think he was too picky, just enough to keep things clean and attractive.
Richard saved James with, "Well, actually, Jeremy, he's right. We should make sure this place looks as nice as it should, and the grain is running a bit low. I was helping Jason out with feeding yesterday and we're down to maybe a week's worth."
"Oh, really? How come he hasn't mentioned it to me yet?" Jeremy asked. "He knows I like to keep more than that around. He should have told me a week ago!"
"Yeah, well." Richard blushed and looked at the ground. "I may have, erhm, well, told him that I'd tell you."
"And why didn't you!" Jeremy asked, exasperated.
"I kinda ... forgot." Richard finished somewhat lamely. James smiled only slightly at the expression on Richard's face, very embarrassed but also somehow boyish. He nudged Richard's toe with his and offered that smile to Richard who returned it faintly, enough that Jeremy didn't see.
"Good lord, I have an idiot and an obsessive person working for me. And my jockey refuses to speak or let anyone see his face. How in the world did this happen to me?" Jeremy asked.
Richard murmured, "So, I think that's our cue to leave." James decided to agree with Richard and the two of them quietly snuck away from Jeremy as he stalked off, presumably to the office to order more grain.
"So, you got the Stig, huh?" Richard asked. James shrugged.
"Well, more like Jeremy got the Stig after some negotiations. I just knew that he'd ridden for my friend last. If anyone can turn these horses into winners, it's the Stig." James said.
"Well, and you. I hope. You're the trainer, aren't you?" Richard asked, and James rolled his eyes.
"Yes, but I'm just getting them into shape and ready for the races, and you know that. The Stig will be riding them in races. So, are you looking into getting your license?"
"I'm only a few rides away from getting it, actually." Richard answered. "Four more races and I'm not a bug anymore."
"Really?" James asked. A bug was a nickname for an apprentice jockey. The asterisk that appeared next to the jockey's name looked a bit bug-like. In a few races, as long as he won them, the asterisk would disappear from next to Richard's name and he'd be a fully licensed jockey. Of course, winning wasn't always easy, so it could take a while longer.
"Yeah. I'm riding in a race tomorrow, actually," Richard said. "Chasing Thunder, have you heard of him?"
James nodded. "Yeah, actually, I have." The six-year-old stallion was older than most of the horses but still a good horse to ride. He'd done well in stakes races when he was younger, and now was unfortunately being shuffled around in claimers. Deep grey, he had recently made a comeback with the Native Dancer Handicap, having taken first and third respectively. He was going to run too soon, in James' opinion, only about a week after his first race, and with a bit more time off, he could do well. He mentioned this to Richard, who nodded.
"This is a bit of a favor to the owners. We're friends and their other jockey just broke his leg - that's why I was a day late in coming back. So this is really - in any other condition, I wouldn't do it." James understood. He still wasn't sure what Richard was doing was right, but he understood.
"I understand," James said. "Well, I'll let you go since in about fourteen hours you'll be back here and ready to go on the backs of these guys and then you'll be off to the races."
Richard smiled. "Would you be interested in joining me? I mean, at the races. I'd be more than happy to have you give me your opinion after it's over as to how I could improve. Or if I'm even any good," he added. James glanced at him.
"If you've almost lost your bug, I'm sure you're decent. Especially at what, nineteen?" James hoped Richard was older than nineteen and just looked young. Unfortunately he wasn't.
"Eighteen, actually. I'll be nineteen in January." Richard answered. James sighed. Well, that wasn't far away. It would be easier having feelings for an almost-twenty year old than an almost-almost twenty year old.
Now his brain wasn't making sense. Probably because he was tired. He hadn't slept well the night before. He glanced around. "Here, I've got to get going - I have some errands to run and some things to do at home but sure, I'd like to come with and see you ride. Where are you riding?"
"Beulah," Richard answered. "I'll be riding in the number 6 race."
James nodded. "Alright, well, then, I'll see you tomorrow, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed."
"And swearing like a sailor at the fact that I have to be up that early," Richard responded with a grin. James grinned back, feeling very stupid and very much like he was having his first crush all over again. It was just Richard's eyes that got him, and his quirky grin, and his loudness, and just the way he seemed to gesture with his hands no matter what he said.
Oh, dear. He was most certainly quickly falling, and most certainly in trouble and although he slept soundly that night, his dreams were filled with thoughts of Richard.
Author: Sonata Night
Rating: NC-17 (eventually)
Pairing: James/Richard
Summary: James May is a Thoroughbred trainer looking for a job, and he finds himself involved with Jeremy Clarkson, the owner of four horses, and Richard Hammond, Jeremy's exercise rider.
Notes: Well, they do like to go fast - Thoroughbreds are pretty fast. :P If this is terribly OOC, sorry. There have been modifications to their age, although I tried to keep the same distance in ages, which makes an 18 year old Richard and 26 year old James kind of ... interesting to write.
Disclaimer: Fish are friends, not food - Erhm, I mean, all of this is purely from my imagination.
The first horse they approached was the first horse that James had seen as he arrived two days previous, the one that had begun to run alongside the car as they passed. A beautiful bright bay colt, his exquisitely sculpted face curiously peered at James as they approached.
"The only biter is Midnight Bliss," Jeremy informed James. "So feel free to pat them if you'd like," and James lifted his hand, flat palm up, and let the colt sniff at it, then shove his head forward to curiously lip at James' shirt. James smiled, brought his arm up and rubbed his palm along the horse's withers and up to his ears, tugged very gently at the tip of one, and the horse snorted loudly.
"Meet Lively Attraction. He's one of our two-year-olds, and he looks like he has quite some potential. He's fast, anyways, and when he wants to, he can beat any of the other horses here. His only problem is he likes to be lazy." Richard introduced the horse, also rubbing his hand along the colt's neck, the other side, and Lively Attraction whinnied, pleased at all the attention he was getting.
"He's also the biggest, vainest, and possibly neediest horse ever. If he could, he would just crawl in your lap and sleep there." Jeremy added. "We call him 'Live' for short. Here, I'll introduce you to our other colt." The colts were on one side and the fillies on the other side of the aisle, it appeared.
James kept his distance from Midnight Bliss, who snorted and pinned his ears back slightly as they stood outside his stall, chewing on hay. Richard laughed. "We get along well. We're both a bit... well..."
"Shouty?" Jeremy cut in.
"I was going to say spirited." Richard frowned at him. "But if you want to put it that way. We just call him Night, because Bliss is certainly not what he is. Well, blissful anyways."
James laughed. "And how is he on the track?"
"Well, he's sort of like Lively Attraction in that he's fast - but it's so that he can bite at the other horses. With blinkers on, he doesn't bite, but he doesn't perform as well. He's still fast, and we're hoping with some training, we can get him focused." Jeremy answered. "Now, onto the fillies."
James turned to see a plain brown filly, delicately built and with an inquisitive look on her face, staring at him. "Well, you're a pretty girl," he murmured to her. Her ears pricked forward at his soft, low voice, and she pushed herself against the stall to sniff at him.
"Can you tell she's a half-sister to Live back there?" Richard asked, a smile on his face. She turned to him, snorted, and sniffed his shoulder, then looked at him almost expectantly. "I know, I know, I forgot your carrot. I'll bring you one tomorrow, Kiz," he patted her nose lightly and she retreated into the corner, as if scorned.
"She's got quite a bit of character. Even more than Live does," Jeremy said. "She's not as fast as he is though. And finally, meet TG."
A pale palomino filly approached, her features course, her frame built more like a colt's than a fillies, but her gaze smart. "TG?" James asked.
"Short for Top Gear Dog. Richard commented that she was a bit of a dog when I brought her home, and somehow, Top Gear Dog seemed to fit. And TG might be a bit of a dog to look at, but she's faster than Kiz and Night and can keep pace with Live when they're both going full-out. She's not afraid to run with the colts, either. She's smart, and she'll try to take a hole that you might not even see. She's not very big for a two-year-old, but I think she'll do well on the track."
James looked around at the four horses he had to train, and found himself very pleased with the stable he was at. "Well, I think tomorrow we should get them all out on the track and see how they do. Can I see what you've done so far or how they've been trained, Jeremy?"
Jeremy frowned. "I don't know much about their histories at all. I know that Night took fourth in a race once, and the other three he was in, he was lost somewhere in the back of the pack. Kismet only raced a few times. She took first once, and then had a couple of thirds, and then again, sort of drifted in the middle. TG only ran a few races, but she got either first or second in all but one, taking fifth in that. A lot of these horses came from the same stables - they were going out of business."
"Ah, I was wondering how you got the three-year-olds at the auctions. I haven't seen too many there." James said. "And how about Live?"
"He's done the most. He ran first several times, second just as many, and a few other races. The worst he's done is fifth. But I don't know how they were trained. I was hoping you could figure out a training schedule for them."
"I think I'll have them go out for three furlongs each at a slow gallop and breeze them two furlongs to see how they do." James said. "All of them, just to get an idea of what to focus on."
"Great. What time do you think you'll be showing up for that?"
"Say, six in the morning?" James answered. He laughed at Jeremy's face. "What time have you been exercising them?" He asked.
"Eight!"
James laughed. "No, no, get up early and get them exercised so that your day is free to do other things, like make sure you have enough grain and hay for them, or make sure the tack is clean and in good condition."
"I've hired an incredibly nitpicky trainer, haven't I?" Jeremy asked. James shrugged. He didn't think he was too picky, just enough to keep things clean and attractive.
Richard saved James with, "Well, actually, Jeremy, he's right. We should make sure this place looks as nice as it should, and the grain is running a bit low. I was helping Jason out with feeding yesterday and we're down to maybe a week's worth."
"Oh, really? How come he hasn't mentioned it to me yet?" Jeremy asked. "He knows I like to keep more than that around. He should have told me a week ago!"
"Yeah, well." Richard blushed and looked at the ground. "I may have, erhm, well, told him that I'd tell you."
"And why didn't you!" Jeremy asked, exasperated.
"I kinda ... forgot." Richard finished somewhat lamely. James smiled only slightly at the expression on Richard's face, very embarrassed but also somehow boyish. He nudged Richard's toe with his and offered that smile to Richard who returned it faintly, enough that Jeremy didn't see.
"Good lord, I have an idiot and an obsessive person working for me. And my jockey refuses to speak or let anyone see his face. How in the world did this happen to me?" Jeremy asked.
Richard murmured, "So, I think that's our cue to leave." James decided to agree with Richard and the two of them quietly snuck away from Jeremy as he stalked off, presumably to the office to order more grain.
"So, you got the Stig, huh?" Richard asked. James shrugged.
"Well, more like Jeremy got the Stig after some negotiations. I just knew that he'd ridden for my friend last. If anyone can turn these horses into winners, it's the Stig." James said.
"Well, and you. I hope. You're the trainer, aren't you?" Richard asked, and James rolled his eyes.
"Yes, but I'm just getting them into shape and ready for the races, and you know that. The Stig will be riding them in races. So, are you looking into getting your license?"
"I'm only a few rides away from getting it, actually." Richard answered. "Four more races and I'm not a bug anymore."
"Really?" James asked. A bug was a nickname for an apprentice jockey. The asterisk that appeared next to the jockey's name looked a bit bug-like. In a few races, as long as he won them, the asterisk would disappear from next to Richard's name and he'd be a fully licensed jockey. Of course, winning wasn't always easy, so it could take a while longer.
"Yeah. I'm riding in a race tomorrow, actually," Richard said. "Chasing Thunder, have you heard of him?"
James nodded. "Yeah, actually, I have." The six-year-old stallion was older than most of the horses but still a good horse to ride. He'd done well in stakes races when he was younger, and now was unfortunately being shuffled around in claimers. Deep grey, he had recently made a comeback with the Native Dancer Handicap, having taken first and third respectively. He was going to run too soon, in James' opinion, only about a week after his first race, and with a bit more time off, he could do well. He mentioned this to Richard, who nodded.
"This is a bit of a favor to the owners. We're friends and their other jockey just broke his leg - that's why I was a day late in coming back. So this is really - in any other condition, I wouldn't do it." James understood. He still wasn't sure what Richard was doing was right, but he understood.
"I understand," James said. "Well, I'll let you go since in about fourteen hours you'll be back here and ready to go on the backs of these guys and then you'll be off to the races."
Richard smiled. "Would you be interested in joining me? I mean, at the races. I'd be more than happy to have you give me your opinion after it's over as to how I could improve. Or if I'm even any good," he added. James glanced at him.
"If you've almost lost your bug, I'm sure you're decent. Especially at what, nineteen?" James hoped Richard was older than nineteen and just looked young. Unfortunately he wasn't.
"Eighteen, actually. I'll be nineteen in January." Richard answered. James sighed. Well, that wasn't far away. It would be easier having feelings for an almost-twenty year old than an almost-almost twenty year old.
Now his brain wasn't making sense. Probably because he was tired. He hadn't slept well the night before. He glanced around. "Here, I've got to get going - I have some errands to run and some things to do at home but sure, I'd like to come with and see you ride. Where are you riding?"
"Beulah," Richard answered. "I'll be riding in the number 6 race."
James nodded. "Alright, well, then, I'll see you tomorrow, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed."
"And swearing like a sailor at the fact that I have to be up that early," Richard responded with a grin. James grinned back, feeling very stupid and very much like he was having his first crush all over again. It was just Richard's eyes that got him, and his quirky grin, and his loudness, and just the way he seemed to gesture with his hands no matter what he said.
Oh, dear. He was most certainly quickly falling, and most certainly in trouble and although he slept soundly that night, his dreams were filled with thoughts of Richard.