My White Knight Is A Cowboy
Summary: The stead was a brilliant white, but Akito's rescuer acted more like a rugged cowboy than a noble knight. Not that he cared too much; the way Raily wanted him to repay for his services made his toes curl...But is it a one-time thing, or will there be other opportunities for them to get together?
Warnings: Boyslove/Yaoi
Disclaimer: All characters are mine and cannot be used without permission.
AN: Just bringing all my stories from Quizilla onto here. I never liked Quizilla to begin with. Anyway, this is a work in progress (like the other stories. I really need to stop getting new story ideas and stick with the stories I haven't finished yet...). I hope you'll enjoy reading this as well.
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His heart was literally pounding in his chest, his throat hot and dry from exertion and exhaustion. He was breathing so hard that he was literally panting to draw in much needed air. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to push himself forward, to continue to run at this hectic pace.
But given the alternative of letting himself be at the mercy of the gang of notoriously dangerous and destructive youths that were chasing him, he didn't see much choice other than to keep running.
He was somewhat grateful that he wasn't living within a major city, whose gangs are well-known for their loves of knives and guns, but in this small country town, these 'gang members' like to use their fists and vandalising ways to intimidate the townsfolk. And beating up that sickly thin kid from school who was from a seemingly more well-off family then they were wasn't that much of a shock from their standards.
Well, gangs aren't notorious of picking someone who could put up a fight, were they?
But unlike the cities, the houses and buildings are few and far between. Even at his own home, his nearest neighbour was half a mile away and 10 kilometres out of town. There was no way he could run to the safety of his home where his parents and sister were no doubt worried sick about him.
"You can't keep running forever, Akito!"
He didn't need to be told that. He was born with weak lungs, so he knew far better than anyone how much strain he could put on himself. And already he was pushing his body too far.
A small hole in the ground, however, soon stopped him from running any further and caused him to quite literally crash into a wooden fence that was formally used to keep livestock within the designated paddocks.
And just like said livestock, he was trapped also.
Akito leaned heavily against a wooden fence as he breathed deeply, almost choking as he tried desperately to get more air into his lungs. His messy black hair fell over his blue eyes, his body trembling; whether it was due from fear or adrenaline, he didn't know. But the way his legs felt hot and tired, there was no way he could run any further...he was stuck, trapped and completely at their mercy.
"Well well," one of the male youths Akito recognised to be a schoolmate called Jack sneered at him as he and his gang formed a semi-circle around him, all of them panting lightly with twisted smirks on their faces. "What's wrong, Akito? Out of breath already?"
Akito's chest burned as he gave a few spluttering coughs, his body truly not used to, or capable for that matter, of such stress. He pressed his back against the large wooden fence, his arms spread out over the top of the fence in effort to keep himself on his feet. They may be about to give him the beating of his life, but he wasn't just about to lay down and take it.
Why they wanted to kick him down, he didn't know. They don't have a reason other than they wanted something to entertain themselves with for a short while.
"Oh come on, Akito," Jack said to him in a hugely mocking tone, simply enjoying himself far too much. "Why don't you give us a bit of a challenge?"
The next few comments from Jack's posse Akito didn't pay much attention to; numerous swearwords used in the most uncreative manner, sneers that were supposed to be degrading and several chest-beating motions. They weren't anything nearly as important as trying to get his breathing under control, his weak lungs convulsing wildly in his chest.
Suddenly, over the sound of his erratically beating heart, he heard a strange noise, almost like hooves belonging to a horse, hitting the ground at a running speed. It was soft at first, but it quickly grew louder and louder, drawing closer and closer. Then, there was a rush of air from his side and something large and white flew past, seemingly a foot from his head.
What happened after that was like slow motion, Akito's blue eyes taking it all in with an unblinking gaze.
A large white stallion, giving a shrilling neigh and kicking up a cloud of dust with its large, powerful hooves, skidded into the small circle, colliding with a couple of the troublemakers, sending them tumbling over onto the dusty soil. The gang was clearly surprised by the large animal, those on the ground rolling away from the heavy and powerful hooves in an attempt not to get trampled.
But it was what was upon that horse that caught Akito's unwavering attention. Sitting tall with his head held high was a man with sandy blond-hair that was tied into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck. He was tall and broad, yet not overly muscular.
The horse suddenly reeled back onto its two back legs, its front legs flailing about dangerously in the air. Such an abrupt action would have caused any experience rider to fall off, but the blond-haired man merely tugged on the reins, causing the horse to pull to the side, landing heavily right in front of Akito before coming completely calm and docile.
Akito could do nothing but cling onto the fence like a lifeline, staring up, way up, at the man sitting calmly upon the white horse.
Sharp, piercing green eyes surrounded by dark, think lashes on a face with hard and chiselled features looked down at him from his lofty height, his back straight and his shoulders broad with power. He looked as wild and untameable as the horse upon which he rode.
Was he what Knights in Shining Armour look like?
Then, Akito suddenly found himself being lifted off his feet, an arm like steel wrapped securely and, much to his surprise and embarrassment, easily around his waist before literally being swooped up by his knight and placed side-saddle upon the white horse...between his rescuer's legs and half on his lap. A dark blush spread across Akito's features as the arm stayed around his waist, the muscles bulging and moving seamlessly under tan skin, pulling him up against a rock hard but warm chest that was covered by a thin white shirt, keeping him still and safe.
He felt so small being held against such a broad and powerful body, and yet he also felt a sense of safety. He had no strength left in him to put up much of a struggle at all, so hoped that this man was to be his rescuer.
"You're safe now."
That was all Akito needed to hear, relief causing him to fall bonelessly against the strong chest.
Tilting his head back to look up at his savour more closely, a feeling of familiarity fell over him and his eyes widen in surprise. He knew this man! He was Raily, a reclusive horse breeder and tamer. He was rumoured to have been a successful CEO who had moved into town in order to start a new life and to get away from all those hungry gold-diggers a man of his fortitude would no doubt attract.
He wasn't exactly friends with this man, no one really was, but he knew of him and would try to be polite should they ever meet.
But, he had no idea that this man could be so...cool! He really was like a knight in shining armour that his older sister constantly gushed about; sweeping him off his feet and into his arms.
Oh sure, he should be disgruntle that Raily was treating him like some sort of a princess or a damsel in distress, but it was way better than the alternative. He wasn't stupid enough to try to take on a group of five damaging teens all by himself.
"Hey," Raily said as he turned those deep green eyes toward him again, using his other hand to pull on the reins and guide his horse so that they were facing the group head-on. "Are you alright?"
A blush flared on Akito's cheeks, his eyes widening ever so slightly with embarrassment before nodding. "Ah, yes, I think so."
"Good," Raily said as he tightened his grip on him, pulling him even closer against his chest. "I'll settle it from here."