An Almost Lan

Chapter 17

A/N: AU and OOC, just a reminder.

Thank you for your votes and comments, they really encourage me!

Thanks to @CALActorsTypist on Twitter for editing this, remaining errors are all mine.

Xue Yang was mildly worried, which was such an odd occurrence for him. He was a firm believer that worry was mainly for losers. It meant you were not doing anything to control the outcome of what was causing you to fret and he was just not that kind of person.

He had been fully intent on having a long conversation with Wei Ying in the morning after 'the revelation', but he got preoccupied with Wen Xu and returned to their shared room at 6 am the next day, which was also the time to get ready to take the school bus and go back to Bryanston.

Even though they shared seats on the bus, this was hardly the place to discuss Wei Ying's discovery about himself, and by the time they arrived at their dorm, both of them were bone-tired and not in the right frame of mind to have their conversation.

Three days have passed and he suspected Wei Ying was avoiding him in order to steer clear of their most needed talking time. But Xue Yang was anything if not determined they were going to talk about it even if he had to resort to underhanded or unconventional methods.

He knew what he needed to do in order to get Wei Ying's attention. The fact that he would have to use 'Buttercup' the horse Wei Ying rode at the Bryanston School bothered him a little, but it couldn't be helped.

Buttercup was a white three-year old Hanoverian with a gorgeous mane. It had been assigned as Wei Ying's horse after he had proved to the team's coach he was the best jumper in their team. The best horse went to the best jumper, it was as simple as that.

There was no way Wei Ying would not know he was the author of the prank he was planning. He would be furious, but the situation would force his friend to look for him and then they would have to talk.

Opening his laptop, he searched online for the supplies he would need. He took his time to select only the very best. Once he was satisfied with his purchase, he ordered and paid for it.

***

Wei Ying woke up earlier than usual that day. He was definitely not avoiding Xue Yang. At all. He just wanted to start his training a little bit early. Part of the school rules for the jumping team dictated that students had to take part in the care of their designated horse. There were, of course, professional grooms that took care of the horses most of the time, but still team members have assigned chores and today he was going to brush down Buttercup.

Their assigned groom had checked Buttercup's horseshoes yesterday so after the brushing, he was planning on saddling up his horse and starting training right away. He had gotten a new numnah for Buttercup last week, making sure it was extra soft so the saddle wouldn't hurt its back.

Lost in thought he reached the stables, making a beeline towards Buttercup's stall, he stopped on his way to grab its bridle. He was somewhat distracted, still examining the bridle in his hands. Immediately after stopping in front of his horse's stall he moved his gaze up and froze.

"You fucker!!" was the yell that resonated inside the stables.

***

Xue Yang was waiting nearby, by the jumping course, casually leaning on a large oak, fully prepared to face Wei Ying's wrath. He might have overdone it, but he regretted nothing. That was a pretty effective way to get his friend's attention.