fly | madderton

FIVE

The day after their ride, Taron was aching far too much to do anything. Had he known he could still be hurt on a successful, kick-free ride, he would have never been persuaded to get on the horse.

Though, he had to admit that he'd enjoyed himself. He got to spend a few hours talking with two of his best friends, all while enjoying the sun in the countryside. Taron had even been convinced to give Poppy a carrot after Jamie had untacked her and brushed her off. Well, 'give' her a carrot. He'd held it out, then thrown it with a panicked squeal when she moved her nose towards him to take it. It had left Richard and Jamie useless for about ten minutes as they tried to recover from their laughing, but Taron didn't find it nearly as funny.

Still, he wasn't one to take it to heart. He knew that his friends were just having some fun, and they meant no malice by it. The few times Taron truly started to panic whilst they were out, Jamie was quick to reassure him and hold the horses a little closer to one another. He even got off at one point and walked both horses past a branch that had fallen at the side of the track as he could feel his horse looking at it, and didn't want any of them to spook and scare Taron. As much as he'd made fun of him for it, he understood that Taron was genuinely afraid of the horse he was sat on, and wanted to make the experience as positive as he possibly could.

Even after they'd said their goodnights and gone to their respectful bedrooms, Richard came back and knocked on Taron's door to apologise if they'd pushed it a little far. Whilst Taron hadn't thought this anyway, he was still grateful that Richard had come to make sure he was okay. It was then that Richard offered to get up and run Taron a bath first thing, as his parents had already gone to bed by this point. The night before, Taron had refused, but he really regretted doing so when he sat up the next morning and his thighs felt as if they had been set alight.

Luckily, Richard knew better than to take Taron's word for anything, and was planning to run the bath anyway.

"Yeah, come in," Taron said, responding to a knock at his bedroom door. Richard stepped in, and Taron felt a slight blush rise on his cheeks. He was sat on his bed in just his boxers, and Richard was stood at the door. Why he felt such a way, he didn't know. He'd known Richard forever, and they'd almost definitely seen each other in similarly innocent yet compromising situations. Why was he suddenly acting so strange?

"Do you prefer poached or scrambled?" Richard asked, smiling at his friend, "On toast, that is."

"Poached. But, you don't have to-"

"Don't say it, it's on. I thought you did. Now, I really need to get back downstairs before my water boils over. Don't go anywhere."

Richard disappeared, and Taron did as he said. Well, almost. He picked up his pyjamas from the pile he'd dumped them in beside his bed the night before, and pulled on the bottoms. He wasn't too bothered about his chest, and thought it would look weird if Richard came back up and Taron was fully dressed. Not that Richard had probably took a second glance at what Taron was wearing. Or, well, what he wasn't wearing.

He kicked his legs back beneath the covers to cover himself even more, and did so just as he heard Richard returning up the stairs. Richard entered the room with two plates, similarly topless and wearing a rather unforgiving pair of pyjama bottoms. Not that Taron was looking.

"Here. I tried my best, sorry if it's not perfect," Richard said, smiling as he handed Taron one plate and a set of cutlery. He climbed over Taron's legs and sat the other side of him on the bed, with his back against the wall so he could eat his own breakfast, "How do you feel?"

"Thanks. And, not great. Pretty shit, actually." Taron laughed, adjusting the way he was sitting before starting to cut into his toast. Richard got himself comfortable next to his friend and similarly began to eat his own breakfast.

"Thought so. That bath is still up for grabs, should you want it," Richard said, flashing Taron a smile. Taron noticed the rough edge to his voice, and the goosebumps that were beginning to appear on his arms, most likely from Richard leaving his door open and letting in a draught. He nodded, returning the smile.

"Thanks, Rich. You don't have to, though. Really, you don't. You shouldn't be babysitting me on your holiday."

Richard shook his head and furrowed his brow, pausing to finish his mouthful before speaking. "Don't be silly. I forced you to go out on that horse, I'll deal with the consequences. If that means running my Ducky a bath, I'll run him a bath." Richard smiled again, but this one was a little more smug than friendly. He'd taken to calling Taron that. Taron could take it before, as he was used to being called 'duck' and 'pet' regularly by some of the locals, as well as Richard, but Ducky was entirely different. Ducky was borderline bullying.

Still, it brought a smile to his face.

"Even when you're being stupidly nice you're being nasty. You'll never learn, will you?" Taron asked, gently kicking Richard's leg. He was met with that signature Richard smile, a toothy grin that could light up the whole room.

"I'm not sure I want to, really. Hurry up and eat your breakfast. I'm gonna go and get that bath run, then you've got all day to chill out, and hopefully you'll feel better for tomorrow." Richard carefully climbed over Taron and off the other side of the bed, leaving his plate on Taron's bedside table before walking over to the door. Taron watched him leave, unable to drag his gaze away from Richard's bare torso as he wandered off down the hallway.

A million new, different emotions were clouding his mind whenever he was with Richard. It was bizarre. It was as if whenever Richard was around he just forgot how to function like a regular human, and there was no explaining how guilty he felt over the situation. The two had grown up together, they were best friends and completely inseparable. What had changed during the time they were apart? Why and how did Taron somehow feel simultaneously closer to Richard, yet also a complete stranger?

What in the world was that boy doing to him?