{if I get a single comment referencing Old Town Road I swear to The Lord Jesus ™ Himself I'm gonna... cry silently.}
"Romannnn, where are we going?" Patton asked, whining in the back seat of the car.
"Patton, he is only going to give you the same response as he has the past 28 times you have asked: it is a surprise." Logan stated, to which Roman just laughed. Patton whined, shifting around in his seat.
"Well, are we gonna be there soon? I really gotta go to the bathroom," he complained, sounding much like a child. Virgil chuckled.
"Patton, I advised you to use the restroom before we left the house." Logan sighed.
"But I didn't have to go to the bathroom then!" Patton objected, crossing his legs. "I really, really have to go now though!" He huffed. Roman shook his head and laughed more.
"Yes, Patton, we're almost there. A few more minutes." He said calmly. Patton sighed and relaxed a bit.
"Good. I wanna know what we're doing!" Virgil just hit himself, laughing a bit with Roman.
"Pat, I swear, sometimes you're odd," Virgil commented. Patton giggled and nodded.
"Yeah. I know, thanks!"
When they finally arrived, Roman parked the car outside of a barn area, and Patton jumped out immediately.
"Whoa! It's so-" he cut himself off with a gasp. "OHMYGOODNESSGRACIOUS, IS THAT A CHICKEN!?" He giggled and picked up a nearby chicken that waddled towards him, squealing in excitement.
Logan nodded, and Roman smirked, wrapping his arm around Logan's neck.
"Totally worth it." He laughed. "Your boyfriend is adorable," Logan blushed and shoved Roman off.
"I am aware of Patton's pleasurable appearance," he mumbled. "I would suggest you keep your eyes on your own boyfriend." Roman rolled his eyes, looking over at Virgil.
"Hey, Virgil, is that a horse?" He yelled way too obviously. Virgil looked up to where Roman was gesturing, eyes widening as he saw two people walking toward them, two horses following them each. Patton squealed again setting the chicken down before bouncing up and down in excitement. He ran over and hugged Logan tightly, pointing at the horses.
"LOOK AT THEM!!" Logan chuckled, nodding and hugging Patton back.
"I can see them, lovely," he said softly, holding Patton's hand.
"Hey, guys! Are you all ready to ride?" The girl holding two of the horses called out as she got closer. Patton nodded excitedly, as did the others. "My name's Cassie, this is Bo and Felicity," she held up the reigns to each horse as she said their names.
"Oh my goodness that's perfect." Patton said, uncharacteristically monotone. Roman laughed, wrapping his arm around Virgil.
"My name is Tony, and this is Majesty and Red-Hot Sassafras," The man behind Cassie said as he came to a stop next to her. Patton giggled at the names. "I take it you're all new to this?"
"This ain't his first rodeo," Roman smirked, pointing to Virgil. Virgil turned red and hit Roman's arm, to which the two handlers just laughed. "No but seriously, I'm the only one who's ridden a horse before. Purely for princely purposes." He winked at Virgil.
"Alright! Do you wanna hop on now? They're all saddled up and ready to go," Tony asked, offering him Hot-Red Sassafras's reigns.
"Sure! I'll stay with them though-" Roman took her reigns and jumped onto her saddle quickly. He chuckled and gently pet her mane. "So is this how it feels, Virge?"
"Try to keep the bedroom jokes to a minimum, Roman." Logan said sternly, raising an eyebrow. Roman nodded.
"Fine. I'm gonna take a lap- is that okay?" He asked. Virgil nodded, as did the two handlers.
"Stay within the pasture, please. Sassafras likes to jump, so she may try to once you hit the fence." Tony explained.
"Noted. Is there a pace she's more comfortable with?" Roman asked. In the meantime, Patton had wandered over to Bo and started petting him, humming and whispering softly to him. Cassie chuckled softly.
"Bo likes you," she commented. "You wanna ride him?" Patton looked up at her and nodded excitedly. "Alrighty! Does your friend wanna help you up, or do you want me to?" Patton looked at Logan, suddenly nervous.
"Can Logan help too...?" He asked softly. Cassie nodded, smiling comfortingly.
"Of course." She beckoned Logan over with a hand. "Now, hold on to- Logan, is it?" Logan nodded in response. "Hold onto Logan's shoulder, and gimme your hand." Patton does as told, squealing as she lifts him up and taps his leg, then swinging it over to sit in the saddle. "Is there anything uncomfortable?" Patton shook his head.
"Hi- oh my gosh, he's so big, what if I hurt him?" Patton looked at Logan worriedly. Logan chuckled.
"They are horses bred for being ridden, Patton, they will not be injured by you." He stated. Cassie nodded, petting Bo's neck.
"WHOO!" Roman yelled, then flicking the reigns and putting Red-Hot Sassafras into a full gallop. Patton giggled, gently kicking his feet excitedly, accidentally setting Bo into motion. He squealed and clung to the reigns, looking at Cassie, who laughed softly.
"Just keep yourself balanced. As you go faster, keep yourself level with the horse- look how your friend is settled," she gestured to Roman, who was now full-on sprinting across the fields. Patton watched closely, getting more comfortable with the slow walk of his own horse.
Logan looked up as a horse nudged his head, turning to see Virgil sitting on Felicity.
"You gonna get on, or are you gonna be a wuss?" He asked. Logan rolled his eyes.
"I will get on, but I am not speeding like Roman." He chuckled and walked over to Majesty. "May I have assistance?" He asked Tony, who nodded and helped him up.
"Logan, look look look!"
Logan glanced over at Patton, who was now in a trot and going in semi-large circles. He chuckled and padded over near him, stopping a few feet within Patton's circling range.
"Nice job, Pat!" Roman yelled as he raced past, slowing down by Virgil and circling to a halt. "Hey, babe. Wanna take a walk?" Virgil rolled his eyes.
"Sure, Princey." He smiled. "How the hell do I move this thing?" He laughed, and Roman showed him how to get the horse to move.
They spent the next few hours learning positions, jumps, and just how to move properly with the horse. As the sun began to set, painting the sky pink, Roman stopped in the middle of the field and called everyone over.
"Did everyone have fun?" Cassie asked, to which all four of the newly made jockeys happily said yes. "Alright, good! Now, I believe there is one more surprise- Roman? Do you wanna take this part?" Roman smiled and nodded, moving Sassafras forward a little and trotting circles around them.
"Patton- do you like Bo?" He asked, stopping in front of him. Patton nodded happily, petting Bo's mane.
"Yeah! He's so sweet and he's super patient," he said softly, hugging the horse around the neck.
"Well," Roman looked to Cassie, who nodded. "He's yours now," he said with a smile. Patton's jaw dropped, and he sat up.
"What!? Wait, where are we gonna put him!?" Patton asked. Roman chuckled.
"He stays at the stables, and he'll be taken care of, but since it's only about 30 minutes away, Cassie said she'd be glad to take care of Bo as she has been already." He explained. Patton gasped and bounced up and down excitedly in the saddle.
"Really!?" He squeaked, and Cassie nodded.
"Bo is a good horse, and he seems to like your energy. But you've gotta visit regularly to keep him happy- I'll ride him out once a day while you're not here, but not for too long since I have other horses to tend to." She explained. "Can you do that?"
"Yes! Yes, I can do that, thank you so much I love him oh my goodness!" Patton was practically overflowing with happiness, looking at Logan happily. Logan smiled at him adoringly, humming in approval.
"I can drive you down every other week or so, if that is frequent enough?" He suggested, looking to Cassie for approval.
"That's more than enough- most owners visit once a month or two," Cassie pointed out. Logan nodded, and looked at Patton.
"Then he's yours,"
"YAY!!" Patton yelled, giggling happily. "Hyah!" He flicked the reigns, then trotting away with Bo and eventually getting into a slow run. Roman laughed, following him with a sprint, jumping over obstacles like a madman. Virgil shrugged, trotting after them, with Logan by his side.