Sweet Surrender [MxM]

Chapter 05

"Mother fucker! Who the fuck stacks fucking boxes like this? Fuck that hurt like a bitch! Damn it! Jesus..."

Millie rolled her eyes from the cash register, smiling politely to the woman she was helping, who kept glancing at the back room with a worried expression. "Simply my incompetent nephew." Millie explained.

The woman nodded, slowly leaving the store while shaking her head. Millie rolled her eyes, going to the back room to find Nathan rubbing his shoulder, sitting on the floor and surrounded by various boxes.

"Honestly boy, if you can't keep it down and do your job, I might just fire you!" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Nathan rolled his eyes, slowly getting to his feet.

"Not my fault that whoever stacks your boxes is a moron who should've played Tetris more often." he mumbled under bis breath, picking up the fallen boxes and placing them on the shelves.

"Mind the bird houses. I want them out here in one piece when you're done. I get a lot of money for those things." Millie told him, slamming the door shut behind her as she left. The piles of boxes swayed precariously, making Nathan freeze. When nothing fell or broke, he nodded, going over to the ladder to climb it.

He removed one of boxes on a shorter stack, placing it on top of the ladder and opening it, his elbow lightly tapping another stacked box.

There was a loud crashing noise, making him close his eyes and sigh. Son of a bitch.

Cana's head popping up through the top door of the stall was exactly what Varian needed to get his mind off of things.

"Hey boy, you ready to go riding?"

Cana's answering excited whinny was a very good reply in Varian's mind.

Smiling, he opened the bottom door of Cana's stall, and let him walk out.

"Can I go riding too?" Venerra asked.

"What do you think Cana? Do you mind an extra passenger?"

Cana swept his massive head low and snorted into Venerra's face. She blew back in greeting, and he nuzzled her.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Go get your riding gear on," Varian said to Venerra.

She bolted out of the stable towards the house for her things, and Varian began cleaning Cana and checking his hooves and legs for any traces of something going wrong.

Satisfied, he stroked Cana's snout and leaned his cheek against Cana's. Cana's intelligent brown eye looked into Varian's, and he smiled.

He loved Cana. In some ways, Cana was like the older brother that Varian never had, and in others he was the little brother that he never would have.

And that was okay, because he loved Venerra to death. She was a ray of light in even the darkest realm.

"That's it! I give up! Fire me!" Nathan yelled in exasperation, walking out of the storage room and sighing irritably.

Millie stood still at the register. "I'm not going to fire you because that's what you want. So, no, you're not fired. Go sit outside and take a break or something." she responded.

"Damn sadistic old woman." Nathan mumbled, stepping out of the store and sitting down on a nearby curb. He hadn't felt like working today, not after lunch.

He was well aware he wasn't hallucinating. But he had to come up with something other than "Hey Varian, you're a complete and total nut, stay the fuck away from me."

That probably wouldn't have gone well.

So, plan? Avoid Varian at all costs, no matter what.

"Gee," Varian ordered Cana, lightly tapping his side with his boot. Cana obediently turned right as they crested the hill, Venerra snugly between Cana's massive neck and Varian's front.